When Judas became the commander of the demon army, I asked him about the warding of the demon world.
　He wondered if it could be reinforced as a more powerful warding.

　But Juda.

I can't.

　He replied curtly.

''The wards are constantly being eroded by the power of the gods, and they're slowly weakening.
The power of God...?
'Of course we can reinforce it by pouring magic into it from the outside. But you know what?

　At my question, Judah smiled.

''No matter how much you pour into it, that magic power will gradually spread out over the entire wide ward that covers the entire Demon Realm and eventually fade away. That won't be able to resist the erosion of divine power. That's why permanent reinforcement is impossible.
How about periodic reinforcement with magical energy...
''It would take an enormous amount of magic to cover the entire demon world. You're right, your magic is immense. I'd say you're the strongest in history. And yet...

　Judah shook his head from side to side with a bitter smile.

''As expected, even your magic power can't continue to cover and reinforce the entire demon world. The amount of magic power definitely can't keep up with it.''
Yeah, right.

　─ ─ That was the conversation before.
　Moreover, Judah says that the 'erosion by the power of God' is intensifying.

'How do we get to the root solution?'

　I asked straight away.
　Judas chuckled.

Defeating God, maybe?
If you can do that, you'll have no trouble.

　I'm mortified.

"Well, I guess that means I can't.
Totally....

　I sighed.
　It was because I had received the exact same response when I had asked for advice before.

　A part of the mighty and different power of the gods was made clear to me the other day in the battle against Liavelt.

　It's not in the dimension of simple offensive or defensive abilities.
　In front of God's power, demonic power would be 'rejected'.
　Any kind of firepower is useless against an opponent that the attack itself cannot reach.

　There is no way to defeat the gods in the present situation.

Realistically, it's 'reinforcing the wards'.

　Judah explained with a smile.

'It's impossible to create wards that can withstand divine erosion, but it's not impossible to develop wards that are more resistant to erosion than the current ones.
Can you do it?

　I asked hopefully.

"I've been studying it. Ever since the day Wölffer died.

　The smile disappeared from Judah's face.
　It's a serious face, which is rarely seen.

'Though so far it hasn't produced any results. I'm sure you'll find that the most successful warding is the current one. It will take time to improve it further.
All right. Continue to work on the warding. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
At least I can get some money for research.
... "Well, come to think of it, you submitted a request for an increase in the budget.

　It's hard to coordinate with the others, and Stella must have had a lot on her mind.
　And.

'It's time to end the seriousness of the conversation. You can't do anything about it right now, can you?

　Feria clings to my arms.
　Mu Mu Mu, she presses her chest against me.

'Huh, am I a distraction?'

　Judas smiles.

"Yes, from here on out, it's time for me and my Demon Lord to have a chat. I'd appreciate it if you'd hold off on that.
All right. Well, I guess I'll be going now.
No, no, I want to talk to you about...
I'm sorry, but I think it's time for a nap.

　Judah tells me curtly.
　It's hard to hold this fickle guy for long.

'As for the wards, I've already reinforced the areas that were heavily damaged, and that's fine, right?
'Oh, yeah...'
　He's a fickle but fast worker.
Well, enjoy your stay.

　When Judas left.

My Demon Lord, come on now, you can do whatever you want with me, all right?

　Feria's seduction time had begun.

　........In a different way than Judas, she was a difficult enemy.



　As if escaping from Feria's subtle offensive, I proceeded through the castle.
　This time the destination is underground.

　I wanted to investigate in detail the point where Liavert had entered the building.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about the site where the power of the gods rested.

　And then a silver knight, about a meter tall, comes from in front of us.
　It's the Demon Army Chief Tsukuyomi, whose former body was destroyed and changed into a new form.

''This is Demon Lord-sama.''

　Tsukuyomi bowed.

'How's your new body feeling?'
That is not a problem, sir.

　Tsukuyomi replied in her usual inflectionless tone.

''The 'divine power' that lies underneath the Demon King's Castle──did you know that?''
I knew that there was a great power lying dormant. It must be defended in every way possible.

　And Tsukuyomi.

'But I had not been informed that it was 'God's power'. I was surprised myself.
I see.
I don't know everything about everything. Moreover, the other day in the fight, the previous body was destroyed, so the repair of it is a confusing task. Oh, I want to take a break for a while.......work is a pain in the ass.
What did you say?
"I was talking to myself.

　I was obviously complaining to the best of my ability.
　.........Well, this guy's complaining seems to be a kind of venting, so I'll let it slide to a certain extent.

　I'll move on to the next question.

I've been told that there are other defense mechanisms underneath the Demon King's Castle, right? I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the next few days.
''I am in the middle of my own investigation. Since I was appointed as the new Alchemist, I have been exploring the underground of the Demon King's Castle from time to time, but the underground mechanism is extremely complicated and we are far from a complete picture... the previous Demon Army Chief left only fragmentary records.

　And Tsukuyomi.
　So there are still many mysteries underneath the Demon King's Castle.

If you find out anything, let me know.
"It is my duty as the Witch Master to assure you of this.

　Tsukuyomi nodded.

'But first, I need some more time off. Ah, the hassle.