漫画大王

Chapter 18

“Their society?”

“Yes.”

I already knew about the unique ability that all Archdemons had, which was the Control Demon skill. If I recall correctly, it was a D-rank skill.

“Originally, large-scale societies among demons were not possible. As you can see, Loyar is a lycanthrope, I am a vampire, and Sarkegar is a dreadfiend.”

“That’s right.”

“Before the Archdemon race emerged, numerous demon races were not only on bad terms with humans, but also at odds with each other. The west side of the continent was dominated by large human nations, but in the eastern region, known as the Dark Land, or the Demon Realm, various demon races lived in scattered communities.”

Even without the existence of humans, the demons fought among themselves.

“The Dark Land was a land of eternal war. Therefore, humans had no reason to pay any special attention to the demons.”

Humans thrived as demons fought and destroyed each other. Many demon races coexisted, but due to the continuous conflict between them, the Demon Realm could never prosper, and the numbers of each race also varied greatly.

“One day, though, someone appeared and mediated the discord between the races, teaching them how to live together as one society. They seemed to possess a peculiar power that could interfere with the minds of demons.”

“And was that ‘someone’ the Demon King?”

“Yes. He was the first Archdemon King.”

At the time, where he came from and what kind of being he was remained unclear. However, he had the power to dominate the minds of demons, allowing them to coexist with other demon races.

The other demons called him the Archdemon out of respect, and the Archdemons later became synonymous with the royal demon race.

“Your Highness, under the influence of the Archdemon, demons were finally able to have one society and one leader. His influence remains after his fall, but if several generations pass without an Archdemon’s presence, the demons will grow divided once again, returning to the era of eternal war and darkness,” Sarkegar added on.

If the Demon Realm collapsed and the Archdemon disappeared, the numerous remaining demon races who still possessed some semblance of society, would eventually revert to killing each other in endless conflicts as generations passed.

Now, I finally understood why no ambitious individuals were trying to become the new Demon King.

No other race was capable of taking on the role of the Demon King aside from the Archdemon.

Sarkegar’s loyalty wasn’t just simple devotion to royalty. There was more to it.

Sarkegar believed that the existence of a Demon King was absolutely necessary to maintain the foundation of demon society, and the fervor he had was different from just simply being loyal to the Demon Kingdom.

The Demon King essentially served as a crucial mediator, much like an emulsifier between water and oil.

An existence that could blend the things that weren’t meant to be blended.

“...That brings up an interesting question.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Why did the Great War happen in the first place?”

I only briefly described in my novel that war had occurred, but I didn’t elaborate on the exact details of how the Great War had started. All I had written was that the humans attempted to conquer the Demon Realm to expand their territory, and that humans were the ones who initiated it.

“Humans always feared the unification of the Demon Realm,” Eleris said, gazing into the campfire.

I was once again experiencing this world’s ability to offer a natural explanation for the events I had not written about. Often, events caused a result to occur, but in this case, it was a result that determined the necessary event. This thought gave me an eerie feeling.

I only wrote that “humans invaded the Demon Realm,” and that was it. I’d left out the reason for it. As a result, though, this world had naturally filled in the missing information, providing the explanation that it happened because an Archdemon existed, and that the humans had feared the demons uniting as one.

I felt a strange sense of guilt; it felt like someone else was doing the work that I had not bothered with because I’d been slacking.

The demons of the Dark Land had begun to coalesce into a society, and even the humans who quarreled among themselves would have had reason to be concerned about this.

“The former Demon Kings were always aware that human invasion of the Demon Realm would begin at some point in the future. That’s why the Demon Realm was always prepared for war with the humans.”

I nodded in agreement with Eleris’ words.

Even if neither side had the intention of invading the other, an increase in military preparations by one side would invariably lead to the other side doing the same.

If one side were to say, “We mean no harm and are only increasing our forces to defend against your attacks,” no one on the other side would believe such nonsense.

Starting a war simply due to the fear of the other side was a common occurrence.

So, even though the Demon Realm and the human realm had no intention of attacking each other, the mere fact that the opposition existed was enough for each side to make preparations for an attack.

Who struck first didn’t matter. After all, a war was inevitable.

While the demon realm had a Demon King, the humans had mighty warriors as their trump cards, and the warriors succeeded in annihilating the Demon King.

The death of the Demon King was on a whole different level from the death of a human king. So, the mere fact that the Demon King had died would have crushed the morale of numerous demon armies.

The Demon King was, in fact, a divine-like figure to the demons in the Demon Realm.

This explanation alone was enough for me to fully understand the importance of the Archdemon race.

“Alright... I understand why the Archdemon is so important now.”

Why I had to be the next Demon King became clear as well.

“So, what should I do from now on? Do you guys have a plan?”

“You need to grow more powerful. Gradium is too dangerous. You should return to the Demon Realm and gather the scattered demons to rebuild your influence, and also focus on personal training, Your Highness.” Sarkegar said.

Of course, if I returned to the Demon Realm, I would be welcomed by the demons who still remembered the Demon King, and gathering influence wouldn’t be too difficult.

The Dark Land was incredibly vast, so even if the Demon King was dead, it would be impossible for humans to conquer the entire land.

I shook my head at Sarkegar’s words.

“It’s too dangerous. The humans may not be able to conquer the entirety of the Dark Land, but they’ll still have tight surveillance throughout the land. If a new demon army is formed, it’ll only be a matter of time until they attack us.”

The humans would not just sit back and allow the reconstruction of the Demon Realm so easily, not when they had just taken it down. At the slightest hint of a resurgence, they would move to squash any suspicious groups they saw like cockroaches.

