We were heading to the place where the magical reaction of the "Divine Gear" occurred.

　Judah detected our general location, so the rest of the search will be done after we arrive at the scene.
　The place is a rocky mountainous region in the western region.
　I heard that the place is dotted with ancient ruins.

　In addition to Feria and Judah, the members of the team were several assistants from the Third and Fifth Armies.
　In total, it was a small group of about a dozen people.

　Thinking about the possibility, I asked the Underworld Dragon 《Belga Elfida》 - Belle to guard the sky above the castle.
　

"Judas, what's your take on it?

　As I walked, I asked the beautiful silver-haired boy demon tribe.

''Hmm?''
''The 'Heavenly Visionary High King (Divine Gear)''. Why did he appear in the Demon Realm?''
I don't know. There's too little information to know at this point.

　And Judah.

''Well, if I had to guess, I'd say... the Tensou High King also came to the Demon Realm through the hole in the warding that was left when the Hundred Brave Men attacked us the other day.
I see.
''However, the stronger that ward is, the more resilient that holy power is, the more resilient it becomes. I don't think a weapon with a Heavenly Fantasy Highness class divinity could pass through it.

　Judah slightly raised his eyebrows.

''Currently, the Cutthroat (Seraph) level Miracle Armor - the strongest brave men didn't participate in the last battle either. Their weapons must have been too holy to pass through the wards.

　I listened to his explanation in silence.

　As expected, he seems to have good analytical skills in magic-related matters.
　It's a good thing that I've been able to bring him to my side, although his capricious personality is a drawback.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to see me.
　It's nighttime and we decide to camp out in the forest.
　We take turns standing guard and having each of us take a nap.

　I was resting alone in my tent.

"Demon Lord, may I come in?

　Feria entered the tent.

　Her light pink hair stretched to her feet and her beauty reminded me of a small demon.
　The bat-like wings that stretched from her back and the tail that hung down from her waist twitched and twitched.

''What's going on?''

　I didn't think we were under attack, so I just braced myself.

I just wanted to see you.

　Feria smiled.

'Hey, what do you think of me...?'
What's the matter with you all of a sudden?

　I stared at her, confused.
　Her devilish smile doesn't let me realize if she's joking or serious about her words.

'I like strong men,'
Aren't there plenty of strong men in the demon tribe?

　I don't know what I'm trying to do, and I return the line in a flippant way.

'Demon King-sama is exceptional, right?'

　Feria's smile deepened and she slid closer.

'That fight in my dream the other day was amazing. I was mesmerized.'
It's the demon kings of the past.

　As I answered, Feria pulled her face even closer to mine.
　Her dainty face was right up close.
　As expected, I'm thrilled.

''Hey, can you take off your mask and show me your true face?''

　Feria whispered.

'No, this is not...'
Hey, Your Majesty.

　A huff of breath blows over me.
　It's so sweet that I can feel it even through my mask.

　........Isn't this guy using charm magic again?
　No, to begin with, to a succubus, it's like an ecosystem.

'I've been thinking about you since the moment we met... I'm serious.

　Her wet eyes continue to stare straight at me...

　　　　*

　Stella was alone in her office, putting away documents.

　There was a good chance that they would be plunged into a battle with a powerful enemy - the 'Tensou High King'.
　So before that, he wanted to get as much of his peacetime work done as possible.

　In order to reduce Fried's burden as much as possible.

''All that's left is this.......let's just get it over with.

　He took care of every single thing that could be decided on behalf of the Demon King.
　The pile of documents that had been piled up like a mountain quickly decreased in height.
　From the point of view of an ordinary demon race, it's an amazing processing power.
　It's because Stella is a member of the "Ganma" family that is also skilled in thinking and reaction time that she is able to do her job.

''Fufu....

　After cleaning up to the point where it was clean, Stella took a breath.

'Excuse me. Tea is in, miss.

　And as if he had timed it right, a female demon in a maid's outfit entered.

　She has semi-long purple hair with loose waves.
　She was a girl with a sober appearance and glasses.

　She is Irene.
　She was a demoness who had served as Stella's maid of honor since she had spent her childhood as a duchess.

　When she was called as the head of the demon army, she followed him and worked at the castle.

''Oh, as expected of a young lady. You've put away most of the documents that you had,

　In public, I would have him call himself the Demon Army Chief, but now there are two of us.
　It wouldn't be a problem to call her 'Miss' like when she was living at her parents' house.
　To Stella, who was kept at a distance from her mother, Irene was one of the few people she could relate to like a real sister.

Come in.
Thank you.

　I thanked him and accepted my teacup.
　The fragrant tea soothed my fatigue.

'Take it easy, miss.
It's not that bad.
'Your daughter is a little too serious. You have to learn to relax.

　Huffing and puffing, Irene suddenly hugged Stella.

''I don't want you to treat me like a child forever, Irene.

　I can't help but let my voice wince in embarrassment.

'To me, you'll always be a young lady.

　Irene whispered.

'She's like a sister to me,'
Totally....

　While saying it, Stella's cheeks were slightly loose.
　Although the two appear to be about the same in terms of outward age, in reality, Irene is more than a hundred years older than him.
　For a while, Stella was embraced by her sisterly maidservant──.



　After putting away her paperwork, Stella was looking around the Demon King's castle.

''Ah, Stella-sama, thank you for your hard work~''

　A female demon tribe with red hair pulled into a ponytail rushed over to me.
　It was Lilim, the captain of the castle's guard.

''How's the situation inside the castle?''
It's the same.

　Lilim sighed as he answered.

''Ha, I wish I'd gone with the Demon King...''
'This enemy seems to be very powerful. It's probably out of concern for you.

　Stella interceded.

I've always wanted to be of service to the Witch King.
That goes for me, too. But the rest of us have an important job to do too. You will do your best to guard the Demon King's Castle.
I'm here to do my...
'The Demon King was also thinking about the possibility of another enemy appearing. We must be prepared for that.
Well...... I'll do my best.

　Lilim clenches her fists in a guffaw.

'Let's do it, oh!'
That's the spirit.

　Stella nods.

'Thank you, for comforting me.
I was merely stating a strategic point.
Lady Stella is so sweet.
What the hell are you talking about?　I'm just saying that it's a strategic...

　Lilim's smile made me feel upset.

　In the past, I would have been able to treat the other demons more resolutely.
　Lately, I think my emotions have become more easily swayed.

　That's right, probably since I met Freed──.

''Ehehe, Stella-sama must be lonely too, without the Demon King.
''Wha, what are you saying?''

　Stella became more and more upset with Lilim, who was laughing mischievously.
　It was as if she could see through her feelings, she thought.

　She thought of the face of the demon king, under the mask.
　The face of a middle-aged man with the sternness of a warrior, but also kindness, care for others, and - somewhat sorrowful.

(Freed-sama....)

　I murmured softly in my mind.
　Just like that, my cheeks burned hot.

　Thump.
　My heart beat sweetly in my chest.

'Oh, you look kind of enthralled.

　Lilim laughs.

'Stella-sama, you are a maiden!
You see, that's what I'm trying to...

　That's when my voice rose higher and higher.

''──!''

　Feeling a strange presence, Stella returned to a straight face.

?　What's wrong?

　Instead of answering the kyotoned Lilim, Stella opened the third eye on her forehead.
　Searching for the source of the sign, searching for the source of the sign.

(Is this...?!)

　Stella looked at Lilim with a huff.

''Will you follow me?''
What?
I've heard something suspicious in the basement of the Demon King's Castle. Take a team that can move now and head with me.