Chapter 1: Daily life of demons
A large river that flowed from the Dog Valley to the Boa Kingdom was dotted with various rural and small villages. The village head of Potato village had a stern expression and was looking at the guest´s face.
“There are twenty boxes of potatoes, one cattle and with the olive oil it will be 30 gold coins......are you sure that this is enough?"
“Yes, of course”
A merchant with a inconspicuous face-──a man named Manju laughed and nodded, before handing the promised gold coins to the village chief. One gold coin weighed enough to ensure that both hands had to be used to even be able to hold it, and for the village head whom had more than a 100 people village; it was the first time he had been paid this much.
“Really? 30 gold coins......if you go to a town, you can get the same amount for half of that"
To the village chief who still doubted that there was any ulterior motives, the merchant smiled gently.
“I don"t mind, please think of this as a token of grat.i.tude. I’d like to continue with our good “exchanges” in the future"
“If that"s the case......"
Since the chief was afraid that the money would get refunded, the village chief quickly put the gold into his bosom and left in a hurry. The merchant laughed as he watched it occur; as he called out to a very beautiful maid who was playing with the children a small distance away.
“Shall we go?"
“Certainly”
“Elder sister, are you going home already?"
“Please bring more sweets when you come next time”
“Well, if you"re good children, I"ll think about it."
First of all, the children who had gotten the sweets, that can’t be found in their small village, were completely devastated about parting with the maid. The merchant smiled to the children, before he rode the carriage that he had finished loading, and made the horses start to trot northwest. Seeing the actions unfold, the village chief panicked and blurted out:
“Wa, wait a minute, no way, you´re going to the Doggu Valley!?"
"Yes, why not?"
"You"re insane, there"s a wicked demon king over there right about now!"
The village chief spoke to the calm merchant with a pale white face drawn by the thought of the demon king, which left the chieftain bloodless and numb. More than a month ago, a terrifying legendary demon king appeared in the Doggu Valley, a wasteland that was not inhabited by people any longer. To destroy the enemy the Boa Kingdom had sent out over 6000 soldiers, that were simply defeated with ease and even the immortal heroes feared this demon king as they ran away.
“I"m not saying anything to try to scare you, but you"d better take another road"
The village chief pleaded to the merchant and his maid, who didn"t have any mercenaries for escort, They would be eaten and killed as soon as they were found. Yet,the merchant laughed, raising his voice, as if he was blowing away the fear.
“Hahahaa, then don"t worry. On our way here, we pa.s.sed through the Doggu Valley, but there was no evil demon king"
“Su, Such a fool!?”
“It is true and this is proof that I am alive. There was no bad devil king in the Doggu Valley"
"Bu, But......"
The village chief wasn"t able to believe it because he saw the soldiers of the Boa kingdom and how they carried the corpses of their allies back later that time. The merchant didn"t say anything as if he was trying to read the inside of the village chief.
“I will come to buy food from you again soon. Therefore, please stay safe"
With a disregarding face, the village head observed how the merchant ran his wagon northwest. In a place where the village could no longer be seen anymore, the merchant finally nullified his disguise magic.
“Well Well, the negative image of demons is still deep-rooted into their hearts"
The boy, Toyama Shinichi, who returned to his original appearance now looked completely different then the inconspicuous merchant that he had been earlier. suddenly he vomited with a light sigh without regret it that much. Beside that, the blue-haired maid also canceled her disguise magic and returned to her original brown skin, silver hair and long-pointy ears.
“Although I know it, it is not very pleasing to hear a bad review in front of my eyes"
Ceres, the maid of the blue demon king spoke, and frowned only faintly.
“It can’t be helped, even though it was a war that was set up, it is true that our side killed half of their soldiers"
The once dead soldiers were now revived by resurrection magic, the death rate was zero, yet the fear and resentment of those who were killed once didn’t easily disappear. This counted more for the followers of the religion of the G.o.ddess Erezonia than anyone else, they have been taught that "Demons are wicked", so the prejudice from humans won"t disappear.
“That is why, there is no other choice but to gradually change the image of demons"
A generous merchant who goes around the villages and buys things with a lot of gold coins. Such a nice person.
“Doggu Valley is safe”
“Actually I deal with demons, but there is no problem"
If the rumor could be overthrown over time, then the impression of demons would change little by little.
“It may be difficult for the elderly to disobey the teachings of the G.o.ddess now, but the younger generation will not be deceived by the prejudice of common sense, and will come to see the demons for what they are"
“So you ordered the children to rebroadcast the candies?"
It was a really rotten guess──Ceres obviously had a disgusting look. Basically, Ceres wasn"t expressionless like an iron mask, so Shinichi seemed to be a little surprised when he saw her face.
“Are you angry at me for using the children? I mean, do you really like children, Ceres?"
“What if I said 『Yes』?"
“To my surprise, you can be gentle. You"re going to be a nice mom one day"
Shinichi said with a grin and odious smile. He stripped the maid her iron mask, which made her upset or was it embarra.s.sment. However, Ceres didn"t give up. She leaned her body over and pressed her chest against his arm before she whispers sweetly.
“I want a lot of children"
“Buhoo!”
Shinichi spurted out to the unexpected counterattack and pulled the reins which he held. As the horses raised with a cry of complaint to the pain which had been created by the strain of the reins, Ceres spoke coldly while diverting her face, against Shinichi who continued to persist.
