Volume 8 Chapter 34 Demon Warning
The fog covering the territory had cleared, and half a day had passed since we started our demon hunt.
"You'd think there'd be quite a few demons in a small territory like this."
At the foot of the cliff beneath the Bael castle ruins, Ice's ice soldiers had gathered a countless number of demons from the surrounding area. I, standing at the Bael castle ruins, looked down at them.
This Bael territory had been devastated in the previous war. The demon gods had almost wiped out the demons, and the social structure had been destroyed. The Bael war had left the land in shambles.
That's where we came in, attacking the revival points. Our appearance was so intimidating that everyone cowered and listened to us without a word.
So, gathering them all in one place wasn't that difficult. It took half a day, though.
"About a thousand, I'd say?"
"No, I counted, and there were 1,268..."
"Thanks, Ice. You've gathered quite a few. This is great."
Ice, who was commanding the ice soldiers beside me, spoke. I nodded, and from the cliff, I jumped to a slightly elevated hill in front of the flat area where the demons were gathered.
As I fell through the air, the wind buffeted my skin with incredible force. Since Nilfheim was always snowing, it was freezing.
As I approached the ground, I used "Repulsion" to slow down my fall, and landed slowly. The demon horde welcomed me with a mixture of awe and excitement, saying "Oooh..."
My friends were reacting to the situation in their own ways. Some, like Clay, were working with Typhon to monitor the demons' resistance, while others, like Mudi, were just enjoying the spectacle.
But I was going to do things my way.
I called out loudly.
"LISTEN UP. I DON'T THINK ANYONE WANTS TO BECOME THE SECOND COMING OF THE EVIL GOD OR BAEL."
The place fell silent. If I said I'd kill anyone who caused trouble, even the demons would shut up for now.
I smiled cheerfully and continued speaking.
"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Wade, the one who killed the evil god summoned by the village head council and took the position of chairman, and also killed Lord Bael to become the new lord. Nice to meet you."
'―――――'
The demons fell silent, filled with fear and tension. The dread that only a few knew about spread to all the demons.
"I'll talk about the future management of Bael's territory. First, the village head council will be dissolved. The sorcery cast on the village head will be destroyed."
With my declaration, the sorcery's seal on me was broken. I guess that's what happened.
Sorcery is a real pain to deal with on your own, so thanks for the help. Now, I won't be forced to teleport to the council again.
"Next, I'll talk about how to treat the territory's people."
My words made the demons even more tense.
"I'll make all the people in the territory my sl*ves. The treatment will be absolute obedience to my orders, and everyone will all move to the city below Demon King Castle. I won't allow everyone to escape, but I'll make sure everyone don't starve or die unnecessarily."
The demons were in an uproar at my words. They didn't think much about being sl*ves, but they knew it meant they'd be treated pretty badly.
However, my words were surprisingly kind for a lord of hell.
"Ah, um..."
A demon in the front row raised his hand. It was Renril, and Rollo was next to him. They were the demon siblings I met first.
"I'll let you speak. What is it?"
"I-I'm curious about your intentions! What's the point of making all the people in the territory move to the city below Demon King Castle, and what's with the unprecedented good treatment you're promising us!?"
"...Yeah. I just said I'd take care of everyone, so it's not like it's some amazing treatment or anything, Nilfheim. Well, actually..."
I coughed and answered.
"I need to explain the background of us before I can explain my intentions."
As I said that, I took off the demon king's horn that I had been wearing since I descended to Nilfheim.
'――――――――!?'
The demons' uproar was unprecedented. Fear and scorn, anger and unrest. Various emotions mixed together, and a riot-like outcry erupted.
"What's going on?! Did humans kill the evil gods and devils?! It's impossible for humans to be that strong! I don't believe it! It's crazy, crazy! This is really bad!"
Demons are the dead. Mudi said so. However, the demons' perception of humans was a mix of scorn and fear.
―――They're beings that can't come back to life once they die.
―――But humans who descend into hell don't even fear death.
Perhaps the demons don't know they were once human themselves. They must have lost their memories. Normally, they wouldn't be able to climb the great dungeon. There are some demons, like the demon siblings, who are lucky enough to climb it occasionally.
So, they only know of their existence. They're inferior, weak, and fragile beings. They're different from us, who were abandoned by the gods. However, if we encounter them, they're abnormal individuals who have surpassed the great dungeon.
I decided to use that recognition to my advantage.
"EVERYONE, BE QUIET RIGHT NOW!"
As I shouted with anger, the atmosphere instantly turned silent, filled with fear and dread.
"That's right. I'm human. My friends are almost all human too. To you demons, we're nothing but prey. But I'm strong enough to kill all of you right now. You have no way to resist."
As I said that, the demons' faces twisted in frustration. They felt frustrated, but they couldn't do anything about it. That's what people call submission.
I dangled the bait.
"But don't you wonder? Why would a human like me, who could kill you all, gather you together and talk to you instead of killing you?"
'...!'
The demons exchanged glances, made a faint noise, and again silently gazed at me.
'...Why?'
Renril asked me on behalf of the others.
I smiled and replied.
"To kill the Demon King."
All the demons held their breath.
