Myths Of The Demon Realm

“What will you do? Fight me?”

Judas smiles.

“Or perhaps… kill me?”

His tone remains utterly composed. This guy feels nothing. He isn’t shaken in the least, even knowing I have the power to kill him. It’s as if he’s talking about someone else’s business.

“If you aren’t going to fight, I’m taking a nap. Bye now.”

As he speaks, Judas snaps his fingers. A hemispherical dome made of iridescent crystal appears. It’s a mechanical-looking device, covered in various pipes and tubes. Inside sits a canopy bed.

“What is this?”

“Nice, isn’t it? It’s the Ultra Ultimate Bedroom for Supreme Restful Slumber, which I built in pursuit of the perfect nap.”

Judas laughs with the innocent face of a child.

“It’s a masterpiece equipped with mood music players for sleep induction and magical massage devices. I hand-picked materials for the pillows and blankets that offer the absolute best quality of sleep.”

It has a grand name, but basically, it’s just his bedroom…

“Oh, I like this!”

Bel cheers, running around the device. “I want to take a nap in something like this too~!”

“I thought you’d understand,” Judas nods with satisfaction. “Well, I’m going to sleep now. Eat well, sleep well, sleep again, think for a split second about maybe learning something for once, get lazy, and ultimately just go back to sleep—that is the secret essence of the Judas style of magic.”

“Isn’t that just a lifestyle of total laziness?”

“Just so you know, I won’t forgive you if you use force to break this.”

Judas glares at me for a moment with a completely serious face. Then, returning to a smile, he steps inside the dome.

Well, what now?

“My Lord, I believe you should demonstrate your power,” Stella suggests with an angry look. “No matter how ancient a demon he is, that way of speaking to you… it is far too disrespectful.”

“Well, he certainly has a peculiar personality.”

“The Demon Lord desires strong subordinates for the sake of the Demon Realm, yet he doesn’t even try to understand that ambition… mumble mumble.”

Stella puffs out her cheeks. She’s clearly angry, but her sulky expression is actually quite cute.

“There are all sorts of people among demons; it can’t be helped.”

“…But still.”

“Besides, you can’t make a guy like him submit through force. What he said just now—it likely came from the heart.”

I calm Stella down. No matter how much power you have, you cannot chain someone’s heart.

“Why don’t you try taking a rest too?”

Judas, lounging on the bed, laughs. “You look so tense. Relaxation is necessary. Especially when you’re in a heavy position like ‘Demon Lord’… zzzz.”

Having said his piece, he finally falls asleep. To think he could drop off so easily despite us being here.

“Ah! To actually fall asleep right in front of the Demon Lord… curse him…!” Stella bites her lip.

“…You’re right. Maybe I’ll take a nap too.”

It was a whim.

“My Lord?”

“I can’t exactly force him awake. It would only make him reject us more.”

Actually, I bet the previous Demon Lords got angry at this point, which is why Judas ultimately refused to serve them. If that’s the case, it might be better to try and be a little more patient.

“If we spend time the same way he does, maybe we can understand him a little better.”

Understanding and empathy—that might be the first step to closing the distance with Judas.

“…Understood. Then I shall as well.”

“Me too!”

The three of us lie down right there. …Following the general flow of things, it has somehow become nap time for everyone.

When I come to, a battlefield stretches out before my eyes.

What is this…!?

A black army fills the land—dragons, beastmen, undead, and amorphous monsters. Leading the army at the front is a single demon. A grotesque figure with three faces and six arms.

Facing them is a human army.

“Demon Lord Velpher, prepare yourself!”

“We, the Heroes, shall strike you down!”

The Heroes shout at the three-faced, six-armed demon. They level their weapons in unison. They are the holy armaments given to them by the gods: Miracle Armaments. No, the atmosphere is slightly different.

“Those are—”

The swords, spears, and bows they hold are pitch black. Even the garments they wear are jet black. The ominous aura the Heroes radiate makes them look almost like demons themselves. It is the exact opposite atmosphere of a Hero wielding a sacred weapon.

“Cursed humans…! And even the Angels—”

The demon called Velpher spits out the words in disgust. Following his gaze, I see four silhouettes floating in the sky. Red, Blue, White, and Black. Figures with wings, draped in robes of vibrant colors.

“No matter how many armies you bring, I will protect the Demon Realm. I’ll scatter the Hero Army, the Heavenly Host, everything—”

His six arms roar with power.

“Mega Fire!”

Crimson lines of fire sweep across the earth. Heroes are blown away, and the Angels in the sky recoil. But they don’t falter. They swing their black Miracle Armaments and unleash their counterattack.

Countless top-tier spells rage across the field. A storm of slashes is unleashed from the Miracle Armaments. They collide, splitting the earth, burning forests, and carving away mountains. The fierce battle continues without any sign of ever ending.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve dreamed of the old days.”

A voice speaks right beside me.

“Judas…?”

The beautiful silver-haired boy with charcoal skin is smiling. Could it be that I’m inside Judas’s dream? Between Feria and now this, I seem to have a strange connection with dreams lately.

“Maybe it’s the influence of meeting you. These are memories of the battle between the first Demon Lord Velpher and the armies of gods and humans. I fought alongside him.”

“The first Demon Lord…”

“In the human world, this would be the realm of myth, but to me, it’s just a memory of the past.”

“I heard you’ve lived since those times.”

“Still, to think that you would actually join me for a nap. None of the previous Demon Lords ever thought of doing that.”

Judas giggles. “Every single one of them tried to make me submit through power.”

“You don’t seem like the type of person who can be made to submit through power.”

“Essentially, all the past Demon Lords were just masses of fighting spirit and desire for dominance. Except for Velpher, that is.”

“Why did you lend your strength to Velpher?”

“Because we were friends. Because I liked him… that was the only reason,” Judas states airily. “To put it another way, the past Demon Lords were all just people I didn’t like. But you seem a little different from them. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that you were once human.”

Judas’s smile deepens.