“After all, you don’t understand jokes"
"Demons aren’t too good with jokes!"
"You started it!"
Shinichi looked at Ceres that had been averting her eyes for a while, and suddenly he got a good idea.
“Ceres-san, any chance that you are shy to say it yourself?"
"I"m not embarra.s.sed"
"No of course not, but if your face is not red, then please look this way"
"I"m not embarra.s.sed"
To the dark elf-maid who stubbornly refused, Shinichi continued to talk to her with a sentimental and nice voice while having a gaudy smile. Being fascinated, he pulled the reins a few times, so that the horses raised and cried again as they continued to advance slowly towards the Doggu Valley.
It was a valley which had been deserted by every country because of its hard ground where nothing could grow and it was squeezed between two huge mountain ranges. Doggu valley had become a splendid field (planned land) where the ground had become soft now.
“Oh, everyone is doing well"
Shinichi stopped the wagon and shook his hand, as he looked at Pig-head Gosu and Kalbi who plowed the earth with a big firm hoe. Then, a person who was small compared to those big demons, who plowed the ground happily, came running towards Shinichi with a bright smile.
“Shinichi! Welcome back!”
Wearing a st.u.r.dy straw hat, the girl only looked like a farmer"s girl, no matter how you looked at her. She was the former hero Ariane who was also nicknamed "Red".
“You seem to be very enthusiastic right now"
While they had been shopping and returning from the village, Shinichi praised the people with a smile while admiring the fields that spread as far as the naked eye could see and be understood with a single glance, even though it only took two days to go back and forth.
“Ehehee, I"m so glad that my powers could be useful outside of battle too”
Ariane, who had taught her whole life to be as a hero or a devil beast hunter, it was pure pleasure and fun to work without hurting anyone for a change.
“When I was traveling with my mother, I had helped in the villages where we stopped, but I couldn"t do anything then......"
"They would have been scared, when a young girl like me, just plowed their fields"
Ariane who was half dragon, had inherited dragon blood. Her head was gently stroked by Shinichi, who was catching a glimpse of the hardships that she had shouldered for so long. Maintaining her status and hiding so that she was not persecuted because of her ident.i.ty.
“As you can see, no one will complain about you here. Please plow and sow the grounds here as much as you want, even so, to the full extent of your powers"
"Uhh!! "
There was no discrimination in the demon race. Whether you were human or a half-dragon. Therefore, Ariane"s neck was no longer concealed with the m.u.f.fler, and the red scales; which were the proof of her being a half dragon shined like rubies in the sunlight. Under the influence of Shinichi, who had begun talking; all the demons immediately stopped their work and gathered together into one huge group.
“Shinichi, Ceres, welcome home"
"Is this the human food that is planted in the field?"
Pig head Gosu and Kalbi gripped the potatoes inside the wagon intriguingly.
"Yes, potatoes are easily grown"
As for agriculture within the demon race, there was unfortunately barely any knowledge. Most of Shinichi’s knowledge was based on television programs and anime shows. While also remembering a lot of the molecular sequences, mostly because of his love for science and chemistry. The magic of "Search" could draw out even forgotten memories, but there was no way to pull out information about something that has never been heard of before. Naturally, Shinichi didn"t know how to grow wheat and rice, so he picked up some potatoes which he had learned to grow in cla.s.s when he was in elementary school.
"When I talked with the people of the village that sold me these, they told me that the planting season was over, but it will be okay"
Even in this world they plant potatoes early in spring, harvest them in the summer and plant them again in autumn so they can harvest again that same winter. The season would get warmer in early summer. Development would be worse if the products were planted too late, but priority had been given to making and aciheving goals so that Makai could raise the food of the human world and harvest them for the demons. To that explanation, Ariane agreed with a slight smile.
“If it is potatoes, I have planted them before, they are certainly simple"
"Hee, how did you do that?"
"Well, first you expose them to the sun, and then you cut them into four"
Without showing fear to Kalbi, Ariane politely explained and Shinichi understood that they were getting along well, showing it with a smile of relief. Behind him, a small shadow from the pile of potatoes stuck its head out.
"Pugii!"
"Ah, I forgot about that fellow"
A small piglet about 40 centimeters long, jumped out of the stack of potatoes while biting stubbornly into a small, brown potato.
"Waa, that"s cute!"
"Kyo, brothers and sisters!?"
Seeing the lovely piglet, Ariane´s eyes shined and the pig head Rosu was shocked from seeing a younger brother.
"Since there is no experience, large-scale livestock production is impossible, but I think we´ll get used to the livestock."
"Well, pigs are easy to raise as domestic animals!"
"......Eh, livestock?"
Listening to the happy conversation between Shinichi and Ariane, the face of Pigs-head froze.
"Are you to eat this child, boo?"
"After it gets plenty of fattening"
"No that"s not good, boo!"
When the Pigs-head suddenly screamed, he shielded the little piglet from Shinichi.
"To eat brothers, even if it is a command from the demon king, I won’t allow it, boo!"
"Pugii!"
He begins to squeal to the piglet as "It is so".
"Ah, is that so?"
Just as expected, Shinichi made a wry smile without showing a hint of surprise. If humans were said to eat monkey and chimpanzee meat, it would be the same as having a sense of repulsion to eating a species which was close to that of mankind. So, instead of Shinichi suffering as to how to persuade Kalbi he merely scolded him.