Besides, I only said that I would pretend to go along with it and offer my help; I didn’t really want to rebuild the Demon Realm and start another war. The idea that demons would turn on each other without an Archdemon was only going to happen in the distant future, and was not something I had to worry about anytime soon.

And... the truth was that it was not what was important.

“In my opinion, going back to the Demon Realm is a bad idea,” I said.

Sarkegar glared at me, as if asking if there was any alternative. Frankly, I didn’t want to return to the Demon Realm. I just didn’t like it there.

I wanted to stay in Gradium. I mean, just look at this place, it was a great city to be in. Who would want to live in a neighborhood without a subway?!

“This city is the enemy’s heart. To defeat the enemy, you must first understand who they are. In fact, it might actually be better to learn the ways of humans by staying here for a while.”

Making excuses was my specialty.

“Wow... Your Highness! The audacity and courage to pierce the enemy’s heart! You truly possess the virtues of a worthy emperor!” Sarkegar exclaimed in admiration.

Not really. I just wanted to live in a city with a subway system, that’s all.

And with Eleris here, there was less chance of my identity being exposed to other humans. The likelihood of someone finding out I was a demon significantly decreased because of her.

There was really no reason to leave Gradium. It was considered the best place to live on the entire continent. There was no way I was leaving this place; even if it cost my life, I wanted to stay until the end.

There was no reason to take any more risks. I was going to sit in Gradium quietly and wait until the end. Just stay calm, get taken care of by Eleris, and before I knew it, time would pass and the ending would come.

I mean, there weren’t really any conditions that said I had to do something spectacular in this world, right?

My excuse seemed to work perfectly that Sarkegar was almost in tears as if he had appreciated my audacity and courage.

“Your Highness, if that’s the way you truly feel, I have a better idea,” Sarkegar suggested.

“...A better idea?”

‘Well, I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but it surely can’t be a better idea.’

“To truly bring down humans, you must first understand their ways! I humbly accept your wisdom!”

What was he trying to say?

“Enroll as a student at the Temple, where you will be able to thoroughly learn the ways of humans! Ultimately using their own weapons to defeat them, wouldn’t you say that is true revenge?”

‘Oh. What kind of nonsense is that?’

Loyar nodded in response to Sarkegar’s unexpected suggestion.

“That’s not a bad idea, Your Highness,” Loyar added.

“What? What do you mean?”

“The Temple is the cradle of the human empire, and where many heroic figures have graduated. Your Highness, once you become a high-ranking figure in the Temple, you will know who all the key figures in the human empire are. Ultimately, you will truly understand who your enemies are and what they are thinking when you fight against them, better than anyone else. You could even adopt their ways and make them ours. You would essentially be taking down the human empire from within.”

‘Wait a moment. What’s going on here?’

I had no desire to get involved in the main story whatsoever. However, Loyar seemed to agree with Sarkegar as if surprised that he had said something worth agreeing with for once.

“Furthermore, the Temple is currently nurturing young prodigies with significant power and potential. Their goal is to cultivate more individuals like the hero Artorius. Just knowing who might show strong potential among the students would be of great help to our side. Moreover, any excessively dangerous talents could be eliminated early to remove potential threats, if deemed necessary.” Sarkegar added.

Right. The Temple was indeed an institution that fosters young students who have the potential to become formidable forces. They even had a special division dedicated to raising individuals with the potential to follow in the footsteps of the hero Artorius. The protagonist of the novel was affiliated with this institution.

But why did I need to go there? Why me?

This was getting ridiculous. I felt like I was being dragged into something I never even thought of because of one simple mistake.

‘Eleris! You’re the only one who can help me out! You surely don’t want me to turn into a cog in this war machine!’

I looked over at Eleris in a desperate plea for help, and saw her smiling.

“I also think it’s a good idea, Your Highness.”

What, why? Wasn’t she supposed to be against it? I couldn’t fathom why Eleris, who held an opposite worldview to Sarkegar, was in favor of this.

“Wait a moment...”

I had to come up with some justification or reason why I couldn’t go, in the face of this strange consensus among the three.

“No matter how well we can disguise me with magic, there are surely mages in the Temple, and who knows what might happen if I meet one of them? It’ll be dangerous if my identity gets exposed.”

Were these lunatics trying to get me killed?

“Don’t worry, Your Highness.”

Sarkegar wore a confident smile as he pulled a ring from his hand.

“This ring has been passed down through generations in our clan.”

“S-so, wh-what does that... have to do with anything?”

“Just wearing this ring alone will allow you to fully harness the power of our clan.”

What?

Why on earth did something like this exist? And why had it conveniently appeared at this exact moment? Huh? Come on, it lacks so much plausibility! A race that inherently has polymorphic abilities carrying rings that allow the user polymorph at will? That’s utterly useless to you!

It seemed like it had been specifically made just to be given to me at this precise moment!

[Are you mad about non-plausible events in your non-plausible novel?]

[Haha]

Some text passed by in front of my eyes. I didn’t get a good look, but I swear I saw something.

‘What was that just now?’

“Oh, uh... Sorry, but I can’t accept something so precious like that. How am I supposed to accept a ring that’s passed down through the generations? It must be something really significant, like a family treasure or something, right?”

My justifications were becoming increasingly feeble.

“The legacy of our clan is nothing compared to the grand mission of rebuilding the Demon Realm. Please accept it, Your Highness!” Sarkegar cried out fervently as he thrust the ring toward me. “A mighty empire is right before us, Your Highness!!”

My excuses had only backfired on me.

In any case, it was clear: the person who sent me here clearly didn’t want me to sit back and relax until the end.