Previous Chapter l Next Chapter

The remaining arm let out smoke and disappeared. Looks like Gugugeguderstaf disappeared completely. 

Ekdoik retrieved the chains remaining around, returned them to a size that can wrap around his arms, and came back to us.

“With this, one of my stomach sours decreased. I am grateful for providing me this opportunity, Comrade.” (Ekdoik)

“Y-Yeah. But you were strong, huh.” 

I could tell just how strong Gugugeguderstaf was, but now that it is over, I can see this was a stomp.

In terms of specs, that side was above him, but Ekdoik’s skill in battle was far beyond his. 

Why did this guy lose to Rakura? Compatibility really is important.

“What are you saying? I was using an even deadlier special technique than this one when fighting Rakura Salf, you know?” (Ekdoik)

“Please stop calling me by my full name while pointing at me.” (Rakura)

The highest sturdiness. He said that it melted the meat and bones of the one that touched it, and would pour curses and deadly poison into their bodies, right? 

Well, there’s no point if it doesn’t hit, huh. Rakura was always protecting herself with a barrier, so there was no room for carelessness or anything. 

“But you weren’t using those eyes just now.” 

“I did, but it was nullified. She didn’t lower her guard in battle once, you know?” (Ekdoik)

“Hmhm, of course.” (Rakura)

…Rakura, how fearsome.

Now that I think about it calmly, she defeated Beglagud who had his Eye of Blindness in the same way as the other devils, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to have countermeasures for it. 

I can’t believe this is the same person that was bawling her eyes out when I put bugs on top of her. 

I ignored Rakura who was puffing her chest out proudly and began talking to the Purple Demon Lord. 

“That settles the first match. Let’s decide on the next one.” 

“Yeah, that’s right, I guess?” (Purple)

The Purple Demon Lord placed a hand on the ground and a part of her clothes moved, separating from her body, and becoming a small chair. 

—Is this also a devil? Meaning that all of her clothes are… Is she wearing devils on top of her naked body? That’s impressive when you think about it. 

The Purple Demon Lord lined up the cards she used before. There’s 10 this time. 

I didn’t hesitate much here and chose one.

“[Find the fake]… What’s this?” 

“Oh, you have pulled that one? Fokudulkura, it is your turn, you know?” (Purple)

A single man showed up from the shadow of the Purple Demon Lord.  He is wearing a Pawn Mask, but his human appearance is the opposite of the gigantic Gugugeguderstaf; he is small. 

“Back of Misperception, Fokudulkura, is here.” 

“Explain your power first, okay?” (Purple)

“As you will.” (Fokudulkura)

The figure of Fokudulkura blurred for a moment there. And then, he had changed into his devil form at some point in time. 

But he is small. It is similar to that of a Mid Devil. 

“Comrade, don’t be deceived by his appearance. The Back of Misperception Fokudulkura is said to have low mana and physical capabilities compared to other Great Devils, but he is intelligent. It is one of the Great Devils that mine father told me to be careful of.” (Ekdoik)

“Beglagud evaluated me that highly, huh. That’s great to hear. Then, I shall show you my power.” (Fokudulkura)

Fokudulkura turned his back towards me. When that back entered my vision, I understood how abnormal it was.

There was a mirror the same size as his back with a sinister frame stuck behind him.

And then, when that mirror was directed at Ekdoik, it released a dazzling light. 

“Uo, if it is going to get bright, tell us beforehand.” 

That instant flash dazed me and I got flustered there, but my vision returned to normal soon after.

But there’s clearly something different from before: there’s two Ekdoiks.

“Is this…the power to become the person that is shown in the mirror?” 

“Yeah, Fokudulkura has the ability to imitate the appearance of the target completely, you know? Their voice, their smell, even the wavelength of their mana. Impressive, right?” (Purple)

The Ekdoiks were looking at each other silently. If I didn’t remember their positions just now, I wouldn’t be able to identify them.

“How is it, Ekdo. Can you feel the difference after seeing it yourself?” 

“—You are speaking to the wrong one, human.” 

The appearance of the person I thought was Ekdoik blurred and changed into Fokudulkura.

No, there’s no way… The real Ekdoik was at that place just now… Did they switch places?

“Mine power not only imitates my appearance, but it can also switch positions. How was it?” (Fokudulkura)

“It is impressive. But Ekdo, if you switched spots, you should have at least made a reaction… Ekdo?” 

Ekdoik is standing without saying anything. He is still looking at Fokudulkura silently. 

No, he is not moving…

“Sorry about that. It would be troubling if he were to react immediately once Fokudulkura used his power, so I stopped his movements.” (Dyuvuleori)

Dyuvuleori said this and snapped his fingers. When he did, Ekdoik began moving as if he had regained his bearings.

He immediately glared at Dyuvuleori.

“You bastard, how dare you—” (Ekdoik)

“As I said, sorry. Gugugeguderstaf was so pathetic I just had to show a bit of the actual power of a Great Devil.” (Dyuvuleori)

He managed to seal the movements of Ekdoik who had a smashing victory against the Great Devil Gugugeguderstaf in that one instant. I don’t think Ekdoik is the type of person who would lower his guard. In other words, this would be proof of how high the ability of Dyuvuleori is.

