Kays Translations

Chapter 100: “Demon King Rukie Receives the Magical Beast Investigation Report”

──Several hours after Thor and his group captured the fortress──

“We’ve just received a report. Reisenga’s unit has captured the culprit behind the beast summoning.”

“““Ooooooh!”””

At the words of Demon Lord Rukie, her subordinates cheered loudly.

This is the throne room of the Demon Lord’s castle.

Demon Lord Rukie sits on the throne, with Chancellor Kelve standing by her side.

Facing them are the Minotaur captain, the Flame General Reisenga’s adjutant, and the elven troop leaders.

They raised voices of joy that the threat of the new type of magical beast had been removed.

Next, Chancellor Kelve began a detailed explanation of the investigation results.

The ‘Cleaning Robot’ created by Thor played a major role in the magical beast investigation.

The culprit who summoned the beast was the commander of the Empire’s fortress.

Reisenga and the unit from the town of Nosa headed south to hunt down the escaped magical beast.

“What was surprising was that the culprit who summoned the magical beast was an official soldier of the Empire,”

Chancellor Kelve said.

“I had thought the culprit was a wandering magician, or perhaps someone from a country destroyed by the Empire. Someone who infiltrated the Empire to acquire summoning magic and disrupt its territory by summoning beasts.”

“But it turns out, the culprit was a regular soldier in charge of the Empire’s fortress.”

“That is correct. Your Majesty, what do you think this implies?”

“It likely means that there is an unknown faction within the Empire. Either a secret unit created by the Empire’s upper echelon or a rebellious faction.”

“The Archduke and the Imperial Princess seemed unaware of these matters.”

“Which means there is a possibility that the Empire is internally divided.”

Demon Lord Rukie sighed beneath her mask.

“Should we be disgusted by the Emperor’s family being so careless, or should we envy that this great nation can function even divided… Either way, the threat of the new magical beast is gone. For now, we should rejoice in that.”

“I agree.”

Chancellor Kelve nodded.

“Since the culprit is confirmed to be a regular soldier of the Empire, the responsibility lies with the Empire’s Emperor and high-ranking officials. This has been conveyed to the Imperial Princess and the Archduke. Should the same event occur again, we will protest to the Empire and demand action.”

“That will make resolution easier.”

“Indeed.”

“…The purpose behind the beast summoning remains a mystery, but for now, we can breathe easier. Going forward, we will protest to the Empire and demand information, as well as compensation appropriate to the damages we suffered.”

“──Based on that, I have something to propose to Your Majesty and Chancellor Kelve!”

Suddenly, the elven magic troop leader raised his voice.

With a serious expression, he looked up at Demon Lord Rukie.

“If there is division within the Empire, might we be able to exploit it?”

“I just said, didn’t I? We will extract detailed information about the incident and compensation for damages from the Empire.”

“No, I mean using the rebellious factions inside the Empire.”

“Explain.”

Prompted by Demon Lord Rukie, the elf troop leader stood.

He looked around at Demon Lord Rukie, Chancellor Kelve, and the others present.

“If there is a faction within the Empire that opposes the Emperor’s will… might we secretly support them? If they cause chaos within the Empire, it could weaken the Empire’s power.”

“…Hmm.”

“If civil war breaks out within the Empire, the Emperor and officials will have to focus their efforts on dealing with it. By exploiting that weakness, we might gain various benefits from the Empire. In some cases, we could extend our borders further south and expand our territory.”

Finishing his speech, the elf troop leader puffed out his chest with satisfaction.

“…As an idea, it’s interesting.”

“Well then, Your Majesty!”

“But your plan has a fatal flaw.”

“──!?”

Twitch!

From behind Demon Lord Rukie’s mask, her red eyes fixed on the elf troop leader.

The sharp gaze caused the elf troop leader’s body to tremble.

“W-what is this flaw…?”

“First, we cannot trust those who summoned the magical beasts at all.”

Demon Lord Rukie said.

