"Hey, are you sure it's this way?

There's no doubt about it. At least there is a behemoth in this castle somewhere. I'm sure of it, because I can feel his presence.

I see. Well, if you say so, I'm sure you're right, but you often take the wrong road, you know?

That's because the city of Tokyo is so cluttered and easy to get lost in!　You're the one who needs to stop bringing up old stories!

　Meanwhile, we move back in time to the backstory of Kyou and his team's meeting with the Emperor's heroes.
　There, Demon King Favnir and Hyomuro Keiji, who had invaded the inner part of the imperial castle, were both walking through the deep passages of the castle.

It's still quite a labyrinthine place. The soldiers who were guarding this passage before that were also numerous.

"It's a place that captures SS-ranked demons. That's the least you can do. That said, no matter how tight the security is, it's still just a piece of paper to me.

　It's a good thing that you're not a fan of this kind of thing," he said, recalling the battle between the demon king and his soldiers, a battle that couldn't be called an overrun battle.

"You're still a bullshit powerhouse.

"Of course. He's a demon king and an SS-ranked demon. Even if they are the Seven Heroes, the difference in strength is overwhelming.

　Keiji nodded at the words of the demon king who walked leisurely in front of him.
　In fact, in her hands, she would win the battle against the seven heroes, let alone the emperor who rules this castle.

But you. You're that strong, so if you went directly to the Valkyria Kingdom, you could have laid waste to them and ruled them instead of skirmishing with them. Not only that, you could have ruled the continent, including this empire, in an instant if you wanted to.

"You know the role of our demons. You know what we demons do. That doesn't mean we contribute anything to the world. I'm only working in my 'role as a demon king'.

　You will be able to find out what the demon king said.
　It is true that this is the original role of the demon king of this world and the role of demons. But...

But if you say that, don't you think your cooking competition with Kyou and his friends and the truce with the Valkyria Kingdom are too lenient for a demon king's job?　If it were true, we would have had a good chance to go all out there.

"...... You know that . I've played the demon king for too long. That's why I have too much love for demons. Above all.

"You mean Kyou?

　Say, Cage can't help but chuckle.

"You always have a soft spot for kids, don't you?

I didn't expect you to be in charge of the seed of the world tree. I didn't think that Kyou would be in charge of the seeds of the World Tree, and I can't really compete with my son. If I'm not careful, we may end up getting my daughter involved in the fight. I'm not going to let her fight because of that, since she admires her brother so much.

"So that's a cooking competition. Well, I guess that's possible. At least it helped them grow up a little.

　But even so, if it is possible, someone needs to stand as a clear enemy and an obstacle to Kyou and his friends.
　That's what will lead to the achievement of Kyou and his friends' goal.
　With this in mind, Keiji will be able to answer the questions about the actions of his wife, the demon king.

So is that why you decided to go behind the scenes this time?

Well. To tell the truth, I think this imperial hero thing is a good opportunity. I'm only going to be of help to those kids. Well, if things get out of hand, then I'll take care of the rest. Even if I had to take on all seven heroes, I'm confident I could hold them off on my own.

It's scary when you say it, because it's rather serious.

　So with a bitter smile on his face, Keiji thinks about the main culprit in this case, the Imperial hero.
　Why did he make a move at this time, and why did he explicitly name Kyou and the others? That's the first question that Keji felt.

I'm not sure if ...... is what the emperor's guy is after as well as us.

"Huh?　That youngster?　It's not going to happen. It's either us SS-ranked demons who know the truth of that world or ......

　Then the demon king stopped talking when he realized the possibility.
　No, if that's the case.
　As if to answer the question, they arrived at a door at the end of the passage.
　They nod their heads together and slowly open the door.
　Inside the darkened room, they enter to see the SS rank behemoth, the demon king's cousin, who seems to be trapped there, but there is a sight they did not expect.

This is ......

"Hey, hey, what the hell is going on?

　The two were puzzled by the scene. I'm sure you've been thinking about this for a while now.

I see. ...... So that's what happened.

What do you find out?

"Yeah, probably ......

"That's what you're thinking. Lord Demon King.

　The two people instantly turn around at the voice from behind that suddenly sprang up.


　The person standing there was an unexpected person for both of us.

You can visit ......

I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you guys to stay here for a while longer to see how things play out. Above all, it's a parent's role to see to it that their child grows up.

　What does this person mean? The demon king instantly understood this and grasped the whole story of this case and uncharacteristically stuck his tongue out with a "tsk".