The New Master Of Sorcery

Afterward, we discussed the defense system of the Demon Realm for about an hour before concluding the meeting.

“Now, return to your respective duties. Good work, everyone.”

I offered my thanks to the three Demon Commanders.

“And Stella, I’d like you to stay behind for a moment. I have something to consult with you about.”

“Understood,” Stella replied with a respectful nod.

“Oh? Stella gets special treatment? How nice—I’m getting jealous.”

Beside her, Feria let out a mischievous laugh.

“I’d love for you to consult with me one-on-one sometime too, you know? I’d respond to… any request, My Lord,” Feria said, strike a provocatively sensual pose and staring at me enchantingly.

A shiver ran down my spine. …Was she using Charm again?

“You are in the presence of the Demon Lord. Restrain yourself,” Stella said, glaring at Feria with a sharp expression.

“Hm? Are you jealous?”

“W-Who’s jealous!?”

“Even the stiff-necked Stella has the side of a maiden in love. I’m surprised.”

“Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about? I am, well, um… speaking purely from my loyalty as a Demon Commander! It’s—it’s the truth!”

Stella was flustered. She clearly isn’t good at handling these kinds of topics. Her face was bright red.

“Alright, that’s enough, you two.”

It was so heartwarming that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Okay~.”

“My apologies, My Lord.”

Feria nodded nonchalantly, while Stella’s face remained crimson.

“…‘Romantic feelings,’ is it? I do not understand such nuances.”

Regal muttered under his breath.

“Well, an undead wouldn’t understand, would they?”

“Nor do I wish to. The only conversation I understand is the clash of blades.”

Having delivered his warrior-like line, Regal turned to me.

“O King, I shall take my leave.”

He bowed and departed.

“Me too. See you later, My Lord.”

Feria also exited the room.

“What was it you wished to consult about, Fried-sama?” Stella asked once they were gone.

“It’s about what happened in the ‘Nightmare World’ the other day.”

Since we were alone, I removed my mask.

“When I fought Vrisera—one of the past Demon Lords—his magic suddenly weakened. I’m curious about the reason.”

“Weakened…?” Stella knit her brows.

“I’m wondering if the magical effects were being jammed by some kind of power.”

“Jammed…?”

“The Miracle Armament Gram, which I used back when I was a human Hero, had a magic-jamming ability. It felt similar to that power,” I explained. “Can your ‘Eyes’ sense anything?”

“…I’ll try.”

Stella faced me. With a dazzling radiance, the third eye opened on her forehead. She is of the kin known as the Eyes of Chaos (Ganma). Those eyes possess a wide range of abilities, from remote vision and clairvoyance to poison and sorcery.

“…It’s no use. It’s blurry; I can’t see it even with my Clairvoyance.”

Stella bowed her head apologetically.

“However, I felt a strong mana within you, Fried-sama. The presence of some kind of magical artifact.”

“A magical artifact…?”

In a broad sense, a Miracle Armament could be considered a type of magical artifact.

“Since it falls within the realm of sorcery, someone skilled in that field might—” Stella suggested. “Perhaps they could figure something out. It’s a matter of magical research rather than analysis via Clairvoyance.”

“There are mage-type demons among the Seven Armies, right? Could we have them look into it?”

“Well… no, I think that would be a bit dangerous.” Stella started to nod at my suggestion, but then shook her head. “If Gram is indeed inside you, Fried-sama… it might invite suspicion as to why the Demon Lord possesses a Miracle Armament.”

“True…”

She had a point. But I couldn’t just leave it as is.

“Even if we investigate, we can’t keep it a secret if we involve many people. What if we have just one person look into it?”

“That might work,” I said, nodding at Stella’s proposal. “Who do you suggest?”

“What about a candidate for the successor to Ziraam, the Master of Sorcery? A candidate for the Demon Commander who leads the mage-type demons.”

“We had a list of candidates, didn’t we?”

“I’ll go get it. Please wait a moment.”

Stella stepped out briefly and returned soon after.

“Here, Fried-sama.”

She handed over the documents summarizing the candidates for Ziraam’s successor. The list contained the names of demons with exceptional magical abilities.

“This person is skilled in magical combat but lacks analytical power.”

In that person’s description column, magical combat was graded ‘A’, while analytical power was ‘D’.

“This person is a leading figure in magical research, but their loyalty is questionable. And this one over here—”

Stella explained each candidate to me. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and I couldn’t find a demon who made me think, “This is the one.”

“Ziraam was a sorcery expert without equal in the Demon Realm. His analytical abilities, in particular, were top-class. Finding a replacement is quite difficult…” Stella noted. “He was from a prestigious lineage that has produced several Demon Lords in the past, including the ‘Magical Emperor’ Estram.”

“I see… Hm? What about this one?”

This person was graded with the highest rank, ‘S’, in every magical category: mana rank, magical combat power, and artifact creation ability. Among the candidates, they were truly overwhelming.

“Who is this?”

“Ah, that person… I put them on the list just in case, but…” Stella hesitated. “His name is Judas. He is one of the oldest demons, having lived through eternity. He is a genius regarding magic, but he has a difficult personality… I don’t think he’s suited for court service.”

“A genius…?”

“Well, he was Ziraam’s mentor, after all.”

“Then his abilities are certain.” In fact, isn’t he a diamond in the rough? “What do you mean by a difficult personality?”

“I’ve heard he’s extremely moody. Even if it’s a King’s order, if it’s something he doesn’t like, he won’t cooperate,” Stella explained. “Almost all the past Demon Lords tried to take him into their service, but he wouldn’t submit to anyone.”

“…So he won’t become a subordinate easily.”

Even so, I wanted as many talented individuals with superior abilities as possible. I had to prepare for the Heroes’ invasion, and above all—

There was the issue of my weakness. Though I hadn’t solved it yet, there was the phenomenon where my mana weakened during the fight with Lyle. To cover for that, I wanted to gather strong subordinates. I wanted to build the strongest army to protect the Demon Realm.

“Let’s go see him.”

“Judas?”

“He’s a magical genius, right?” I answered the surprised Stella. “Besides, it might solve both the issue with Gram and the problem of the Demon Commander successor at once.”

“Then I will go as well,” Stella said.

“Yeah. I’ll need you to guide me. And help me persuade him, too.”

“Yes, for your sake, Fried-sama.” Stella nodded with a smile.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Ah…! Th-Thank you! It’s an honor!”

Stella bowed her head, her cheeks flushed. She seemed to be embarrassed.

And so, I decided to head to Judas’s location with Stella. His dwelling was said to be in the depths of the Southern Region.

Judas, the candidate for the new Master of Sorcery. What kind of demon would he be—?