Is there some kind of conspiracy going on here?

　I growled a little under my mask.

　Should I question them?
　Or should I just let them swim away?

''My Demon Lord, what's wrong with you?

　Stella squeezed my arm.

'Stella, wait a minute. Now...

Oh, there you are!

　As I was about to move away, more Lilim came running up to me.

''Ehehe, I'm squishy~''

　It's almost like an amoeba, almost a human form, twisting around me.

　Isn't this guy getting drunker and drunker...?

"Demon Lord-sama~ I have plump, elastic slime skin~. Doesn't it feel great~

　That does feel good.

　I don't mean that.

"Demon Lord, please help me with this.

　Stella also clings to my arm, stronger and stronger.

'I usually hold back that I have to support her as an aide, but I really want to get to know her more... demon king-sama?

　Stella stares at me with her troubled eyes.

　

''I'm sorry, but can you two step away for a moment?''

　When I glanced at the guys from earlier, they were about to move to another place.

''Demon King-sama, look, look~. My body stretches like this~

''Demon King, I don't want you to hang out with the Lilim all the time...''

　He was sandwiched between Lirim and Stella, blocking him from moving.
　In the meantime, they disappeared into the exit.

　He glances back at me for a moment and directs an intense gaze at me.

　A gaze filled with obvious hostility──.



　A few days later, in the Demon King's office.

"As ordered, I have investigated their backgrounds, my Demon Lord.

　Stella reported.

　The list given to her contained the names and official positions of the three demon clans.
　They were the beast-type demon race, and they were all under the command of the Beast Emperor (Gigantroa) Zegert.

''What kind of guy is Zegert?''

　I asked Stella.

'We're invading the human world now, as I recall, aren't we?

''Yes, he should currently be fighting in the southern continent with an army of beast-type demon clans. We've been slow to contact them for the past month or so.

　And Stella.

''He is a member of the Demon King's entourage - one of the Seven Great Demon Commanders and a former Demon King candidate.

Demon King... candidate?

There are two main reasons why the king of the demon world is replaced. There are two main reasons why kings of the demon world are replaced: one is when their power wanes and they hand over the throne to a new one, and the other is when the king dies and the next king is chosen. The other is when the king dies and a new king is chosen.

My case is the latter.

''Yes. In this case, the Demon King's coat of arms held by the former king will be automatically transferred to the one who is fit to be the next king. On the other hand, in the former case, the former king's will will will be decided by the former king's will, and one of the candidates will be chosen from among several to take over the coat of arms.

　Stella explains.

''The two previous kings were approaching old age and it was decided to choose a new Demon King. The candidates for that choice were Lady Yulisha and Zegert, who was the head of the Demon Army at the time.

So that's when Zegert was voted out of office.

''Yes. Even after that, Zegart seemed to be quite attached to the Demon King's position...''

　And yet, this time he was not chosen as the Demon King.

"The sigil in the hands of an unworthy person will soon be...
"As planned, Master Zegert will become the new king of the...
"Later on in the meeting I'll tell you about it...

　Okay, that might lead to some of their speculative conversations at the party.

'Zegert wants to be my Demon King, is that right?

It's...

　Stella stammered for a moment.

It's possible, I suppose.

　I told him with a grim face.

'He's had all sorts of shady tricks up his sleeve before.

　
　Well, it's the same with the human world.

"When the demon world itself was in danger after the battle with the brave men, they probably didn't have the time to make such a move. But now that the restoration of the wards has been completed and a certain amount of stability has been achieved── Zegert may have started a new strategy.

We need to figure out what they're doing.

'Then we'll have them follow you. We'll let you know as soon as we have any suspicious activity.

Please.



　And then it was the weekend night.
　When Stella told me they were on the move, I left the castle.

　With Stella and a few men in tow, I head for them.

　Their meeting place is a deserted mansion on the outer edge of the city below the castle.
　It's as if they are meeting in seclusion.

Stella and her soldiers are to wait here. Come to me when I give you the signal.

　I made the girls wait near the mansion and I approached them alone.

　With my strength, it doesn't matter if I'm caught by surprise.

　On the other hand, if you approach with a large group of people, you might get caught off guard.
　Because the first objective is to find out what they're after first.

''Abilities Gear.''

　When I got to the front of the mansion, I hid in the shadows and improved my hearing.

　And then I hear their voices──.



I'm asking you to keep an eye out for the Demon King for a while.

"Yes, she did say good things about us. When the heroes attacked through the hole in the warding, they deliberately shortened the path to the Demon King's Castle.

''As planned, it was fine until one of the brave men defeated the first king, but...''

'Ah, it was a miscalculation that the next king was not chosen by Master Zegert, but a demon tribe of unknown origin.

''Zegert-sama is the strongest warrior in the demon world. If Yulisha disappears, I was sure that Zegert-sama would be the next to become the Demon King...

"If that happens, Master Zegert will make a triumphant return to the demon world from the human world. The brave men will be packed up and put away, and the demon world will be saved - we should have been captured by our overlords.

"Hmm, the current Demon King won't be long before he steps down.

Hmmm, that's a good one.

And now the Demon King will be crowned Lord Zeggert.

　Well, that's a very disturbing story.

　If this story is true, then the reason me, Lyle and the other brave men reached the Demon King's castle is because of their manipulation, isn't it?
　It's true that there weren't many defenders on the road leading to the Demon King's, I thought it was odd, but.......

''Well, the rest will have to wait until Zegert-sama comes back.

''Fortunately, the new Demon King has repaired all the wards. It's unlikely that the brave men will invade the demon world for the time being.

"Act now while we can, and before the next great battle, our leader, Lord Zeggert, will be our new king...

　Not so fast.

　If you listen to the story so far, the disgust is more than enough.
　The story of the party alone might be reopened as drunken nonsense, but this is indeed a level that cannot be excused.

　All that's left is to catch and interrogate him.

"'Thunder,'

　I shoot a thunderbolt that is narrowed down to the very edge of its power.

　The door is blown to pieces with a loud explosion.
　At the same time, the surrounding walls also crumble to pieces.

　I've reduced the power to an extremely small amount, but it's difficult to blow up only the door.
　The drawback of my attack magic is that it's too powerful and difficult to control.

　........Well, it would be a disaster if the entire mansion disappeared or became so powerful that the surrounding area became a wilderness, so this is a good thing.

　I stepped over the rubble and entered the mansion.

　The current explosion should be the signal for Stella and the others to surround the place.

'What's going on!'

　They come out of the back room as if surprised.

"Well, Demon King...?

Why are you here...?

Hi, hi...

I know exactly what you guys are up to.

　I tell them gravely and look around at the three of them in turn.

　They all have pale faces.
　They may underestimate me behind my back, but they're still afraid of me in this situation.

"I'm going to remind you of something. "Let's show them who you are dealing with.

　I ducked the hem of my robe and said arrogantly.

"The power of the Lord of the demons is mine.