“Rosu, this is a sacred meal devoted to the devil king and Reno, I can’t listen to your selfishness(Mmmm)"
"It"s you who really wants to eat him, buu!"
"Th, that is not the case! I generally eat boars, so I eat pigs too!"
"Boars and brothers are different, buu!"
Looking at the two who argued with each other, Ceres began to mutter.
“Shall we buy calves next time?"
"Stop"
The reason that Shinichi opposed, was because he wanted to consider the feelings of Kalbi, but unlike pigs which quickly grow to being omnivorous, cattle was more difficult to raise from a realistic point of view.
“Anyway, if this guy objects then let"s stop talking about killing the pig."
"Is it true?"
"Ah, yes it"s true"
Shinichi nodded with a dazzling smile to Pig-head and the piglet whose eyes shined like diamonds.
“You only have to take the meat without killing it "
"……Eh?"
"we can cut the meat off after fattening the pig. If we heal the pig with healing magic before it dies, we can essentially get infinite amounts of meat, don"t you think? It is a perfect meat producing system that can be used mostly because this is a magical world!"
Shinichi was impressed with his wonderful idea. The food problems would be solved. But everyone who heard the idea paled, and with wide eyes, stared at the ideas owner..
“Shinichi, that is indeed too cruel......"
"I don"t want to eat such disgusting meat"
"If you put my brother through such a living h.e.l.l, then you might as well make it easier by using this hand instead......Buu"
"Are you the reincarnation of G.o.d or something?"
"What!?"
Following the unexpected criticism, Shinichi was surprised, so much so, that he even lowered his head.
“Uuuhh, I guess it is a system that is a little early for the people of this world. Without the concept of culture meat or production plant......"
"I think that your head is just strange, regardless of the world you are in"
According to Ceres" Tsukkomi, even if it was the earth in the 21st century, it would still have been a ma.s.sive lawsuit after plotting the same idea.
“Either way, when it comes to the magic of treating a large deficit, the exhaustion of magic is so intense that it is not usable"
"Is there such a problem?"
Regardless of the degree of cuts or wounds, they had enough magic to recover the lost body of the pig with only three people, the devil king, Ceres and Reno. The fact that the Boa kingdom won’t attack for a while was because he had brought Ariane here and destroyed Bishop Hugh. Shinichi wouldn’t know exactly when the Great temple was going to attack, but in such circ.u.mstances, wasting magical power for food and being unable to fight in case of an emergency because of this simple problem, was a big problem.
“There is no choice, the 『Infinite fresh meat』 plan is cancelled"
"Good, buu"
Looking at Shinichi who gave up so regrettably, not only Pig-head but also Ariane gently stroked their chests.
“However, when pigs and cows are not good......how about chickens?"
"Half-bird Sasami will oppose it"
"Well then, what about horses"
"Half-horse Ichibo will oppose it"
"Let"s eat slimes then"
"Certainly"
"Stop it!"
Ariana raised her voice in protest, visibly red because of her pent up anger to th negligent proposals of Shinichi. She had been swallowed by the strongest cla.s.s of slime, gluttony, and it was a traumatic enough as it was that she was seen naked by Shinichi. Even for her, who had lived in human society, eating devil beasts was an act of great resistance.
“Uhhhl, it seems that everyone will eat slimes, and I thought it would be a good with livestock"
"Shinichi you"re a human. Why do you think that?"
"No, it"s a fairly common story in a fantasy RPG to eat the defeated enemy"
Above all, Shinichi who was j.a.panese, ate crabs and octopi. Which were animals who were feared as devils in the West. He even happily ate ovaries of puffer fug which contained strong poison.
“Do you want to eat some slime jelly with a frog"s oviduct?"
"Ueee......"
"What about jumbo pancakes made with huge bird eggs?"
"It looks delicious!"
Even in a foreign world who doesn"t know a certain 『ぐ○とぐ○』, when the word “huge pancake” was heard, a maiden´s heart would throb.
“I thought you would say that. In the first place, demons are animals who changed with a large amount of magic, so originally they were the same as ordinary cattle and pigs and so on. Then, don"t you think it"s ok to eat them?"
"Is, Is that so?"
Ariane completely believed Shinichi´s words, because she had this weakness. The weakness, that she fell in love with this straightforward character from the very beginning. However Ceres stopped it with a sigh.
“Don"t talk nonsense and store the baggage first in the warehouse of the castle"
"Then, Ariane will come with me"
"Yup!"
Ariane nodded happily and sat next to Shinichi. In a state where Shinichi´s arms were sandwiched between a dark elf, maid with huge t.i.ts and a dragon human who was one of the worlds strongest heroes. Shinichi brang the horse-drawn carriage to the devil king castle. Kalbi and the others were waving their hands to see them off, when they noticed the piglet wandering around their feets.
“In the end, what are you going to do about this"
"I will raise brother splendidly, buu!"
"Pugii!"
The piglet which later became a pet and a food-leftover eliminating worker of the devil king’s castle, proudly raised a cry.
Out of the large amount of potatoes, half of them were stored in the warehouse to be reproduced to make more potatoes and the remaining half of potatoes were brought into the kitchens. Then, in front of the piled up potato mountains, Shinichi gripped tightly onto a kitchen knife.
