The Demon Lord reexamined the cells, and it seemed safe to assume that humans were kept in them in horrific conditions.
They climbed down another story to find more cells. Some were similar in structure to those from the level above, while others were made with metal bars that seemed a little more durable. The further down they went, they found larger floors with more cells. Yu didn’t seem to be bothered, but it was a bizarre sight to the Demon Lord. Who made these things, and why? And why build them inside of a dungeon, of all places? He didn’t understand any of it. On the other hand, Yu spoke with a tone as nonchalant as talking about the next day’s weather:
“Perhaps... They were pets.”
“Ha!”
The Demon Lord laughed it off, but couldn’t quite shake the idea. Who could have remained sane trapped in a prison cell in a dungeon crawling with monsters?
“In any case, I don’t like it...”
“Of course, sir. The management of the people’s happiness must be fully in your control.”
“Mm...”
Even as he pretended to agree, the Demon Lord was screaming on the inside. He would have vehemently denied the need for such management if he could have.
When they reached the 20th level on the bottom of the dungeon, the air completely changed and the banter stopped. The Demon Lord’s expression shifted. This floor hosted a modern factory. Unlike any of the floors above, the ground and walls were made out of concrete, showing bare steel support beams above countless conveyor belts in operation. The industrial belts were carrying cut up monsters and charred human bodies to who-knew-where, along with clothes, weapons, and even the walls of houses. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the variety of things it was carrying.
“I see. It seems I’ve been shown to a different level.”
“...Mister Secretary?”
“It’s quite different from the level 20 I had heard about. Yu, does this level appear the same as the others to you?”
Level 20, as Yukikaze had described it to him, was nothing out of the ordinary. Definitely not this modern facility.
“Yes... Bare rock walls. Dimly lit.”
At this moment, the Demon Lord became sure of his suspicion.
“Apparently, I was invited.”
First, the gun he had found on level 15, and now the level 20 that was not as it should be. Someone was giving the Demon Lord a secret look behind the curtains and getting enjoyment out of it. Were they taunting the Demon Lord, or did they have a message to send? In any case, he was sure that this wasn’t good news.
“Yu, stay here. If something happens, grab me and Quick Travel.”
“Wait, sir. You’re going alone...?”
“If we both get attacked at once, we’re out of options. If something seems off with me, heal me immediately. Got it?”
“Y-Yes, sir...”
The Demon Lord continued through the countless conveyer belts that carried both monster and human corpses without discrimination. It was creepy to say the least, and anyone might have frozen in their tracks. But the Demon Lord didn’t.
(Something’s here. Something I want to know. Or something that someone wants to show me.)
The door at the end of the factory opened automatically, perhaps by electricity, or perhaps by magic. One question of his was answered as soon as he walked through the door.
“So it’s a recycling plant.”
Below him, he could see the monster and human bodies being dropped into a giant furnace, with new monsters being carried out from it. This was a sight quite in contrast to what most people imagined reincarnation to be.
In the room, the Demon Lord spotted countless monitors varying in size. With around a hundred monitors stacked on top of each other in a heap, it almost looked like a monument. Even the Demon Lord couldn’t help but shudder at the sight.
“Do you want me to grade your artwork?” the Demon Lord asked whoever it was that was waiting for him.
Whoever it was, they had unknown powers and technology. Just from what the Demon Lord had witnessed so far, the recycling of life below him and the solar-powered gun, they had technology that surpassed that of the modern world. As if to answer his question, a line of text appeared on the screens:
Let’s play, Demon Lord.
After reading these words, the Demon Lord lit a cigarette without a word. Perhaps offended by this, a few of the screens cracked. A new line of text appeared:
Play with me, Demon Lord.
A similar line, but with a different nature. The first was still an invitation, but this was more forceful. Reading this, the Demon Lord took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked it at the screens. The still-lit cigarette hit a monitor and fell to the ground. The next instant, one screen after another shattered in a cacophony. The largest screen in the center, the only one left, displayed a line of red text:
I’ll toy with you, Demon Lord.
Now he wore a dauntless grin.
“Finally, your true colors are showing.”
I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU I’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOUI’LLTOYWITHYOUI’LLKILLYOU
“Heh...”
The Demon Lord was secretly afraid of the message and the malice behind it. But his willpower pinned down even his creeping fear, and only grew stronger from it. The more he was put in a corner, the more he suppressed any negative emotions and powered through. No matter how poorly held together he might have appeared.
“Feel like some superior being in this crappy factory? Hilarious.”
Determined, the Demon Lord spat this out at the screen, straight-on. He had the weapons and confidence to win, thanks to the unparalleled world of his creation. The infinitely vast world created from his fifteen years of determination, filled to the brim with cheat codes.
A mess of rapidly-changing text ran on the screen until it finally displayed:
GAME OVER
The Demon Lord, without a word, threw Sodom’s Fire into the screen. As the shattered pieces of the monitor twinkled like snowfall in the air, the Demon Lord declared war against his hidden opponent.
