I'm looking forward to your work. Regal.

　I nodded hawkishly to Regal, who swore an oath of allegiance.

'I've repaired all the holes in the wards that the brave men invaded. There won't be any invasion for a while, and I'd like to ask you and Stella to reorganize the army.

"As the king wills.

　Regal kneels down and bows his head once more.

''Some of the brave men kill the demon race in a way that teases them. A lot of damage was done in the last battle as well. I want to protect them this time.''

　It reminded me of those who enjoyed killing demons as if it was a game.
　I didn't want to see that scene again.

''That's very kind of you, Demon Lord.

I just want to prevent someone else from suffering and grieving.

　When I was a hero, and now that I've become the Demon King my heart is still the same.

"If it is the king's decree, I will defend this Regal with my life.

Please.

Well, I think I'll take my leave... but first, may I ask you something?

　Regal stood up and looked me straight in the eye.

'What,'

Those brave men who invaded the demon world may still be hiding in it. May I take my men and hunt them out?

　In the battle the other day, the brave men I saw were either defeated by me or driven away to the human world.
　But surely that might not be all of them.

''Okay.

Perhaps the man who avenged Yuliesha's death may be among them. I shall offer up his head at the grave of Yulisha the First.

　I had the illusion that the skull's eye light was piercing me through my mask.

　─ - Regal left, and Stella took care of the aftermath.

　I wanted to find out what their machinations were, but they all disappeared.

　What is the Beast Emperor Zegert planning to do?
　We'll just have to find out about that in the future.

　As for Regal, it's only a tentative one, although he has sworn allegiance to me at least.

　

　The path of the Demon King is a very difficult one to navigate.

　No, to begin with...

　Am I going to continue on the path as the Demon King?
　Should I continue on this path?

　It may still be a little while before a firm answer comes out in me.



　The next morning, I was advancing through the wilderness.

　A female warrior with red hair in a ponytail was walking next to me.
　It's Lilim, the captain of the castle's guard.

　This is the royal capital of the demon world with the Demon King's Castle at its center──the wilderness area that stretches outside of it.

　There are other wooded areas, as well as areas of scorching heat and extreme cold.
　Outside of the city, it seems that nature is quite harsh.

　I'm not familiar with the geography of the demon world either.
　Although I've been learning from Stella in the intervals of her work as a demon king, she's also busy, so....

　The reason I asked Lilim to follow me today is because I didn't want to add to her busy schedule.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more space than I expected. I think we can try our magic to our heart's content here.

　I paused, looking out over the red wilderness that stretched all around me.

'Isn't there an urban area up ahead?'

　I ask Lilim.

'There's only the Mountains of Despair and the Abyssal Waterfall on the other side. It's all nature.'

　Lilim answers my question.

　Every place name is frightening.
　This is the demon world.....

Then let's get started. You can also use it as a tool to help you with your business. I'm not going to get caught in the middle.

Yes, sir.

And just in case you get attacked.

It's Rikai. I'll show you what a captain can do!

　Lilim raises his fist and shouts cheerfully.
　Well, if the enemy actually comes, I'll kill them all in the blink of an eye.

　─ ─ The purpose of coming here was to test the Demon King's power all over again.

　At any rate, as soon as I was reborn, I didn't have time to settle down to fight the brave men, do my job as a demon king, expose the conspiracy, and fight a battle with Regal...

　Eventually, the wards would be broken and the invasion of the humans would resume.
　Before that, I wanted to know a lot about my abilities.

　The reason why I came to the deserted wilderness is because if I do it in the royal capital, it could cause damage.
　The Demon King's destructive magic is too powerful.

''Magic Wall.''

　First of all, a barrier of magic power was put up for several kilometers square.
　Even if the magic we tested with this was more powerful than expected, the power would not leak outside the wards.

"So, first of all...'Fire'

　Basic magic in place of a review.
　A fireball explodes in the wilderness, creating a huge crater with a huge explosion.

It's amazing...

　Lilim gulped.

'It's Sasumao,'

　A simple basic spell can become more powerful than even the highest level of magic when unleashed by the Demon King's immense magical power.

"Now, let's try this superlative magic.

　Huffing out a breath, I focused my magic power.

　This is the highest level of fire-based magic that I fired into the sky during the battle with Regal.
　Since it's dangerous to fire it at maximum power, I'll limit the power to about 10% for now.

''Megafire!''

　A blast of fire and explosions on a scale that was incomparable to the previous one filled the field of vision.

　The dirt popped and blew away at a furious pace.
　They hit the "Magic Wall" that I had put up and rained down as a rain of dirt.

　And me and the surroundings of Lilim and my...
　For several square kilometers the ground had deep gouged and caved in, completely changing the terrain.

　No, no.
　That's not all - that's not all.

What's this?

　It wasn't just the terrain, the whole area was covered in a black blur of some sort.
　I didn't really understand it because I shot into the sky last time, but 'mega-fire' can cause this kind of phenomenon?

Could it be that........this is a whole space being carved away........?

　I tried to touch the black blur, but there was no sign of it disappearing.

''Heeee........Demon Lord, what happened.......?　I'm sure it's just a great idea, but...

Probably incinerated and erased on a spatial level.

　I answer the trembling Lilim.

''The power is outrageous, but if it's not in a place like this, it's going to cause damage to our allies as well.......''

　You have to be careful about how you use that wide-ranging large-fire magic.
　I made a firm promise to myself.

"For now, let's just look for an attack magic that can be used within the royal city.

　Something with high power and a small area of effect.

　I stared at the list of spells I was learning for a while.
　There's a spell picked out that's roughly in line with what I want, but they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
　And.

Oh, this is nice.

　I found a certain spell and I muttered.

The area of effect is, as the name suggests, only the area cut by the knife.

　This will keep your allies out of it.
　Let's try it now.

"Gravity Knife!

　With a spell, a black knife appeared in my right hand.
　When I cut with it, it seems to generate super gravity there.

　I lightly slashed at my feet.

　Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

　With a roar, the place turns black.

''Hmm...?''

　I don't know what's going on here.

Sasmao...?

　Lilim was also nodding his head.

　Without actually slaying the enemy, it's hard to say how effective it is.
　Let's hold off on this one.

　After that, I tried a few more spells.

　But the high-powered ones are generally broad, while the type that affects limited space is not as destructive as it could be (although it would still be possible to kill an ordinary enemy instantly).
　It's hard to find a spell like this.

'I guess I'll just have to look for it steadily every day.

　After finishing today's spell test, I returned to the Demon King's Castle.



''Welcome back, Demon King-sama.

　When I returned to the Oval Office, Stella greeted me.

'Has anything changed in your absence?'

There is one thing you might want to know.

　And then he pulls his face to mine.
　A sweet, soapy scent drifts in the air and I'm thumped for a moment.

'....What...what?

　He pretends to be calm and asks.

'There's a suspicious person who has entered the Demon King's Castle.



　And then...

　My fate began to move - and accelerate.