The Demon Realm, one of the dimensions attached to Auterica, wasn’t particularly large.
Even if you accounted for the whole area, it could barely match the size of the Ion Continent.
Moreover, there wasn’t even an ocean to speak of.
Numerous monstrosities wandering about like wild beasts, as well as plants that had evolved close to monsters, actively hunting for prey.
It was only natural that the combat power of the demon tribe living in this barren world had naturally increased.
Hmm, ‘I understand why they’re casting their eyes on the surface.’
Although I hadn’t been in the Demon Realm for long, I felt that fact more keenly than anything else.
Hela let out a small sigh as she looked down at the grotesque food placed before her.
Never did I expect to see something I had only encountered in exaggerated depictions in cartoons, in real life.
“I’m fine, so clear it away. If you don’t want to throw it out, just eat it yourselves.”
“Understood, Lady Hela.”
For now, there was simply nothing enjoyable here.
Gastronomy was merely a pastime for a few high-ranking individuals, and even that quality wasn’t particularly high.
Since demons didn’t even need to eat, culinary arts had merely developed to effectively stimulate the sense of taste.
‘Of course, the limitation in ingredients is a major factor.’
The attendants cleared the trays filled with food and left.
Even amidst all this, Hela glared at the unidentified food with its embedded eyeballs, clicking her tongue.
‘There’s a lack of cultural pursuits too. The most I can do is punch and fight like the gladiators of the Colosseum or gamble on that.’
In such an environment, even if a demon liked art or enjoyed literature, it would be hard to openly express that.
It would be difficult enough to even encounter such things.
Hmm, “This part definitely needs some adjustments.”
A rich culture was one of the means to easily govern the masses.
Of course, in this Demon Realm society where the value of power came first, no one would dare ignore the Demon King’s orders, but the difference between being forced to comply and actively engaging was worlds apart in terms of efficiency, don’t you think?
‘But that’s a problem for later.’
Hela slowly glanced around.
Paintings, sculptures, rare armors of odd shapes; this space adorned with various artworks was not the castle of Dalun, the first city she visited.
“I’m sorry, Lady Hela. It seems there are limits to cooking with native ingredients from the Demon Realm…”
“It’s fine, Cromwell. I’m well aware of that.”
Hela waved dismissively at the man who approached and humbly bowed.
A humanoid demon with the lower body of a goat and horns, possessing rectangular pupils.
The place she was in was the territory ruled by the Earl-grade demon Cromwell.
Her influence, which began to expand rapidly with the help of Dalun, had reached even this art-loving demon.
“By the way, is the work progressing smoothly?”
“Of course! I, Cromwell, pride myself in having the widest network in the Demon Realm. Due to the chaotic political situation, high-ranking officials above count status might be struggling, but creating seats for those beneath them is no harder than breaking a goblin’s head.”
Hmm. …Is that a saying from the Demon Realm?
Even though it was a fierce expression that naturally made one wonder about demons, it wasn’t hard to see that it was an easy task.
‘Anyway, I’m lucky. To gather talent like this so quickly.’
Cromwell, a master of spatial magic with excellent social skills, had formed connections with many influential figures.
He was neutral, avoiding involvement in any faction.
Thanks to that, he was a valuable asset who could easily bridge gaps with those of neutral inclinations as well as those from opposing factions.
‘Honestly, it should be considered inevitable rather than coincidental.’
His vast network even included the Baron-grade demon, Dalun.
Not shying away from meeting others, he easily accepted Dalun’s request for an audience, and what happened next was before her eyes.
“It’s important to move discreetly. It’s not time to draw attention yet.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve always enjoyed meeting and conversing with various individuals. No one will think it odd at this point.”
The young faction led by Hela was smoothly expanding its influence even at this very moment.
The demons who came under her command continued to maintain the activities of their existing factions outwardly while internally disregarding all affiliations and building a new command structure.
‘No need to worry about internal betrayal. The information accessible to the lower ranks has its limits.’
The leaders of each faction, along with those in upper management already, had fallen into her grasp.
It was indeed a considerable effort to gather noble ranks, but lower-ranked demons didn’t consume as much time.
In that process, the spies infiltrated in various factions had surrendered and aligned with her side, which was a significant gain.
‘After all, the best way to get used to something is by frequent use, right?’
Not just the Eye of Domination, but it’s the same in other aspects as well.