"Seriously?! You?! Human?!" "Humans are really trash, aren't they?!" "Wait, hold on. If we're gonna kill the Demon King, I don't get why you're talking to us." "Of course..."
I looked at the demons going wild, and I think the Demon King is like a god in hell. Even magic seems to be something the Demon King has. So, the faith people have in the Demon King is similar to how humans worship gods.
But that's not absolute, like when I killed the evil god.
I calmly analyzed the situation, then raised my voice to drown out the commotion.
"Don't you think that's contradictory?! If we're gonna kill the Demon King, why spare your lives?! The Demon King is your king, after all If the Demon King is the enemy, then demons are the enemy too!"
But I raised my voice even louder, completely silencing the demons' murmurs.
"I know your true nature You're starving, aren't you?! For entertainment What you're really afraid of is boredom, right?!"
My words struck at the core of the demons, and my loud voice made the atmosphere tense. I lowered my tone, grinning like a devil.
"So, you thought you'd ride along with me if I called, right?"
"...What do you mean?"
Renril asked, sweating coldly. I chuckled and said,
"You guys, want to join me in killing the Demon King?"
The demons were finally speechless.
"It's normal for a human like me to kill the Demon King. That's what heroes do. You guys are just standing in the way. That's normal too."
I spoke loudly.
"But aren't you guys tired of that kind of normality? Plundering and war are normal too. Normal, normal, normal, normal. You guys are tired of the same old hellish normality."
But, I called out with a smirk.
"For you guys to follow me and help kill the Demon King is abnormal."
I paused, closing my mouth.
I was silent for a moment.
The silence was painfully tense.
"Demons are immortal."
I'm going to toy with them again, and I'll enjoy talking to them.
"But, eventually, you'll get tired of it and become a pillar of salt. That's fine by itself. But the process is what's unbearable, right? What's there is the ultimate boredom. Whether you're rich or a sl*ve, it's the same――you'll eventually reach the ultimate point of boredom."
Yeah.
"Getting tired is something that happens normally, ahead of time. But the chance to kill the Demon King, this special opportunity called 'abnormal', will you let it slip away? When will it come again?"
'...'
Fear. All the demons are afraid. The fear of killing the Demon King themselves. But at the same time, they're starting to sniff out something sweet in my words.
I'm going to sow the seeds of madness there.
"That's right. It's not going to come again. You're the only ones. You're the only ones who, in this long, long eternity, have the chance to kill the Demon King as demons, just once, only once."
I'll add more fuel to the fire, pouring water on the seeds.
"So, what's there to hesitate about? If you don't understand the situation, I'll teach you. What I'm saying is, it's time to start the festival now!"
I'll whisper, tempt, and sprout the buds.
"It's the festival to kill the Demon King. We'll blow away your boredom, and set the city of Demon King Castle ablaze with a grand, flashy fireworks display...!"
As I speak, the demons' interest starts to surpass their fear of the Demon King, their instinct to love short-lived thrills, and their reverence for the Demon King.
God can be killed.
Physically, and even in terms of faith.
"So, won't you ride with me? Ah, go ahead and ride. After all, I'm your master, aren't I? Isn't that right?"
"Y-yes, you're already our master!"
"Y-yes, that's right! The people of Bael's territory are already your sl*ves, Master!"
The demon siblings' voices become a chorus. The demons from their village continue, "It's great to be under that Master's rule" "It's not bad at all!" they raise their voices.
"That's right! The grand festival is about to begin! You guys are demons who have been chosen to participate in the festival to defeat the Demon King! Is there anyone who's not excited here?!"
"Ugh, I'm in! I'm starting to get pumped up!" "No way, seriously...? But if we don't do it here, we'll never get another chance to defeat the Demon King..." "We're sl*ves anyway, so we might as well enjoy it!"
The air was electric with excitement and fervor. Every demon was looking up at me with a thrilled expression.
"That's right! You sl*ves don't have any freedom anyway! So you might as well enjoy it! Come on, sl*ves! Let's defeat the Demon King! Raise your arms and shout!"
Now it's time to get started. I raise my arms and voice.
"We're going to defeat the Demon King!"
'We're going to defeat the Demon King!'
"We're going to defeat the Demon King!!!!"
'We're going to defeat the Demon King!'
"We're going to defeat the Demon King!!!!!!!!!"
'We're going to defeat the Demon King!'
"It's time to start the festival! Let out a mighty roar!"
'WOOOOOOOOOO!'
The excitement reaches a fever pitch. Over a thousand demons are united in their desire to defeat the Demon King. It's an opportunity that will never come again. It's an opportunity that's too good to pass up. So, demons, let's dance!
Mudi and Philia are bursting out laughing at this scene. The party members are saying things like "Wade-kun's speeches are always so impressive" "That's not a speech, it's agitation" "Propaganda".
Ice, who had returned to my side riding a giant ice bird, smiled happily.
"Wade-kun, you seem to be having fun..."
"Hahaha! I love this kind of live atmosphere. Now the demons are excited and on our side. All we need to do is keep the momentum going."
The demons continue to shout with unbridled enthusiasm. Even in the midst of the blizzard, their voices ring out with passion.
I look at them and say, "Alright, from here on out, it's the real deal. We're going to defeat the Demon King!" I take Ice's hand, and we descend from the high platform with a flourish.
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