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The next morning, I listened to the report from Ekdoik.

After performing the devil wiping method, Mid and High Devils appeared, and battle started.

The result was our complete victory. It became a battle where the high level of the knights stood out. 

The strength of the knights in the Leano Division is on the level where they would have a hard time against a High Devil one against one. As for mid ranks, they wouldn’t have a hard time even if many were to appear.

Also, with powerhouses like Ekdoik, Rakura, Maya-san, and Lord Leano, the devils were defeated completely. 

There were apparently more than tens of thousands of lesser devils, but there weren’t even a thousand mid and high ranks even when adding up their numbers. 

Their numbers were still quite the thing, but you could say this is what you can expect from an expert in large scale destruction. Ekdoik was reporting pretty happily about the contributions of Rakura. 

As for Rakura herself, she went to rest the moment she returned home with Ekdoik.

Even if her battle power is top tier, her endurance isn’t that high, so fatigue must have accumulated from the drawn battles. 

The actions of the lesser devils apparently changed in the middle of them dealing with the reinforcements.

She must have switched to even more detailed orders. The current pattern is mainly: Interfere with the people who try to pass through the side of the black wolfkin village.

In other words, the Purple Demon Lord can tell the situation even from afar, and can freely change her orders.

They stopped attacking for now, judging that any actions to wipe them out will have their methods dealt with. 

Ekdoik can come and go with his stealth skills, so I left him with the job of communication on their side.

If her objective is buying time, as long as we don’t make any careless moves to provoke her, it will be easy to maintain a stalemate. That said, it would trouble the people in the black wolfkin village.

But I currently have no excuse to bring the Purple Demon Lord out of the country at present. 

There’s the choice of bringing her to the forest with the excuse of it being a date, but it is hard to invite her with the current state of things where the forest that should be comparatively safe and connects to the black wolfkin village has devils. 

I don’t know what will happen if I were to lose her trust as things currently stand. 

“It is not like the devils have been completely defeated. The Leano Division will most likely be occupied for the foreseeable future.” 

“I can also be of use if it is against devils, but it would be better for me to be your bodyguard when you are confronting the Purple Demon Lord, right?” (Ekdoik)

“Yeah. The Purple Demon Lord is taking forceful means here. There’s no knowing when she will take off her restriction on the Enticement.” 

“Muuh…” (Ilias)

Ilias seemed to be displeased by this. She only has her training with Lord Ragudo aside from tailing us, but she probably isn’t motivated with the current state of things.

“There’s no choice but to have you endure not having anything to do for now, Ilias. Because of the number of devils being so high, there’s no choice but to employ the Leano Division that has the numbers. I feel like there would be quarrels breaking out even if we were to send you to the forest.” 

“I am fine though.” (Ilias)

“I understand your growth and it is not like Lord Leano doesn’t understand it either. But considering the other members, you won’t be able to coordinate with them, right?” 

“That’s…” (Ilias)

“Your turn will come when monsters that are a bit stronger appear. Make sure to solve issues like not being able to draw your sword by that time.” 

Rakura and Ekdoik are only on the level of being able to overwhelm High Devils. 

Especially for Rakura, mid and high ranks are the same for her. She can instantly kill them.

I think Ilias is above Rakura in terms of pure battle power, but she is not that suitable for extermination battles. 

She has her wide area attack that stems from condensing her mana with her stupidly strong Gorilla-like strength, but that’s definitely a waste of mana. Rakura can deal with ten times more devils with the same amount of mana. 

The turn of Ilias would be when someone of Great Devil level appears.

Well, Rakura apparently doesn’t have much issues against someone of that level either though…

We head to the castle in order to confirm the return of the messenger. Of course, the messenger is still locked in the black wolfkin village.

Marito was troubled about what to do at his office too. 

“I want to avoid battle inside the country, but I can’t think of a way to get through this.” (Marito)

“The other side uses devils as if it were water after all. They mobilized a decent amount of High Devils, but considering the fact that it was easily dealt with, they most likely still have more forces.” 

“There was contact from Mejis. The state of the Mejis Nether is apparently weird. They said the presence of monsters has dropped sharply.” (Marito)

“That most likely means they have flowed here.” 

“Yeah. The devils that were hiding in Kuama have most likely come here too.” (Marito)

“What a badly guarded nation.” 

“It is easy to say, but it is impossible to block devils that can hide in the shadows and infiltrate unless you have a barrier covering your whole territory.” (Marito)

Devils are gathering one after the other to this country. There’s even the possibility the Great Devils that are called Unique have been called here too. 

