There is a room made of pure white marble.
　There seems to be only one door to enter and exit.
　There is no one in this room.
　There is nothing in the white room, and a magic circle is drawn on the ground.

　Paaa!

　The magic circle begins to glow, and Kubel appears in the center of the supposedly empty room.
　As usual, he is dressed like a clown and wearing a mask.
　This seems to be a transfer room to come in from another place.

"This is the High Demon Lord Cubel, welcome back.

　As I left the transfer room, a demon woman dressed as a servant noticed me.
　She bowed deeply to Cubel, the chief strategist of the Demon Lord's army, and greeted him.

"Is the Demon Lord in the throne room?

　Cubel spoke in a light tone.

'Yes. However, it's best not to go there right now ......, as the higher demon Ramon Hamon is there.

　The Demon Lord seems to be in the throne room.
　The servant woman advised him that it would be a bad idea to go now, but she looked uncomfortable.

So, the center has already been defeated. That was quicker than I thought.

　The servant's words seemed to have brought the situation home to her.
　He continued on his way along a path lined with white floor stones and pillars that reminded him of a chalk palace without a speck of dust.
　In Cubel's hand was a large book.

　Then, at the top of the stairs, he heard a commotion.
　There seems to be quite a lot of something clamoring.

"Is it true that the central continent has been destroyed?
"Destruction? Is it the same situation as Rosenheim?
I've heard that the only one who's returned to the central continent is General Ramon Hammon. The army and the general who leads it have been wiped out.

　There were hundreds of demons in the hall.
　All of them were in their non-human forms.
　Some of them were several times taller than adults, and some had many limbs.
　Insects, beasts, demons, and many other species have become demon gods.

　We are in the castle of the Demon Lord, the headquarters of the Demon Lord Army.

　After losing the war with the humans, the Demon God who had been in charge of the central continent after Rosenheim was defeated, the news has just come to this Demon Lord's castle and there is quite a commotion.
　The central continent had the largest number of demonic beasts.
　It is said that they have been annihilated in a siege operation, leaving behind some troops who were engaged in espionage.

　In such a situation, all eyes were on Cubel who came up the stairs to the hall.

I'm not sure what to say.

　He seems to be surprised by the arrival of a high-ranking demon god who is in charge of the entire army's strategy.
　It's a question of who's on that staircase and whether they know what their position was.


　With the surprised demons behind him, Cubel hummed his way up to the next floor.

　The floor further up than the one where the demons had been was of a certain size.
　There was a throne in the back, and a man was sitting on a chair.

　In front of the throne is a step, and in front of it kneel the deformed ones.
　At the bottom of the step, two voices, a man and a woman, are shouting at the kneeling person on the throne.


"Demon Lord!　Why do you have someone like Cubel as your chief advisor?　I'm sure you're not the only one.

"...... Hmm."

　The demon king sitting on his throne, palms to his cheeks, listening to the words of those kneeling.

　The voices of the man and woman who were shouting are emanating from one body.
　It has two faces on its head, one male and one female, and four limbs each, but it seems to have only one body.

　In such a situation, Cubel kneels in front of the Demon King as if it were a matter of course.

"Cubel has just returned. "My Lord, this is the result of this time.

　After hearing the voices of a man and a woman, she presented the souls collected by the evil guru Gushala from her bosom to the Demon Lord.
　In the event that you're not sure what to do, you may want to check with your doctor.

"Hmm... Cubel. You're back."

"You... Cubel!　How dare you condescend to come back! How dare you take responsibility for this defeat!

　At the sight of such an obvious report, both the male and female faces simultaneously became enraged and shouted at Cubel.
　This time, they seemed to be trying to pin the blame for the defeat on Cubel, who had devised a plan to invade the Central Continent, Rosenheim, and the Baucis Empire with a force of 2 million.

"Indeed. I can understand Ramon Hammon's anger. I'd like to know more about this plan of yours as well.

　This male-faced higher demon god is the Ramonhamon that the servant woman mentioned earlier.
　Ramon Hamon was in overall command of the central continent's army.
　Just a few moments ago, his entire army was destroyed, and the demon god he had installed as his general was also killed, and he seems to have returned to the throne room where the demon king resides, furious.

　Then, a high-ranking demon god in the form of a metallic shining beetle, who seemed to be hard-headed in his speech, agreed with Ramon Hamon's words.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how you can get it.

I'm sure you'll agree.　I'm sure General Virdiga would agree. It seems like we've had a string of defeats like this since the last war!

　The beetle-shaped higher demon god seemed to be named Virdiga.
　There are only less than ten high ranking demons and a demon king sitting on the throne in this level.
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

"What?　I'm not sure.　You're lying?　You've got to be kidding. You've got to be kidding me.



