The King And His Aide

“Ugh… nngh…!?”

The core of my chest was burning. What is this—!?

“I see. It looks like it really is dwelling inside you,” Judas said, staring at my chest. “The Miracle Armament.”

“Is it Gram…?”

“You mentioned before that when you fought the Hero in the human world, your strength weakened,” Judas continued. “I think I’ve figured it out. First off—the Purgatory Demon Lord Blade, Lardis, itself has no function that weakens the Demon Lord’s power.”

If I recall correctly, the previous Demon Lord, Yurisha, had said something similar. Furthermore, I had even experimented by having Stella hold the blade—and I didn’t feel my power weakening at all. It was a phenomenon that occurred strictly during the battle with Lyle.

“The weakening was caused by a different factor. Most likely, a fragment of the Demon Lord Blade acted as a catalyst, and the magic-jamming effect of the Miracle Armament Gram was turned against you.”

“My own Gram… is weakening my own power?”

“That Miracle Armament is already a part of your body. No matter how overwhelming your stats are, you can’t block your own power. I imagine that effect resonated with the Miracle Armament of the enemy Hero and activated—sound about right?”

It’s just a theory, though, Judas added.

“Is there no way to prevent it?”

“Impossible. At least, not immediately.”

Judas shook his head at my question.

“You cannot separate Gram from within you. Therefore, the most realistic method is to recover all the fragments and cut off the source of the weakness.”

“Six fragments left, then…” I muttered. “Can you not sense where they are?”

“I have a lead on one,” Judas said. “It supposedly fell into the human world during the battles of the Age of Myth. I believe it’s inside a vast forest on the Eastern Continent.”

“A forest in the human world…?”

“It’s a massive forest, big enough to fit about ten countries inside.”

“…You don’t mean the ‘Great Forest of the Azure Sky’?”

I grimaced. Saying ten countries could fit inside wasn’t a hyperbole. It actually was that vast. It is, after all, the largest forested region in the world…

“By the way, fragments of the Demon Lord Blade cannot be detected by mana. You have no choice but to search for them visually.”

“Visually…!?” I knit my brows. To find a tiny fragment by sight in a forest that huge was impossible.

“None of the past Demon Lords could find it. It won’t be that simple.”

“Well, I suppose… but still.”

“Furthermore, the fragments apparently have a mimicry ability, so you won’t even find them easily just by looking.”

The more I heard, the more troublesome this sounded.

“Is there any other way?”

“None. You just have to search with patience.” Judas’s reply was blunt. “Also—”

“Hm?”

“Just so you know, you shouldn’t have your subordinate demons search for it,” Judas added. “There’s no guarantee they won’t betray you. At worst, they might hand the fragment over to a faction hostile to you.”

“A faction hostile to me…?”

“The Demon Realm isn’t a monolith. There are surely those aiming to be the next Demon Lord. Don’t you have a lead or two on who they might be?”

—I did have a lead.

Shortly after I was reborn as the Demon Lord, I discovered demons discussing what sounded like a conspiracy. They had mentioned the name of one of the Demon Commanders, Zegart the “Beast Emperor.” However, because Regal had finished them off back then, the details remained unknown. As for Zegart himself, his whereabouts are still a mystery.

“A King must accurately discern who can be trusted and who cannot.”

“I can’t just leave a glaring weakness unattended… I’ll think of a countermeasure,” I said, nodding at Judas’s words. “I want you to lend me your strength as well.”

“If I feel like it,” Judas replied, as blunt as ever.

“Honestly…” I gave a wry smile. Well, I had brought him into my service knowing full well this was his personality. I just had to find a way to make it work.

Managing subordinates is hard work. Back when I was a human, I was just a solitary warrior, but now—I am a “King,” after a fashion.

“Let’s end the training for now.”

“Eh?”

“Your physical condition seems unstable.” Judas turned his back to me. “Besides, I’m starting to get bored.”

“Fickle to the very end.” My wry smile deepened.

“Phew…”

I sat down on the throne. The Miracle Armament Gram dwelling inside me. According to Judas, even a magical genius like him couldn’t extract it. He said that trying to remove it recklessly would have a negative impact on me.

Even if my stats make me the strongest Demon Lord in history, harboring a weakness isn’t a pleasant feeling.

Matters concerning myself. Matters regarding the future defense of the Demon Realm. And the possibility of a faction hostile to the Demon Lord. There were many seeds of anxiety.

“I am…”

“Fried-sama…?”

Stella approached. “My apologies, I didn’t realize you were here.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Saying that, I faced Stella once more. I removed my mask and looked at her.

“Has something happened?”

“I suppose I should tell at least you.”

I explained what Judas had told me.

“A Miracle Armament inside you, Fried-sama…”

“If the Hero side gets their hands on a fragment of the Demon Lord Blade, things could get quite troublesome.” I gave a light laugh. “I’ll need to gather more strong allies.”

“—I will protect you.”

Stella stepped forward. Her moist eyes locked onto mine.

“Eh?”

“I will, even if it costs me my life.”

Stella stepped even closer. Perhaps she had noticed my anxiety?

“…P-please excuse me.”

Having offered that brief disclaimer, she suddenly hugged me.

“S-Stella…?” I was startled by the sudden action.

“Please… allow your heart to be at ease, if even a little.”

As I felt her soft body against mine, my heart did indeed feel as though it were growing lighter. Just by being held. Just by feeling her warmth.

—Come to think of it, something like this happened when we were pulled into the Nightmare World too. Though the positions were reversed back then.

“Your mission as King. The weakness left within you as a human. Please share with me whatever you can—even a little. I will surely help you bear it. I… will support you.”

“Stella…”

“I stake my life and soul for your sake.”

Now that I think about it, she has been by my side ever since I was reborn as the Demon Lord. And she has supported me throughout.

“…Thank you, Stella.”

With gratitude in my heart, I returned her embrace.