Marito has already explained the situation to Pope Euparo, and Mejis has dispatched a team of clerics to Taizu.

That’s not bad reinforcements to deal with devils, but it is far from being a solution to the root of the problem. 

We might be peaceful while the Purple Demon Lord is giving us time to prepare, but who knows how long that will last. 

Also, there’s the possibility troubles will happen if we keep the black wolfkins canned for too long. 

We have currently only told them that monsters have shown up inside the cave.

We have kept silent about the scale of it, but we have asked them to let them stay in the village for a while in order to investigate the monsters that have infiltrated.

But the black wolfkins that are already in the capital will be bringing back new information when they return to the village.

Right now it is easy for our side to move to the village. They would find that strange if they were to learn this. 

They will then understand completely how off this is once they try to head back outside. 

What should be praised here is how skilfully the first messenger acted. The first time he was attacked by devils, he returned to the village and found this strange, so he stayed for a night there and acted alone in order to get through this situation.

After that, he met up with the investigation team, and they also tried to not drop too much information in the village. 

They have simply told them that monsters have shown up, so the country will be dealing with them. 

“If it is just clearing away the threat in Taizu, there’s the option of me heading to Kuama together with the Purple Demon Lord though.” 

“Don’t joke around, my friend. What’s the point of losing you for a temporary solution?” (Marito)

“—Well, that’s true.” 

If I were to propose to the Purple Demon Lord to go together with her to Kuama, it might wrap things up in Taizu without anything happening. 

But the threat of the Purple Demon Lord would remain. Sacrificing myself for the sake of temporary respite would be stupid. 

Risking my life in order to defeat a Demon Lord would still look cool, but I don’t want a lifestyle like that.

“Can’t be helped. I will try to test out a variety of things within reason.” 

A business meeting with Tort-san along with Ekdoik as my bodyguard, and after that, it is time together with the Purple Demon Lord.

We buy things and talk to each other peacefully in the plaza.

It is almost the same flow of events as the other day. There’s no noteworthy approach.

Is she satisfied with the current status quo, or is she waiting for me to act…?

Yukari-san is talking to me with a gentle expression. I observed that state of her and—no, this is not the lifestyle I wished for. 

Fearfully checking the state of the other party, being extremely wary of them, and stressing myself. 

Even if I were to successfully lead her, what will the result be? Can I be satisfied with it? 

No, I wouldn’t. This way of doing things doesn’t suit me. Just who do I think I am?

“You are making quite the complicated face there… Is something the matter?” (Yukari)

“…Ekdo, there’s something I would like to ask of you.” 

“What?” (Ekdoik)

“You can undo the mana that is gathered in my eyes and hair, right?” 

Ekdoik showed a surprised face, but he eventually asked me with a serious face.

I doubt he thinks I am joking here. 

“You are fine with that, right?” (Ekdoik)

“Yeah, please do.” 

“What’s happening here?” (Yukari)

Ekdoik placed a hand on my head, poured his own mana into me, and retrieved it. 

The mana poured into me by Nora also flowed out.

The color of my hair and eyes that I had changed the colors of until now returned with this. 

The Purple Demon Lord saw this change and opened her eyes in surprise.

“You are…” (Yukari)

“As you can see, I am the Earthling of the same planet as Yugura that you have been searching for, Yukari-san…no, Purple Demon Lord.” 

I am sorry for Marito who is worrying about my safety, but I will be going my way from here on.

———

It took a while for my thoughts to catch up with what happened.

His black hair and black eyes match the report of Scarlet without doubt. 

Most of all, he said he is from the same planet as Yugura and called me Purple Demon Lord.

In other words, he is the one I came to this country for. 

The man that helped out Gold and destroyed my plan. 

—I was surprised, but at the same time it made sense. 

It felt off that he, someone who understood me and gave me something, was just a normal human being. 

But this makes sense. I feel fate at work here. 

But since when did he notice? 

I came to this country on a whim. This is information that’s not known by any Demon Lord. 

And yet, the color of his eyes and hair were changed from the very first meeting I had with him. 

“—Since when did you notice?” (Purple)

“Since the moment you asked me those questions. It narrowed the choices to the ones who know my appearance and I have taken care of, after all. As for the color of my hair and eyes, it simply changed because of a tiny magic experiment. It was plain luck.” 

I see. So I was the only one who was done in from sharing that information. 

Also, he luckily changed his appearance and got a chance meeting with me in that state. 

If he knew I was searching for him, he would obviously get wary. Thus, he hid his identity when he interacted with me. 

He must have planned on making contact with Tort in order to investigate me. 

