In the last battle, the attack of the King of Light had caused no small amount of damage throughout the demon world.

　In regards to the reconstruction work, I decided to ask the newly appointed Demon Priest Olivier and Judah to help with that task.
　For support, he has the Seventh Army, whose successor has yet to be appointed as the head of the Demon Army, attached to him.
　They are made up of demons with artisanal skills, and their help is essential in repairing broken houses and public facilities.

　I ordered Regal and Feria to take on the task of defending the demon world.

　So, I'm going around inside the Demon King's Castle with Stella.
　This place was also suffering the aftermath of the King of Light's attack.

''We've discovered considerable damage to the Demon King's Castle. In particular, various mechanical parts seem to have been damaged.
The mechanical part.

　I mumble to Stella's explanation.

　I heard that the demon king's castle has a number of mechanical devices inside the castle.
　When the need arises, they are activated to defend the demon world──and I heard from the former demon king, Yulisha, that they are activated to defend the demon world.

''The original jurisdiction was the Alchemist General (Alchemist) - the former legion leader, Isana, but now there is no replacement for him, and his military officers are in charge of it.

　The last of the Seven Great Demon Commanders - the Alchemist General.

I'll have to decide on his successor as well, as soon as possible.
The candidates are here. Sorry it took me so long to put it all together. Mr. Freed.

　And Stella holds out the list.
　Since we were alone, she called me 'Freed-sama' instead of 'Demon King-sama'.

'Stella does a lot of work for me. She's always helpful.''

　Me, who puts in a follow-up.

'....Thank you.

　A faint blush appeared on Stella's cheeks.
　I go through the list I received.

'A demon race called Tsukuyomi, is it promising?

　There were about five candidates, but the overall rating was an A+ for Tsukuyomi, while the other four all received only a B+ or B.

　Tsukuyomi appears to be a modified life form (homunculus) created by the former Legion Commander.

　A homunculus is a magical creature created by alchemy.
　It is said to be low in intelligence and can only listen to simple commands.

　However, the homunculus created by Izana is in a class of its own, and is said to be far superior in intelligence, magic and physical ability to ordinary demons.
　It is said that among them, Tsukuyomi is the best modified life form in terms of intelligence, strength and magical power.

''I think it's head and should be head and shoulders above the other candidates. However, she tends to be dogmatic, and that's the only thing I'm concerned about.

　Stella explained.

'In layman's terms, I would say that I have a tendency to be selfish,'
Okay. Any other candidates?
All of them are relatively docile in terms of personality. However, as you can see from the evaluation column, they are a notch or two inferior to Tsukuyomi in terms of ability.

　Tsukuyomi, who has high ability but may have personality issues?
　Or another candidate with inferior abilities, but who seems to have no problems in terms of character?

　I discussed it with Stella and eventually came to a conclusion.

''──Okay, call Tsukuyomi.

　As a new alchemist general (Alchemist).

　Now, more than anything else, I want to keep a competent demon race on hand.
　I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　And after that...
　And after that - to continue to organize the strongest army to bring peace to the demon world.



"My name is Homunculus #253 Tsukuyomi. It's a pleasure to meet you, my Demon Lord.

　What appeared in the audience room was a silver silhouette.
　At first glance, the silvery-white body seemed like a piece of armor, but in fact it was not.

　This is Tsukuyomi's body.

I'm not going to be able to get it right. It's nice to meet you.

　I got up from my throne and walked over to Tsukuyomi.

''You will be given the title of 'Alchemist' (Alchemist) and the appointment of Demon Army Chief.
Respectfully, I accept.

　The silvery modified life form bows deeply.
　Tsukuyomi's ego is said to have the personality of a man.

''Then let's get to work.''

　I said to Tsukuyomi.

"'The Demon King's Castle has a lot of damage. I need to talk to you about repairing them.
Well, would you mind if I checked the area myself?
Of course. I'll come with you.

　I urged Tsukuyomi.

　By the way, I had Stella return to her normal duties after I called him.
　I began to proceed inside the Demon King's Castle with Tsukuyomi.

''──To begin with, I have a fundamental question.

　As we walked down the corridor, I asked Tsukuyomi.

'What kind of mechanical contraption is this in the Demon King's Castle?　I'm told it's a defense mechanism, but the former Demon King's handover of that area is vague...

　I have heard a lot of information related to the Demon King from the former Demon King Yulisha, but I haven't heard many specifics about the Demon King's Castle among them.
　There are a number of devices to intercept foreign enemies, and I was given a spell to activate them.

　However, she herself doesn't know much about what kind of device it is.
　It seems that the information about it has become quite vague as it has been passed down through successive demon kings.

''Originally, this castle was built by the beginning Demon King Velfer-sama. After that, successive alchemy generals have added magical devices and mechanical equipment in various places in the castle.

　And Tsukuyomi.

I've heard some of it from Izana-sama, but I can't claim to know everything about it. However, if I were to take a look at it, I would have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.
''Do you think the trick of the Demon King's Castle will work against the brave men?
I'd like you to do a little research on your own, or rather... haha.
Hmm?

　Now, he's suddenly getting b*tc*y, this guy.

No, he just started talking to himself.
Didn't he say that so I could hear him, obviously?
"Gimme.
The chink in the armor?
No, sir. It was my imagination.
Okay. Okay, good.

　........well, I'll just assume that's the kind of personality you have.
　Right now, I want a competent subordinate anyway, rather than a personality aspect.

'So, back to your earlier question you don't know exactly what you're talking about either?
Yes, sir. However, I can guess.
Let's hear it.
"The contraption in the Demon King's Castle was probably not meant for the brave men, but for the angels and the gods.
God, angels...?
Because of the wards, no one with a strong holy nature can enter the demon world. However, it's possible that the warding will eventually be completely destroyed and the gods and angelic class will invade.

　Tsukuyomi said.

''It is my belief that the alchemy generals of generations have been making preparations for that,''
...I see.
''The Demon King's Castle is equipped with a powerful function, and if we release it, or maybe even a god, we can compete with it.

　Tsukuyomi told him.
　The great power that lies in the Demon King's Castle........

''........this is just a guess. Even if it's not true, I hope you won't punish me for it. In other words, I want to live more freely without taking responsibility. I don't know why I was appointed as a demon army chief... haha.

　I'm talking to myself, too... right?