#85: Truth, Wish, And Oath — After Becoming an Overlord, I Came to Another World! (WN)

“There’s one thing I want to confirm.”

“What is it?”

“…People often say women are sensitive to being stared at, like when someone looks at their chest. Is that really true?”

Isn’t that just a trope in fiction—like sensing killing intent?

“Of course. More to the point, if the person you’re talking to is looking anywhere other than your face, you’d notice, wouldn’t you? For example… if their gaze keeps drifting above your head, you’d realize they’re looking at your bedhead.”

“…I see.”

Yeah… even if they’re ‘looking at you,’ if their eyes are lower than your face… I totally get it…

I clearly sensed Fio, who had been looking at me, flick her eyes for an instant toward my chest area.

T-this movement… was that the movement of someone whose eyes were briefly stolen by chest armor and then hurriedly snapped back to the face!?

It’s painfully obvious!?

“Right?”

After saying that, Fio flicked her eyes—not to my chest, but to around my thighs—then returned her gaze to my face.

Gah!? I could tell from every angle that she was looking at my legs!?

The moment someone sits down… that split-second where your eyes get snagged… all of that gets found out!?

“Why would you think it wouldn’t be obvious? If someone’s gaze is directed at you, you can generally tell where it’s aimed. So why did you think your sleazy gaze wouldn’t be noticed?”

“…I thought if it was just for an instant, it wouldn’t.”

“If anything, the little flick in front of you makes it easier to notice, doesn’t it?”

“…You’re completely right.”

Yeah… that’s true… I had zero rebuttal… The Overlord learned one thing today… no, maybe five…?

…

“By the way, why can we talk longer this time? Usually you act like you don’t have much time.”

“You should learn to change the subject more smoothly. Well, whatever… The reason we have more time like this is thanks to the dragon.”

“Huh? That thing?”

Did that dragon do something…? No, I did something to it… so does that mean because I beat it, we had more time?

“That’s correct. That dragon had accumulated quite a lot of Demon King mana. By defeating it, we obtained a considerable amount… that’s why.”

“…I see.”

“At first, even after you defeated frenzied monsters, it took time before I could talk like this, but from the second time on, I grew used to it.”

“…So the second time was so short because we didn’t defeat any monsters?”

The second time she appeared in my dream… that was after the war with the Lumoria Kingdom.

And of course we didn’t hunt any monsters then.

“Humanfolk don’t yield much Demon King mana. It took killing that many just to secure about as much as I had when we spoke last time.”

When Fio first appeared, the mana came from the frenzied monster horde… and maybe from the goblin Bangagonga executed before it could frenzy.

“By the way, that dragon had stored enough Demon King mana that it could have gone into Frenzy at any moment.”

“So that’s why… was the reason it barely seemed to understand conversation because of that?”

As I asked, recalling the dragon’s behavior, Fio shook her head with an ambiguous smile.

“No… that was simply its personality. That is what makes Frenzy terrifying—until the instant it happens, the person is no different than usual.”

I see… so that ‘won’t-listen’ vibe was its personality… though it’s also possible all dragons are like that…

“Just as not all humans share the same temperament, dragons differ as well. I once knew a very intelligent dragon.”

So… that one was just a disappointing dragon.

Fine by me.

“More importantly… a dragon going into Frenzy, huh. Einheria could handle it, but if something like that appeared in another country, it would’ve been a disaster.”

“Indeed… Watching from the sidelines, it was beaten so thoroughly I almost felt sorry for it, but it may have been better than being slaughtered as a mindless beast.”

“…I hope so.”

After provoking it, calling it a lizard, and then killing it mid-sentence… was it really better?

“…Speaking of Demon King mana, there are races called the Demonfolk and the Demigodfolk. Did you know that?”

“You’re not one to talk—your topic changes are just as clumsy… I’ve heard of Demonfolk. I think Bangagonga told me…? A race that goes into Frenzy easily?”

“Yes. Demonfolk have a strong ability to absorb Demon King mana, but on rare occasions, after going into Frenzy, they regained their ego.”

“Regained it? Their reason comes back?”

“Yes. Demonfolk who went into Frenzy once and later regained their ego called themselves the Demigodfolk.”

“Demigodfolk… that sounds awfully arrogant compared to Demon King.”

It’s basically saying they’re above the ‘king’… sounds like a pain.