“So from now on, we will start the first potato peeling compet.i.tion, yeah!"
"I will do my best!"
"Something strange is starting again......"
Ceres took a potato and held it in her hand, though she was stunned by Shinichi´s and Ariane´s energetic teamwork.
“But why do we peel the skin? Can"t it be eaten as it is?"
"Eh, are you eating with skin?"
To Ceres, who asked this question with a serious face, Ariane was surprised. A few days have already pa.s.sed since Ariane began to live together in the devil king"s castle, but she realized that the difference between demons and humans were hugely based on the major cultural differences between customs and knowledge.
“There are recipes that let you make the potatoes with the skin on, but you basically don"t eat it. You see, there were potatoes in the soup that you ate at the bar, right?"
"That"s true"
Ceres showed conviction when Shinichi told her that, but she tilted her head with a serious face after bringing the kitchen knife close to the potato.
“So, how can I peel the skin?"
"Uh, I felt like you would say that"
He said to this expressionless maid, that could say things like these in such a blunder, Shinichi nodded a bit. This doesn"t mean that Ceres was clumsier than a man or a super cheap cook. In the first place, the ingredients of Makai are devastatingly tasteless, so cooking skills haven"t been developed yet. To this maid, who only tried to cook or bake after cutting it to an appropriate size; a potato"s skin is still an unknown high technology.
"Ariane-sensei, will teach Ceres-san the secret of peeling"
"Eh, me!?"
"You are relying exclusively on a leather cutter, so I thought that maybe Ariane would be good at cutting vegetables with a kitchen knife"
"Although I´m certainly accustomed, I’m not as good as I could be if I were to be taught"
Ariane was peeling the potato she hubly held in her hand. She had been traveling alone for a long time and she was accustomed to making dishes with her own two hands. So her skin whilst peeling was well versed. Even if she wasn’t a very good cook, the skin of a potato was peeled off after only ten seconds.
“Yes, like this"
"......I´m sorry, can you please repeat the chant of the spell"
"No, I don"t use magic"
Like a child who was shown a magic trick, Ceres took both of her hands, and made a surprised face; before Ariane embraced her from behind with a comfortable smile.
“Emm, don"t move the kitchen knife, try turning the potato──"
"Like this?"
Ceres who was usually calmly deposited was guided by Ariane who was a bit younger than her. Shinichi had a big grin on his face as he saw this spectacle.
“Ari × Cere......not here!"
"What"s wrong with shouting so suddenly?"
"You don"t have to worry about it, that is the face that I make when thinking about something happy"
A cold glance flew from the maid towards Shinichi, but he didn’t take a care about it and picked up a new potato.
“Well then, boil the potatoes with hot water when you two have done peeling about 1/3 of them. Let"s leave the remaining skin to make roasted- and steamed potatoes"
The reason was to have everyone in the devil king"s castle realize how delicious potatoes that would be grown in the future would be. Therefore, Shinichi gave instructions to Ariane and Ceres as he put down a deep pot from the bottom of the shelf and poured the most expensive ingredient--olive oil into the pot. Then, the washed potatoes were cut into stripes with the skin attached.
“What are you doing?"
Ariane sent out vibes that indicated that she was very interested about this new recipe that she saw for the very first time. Shinichi smiled happily and threw the cut potatoes into the pot full with olive oil.
“It would be a ha.s.sle to crush the olives and squeeze them. The oil would so concentrated that it would seem impossible for everyone to behave, but I want to make the best sweet potato dish for my princess’ "
Shinchi was likely to be scolded for what he was making, mostly because it was considered junk food──but while thinking about it, he put the fried potatoes on a plate and sprinkles salt on top of them.
“French fries don"t seem to be popular in this world yet"
While this may be profitable, he thought with a sly smile again; Shinichi was the cause of the demons advancing into the human world and he carried the finished dish to the angel and good child Reno who was the daughter of the demon king.
Shinichi knocked politely against the big door on the top floor of the demon king castle.
“Reno-chan are you here, its me Shinichi"
"Yes. I will open it now"
There were small footsteps running in a hurry towards the door and the door was slowly pushed open from the inside. Reno, a beautiful little girl with black hair and red eyes showed her cute and lovely face.
“Onii-san, what do you want──waa, the fragrance is so delicious!"
"Ah, I made this for Reno-chan to eat"
Shinichi offered the fried potato dish to Reno-chan who soon noticed the smell and had sparkling eyes.
“Uwaaa, what kind of dish is this?"
"The potato I decided to grow in the field in the future, and have been deep-fried with olive oil made from nuts"
"Hee, I wanted to see how you make it"
"No, trying to put Reno-chan in the kitchen, Maou-sama will get angry"
──If she held a knife and her small hand got a cut, it would end badly! Unfortunately, she wasn"t able to partic.i.p.ate in the cooking because her father would explode in such a way that would set the demon race another decade. Anyway, Shinichi was invited by Reno-chan to enter her room. There was a canopy bed and a pretty table In this large room which could fit the demon king who was 3 m tall for the small Reno, who was about 120 ㎝ tall. It gave this feeling like looking at a miniature set of furniture that didn"t really fit into the scale of things.
