LS – Chapter 63: Meeting a deceased person at present

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“And so, Rakura Salf, what possessed you to call me all of a sudden, Rakura Salf!” 

“Can you please not call my name as if it were a verbal tic?!” (Rakura)

There wasn’t much progress in 2 days and there wasn’t really anything to do aside from talking to the Gold Demon Lord, so Ekdoik arrived at Gahne after stealthily requesting this of Marito.

He is currently setting up his dwelling in the remains of a bandit lair in Taizu, and is basically the helper in the geological explorations. 

As long as you tell him our location and ‘this is for the sake of Rakura’s improvement in standing’ even a messenger should be able to relay this easily. 

“Who is this man?” (Gold)

“Ekdoik, the human that was raised by the Great Devil Beglagud that ruled a third of the biggest Nether of the world, the Mejis Nether.” 

The Gold Demon Lord was in our residence for some reason. I asked her if she is okay since she would be defenseless out of the Gahne Castle, and she said something outrageous like ‘it is okay since it is close’.

I asked Mix and Rakura if that’s how barriers worked, but they apparently aren’t. 

But the fact that the barrier is actually working as such really does show how impressive a Demon Lord is. 

“I am that Ekdoik. Who is this woman?” (Ekdoik)

“The Gold Demon Lord.” 

“The Gold Demon Lord.” (Gold)

“Say what?!” (Ekdoik)

The first time I met this guy, he gave me that avenger vibe that burns with vengeance though… He became like this because of Rakura, huh. That must be the case.

I have each other introduce themselves. 

“I have heard of Beglagud from Purple. That guy was one of the Great Devils that continued protecting that land until the resurrection of Purple, right?” (Gold)

“Ooh, mine father was even known by the creator of those lands, the Purple Demon Lord?!” (Ekdoik)

“Umu. Purple is the same as this one; they didn’t create any demons. I have heard they instead commanded devils. If I remember correctly, he should have been killed by Rakura Salf a few years ago.” (Gold)

“That’s right! But the Rakura Salf in question is like this!” (Ekdoik)

“Can you please not emphasize it with tears in your eyes?!” (Rakura)

Hmm, he really might be hopeless already when it comes to matters related to Rakura. 

You could even say he is an ardent fan. 

Not the L-O-V-E type, but the K-I-L-L one. 

“I can’t deny that she is slovenly, but Rakura is pretty skilled, ya know? She is the only one this calm when this one is mingling with this Ser here and provoking Ilias and company after all.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord said this as she haunted my surroundings. It is true that she has taken a liking to me, but the excessive skinship of hers is mostly for the sake of provoking my bodyguards Ilias and Mix. 

It seems like it does have an effect on Wolfe too, but hers is only when I am petting the Gold Demon Lord. 

“Well, the attitude Counselor-sama directs to the Demon Lord-san is not that of interacting with a woman like you do with us, but closer to that of Wolfe-chan which is the treatment of a daughter. I want to be pampered by Counselor-sama too, but a father and daughter relationship would be a bit too advanced…” (Rakura)

“…Is that true?” (Gold)

“I am not that old to have a daughter with your looks though. She is more like a niece.” 

“Muuh!” (Gold)

Rakura’s observation skills are sharp. There aren’t many opportunities for her to take advantage of this, but all her basic specs are high to the point that she can be called a prodigy. 

My face was smacked by the Demon Lord’s tail as I explained the current situation to Ekdoik. 

“Fumu, a different Demon Lord is targeting Gahne… I see, if Rakura Salf were to shine on this occasion, her fame might rise!” (Ekdoik)

“Mister Friend, I feel like I would be able to get along with that gentleman there.” (Mix)

“Right, you two are similar after all. You are not the type who would have narcissism of small differences after all.” 

Mix goes without saying, but Ekdoik is also a pretty positive thinker. 

He is a serious case just from the fact that he has accepted that raising the fame of his father’s killer will restore his honor. 

“And so, there’s something I would like to ask of you, Ekdoik…” 

For now, I told him about my main intentions and the conditions. Ekdoik groaned a bit, but agreed.

Being able to get involved in important junctures is something he is joyful about. 

“It is true that that’s a matter only I would be able to deal with. I will undertake it, Comrade.” (Ekdoik)

“Also, can I leave you a message for Girista who should be in this country?” 