“They summoned the ‘Magical Beast Gargarossa’ on Demon Lord territory. It’s only because we defeated it that things turned out well. There was a real risk of harm to our people and lands. How could we ever trust those who do such things?”

“There is no need to trust them! We would just use them—”

“The second problem… have you forgotten Princess Sophia in the town of Nosa?”

“…Ugh.”

“She is quite clever. If we repeatedly deal with the rebellious factions within the Empire—Princess Sophia will catch on. Sophia’s family includes Princess Liana, the ‘Holy Sword Princess.’ That Princess Liana is close to the Archduke, a former sword saint. If those people turn against us… we must prepare for significant sacrifices.”

At Demon Lord Rukie’s words, the elf troop leader’s eyes widened.

He had apparently forgotten about Princess Sophia and her associates.

“The third problem… you should learn a bit from history.”

“Learn from history…?”

“Have you forgotten what happened when the first Demon Lord fought humans?”

Demon Lord Rukie looked the elf troop leader—and everyone else present—straight in the eyes and declared.

“Before the first Demon Lord started a war with humans, the humans were already fighting amongst themselves. But… right after a minor clash with the Demon Lord’s army, humans forgot all about their conflicts. All human nations united and faced the first Demon Lord together.”

Even in the era of the first Demon Lord, humans fought each other.

However, when skirmishes occurred between humans and demons or demi-humans, the humans completely forgot their own internal strife.

Thus, to defeat the ‘Evil Demons and Demi-Humans,’ humans united as one.

As a result, eventually a hero was summoned from another world, and the Demon Lord was defeated.

This was history Demon Lord Rukie had been sick and tired of hearing.

Therefore, those in Demon Lord territory avoid intervening in the Empire’s internal conflicts as much as possible.

This has been the policy passed down through generations in Demon Lord territory.

“Finally, this is my personal opinion… I want to be someone who is not ashamed before Thor Canaan, the guest from the Empire.”

As if speaking to herself—Demon Lord Rukie murmured.

“To intervene in the Empire’s civil strife and aid the evil ones… and cause bloodshed in another country, right? When that happens, we will probably borrow the power of Thor Canaan’s items. That would embarrass me.”

“…Y-Your Majesty.”

“If it were a proud, open battle, I would take pride in borrowing his power. But can you say to him, ‘Because I intervene in the civil war of your homeland, lend me your magic items’?”

“…Ah, a-ah, aah.”

“It seems we will have a long relationship with Thor. I do not want to do anything shameful to him. Of course, this is purely my personal opinion as Demon Lord Rukie Evergard. If you have objections, speak now—”

“I apologize! It was a thoughtless remark!”

The elf troop leader bowed deeply.

Shaking violently, he pressed his forehead to the floor.

“I had forgotten about Thor Canaan-sama. That there are trustworthy people within the Empire… and also others with power beyond my imagination… I am truly sorry!!”

The elf troop leader continued apologizing in a trembling voice.

“The fact that the culprit who summoned the magical beast was an Imperial soldier means there are those within the Empire who look down on Demon Lord territory. I… simply could not accept that.”

“I understand your feelings. I also understand your loyalty.”

“However, I have realized the foolishness of my remarks. If there really is someone with power equal to Thor Canaan within the Empire… my schemes would be seen through immediately…”

(No, no, there can’t be many like Thor.)

—Just as she was about to speak, Demon King Rukie covered her mouth.

Instead, she shook her head and gently admonished the elven squad captain.

“I understand how you feel. I intend to proceed with intelligence gathering in the Empire. So that we can respond to any situation that arises. That should be acceptable.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Also… think about it. In this recent magical beast subjugation, the Demon Lord’s territory conducted a joint operation with the unit from the town of Nosa and apprehended the culprit. We cooperated and built mutual trust to achieve that. It’s as if we’ve made allies within the Empire.”

Demon King Rukie looked around at the assembled people and nodded.