“Hey, eat it”
“I will”
Putting the french fries on the round table, Reno behaved well and then stretched out her hand. She was surprised to feel that the taste of the oil and the salt gave a huge impression as if the tastes exploded on her tongue and the texture of the potato melted in her small mouth as she chewed on the small potato bits.
“Huwaa!? The outside is so crispy but the inside is so fluffy and the deep taste and the contents are thin, but the sweet taste is the best!"
"Reno-chan, you have a talent for being a gourmet reporter"
Reno, born with a miraculously sensitive tongue, can fully taste the first french fries unlike all the other demons who had a dull sense of taste.
“It is very tasty. To be able to make such a great dish, Onii-san is a genius!!"
"It"s a extremely frightening praise, but if I was a real cook, I could make this ten times more delicious than this”
"Tenfold!? Human"s technology is scary......"
Even though Reno-chan was surprised to look at Shinichi further, Reno couldn"t stop stretching her hand out to the french fries.
“If the supply of food is stable, and above all, if the fight with the humans subside, do we then hire a real cook?"
As in the case of Shinichi, he was summoned from Earth with the summoning magic of the demon king and he helped to improve the feud with the humans a bit. Shinichi looked around the room while thinking about such a thing and he noticed a lot of dolls that were laying around the bed.
“Reno-chan. this is?”
"Ah, it is a toy made by dark elf Oji-chan"
"Toy......"
Shinichi had a subtle expression, while Reno-chan smiled happily the dolls made by engraving trees and stones were wonderfully sophisticated subst.i.tutes that showed off the work of the artist. But──
“It is a synthesis of a dragon and a cerberus, so isn’t it a monster figure?"
Even if you looked at it as a boy, it was a lineup that was free from a girls cuteness.
“Isn"t a cuter animal like a rabbit or a squirrel better?"
"What is a rabbit or squirrel?"
"......Sorry, don’t they exist in Makai?"
Looking at the blank Reno-chan who was tilting her head, Shinichi once again receives a culture shock. It was a harsh environment in which the demons live when not even ordinary animals of the human world can survive.
“Strange - rabbit men, their neck are not like rabbits"
Regretfully not having a natural bunny girl, Shinichi picked up a mermaid carving which could be said to be relatively cute for girls as a doll.
“But it"s really good"
"Because dark elf Oji-chan and the others are very hand-dexterous"
Having finished eating the french fries, Reno wiped her hands with a handkerchief, before she sat next to Shinichi and took the doll.
“This three-headed dog is Po-chan and this cat"s woman is Mychan"
"Yeah, I feel relieved with Reno-chan feeling like a girl"
Because of Beef-head and Pig-head Shinichi was doubting the naming sense of the loose Makai, but he felt a sudden feeling of relief in his chest.
“But are you naming everything? "
"Yes, since everyone is an important friend, when Dad and Ceres-onee-chan are busy, I´m always playing with everyone"
"I see──yeah? Wait a moment"
Being said in a casual matter and told with a smile; caught Shinichi off guard as he suddenly panicked
"Reno-chan, aren"t you playing with your friends?"
Pichi, the sound that was made when the air in the room suddenly froze to which Shinichi suddenly heard for the first time in his life.
"............"
"Emm, Reno-chan?"
"Both Po-chan and Michan are all my friends"
"I see......"
"Shinichi-oniichan and Ariane-oneechan are also my friends"
"Yeah, I"m glad that you think so......"
"Kalbi-san, Rosu-san, dark elf Ojii-chan, everyone in the castle are my friends"
"I"m sorry!"
With empty eyes like an old pippet whose light had suddenly disappeared, Reno-chan was just like a broken repeating recorder and Shinichi bowed down on the floor and apologized.
(Reno-chan, you didn"t have any friends……)
As he said it, it was long time since he was summoned to the Maou castle, but Shinichi has no memory of seeing other children of the same age as Reno. He didn"t know what reason there was, but for the time being, in order to escape from the heavy air, Shinichi was too afraid to raise back up.
“Well then, I´m going to make dinner, so I"ll be around here......"
"Yes, I’ll be playing with my dolls, so I won’t be lonely"
"Alright, first, before I leave let me tell you about some j.a.panese traditions"
He couldn"t win against Reno´s smile with wetted eyes. Shinichi instantly sat down on the cold and open floor as he looked towards Reno..
(I have to do something about this)
Shinichi accepted this new mission, While watching Reno-chan, who was pleased to make an eight-step ladder with a string that was just right.
Following in with the cat"s cradle, Shinichi taught Reno omens and nostalgic games, when suddenly the door of the room was opened after a monotone knock.
"Reno-sama, your meal is ready"
Saying so was Ceres the castle maid. When she saw Shinichi who was stalling with four gold coins, she sighed with a cold face.
“When I at first thought, why in the world you were skipping, did you show Reno-sama your gold coins?"
"Don’t make such a misunderstanding expression!"
As usual, Ceres treated Shinichi as a s.e.x criminal and Shinichi only put on a Tsukkomi with full power. But Ceres pa.s.sed through and pushed Reno"s back.
“Everyone, today we will do the tasting of the potatoes purchased in the human world, so please gather in the courtyard"
"A meal for everyone? It looks to be fun!"
Reno who tasted the taste of potatoes with the french fries, jumped out of the room with shining eyes. After seeing her childlike appearance with a smile, Shinichi made a serious face and asked Ceres.
