Demon King Vermudol came to his senses on the throne.
「Good morning, Demon King-sama.」
A clear and dignified voice entered Vermudol’s ears.
The owner of that voice was a woman. Looking at her, she had taken a bow where she was on one knee in front of Vermudol.
She had long black hair, and voluptuous bulges on her chest area that a.s.serted that she was female.
Clothes that made black its basic theme covered her lean body.
It was similar to the thing that was called maid clothes in the world that Vermudol was formerly in.
That being said, since he had not seen the real thing in his former world, he didn’t know whether or not it was truly maid clothes.
To begin with, the 「maid」 that Vermudol knew of did not wear breast armor on top of their maid clothes.
Above all, the gigantic shield that was placed at that woman’s side and the sword that hung at her waist, those were things that were too ill-matched for the 「maid」 that Vermudol knew of.
(Click here for ill.u.s.tration)
「……Ahh, un.」
When he made a short reply, Vermudol checked his own appearance.
The clothes that he was wearing, it had black as its basic theme, had gold and silver thread, and was garnished with gems in various places.
The chair that he was sitting on, it seemed to have been cut from black stone or something, and minute patterns were carved into the arm rests and back. Vermudol was unable to imagine just how much time it would take to create something to this extent.
「Aqua Mirror」
When the woman in front of him chanted that, something that looked like a mirror appeared in front of Vermudol.
His own appearance that was reflected there was completely different from when he was once Nakajima Ryou.
First, his age was either in his teens to the early half of his twenties……It was probably near a time where he would be called a young man.
A thin man of delicate features, the skin of his body was overall white, his black hair was cut a bit on the long side, and he had red eyes.
Seeing that well-featured appearance, there was probably no person that could tell that he was the same person as his former self.
「So, um……You are?」
「I am called Ichika, a Maid Knight.」
With those words as keywords, information was spread out in Vermudol’s field of vision.
Name: Ichika
Race: Majin
Rank: Unknown
Occupation: Maid Knight
Details: Unknown
What was spread out in Vermudol’s field of vision right now was something called Status.
Vermudol, who was a Demon King, was able to confirm the other party’s Status with magic.
However, it wasn’t as if he was able to read all of their information with that.
If it was used against an influential person, it was only natural that they would have Protect cast upon their own Status for the sake of protection, and Ichika was one of them.
「It would seem that your knowledge has adapted to this world.」
With Ichika’s words, Vermudol realized it.
Status confirming magic……No, to begin with, the thing called magic didn’t exist in the world that Vermudol was originally in.
And just now, Vermudol had applied it without any sort of doubt.
「I believe that there will be many times where you will be swayed by your common sense and memories of your original world for a while. Therefore, I shall support you.」
Ichika stood up saying that, and then took Vermudol’s hand that was on the throne.
「Welcome to Remfilia, Demon King Vermudol-sama. No matter what path you choose from now on, I shall nestle close to that path.」
When Vermudol got up from the throne as if being led by Ichika, he surveyed the vicinity.
「……Ichika, was it.」
「Yes, Demon King-sama.」
What was spread out in Vermudol’s view was, something similar to ruins.
The stone walls crumbled here and there.
There was no ceiling, and an overcast sky stretched out.
Pillars that were probably magnificent once were altogether broken, and there were many places on the floor that looked like they would collapse.
「According to my knowledge, if I’m not mistaken, this place is the castle of the Demon King, but……」
「Yes. It is because about 120 years have pa.s.sed since the previous Demon King perished.」
Vermudol breathed a sigh from those words.
「……I see. In that case, it needs to be repaired.」
「There is no budget.」
「Nn?」
Feeling that he heard a questionable line for some reason, Vermudol reflexively asked a question in return.
「What was there none of?」
「There is no budget.」
「Eh? I mean……」
Ichika shut her eyes looking pitiful, and shook her head sideways.
「All of the property that was in the Demon King Castle, had been sent to the Hero party’s pockets. Even the order that the previous Demon King had constructed has collapsed for a long time now, and I alone am the subordinate for the current Demon King-sama. Incidentally, the budget is only the small amount of funds that I had collected until Demon King-sama had awakened.」
「Erm……In other words?」
「I believe that the resurrection of the Demon King Army is urgent business. Until then, the household finances……Or rather, the financial affairs will be handled by me.」
With the situation that he had not expected, Vermudol approached a crumbled wall while staggering.
What could be seen from the collapsed wall was, the scenery of the Dark Continent.
He could tell that this was a land unsuitable for people to live in.
Most likely, the Hero or whatever probably wouldn’t come attacking immediately.
「……What the h.e.l.l.」
When he suddenly looked down, what was there was something that looked like field where the rough ground had been tilled.
When informed that “potatoes are being grown” by Ichika, Vermudol immediately ended up wanting to cry.
Remfilia.
A world of swords and magic.
A world where the Demon King Gramfia perished due to the Hero, and Humans celebrated peace.
Like this, in a corner of that world, in a place called the Dark Continent, a new Demon King was born.
「……So, Ichika. Just how much do you know?」
Potato and salt soup was placed on top of a quickly constructed desk of piled up crumbled stone walls.
