Chapter 83
A few days after Citri’s visit, another Demon King arrived at the Demon King Castle on the 69th floor. When the carriage carrying the Demon King arrived, the first thing to be revealed was captivating and passionate red hair that seemed to enchant anyone who saw it.
Gremony von Due.
The ruler of the 55th floor and the Demon King who had conquered all the layers from the 56th to the 60th had finally come.
Looking through the iron bars, Gremony quickly assessed the courtyard of the Demon King Castle on the 69th floor.
“It’s quite well decorated,” he commented.
“Are you His Majesty Gremony von Due?”
A middle-aged butler emerged from the main gate accompanied by a considerable number of servants. He bowed courteously and spoke.
“I am Cain, the head butler of the Demon King Castle. His Majesty Seere von Debata has requested that I escort you.”
“Very well, lead the way.”
“Yes, please follow me.”
As Cain turned around, the servants quickly parted to create a path. As Gremony walked between them, one of the servants asked him.
“If you have anything to hand over, I can take care of it.”
“Hmm? No, that’s fine. I didn’t bring anything specific.”
“I understand.”
Cain guided Gremony to the reception room. He didn’t lead him to the audience room because both Gremony and Seere were Demon Kings.
“I’ll open it now.”
Cain knocked lightly on the door of the reception room, and a slightly youthful voice responded from within.
“Come in.”
Cain opened the door lightly, and Gremony stepped forward. He finally met the young Demon King who had recently gained fame for defeating Belial.
‘Younger than I expected…’
He had heard that they were only 12 years old, but seeing it in person made it feel more tangible. Yet, Seere rose with a dignified demeanor that belied her age and greeted Gremony.
“Welcome, Sir Gremony von Due. I am Seere von Debata, the master of this Demon King Castle.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Seere von Debata.”
“Please, have a seat. I will prepare some tea.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Gremony accepted Seere’s kindness with a smile. Seere responded with a smile as well and ordered Cecili, who was in the reception room.
“Cecili, please bring the tea.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As Cecili went to fetch the tea, Seere sat down and began to speak.
“I sincerely thank you, Sir Gremony for visiting us. Shall we get right to the matter?”
“I appreciate that we’re not beating around the bush. Let’s proceed.”
Gremony spoke with a hint of a smile.
“I desire to form a close alliance with the 69th floor. Not just a temporary alliance, but one that aims for greater heights.”
“…When you say greater heights?”
“Where else?”
Gremony pointed upwards with his index finger.
“To the top tier ranking.”
“……”
“Is your reaction not what I expected? I thought the Debata faction would prefer such heights.”
“No, you’re correct in your thinking, Lord Gremony. However… wouldn’t that contradict your wish to form an alliance?”
Seere narrowed her eyes slightly as she spoke.
“Eventually, we would be in a competitive relationship.”
“…You need not worry about that. Didn’t I just say? I desire the top tier ranking. I didn’t say I wanted to be ‘the top’.”
“Ah, I see… So, Lord Gremony intends to…”
“Yes, exactly. My goal is to rank within the top twelve.”
The strongest Demon King, the highest-ranking Demon King, was the 12th position that was once held by Citri. Gremony aimed to be within that rank.
“I see. Then we won’t be rivals.”
“Lord Seere, you seem to have your sights set on restoring your father’s glory.”
“Restoring glory is not the correct term.”
“Pardon?”
Gremony was internally taken aback. Seere’s expression and atmosphere had changed. The child he had thought still so young now exuded charisma as a Demon King.
“I will surpass my father and reach the pinnacle.”
“…Are you serious?”
“If I weren’t serious, I wouldn’t have even started.”
There were two factors for such a goal. First was Seere’s own ambition. She believed her father had fallen because he was just one step short. By claiming the 1st position, she thought she could ensure she would not face the same fate.
The second reason was simply that…
“As long as there’s someone who wishes for that, my goal remains unchanged.”
Because it was what the Teacher desired. That goal would not waver. Feeling the steadfast will in Seere’s words, Gremony momentarily fell silent.
‘This young Demon King’s goal is to reach the pinnacle…’
He was merely satisfied with ranking within the top twelve. Granted, his ambitions were not so low, but witnessing this child’s resolute will and confidence made Gremony feel a bit embarrassed.
“…That’s quite the confidence. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
Gremony honestly expressed that feeling. It was not a sarcastic tone, but one filled with admiration. Seere could sense the sincerity behind his words.
“Lord Gremony… you sought our Teacher and requested an alliance with me.”
“To be frank, yes, to some extent. After all, you’ve managed to grow this much at just twelve years old. Naturally, that merits interest.”
“Then it should be possible.”
“Yes?”
Seere smiled faintly, thinking of Nahun. Despite having grown so strong herself, Nahun still evoked feelings of inadequacy in her.
“Our Teacher is impressive. I believe they will fulfill the wishes of Lord Gremony.”
“That implies…”
“I will accept the alliance.”
“Are you serious? Then we shall immediately hand over the layers we discussed…”
“However, may I add one more condition?”
Gremony tilted his head in confusion. Seere then explained.
“Taking the Teacher away is out of the question. If you need to see them, please visit the 69th floor directly.”
While Seere’s request seemed straightforward, it carried significant meaning. Instead of submitting to the relatively higher-ranking Gremony, she demanded he come to them if he wanted something. This reinforced the notion that the 55th and 69th floors were equal allies.
Moreover, if Gremony continued visiting the 69th floor, everyone would see that the two factions were developing a friendship. This would make the Demon Kings from the still unconquered 61st to 66th floors nervous. Given that Gremony had conquered up to the 60th floor, a friendship with Seere would jeopardize their positions.
Seere had aimed for both of these effects with her proposal. And Gremony…
“Seeing how much you cherish the Teacher, I can see there’s ample value in taking action.”
“Are you agreeing to it?”
“Yes, let’s go with that. However, may I open a portal connecting the 55th floor to the 69th?”
Seere nodded. They were going to form an alliance anyway, and she had no intention of easily breaking it. To facilitate frequent travel, it was necessary to ease movement a bit.
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
The two began drafting the alliance contract. After stamping with their blood seals, they each kept a copy. The contents were as follows:
< Article 1 - Demon King Seere von Debata and their faction shall become the greatest ally of Demon King Gremony von Due. The same shall apply in the opposite case, including all military and economic support. Both parties must comply with any requests for support made to each other. >
< Article 2 - Demon King Gremony von Due shall transfer the currently owned layers 56 to 60 to the ruling layers of Demon King Seere von Debata. >
< Article 3 - Demon King Gremony von Due shall have unrestricted access to Debata Fortress and may receive guidance and support from Lord Nahun whenever visiting directly. >
< Article 4 - Demon King Seere von Debata shall not antagonize the forces of Demon King Gremony von Due, and Demon King Gremony von Due shall not antagonize the forces of Demon King Seere von Debata. >
< Article 5 - In case of non-fulfillment of the above contract, the responsible parties shall be held accountable for consequences, which shall be determined by the other party. >
After finalizing the contract, Seere lifted a teacup that had been sitting out for a while. Taking a small sip, she relaxed her expression. Observing her revert to a more youthful demeanor, Gremony was shocked once again.
‘From this angle, she really seems like a child.’
Just moments ago, she had epitomized the image of a proper Demon King. Gremony felt more curiosity about the existence of the Teacher who had nurtured Seere’s growth.
“Lord Seere.”
“Yes?”
“What kind of person is your Teacher?”
Gremony asked simply to get an accurate understanding of who her Teacher was. However, it sounded a bit differently to Seere.
“Lord Gremony.”
“Yes, Lady Seere.”
“…Are you perhaps interested in another way?”
“Pardon?”
Gremony tilted his head, then realized the implication and quickly covered his mouth.
“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. I simply wanted to know what kind of person has made you this strong.”
“…Ahh.”
Seere, who had automatically furrowed her brows, relaxed them again, seeming relieved as she took another sip of tea. Gremony tilted his head slightly at this change, then, not thinking much of it, took a sip of tea before speaking.
“Oh, can I meet your Teacher today?”
“That might be difficult.”
“Yes?”
“Today, the Teacher is not here.”
“Where did they go?”
In response to Gremony’s inquiry, Seere briefly explained.
“They went out for a bit.”
—
As Seere had mentioned, Nahun was currently not at the 69th floor Demon King Castle. He had instead headed to the human realm. While waiting in the forest where he always met Eri, two figures approached.
“Nahun-sama.”
“Nahun-sama!”
Dein and Eri, excellent spies nurtured with Nahun’s extensive support. Nahun nodded in greeting as he saw the two arrive.
“I called you here for a new mission.”
“Yes? If that’s the case, you could have sent a letter… Why have you come personally?”
“Why are you asking such an obvious question, Eri?”
Nahun’s words made Eri flinch and lower her head.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t understand Nahun-sama’s intentions…!”
“…Huh? No, I’m not angry.”
“R-Really?”
“I came because I had something to do in the human realm.”
Nahun turned to see Dein holding something up from his bosom. It was a number of round orbs.
“What are these, Nahun-sama?”
“Dein, Eri. Take these and distribute them to the largest merchant guilds in each country.”
“Yes, Nahun-sama.”
Unlike Dein, who responded confidently in an instant, Eri appeared a bit puzzled.
“Is it really possible to distribute these?”
“It’s fine. You’ll be able to deceive the merchants easily. Just leak a little magic power.”
“Yes.”
As Eri released magic power through her staff, the orbs reacted instantly. Seeing the abundant magic within them, Eri turned to Nahun with a shocked expression.
“Pretend they are magical tools.”
“…What are you planning to do with these?”
“Eri.”
Nahun spoke while looking directly at Eri.
“You’re asking a lot of questions today.”
“Oh, no! I’m sorry!”
“While I understand your curiosity, I can’t reveal that right now. Just follow my orders.”
“…What if there aren’t enough goods, and they refuse to trade?”
“Eri, do you think the human mages won’t covet these?”
Eri looked briefly at the magic contained within the orbs. There was no way they wouldn’t. Every human mage would crave them. However, Eri’s anxiety didn’t seem to stem merely from the magical orbs.
‘…It feels like there’s something more.’
But she stifled her urge to ask further, knowing it might provoke real anger from Nahun.
“You two will carry out this mission together.”
“Yes?”
“Is that alright?”
“It would be difficult to suddenly contact the guilds alone. Go together and execute. But make sure to distribute them to at least two guilds or more.”
“Yes, Nahun-sama!”
“Yes.”
After receiving their orders, Dein and Eri gathered a bunch of orbs and took their leave, while Nahun glanced at the remaining orbs in the leather pouch for a moment. As he fiddled with the pouch containing the orbs, they clinked together, making sounds.
“…I don’t feel any guilt even doing this.”
Nahun pondered.
Was he still viewing this world as a game world?
Or was he gradually adapting his heart to fit the ways of a great demon?
Momentarily lost in thought, Nahun sighed deeply.
“To see the ending….”
He quietly murmured, resigned to his fate, as he moved his steps towards the Holy Kingdom.
