──A few months earlier──
“I’ve decided to go on a journey, Violet.”
Violet continued to read her book in silence.
A beautiful woman materialized from the nearby wall, her voluminous wisteria-colored wavy hair cascading gracefully to the ground. She had an elegant and mature allure, dressed in a simple white gown. This was the castle’s possessing spirit, Radiant Peony, commonly known as Queen Lily.
She raised her fist and swung it towards the Demon King’s head, scolding, “You’ve gone crazy!”
“I just feel tired of staying here all the time. I want to go on a journey for three to five years and then come back,” Thrett replied, easily avoiding her attack.
“Feel free to do so, but I have two pieces of advice for you. First, you should travel across the entire continent with a massive army… rampaging and touring the whole land. That’s the only way to befit your status as the Demon King, Your Majesty.”
“Come on, I’m going on a journey, not taking the soldiers for a walk! Besides, aren’t these troublesome things your responsibility?”
“You do have some self-awareness…” Violet mumbled, then immediately turned and said, “So, for the second piece of advice, you must travel incognito, not as the Demon King. That way, you can avoid trouble from humans or other races seeking you out. The demons won’t follow you closely just because you’re the Demon King, and they won’t disrupt your travel adventures.”
“Your considerations are truly thorough, but if I’m going to shed the identity of the Demon King, what should I pretend to be?”
“Please, continue being a demon. You’re the Demon King, how can you pretend to be an inept human or a foolish elf!”
“Hey, do you think I’m deaf?” Queen Lily, being an elf, immediately chimed in.
“I didn’t mean to offend Queen Lily. ‘Foolish’ is, of course, a description for elves other than Queen Lily.”
“That’s more like it.”
“Shut your mouth and step aside,” Thrett pushed away Queen Lily’s beautiful face that was getting closer and turned to let Violet finish the previous topic.
“I’d like to ask Queen Lily to place a few seals on you to disguise you as a ‘Contract Demon.’ Contract Demons are a very small number of demons who are willing to interact with humans and use magic to help them. They form magical binding contracts with humans, and as long as they have a contract document on them, no human will be hostile to them.”
“I haven’t experienced having my powers sealed before, it sounds interesting, so let’s go with that.”
“Understood. I’ll go and prepare a fake contract certificate for you then,” said Violet. She had stopped opposing the Demon Lord’s decisions these past few years. Her protests would just be ignored, and if she said too much, the Demon Lord would glare at her.
“Wait a minute! I didn’t agree to you leaving the castle!” Queen Lily complained.
“You’re just a pet; be a good little demon and stay here,” the Demon Lord replied.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Your Majesty, please refrain from suggesting that people eat their own subjects. Regarding sealing your magic, I think seven seals should be sufficient,” said Violet as she began carefully forging the contract documents.
Heffc Olis fzmfiifv ja mgfjalcu qbkfgoei qgbafmalnf yjgglfgr. Po rtf kfgf ab mjra j yjgglfg bc atf Gfwbc Blcu, la kbeiv rfji tlr wjulm.
“Cgf sbe ageis qijcclcu ab ifjnf atf qjijmf jcv ub bc j pbegcfs?”
“Tfr.”
“Cgf sbe gfjiis, gfjiis, gfjiis, gfjiis, gfjiis ublcu ab ifjnf atf qjijmf?”
“Yes, please help me with the sealing.”
“Are you really, really, really, really, really going to leave the palace? And you dare to command me after leaving the palace! Who do you think you are? Just a demon king! Like father, like son!” Queen Lily began to rant hysterically.
“What did you say at the end?”
“Hehe~ That’s a special dialect from a distant southern port, taught to me by a demon.”
“Oh… and what does it mean?” Thrett asked Queen Lily, his curiosity piqued by the unknown.
“It means ‘Like father, like son’!” Queen Lily proudly replied.
“Ah?”
“And the target is the guy next door, Steve Colone!”
“Who’s Steve Colone again?” Wait, they’re all guys, right?
“It doesn’t matter! The important thing is the implied meaning, which is that you’re a fickle man! You, the stinky Demon King, have the audacity to command me after leaving the palace! Leaving the palace and still commanding me to leave the palace and still commanding me to leave the palace and still commanding me to leave the palace and still commanding me to…” Queen Lily’s ramblings seemed to irritate Thrett at the end, and he abruptly lifted her by the collar of her clothes, demanding, “Enough with the noise! Just help me with the seal already.”
Queen Lily, although frustrated, was a breathtakingly beautiful elf. Seeing her being treated like a misbehaving pet by Thrett, a smile crept across the lips of nearby Violet.
“Dear Majesty,” Queen Lily suddenly spoke in a deep tone.
“Uh?” The Demon King also sensed the eerie, oppressive atmosphere and immediately set down Queen Lily, whom he was holding. But it was too late.
“Please have Queen Lily seal you, hehe, hehe, hehehehehe, ahahahahaha, ahahahahahahahahah!”
“Wait, wait, I think you’ve sealed me too much, and that kind of laughter is reserved for evil Demon Kings, hey, hey, Queen Lily, ahhhh!”
Violet felt like she had heard that shout somewhere before, but it didn’t matter. She just needed to concentrate on forging the documents.
Afterward, the Demon King was sealed a total of seventy-seven times because Queen Lily argued that seven and seventy-seven only differed by one seven, so it should be calculated that way.
Back in reality, much of the town had already been destroyed. The number of casualties was unclear, and most people had sought refuge in the guild or fled to the forest outside of town.
