Zuccio, a torturer, a man who learned to take pleasure in shaking others after being tortured himself in the past. He was recruited by Archbishop Serraes for his lack of compassion for humans, who he considers to be nothing more than tools for entertainment. It is not the fault of Archbishop Serraes that he found it impossible to persuade Zuccio, no matter how "Earthling" he was. But the Earthling never tried to persuade him in the first place.

"What do you like about torturing people?

　At these words, Zuccio happily began to talk about himself. At these words, Zuccio happily began to talk about himself, about how people suffer pain and turn into horrors.

I see, that's why you like torture so much. Well then...

　Zuccio should have tortured that man the other day. He should have tortured that human the other day, but for the first time he was interested in an Earthling who understood his tastes and expressed them in clearer terms. I'm not going to let him go, so I'll at least listen to him. I'd rather learn how to twist this man into something more terrifying.

"But, you see, what builds those feelings is the memory of the torture you suffered in the past. You must be remembering your past through torture.

　Around this point, the conversation started to become disturbing. The expression on Zucho's face, which was supposed to be amused, began to harden and he started to deny it. But it was too late. He had already admitted to Zuccio that the Earthling was someone who understood him well.

"Now, remember the tortures you've been through. Remember the faces of the people you've tortured, tormented, and terrorized. Can you? Can you remember them clearly? Do those faces remind you of yourself?

　He made Zuccio see himself in the faces of the people he'd tortured. It's not magic. With just a few words, he turned Zuccio's past days of happiness into days of hell. Of course Zucho denied it, but he couldn't deny it. Because that's how I feel. Even if I tried to silence him, Archbishop Serraes has ordered me not to crush his throat. Only an Earthling can pronounce the Demon Lord's name correctly.

"Did you really want to torture others? Go ahead, try it. You're entitled to it.

　Zuccio starts torturing the Earthling to shut him up. But it's not even torture anymore. He just wants to shut him up, and he can't let a monster that can rewrite all your values talk any more, so he starts attacking without hesitation.

"Zucho-kun. You're a much more decent person than I thought. Oh, this is so boring. I only hurt others to escape my past fears. And now you're starting to regret it.

　That's not possible. But Zucho was made to understand that he was that kind of person. And it broke him. He continued to attack the earthlings, screaming as if to deny everything. Other people who heard his cries separated Zucho from the Earthling, but by then the Earthling was already in a dying state. I'm rather surprised that he wasn't dead.

No! No! No! I'm not! No!

　Zuccio was instilled with a sense of goodness that he never had, and was consumed by a guilt he never should have felt. And as if to atone for it, he began to hurt himself. In the end, he laughed and tore his own throat out until it was a mess. I guess he really wanted to get at the throat of the earthling.

But that's a little too reckless for ...... my taste.

　As a result, Archbishop Serraes' plan was foiled. The earthman is unconscious and in a critical condition that could kill him at any moment. You can't cure it with magic, so there's nothing you can do with the medical technology of this world. I knew that guy who calls himself "I" is pretty crazy. After all, he created a situation where I can move.

As for the restrictions, ...... there are only minor penalties for self-consciousness. Well, that's true.

　I'm not sure what to make of that. I've been able to indirectly interfere at the very last minute by creating a situation where Archbishop Serraes said he didn't want the Earthlings to die. If it's for the greater good of keeping the man alive, I can bring in his friends.
　If the training is going well, Archbishop Serraes' intentions will be "I don't want the people of Earth to escape. I'd understand that leading the man's people would be a completely hostile action. But now Archbishop Serraes' will is 'we have to keep him alive somehow'. In the end, it's a hostile action, but whether or not it interferes with my first priority has a lot to do with my constraints.

I wonder how much he understands my constraints. I'm scared.

　I made the decision to send in Duvraeori, a servant of the Purple Princess. He has excellent hiding skills and can find the Earthlings in a short time. As I imagined, Duvraeori hid the Earthling in his belly and prepared a fake Earthling with parts of his own body and left it in his bed. Now my spell has just worn off and I've been transported back to my original location. The spell I used was indeed to shift to a random location, but it's not that hard to mess with the random coordinates. It's a scam, I know.
　But what was I supposed to do if I didn't move? They knew I was talking to Hildebeast about using the Earthlings as bargaining chips, didn't they? Yes, yes, I did. As far as I'm concerned, I can't have you dying to replace my sister. And I'm the only one who can move this phase. So I had no choice but to move.

"But you know, Yugra's restrictions are much stricter than you think.

