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“I woke up at a weird time…”

It is evening. I am sleepy.

I returned home once the sun went up and I was reprimanded until noon.

There’s way too much of a difference between the stamina of the knight Ilias and the weak Earthling.

Once I was finally freed, I went to sleep peacefully and woke up in the evening.

My throat is parched, so I went to the 1st floor to get water, and there were the residents of the Ilias house lounging about.

“Shishou~, good late morning?” (Wolfe)

“Good morning, Wolfe. I slept at noon, so you could say I woke up early, you know?”

“Counselor-sama, getting into weird daily habits is bad for your body, you know?” (Rakura)

“Say that to Ilias.”

“It is your own fault. Even though I told you no secrets, you have been hiding this whole time that you were using a false name.” (Ilias)

Ilias-san is still in a bad mood.

You could say it can’t be helped. As long as there’s the power of Enticement, I can’t tell them my real name.

Even if I were to tell Ilias secretly, if the Purple Demon Lord learned that and used the Enticement to get her to tell her, she would be able to get my name out.

She may have given up on making me her own, but the desire welling up again if there’s a chance dangling in front of you is a natural instinct of the living.

“As I explained yesterday, it is not like I was hiding it. In the first place, I used several names depending on the occasion. In this world, I am going as Satou Ichirou, you know?”

“Have you thought about the feelings of the people who have been calling you with a fake name until now?” (Ilias)

“I did feel bad about that, so I accepted the reprimands obediently. In the first place, there’s no one within you guys who calls me Satou Ichirou anyways.”

“…Speaking of which, it is mostly just when you introduce yourself.” (Ilias)

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Even when I heard your name, calling you Counselor-sama felt more appropriate.” (Rakura)

“It is easier for Wolfe to call you Shishou, too.” (Wolfe)

“I also only call him as Ser.” (Gold)

“Yeah, there’s a technique like that. A method to make it so you maintain a distance where you make others not call you by name.”

On Earth, I was living in a way so that I wouldn’t stand out.

It was a lifestyle where I would avoid even being called by name after all.

I would think up a variety of things and learn the method to maintain a distance where they would want to call me by a nickname.

“Cara-jii calls you Lad, Maya calls you Boy, His Majesty calls you with a simple you, Mix goes with Mister Friend… Could it be that you have been doing that with everyone?” (Ilias)

“Yup.”

“‘Yup’, you say… Such an advanced technique…” (Ilias)

“It is simpler for me than swinging a sword though. The trick is to make them feel better when they call me by a nickname.”

There will still be people who will call me by my name, but I would feign as if I didn’t notice on those occasions and would only react to nicknames. Small adjustments like that to instill it in them.

For people who it doesn’t work even after going that far, I would just give up and take distance.

There’s also a variety of other methods, but let’s omit it.

When I drank water and sat on a chair in the living room, the Gold Demon Lord sat on top of me.

It was so smooth it didn’t feel off, but I have to retort.

“Don’t sit on top of someone as if it were the most natural thing in the world.”

“Isn’t that fine? I contributed to this time’s matter, ya know?” (Gold)

She smacks my face with her tail as if telling me to stroke her tail already. So fluffy.

“You are going to tell me to give you a different reward afterwards anyways.”

“I am telling ya to be thankful. Ya worked the king of a country to the bone after all.” (Gold)

“Kay kay.”

I take out a comb from my pocket and begin to brush her tail.

“Hoh, you came prepared. Being stroked is nice, but this isn’t bad either.” (Gold)

“I thought it would serve just nicely at breaks, so I bought it.”

I had the time to buy stuff for myself when I went around the city with the Purple Demon Lord after all.

That said, I am a minimalist that almost never buys anything for myself, so I made the choice of buying stuff for others or to use on others.

“Or more like, Gold Demon Lord, the issue has been resolved already, so aren’t you gonna go back to Gahne?”

“I am doing work after all. It is just a matter of whether I leave my real body here or in Gahne.” (Gold)

“I feel like it is about time Ludfein-san or someone around there would notice something is off though.”