“I would rather choose the path of increasing allies than making enemies.”

Taking a breath, she continued.

“Furthermore, in the human world, as the elven captain said, schemes and plots have long been repeated. Humans have shed blood because of that. There’s no need for demons and demi-humans to imitate the worst of humanity.”

“““Hah!”””

“At any rate, the issue of the new species of magical beast is resolved for now. Inform our subordinates and let them be at ease. Once General Reisenga’s unit returns, we’ll hold a festival to celebrate the victory. You don’t mind, do you, Kelve?”

“The plans are already in place.”

Chancellor Kelve pulled a parchment from his pocket.

“As soon as General Reisenga returns, we will host a victory party at the Demon King’s Castle. Additionally, a celebratory festival will be held in the castle town. Alcohol and provisions will be distributed from the castle, so please inform the townsfolk.”

“Understood, Your Majesty, Chancellor!”

“The festival—everyone will be so happy!”

“Let us all go welcome General and Agnis-sama together!”

The elven squad captain, the minotaur captain, and Reisenga’s adjutant all raised their voices in unison.

Their cheers must have been heard in the hallway too, for joyous voices echoed from outside.

The news would quickly spread throughout the castle.

“Now then, this concludes today’s audience.”

“Thank you all for your service.”

“““Excuse us!!”””

The attendees responded to the words of Demon lord Rukie and Chancellor Kelve.

Thus, the report on the magical beast summoning incident came to an end.

“‘Taking advantage of the divisions within the Empire,’ is it? Others are thinking the same thing, I see…”

After the commanders had left, Chancellor Kelve let out a sigh.

“I considered it myself as well. But I rejected the idea—it’s far too dangerous.”

“A wise decision. If we were to intervene, the humans would forget their internal conflicts. What would follow is the same as in the days of the first Demon lord… the formation of a united human coalition.”

“Humans do quickly band together when they find a common enemy.”

“Indeed… and sometimes, they make demons and demi-humans into that ‘common enemy’ just to unite themselves.”

With those words, Demon lord Rukie’s expression grew firm.

“In any case, do not slack off in intelligence gathering. Whether or not there’s civil strife in the Empire, we need to know what’s happening in that country.”

“I have already dispatched civil officials to the trading post to gather rumors.”

“…Come to think of it, there was a civil war in the Empire once before.”

Holding a letter brought by the ‘Feather Fairy,’ Rukie murmured in exasperation.

“If I recall correctly, that last civil war in the Empire… happened before I was born, didn’t it?”

“Yes. According to oral history passed down in the Chancellor’s household, it was several decades ago—during the reign of the Demon lord two generations before you. Back when several small nations still remained to the east. The fortress General Reisenga headed to was likely constructed around that time.”

“I heard the borderlands were quite turbulent back then.”

“The Empire had deployed large numbers of troops on patrol. Likely to prevent those from the Demon Lord’s territory from intervening in their civil war. Because of that, we had almost no knowledge of the internal affairs of the Empire. However…”

“We did provide asylum to some refugees from the Empire, didn’t we?”

The number recorded was three.

Two of them died shortly after being protected by the Demon Lord’s territory.

They had apparently survived fierce battles, with arrows still embedded in their bodies.

In the end, only one young girl survived. She had suffered severe trauma and forgot her name and origin. However, the man who accompanied her worried about her until his dying breath—that much is recorded in the history books of the Demon Lord’s territory.

That girl later fell in love with the young elf who rescued her. They married and had children.

Her descendants are now most likely chasing magical beasts alongside Thor.

“What’s different this time is that Princess Sophia is in the town of Nosa.”

Demon King Rukie let out a sigh of relief.

“She desires friendly relations with the Demon Lord’s territory. As long as she is there, the borderlands won’t be sealed off.”

“There’s even a trading post now. We receive information from within the Empire too. These are good times.”

“Well, that’s largely thanks to Thor’s achievements.”

“……That’s true.”

