The Demon King's Castle.

In the west of the Extent continent, in the farthest reaches of Vendidart territory, there was a castle.
Although I had imagined a jet-black castle towering over the dark sky and the evil land, in reality, it was the exact opposite.
Surrounded on all sides by tranquil forests, majestic mountains, and beautiful lakes, a majestic white castle existed at the center of this natural fortress.

It was the most beautiful castle I've known since I moved to this other world.
As I stood in front of the door of the castle, the door slowly opened and a beautiful woman with dark hair - my mother, the demon king of this world, welcomed me with a smiling smile.

"Welcome, Kyou-chan, ladies and gentlemen, and you. Welcome.

As soon as we entered, what caught our attention was the shine of the polished marble.
As soon as you open the door, dozens of maids dressed as human-shaped demons line up in maid outfits and greet you with a bow as soon as we enter.

Then, let's get you to the cooking battles.

As soon as we get inside, Mom starts to lead the way.
We slowly follow her, and along the way, we ask her a few questions about the upcoming battle.

Mom, if we win this battle, you will stop your invasion of the Valkyria Kingdom and be quiet, right?

"Yes, of course. I promise you that we won't do anything to you for at least a hundred years from now on. However, if you come into our territory and attack us, we will only intercept you.

I look at Amarnes for that condition from Mom.
She nodded as if she agreed with that.

"No problem. If you won't attack us, there's no reason to fight. To be honest, the quality of the demons in the demon king's territory is the best in the world, but the safety of our own country is our top priority.

I'm sure you'll agree with me that we'll be able to make demands if we on the Demon King's side win, and you'll keep your contract.

There was a calm expression and tone of voice, but there was an absolute weight to the contract, and an intimidating feeling that if we lost and didn't fulfill our demands, we wouldn't get a free ride.

Oh, and one more thing. One more thing. Mom, I heard there's a seed of the World Tree here.

"World Tree Seeds?　Yes, I have.

I knew it. How come Mom has the seed of the World Tree?
Because I'm a demon king?　Because it's the Demon King?
Is that the one where you drop a legendary item when you defeat a demon king?

I wonder what's wrong with that seed.

"Oh, if we win, can I have that too?

From the beginning, our objective was to collect the seeds of the World Tree scattered throughout this world, and ending the war between the Valkyria Kingdom and the Demon King's territory was just a means to get them.
By stopping the war, the Valkyria Kingdom promised to get the seeds, so if I can get the seeds from the Demon King's side, I can kill two birds with one stone.
You're going to be able to find out what's going on in the world.

"What are you going to do after you get it, Kyou-chan?

Yeah. Well, I'm going to find a suitable place to grow it, anyway.

Oh, I knew you could grow a world tree, Kyou-chan!

You'll be able to find a lot more than you're used to.

"Well, I guess. Well, I mean, maybe... I mean, the Goddess said that I could do it.

"Yes, yes!　That goddess finally decided to go for it!　If that's what you mean, okay. If Kyou-chan plants a seed and the World Tree grows, then it is consistent with my purpose.

Consistent with Mom's purpose?
I don't know what that means.

Anyway, as far as the seeds are concerned, as long as you're willing to take responsibility for raising them, you can have them whether you win or lose.

Oh, yeah!　Now you've got the seeds in the Demon King's Castle, if you win the upcoming cooking battle, you can get two seeds at once to complete half of your goal.
While you're thinking that your negotiations are going well, before you know it, you find yourself in front of a large door, and when you open it, what appears beyond the door is a venue that surpasses the great cooking competition you'll have at some point in the future.
The four demon kings were waiting for us in the hall, and among them, we could see someone else we knew besides the three we had seen before.

"Ys-chan, is that you?

It was the Snow Witch Ys . On her shoulder was her best friend, Dori the Dori of Doriard.

It's good to see you again, Kyou-san. It's a good thing that we meet again this time, but I, Snow Witch Ys, according to the contract signed by the great witches of old, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King, I would like to participate in the cooking battle with you. I'm sorry to say that.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

I'm not sure. I'm sure there are a lot of things on your side as well. I'm sure there are many things to do.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.
And as if to push her away, a gothic loli-eyed girl appears in front of me.
This is one of the four heavenly kings who appeared before with mom and others...

"Gosh, it's been a long time. Do you remember me?　I am Helu, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King and Princess of Darkness. I am the poster child of darkness and the darling of darkness.

Yeah, that's a common theme.
The last time I caught a glimpse of her, she was a painful girl. This girl reminds me of my painful memories from the past.
It's a good thing that you have a good idea of what you're talking about. ...... When I was still in elementary school, there was an earlier stage in my life where I would summon myself as a reincarnation of a hero and then I'd be summoned to another world to become a hero.
Well, okay.

Oh, yeah, I remember you. I saw you on the battlefield the other day. I hope you have a good match this time.



You're not going to be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
I'm not sure if they don't want you to become familiar with them because they are enemies.

Ha, I'm sorry. She's a little tricky for us to deal with, don't mind me. I'm the "Holy Lion" spin on one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Be gentle with me this cooking battle, okay?

Then the brown half-beast man standing behind me grabbed the girl who called herself Hel by the scruff of her neck and pulled her away from me.
Hmm, quite a gentleman. This one looks strong.

Now that the players are all here, we'll receive the battles table for each camp and announce the first round of cooking battles, but before we do that, we would like you to take a suggestion from us.

Oh, and what do you propose to come here?

This cooking battle, all of the subjects of the battle are yours to choose from. This is, of course, just asking for some advantage over your advantage in the battle. I would like to see you make this kind of concession, would you?

I'll be able to see how they react to the demon king's suggestion.
You'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
Well, it's true that our strength is almost at the top of the culinary world. If it's just a matter of which dish you're going to use against it, it's not that big of a deal, and you'll be more excited about it.
I nodded at your suggestion after checking everyone's reactions.

Yeah, that's great, Kyou-chan! Thank you. Now then, let's ask the judges who were invited for this cooking battle to announce the first round of competition.

When the spotlight shone on the back of the hall, there were five judges, including that old man who was called the gourmet master.
What are you guys doing here?

We will now announce the opponents for the first round and the dishes designated by the Demon King.

With that said, the gourmet master opened the first round's pairing votes, a matchup that could be called a climax from the very beginning.

"Himuro-Keiji vs. Favrile, the Demon King".
Designated dish: Mapo Tofu

My father and my mother. Our strongest forces versus theirs were the strongest forces.