　Cubel, dressed as a clown, uses gestures to show his surprise.
　It was obvious to anyone who saw him that he was playing a joke.

"I'll kill you!

　Ramon Hammon looks as if he's about to attack him.

"So, Cubel. You're late. What have you been up to?"

　Then the Demon Lord slowly put his hand on Ramon Hamon.
　Ramon Hamon bows his head deeply, as if his anger is being absorbed.
　He seems to kill his anger and leave the whole matter to the Demon Lord.

　The demon lord looks at one of the higher demon gods kneeling.
　It's Basuku, who has a scar where he was slashed.
　Basuku has already fled and is sitting on his knees in the throne room.
　I don't feel any loyalty to the Demon Lord, but it seems that the higher demon gods are allowed to enter this level.

　Basuku had returned to the Demon Lord's castle a long time ago.
　Basu had reported that Cubel had disappeared from the temple on the floating island before he returned.

"I'm sorry, sir. I've been looking for something.

　He says, looking at the book in his hand, "I couldn't find him anywhere, so I searched.
　This light tone of voice reawakened the anger of Ramon Hammon, who had thought to leave it to the Demon Lord.

"So, you're looking for something while the Demon King's army is being annihilated. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what you mean by that, Demon Lord!

"What, I heard through the grapevine, Cubel. Is it true that you used to be the first angel?

""?

　The Demon Lord asked Cubel if it was true that he was the first angel.

　The higher demons also gasped.
　I knew that he was called the Primordial Demon God and that he had lived for a long time.
　However, they understood that there was a reason why he wore a mask and did not show his true face.

I'm Moto. I haven't seen Elmere in a long time.

　Cubel smiles under his mask, saying it's an old story.

"You do not deny it?"

Yes.

　He says there is no reason to deny it.
　There's a Demon Lord and about ten higher demons here now.
　He doesn't seem to mind if they become his enemies and attack him.

　Ramon Hamon got the point.
　The former First Angel, Cubel, who still had ties to the Divine Realm, was leading the operation to ensure that the Demon Lord's army was defeated.

I'll kill Cubel, Demon Lord. Is that okay with you?



　Ramon Hammon is going to kill you with those words.

"Ramon Hammon says so. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"What?　What do you have to say?　I'm a little dumb. Did I mess something up?

"Huh?"

"You, you!　You've lost this year's war as well as last year's!

　Ramon Hammon exclaimed with two mouthfuls of insanity.
　Ramon Hamon screamed in two mouthfuls, "How can you hide your identity like that and get away with it in this situation?

'The wars of last year and this year?　Oh, you think I've made two mistakes. Let me think about it.

"I don't care."

　When the Demon Lord said that, Cubel raised himself up from his knees and stood up.
　Then he began to think with his arms and head, "Hmmm.

The only thing I have to show for it is my results. ......, what you have in your hands now is my results this time.

　He explains to the Demon Lord that the jet-black soul he just gave him is the result of Cubel's operation.

"This is the fire that took people's lives? It's so small. Will this be enough to revive the evil god?　Isn't that a fraction of what you planned?

Yes. If Allen's group hadn't come, it would've been five times the size.

　It seems that Allen and his team have reduced the number of people they were supposed to kill by a fifth.

"Isn't that a failure?"

"Of course not. If we win too much, the divine realm will move. I think that's enough.

"Hmm.

Thanks to me, we were able to use the sacred artifacts to gather lives for the resurrection of the evil god and dispose of the useless guru. We'd better not misunderstand our purpose.

"Purpose?

"The purpose. I'm talking about what is the victory of our Demon Lord army.

　I have no intention of spreading paganism.
　I'm done with the misplaced guru.

　Then, with Ramon Hamon behind him, Cubel began to speak.

　In the first place, we have not lost this case.
　I was able to get enough fire to revive some of the evil gods.


　And we were able to provide the human side with a victory: the head of the evil cultist Gushala and the defeat of the Demon King's army in the northern part of the continent.

　This is the same thing that happened last time when we took the sacred weapon of Freya, the god of fire.
　The number of magical beasts of the Demon King's army that had increased too much due to the victory and the weakness of the hero Helmios was able to be used as a distraction for the God Realm.

But that's a technicality. But that would be sophistry.

　You say it's just an excuse for defeat.

"Don't forget that the Demon Lord's army is still in existence thanks to me. It was I who stopped the foolish Demon Lord from suddenly calling himself the Demon Lord and embarking on world domination.


"That's right. You took care of me back then too."

　The Demon Lord replied nostalgically.
　He called himself the Demon Lord to the people of the world.
　However, no country would take him seriously, and when he tried to conquer them, it was Cubel who stopped him.
　It was more than a hundred years ago, but the Demon Lord still seems to remember it.

　The higher demon gods were about to say that Cubel's words were an exaggeration, but the demon king wouldn't deny it, so they swallowed it.