“She is someone I barely interact with aside from work. She looks good, so I give her preferential treatment though.” (Gold)

“So she is not liked even though she seems to be your close aide.”

“I do acknowledge her skills though. I am hiding the fact that I am a Demon Lord, so I have no choice but to keep my distance from her.” (Gold)

She says it indifferently, but for the Gold Demon Lord, Ludfein-san is the closest person she knows in Gahne.

She should at least have the desire to form a friendship with her.

“If you say that, Marito is going to tell you to leave with a smile, you know?”

“Hmph, if that young’un tells me what to do, I will stay even if just to spite him. By the way, what do ya plan on doing about Purple?” (Gold)

The Purple Demon Lord has returned to her lodging for now.

Once Dyuvuleori has been treated, even if she were to be targeted in the capital, there shouldn’t be that many dangers.

Marito has posted knights on surveillance around just in case.

There might be eventualities from the Mejis side and the information has begun leaking to the knights in the country, so there’s no assurance there won’t be daredevils trying to be unnecessarily heroic here.

“Have to consult with Marito first. It will enter the ears of the knights in the capital and the Yugura Church sooner or later. There’s the choice of leaving the country together at worst.”

The general public still doesn’t know that the Demon Lords have resurrected.

However, that information has already been spread in the Holy Knight Order.

As long as it has reached the Yugura Church, it should be safe to assume that it won’t be long before the spread of the information happens.

Leaving a threat right inside your capital would only bring unease to the citizens.

“Want to head there now? I will change into my armor then.” (Ilias)

“Yeah, but there’s a place I would like to go to first.”

“Where?” (Ilias)

“The church -the place of Maya-san. You come too, Rakura. I have a decently important talk.”

“Me too?” (Rakura)

After that, I finished up the preparations and arrived at the church of Maya-san.

I felt apprehensive about bringing a Demon Lord to the church, but Wolfe said she wanted to come too, and the Gold Demon Lord said she didn’t want to be left alone, so she came along.

“To think the day would come when I would actually meet a Demon Lord.” (Maya)

“She is currently more of the king of Gahne though. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Right, if I worry too much about the things related to you, boy, I will end up aging faster.” (Maya)

The reaction of Maya-san was not that overblown. She seems farsighted here.

I always report to her after things are done and over, so I might have made her grow accustomed to it.

“Yer a more reasonable cleric than that youngster called Yox.” (Gold)

“Your appearance is that of a cute demi-human and Ilias doesn’t find you as that much of a threat, so there’s not much point in me being the only one getting all on edge here.” (Maya)

“What’s that about cute? Call me sexy.” (Gold)

“And so, boy, what’s the reason for your visit?” (Maya)

“About that…Ekdoik, are you here already?”

I called randomly and Ekdoik showed up from the shadows. Can’t this guy show up normally?

“I’ve heard, Comrade. So, you will explain to me as promised, right? The secret as to why Rakura Salf could use mine Eyes of Blindness.” (Ekdoik)

“Aah, is that the name of the technique?” (Rakura)

“That’s right. That’s the special ability of a Great Devil that was given to me by mine father, Beglagud.” (Ekdoik)

“Wait a moment. Can you explain the situation to me too?” (Maya)

I explained the developments to Maya-san for now.

She was really surprised by the fact that I settled matters with the Purple Demon Lord, but let’s leave that aside.

And then, I tell her in detail about how Rakura used the Eyes of Blindness of Ekdoik in her battle against Dyuvuleori.

“It seems like you have been doing quite a lot right beneath my nose. But I see. That’s why you came to my place, right?” (Maya)

“If my guess is correct, I thought you should be able to explain the details of it too.”

“Right, your guess is correct. Also, you were lucky. I just got the backing of it a few days ago.” (Maya)

“Is that so? So it really was that… So something like that can happen, huh.”