“Reno-chan, why does she have no friends of the same age?"
"That..... would be better if you were to ask Maou-sama"
She seemed to have expected this question, therefore Ceres urged Shinichi with a deep sigh. Then the two went down the long staircase and arrived in front of a solid iron door deep under the castle.
“What does Maou-sama do in such a place?"
"You will understand as soon as you see it"
Ceres said so and put the magic of 『Clairvoyance』on Shinichi. As soon as he saw through the thick iron door and stone walls, a spectacle ahead of it came into his view. In the wide domed room, two people were fighting violently. One was a giant who has blue skin and was over 3 m tall, someone Shinichi knows well, Blue Devil king Rudabyte Cloro Sama. The other person was also a blue giant.
“What, a doppelganger!?"
"It is not a devil kind, but a 『Other self』 created by Maou-sama´s magic power"
Even if it was explained so, Shinichi was just like the Maou"s alter ego so much that he did not know which was the real one. Both devil kings have exactly the same competence, they could easily erase any ordinary humans with their attack magic, even rocks could easily be crushed.
“Because there is no one who is as strong as Maou-sama, he created another self of himself to train"
"It may be the best sparring partner......"
While being a little shocked about whether parents and children qwew playing alone, Shinichi couldn’t take his eyes off from the otherworldly battle between demon kings. It seemed that he was predicting that it could be avoided while breaking the explosive magic at zero distance while hitting and healing the blown arm with magic in mere moments. At the same time releasing a kick as a counterattack while instantly curving it. Reading each other"s hands up to the milliseconds before impact, skillfully scrambling the attacks back, sometimes breaking limbs on impact from the front and burning the body and magical power pushing himself to the limit. Evils fighting beyond human knowledge, this was the ability of the blue demon king Rudabyte.
“As I will tell you, Maou-sama saves his powers and protects the alter ego with a "protection" spell, the power has been reduced, and half of his original power can not be demonstrated"
"I wonder if it is less than half......"
Since the time they dismissed the five hero party, Shinichi knew that Maou-sama was strong, but he realized again that the power was still of another dimension. He couldn"t imagine any other way of killing Maou other than with immortal heroes.
“By the way, Ceres-san, can I ask a question?"
"What do you want to ask?"
"I used 『Clairvoyance』just now, but I can"t see through your clothes"
"『Counter-magic』 is a lady´s accomplishment"
"d.a.m.nn!"
One of three fantasy erotic fantasies, "Fantasy magic making it possible to constantly see girls naked by being able to see through clothes! " was prevented easily. Shinichi slammed his fist on the floor with sigh of despair. By the way, the other is "Slime play" demonstrated by Ariane, while the last one is "transparent magic" or "s.e.x change magic" that still spread intense discussions(in Shinichi"s brain). To the extent that troubles of such adolescent youth were left aside, because the iron door was suddenly slammed opened with a heavy smashing sound.
“Muu, Shinichi and Ceres. What"s up?"
"Thank you for your hard work, the meal is ready, so we came to call you"
Ceres lowered her head to the demon king that had suddenly appeared and she healed the wounds by applying her healing magic.
“It"s over......aren’t you the alter ego ?"
"Fool, I won"t lose to my alter ego"
To Shinichi "s rude question, Maou-sama laughed and snorted back.
“Because it is my alter ego after all, it doesn"t become an opponent even with the same ability when you know what it will do next"
"I see"
"Besides that, my alter ego hasn"t enough murderous intention to kill me seriously"
The fierce battle that seemed like h.e.l.l for Shinichi, was only to prevent the body of the demon king from becoming dull. Maou was bored and almost vomited a deep sigh of un-satisfaction.
“After all, without my wife, it won"t be a satisfying battle"
"Please stop it"
Contrary to the demon king who remembered the death fight with his wife and faced a certain nostalgia. Ceres-san became pale and shook her head.
“I do not want to see that a mountain range turns into a vacant spot yet again"
"So scary"
Even atomic bombs are not as severe and Shinichi´s face became completely pale.
“I mean, is your wife so strong?"
"I didn"t say it before, but after I fought my wife, I fell in love with that power and asked her to marry me"
Ever since that woman fought with the Blue Devil king for the very first time, someone who was too strong and had no real enemy. After the fight, both felt strongly that they were each other "Partner of my life” and Reno-chan, the crystal of love, was born.
“By the way, the duel was close, but I won and my wife still hasn"t given up trying to get a rematch, therefore she is on a journey of training to try to surpa.s.s me"
"Uh, you are a suitable couple"
He has never seen Reno´s mother, but Shinichi believed that there was no doubt about her strength.
“So, Shinichi did you come to ask about me and my wife?"
"No, it"s about Reno-chan, why doesn"t she has friends of the same age?"
When Shinichi cut out the main subject, Maou-sama distorted his face sharply.
“When she makes no friends, Reno won"t be a bad child!"
"......What are you talking about?"
To this statement, Shinichi eyes became sharp. There were parents who said their children could make friends there were many parents like that, but those who said the total opposite, well that was a totally new concept in itself. Ceres complimented his shock with a look that held a stunned expression and an expression of sympathy.
“Because Maou-sama and I have to work, we recruited a playmate for Reno-sama. But──"
“The young succubus girl tried to teach s.e.x to the young Reno!”