　From the expression on the demon king's face, it seems to be true.
　Then Ramon Hamon noticed something strange.
　The Demon King had said that Cubel was the first angel, but he had never heard of such a rumor.
　I don't think it's possible that such an important rumor has never reached the ears of me, one of the generals.

　Ramon Hamon looked at the high ranking demons, some of whom had the same expression of surprise as he did.
　Except for Bassuk, who was listening without interest, they were all high ranking demons who had recently joined the army like him.
　Those who were not surprised meant that they knew who Cubel was.

So, please don't make my identity too public.

　Ramon Hamon was about to ask him what he really meant when Cubel gave him the right answer.

Ramon Hamon was about to ask him what he meant when Cubel gave him the right answer: "I don't think they'll be too happy about it. My army has grown quite a bit. Saint bug Bildiga. Will you agree with me?"

　It was not a rumor that Cubel was the first angel.
　It was a dare to Ramon Hamon.
　Even stranger words came out of the Witch-king's mouth.

"My Lord. I'm just asking if the plan is working. And I used to be a holy worm. Now I'm a higher demon god under the Demon Lord.

　The only reason he agreed with Ramon Hammon's opinion was because he thought it was the only way to move the conversation forward.

I'm not sure what to say. What? What the hell is this? ......".

　Even Ramon Hammon understood that this was a farce by the Demon King.
　Many of the higher demon gods are not surprised that Virdiga is an insect that became a holy worm.


　He also wanted to share Cubel's identity with everyone in the organization.
　He also revealed the fact that Virdiga had been a holy bug before.

"Cubel is on my side. "Cubel is on my side. Of course, so is Virgil. So, Cubel. Tell me again what you told me. What do you want from me, to help me?"

　The Witch King asks you to repeat what he said to me over 100 years ago when Cubel came to him.

"Yes. All I want is to kill Elmere. To do that, I will help the Demon Lord's army.

"What?

　Even through the mask, you can hear the tone of his voice.
　Her eyes were full of madness.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
　In order to do so, he is said to be working as the Demon Lord's hand and foot, acting as a strategist within the Demon Lord's army.

"Now you know. Now you know. You can all do your part for me.

I'm sure you can understand.

　The higher demons kneeled and bowed their heads in unison.
　I thought now was the time to bow, but Basque bowed a little later.

"And what's next?　Are you going to use these souls to resurrect a part of the Evil God?　I heard that the Evil God was divided into five parts, does that mean one part is possible?"

　I asked Cubel what he was going to do next.
　The Demon Lord knows that the Evil God was cut into five parts and thrown into the demon world.
　This is a common understanding, including the angel Merus.
　I thought that since Cubel hadn't failed in his mission even though only one-fifth of the souls had been collected, he would resurrect one-fifth of the parts.

No. You can't revive even a fifth of the evil god with this many souls.

"Well... Then it's no good.

　"What are we going to do?" "What are you going to do?
　If it's not a failure, then the Demon Lord is looking at Cubel for an answer.

"The evil god's body is all in the demon world. I thought so too. But!　What a surprise!　I knew I'd have to look into it!　This book says that the tails of evil gods lie at the bottom of the sea. A great discovery!



　Moving his body comically, Cubel shows the book to the Demon Lord and tells him of his discovery.

"A picture book?　You mean the picture books that human children look at?"

　Cubel was holding the book solemnly that I wondered what it was, but it was a picture book for human children.

"Yes. We are foolish creatures who like to talk about our achievements. This is the original picture book that was written hundreds of years ago. It was written hundreds of years ago, but it was written a little differently than what is being spread around the world today.

　Talking about success and lamenting about failure is the work of a foolish creature.
　It is said that the clue to the resurrection of the evil god was written in a picture book that is often read in human society.
　There seems to be a difference between the content of the original picture book and the current picture book.

"Don't make the same mistake next time.

　Cubel said, but the Demon Lord nailed him, saying that there must have been things that went wrong with Allen.

'Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I need to examine the contents of this book, so please give me some time.

"I see. Time is limited. Please be careful."

　As he said this, the Demon Lord stopped his conversation with Cubel and began to stare at the higher demons.

I'm not sure what to say.　I'm sorry about that. ......

　Ramon Hammon's eyes met and he felt pressured when he was accused of making a fuss in this place until now, so he unconsciously apologized.
　However, the Demon Lord is not looking at him. He doesn't seem to think anything of Ramon Hamon.

"The tail of the evil god is next. This is getting interesting!"

　He looked into the distance with the eyes of a young boy who has just started an adventure, and spoke his thoughts.
　However, his expression is tainted with madness.
　The high ranking demons bowed deeply to the Demon Lord's words.
　The new battle between the Demon Lord's army and Allen's group was about to begin.