“Right. But I am impressed you could reach that conclusion. Is it because your brain is flexible?” (Maya)

“No, no, you told me before—”

“I can’t see where this is going. Explain in a way that I can understand!” (Ekdoik)

I had a hearty talk with Maya-san, and Ekdoik interjected, unable to wait.

This reality is a pretty shocking one for Ekdoik, so I have to explain to him in a way that will bring the least amount of shock possible.

“Ekdoik, Rakura is your little sister.” (Maya)

Ah, she went straight for it.

And that problematic statement froze the surroundings.

“…Sorry, I couldn’t understand the meaning of your words.” (Ekdoik)

“We found your mother and confirmed your name. Your real name was Ekdoik Salf.” (Maya)

Ekdoik is looking absentminded here.

As for Rakura…she is making a hard to describe face.

But I actually like Rakura with a face like that.

“The reason why the power Beglagud gave to you had been transferred to Rakura too is because of your blood connection. When you get to the level of Great Devils -some of them- their powers are close to curses even if not conscious about it. There have been reports that curses not only affect the person but relatives that have a blood relation to them.” (Maya)

It is close to the fantasy stories in manga where the hero gets cursed after defeating the Demon Lord.

“Beglagud’s eyes aren’t transplanted, but inheriting its special ability, right? In that case, it is close to a curse.”

“That’s right. It is as the boy says. That guess should be the closest.” (Maya)

It is similar to when Dyuvuleori inherited many special abilities from the Great Devils.

If it is possible to pass on abilities through the Pawn Mask, it should be possible to pass on abilities from other means.

When Rakura defeated Beglagud, she must have been cursed in some way, and a change happened when she made contact with Ekdoik. This is a possibility, but probably not even Beglagud knows the details here.

“…Please give me some time alone.” (Ekdoik)

Ekdoik said this and disappeared.

The matter of how she could use the Eyes of Blindness must have been shocking, but the most shocking thing must have been that the killer of his father was his actual little sister.

“What are your thoughts about this, Rakura?”

“…It just doesn’t feel real. But I did feel like I couldn’t handle Ekdoik-san in a different manner from others, so being told he is actually my brother is instead making the pieces fit.” (Rakura)

Ekdoik and Rakura are close to polar opposites.

Ekdoik diligently works for the sake of his objective; Rakura is fine as long as she can live comfortably.

You could say they have a good balance as siblings.

The difference would be the color of their hair, I guess.

Even the way they skillfully use their magic…no, they are slightly different, huh.

“That said, Rakura’s background is getting even more complicated now.”

She defeated Beglagud without even noticing he was there.

Beglagud attacked her mother’s village and kidnapped her brother.

On top of that, that brother of hers was raised to become a killing machine that would direct his fangs at humanity.

Moreover, Ekdoik and Rakura ended up being given the ability of a Great Devil.

“But you have no memory of it, right?”

“None…” (Rakura)

“Wonder what will happen with Ekdoik from here on.”

“There’s a lot to think about when it comes to being separated when we were very young, but…it is hard to give my opinion here.” (Rakura)

“Right. That said, Ekdoik is a person with no hidden masks.”

“Can’t really say anything there. He is not a brother I can get pampered by after all. I am happy just getting pampered by Counselor-sama though.” (Rakura)

“I don’t think I am pampering you though.”

“You can just stay as you are if you think so.” (Rakura)

I think I am a lot stricter with her compared to Wolfe though.

“But you have reported it to her mother, right?”

“Yes, I had acquaintances of mine in Mejis act, and it seems like she was really happy about it. She was plenty aware that she didn’t have the right to meet them, but she was apparently happy enough with just hearing that Ekdoik and Rakura are alive.” (Maya)

One of them was stolen by a Great Devil, and the other one she couldn’t raise properly as a refugee, so she ended up entrusting her to someone else.

You could say she is a failure as a mother, but it is not like she gave them away because she wanted to.

If there’s an opportunity to go to Mejis, I would like to have them at least see each other in person.