　I was only encouraging the development that I wanted all the Earthlings to live, but in the end it was an act of hostility for Archbishop Serraes. There's a penalty for even the slightest hint of it on my part. It's relatively mild. ...... Well, it's enough to shut down your internal organs. I have to manage it with magic all the time. If it's a contraindication, I'd be a little more liberal.


　If you're under the impression that the Earthling can be treated by me, then you're reading this all wrong. Moving while under the penalty of the constraint is pretty bad for my life. It's a very vague restriction, but I instinctively know the line I shouldn't cross. So far, there are only two people who can cure the Earthlings. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into this. In fact, it's obvious that if the people of this world seriously attack the people of Earth, they will die. The possibility of dying from Zucho's attack is very high. He could've died before I made a move. It's a good gamble if you know your weaknesses. So that's it then? Did you just try to protect the Demon Lord out of self-sacrifice? No, but you were in an "I" state, right? I'm sure that the earthlings in the "me" state would put themselves before the Demon Lord, but in my opinion, the earthlings in the "me" state would put themselves before the Demon Lord. .......

I'm sure you're thinking, "If I move and save my life, that's good, and if I die, I can save the Demon Lord, so that's good, either way. ...... Oh, shit! I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm not going to let that man boil me once. I feel like everything I'm thinking is being read. I don't know if I'm acting on my own will, or if ...... he's really a pain in the ass whether he's there or not.

　I don't know.

　I'm going to send my mom back to Mejis and contact Marito in Taze. We still don't know where our people are. Then there's only one thing to do next. I went to the holy land of Mejis and went to the camp of the Holy Knights.

"Brother Ecdyke. So you're going to see Marya after all?
I'm sorry. ...... Since your mother is no longer with us, you can call her by her usual name, Lakra.
But you know what? It's not easy to switch between different names.
...... I see. Well, I don't mind.

　I know that Lakra is not good at complicated maneuvers. I know that Lakra is not good at complicated maneuvers, but I think she is more aware of the fact that she is my sister. ...... It is itchy. But you can't force Lakra to call you the same as before because of that.

I think I'll go see Master Ucka once. It's been a long time since I've been back to Mejlis, after all.
"You went from Mejlis to Taze on a mission and stayed with your people until today.
I can't deny that I feel like I've been left in the lurch. ......
"Even if you were at first, you are now one of the clergy with a good track record. You should be proud of yourself.
"It's kind of itchy when Brother Ecdysiac says so. I miss the time when people used to shout my full name.

　I remember when we first met, we used to talk like that. I don't think I want to do that now, but I can't help but feel that I was fulfilled in my own way even then.

I don't think I'd want to do that now, but I feel like I had a good time. It's also my fault for not understanding your value properly, but ...... that's partly because of your daily routine, right?
"I can't even hear you say that. Well, I haven't changed at all.
Well, I don't think you've changed.
Is that so?
Yes, I do. You and I, we've both changed in some way by being around our people.

　Even though his self-defeating nature has not changed, Lakra has certainly grown. I'm not sure if I'd notice it if I wasn't growing up, but I understand that my way of being is steadily changing.

...... Yes, that's right. By the way, were you sure you wanted to leave Ao at your mother's?
You can't take a demon king to a place where there is a major force of Mejis.
I'm not sure what to do.
Well, I'm off then. Be ready to be contacted at any time.
Oh, you've blatantly veered off topic.

　At the moment, I'm only half aware that I'm a demon. I'm not sure if it's because I've been in the same situation before. It's probably because there's almost no difference between what I've seen as a human and what I've seen as a demon. In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the most effective way to get the most out of your time.
　The Holy Knights reacted differently to each other. Some look at the Scarlet Witch King as a comrade who fought with them. Some felt the shadow of the Demon Lord in the magic power flowing through me and avoided it. But none of them seem to act on it. And I found Marya in training.

"Oh, Mr. Ecdyke!
Are you feeling all right?
Yes, it was hard to walk for a while, but now I'm all right!
Well... I came to see you because I need to talk to you. ...... You can finish your training first.
I'm going to cut it short, don't worry! You've come all this way to see me!
That's not going to happen. Daily training is an essential part of becoming a great holy knight.
But ......

　It's nice of you to care, but I'm not in a position to be cared for. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to learn if I let him continue training like this.

"Then let's have a handfasting. I can go along with that.
Are you sure?


Yeah, I've been curious to see what you're capable of.
I'm nervous when you say that, but ...... I understand! I'm going to borrow your chest!

　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. Marya's ability is quite low among the holy knights, and although she has a certain amount of potential, she doesn't seem to have any particular talent that stands out. But even so, it's enough to give you a sense of the intensity of the training she's gone through up until this day.

