Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

6 – The Demon King and the Unemployed

Past the curtains was a wide area. 

It was somewhat dark yet my vision was still clear, kind of like a dungeon. 

What surprised me a bit was how empty the room was. 

Small rooms just like the one we were in were in all four corners, as well as one being near the center. 

In the center was a rectangular desk that seemed to be carved out of stone. Along the desk were five chairs also seemingly carved out of stone. It was possible that there was one chair for each room. 

As I looked at the lined up chairs, I came to a realization. 

It was like one of those things where the top brass of an organization gather to have a meeting. 

One was probably meant for the Demon King, with the other four seats across from it. 

…Is this place a meeting room? I couldn’t see any exits in the room, so maybe it was only accessible via teleportation? 

As we drew closer to the long table, a voice ran out. 

「So you’ve returned, Carmilla.」 

Oh, now I remember. That’s right, Carmilla. 

Now then, if the Hero’s party is an existence meant to perform heroic deeds, then monsters are an existence meant to get defeated. Of course, it’s sometimes exciting when the heroes end up getting pushed back or being forced to retreat, but people naturally want the heroes to win in the end. 

But dungeon clearing is a form of entertainment. 

It’s better when the viewers have thoughts such as 「that was fun」 or 「he actually lost there!」 It means they want to keep seeing more. 

But there are some people who bring the 「acting」 of dungeon clearing into reality. 

For example a drunk picking a fight with a completely random orc just because their favorite Hero lost to an orc the previous day. 

Because of things like that, the monsters working in the dungeons can find themselves in dangerous positions. 

That’s why at some point, monsters began wearing outfits that hid any characteristic features they had and started using stage names specifically for use in dungeons. 

「Yes, Your Majesty. I have brought the Black Sorcerer Lem with me.」 

As Milla responded respectfully, I could see that she… was actually quite different from the vampire I defeated in the dungeon. 

…Wait, that’s strange. Is the Milla I know really the same person as the vampire Carmilla? Well, they should be. 

My naivety then began fighting against that conclusion in futility. 

Carmilla was a cruel demon that enjoyed tormenting humans.  

And she incorporated the blood she sucked, or rather magical energy, into her attacks. 

She’d suck people’s magical energy until they ran out and cut down their comrades with blades made out of their magical energy. She’d also attack them while making sneer remarks. 

There are rumors that there have been adventurers that were so affected by the treatment they received fighting against Carmilla that their dispositions went as far as getting twisted. …Should I feel sorry for them? Well, as long as they’re enjoying themselves, I suppose they’re fine.  

By the way, she finds directly sucking the magical energy to be too vulgar, so she has her underling bats do it for her. 

I’ve seen some adventurers say stuff like 「Man, I want her to suck me directly~」 but by the time they exit the dungeon, they’re on their knees begging their sweet queen Carmilla for forgiveness. 

As I thought about those alarming memories, Milla turned her eyes to the side towards me. 

Once I noticed that, her face grew red and she covered it with her hands. 

…Yeah. 

I just gotta believe. This one’s the real Milla! 

It’s normal to get passionate when it comes to your work.  

The fact that she’s getting so into her role just means how much of a pro she is. I should be respecting her for that! 

And she’s such a broad-minded person for recruiting me for a job despite having lost to my party! 

「So you’re Lem?」 

My consciousness was brought back into the moment when I heard my name. The phantom known as Carmilla has left my mind. I’m normal right now. 

「Yes, I’m the Black Sorcerer Lem.」 

The voice was kind of childish for a Demon King. It sounded like a little girl. 

Information on dungeons can easily be found if you search for it on the internet, and many dungeons even have home pages.  

The Demon King Castle has one too, and as expected of a dungeon where no one has reached the final floor, despite having information on various stratums, the majority of the pages are blank due to no one ever clearing them.  

The 4th stratum we had cleared the other day had information recorded regarding the Floor Boss and the werewolf enemies. 

Since it’s a stratum that’s been cleared before. 

The Demon King Castle is a dungeon with a total of 11 stratums, with the final stratum involving fighting against the Demon King. 

Humanity has only cleared up to the 7th so far. 

