201 The Demon King and the Queen

The passage connecting the upper and middle levels of the Elro Great Labyrinth.

There, I waited.

My current vessel, designated as Queen-attendant, had grown considerably.

Appearance-wise, nearly indistinguishable from the original Queen.

Consequently, the passage—normally spacious—felt cramped.

As I thought this, my expected visitor arrived.

"Hello."

The Demon King greeted lightly.

The original body had transmitted: "Demon King approaching—flee immediately." Yet I judged it necessary to meet this Demon King once and attempt dialogue.

And indeed, the Demon King who arrived now greeted with an ease entirely unlike our previous encounter.

Last time, I had been killed without question. The contrast was stark.

Ah.

Forgot.

I cannot speak.

Ah, right—communication with the original body is possible through the soul conduit, like mental transmission. I’d forgotten.

I felt calmer after merging with the Queen, but apparently I still can’t stop being careless.

‘Ah, right. If it’s not telepathy, we can’t communicate through words. Sorry, sorry.’

The Demon King speaks, as if reading my thoughts.

Did the Demon King have telepathy?

Never mind.

It’s convenient for me too, if I can speak telepathically.

‘So, which one are you right now?’

I’m aware the connection with the Demon King’s vessel has been severed from our side.

That means the Demon King’s vessel lost the contest for soul dominance, and as a result, the Demon King gained control of consciousness.

That’s the logical conclusion.

Yet the presence I sense from the Demon King lately… feels more like the Demon King’s vessel.

Seeing the physical form, I couldn’t determine whether the Demon King had won, or the vessel had.

‘It’s both. That’s probably the closest answer.’

What do you mean?

That’s exactly what it means. I feel like Ariel has stronger consciousness, but I’m also aware of myself as the Demon King. So, it’s a state of merging, of becoming one.

Seriously?

The Demon King Ariel merged with the original vessel?

No, I expected something like this.

Not completely out of nowhere. I’d considered this possibility.

But seeing it in person...

So, the Demon King became a sorry one.

That’s harsh, isn’t it?

It is, objectively.

Where did the charisma from our last meeting go?

Ah, thinking about it—this whole situation is odd. I’m talking to someone normally like this.

Now that I think about it, I can’t see them as just another person anymore.

So, what now? If you’re planning to fight the original body, you should reconsider. That one’s currently working hard on becoming invincible.

What kind of terrifying work is that?

'Producing eggs en masse, generating evacuation sites.'

'Ah. That’s why it calmly revived after being slain before.'

'Ah, shoot.'

Did the Demon King not know this information?

Shoot.

'Ah, it’s fine. I have no intention of opposing you anymore.'

'Oh? Well, that’s good then.'

Safe.

Well, even if I knew, it’d be nearly impossible to deal with all the eggs now.

'Yeah. It’d probably be better to cooperate than fight.'

The Demon King smiles.

A deep, chilling anger lingers beneath that smile.

This is the Demon King, after all.

'I see. Well, it’s not so bad. The main body likely realizes it needs to do something about the world too.'

'Right? Gurye lacks interference rights, so she doesn’t seem to notice. But soon, the world will collapse. That must be avoided at all costs.'

Right. Well, the main body did seem to annihilate a significant force, so we might have gained some leeway.

What’s that? Tell me the details.

This and that.

The main body’s account of entering war and committing mass slaughter.

Good work.

Are you sure about that? You do worship the religion that reveres you and your master, after all.

It’s fine. Those people lost sight of essence entirely. The Church of Divine Word is still more coherent.

Is that so?

It is. The Pope of the Church of Divine Word has Taboo Constellation.

Seriously?

Seriously. So we can’t call them allies, but they do agree with our general stance. They prioritize human survival, though. So we’ll likely never reach consensus on final objectives.

‘Huh? That tone makes it sound like you don’t mind if humanity is wiped out?’

‘Fine.’

‘Fine? You realize your master would be distressed if that happened?’

‘I’ve accepted that. I’ve changed a lot since merging with you. My thinking has shifted.’

‘Ah… I don’t know if that’s good or not.’

The main body’s actions, from a demon lord’s perspective, appear acceptable.

In fact, commendable.

‘So, I’d like to meet the main body in person—peace and joint operation, if you’re willing?’

‘Yeah, sure. Just wait a moment. Let me check…’

Huh?

Wait—no, seriously?

‘Huh? What’s wrong?’

Ah… seriously?

The main body’s finally doing it.

Or rather—this is unexpected.

‘Sorry. I’m disappearing.’

‘Huh?’

No time for explanation.

It seems I’m being absorbed into the main body as part of its deification process.

If the other Queens are the same, it should be similar.

Ah…

Well, I’m not dying. Just returning to the original sheath. But my existence as Sophia will cease.

I don’t know what will happen to this body. If the soul is withdrawn, does that constitute death?

The Demon King is disconnected now. He should be safe.

I could’ve guided you to the main body via transfer, if time permitted.

Sorry. You’ll have to find it yourself.

I’ll handle the rest when you arrive.

And then I was pulled toward the main body, wrenched from the Queen’s form.