One Month Has Passed

Exactly one month has passed since I was reborn as the Demon Lord.

“With this, five of the seven seats for the Great Demon Commanders have been filled.”

I was speaking with Stella in my office.

“Regarding the remaining two seats, I am hurrying the process of listing potential successors,” Stella replied.

Long silver hair, purple eyes, and a jet-black outfit reminiscent of a military uniform—she was an aide of peerless beauty.

I took a moment to organize the current state of the Demon Army in my mind.

The First Army

Led by Stella, the “Vision Eyes.” A legion composed of demons specializing in intelligence gathering, such as those of the “Eyes of Chaos” and “Hells’ Ears” kins. They are the linchpin of our information network, tasked with monitoring both the entirety of the Demon Realm and movements within the human world.

The Second Army

Led by Regal, the “Undead King.” A legion composed of undead monsters. They derive immense power from the miasma that wells up throughout the realm, making their primary mission the defense of the Demon Realm. However, they also lend their strength during invasions of the human world.

The Third Army

Led by Feria, the “Dream Demon Princess.” A legion composed of demons with mental-interference powers, such as Succubi and Death Fairies. They excel in both offensive and defensive magical arts that act upon the mind.

The Fourth Army

Led by Zegart, the “Beast Emperor.” A legion of beast-kin demons. They are the primary force for human world invasions and boast the highest offensive power in the entire military—the “Sword” of the Demon Realm. Since Zegart and his adjutant Sigmund are currently missing, a third-ranked demon is acting as temporary overseer. However, compared to the absolute charisma of Zegart, the legion’s management is currently shaky.

The Fifth Army

Led by my new subordinate, Judas, who inherited the title of “Master of Sorcery” from Ziraam. A legion of mage-type demons. They serve as the magical backbone for both offense and defense, while also maintaining magical infrastructure and developing magical artifacts. Though he has only been in office for a few days, Judas is more capable than I expected. He possesses more magnetism than Ziraam, and the reorganization of the legion is progressing rapidly. However, his personality is quite fickle, so he requires close monitoring.

The Sixth and Seventh Armies

The Sixth is composed of demons specializing in healing, and the Seventh consists of craftsman-type demons excelling in mechanical manufacturing. During the previous battle with the Heroes, both of their Demon Commanders were killed in action, making the selection of successors an urgent matter.

“How is the list of candidates for ‘The High Priest’ and ‘The Alchemist General’ coming along?” I asked Stella.

For context, “High Priest” is the title for the Sixth Army’s commander, and “Alchemist General” is the title for the Seventh’s.

“It is proving as difficult as the selection for the ‘Master of Sorcery’ was. After all, demons capable of serving as Demon Commanders are limited…” Stella said, looking apologetic.

“I’m sorry for putting this all on you.”

“This is my duty. I shall devote myself even further to meet your expectations, Fried-sama.”

Stella bowed deeply.

“You’ve always done well. It’s because you support me that I’m somehow able to fulfill this role of Demon Lord.” I looked at her directly. “Thank you, Stella.”

“Those words are more than I deserve, Fried-sama…”

The eyes she used to look back at me seemed, perhaps, a little moist. I suddenly remembered the time she hugged me—or rather, the fact that I had hugged her back. I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment.

“Ah, um…” Stella’s face turned red.

…Perhaps she was remembering the same thing.

“N-next is the infrastructure for the Demon Realm,” I said, clearing my throat to move the conversation along.

“Oh my, what am I doing… about the other day… awawa, what did I do to Fried-sama… I… I…”

It seemed Stella hadn’t quite returned to “work mode” yet. She was fidgeting and blushing furiously.

“…Stella?”

“Eek!? Ah, yes! I am not… well, I’m certainly not getting carried away or anything!” Her voice was clearly an octave higher than usual.

“…My apologies. Infrastructure, yes.” She took a deep breath, finally regaining her usual cool demeanor. “Many facilities were destroyed during the previous Hero invasion. For the sake of the people’s lives, I want to continue focusing on those repairs.”

“Repairs for facilities using magical technology are being handled by the Fifth Army, and those using mechanical technology by the Seventh,” Stella explained. “In the Fifth Army, the work pace has increased since Judas took the vacant Commander seat.”

“Conversely, the work in the Seventh Army has been lagging.”

“We should re-check the personnel allocation and, if possible, increase the budget slightly.”

“Understood. Handle those details as you see fit, Stella.”

“As you command.”

I felt a little like I was dumping everything on her, but it seemed things would go better if I left it to her rather than interfering half-heartedly. Each field had its own specialists; my job was simply to allocate roles so they could work smoothly.

After that, I continued to share information with Stella regarding the current state of the realm and discussed future strategies. I wanted to move forward with the search for the Demon Lord Blade fragments, but that wasn’t a problem that could be solved overnight. Judas’s magic couldn’t track them, and Stella’s Clairvoyance had turned up nothing. We would have to find another way…

At the Cathedral, the training of the Sacred Edges continued. A beautiful girl with blue hair in twin-tails and yellow ribbons was engaged in combat with a golden-haired beauty. It was a mock battle as intense as a real fight.

“Type Two: Accel Thousand Arrow!”

“Type Two: Fire Flower Buster!”

Fiore met Ludmila’s thousands of arrows with thousands of flaming slashes of her own. Massive energies collided, triggering a giant explosion. If this were the real world instead of an alternate dimension, the explosion would have likely altered the local geography.

“Not bad, Fiore-san—” Ludmila leveled her black bow, a smirk playing on her lips.

“It seems I, too, have learned to master this power,” Fiore declared, clutching her rapier-type Miracle Armament.

Her sword, like Ludmila’s bow, was now colored a deep, lustrous black.

Miracle Armament: Second Release—Chaos Form.

She had obtained the same power Ludmila had acquired just days before.

“Wow, you both are incredible~!”

A girl walked toward them. She was a beautiful girl with silver hair in twin-tails and crimson eyes, wearing a scarlet outfit of the same color. It was Rouge, the messenger of God.

“I think you’re already strong enough to defeat the Demon Commander class without any trouble. You both are quick learners; it’s rewarding to teach you. You’re on par with the Heroes of myth… no, perhaps even better~.”

Rouge, the Crimson Apostle, smiled.

“Now then, shall we move on to the next phase?”