I was surprised by the existence of the Great Devils strengthened by the Pawn Mask, but was relieved by the performance of Ekdoik, and yet, that relief has been wiped out. 

It really won’t go that easily. 

“3 days from now, Fokudulkura will be impersonating someone you know, okay? You have to find him. However, you only get one try, okay? For the time limit, it will begin at noon and until sunset, I guess?” (Purple)

He will be disguising as an acquaintance, so find them. So that’s what they mean by finding the fake.

But changing into someone and imitating their appearance and even voice is troublesome. I am not a resident of this world, so I can’t detect mana. 

“These 3 days won’t only be a time of preparation for you, but also for Fokudulkura, you know? I think he will be observing the movements of several people in order to imitate them well, but you must not interfere with that, okay?” (Purple)

“As long as he doesn’t interfere with our daily lives, I won’t complain.” 

This is how the 2nd match was decided and we headed to Marito’s place.

“So that’s how you managed to defeat the first Great Devil, huh. I will need to contact Mejis. I personally would like to try eating the food you made though.” (Marito)

Marito was happy about our first victory. Wolfe, Rakura, and Gradona returned for now. 

Ilias was apparently in the middle of training with Lord Ragudo, so she isn’t with us. I took a peek at it and Ilias was pretty exhausted.

It must be pretty scary training if it can manage to exhaust that Ilias. I don’t want to think about it. 

And so, the ones here and Marito, Ekdoik, and Mix.

“What we should be wary of really is the Pawn Mask. An Artifact that allows you to raise the rank of monsters by two? That’s just cheating.” 

“Monsters have higher mana compared to an animal to begin with, Devils are even higher, and the Great Devils that are the highest have far more than that. If we are talking about two ranks higher than a Unique, it might even be in the realm of a Demon Lord.” (Marito)

“If it is purely in physical strength, that might be the case. My comparison target is the Gold and Purple Demon Lord, so I can’t really say for sure though. Ekdoik, did you understand what Dyuvuleori did to you?” 

“I have an idea. Dyuvuleori of the Tongue of Control. It is said that his words can tie down the actions of others. I heard him say ‘don’t move’ at that instant.” (Ekdoik)

A power that lets you control others with your words, huh. There’s a high chance you can resist it, but if your actions are hampered in the middle of battle with that, he would be a pretty troublesome opponent. 

It seems like Great Devils have a specialty in a part of their body. We need to be careful about the parts that have a nickname, huh.

“And so, do you have a chance for victory in the next one?” (Marito)

“I will do my best on that one. The issue is the one-on-one against the Great Devil afterwards. It is fine if we win, but if we lose, the Great Devil will be escaping after having earned massive power. A whimsical one could bring harm to Taizu too.” 

“If we get assistance from Mejis, we can make countermeasures for that. That said, it will most likely take 4 more days.” (Marito)

“If Comrade can win, I just have to defeat all the remaining Great Devils.” (Ekdoik)

“Listen here, your fighting style relies on technique. If you show your cards to the remaining 10, they will make countermeasures. Everyone understood that pushing by force won’t work against you when you defeated Gugugeguderstaf.” 

“—Then, I guess we leave everything to Rakura Salf, huh.” (Ekdoik)

“I think a few of them will be fine, but if there are several, she might end up running away on us.” 

“True…” (Ekdoik)

The specs of the Great Devils are high. If they were to fight the same human, there’s the chance they will make countermeasures for them. 

Even if we are to use Ilias and Rakura, I need to confirm the strength of the other members. 

The work in that regard increased and so I began to consult with Marito. 

We progressed the talk for a while and a single soldier appeared; a lookout inside the castle. 

It is a knight, but they are not affiliated to any division. What was their name? I forgot. 

“Excuse my intrusion. There’s someone in front of the castle gates that said they want to meet His Majesty.” 

“Do they not have a signed note? I don’t have plans on meeting anyone today though.” (Marito)

“About that…uhm…she is saying she is the king of Gahne… A golden demi-human.” 

I thought this was impossible as we let that person to the office of Marito. 

And then, the one who appeared was a golden fox girl with a fluffy tail: the Gahne King and Gold Demon Lord.

That’s an impressive tail as always. 

“Ooh, ya were here as well! Ye must have come to welcome this one after coming such a far way. What a nice guy!” (Gold)

“Marito, you need to restructure the defense in your country.” 

“Right…” (Marito)

If I had to make a list of the people I know that must not be invited to this country, it would be the Anbus of other countries, adventurers of the underground, the dog of the Demon Lords, the more than 10 Great Devils, and the two Demon Lords.

The gatekeepers in this nation went as far as throwing an otherworlder in a cell, did they not? 

“And so, Gold Demon Lord, what is a person that must not be invited here in my Taizu. We are busy, so I would like you to return at once though.” (Marito)

“What’s with that attitude towards a guest? Is the heart of Taizu’s Wise King diminutive?” (Gold)

“I see, you want to establish the superiority here. I shall answer then, Gold Demon Lord.” (Marito)

“That’s just what I wanted!” (Gold)

“Shut up. Leave it for later.” 