“That was a mistake one could only make once"
“When we fired her and hired an alternative person, it was actually a transvest.i.te, and he was secretly sniffing Reno"s socks!”
“Are there only perverts in Makai?"
Listening to the story of the furious Maou-sama, Shinichi certainly understood the feeling of letting Reno not make any new friends. Ceres. .h.i.t Shinichi´s shoulder only to become relieved.
“That man has changed his mind when he received Maou-sama´s anger and now he is a harmless male lover"
"His degree of pervertness has not deteriorated anymore!"
"It is fine as long as he is harmless to Reno-sama"
"Is it only an anxiety factor to me?"
That man was still in the demon king"s castle? Ceres returned to the story as Shinichi unintentionally clenched his b.u.t.t protecting his b.u.t.thole.
“Anyway, not only do such perverts exist but also ordinary children that are in the demon race. But, if they want to become a candidate for being Reno"s friend who is the daughter of the demon king, they will need to announce it by themselves......"
"Well, normal children should not hold back"
Shinichi listened to Ceres" s explanation with a heavy sigh, Shinichi was convinced. Reno-chan herself didn"t mind, but when she mistakenly cried or hurt herself, then the anger of the Maou was received and everything was destroyed into ashes as a matter of fact. Knowing such a danger, only those with some form of undying spirit would actually remain.
“Reno-sama, who has the blood of the Maou and his wife, is the best woman in Makai, if only her hidden qualities were to be found. So, there are a lot of men who would want to give birth to such a wonderful child......"
"You can’t let a fool who is wearing female clothes come closer to her and you can’t let other men approach her"
Therefore, a person who could volunteer to carry the danger, seemed yet to be found, unfortunately, a female playmate is wanted.
“That"s why. I trust you, Shinichi. If you put your hands on my daughter......you know what will happen, don"t you?"
"I don"t have any interest in lolis, I like big b.r.e.a.s.t.s, so be relieved"
Even while laughing, Shinichi used a honorific speech to the demon king who could “b.u.mp” into his shoulder with enough force to make Shinichi stick to the floor, indefinitely.
“However, I understand the circ.u.mstances, but I think that it would be better for Reno-chan to have a playmate"
"Why do you say that, what if Reno becomes a bad child!"
"Such overprotection is not good for her, I will say that her character will be distorted when you tie Reno-chan down too much"
When advising so, Ceres who was listening from the side seemed to have been convinced and nodded slightly as if she was agreeing.
“Indeed, she has been restricted since childhood"
"Do I look so distorted?"
By the way, this theory was not very persuasive because Shinichi grew up with principles.
“Anyway, why don"t you let her do whatever she likes, like playing or cooking. If she is restricted too much, she will be stressed and she might say "I hate daddy, dont talk to me" or something──"
"Gohoo!"
"Critical Hit!!?"
Maou-sama took great damage today, and only by the power of imagination, as he started to.vomit blood from the mouth.
“How much do you love Reno-chan......"
"Well, even if you look all around this world, there is no one who loves her more than me"
"But Reno-sama herself said before this "I like Onii-san´s favorite candy the most!"
"Gobuwaa!"
"Ceres-san!?"
By the ruthless pursuit of Ceres, the devil king fell to the floor and started to cramp up. While casting healing magic, Ceres continued to speak doing so with a neutral face.
“To tell you the truth, I am not the maid of the Maou, but the maid of Madam"
"Indeed, your behavior is different from that of an loyal servant"
For Ceres, the Madam and Reno came first, before she had to listen to the Maou.
“In any world, a father"s handling is bad......"
While Shinichi deeply sympathized, a hand was lent him as the devil king stood up.
“Anyway, let me think about the “friends” case first. Even Maou-sama could die one day and you don"t want Reno-chan to feel lonely, do you?"
"In other words, I wish to become immortal"
"What are you talking about?"
Shinichi made a Tsukkomi, but his hands only hurt. In the inner courtyard of the castle there were a hundred different kinds of demons and they were staring at various potato dishes.
“Buhiiii! It"s just a plant but it"s such a delicious taste, it"s a magical plant Boo"
"It is nice to boil it with hot water, but steaming it is soft and great!"
"Did you say that you fried it in oil? This french fries have a strong taste and are unbearably thick"
"Because the french fries are few, don"t eat all of them alone!!"
The potatoes were baked, simmered, steamed, fried and cooked and all the dishes presented to the demons, who only were accustomed to Makai food, were as if they had been directly sent from heaven.
“Because it is not the harvest season, and these are sweet potatoes, they get a dryness to the, a feeling as if the moisture has flown away and reducing its original taste. "
"How luxurious are you?"
Shinichi who spoke with a discerning tongue of a modern j.a.panese person, got a fast and sharp comment from Ceres who thought that the meal was extremely delicious; as she was on the verge of tears.
“Hawa, everything is delicious and I can"t stop eating"
"Even if you don"t push yourself, there is still a lot left behind"
Having two potato dishes in her hands, Ariane smiled and consoled Reno-chan who was sad because her stomach was full. The demon king drank up the potato soup at a rapid speed while looking around.
“Umu, Reno is happier than anybody else!"
"Then, please consider the friend"s matter"
"Everyone, today you can eat as much as you want!"