Even with immense potential at birth and achieving transcendence from the start, it would require time to maximize the abilities of a completely new body through adaptation.
Unbalanced as such, it was true that she had been somewhat lacking for one claiming to be the Demon King until now.
Strictly speaking, there was no denying that she had merely been a single-ability demon in charm.
But that was all in the past now.
The Demon God gazes upon you.
That gaze was evidence enough.
Whether it was that she had been so busy or that Hela was still seen as lacking by the Demon God, the once-still Demon God had finally begun to show interest in her after she entered the Demon Realm.
“Alright, once the work is done, I’ll be sure to shower you with lots of artworks from other dimensions as well. So, take care of it?”
“Ooh! Artwork from other dimensions, huh? I, Cromwell, will wholeheartedly execute Lady Hela’s command!”
Cromwell, so enamored with art that he collected rare pieces every time he was summoned to the surface, bowed deeply in excitement.
With her adequate rewards boosting the morale of her subordinates, Hela nodded lightly.
Cromwell, with his excellent ability to handle space and a human-friendly ideology, would be a key talent to assist Hubert Association’s foray into the Demon Realm in the future.
If she tamed him well from now on, he would be invaluable later.
“Ah! Lady Hela, there’s one more matter I need to report.”
“Mm? What is it?”
Hela blinked in curiosity as the soon-to-be branch chief of the Hubert Association in the Demon Realm cautiously brought up the topic.
As he desperately took a deep breath to calm himself, she noticed a natural charm emanating from each gesture of his.
Having had various flowery speeches praising her beauty in their first meeting only to end up getting smacked, Cromwell tread carefully, mindful of every word now.
He might attract the ire of this new lord with a tyrannical streak if he wasn’t careful.
“I’ve secretly contacted the Dream Walker. They responded just as you said and are ready to welcome you at any time.”
“Oh? Really?”
Hela’s eyes widened in delight at his words.
While secretly building her forces here was crucial, matters on that side were just as important.
“Then no more delay. Prepare for immediate departure.”
“As you command.”
The Dream Walker.
That was the stronghold led by a Marquis-grade demon, and also the home of the succubus who gave birth to the 14th Demon King, LeRei.
*
Located at the holy site of the continent, the Rosellia Temple.
“Hmm, that’s strange. Was it just an illusion?”
Saint Liesta, who was praying in the worship hall of the Holy Church Order, frowned, tilting her head in confusion.
“There was definitely something I felt back then…”
That was just a few days ago.
Always dedicated to her tasks while keeping a watchful eye on the continent’s situation in preparation for the Undead King’s schemes, she sensed something foreign in her keen senses.
‘It felt closer to the demon followers than the undead side. But while I felt it for a while, it has completely disappeared now.’
Because of that, even now she was putting effort into tracking down whatever she sensed back then, whenever she had the time.
Even if she was busy, it was unthinkable to simply ignore an unidentified threat, wasn’t it?
‘For now, I have no substantial clues except for the Tulke Kingdom.’
Letting out a small sigh, she gently shook her head and exited the worship hall.
There were far too many pressing matters to cling onto something uncertain.
After the colossal giant that attacked Tarak fell, the White Giant incident that had terrorized the continent was completely resolved.
As a result, Saint Liesta, who had been on the frontline working alongside the special task force to counteract the White Giants, had stepped back from the scene, but that didn’t mean her duties had lessened.
Shortly after that, the “Apostle of the Evil God from another world” had attacked the Rosellia Temple, causing significant damage, and the conclave to elect the next Pope had only recently concluded…
“Oh, wait. Tarak?”
As she continued her thoughts, she suddenly halted in her tracks.
Until now, that place had just been one of many candidates, but a sudden intuition began shouting at her to keep an eye on Tarak.
“Hmm, Tarak.”
It had already been a city worthy of being called a metropolis before, but after the Hubert Association took root, it had rapidly grown into one of the vital hubs on the continent.
Now, the importance of Tarak, which had become the logistics center linking the central empire to the western kingdom alliance, goes without saying.
‘…I can’t just ignore it.’
Nodding resolutely, the saint turned on her heels and headed back toward the worship hall she had just exited.
Ever since the previous pope, who had departed into the arms of God, had fallen ill, she had been the peak of this massive church organization.
Though many, including cardinals, had helped her, that fact didn’t change.