One ...... strong ....... Are you good with swords, Exduk-san?
"No, I haven't swung a sword in years. I haven't wielded a sword in a few years. It doesn't feel right to have a short reach.
And yet, this ...... makes me feel less confident. ......
There is no need to lose. You don't have to lose it. Even if you don't have it now, you can increase it in the future. Your current ability is still far from the limit of your talent. If you spend enough years, you should be able to beat me with a sword.
"Oh, really? I'll have to work hard then!

　But it's been a while since I've had a proper sword fight. I've fought with the Iliad many times, but fighting with it is no training at all. It's almost the same as catching a rock from a cliff with a weapon. Every blow of a knight of Tarz is too heavy.

If you have a weapon of choice, I can use it.
Uh, a spear, then!

　In response to Marya's request, he used a variety of weapons: spear, axe, hammer, club, and fighting. I could fight with any of the weapons without any problems, but I can confirm that the chain is the best. Ordinary weapons are not versatile enough. I noticed that the majority of the Holy Knights around me were looking at me. I don't want to be too obvious, but I think I'll end up at ...... next.

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.
It's not enough to just swing a weapon. Think about what you can do with the weapon you have. If you can do that, you can do just about anything.
I'll ...... do my best! Yes, what is the weapon that you are best at, Exduk-san?
This.

　Untie the chain around your arm and let it hang to the ground. I let the magic flow into it and deploy it around me. Chains are good after all. It can be moved at will and transformed into any shape you can imagine.

"Chain ......? Is that even a weapon?
It would be faster to show it to you. I'm not sure it's worth the effort, but you'll have to forgive me.
What, it's got more of them, and they're growing.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea. It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything that might help you. An opponent who could not shatter the chains with a single blow would be helpless. There have been too many such cases recently. .......
　After finishing her training, Marya changed into her casual clothes. Her appearance was no different from that of an ordinary girl, and she did not give off the air of a knight. I wonder which is better, Ilias who wears armor until he goes home. No, the point of contention here is whether or not she is a knight until she gets home.

"Can I ...... really be a great holy knight ......?
You can't guarantee that you will become one. But if you don't have the will to become one, it will be difficult.
That's right: ....... ...... What did you try to become, Exduk-san, that made you so strong?
I was ...... required to be strong. I couldn't live without it.

　As an avenger, I was required to gain strength as a tool to kill humans. I myself have trained myself to death in order to live and to vent my ingrained hatred. I no longer wield my power for that purpose, but the experience I have accumulated is still alive and kicking.

To live: ....... That must have been a hard life.
"I've only known my own life. If you were to ask me if my life has been harder than others, I wouldn't be able to give you a straightforward nod.

　I've seen a lot of people's lives. I've seen the lives of many people, all of whom have different ways of life and their own hardships. It is not uncommon to find a way of life that I could not possibly imitate.

"Oh, by the way, you said you wanted to talk to me?
Yeah, about that. ......

　Yes, we should get to the point. That's why I'm here. If I keep dragging this out any longer, it's going to be difficult for me to talk--

"Yes! How about we have dinner then? It's a little tough to cook for you, but ...... I'm a pretty good cook.
No, that's ......
I'm sorry, am I disturbing you?
No, not at all. No, but ......
I'd love to! I'd love to hear all about it! Oh, is there any food you don't like?
I can't eat ...... meat.

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm not going to say anything. I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell Marya about Lacia.

　I'm sorry.

　I still don't understand the intentions of the colorless demon king who sent me there on purpose. But if I'm given this opportunity, I can't help but take advantage of it. I don't know how long this human's life will last. But for now, all we have to do is hurry and get him to Taze. Yes, report to the Lord that you have brought this man back...



"(--what does the Lord think when He sees this human form?)

　The Lord said. "He's me to you. No, he's more than that. If this person was the Lord, what would happen if I saw this mess? How sinful it would be just to imagine. But I definitely wouldn't be able to keep my cool.
　The flight to Tarz begins to slow down. What will happen once the Lord learns of this human horror? I can't understand everything you're thinking. But I'm sure it won't end well.
　I remember how you were before you met that man. The sublime being who created me. A cold face worthy of a demon king. ...... Why am I remembering all this now? Is this a premonition, or is it ...... an expectation?

What's troubling you, ......? I'm just obeying the Lord's orders.

　That's right. The Lord commanded me to bring this human back. It is that order that must be fulfilled first. There's no room for my feelings in that. There shouldn't be. And yet, now I see the image of you with that human in my mind. A calm expression on .......'s face, less ruthless but always filled with contentment.

I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure what to make of that.

　No matter what, getting this human to Tarz must be done. I shake my head and increase my flight speed. But I couldn't report to the Lord until we reached the Taze.