There hasn’t been any visual data recorded from the 8th stratum and beyond. 

This means that no one knows anything about the Floor Bosses for those stratums, including the Demon King, meaning that counter-measures can’t be devised either. 

Could it be that I’m going to be the first adventurer ever to have seen the Demon King? 

I nervously moved to face the Demon King from across the desk. 

I then froze up. 

…I see now. 

That was why the voice sounded like a little girl’s. 

Because it came from a little girl. 

Her crimson hair was almost the length of her body, and her ruby eyes were fixed upon me as if evaluating my worth. While she may have had a piercing gaze, she had quite the adorable face. 

She had two black horns growing out of the sides of her head. 

She was a Majin. Historically speaking, all rulers of demonkind have been Majins. 

And the Her Majesty was one of them. 

She sat on her chair with her chin resting in her palm and her arm upon her raised knee. 

It was a lazy posture, but eyes were as sharp as blades. 

「What is it, is there something wrong with me?」 

She had a sloppy appearance as if she was in her pajamas and just got out of bed, but I didn’t intend on pointing that out. 

「No, you just look younger than I expected.」 

「Do you not find my appearance fitting of a Demon King?」 

「I know nothing of what a Demon King should be, so I wouldn’t have any say on that matter.」 

「Hmph. Very well. I was about to kick you out for looking down on someone who might have become your superior, but it appears that won’t be necessary.」 

「About that…」 

「Hmm? What is it? I, the Demon King Luci, was about to explain what the job of being my subordinate consisted of.」 

「Please excuse me, Your Majesty. To be perfectly honest here, I believed there would be trouble bringing him here at first, so I brought him here without explaining the full situation to him.」 

Milla, who had sat herself already, explained. 

One of the seats was empty, with the other two taken by a large knight in black armor and a Majin man dressed in what looked like a tailcoat. 

「Oh? Then for what purpose did he think he was brought here for? Hey you, don’t tell me you thought you might get a chance to fondle Carmilla’s breasts just because she was somewhat of a fan of yours!」 

Her Majesty’s fist slammed on the desk. 

「No, I didn’t.」 

I wouldn’t have the nerve to think something like that. 

But it appeared that Her Majesty wasn’t fond of that answer. 

「So you’re telling me you don’t want to fondle them?! And you call yourself a man?! Huh?! I’ll tell you this right now, Carmilla’s breasts are soft as silk and as elastic as pudding, and despite their size, they’re-」 

「Your Majesty.」 

Milla made a smile. 

Her Majesty’s face then turned pale. 

「A-Ahem. In other words, Carmilla is a very attractive woman.」 

「Well, yes, I agree.」 

She thought highly of me, despite the fact that I was looked down upon by society for being a Black Sorcerer. 

Wouldn’t I be ashamed if I didn’t give her the acknowledgement she deserves? 

I felt as if I saw Milla’s feelers slightly twitch. 

「That’s right, that’s right. I can’t blame you for falling for her charm and being tricked to come this far. But what I was trying to say was that that kind of weakness won’t cut it.」 

Her Majesty spoke while glancing at Milla. 

「Master Lem was not fooled, he saw through everything. In fact, he even pretended to be fooled. I enjoyed my time with him.」 

「…Oh?」 

Her Majesty looked at Milla with an intrigued expression. 

She then turned to me with a slightly bitter look. 

「Very well, then. I’d like to begin explaining your role here… but there is something I must ask you before that.」 

「What is it?」 

There really is nothing between Milla and I. We just held hands. They were soft. 

「You’ve hidden it well so I did not notice until I began to observe you more carefully, but it seems you carry ability that surpasses what would be deemed human. It is on the same level of a Black Sorcerer that would have spent a hundred years time in research… no, perhaps even further than that.」 

The monsters in the Demon King Castle were all extremely high-level, meaning I had to put everything I had in my Black Magic. His subordinates must have relayed that information to him.  

But putting aside Milla and Her Majesty, I felt like I was on the cusp of realizing something even greater than that. 

「Black Sorcerer Lem. I, the Demon King Luci, ask you. Which Demon King trained you?」