“By the way, do I have to call Ekdoik-san brother?” (Rakura)

“I think you can just go with what you like. There’s not that much of a difference in age, and you are both adults. Ekdoik is most likely finding it harder now to call you by full name though.”

“That’s great news.” (Rakura)

After that, we headed to Marito’s place.

Rakura and the Gold Demon Lord said they are going shopping, so we separated.

The compatibility of Marito and the Gold Demon Lord goes without saying, and it seems like Rakura also can’t handle Marito well.

She apparently feels like running away from people with an aura peculiar to those in high positions.

When Rakura said this, the Gold Demon Lord looked at her as if she really wanted to say something, but she left together with her.

“It certainly would be difficult to leave a Demon Lord inside the capital.”

“There’s already the issue that there’s the Gold Demon Lord though.” (Marito)

“I would like to have her leave by some means. I don’t hate the personality of the Purple Demon Lord, but for the Yugura Church, she is the second most feared Demon Lord.”

The number one is obviously the Black Demon Lord that declared war on the humans first.

But if we exclude that one, the most feared Demon Lord as of present is the Purple Demon Lord.

In terms of strength, the Scarlet Demon Lord and Green Demon Lord are higher, but in terms of control, the Purple Demon Lord has more influence.

It would end up like that if she were to bring in normal people to her side with her Enticement.

“In that case, I really would have to leave Taizu.”

“No need. Or more like, it would trouble me if you do. I think Pope Euparo thinks the same.” (Marito)

“You would want to keep an extremely dangerous individual where your eyes can reach.”

“That’s right.” (Marito)

I am allied with two Demon Lords and could reach resurrection magic as a resident of the same planet as Yugura.

They would rather observe me closely rather than have me going to some unknown place.

“Even if you tell me that, if we were to make the Purple Demon Lord leave somewhere, she might end up sulking and pull off something crazy.”

“I can’t really say that’s not possible, which says a lot about the jealousy of a woman.” (Marito)

Rather than this being about women, it is more like her displeasure will accumulate if the Gold Demon Lord can stay in the country as she pleases but she has to leave.

She is careful when she has to be, but daring when she wants to be -that’s the Purple Demon Lord.

I would also like to keep her as close as possible.

“Maybe we can make a villa from the lairs of the bandits?”

“Aah, that’s a good idea. If I remember correctly, Ekdoik has reclaimed those parts, so it should work just fine.” (Marito)

“Ekdoik, huh…”

“What’s the matter?” (Marito)

I tell Marito about what happened not that long ago.

“Man, that’s a shock. There’s siblings that don’t resemble each other that much, huh.” (Marito)

“Damn right. It is the biggest wonder of the century.”

“You join in so casually, Anbu-kun.”

Right now the ones in this room are Marito, Ilias, and Wolfe.

It is the perfect lineup to join in on the conversation.

“Shishou, the voice of a stranger just rang!” (Wolfe)

“This is the first time we talk like this, isn’t it? Nice to meet you, Wolfe-san. I am…a somewhat invisible person.” (Anbu-kun)

“Ooh, you don’t even smell!” (Wolfe)

“I bathe often after all.” (Anbu-kun)

Is that the issue? I don’t think that’s it.

Wolfe is surprised, but she doesn’t seem to be on guard.

Ilias is a bit tense in contrast.

“That said, Lady Ratzel, Wolfe-san, you two have become strong to a degree where I can’t believe you are the same people.” (Anbu-kun)

“Yes, I have become stronger!” (Wolfe)

“I certainly have become stronger, but…I feel a bit embarrassed by the fact that I didn’t properly learn techniques until now.” (Ilias)

“But you are pretty close to the peak as mortals.” (Anbu-kun)

Ilias and Wolfe have obtained strength that doesn’t lose to that of Lord Ragudo.

In that case, hasn’t their strength closed in onto Anbu-kun quite a bit?

“Ilias, would you be able to put up a fight against Anbu-kun as you are now?”

“…No chance.” (Ilias)

“No chance, huh.”

