I left the office and proceeded to the top floor of the castle.

　The corridor that draws a gentle curve - the room beyond the corridor is officially referred to as my private room.
　However, the person actually there is the spirit body (astral) of the previous Demon King Yurisha.

　I was called out once before to inherit the qualification of the Demon King──.
　I'm not going to be the only one who can do that.

　For my part, it's helpful to have the previous demon king standing by as a consultant in case something happens.

　This time, I was going to ask him about the piece of the Purgatory Demon King's Sword (Ladis).

　Why was my power weakened during the battle with Lyle?
　I asked Stella to help me recreate the same situation in an experiment, but there was no intense weakening at that time.

　The difference - what is the difference?

　If my adversary had the same Demon King Sword Piece, I would have a hard time.
　He wanted to take countermeasures now.



''Ho, you're here again.''

　A different space, as if a dim light had been lit in the darkness.

　There was a girl standing there.
　She was about my waist height.
　She has long black hair and a lovely figure.
　The black robe she's wearing is too long and bulky.

I'm here to teach you something, Yulisha.

　I greeted the previous Demon King Yurisha.
　To be more precise, the demon king's temporary first appearance created by his mental energy - well, it's like a ghost.

''Hmm?''
The piece of the Demon King's sword.

　I told him about the events in the human world.
　How my strength was greatly diminished by the shard he held in his hand during the fight with Lyle.

"...Lyle, you mean that little boy. The one who burned the straw with fire........

　Yulisha's face was filled with anger.


If I had to be punished, I would have.

　I took a small breath.

　An intense pain that would last forever as long as I lived.
　And the end of his ambition.

　

''So, there are a few things I don't understand. First of all, why did that guy have a piece of the Demon King Sword?
"The Demon King's Sword was originally kept near the place where Warawa and your men fought. It may have been chipped off during the battle.

　Yurisha replied.

'That little boy must have had a piece of it with him.
I see...

　Me nodding.

'Do you know why the Demon King's power was weakened during the fight with Lyle?
The Purgatory Demon King's Sword itself is more of a ritual tool than a weapon. It's not supposed to have such a function but........to begin with, such a phenomenon has never happened with the Warawa. Umm....?

　Yurisha nods her head.

'There was no weakening phenomenon when Stella had it for me and I don't know...'
...You are a former human being. That might have something to do with it.

　Yulisha looks at me.

'You have no idea why, either,'
If someone is good at analyzing magic, they might be able to figure it out.
"Analysis...
The former lord of the demon army, Master Zsiram, could have done it or been traced back to him but he was killed in his last fight with the heroes.
Maybe he's not a ghost like you?
Who's a ghost?

　Flames erupted furiously from Yurisha's hand.

　Gomph!
　There was a huge explosion, but I put up a magic barrier so I'm unharmed.

''Don't start firing spells at me out of the blue.

　And it's the highest level spell, 'Mega Fire'.
　Normally, you would have been erased without a trace.

"Because you treated this strawberry like a ghost.

　I know it's like a ghost, but you got mad when you said that, Yulisha.
　Let's be careful.

'Can't other demons create a body like that after they die?
The straw is a special item. It's because he was a former demon king and used the highest level of resurrection magic on himself that he was able to remain in this world as a spirit body. It's only because of that that he was able to stay in this world as a spirit.

　Yulisha is proud of herself.

"If it's a normal demon race, it's over when they're killed. Demons, gods and humans are all the same in this regard.
Well....

　I put a hand to my chin and growled.

"I guess we're just gonna have to figure it out.
We must always seek other means of defense. And now there is one more thing you can do.
Another option?
It's not that simple.

　Yulisha looks up at me.

'We need more powerful allies to protect you.
"Ally...
The first candidate would be the Demon Army Chief. The two candidates would be the Devil's Eye Stella and the Lord Undead Regal.
'Stella's always helping me out. As for Regal we don't get to see each other very often.

　It was a duel out of the blue, from the way we met.

"Hmm. The Regal hates humans. Be careful they don't know you're ex-human.
Is that so?
"There are many people who hate people among the demon tribe. There are many people who hate humans for various reasons, but they have been the main force behind the demon invasion of the human world.

　Yulisha in commentary mode.

Regal is the first of them. You think it would be better to destroy every last human, don't you?
...is it that extreme?
''And then there's the Beast Emperor (Gigantroa) Zegert and the Dream Demon Princess (Dead Charm) Feria you two are no easy task.

　We haven't been able to reach them yet.

Keep strong, reliable subjects around you. As many as possible.

　Yulisha laughs.

'But - be careful not to be tripped up by his subjects. A king is essentially a solitary being.

　There was a faint shadow of a smile on his face.



　After my meeting with Yurisha, I returned to my office.

''Demon King-sama!''

　On the way there, Stella comes running up to me.
　I told her to get some rest - what's going on?

Incident....

　Stella, breathless, tells him.

'Incident?'
The crown has been stolen.
...What's with the crown?

　I ask.

"Of course, it's the Demon King's crown.
I didn't know there was such a thing.

　When I was reborn as the Demon King, I wore a robe and I had a staff.
　But I didn't see a crown.

Yes, I have not been able to tell you because of the war. Because of the war, I haven't been able to tell you about it yet, but...

　Stella bit her lip as she said it.

I was polishing the crown just now to show it to the Demon King. Then a dog wandered in...

　Stella recalls.

'It was so pretty that I couldn't help but loosen up.

　If you're a cute dog, you can't help but feel loose.

'Oh, by the way, I'm a dog person.
I'm a dog person.

　Cats are cats and I like them.

'Well I'm sorry, I digress. Anyway, the dog suddenly showed his true colors.
The real...?
Hellhound.

　Stella announced.

'The dog that turned into a demonic beast snatched the crown from my hand and left like the wind...'