Each region’s guild had defensive barriers in place, ready to be activated in times of emergency. Although it wasn’t clear how long they could hold out, they provided temporary protection. People rushed inside the guilds, and fortunately, these buildings were towering four-story structures, capable of accommodating many town residents.
The lightning and thunder persisted, accompanied by the sinister laughter of the demons. Special treatment, however, wasn’t something that Thrett was willing to provide, as some demons were particularly fond of causing havoc and taking pleasure in bloodshed. They probably fell into that category.
Thrett leaped out of the guild hall through a nearby window to avoid being stuck in the crowd later. Standing in the open space outside was much more comfortable and free. Besides, even if he were struck by lightning, he wouldn’t feel pain or risk death.
Several humans came running from behind, crying out for help as they dashed towards the guild seeking refuge. They brushed past Thrett, their only thoughts being to escape. In the short time he had been standing here, he had already been bumped into more than ten times.
“It seems I can’t stay here,” Thrett thought. Although it was a rare opportunity to see a living hero, and the strange character’s name was a joke in itself, the current chaos made it difficult to have a proper conversation or introduce himself as the Demon Lord.
The seven demons were gradually closing in on this location. The guild hall might not stand for much longer. There was no chance for those inside to survive if they stayed. Thrett intended to leave as well, not wanting to be part of the gruesome scene.
At that moment, a clear, authoritative voice rang out, calmly directing the panicked crowd, “Everyone, please remain calm! The guild has more than enough space to accommodate everyone. Please don’t push or shove, and continue moving upstairs.”
“Ah, it’s that oddly named hero,” Thrett remarked as he watched the young man swiftly navigating through the crowd outside the guild. With his thick glasses and peculiar attire, it was easy to mistake him for someone slow and clumsy.
Suddenly, the young man turned and shouted in Thrett’s direction, “Danger!”
Thrett was about to turn and assess the situation when someone tackled him to the ground. The person shielded Trete and yelled, “Get down!” Just as the words left their lips, a massive thunderstrike, accompanied by lightning, struck in front of the guild’s main entrance, mere steps away from Trete’s position.
A massive, charred crater now marred the muddy ground, emitting scorching steam. The people inside the guild grew even more agitated upon witnessing this scene.
“If you’re not hurt, you need to get inside to seek shelter,” the young man pulled Thrett to his feet, his glasses seemingly knocked off when he rushed over. Worry and tension were evident in his hazel eyes.
“No, I’m not seeking shelter,” Thrett replied.
“Get inside, please!” Thrett was almost pushed into the guild’s main hall, but upon entering, he was met with another wave of chaos.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a hero?”
“Yeah! Go out there and save us!”
“Help us, please!”
“Great hero, go and vanquish those wretched demons!”
Calls for action and pleas filled the air as the self-proclaimed hero, Khlue, was surrounded by people, urging him to go out and fight the demons.
“Wait a moment, my current condition is not suitable to face too many demons. You all need to understand that if, heaven forbid, I were to die, the next hero wouldn’t come of age for over a decade,” Khlue pretended to be distressed while subtly stepping backward.
“Are you even a real hero?”
“Maybe he’s just a fake.”
“It’s got to be a fraud! Show us your Hero’s Wings!”
“Hero’s Wings are a symbol of divine power; they’re not something to be displayed casually. I can only use them in a truly dire situation.” Khlue was now feeling the pressure as the crowd closed in on him, desperately defending his authenticity.
“Now isn’t critical enough?”
“That’s right.”
“Liar!”
“This is despicable.” The crowd seemed to forget the imminent threat of the invading demons as they grew increasingly agitated.
“Let’s leave when we find an opening.”
Thrett observed with a cold smile as he leaned by the window, watching the humans’ foolish actions. This scene was rather uninteresting, so he turned his gaze outside, where the demon extermination was at least more entertaining.
Most of the townspeople had already entered the guild, but a few stragglers, mostly women and children, were moving slowly. The young man noticed this and rushed to assist them, urging them to enter the guild quickly.
At that moment, Thrett noticed three demons in the sky across from them, preparing to attack. The young man also saw them and, with limited resources and time, he shouted towards the guild for assistance, “Someone, please help! Get them inside quickly!”
Even though the guild was only a few meters away, no one seemed willing to leave the protective barrier to help.
“Please! Anyone, come and help them!” The young man shouted once more, his eyes locked on the airborne demons. He feared that a sudden move from them would result in the deaths of everyone present.
Even though the guild was packed with people, they all hesitated, and no one was willing to step up and provide assistance. The women, upon seeing the demons in the air, were paralyzed with fear, sitting petrified in place.
“Tsk!” The young man clicked his tongue in frustration.
Suddenly, all three demons simultaneously dove toward the ground, and the women let out terrified screams. In an instant, the young man spun around and swung his arm violently at the demons. A blood-red afterimage streaked across the vision of the onlookers, and the demon in front of him emitted a sharp, agonized cry. It clutched its abdomen and collapsed to the ground, and soon after, it lay motionless.
The other two demons, baffled and startled, quickly halted their movements, not daring to take another step forward.
With a single hand gripping the blood-red broadsword, the demon’s blood dripped from the blade to the ground. The once inconspicuous gray scarf, earlier mocked for being out of place, now fluttered with gusto amidst the thunder and flames. The most unassuming and down-to-earth employee in the guild now stood tall, his gaze sharp, exuding the powerful presence of a true hero.
Thank you for the chapter (´∀｀)
ahhh this is so good