We made our way through the forest where we engaged Lyle and Ludmila.
　Reaching the shore of the lake.
　The cold wind felt good.

'We've pulled away quite a bit. No sign of brave men or human soldiers around here.

　Stella reported.

'Well, let's get some rest then,'

　I take off the Demon King's mask.

''It's about to get dark, and Stella must be tired from using her clairvoyance all the time, right?
I'm fine.

　Stella tells me coolly.

　But this guy seems to be a bit overwhelmed by his personality.
　Even when he's exhausted, he's the type to push himself to the limit without showing it on his face.

　At that time, gulp, my stomach rumbles.

"I'm hungry. I'm sorry, I need a break.

　If I say this, Stella will get some rest, maybe.
　Besides, I haven't eaten anything for nearly half a day since I came to the human world.

"Hmm.

　Stella smiled.
　And her belly, too, gave a cute little whimper.

''Oh, that's, uh...''

　Stella's face immediately turns red.
　It's kind of funny.

Let's have dinner.



　Me and Stella split up to get some food.
　We would pick up nuts nearby, look for edible grass, or fish in the lake.

　And Stella cooked the ingredients we collected.
　She made a simple stir-fry with flame magic, or a quick salad....and she has a brilliant hand.

''It smells good.''

　The savory smell that filled the area whetted my appetite.
　I gagged again.

'Cooking is my hobby. It's nice to use these outdoor ingredients.

　Stella likes to cook.
　I'm surprised.

'Yes, it's ready. Please enjoy your meal.

　The menu in front of me, with grilled fish and nut and grass salad, all smelled delicious.
　Along with Stella, it was dinner time.

'Yeah, yummy,'
I hope you like it.

　Stella looks happy.

'Thank you. 'And Stella, keep eating.'

　But it's still delicious.

It's worth it to me to know that you like it like that.

　Stella smiled next to me.

'I can't wait to have it again when I get back to the demon world.
I'm available if you want.
'Really?　Okay, then.
Yes, Mr. Freed.

　Stella grinned and nodded.



　We had finished eating and I was discussing with Stella about our future actions.
　The sun had already set and darkness surrounded us.

I'm sure most of the demons under Regal were killed by Ludmila. But I believe there are still some of them alive. I want to meet up with them.
I'll look for him with my own eyesight.

　And, Stella.

"Please. We'll wait until we hear what's going on before we can regain control of the three recaptured kingdoms or accompany them back to the demon world.

　The words "conquering the kingdom," came out of my own mouth naturally.
　I was a little surprised by that.
　There was a feeling in my mind that something had been blown out of the water.

''I've defeated Ludmira of the Four Heavenly Holy Swords (Sacred Edge), my maximum strength. We'll have to see if we can come up with more strength than that. It will depend on the balance between our remaining strength and the way the brave men come out.
Yes, sir.
And now...

　I took out a black sword from the void.
　It's the Purgatory Demon King's Sword, Ladis.

We need to check this thing out.
Demon King's sword...?
How much does Stella know about this sword?
I heard that the first Demon King defeated even the gods in the sky with his sword. However, he has lost his power and the sword is now a symbol of the Demon King as a ritual tool.

　The battle between the first demon king and the gods...........I had heard that from Yulisha too.
　However, it seems that she herself only conveyed only bits and pieces of the story, and she didn't tell me much about it.

　The only thing I know is that there was such a battle in the distant past.

''Then what about the story of the demon race being weakened by a divine curse?''

　It might not be something he could talk about lightly, but he should at least talk to Stella about it.

''No... no, I've never talked about anything like that.

　Stella looks surprised.
　It was half expected, but apparently she didn't know.

'Fact, is it?'
''At least that's what Yulisha said. But if even you, the chief of the Demon Army, don't know about it, then maybe it's information that's been withheld from the Demon Clan other than the king.
'Probably not even the Demon Army Chief Regal, Zegart, or Feria know about it.
Well I'm sorry, but don't tell anyone else for the moment.
Yes, sir.
'And then I'm wondering why I lost my strength when I fought Lyle with this piece of him.

　Let's try a little experiment.

　I looked at the sword again.
　The piece I recovered from Lyle was lodged in the missing part of the sword, but with a bit of force I was able to remove it.

'Stella, take this piece.
Did I...?
I'm trying to recreate what happened when I fought Lyle.

　I handed the shard to Stella.
　A bee, bee, bee, and a purple spark popped from the black surface area.

'Let's get started.'

　I was a few meters away from her and held the Purgatory Demon King's Sword (Ladis) at the ready.

　─ ─ Dukun!

　My heart was beating fast in my chest.
　I felt my strength slip away from me.

　But....

...Is it like this?

　Compared to when he fought Lyle, his weakness was nothing compared to what he felt when he fought Lyle.
　The magic power itself doesn't seem to have decreased nearly as much.

''What do you mean...?''

　At that time, it felt like my power was draining away more and more.
The fact that my magic was defeated by the flames released by 'Levatein' was also because it felt like my power was decreasing more than his power was increasing.

　I'm holding the Demon King Sword and my opponent is holding the shard - the same situation as when I fought Lyle.
　I thought that the shard had an effect of suppressing the power of the demon king, but that's simply not the case.

　Then that phenomenon that happened in the fight against Lyle...

　　　　...

　Ludmilla was alone in the forest.
　The wind ruffled her blue hair in twin tails.

'You've missed the Demon King........'

　After she and the Demon King fought, seven brave men, along with five hundred men, went to exterminate the Demon King.
　However, the demon king and his men have disappeared, and their whereabouts are unknown.

If only I had killed them...

　I bite my lip in frustration.

　But the power of the demon king was overwhelming.
　Until now, Ludmilla had always won no matter what kind of demon race she was fighting against──that was the first humiliation she had ever experienced in her life.

　It was the first time in her life she had experienced absolute terror.

　And...there's one more thing that bothers me.

"I remember Lyle-kun calling the Demon King 'Master'...?　What does that mean...?

　Since he was dazed and dazed, he couldn't hear it clearly.
　But the Demon King's name, 'Freed', is the same as Lyle's master's name.
　I'd like to question him, but the important thing is that Lyle had disappeared from the scene.
　And.

I'm surprised. To think that someone like you could do that to me.

　It was a beautiful woman who walked up to me.

　She was in her early twenties.
　She wore her beautiful golden hair tied up and had a gentle smile on her graceful beauty.

　She is dressed in a pure white dress, which is inappropriate for the battlefield.
　She was dressed like a nobleman's daughter.

But it seems that she is not seriously injured. I'm relieved to hear that you're not hurt.
Mr. Fiore...!

　The brave man who is called the strongest like her - Fiore Quell, the Sacred Edge sword of "fire".
　The rapier is a miracle armor of the seraphic level.

I'm so glad you're safe, Ludmila!
This new demon king won't be so easy to deal with.

　Moreover, there are two shadows behind it.

"To you...

The Four Heavenly Sacred Swords (Sacred Edge) of 'Water' and 'Earth'.

　The four strongest heroes were gathered here.