A Healing Heart

There might be other Miracle Armaments like the one from before nearby.

“How should I find them…?”

I pulled up the spell list again. There were roughly two tasks required: locating the Miracle Armaments in the vicinity, and destroying them.

“Oh, this looks good.”

Search: Detects the surroundings of the caster. The types and range detectable change according to the caster’s level.

“Search.”

I focused my mind on the intent to find autonomous-type Miracle Armaments. Instantly, an image of the area centered around the castle flickered into my mind. Scattered across the vast wasteland, those same mechanical beasts from before were prowling around. There were approximately a hundred of them.

“…That’s more than I thought.”

Some were even in the middle of attacking demons.

“Homing Ray x100!”

Just like before, I generated about a hundred tracking magic bullets.

“Target: Autonomous Miracle Armaments. Go.”

At my command, the hundred magic bullets streaked off in all directions.

“The rest should take care of the Miracle Armaments on their own.”

Probably, anyway.

“Amazing, my Demon Lord!”

When I explained what I’d done, Rilim and the others cheered.

“If there are any individuals I missed, let me know. Also, if reinforcements show up, contact me. We’re being pushed back quite a bit in terms of military strength, aren’t we?”

I should probably confirm the details on that front with Stella.

“Which way is the audience chamber?”

I decided to ask for directions.

“The truth is… I’ve gotten a little lost.”

It’s embarrassing for a Demon Lord to be a lost child in his own castle, but it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t just wander around forever. To protect these people, I had to organize the defense system of the Demon Realm.

…Wait, my thoughts have completely shifted toward protecting demons. Oh well. I’m moving past positions like “Hero” or “Demon Lord”; for now, I want to follow my honest feelings.

“It’s only natural since you aren’t used to the place yet. For the audience chamber, just go straight along this outer wall, and when you reach the fountain, turn left. The entrance is right there,” Rilim explained the route.

“And… if you’d like, please take this.”

She held out a portable ration. My stomach gave a loud growl. Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday.

“I thought you might be hungry,” Rilim said, as if she’d seen right through me.

“Captain~, the Demon Lord always eats the finest feasts, you know? Our rations won’t suit his palate.”

“Ah, that’s true… I’m sorry, my Demon Lord! Please forget what I just said!”

At her subordinate’s words, Rilim’s face went pale. She bowed her head apologetically.

“No, I’ll take it. Thank you.”

“The Demon Lord is so kind…”

Rilim and the soldiers’ eyes welled up. Yeah, the reactions are definitely over the top. Well, it doesn’t feel bad. Being with them makes my heart feel warm. It feels like even the wounds left by Lyle’s betrayal are starting to heal.

I took the rations and moved into the shadows.

“My Demon Lord?”

“Well, I can’t eat without taking off this mask.”

If I took off the mask, there was a risk they’d realize I was human.

“My Demon Lord, could it be—”

Rilim looked startled. Does she suspect I’m human? I instinctively braced myself.

“You don’t want your face to be seen… you’re a shy one, aren’t you? That’s so cute!”

“O-oh… yeah…”

She’s just a complete airhead. I turned my back to them, removed the mask, and finished off the rations.

“—Alright, I’ve decided.”

I put the mask back on and turned back to Rilim and the others.

“Decided? Decided what?”

“What happens from here on out,” I replied to Rilim’s question with a smile.

After all, I don’t want these people to die. Of course, I have no intention of invading the human world. Even if I have to brush off the sparks that fall on us—I’m going to look for a way where no one gets hurt or suffers. So that these people can live in peace.

“Good morning, my Demon Lord.”

As I returned inside the castle, Stella walked up to me.

“Were you outside?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d take a little walk around the castle…”

“The soldiers were delighted. You protected them from the weapons the humans left behind.”

“Hm? How do you know about that?”

“I have Clairvoyance. I was searching for you since you weren’t nearby.”

“…I see. Sorry about that.”

“Not at all. Captain Rilim and her team were very happy.”

“I-I suppose so.”

Recalling their excessive praising from earlier made me feel self-conscious.

“I feel like vitality has returned to the castle. It is truly a blessing that you were reincarnated as the next Demon Lord.”

“Stella…”

“However, please remember that the fact you were a human is strictly…”

“I know.”

It feels a bit awkward to be keeping secrets. But humans and demons are in a state of hostility. If it became known that the King of the demons was, of all things, a human, not a few would harbor ill feelings.

—Wait, I’ve completely started centering my thoughts on the circumstances of the demon side. I feel like my heart has adapted to being “the Demon Lord” more than I expected.

I’ve been betrayed by various humans until now. Even by Lyle, whom I trusted most. Perhaps that has made me misanthropic toward humans. In contrast, the people here are warm. I feel like it’s not just because they respect me as their King.

It’s strange, but since coming to the Demon Realm, I feel like I’ve actually become more human. Caring for others, laughing together, finding joy, or getting angry and fighting because allies were hurt—more so than the Hero army that fought over glory and power, outmaneuvered others, and sought results even at the cost of sacrificing someone.

“…Is something the matter, my Demon Lord?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

After shaking my head, I asked, “By the way, what exactly is a Demon Lord supposed to do?”

As I asked, the first thing that came to mind was defense. Those autonomous Miracle Armaments from earlier would eventually be wiped out since I fired the Homing Rays. I should probably fire them periodically to prepare for any I missed, or maybe go on patrol myself. After that—

“In our current situation, we should do something about the castle.”

“Indeed. The Demon Castle is the center of the Demon Realm. It is a symbol of your majesty and, at the same time, the final defensive stronghold of this world,” Stella said. “With the Hero army invading various parts of the realm, this semi-collapsed state is not ideal. Repair and, if possible, strengthening the defenses would be desirable.”

Come to think of it, aren’t there spells for that in the Demon Lord’s repertoire? Spells to repair or strengthen buildings—I checked the list.

“Oh, maybe this is it… Repair!”

I cast the physical restoration magic on the entire castle. Instantly, cracks sealed up, and walls that were shattered or had huge holes returned to their original state. This is handy. However, it wasn’t a perfect restoration. It was only about seventy percent repaired.

“Repair.”

I tried chanting it one more time.

“…Huh, it’s not working?”

The restoration of the castle didn’t progress any further.

“I guess this spell doesn’t stack.”

Detailed explanations like that weren’t in the list. I’d just have to test things out in the field. Well, I can just have the engineers mobilized to handle the rest of the repairs.

“To be able to repair this much in just a few seconds… it is incredible.”

Stella was looking at me in surprise.

“…Don’t tell me you’re about to start saying ‘Sasu-Mao’ too.”

“Pardon? Sasu-Mao?”

Stella tilted her head in confusion.

“No, never mind.”

“As expected, my Demon Lord,” Stella smiled.

…She said it after all.