“Hiyowa?!” (Gold)

I grab the base of the Gold Demon Lord’s tail. By the way, this point is extremely sensitive, so this is a spot she dislikes being stroked at.

Even the weak strength of an otherworlder would bring a lot of pain. 

“O-Oooh, ya… There’s things that can and can’t be done, ya know?! At least grab it gently!” (Gold)

“I didn’t want you making a weird noise after all. So, what did you come here to do?” 

“Muh. There’s actually a citizen of mine that got in contact with a devil and had their information extracted from them, ya see. It seems like ya have been noticed by the Purple Demon Lord, so I came here to warn ya.” (Gold)

“Too late. We have already made contact with her a long time ago and we are having a competition with her.” 

“What…did ya say…?” (Gold)

I explain what has happened until now to the Gold Demon Lord who has a shocked face. 

I am sitting at the sofa for guests, but she didn’t sit by my side, but instead sat on my lap.

“Fumu, to think such a thing happened with that Purple Demon Lord. That means she is a maiden just like this one.” (Gold)

“She is several times more seductive than you though.” 

“Hmph!” (Gold)

“Don’t smack me with your tail. Or more like, you came alone? Couldn’t you have come together with Ludfein-san at least?” 

“I thought about that at first, but that Ludfein, she said ‘there’s no way that’s okay’ and didn’t give me the okay.” (Gold)

“Yeah, of course she wouldn’t. But there’s a limit to how careless you can be. You can’t use your automatic defense if you are not in the Gahne Castle, right?” 

“Nfufufufu, so ya would think, right? Ekdoik, attack this one lightly.” (Gold)

“Fine.” (Ekdoik)

Saying this, Ekdoik shot his chains at the Gold Demon Lord haphazardly. But the chains stop just before touching the Gold Demon Lord. 

This is the same as the one I saw in the Gahne Castle. In other words, her defense barrier is working even from so far away.

“What was that setting about only being able to use it in the Gahne Castle?” 

“That’s how it works in foundation. But I tinkered with it and managed to make it so it can output a barrier of the same strength even from afar.” (Gold)

“Is it something that can be so easily tinkered with?” 

“It is the power of love. Of course, there’s restrictions too. I am always staying in the Gahne Castle, so the barrier can be set almost infinitely thanks to the saved mana of this one, but in this country, my own mana is consumed. It means it is finite.” (Gold)

“So you would eventually die if Ilias were to punch you over and over, huh.” 

“I can’t deny that, but can ya stop mercilessly thinking of ways to kill this one?” (Gold)

“I won’t do that. Killing you right now would only cause chaos on Gahne and you would resurrect anyways.” 

“I would like ya to say that ya don’t want to kill the precious me on that part at the very least.” (Gold)

There’s a lot of people who want to kill the Gold Demon Lord immediately, but the one that would be troubled if she were to be gone is Gahne. 

Gahne has already seized success by taking political measures that go beyond the era, but if they were to lose the Gold Demon Lord here, they wouldn’t be able to progress, and they also can’t regress what they have already grown into; they would turn into an extremely unstable nation.

We are technically taking hostage the country that has the most population in the world. 

“But! What’s this about ya being the prize for the match?! If I could obtain ya, this one would also want to challenge ya to a match!” (Gold)

“We already settled that. Or do you plan on going back on your promise?” 

“That’s an option—no, I won’t do it. Stop those eyes. They are plain scary.” (Gold)

“I show no mercy towards traitors after all.” 

“Hiih!” (Gold)

The Purple Demon Lord doesn’t feel color in her life; the Gold Demon Lord doesn’t feel reality in her life. Because of their respective rough lives and the power that Yugura gave them, the sensation in those areas must have been numbed. 

There’s the need to gain a bit more information about the Purple Demon Lord.

“Well then, I have heard your information, so you can go back now.” 

“I plan on staying in this country for a while since I am here already, ya know?” (Gold)

“Where do you plan on living? Our house is already full, so we can’t let you stay there. As for Marito—” 

“I can’t show hospitality towards someone who went against the will of Gahne. If I were to shelter her in secret, it would turn into a diplomatic issue.” (Marito)

“So he says.” 

Of course, Mix has no intention to accept. 

The Gold Demon Lord began sweating, thinking for a while, and looked at me with an upturned gaze.

“…Hey, ya know…this one is really huggable.” (Gold)

“Unfortunately, in order to surpass the temptation of Wolfe’s fur, you would have to breach through my desire to sleep peacefully alone. Right, how about the cave of Ekdoik?” 

“It is full of animals. I don’t need any more animals. How about staying in the lodging of the Purple Demon Lord?” (Ekdoik)

“This one’s life would be in jeopardy!” (Gold)

“I see… Aah, a past acquaintance of mine lived below a bridge, but I think it is open right now. How about it?” 

“I am going to cry. This one will cry pathetically, ya know?!” (Gold)

In the end, we settled with her staying in the room of Wolfe as a shared room. 

Wolfe was troubled at first, but it seems like she lost to the allure of the Gold Demon Lord’s tail. 

I think that tail would be a nice pillow when taking a nap. 

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter