Manadeshi ni Uragirarete Shinda Ossan Yūsha, Shijō Saikyō no Maō toshite Ikikaeru

C7: Triumph and Everyday Life

I returned to the Demon King’s Castle and got off the Demon Dragon with Stella. We were in front of the main gate.

“The Demon Lord is making a triumphant return!”

A girl came running up to me, her red hair in a ponytail swaying. It was Lilim, the captain of the castle guards.

“Welcome home, Demon Lord!”

“Welcome back, Demon Lord!”

The soldiers following behind her were all smiling.

“Thank you.”

I responded to them by waving my hand. It was frustrating that I couldn’t smile at them because of my mask.

Lilim and the soldiers surrounded me with happy faces.

“How was the battle, my Lord?”

“We won without any problems. I’ve closed all the holes in the barrier.”

“That’s the Demon Lord!”

“Demon Lord! Demon Lord!”

Lilim and the others are excited and acclaim me again.

“Hold back, we are in the presence of the Demon Lord.”

Stella said coolly.

“I understand that you adore the Demon Lord, but you have to exercise restraint.”

“That’s all right. I like this kind of atmosphere better than a formal one.”

“But the majesty of the Demon Lord…”

You’re so serious, aren’t you, Stella?

“I’m sure it will be very effective in boosting the morale of the troops to have the Demon Lord address them in person and in a friendly manner.”

It’s logical, isn’t it?

“I see. You have a point.”

She was easily persuaded

“The Demon Lord has given you permission. I take back what I said earlier. I’m sorry.”

Stella bowed to Lilim and the others. Yes, I knew she was sincere. And above all, she’s honest.

As a member of the Demon King’s entourage, Stella’s position must be one of the highest in the demon world. I can’t believe she apologized to the soldiers so straightforwardly. In the human world, I’ve never known anyone of this caliber. They were all people who looked down on those who were lower in status than them.

“Yay! The previous Demon Lord was strict about such things.”

Lilim held up her hands happily.

“Yeah, she made me run a thousand laps around the Demon Lord’s castle as punishment for talking too much while on duty.”

“She also cut your salary for three months.”

“I had all my benefits cut. That was tough…….”

Some of the other soldiers were also in tears as they spoke. The previous demon king, Yulisha, was very strict with those under her…….

Thirty minutes later, I was in a room in the Demon Lord’s castle with Stella. This was the place where we had discussed the future together before.

“Now that the barrier has been repaired, I think we should move on.”

“You said that the invasion of the heroes is not likely to occur for another three months. We should prepare the defense system of the demon world as much as possible during that time.”

Stella nodded at my words. Incidentally, since we were alone, I had taken off my mask. After all, it’s hard to breathe with a mask on.

“Yeah. First of all, I want to understand the strength of our forces. There are seven major demon army chiefs under the Demon King, and each of them are in charge of their own subordinate legions…is that correct?”

Most of my knowledge is as a hero, so there may be some misunderstandings.

“Basically, that’s all you need to know.”

Stella nodded.

“However, as I said before, three of the demon chiefs have been killed in battle. Of the remaining four, two are in the human world, except for me, and the remaining one is missing after a battle with the heroes.”

The bottom line is that Stella is the only demon chief at my side. Stella, too, has not yet regained her fighting ability.

“I mean, fundamentally speaking…”

A thought occurred to me.

“What about the plan that if the heroes invade the demon world in three months, I will fight them alone and drive them away……?”

“You’re saying that we can expect attacks in the thousands or even tens of thousands, right? No matter how powerful the Demon Lord is… No, Master Freed.”

Oh, as I said before, you call me by my name when we’re alone.

“……um…”

“What’s up, Stella?”

“No, I’m not used to calling you by your name. It’s a little embarrassing.”

Stella’s cheeks were blushing and she was squirming. The gap between her appearance and personality was so cute.

“I’m sorry…….I’ll keep talking.”

“Oh.”

“It is true that Freed-sama has an outstanding ability compared to the previous Demon Lords. You could say it’s an order of magnitude greater.”

Stella said.

“But …… no matter how powerful Freed-sama, there’s a limit to how many heroes he can handle by himself.”

“Hmmm……that’s true.”

It is indeed impossible for me alone to cover the entire demon world. While I was fighting, the heroes who invaded from other places could have massacred the demons.

“I think it’s best to have as many strong guys as possible to set up a solid defense system.”

It’s not that I alone am the strongest and most invincible, but that the entire demon world should have a strong defense. If that happens, the human side will not be able to attack easily. It would be best if there were no more fights.

It’s not that I want to conquer the human world. However, in the current situation, the demon world will continue to be invaded. Humans have a deep-rooted hatred of the demon race. I myself am one of them. ……Or should I say, I was.

“Master Freed?”

“……It’s nothing.”

First, I’ll do what I can, one thing at a time. For now, I’m going to protect those I want to protect, whether they are demons or humans…

After that, Stella and I spent several hours discussing the defense system of the demon world.

“Well, that’s the basic idea for now. Is there anything else I should be doing?”

“The Demon Lord has his normal duties, but……what should I do?”

“Normal duties?”

“I’ll bring it to you now.”

Stella walked out of the room and came right back. She put a large amount of papers on the desk.

“What is……this?”

My face scrunches up. It’s a pile of papers over three meters high.

“The work of the previous king had been delayed due to the battle with the heroes…….”

Stella explains with an apologetic look on her face.

“There’s a bit of paperwork piling up waiting to be settled.”

“A bit……? This……”

I picked up the topmost document.

“……I have no idea.”

Yes, I know what is written in it. But I couldn’t understand what was going on with the applications for public projects and the budget resolutions of various ministries.

To begin with, I’ve been fighting the demon tribe as a hero since I was a teenager. I’ve never done any paperwork before.

“Since you suddenly became the Demon Lord, it must be difficult for you to understand everything from the beginning.”

Stella gave me a helping hand.

“How about we just have you stamp them for now until you get used to it? I’ve already checked all these documents.”

Oh, Stella, you are so talented!

“I guess the point is, you just have to put your stamp all over it.”

That’s a relief.

“Thank you, Stella.”

“Yes?”

“To be honest, I have no idea what’s going on here. I’m glad you’re here with me, Stella.”

I chuckled.

“Please continue to work with me.”

“I will devote myself to the Demon Lord with everything I have.”

Stella bowed her head deeply.

So, the Demon Lord’s normal duties have begun. For now, I’m just going to stamp the documents. I paid attention to the….content, but I still didn’t understand it.

“I guess I’ll learn as I keep going.”

But still, there is a lot of paperwork.

“Did Stella look through all of this……?”

It’s amazing.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“Demon Lord……?”

“I’m sure Stella’s busy too…….”

I bow my head to Stella.

“I’m not very good at this kind of work, but I’ll do my best to learn as quickly as I can.”

“You’ve just been appointed as the Demon Lord, Freed-sama. And you don’t have to be good at everything. If there are any areas in which you’re not good, we, your subjects, will make up for it.”

Stella smiled.

“You have thought of us, protected us, fought for us – you have fulfilled the most important and precious duty of a king.”

“I…….”

I just couldn’t overlook those who were being hurt in front of me. Whether the opponent was a human or a demon, I didn’t want to see the strong trampling the weak. That’s all there is to it.

“I am pleased to be able to serve you. I will do my utmost to help you.”

The duties of a king, huh? To be honest, it still doesn’t feel right. I still haven’t come to a conclusion as to whether I will continue to live as the Demon Lord in the future but….I’ll do my best for Stella and the others.