There might be other Miracle Armor like earlier nearby.

'How will we find them...'

　I called up the spell list again.

　There were two main tasks I needed to do.

　Find the Miracle Armor in the vicinity.
　And destroying them.

"Oh, I like that one.



　Search: Detects the surgeon's surroundings. The type and area that can be detected varies according to the level of the surgeon.



"'Search'.

　I try to remind myself that I want to find the autonomous Miracle Armor.

　Immediately, my mind conjures up images of the castle and its surroundings.
　Here and there in the vast wilderness, the same mechanical beasts as the one from earlier were moving around.

　Their number, roughly a hundred.

''........There's more of them than I thought.''

　Some of them are attacking the demon race.

''Homing Ray'' x 100!

　As before, he produced about a hundred tracking magic bullets.

'The target is an autonomous Miracle Armament. Go!

　When I gave the order, a hundred magic bullets flew in all directions.

''The rest should take care of the Miracle Armament on their own.

　Maybe, but...

'It's amazing, my Demon King!

　As I explained, Lilim and the others cheered.

'Let me know if you see any of the individuals you've lost. I'm sure you'll be able to tell me if there are any new hands on the scene. You're pretty much pushed to the edge in terms of strength, right?

　I'd better check with Stella about that.

'Which way is the audience room?'

　I decided to ask for directions.

"Well I'm a bit lost,

　It's not cool for the Demon King to get lost in the Demon King's Castle, but it can't be helped.
　I can't just wander around like this forever.

　In order to protect these guys, we have to set up a defense system for the demon world.
　

　I don't want to be in the position of being a brave man or a demon king or anything like that, I want to follow my honest feelings right now.

''I'm still unfamiliar with it, right? If it's the audience room, you can go straight along this outer wall and turn left at the fountain and you'll find the entrance.''

　Lilim gave me directions.

'And ... here's one if you'd like.

　He offered me some portable sustenance.

　Gulp, my stomach growled.
　Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday.

'I thought you might be hungry.

　Lilim's words, as if he saw through it.

''Captain~, the Demon King-sama always has a top-tier feast, right?　They don't want to eat our bread and butter.

''Oh, I see that too... sorry, Demon Lord. After all, that's not what you said!

　The words of his subordinate caused Lilim to huff and puff.
　He bowed his head apologetically.

''No, I'll take it, since it's your time. Thank you.''

Your Majesty, how sweet of you....

　The Lilim and the soldiers with their eyes rolling.

　Hmm, I guess the reaction is still very exaggerated.

　Well, I don't feel bad about it.
　When I'm with these guys, my heart warms up.

　Even the wounds in my heart that were betrayed by Lyle seem to be healing.
　I took my sustenance and moved into the shadows.

''Demon Lord?''

No, you have to take that mask off before you can eat.

　If I take off my mask, I'm in danger of being exposed as a human.

You don't mean to tell me you're a demon king?

　Lilim with a huffy face.

　This guy, does he sense that I'm human?
　I brace myself.

You are shy that you don't want your true face to be seen. It's so cute.

Oh, well...

　It was just a natural.

　I turned my back to them, took off my mask and ate my rations.

''- Okay, I've made up my mind.

　I put on my mask again and turned to face Lilim and the others.

'Have you decided?　What?

It's just the beginning.

　I laugh at Lilim who asks him.

　After all, I don't want these guys to die.

　Of course I don't want to invade the human world.
　Even if we have to get rid of the sparks that fall on us...

　Let's find a way to do this without anyone getting hurt or suffering.

　I want these guys to live in peace.



Good morning, my dear Demon King.

　When I returned to the castle, Stella walked up to me.

'Have you been outside?'

'Yeah, I thought I'd take a little walk around the castle...'

'The soldiers were happy, weren't they? You protected them from the weapons left behind by the humans.

How do you know this?

I have clairvoyance. I couldn't find the Demon Lord anywhere near me, so I was looking for him.

Well, I'm sorry.

'No. Captain Lirim and the others were happy to see you.

Well, yeah.

　I remembered their praise earlier and I was amused.

''It seems like the castle has come to life again. I'm really glad you've been reincarnated as the next Demon King.

Stella....

But please don't let it be known that you're an ex-human...

I know.

　I don't feel like I'm hiding something from you.
　But humans and demons are enemies.
　I'm sure many people will feel badly if they find out that the king of the demon race is, of all people, a human.

　You know, I've come to focus on the situation of the demon race.

　I'm not sure if I've ever felt more at home in my heart than I thought, but I'm comfortable with the fact that I'm a demon king.

　Until now, I have been betrayed by many people.
　I've been betrayed by many people, even Lyle, whom I trusted the most.

　Maybe that's what makes me distrustful of people.

　In turn, the people here are warm.

　It's not just that they're showing me respect because I'm a king or whatever.
　Oddly enough, since I came to the demon world, I've become more human.

　Caring for others, laughing with them, rejoicing with them, or being hurt by them, fighting with them - that's what makes me human.
　It's more than a brave army fighting for honor and power, outsmarting others, and even sacrificing someone else in pursuit of victory.

''.......What is wrong, my Demon King?

No, it's nothing.

　I shake my head, then I ask.

'Come to think of it, what's a demon king to do?'

　As I asked, the first thing I thought of was defense.

　The autonomous Miracle Armor I'd shot at the homing ray, so it will probably be swept away.
　It would be better to shoot them regularly in case they are attacked, or I should probably look around myself.

　After that...

With the way things are going, we'd better do something about the castle.

''That's right. The Demon King's Castle is the center of the Demon World. It's a symbol of the Demon King's prestige, and at the same time, it's also the final defense base of this world.

　And, Stella.

''Now that the brave army is invading various parts of the demon world, this half-destroyed situation is not desirable. It would be desirable to repair and, if possible, strengthen our defenses.

　Come to think of it, isn't there anything like that in the Demon King's spell?
　A spell to repair or enhance a building...

　I looked at the list.

"Oh, I think it's this one........Repair!

　He casts a substance-repair spell over the entire castle.

　Instantly, the cracks fill up, and the shattered and cavernous walls are restored to their original state.
　That's convenient.

　But they weren't able to completely return to normal.
　It was only 70 percent repaired.

'Repairs,'

　I'll chant it again.

...Oh, no?

　The repair of the castle didn't go any further.

'You mean this spell is not stackable?

　There was no detailed explanation of that on the list.
　So we'll just have to try it out in the field.

　Well, all we have to do now is mobilize the engineers and have them repair it.

''It's amazing that they were able to repair this much in just a few seconds.

　Stella looks at me in surprise.

''........You don't think you're going to say 'sasumao' too, do you?

Yes?　Susuma?

　Stella nods her head in a kyoton.

'No, it's nothing.'

That's my boy, Your Majesty.

　Stella smiled.

　........I'm telling you.