“—Speaking of which, she was also in Gahne.” (Ilias)

Ilias-san made a somewhat serious face when she heard the name Girista. 

The very person that cut off both of Giristas’s arms in battle is making that face? 

As for Girista…she seemed to like Ilias even more. My tastes don’t lean to that side, so even if I understand her, I don’t empathize with her. 

“In this current state where we don’t know where she is, it would take time to search for her. I will prioritize the matter at hand, but it is questionable whether I can tell her in time when it gets urgent.” (Ekdoik)

“It would most likely be awkward for both sides if we were the ones to search for her when she left saying she would be showing up again. You can just keep it in a corner of your mind.” 

“True. Appearances are important, right, Rakura Salf?!” (Ekdoik)

“Were you such a persistent person?!” (Rakura)

It seems like Ekdoik is in the middle of changing with his cave life. 

At this rate, he might become the natural enemy of Rakura in the future -in a sense. 

I ask for a number of things to be performed parallel to the main request.

All of them are not things that Ekdoik would dislike, so he accepted them all happily. 

This guy is starting to become the most convenient guy among my acquaintances. It might be fine to get along better with him. 

“Well then, go ahead and await the good news, Comrade! Also, devote yourself, Rakura Salf!” (Ekdoik)

After the hearty encouragement, Ekdoik left like the wind. 

After a few more exchanges like this one, he might begin showing up with a loud laugh as default. 

“Counselor-sama, isn’t that person turning more and more hopeless?” (Rakura)

“If you think so, you should improve yourself to a point where he is satisfied before it is too late.” 

“Uuh, even though it is a hassle, the feeling that I must do something…” (Rakura)

“Fight poison with poison. Can’t underestimate that guy, huh.” 

He will most likely turn into a hopeless man that will eventually shock even Rakura -like a teacher that shows by example in order to reform you. 

…Hm? Could it be that I also have to work hard or I might end up ruining the life of a person? 

“…Now then, let’s forget about that thing for now.” 

“Yer pretty cruel yerself. By the way, have ya thought of an idea already?” (Gold)

“A solution, not yet. If possible, I would like to head to the Gahne Nether on my own feet and observe the monsters in the real world—” 

“You must not, Mister Friend.” (Mix)

“That’s right. We can’t let you head to a place we have deemed to be impossible to protect you even if the two of us were there.” (Ilias)

Of course they wouldn’t let me. It might not go the same way, but on the off-chance something happens, I can’t take the method of logging out immediately like in the simulated world. 

“I hope the request I gave to Ekdoik will serve as a headway of some sort.” 

“Speaking of which, Counselor-sama, wouldn’t Ekdoik-san be able to rampage alone even against an army of monsters?” (Rakura)

The weapon of Ekdoik is an all-purpose chain that can increase in size freely and be endowed with a variety of elements. 

It is true that it is a weapon that can fight against individuals, armies, or even in sieges, and he might be able to perform greatly even by himself. 

He lost completely against Rakura who could block his chains, but I am sure he would put up a good fight even against Ilias. 

“It is not bad, but considering the position of the one that prepared the monsters…” 

“The position of the one who prepared the monsters, huh… That would be a hindrance.” (Rakura)

“Yeah. If the culprit were to come directly to finish Ekdoik, the point of them pulling all of this trickery would be gone, and if they were to leave him alone, the monsters they took great lengths to gather would be decreased. If they were to get cornered in such a fashion, they might immediately give the order to charge onto Gahne.” 

It is not like I haven’t considered defeating them with a small group of elites. 

The incomprehensible wide AoE of Ilias, the barriers of Rakura, and the destructive power of the Ekdoik’s chains are all great at fighting large numbers. 

But rather than having a difficult battle against the group of Ilias, they would most likely just have the monsters ignore them and have them charge onto Gahne. 

Provoking them wouldn’t be a good method. If handled poorly, they might even pour into neighboring countries. 

“In the first place, I don’t think they are simply gathering monsters to target Gahne.” 

“Hooh, and what makes you say that?” (Gold)

“Because they are acting in a way that you would notice them, Gold Demon Lord. If they wanted to cause serious damage, it would be strange for them to go out of their way to have them gather in the middle of the Gahne Nether.” 

The monsters are gathering at the center of the Gahne Nether. The result from verifying in the simulated world is that it is the same in the original Gahne Nether, and the Creatures are not born there. 