“…To them, the Demon King is merely a tool to become stronger. They don’t necessarily treat a Demon King crudely, but they do imprison one to keep it from dying. I myself was confined for a long time.”

“If they wanted your mana… I know this sounds awful, but wouldn’t it have been better to kill you? You said even if a Demon King dies, the next one is born right away.”

“Apparently a Demon King before me tried that… but the amount of mana released all at once at the moment of death causes most Demonfolk to go into Frenzy. They nearly wiped themselves out.”

…A Demon King is absurdly hazardous to handle.

My image of Demonfolk went from “evil villains imprisoning the Demon King” to “hazmat disposal crew.”

“For most Demonfolk, perhaps. But there were still plenty who sought power and aimed to become Demigodfolk. Of course, whether you could become one depended on luck…”

High risk, high return?

The risk was so huge you’d need an unstable mind to attempt it… but whether they tried or not, Demonfolk absorbed Demon King mana easily and would eventually frenzy… killing the Demon King just detonated the bomb, and the next one was born anyway, so it solved nothing…

Wasn’t that a hopeless situation?

“Well, when you put it like that it sounds grim, but… if they don’t stay near a Demon King, they’re mostly fine. They frenzy more easily because they approach.”

“I see. So it’s self-inflicted in a way… And you performed the ritual to fix all that. By the way, when you said the Demigodfolk see the Demon King as a tool… did they absorb Demon King mana and just keep getting stronger?”

“Yes. However… the Demigodfolk likely no longer exist.”

“They don’t?”

“Because the children of Demigodfolk were born as ordinary Demonfolk. Until the current Demon King, Demon King mana did not spread across the continent… and the current Demon King has only been around for about a hundred years. Unless someone has been acting right beside the Demon King, I doubt any have become Demigods.”

That line raised a question.

“You said Frenzy basically vanished between your ritual and the birth of the current Demon King, right? I’m impressed people even pinned the cause on Demon King mana.”

Ancient legends from five thousand years ago wouldn’t be accurately preserved.

“When people suddenly go mad, they desperately search for the cause… and a hundred years is enough time to identify it.”

“But if that’s the case, wouldn’t they try to kill the Demon King once they learn it’s the cause?”

They wouldn’t know that killing it releases all that mana at once…

They’d probably charge in yelling, “Let’s kill the world’s enemy, the Demon King!”

“…I was careless.”

“That’s bad. Do you know what the current Demon King is like, and where it is?”

“I do not. What I know is from five thousand years ago… and whatever you have seen and heard.”

“…Bangagonga did say the Demon King is in the north. We need to gather information fast… Ideally we’d protect the Demon King, but… we don’t know what it’s like. At the same time we’ll keep installing mana collection devices, but… is securing the Demon King faster than placing devices across the world?”

If the Demon King suddenly died right now, it might wipe out everyone except Einheria.

Before that happened, it felt better to secure the Demon King by force if needed… but without knowing what kind of person it was, I couldn’t decide.

“By the way, do we not go into Frenzy?”

Even if we secured it, it’d be pointless if it harmed us too.

Remembering what she said about Frenzy accelerating near the Demon King, I asked, and Fio answered with an apologetic face.

“You are beings created by Demon King mana. You likely will not frenzy… but I cannot be certain. Still, as long as you remain near mana collection devices, you should be safe.”

“If one of our main combat kids went into Frenzy… that would be a disaster.”

“To frenzy, one must be exposed to Demon King mana for many years. In general, Einherians who live near mana collection devices should not frenzy.”

Bangagonga had returned from a near-frenzy state thanks to the mana collection device… Maybe I should test whether someone fully frenzied could be restored.

Could I even find a frenzied monster…?

“I’m truly sorry for dumping this burden on you.”

As Fio’s expression turned solemn again, I shrugged.

“Consider it thanks for the fun. I swear by the name Overlord Fels: the wish you risked your life to fulfill—I’ll make it come true.”

“I am indebted to you.”

Fio bowed deeply.

“I said it’s thanks, right? Don’t worry about it. Besides… you’re basically like my mom, Fio. Taking care of this much won’t get me punished.”

When I said it with a smile, Fio answered with a bright smile of her own.

“…No way an idiot like you is my child.”

“…You damn salt Demon King.”

“…Coming from the sexual-harassment Overlord, that means little. Do your best to live without realizing the girls are gossiping about you.”

“Don’t be ridic— …Huh?”