“I have no idea who you are, but you should know this. To me, nor the Empire, nothing is impossible!”
The Demon Lord flourished his pitch-black coat and left the room.
This was the first battle of a raging war between the Demon Lord and whoever ruled this world.
Akane Fujisaki
The morning after the counter-invasion, the people of Rookie were up to their ears in trouble cleaning up the mess. There were countless things to take care of, like dealing with corpses, removing debris, transporting the injured, assessing the damage to houses and shops, and so on. Considering that there was this much damage even with the paladin, the S-rank Mynk, and the Demon Lord and his witch protecting the town, it would have been completely destroyed without them.
After the incident, the Demon Lord ordered Yu to return to the village right away and remained in town. He had a million things to think about and wanted to be alone. He was staying at the cheap inn, gazing out the window.
(“Let’s play”...?)
He kept recalling the ominous message. Judging by what he saw, it was definitely sent by someone who ruled this world.
(Plenty of things to worry about in the village, too...)
Tahara planned to keep expanding the village of Rabbi to swallow up the settlements around it, and was even preparing to fight with that noble with a weird name. Of course, Tahara only considered all of these to be planned and already set forward by the Demon Lord. He was just loyally following orders.
(I’ll be stuck between Yu and Tahara as soon as I go back...)
Foreseeing his situation, the Demon Lord clasped his face in his hands. He had designed Tahara to be a genius
himself, who was always a hundred steps ahead of Akira Ono. That genius was overthinking every word and move the Demon Lord made out of humility. Akira, an ordinary working Joe on the inside, got exhausted just from trying to keep up the ruse.
(Then there’s Yu...)
She had been more reserved lately, but her backstory was nothing short of catastrophic. In order to pursue the mystery of the human body, she was ready to dissect a million innocent people, laughing all the way. What made it worse was her intellect as sharp as Tahara’s. It was becoming really taxing to keep playing the role of the Demon Lord of the Empire; it felt like he was laying on a bed of nails, day after day.
(I should summon another advisor. To save my mind and my stomach...!)
The first advisor that came to his mind was a more-or-less perfect girl, Ren Miyaoji, one of his most powerful advisors. The problem was, she was as smart as Tahara or Yu, and had a considerable history with Kunai. While he might have been able to keep up the charade for a while, it was very likely that she would have her suspicions. Worse of all, the very moral Ren hated Yu, and vice versa. Without the Demon Lord of the Empire serving as the mediator between them, they were sure to start killing each other sooner or later. That wouldn’t help with his stomach ache, and would more likely cause him a heart attack.
(I’ll go all in and summon an idiot... well, the endlessly optimistic one. That’s the one.)
The Demon Lord thought of Akane Fujisaki. This girl was like the sun. Energetic, happy-go-lucky, and could get along with anyone in no time. She loved anime, light novels, and comics. She seemed like someone who could easily adapt to this fantasy world.
(Akane’s not the cunning type. I won’t have to pretend to be smart around her...)
The Demon Lord wanted a little break from being considered the embodiment of scheming. To strike while the iron was hot, the Demon Lord rose to his feet.
(I’ll summon Akane so I can have some non-scheming time... She’s great at spying, too.)
Even though it was an afterthought, the Demon Lord came up with more reasons to justify his decision. Akane’s specialty was her speed, and she had various abilities well-suited for infiltration and espionage. Now that he had seen a clear new enemy, he deemed it important to gather information from countries other than Holylight. After a deep breath, the Demon Lord opened his Admin screen. Remaining SP — 3803.
(With this much, I could deal with anything that happened after summoning her.)
When he reached the Summon Advisor section, the Demon Lord’s expression tightened. He never got used to the nerves and excitement of this moment. A being that he had created with his sweat and tears was about to come to life. Readying himself, the Demon Lord selected Akane Fujisaki from the Admin screen.
“Akane... Come hither to my presence!”
With the Demon Lord’s call, a pillar of light and a pillar of darkness appeared. When they overlapped, a girl appeared before him. With light brown hair, she wore a school uniform that included a blazer. Her wide-open eyes made it clear that she was a ball of curiosity. Seeing the girl he imagined, designed, and created come to life, the Demon Lord couldn’t help but smile.
“Welcome, Akane.”
“Whoa, it’s you, Hakuto. Where am I, anyway?”
After addressing the Demon Lord by his first name, Akane began looking around. She was surprised to see the Demon Lord of the Empire in such an old-fashioned building.
“It’d be faster to show you than explain it.”
“Hmm? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“This.”
The Demon Lord grabbed Akane by the neck and prepared to Quick Travel.
“Whoa, hold on! I may be cute as a kitten, but I’m not really one!”
The Demon Lord chuckled at this. Akane had a very transient nature. Her interests and hobbies changed with the wind, and so did her mood. She was even more cat-like than she thought.
“Well, more like an annoying stray cat.”
“Hey, can you really look into my cute eyes and— whoa!”
The Demon Lord Quick Traveled anyway, jumping them to Holylight. They were atop a clock tower near the Holy Castle where they could overlook the entirety of the Holy City.
