Portents

“I have returned, my Lord.”

A skeletal swordsman clad in archaic armor appeared in the audience chamber. It was Regal, the Demon Commander holding the title of “Undead King.” He had been traveling to the human world to search for the missing Beast Emperor, Zegart.

“Regrettably, I was unable to find any trace of Zegart or his men. I have left my subordinates to continue the search, but I have returned to provide my scheduled report.”

“Good work, Regal,” I nodded from the throne.

“By the way—”

Regal’s gaze shifted to the demon standing beside me—a beautiful boy with silver hair and charcoal skin.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is Judas Lugis, the newly appointed ‘Master of Sorcery’.”

“Heh, a high-ranking undead, I see. Nice to meet you, Regal-kun.”

Judas smiled and waved at Regal.

“Judas…!? Don’t tell me, one of the oldest demons—” Regal groaned. “I thought no Demon Lord in history could ever make him submit…”

“The Demon Lord of this era is a bit of an oddball, you see. He piqued my interest.” Judas gave a mischievous laugh. “For now, I’ve decided to help out with the Demon Lord’s Army.”

“…He has his eccentricities, but he is capable. I want you both to combine your strengths and serve the Demon Realm.”

I addressed both Regal and Judas.

“As you command, O King.”

“Within the scope of what I feel like doing, of course.”

Regal bowed respectfully, while Judas remained casual as ever. They were a study in contrasts.

Suddenly, an intense chill ran through my body, making me shudder. At the same moment, a crimson flash erupted outside the window.

“What is that…?” I frowned beneath my mask.

In the distance, far beyond the horizon, a pillar of glowing crimson light towered toward the sky.

My skin crawled. Something was over there. Someone—or something—was radiating an overwhelming aura of intimidation.

“Why is that in the Demon Realm…?” Judas knit his brows slightly.

“Divine Gear—”

“Could it be… that legendary weapon!?” Regal groaned.

“Do you both know of it?”

“It’s a weapon that appeared during the war between Velpher and the alliance of the Heavenly Host and the Heroes,” Judas explained. “You saw it in my dream, didn’t you?”

“Ah, come to think of it—”

Now that he mentioned it, I remembered clearly.

“But why would such a thing be in the Demon Realm?”

“Who knows? It might be best to go and check it out,” Judas suggested. “If its performance is the same as in the old days, the demons over there are surely being slaughtered.”

“…!” I gasped.

“Do you know the location?”

“With it scattering such massive mana? Easily.”

“Lead the way.”

I stood up from the throne. Just then—

“My Lord, that presence just now—”

“Hey, I have a really bad feeling about this~”

Stella and Feria entered the audience chamber one after the other. Now, four of the Demon Commanders were gathered.

“It appears to be a Divine Gear. A weapon of the Heavenly Host that once destroyed many demons,” I informed them. Though, to be honest, I was just repeating what Judas had told me.

“Why would such a thing…”

“I don’t know why it has appeared. During the Age of Myth, Velpher fought three Divine Gears and dealt them heavy damage, but he couldn’t reach the point of destroying them,” Judas answered Stella’s murmur. “The three retreated from the front lines to repair their wounds. Velpher was ultimately slain in the subsequent onslaught by the Heavenly Host and the Hero Army, and the remaining demons fled back to the Demon Realm.”

“Should we not observe the Divine Gear’s movements?” Regal proposed.

“Indeed…”

“If it pleases you, I shall go. Depending on the situation, I will destroy it,” Regal declared. A visible battle aura surged from his entire body. “I believe it to be a prey worthy of my blade.”

…Are you only capable of thinking about fighting? I retorted inwardly.

“No, I will go.”

The opponent seemed to be a formidable enemy. Even for a Demon Commander, it likely wouldn’t be simple.

“Regal, I want you and Judas to guard the castle. This could be a diversion, and there are three Divine Gears in total. There’s no guarantee they won’t attack separately.”

“But for the King himself to head out so casually—”

“In terms of combat power, it’s quite logical. The little Demon Lord is strong, after all,” Judas said, nodding casually while Regal looked like he wanted to object.

“They manipulate a wide variety of magical attacks, including camouflage, spatial distortion, and mental interference. You should be prepared, little Demon Lord.”

“In that case, Judas. You’re coming with me.”

“Eh? Me too…?” Judas opened his eyes in surprise. “…What a pain.”

This guy—he actually made an openly disgusted face!

“What kind of attitude is that toward a royal command!?” Stella fumed. “Even though the Demon Lord chose you personally—”

As usual, her comment was full of loyalty.

“……………………Even though I wanted to go with Fried-sama.”

Hm?

“Are you not angry because of the royal command, but because of more personal feelings?” Judas laughed. “Are you sulking because you weren’t the one chosen?”

“This is definitely… love!” Feria added, shouting with a delighted face.

“Wh-wh-what are you saying all of a sudden, Judas, Feria! I was simply, well, giving my opinion as an aide—”

“Ah… well, you know. Speaking of Divine Gears, they’re ancient weapons built by God, right? They’re the very essence of sorcery. Don’t they pique your interest, Judas?”

I spoke to Judas to bring the conversation back from its endless derailment.

“As research material, I mean.”

“…!” Judas’s expression shifted. “I suppose you have a point. I’ll go with you.”

—I felt like I was starting to figure out how to get this guy to listen to me.

“If the enemy uses mental interference, shouldn’t I be there too?” Feria sidled up to me, pressing her ample chest against me.

“Feria, clinging to the Demon Lord again…”

“Fufu, jealous? It really is… love!”

“I-I-I told you that’s not it!” Stella’s face turned bright red at Feria’s teasing.

“Is this the thing called ‘romance’…? I do not understand it,” Regal muttered.

If this continued, the conversation would derail again.

“I’m finalizing the plan,” I said, forcibly returning the talk to the main topic.

“Feria, Judas, and I will head out to investigate the enemy that appears to be a Divine Gear. Stella, I want you to lead the Demon Lord’s Army in my stead. Regal, I want you to intercept any new enemies that appear. I’m counting on both of you.”

“Understood.”

Stella and Regal bowed respectfully. I made my preparations to depart the Demon Castle with Feria and Judas.

“Um… my Lord.”

As we were about to leave, Stella called out to me at the main gate.

“Hm?”

“Please be careful—”

The eyes Stella used to gaze at me were slightly moist.

“This opponent is a powerful enemy. Please take care of yourself…”

“Don’t worry.”

I looked at her through my mask.

“You know my strength. Whether it’s the Heavenly Host’s strongest weapon or not, I’ll take care of it and be back soon. I’m leaving things here in your hands.”

And then—I set out with Judas and Feria.