“I can tell exactly because I jumped drastically in strength, but the bodyguard of His Majesty is somehow different. He has strength that differs from just clashing blades.” (Ilias)

“Being able to tell that much is already great progress. How about you, Wolfe-san?”

“I would like to try for a bit!” (Wolfe)

“I see, then let’s play a bit here.” (Anbu-kun)

“Oi, this is someone else’s room, you know?” (Marito)

“No issues, Your Majesty. Please get ready, Wolfe-san.” (Anbu-kun)

The voice of Anbu-kun couldn’t be heard anymore after that.

Wolfe got ready as told and concentrated on her surroundings.

But Wolfe suddenly spun in place and was smashed to the ground.

It is as if she is being pinned by an invisible person.

Wolfe couldn’t react at all because of how sudden the development was.

“Alright, with this, you have died once.” (Anbu-kun)

He must have released Wolfe at once, she hurriedly jumped back up.

Her carefree face of just before was gone and turned into a battle ready face.

“That was a one-and-done deal. I don’t have a personality suitable for training or coaching someone after all.” (Anbu-kun)

“…Okay.” (Wolfe)

Wolfe looked saddened by this.

She felt his strength with her skin and learned about someone far beyond her.

Looks like the stealth of Anbu-kun is far more heinous than I imagined.

“It may sound weird coming from me, but it was a good pickup.” (Marito)

“Of course. It is in a realm where it wouldn’t be strange for all of the luck in your life to have been used in that instance, Your Majesty.” (Anbu-kun)

“You would go that far? By the way, who would be stronger between the Colorless Demon Lord and Anbu-kun?”

“Right. He didn’t seem like someone who specializes in direct combat, so if it is in that front, I would be above, but if everything goes, we would be evenly matched or I might be slightly below.” (Anbu-kun)

“So you are modest in that front.”

“The Colorless Demon Lord is strong after all.” (Anbu-kun)

Speaking of which, this descendant of the hero said that the Colorless Demon Lord would get up if he were to fight seriously.

I can tell that they have some sort of connection, but he even knows his strength, huh.

As someone who has met him directly, I feel like, even if Ilias and Wolfe were to fight him together, they wouldn’t be able to come close to him.

How to say it…it is as if he is living in a different realm.

“What do you think about Ilias and Wolfe fighting against the Colorless Demon Lord together?”

“The Colorless Demon Lord without doubt. I would say they would put up a good fight against the Scarlet Demon Lord if the both of them gang up on him.” (Anbu-kun)

I have heard the Black Demon Lord, Green Demon Lord, and Scarlet Demon Lord excel in direct combat.

Even when Ilias and Wolfe have gotten this strong, they are still only at the level where they can somehow manage against the Scarlet Demon Lord who is low in hierarchy, huh.

That’s still impressive though.

“So Demon Lords that specialize in battle are crazy strong, huh.”

“Of course. Purple and Gold, who have become your allies, are not Demon Lords suitable for combat after all. Make sure you don’t get too ahead of yourselves.” (Anbu-kun)

I am really curious about the specs of Yugura who managed to defeat them all by himself.

If it is just solely in terms of mana, Wolfe apparently doesn’t lose to him, but there really must be something fundamental missing.

“It is not like I think I am at the top of the world now that I have two Demon Lords on my side. It is enough for me to just think about a way to live safely. Let’s just say they are not under me but more like I made them my comrades.”

“But you are conquering the Demon Lords in a different fashion from Yugura, so your achievements are splendid. You need to have confidence on that front. Excessive modesty will be a burden on others.” (Anbu-kun)

“Choose between lowering me or propping me up.”

“Both.” (Anbu-kun)

“I see, both. Makes sense.”

Be confident, but don’t let it get to your head.

I don’t hate taking a comfortable position. I will keep it in mind.

After that, we talked about the new base of the Purple Demon Lord, and once we wrapped it up to a certain degree, the talk ended.

What’s left is to talk to the person herself. I just hope it wraps up peacefully though.

—

Author: I felt like it was about time I clear up the power caste.

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