The mastermind this time around has readied a Nether that can create monsters at the corner or at the surroundings of the Gahne Nether, and is most likely gathering them there until the numbers are appropriate. 

If they wanted to simply attack Gahne, the best method would be to hide monsters in several spots and set a surprise attack.

Even if there’s a restriction like monsters not being born if there’s no open space, there’s no necessity to gather them at a place that stands out. 

It wouldn’t be strange for them to have disputes with the local monsters, but…there’s apparently no signs of that. 

Are the goblins and the others being cautious of the Creatures, or have they already tried and have suffered casualties from it? 

In other words, they are gathering the monsters in order to show them to the Gold Demon Lord.

Is their objective to display their power? No, if that’s the case, there would be a dissonance with their attempt to hide their identities. 

They don’t want their identity to be known. They want to hide what they have done. 

“An action that they performed with the objective that the Gold Demon Lord will notice and act. I don’t know what’s the aim that lies beyond that…” 

The current change would be that the Gold Demon Lord now has an otherworlder helper. 

But we decided to head to Gahne less than a month ago, because of the clue I thought of about Raheight. 

Considering that they have been gathering monsters since more than several months ago, it is hard to think their plan incorporated us. 

I thought that maybe Raheight is doing something again, but this is an action taken before sending Rakura. 

At the very least, it has nothing to do with our existence. The focus would then be the Gold Demon Lord. 

“As for your movements, Gold Demon Lord, it was simply to ask the Demon Lords about this, right?” 

“Yeah. I have not made any particular moves aside from that. I am increasing the number of soldiers in the important points of Gahne though.” (Gold)

What if the target is not Gahne? Their target might be Taizu or Mejis who are in the vicinity, but…there’s still no reason why they would make it easy to discover. 

I really do feel like their objective here is to show it to the Gold Demon Lord and have her move. 

The Scarlet Demon Lord and the Purple Demon Lord are radicals. There’s the possibility they felt disgust towards the Gold Demon Lord who is managing a human nation. 

But is there a merit to hiding their identity when acting…?

“Do you have a Demon Lord that you are on friendly terms with?” 

“None. That goes for the other Demon Lords too… Blue is a Demon Lord with no independence but has been instigated by Purple when invading the humans.” (Gold)

Utilizing the lack of independence of the Blue Demon Lord is one of the sly methods. 

The Scarlet Demon Lord is self-centered to begin with. The chances of them getting involved in cooperation or a relationship of mutual benefits is low. 

The Colorless Demon Lord is ominous and I can’t exclude them. This is seriously frustrating. 

Let’s change the topic for now to change my mood. 

“I will be going on a tangent here, but your attire doesn’t match the customs of Gahne. Was that influenced by Yugura?” 

“Umu, it is clothes that Yugura found in the past and this one made a few arrangements of my own to it.” (Gold)

I did feel like this was a bit too flashy, but the source was really from the former Japanese, Yugura Nariya, huh.

She is a demi-human in the image of a fox. A Japanese person would associate her with the mythological fox spirit, the Youko. 

Looks like his opinion is the same in that she would look good in Japanese clothes. 

I do feel like the elegance has been lost by a certain percent from the point that the area down there has been cut in order to bring the stupidly big tail out. 

The Gold Demon Lord spun around in amusement while I was watching to show off.

“Looks good on me, right?” (Gold)

“Yeah. You continue wearing that outfit despite hating Yugura, huh.” 

“The greatness of the clothes holds no sin after all. Admiring the good things is a staple in life.” (Gold)

“You’ve got a point… You only have one tail, right?” 

“Obviously. What’s the point of having several?” (Gold)

“On Earth, it was said that the number of tails in a fox represented their strength. The famous one would be the nine tailed fox.” 

“Hooh, that’s mysterious. But a tail is like a limb of yers. Wouldn’t ya think it an hindrance if ya had 9 arms?” (Gold)

“…It would be difficult to wear clothes.” 

I feel a bit sad that a resident of a fantasy world is telling me a realistic opinion. 

Aah, Tom being told by a local that there’s no ninjas even though he came all the way from afar to Japan must have felt like this. 

If there’s a time when I can return to Japan, let’s go to a ninja village with him…

“Oh, right. It would be better to explain this to ya.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord said this and began to take off her obi. She is doing it with practiced movements, but it is still without doubt clothes that take time to take off and put on. 