Through the request of Shinichi, the demon king screamed that he wanted a refill of the sweet potato soup. It was then that the demons responded with cheers to the request of the demon king.
“......Hou, this force"
"......Is it a human?"
"......What a terrible magical power!?"
Maou-sama, Ceres and Ariane gazed at the mountain in the southeast.
“What"s going on?"
At the moment when Shinichi mysteriously looked at that direction, the sunset stained red and a splashing white flash emanating from the sky.
“What!?”
“Huhh!”
In the absence of Shinichi who was suddenly paralyzed: the demon king kicked the ground and soared up high into the sky. He created a huge wall of light that wrapped the whole castle.
“『Defense fortress』"
The huge white light exceeding 20 m in diameter clashing against the blue light wall. The light of destruction that made everything disappear and the guarding light that prevented everything from their certain doom. This scene continued for about three seconds, before the white light faded out like a water from a tap.
“That"s an optical weapon of a robot......"
"I don"t know what a 『Robot』 is, but that was a light attack magic"
"That"s not good......"
Shinichi was surprised as the battle was just like an SF movie, while Ariane again feared and respected the strength of the demon king. The demon king who descended, raised the edges of his mouth while enjoying his slightly burned palm.
“I am happy Shinichi, a new hero appears again"
"It is only Maou-sama who is pleased"
The demons who witnessed the terrific magic battle raised voices of excitement not inferior even when eat the potatoes.
“Ooo!? Besides Ariane, there is someone else who can hurt Maou-sama?, buu?!"
"Is it a magician hero this time?"
"You should worry about yourself becoming charcoal!"
Shinichi made a cool tsukkomi, but the battle lovers don"t listen as they made even more noise. The only one worrying was Reno-chan who was the most kind hearted of the bunch.
“Humans are attacking again......?"
Reno thought that she could get along well with Ariane and coexist well with humans now, therefore she distorted her face sadly. Shinichi stroked Reno´s head to comfort her, while letting out a small sigh.
“However, regardless of the hero"s return, it is said that we will set off such a fire with super fire......"
From long distances where enemies could not fight back, they would overwhelm them with surprising amounts of firepower. It is a simple, but a strong tactic, and at the same time a rather troubling attack, because the goal of Maou is to defend the castle.
“Whether the hero thinks to blow away the demon king with the castle"
It was absolutely impossible if it was an actual game, but if a player thinks that once everyone thinks of this brutal tactics, then they would become the attacking side. Shinichi made a bitter face, while Maou-sama was tapping on his shoulder with a glowing and radiant smile of joy.
“The enemy escaped using 『Instant movement』. I must protect the castle and the people, I"ll leave the pursuit to you guys"
"Yes Yes, certainly Maou-sama"
Although it was dangerous, Shinichi took out the mask with the smiling face from his chest and accepted the task graciously as the staff chief of the demon king.
“So, what kind of fellow is it?"
"To be exact 『They』, there were about thirty people?"
Although it was a momentary battle, the demon king captured the number and form of enemies hiding at the top of the mountain in detail.
“Are all thirty people heroes!? "
"No, there is probably only one hero who has triggered the magic, the rest are battery workers who poured their magic power into the hero"
"Battery workers?"
They likely casted the attack magic in the same manner as it was when bishop Hugh had borrowed the magic of the believers to use 『Death resurrection』.
“However, although there were helpers, to use such a large magic, it would be a great magician"
"If you are an ordinary guy you can not bear the pouring force and it would rupture you from the inside"
"Shall we experiment?"
"Stop it!"
Shinichi hurryingly avoided Ceres´s hands that stretched out to pour magic power into Shinichi.
“So what kind of person was that new hero?"
"It was a blonde woman in white clothes, the age would be about the same as Ariane."
"Well, that"s not uncommon"
So beside Shinichi who was disappointed, Ariane noticed it and opens her eyes.
“Same as me......no way, the saint?"
"Do you know her?"
"Uh, I haven"t met her directly"
Ariane then talked about it.
“When I went to the holy city, because of work related reason for the Great temple, I heard a story from the guiding priest that there is a brilliant magician of the same age as me"
"The sense of incompatibility of the word shall not be terrible of a magician as hero"
From a familiar body to a certain national RPG, a 『Hero』was still the image of a versatile job that could use both sword and magic.
“I think her name was Sanctine. She is terribly beautiful and faithful to the church and it is said that she is the reincarnation of the G.o.ddess"
"She is a saint and the reincarnation of the G.o.ddess Erezonia......then she must be big breasted"
"Muu~......"
Recalling that the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of the G.o.ddess"s statue were big, seeing Shinichi rubbing his nose with his finger, Ariane pushed her flat chest up and inflated it. Ceres’ gaze suddenly became ice cold.
“To humiliate the saint and turn her into a s.e.x slave for yourself, you´re an intrinsic dog"
"I never thought of that! If you had said that I would 『Kidnap』 the saint and make her line up with Ariane, I thought about it for a moment, but I have not thought of that thing!"
"Kidnap?"
Reno was strangely tilting from Shinichi"s remarks, but of course she didn’t mind running a punishment game to explain the development of "K, kill!" in detail to a young girl.
“Anyway, let"s see who Saint Sanctine and her fellows are, though they will surely be defeated by us"
Shinichi put on his mask and declared it so. Thus, a new fight began to overthrow the immortal Saint.