“…Why the distant look?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Kelve. Are you still uncomfortable around Thor?”

Demon lord Rukie looked at Chancellor Kelve with exasperation.

“Thor is, well… a good person, you know? His ideas are just a bit unexpected, his technology is ridiculously advanced, and what he does is beyond imagination, that’s all.”

“That’s exactly the problem…”

Chancellor Kelve  pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.

“My duty is to analyze based on information, build logical frameworks, and make realistic predictions and plans. But Lord Thor skips all the processes and arrives at unpredictable outcomes… It’s difficult to deal with him as Chancellor.”

“Thor seems to respect you, you know?”

“I don’t dislike Thor-sama either. I respect him. I just struggle with him in my role as Chancellor.”

“Tell him that when he returns.”

“…Please let me think about it.”

Knock knock, knock.

“Excuse me! A letter has arrived from the winged fairy!”

Along with the sound of knocking, came the voice of a guard.

Chancellor Kelve opened the door and received the letter.

After briefly scanning it, he said,

“It’s from Thor-sama. It appears to have been written after the previous report.”

Saying so, Kelve handed the letter to Demon lord Rukie.

“It seems the winged fairy accompanied them as far as the eastern fortress.”

“Indeed. She said she disguised herself as an owl using the ‘Role-Playing Pajamas’ and followed them from a distance.”

“However, there’s a note from Thor-sama. ‘The winged fairy Pixie doesn’t want to go anywhere crowded with Imperial people, so we’ll act separately. Therefore, the next report may be slightly delayed,’ he wrote.”

“Thor and his group are pursuing the magic beast into the interior of the Empire. For a shy winged fairy, that journey would likely be too much.”

Demon lord Rukie unfolded the letter he had received.

“What’s written here are the results of using the ‘cleaning robot’ and… a thank-you to Kelve. It says the spherical ‘cleaning robot’ was a great success.”

“…I have mixed feelings about that.”

“And… Thor is requesting permission to create a magic item.”

“Even though Erte is in the Reisenga Territory? Why would he go out of his way to seek permission from Your Majesty and me…?”

“Wait, wait… hmm.”

He slowly read through the letter, then Demon lord Rukie looked up.

“…I see. It seems Thor recovered a strange item from the fortress where the new type of magic beast was found. The item itself was handed over to the Imperial unit commander as evidence, but he made a copy. The item is… what? ‘A metal plate engraved with a summoning magic circle and spell’!?”

“Thor-sama obtained information about summoning magic!?”

Chancellor Kelve’s body began to tremble.

“No… even Thor-sama wouldn’t perform an experiment with summoning magic. There’s no way he would summon a magic beast and cause harm to the Demon lord’s domain. If that’s the case, then what in the world is he—”

“He apparently wants to adapt summoning magic to create an item for everyday household use.”

“An item for household use?”

“According to Thor’s hypothesis, ‘summoning magic has the ability to draw something from afar.’ If that can be adapted, it might be possible to create a convenient item anyone can use, so he’s requesting permission.”

“……”

“The reason he’s seeking permission from us instead of Erte must be because it involves summoning magic. Since it’s a significant type of magic, he seems to be showing consideration.”

“…I-I see.”

“I think… it’s fine to permit it. Kelve, what do you think?”

Demon lord Rukie handed the letter to Chancellor Kelve.

Kelve gazed at it carefully, then let out a long, long sigh.

Then, scratching at his blue hair roughly, he said,

“…Let’s meet with Thor-sama directly and speak with him.”

After a moment, Chancellor Kelve spoke again.

“First, I need to see the copy of the ‘summoning magic metal plate’ with my own eyes before I can say anything. We should assess its safety and then decide. I doubt Thor-sama will feel at ease if we delay it, so let’s have him prepare a prototype in the meantime.”

“Understood. I’ll inform Thor to return by the festival.”

Rukie took parchment and ink from the writing desk beside the throne.

After jotting down the necessary details, she handed it to Kelve.