“Wait wait, why are you taking off your clothes, Gold Demon Lord?! Could it be that on broad daylight with him—” (Ilias)

“Ya dumbwat. This one at least has shame. In the first place, there’s no air of elegance in this place with a lot of unnecessary things.” (Gold)

She turned her back in the middle of it and took her clothes off until her waist. 

She moved away her long hair to the side and her white back was clearly seen.

There was what seemed like a magic circle shining white. 

“This is a mark that shows up on the ones that have been cast resurrection magic. It is not like Demon Lords have the special trait of reviving even if they die. It is simply that the Demon Lords are still under the effect of the resurrection magic even when reborn.” (Gold)

“So that’s the trick behind the resurrection. Would you be able to come back to life even if this magic circle is destroyed?” 

“Umu. In this one’s case, it was only the head, but for the other Demon Lords, there were even some who were turned into ashes by Yugura. It may show up on the body, but this power is rooted all the way to the soul after all.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord puts her clothes back on. She seems to be having trouble putting it on compared to when taking it off, most likely because she did in a half-baked way. 

“That was certainly important info.” 

“If ya want to see it in more detail, ya can sneak into my quarters at night. If ya do, I can show ya as much as you want. Nfufufu.” (Gold)

“But considering the fact that you immediately resurrected as a Demon Lord after death, should it be taken as this taking time to regenerate into a Demon Lord state, or Yugura having done something to each one of you?” 

“…Ya could have shown a tiny bit of an innocent reaction there.” (Gold)

“Sorry about that.” 

The suggestive Gold Demon Lord gives more of a precocious impression rather than a seductive one. Maybe it is because her outward appearance gives off the same age as Wolfe, being around 16 years old. 

Her proportions are…not seedy, but I can’t call them meaty. 

It might work if the mood is there, but as a person whose mental age has passed puberty a long time ago, I can’t get flustered by this. 

At my age, if my heart starts racing, the chances of it being tachycardia are higher than love. 

“Changing the topic here, does the growth of the body stop when you become a Demon Lord?” 

“The topic hasn’t changed, right? Ya simply gave a direct opinion, right?” (Gold)

“Even if there’s no hope for the future, it is nice that you don’t age.” 

“This one hasn’t answered yet, ya know? Don’t progress the conversation.” (Gold)

“Now, now, I will pet your tail, so don’t get angry.” 

“Yer totally treating me like a child! The time this one has been alive is far more than ya, I’ll have ya know!” (Gold)

But the Gold Demon Lord is letting herself be pet. She is making a nice face as she relaxes. 

Ilias and Mix must have gotten used to the actions of the Gold Demon Lord now, their eyes were showing enlightenment rather than anger now.

“Hnghaaah, my ears too~.” (Gold)

“This is the Gold Demon Lord… She has been domesticated with petting…” (Ilias)

“Don’t say that. She is a non-combatant Demon Lord that has to protect herself the whole time with a barrier. She probably hasn’t felt the touch of others for centuries.” 

Her previous life was one where she was fed up with the battles between humans and demi-humans. She hasn’t had direct contact with the other Demon Lords since becoming one, and Yugura is a dangerous dude that killed her without questions asked.

She didn’t create any demons to work as her subordinates, and has hidden her identity even after becoming the king. The Gold Demon Lord has continued walking the path of solitude.

An abnormal factor that can get through her barrier yet isn’t dangerous has shown up. 

Regardless of personality, he understands her, so I can get why she would like to play around like this. 

“I won’t deny it, but don’t have those types of conversations in front of the person herself.” (Gold)

True. Being told an analysis of yourself is embarrassing.

Her smack with her tail hurt. 

“And so, I wondered, you won’t make any demons? I thought the previous king was a sympathizer of yours.” 

“He wasn’t a bad man. I did invite him to become a demon. But the moment he entrusted the future of this country to this one, he hid from this world. He told me he trusted this one, but had no intention of living together with me, and had no intention of stopping being human.” (Gold)

“I see. This Gahne King is a pretty exemplary person.” 

“Umu. I can meet him if I wanted to anyways. He is old, but he will most likely be working energetically on the fields for another 10 years more.” (Gold)

Thinking about it normally, there’s no royalty who would entrust their country to someone who is not even blood related to you. 