While seated on a stone that was placed on his side of the desk, Vermudol asked a question to Ichika.
Simple knowledge of this world was already planted in him by the hand of the Demon G.o.d.
However, he had absolutely no idea about what the current situation was.
「Let’s see……First, Demon King-sama, please hide the fact that you were originally a Human from a different world from other people.」
When she placed a spoon that looked like it was created out from stone in front of Vermudol’s hand, Ichika stood at his side.
「……What do you mean by that?」
「It means that I was specially created by That Personage.」
Ichika explained to Vermudol that she herself was an existence that was different from the general Mazoku and monsters.
Mazoku and monsters were species that were created by the Demon King who was their top.
In this Dark Continent, there existed things that Gramfia, the previous Demon King, had created in various places.
If examples were to be given, there was the demi-humans that had green skin, had a height that was about half that of a Human’s, had low intelligence, and possessed a highly brutal nature, the Goblins.
Possessing traits of beasts, and having vaguely similar forms and dexterity to people and Beastmen, they boast voracious appet.i.tes and eat repulsive things, the Beastia.
With indefinite forms, they possess a bottomless toughness and regenerative ability, the Amoeba.
In addition to these which were famous and could be found anywhere, there were also Mazoku that possessed high abilities called Majin that existed.
Even Ichika who was a Maid Knight, came under the Majin. However, she was an existence that the Demon G.o.d created for Vermudol’s sake, is what Ichika explained.
「Even you, Demon King-sama, if I were to speak broadly, you are the summit of the Majin. The fact that Demon King-sama was actually a recycled sc.r.a.pped soul……Or rather, a reincarnator from another world, is something that should not be made known.」
「……You, you actually don’t have anything like loyalty to me, do you.」
After he lightly glared at Ichika who abruptly averted her gaze, Vermudol breathed his nth sigh today.
Let’s try to sort the current situation.
First, the current location was the naturally ruined Demon King Castle.
The liveability of it was the worst, and there was nothing but unusable facilities.
The garden that must have been beautiful in the past had become a wasteland, and Ichika’s tilled field was in a corner of it.
Next, financial affairs.
According to Ichika, after the Demon King perished, the Majin went into a rivalry of local warlords, and without anyone who offered up goods to the perished king……namely to the Demon King, they instead got rid of anyone that even dared name themselves the Demon King.
Therefore, all of his current fortune was only the contents of Ichika’s purse.
Finally, the Demon King Army.
The subordinates of Vermudol that would be his shield and sword to fight against the Hero, was only Ichika.
「……This is the worst. What are you telling me to do.」
「Demon King-sama, it will go cold.」
Ichika brought the stone bowl before Vermudol’s eyes.
Comparing that Ichika and the stone bowl with his eyes, Vermudol accepted the bowl.
「……Is this also handmade?」
「It seemed that any and all sorts of silverware were taken away after all.」
While breathing a sigh, Vermudol brought the soup to his mouth.
Although it was watery, the proper taste of salt spread out inside of Vermudol’s mouth.
「Come to think of it, putting the potatoes aside, where did the salt come from?」
Even if these potatoes came from Ichika’s field, the salt needed to be prepared from somewhere.
Ichika shook her head sideways to Vermudol who asked where she bought it from.
「I prepared it from the sea.」
「……I appreciate your hard work.」
He got a headache from the hard facts that he couldn’t do anything about, but unless he did away with the current situation, he would perish in a flash by the Hero who would hear about the birth of a new Demon King.
Attacked by such anxiety, Vermudol looked up at Ichika.
「In any case, I need to make my might bigger. What should I do?」
「If you are fine with a quick method, there is one way.」
「Let me hear it.」
When Ichika nodded, she placed a hand on the sword on her waist.
「To begin with, let us put one of the villages nearby under your control. Once you do, that will become the starting point of the reconstruction.」
「Is that……alright?」
In short, invade. She was saying something equivalent to that.
When Vermudol turned doubtful eyes towards her, Ichika displayed a face that said she was upset.
「Demon King-sama, do you believe yourself to be the Hero or something?」
That’s right, Vermudol was the Demon King.
If he were an existence on the side of humanity, it probably would have been fine if he did business with the potatoes that Ichika produced.
But, the job of a Demon King wasn’t that of a potato merchant.
Starting from there certainly would be new, but with that sort of start, there was no doubt that he would be made light of by the other Majin.
That was something intolerable for Ichika.
It was fine if he made detours.
However, the beginning needed to be a method worthy of a Demon King.
「There is nothing to worry about. With Demon King-sama’s authority, let us first put the colony of the Goblins that exist in the castle town under your control.」
「……Can we do it?」
Ichika nodded at those words.
First of all, obtaining at least one colony was important.
From there, it was fine no matter what detours he would make.
So as to convey that the Demon Kings of the past were the same, Vermudol would also discover his own method of domination.
As his first subordinates for that sake, the low intelligence Goblins were just right for the job.
「Yes, just as Demon King-sama wishes.」
When Ichika responded with such, she expressed a dark smile and made an elegant bow.