But I was unluckily together with him and reunited with him.

I see, the pieces fit. But there’s something that doesn’t make sense. 

“Why did you reveal your identity here?” (Purple)

But revealing his identity here is just suicidal -a blunder.

The reason why they still haven’t attacked me inside the country is because they haven’t been able to get a read of my power yet. Also, they want to avoid battles inside the capital. 

Even if this is the moment to attack me, there’s no need to reveal himself. He has thrown away the chance to set an ambush on his own accord.

If his objective is to eliminate me as an enemy, he should have used the opportunity when he is guiding me to the black wolfkin village.

There was that possibility. He certainly did invite me the very first day. 

But I crushed that method myself -because I began to get in the way of the messenger in order to lengthen my time with him.

Since he knew about my identity, he must also know that I set devils in the mountain.

There’s no doubt he has also noticed that this was for the sake of buying time. 

There’s the possibility that he hated the stalemate, but he is ignoring the premise of wanting to avoid battle inside the capital.

“We wouldn’t be able to have a proper talk if both of us were hiding our identities after all.” 

He entrusts his body to the back of the bench. He is full of openings.

Even though his bodyguard Ekdo is showing clear wariness after he revealed his identity, there’s no such thing from him.

Is he strong? No, I can barely feel any mana at all.

This is not in the realm of hiding it. He most likely really doesn’t have mana. 

“Oh my, did you want to talk to me?” (Purple)

“No, I didn’t want to talk to you. I was wary of you because I thought you came here for revenge, so I was thinking about how to get rid of you.” 

“So you changed your mind?” (Purple)

“Something like that.” 

“Why?” (Purple)

“The first reason being because I learned that your objective is me no matter how you roll it. The second one is because I didn’t want to drag the people of this country and the black wolfkins into this. The third…because I didn’t want to use your good will any more than this.” 

Are you telling me he threw away his own advantage for a reason like that? 

How naive -lukewarm. This action in itself could drag many others if it turned into a fight. 

“You were deceiving me, so didn’t you think it would be possible that this could turn into a battle right here and now?” (Purple)

“I didn’t.” 

“Oh, are you telling me I wouldn’t attack you because of my feelings towards you?” (Purple)

“No, I was prepared for that possibility…but that’s all. I have no intention of fighting back, so it won’t turn into a fight.” 

“Are you offering your life to me to repent for betraying me?” (Purple)

“It is a no for that too. I was planning on running away from this country with all I had if you were to attack me. I don’t want to die after all.” 

He is looking straight at me with those black eyes. I can’t feel any lies from them.

What should I do? I have already prepared the pieces to maintain my time with him.

However, the meaning of those has been lost thanks to his action just now. 

No, I can use them if I want to. 

He deceived me, he betrayed me…or is that really the case?

Is what he did just now considered a betrayal? I don’t know. 

“Looks like I am confused right now? I am troubled about what to do with you?” (Purple)

“Just return to your original objective. Purple Demon Lord, what did you come to this country to do?” 

“My objective… Right, you, native of Yugura’s planet. I was interested in you as someone who destroyed my plans and…I came to this country because I wanted you?” (Purple)

“What about now?” 

“Now…it hasn’t changed. I still want you.” (Purple)

“And yet, you are not going to use Enticement?” 

Just how much does he know about my power? At the very least, Gold shouldn’t know the details of it. 

But he is sure that I haven’t used that power.

“That’s…the fault of your own words, I guess? It may be simple if  I use this powerful ability, but I am unsure about whether I will be able to feel any worth from the things I have earned from that, you know?” (Purple)

“So you tried to make me yours by your own strength.” 

“That’s right? But that spells the end here, isn’t it?” (Purple)

Now that he has revealed his identity, there will already be no peaceful days with him. 

He ended it. I can’t continue this on my own. 

“No, if you are not going to rely on your Enticement, I will face you.” 

“What do you mean by that?” (Purple)

“A simple competition. You want me. If you can make me yours with your own strength, you win. But if you rely on Enticement, you lose. This is that kind of competition, right?” 

—-Aah, are you telling me he will continue giving me things? 

The chances, the possibilities, and his own heart. 

I don’t mind if this is a scheme of his. He -a human- has provided me -a Demon Lord- a match on equal grounds. 

He is bravely facing me, the Purple of Enticement, telling me to try and entice him.

It may easily end if I use my power, but it feels extremely compelling. 

I seek worth from him; I want to obtain him as something that has worth. 

Even though his eyes are black, they look more vibrant than any color I have seen.

“…Great. You are extremely great, you know?” (Purple)

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