Because of that heavy burden, there were many times when she struggled silently, unnoticed…
‘It’s no longer necessary for me to bear this alone.’
Now she had someone with whom she could share her burdens.
Like herself, anointed by the divine, representing the will of their God, and destined to slay the absolute evil, the Undead King, the Knight of Light.
“—Heinrich.”
Kneeling calmly, she tightly grasped the holy symbol and closed her eyes.
To contact the most reliable person in this world.
[…Lady Saint? What appears to be the matter? Is something going on with the order?]
[Ah, I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion. I have something urgent to discuss…]
As the conversation continued—.
Unbeknownst to her, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
*
In a vast space filled with various magic circles that allowed one to grasp the battle conditions across the lands at a glance.
Distinctively beautiful men and women were busily moving about in that wide space.
Until now, they had managed to survive somehow, maintaining a balance with other factions, but recently, that balance had crumbled, and situation spiraled out of control, plunging them into a flurry of activity.
“…Did you manage to finish the contact?”
“Yes, Grand Matriarch. We, along with Cromwell, have been extremely cautious, so security is in great shape.”
With a tired expression, a woman in her early thirties turned on her heel and stepped into the hallway, and following her was a well-dressed, horned handsome man who responded.
Nodding slowly, she turned to another woman who was with her and asked again,
“Siana, is it true that he possessed the essence of the Queen?”
“Yes, Grand Matriarch. I have witnessed it with my own eyes.”
“Goodness… We were merely grasping at straws, but it’s true that it remained on the continent?”
Until just a while ago, Siana had been diligently working within the ranks of the Undying Castle, a part of the undead army.
Now, she had returned to the domain of the Dream Walker in the Demon Realm, her homeland.
She was there on a mission assigned personally by the Undead King.
And to conclude the search mission that had been ongoing for centuries.
“You’ve done a great job, Siana. I never thought you’d actually pull it off. Well done.”
“…No, I’ve done nothing. I was just a messenger.”
“That alone is enough. If you hadn’t taken the risk to infiltrate the Undead King’s ranks and gained his trust, we wouldn’t have even the slightest connection. If someone possessing the essence of the Queen had connected with another faction…*”
The Grand Matriarch shook her head in horror.
Siana’s proud expression began morphing into an embarrassed one as she received such disproportionate praise.
She had made the report with all the embellishments; the truth was, she had merely been treated as a slave by the Undead King.
“But is someone possessing the essence really that impressive?”
“…Yes. It’s embarrassing, but I couldn’t even begin to fathom its significance. To be truthful, I was overwhelmed when I faced him…”
As Siana opened her mouth, however, she suddenly faltered.
‘What was I about to say next?’
Swallowing her words that were about to slip out unintentionally, her lips trembled.
The name of that legend was not something to be uttered lightly.
Let alone in front of the Grand Matriarch, who had lived in the same age.
Just as she was momentarily stunned in a state of panic.
“Madam! We received contact from Cromwell.”
A voice broke in, saving Siana from her shock.
The incubus assistant trailing behind the Matriarch pressed his fingers to his temples, frowning.
“What did he say? He must’ve mentioned coming this way, right?”
“…Yes, indeed.”
“That’s good. Things were running out of time. He must’ve been informed of the entry codes already. So, when is he arriving?”
“…Well, that’s…”
Just then, their footsteps, submerged in thought, had stopped at a place filled with numerous transference circles.
In this vital strategic facility where most troop transports occurred during the ongoing conflict, support troops were currently preparing to rush to the dangerous battlefield.
While the Grand Matriarch checked everything with clouded eyes, her assistant’s voice came into her ears.
“…Now.”
“Huh?”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than—
ZZZ—
One transference circle in a corner began emitting a loud humming sound and light.
Since spatial transfers themselves were inherently complex and took a significant amount of time to activate, even with magic circles assisting, unavoidable delays arose in the process of efficient energy distribution.
Waaaah—!
But the current occurrence brushed aside all those processes effortlessly.
What would have taken several minutes was compressed into mere seconds, skipping the necessary intermediate steps to achieve immediate results.
Such a phenomenon could only be enabled by ultimate knowledge in magic.
And an overwhelming—almost infinite—power.
As the portal of space opened almost instantly.
At last, the silhouette of a figure emerged from beyond.
“…LeRei?”
The Grand Matriarch of the succubi, having lived for over a thousand years, stood agape.