“Kelve, use this to compose the letter and send it to Thor.”

“Understood.”

Chancellor Kelve accepted the handwritten parchment from the Demon lord with both hands.

“Still… what kind of household item could be made by adapting summoning magic?”

“I can’t even guess.”

“Agreed. We’ll have to wait until Thor-sama returns. We should have him attend the party as well and recognize his achievements before everyone.”

“Indeed. By the way, did you read the entire letter?”

“Y-Yes. The parts written by Thor-sama.”

“What about the message from the winged fairy Pixie in the corner?”

“From the winged fairy? No, I hadn’t noticed…”

“She wrote asking if she could have a piece of a broken pillar she found in the castle hall.”

“…What?”

Chancellor Kelve’s eyes widened.

What came to his mind was the time when they were brainstorming the design for the “cleaning robot.”

At that time, in his eagerness to come up with ideas, he had accidentally damaged part of the castle structure—

“It seems Thor made a request. He said, ‘If you find anything that inspires you from the winged fairies, please bring it back.'”

“…Wha—wha, wha-wha-wha-wha-wha!?”

“And so, it appears the winged fairy set her sights on a fragment of a pillar that had fallen onto the floor of the hall. It does have a very interesting shape. It might serve as a hint for Thor’s magic item crafting, so she asked if she could take it—hm? Kelve, where are you rushing off to in such a panic?”

“Excuse me, Your Majesty!”

The chancellor Kelve bowed to Demon lord Rukie and dashed out of the throne room.

“Th-Thorrrr! Please, I implore you—stop using me as a clue for your magic item development every single time!”

With that desperate cry, the sound of Chancellor Kelve’s footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

“…Kelve really doesn’t handle Thor well, does he?”

Muttering this, Demon lord Rukie let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She had just remembered what she said to the elven unit commander a few minutes earlier.

(…It seems no one noticed.)

Removing her mask, Demon lord Rukie touched her cheek.

She could feel the heat rising in it.

Just a while ago, she had said something like this to the elven unit commander:

‘It seems I’ll be spending a long time with him. I don’t want to do anything shameful in front of Thor Canaan, and I don’t want to do anything that would wound his pride.’

—She had said that.

At that moment, she had been imagining a far-off future.

A scene years later, where she was by Thor’s side—spending gentle, peaceful times together.

And whether or not, in that moment, there would be any feelings of guilt or shame toward him in her heart.

(…I ended up blurting it out.)

Rukie silently scolded herself and steeled her resolve.

That was not something she should have said in front of everyone.

If it were just Kelve or the unit commanders, it might still be fine. But if it had been Mabel or Agnis, they might have instantly picked up on the deeper meaning behind her words.

Of course, it wasn’t a lie that they weren’t going to intervene in the Empire’s civil conflict.

That was a fundamental policy of the Demon lord’s Domain.

If they interfered without understanding the circumstances, the nation could suffer damage so severe it might collapse.

(Still… there was no need to bring up Thor. Yes.)

Lately, even when she’s in her Demon lord mode, her true feelings have been slipping out more easily.

She must be careful—thinking that, Rukie’s mind drifted to the upcoming victory party.

The party would likely be a lively, uninhibited affair.

She, Thor, Mabel, and Agnis should all be able to speak freely and without reserve.

At that time, she would talk about many things.

About the magical beast investigation, about Thor’s magic items—about just how deeply she had been worrying over Thor—about everything.

(That ‘magic item utilizing summoning magic’ he spoke of is also something I’m very curious about.)

With those thoughts, Demon lord Rukie rose from her throne.

Today’s schedule was complete.

Before returning to her own chambers, she considered visiting Thor’s room—perhaps to practice brewing tea in his empty room—such thoughts gently crossed her mind.

And so, with the magical beast investigation on the borderlands having reached a conclusion—

A party was set to be held in the Demon lord’s Domain to commemorate the disappearance of the magical beast threat.

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