All living beings regardless of race have the nature of leaving offsprings and having them inherit their riches. 

That goes for companies and countries.

But the king of Gahne gave his position to the Gold Demon Lord -to a Demon Lord that’s supposed to be the sworn enemy of the world. 

That decision must have come with a lot of conflicts. 

But the previous king of Gahne believed in the Gold Demon Lord. 

My brain is that of a piece of trash for cheapening this resolve by thinking about the possibility that the Gold Demon Lord might have brainwashed him and stolen the throne. 

I don’t feel any such signs from the Gold Demon Lord. I can see dangerous signs of her not valuing life much because of how faint her connections are with others, but it is kind of like her being a gamer. 

“What about ya? This one has taken a liking towards ya that’s far more than that of the previous king… But ya still have no intention of becoming a demon, right?” (Gold)

“None.” 

It goes beyond liking or not liking the Gold Demon Lord. There’s the chance I won’t be compatible with my previous world if I become a demon. That would be troubling.

If I can return to my world as a demon, I might be able to enjoy things with my cheat powers, but I would surely get bored.

I would most likely have a hard time trying not to use my powers in the end and would suffer from the differences I have from others. 

“Instant reply, huh… Yer still young after all. I will just think of it as there being room for negotiation. Yer an ambitionless guy.” (Gold)

The Gold Demon Lord must have judged any further negotiation won’t work, so she wrapped up that topic there with a sad mood. 

What I understood after talking with the Gold Demon Lord is that she is not involved in this time’s matter in the shadows.

The amount of monsters in the Gahne Nether are still increasing in numbers even as we spend time here. If we can’t think of a method to get through this, a massacre more cruel than war will begin. 

What I should be thinking about here is what the other Demon Lord is thinking -their intention.

“I have one hypothesis right now. It is not certain, but it is one that fits in this current situation.” 

“Hooh, ya have a guess like that?” (Gold)

“However, if this is right…how to say it…” 

This is depressing. If this guess is right, the Demon Lord’s objective is…

“What. Yer really taking yer time here. Not confident?” (Gold)

“I am not. Even if the chances of this being right increase with the investigation of Ekdoik, it is not something I would like to believe… For now, I would like to borrow your simulated world.” 

“I don’t mind that, but…using the simulated world constantly will create a dissonance in the fatigue between body and mind. I don’t recommend it.” (Gold)

The simulated world of the Gold Demon Lord only sends the mind while leaving the body. 

You can rest your body in that time, but because you are exploiting your mind, the burden still remains. 

Especially when you bring back too many memories. The burden it causes is amplified in one go. 

We brought back only the memories of having seen the monsters in the Gahne Nether, but the fatigue at that time remains, and I felt it was off how my body was energetic despite my weary mind. 

It must be true that we shouldn’t be using it too often. 

That said, there’s almost nothing we can do at present in the real world. 

If it is just as I hypothesized, there’s still a bit more time, but there’s still plenty of possibility that it is something outside of that. 

I should do what I can while I can. 

“And so, what will ya be doing? Are ya going to be investigating the places where the bizarre monsters might be popping out from?” (Gold)

“Yeah, there’s the possibility that they are spawning from somewhere in the Gahne Nether after all. It would be nice if we could exchange information with a pure resident of the Gahne Nether, but…the language…” 

There’s monsters like goblins and kobolds residing in Gahne that make villages. 

I can understand their words with me under the effects of the possession spell of Maya-san, but our words won’t reach them. 

In the matter of the black wolfkins, there was someone in their tribe that could interact with the spell, so we managed somehow, but…

Infiltrating to gather information won’t be reliable. There’s more worth in finding the Nether where the Creatures spawn to investigate it. 

“Aside from that, there’s something I would like to investigate by going to the past. How far back can you go?” 

“The maximum I can recreate from the past is 1 year. How far back do ya want it to be?” (Gold)

“As far back as possible. There’s someone I would like to meet. I would like to talk with Dokora from the bandit alliance.” 

In the current state, the only one who I am sure holds information about other Demon Lords is the Mejis Anbu that made contact with the Scarlet Demon Lord, Dokora. 

I joined arms with him in the match of the Gold Demon Lord, but those memories have all been compressed. 

I need to have a thorough talk with him once more.

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