“W-What’s this... a new arena? You’re spending too much money.”
“Look over there. We don’t have scorpions that big in the arena.”
He pointed out the Sand Scorpions, which were crucial for transporting goods on this continent. The arena was flooded with Chimeras (as if for experimentation), but none of them looked like those Sand Scorpions. The Chimeras in the arena were more terrifying, forbidden creatures.
“Hey! Hey! Look at the big castle!”
“They call that the Holy Castle. This country is called Holylight, by the way.”
“Holylight? Sorry, I’m stupid, so I don’t know it.”
“Of course you don’t know it. We are in a different world than our own.”
As he lit a cigarette and looked down below them, the Demon Lord explained their situation little by little. After having a few runs with his previous advisors, his explanation was smooth. He had learned and experienced much more now than the times he had summoned Yu or Tahara. With everything that had happened in mind, the Demon Lord continued as if to chew on every word.
“Um... Hakuto? Did you hit your head? Do you have a boo-boo?”
“Were you listening at all!?”
The Demon Lord flipped, seeing that Akane was seriously worried about him. He couldn’t imagine anything more frustrating. Grinding his fist into Akane’s head, the Demon Lord carried on his spiel.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“This’ll help the blood flow into your brain. I think it’s blocked.”
For a change of pace, the Demon Lord tried using fiction as a comparison. After he powered through explaining everything again, pulling examples from anime, video games, comics, etc., something finally clicked, and Akane finally clapped her hands together.
“...It’s Isekai! Well, except you’re the Demon Lord and not the hero!”
“P-Putting that second part aside, it’s something like that...”
A little dizzy from being called the Demon Lord, he continued to tell Akane about Holylight, and that they were based in the village of Rabbi, continuing to expand.
“Alright! I’ll take ‘things that sound like a load of fun’ for 1000, Alex!”
“Fun, huh...?”
Watching Akane talk to an invisible game show host, the Demon Lord exhaled a long puff of smoke.
(I was a lot more panicked when I first woke up here...)
Was it her nature? Or just her youth?
“We’re really in a fantasy world! Look, there’s someone pouring water out of a rune circle!”
“Yes. There is a power in this world that they call magic.”
Which was something extremely dangerous to the Demon Lord, something he needed to defend against, ASAP. His advisors would need some sort of anti-magic armor, too.
“So if you’re the Demon Lord, Hakuto, should I be the hero?”
“Why should we be enemies? Besides, this world already has a hero.”
“What!? But don’t you think I’d be better at it? Think of how cute and strong I am!”
“I envy you for your thought process.”
Half-ignoring Akane’s comments, the Demon Lord continued. Once he told her that Yu and Tahara were already here, Akane’s eyes glimmered.
“Oh, oh, Hakuto! What about Ren?”
“Right. Pretty soon, I’ll...”
“Summon her, already. Summon her now. Nooooow!”
“Argh, knock it off! Get off of me!”
Akane curled up to the Demon Lord like a cat, and he picked her up by the back of the neck again.
“Hey! I always thought you treated me like I’m not super-cute, Hakuto!”
“Dream on.”
With Akane still in his grasp, the Demon Lord flew them back to the town of Rookie. This time, they ar
rived on a roof that overlooked the plaza. The same spot from where Yu had thrown her grenade(s) the night before. Below them, they could still see monster carcasses scattered about, and they could still smell burnt flesh in the air. Nearly everywhere in town, there was dried blood spattered on the ground and walls, and there were many people working to remove the debris of the destruction since early in the morning. The smoke from the pyre of victims filled the town, and they could see the mass burial taking place in the cemetery outside of the town.
“Where... are we...?”
“It’s not a world full of sunshine and rainbows.”
“Right... Of course...”
As she recalled her previous world ruled by the Empire, Akane’s expression became gloomy.
“There are countless nations that we don’t know about in this world. Some non-human species, too.”
Not to mention the various monsters in the dungeon and the devils. On top of that, there was the unknown enemy from the night before, and the mysterious figure who had restricted his Admin features. With those in mind, the Demon Lord spoke:
“It’s the same as it was in the world with the Empire. Even in this world... we have countless enemies.”
“...Right. And if they’re our enemies, I’ll fight them. But...”
“Hm?”
“What do you want to do in this world, Hakuto?”
The Demon Lord couldn’t immediately answer that straightforward question. What was he doing in this world? What did he want to do? He wanted to regain all of his Admin features. Those, having put in fifteen years of blood and sweat to create them, were almost a testament to his own existence. This goal, this objective, would not waiver.
(But what then...?)
The Demon Lord remained silent for a long time, but Akane, uncharacteristically patient, awaited his response. Normally, she would be rushing or teasing him. This went to show how seriously she had asked the question.
(What do I want to do...?)
He realized that, although he didn’t know how long it would take to get there, he had no idea what he would do or wanted to do after regaining all of those features. Now that he had gotten his advisors and many others into the mix, he couldn’t very well ditch everyone and run away.
Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 3 Page 19
