223. The End of the Journey

Our destination was the Demon King's Castle.

It might sound like the journey of a hero, but unfortunately, it was the Demon King's group.

I suppose one might think, "What kind of terrible game is this? A Demon King flying out of the castle to encounter us?"

Stay in the Demon King's Castle!

If the Demon King isn't there, isn't that a name fraud?

And why would the Demon King leave the castle not to defeat the hero, but to defeat me?

Thinking about this, I felt a vague irritation, so I lightly struck the Demon King.

The Demon King, eyes watering, clutched his head, face in a???? expression.

The reason I began this conversation was because we had arrived at the Demon King's Castle.

That is, it marked the end of this journey.

The Demon King's Castle was quite large.

The atmosphere bore no resemblance to that of a typical national RPG’s final dungeon. Rather, it resembled a castle in a dream world ruled by mice.

Naturally, the castle did not abruptly appear before us. Instead, a town sprawled around it.

In fact, from the outside, only the town was visible.

Without activating the千里眼, the castle’s existence itself could not be perceived.

The town was that vast.

Among all the towns I had seen on this journey, it was by far the largest.

Merely wandering through the town could consume days.

Even after entering the town, we continued on foot.

Despite the Demon King’s triumphant return, no townspeople noticed.

No welcome party arrived.

Perhaps the Demon King was not admired by his subordinates?

After all, one who vanished without trace would not be searched for.

No signs of a “missing Demon King” were posted even after entering the Demon Clan’s territory.

I gave the Demon King a look of pity—only to be met with a blank,???-state expression in return.

We continued walking through the town, finally reaching the Demon Castle.

Yet the Demon King did not head toward the castle. Instead, he proceeded to a large mansion nearby.

He spoke to the gatekeeper and was granted entry.

“Only a few people know I’m the Demon King. If I went straight to the castle, I’d be turned away at the gate.”

That was the explanation.

A Demon King unable to enter the Demon Castle—how was this possible?

The mansion we visited was the main residence of a powerful demon noble. The few individuals who knew the Demon King’s true identity were said to reside here.

It was also mentioned that the Demon King had once lived in this mansion before coming to me. The staff of the mansion were aware of his identity.

Once inside, we were each assigned a guest chamber for the time being.

The master of the mansion is said to normally reside within the Demon Lord’s castle and rarely returns.

Currently, a messenger has been dispatched to inform the Demon Lord of his arrival. However, he is reportedly busy, and no one knows when he might return.

With time on our hands, we will discuss the next steps with the Demon Lord.

The Vampire Child will be enrolled in the demon race’s academy.

The demon race has an academy where education is provided.

It is not significantly different from human society.

In fact, the demon race differs from humans only slightly.

A longer lifespan and slightly stronger stats.

The longer lifespan results in lower reproduction rates, so their numbers are fewer than those of humans, but that is the extent of the difference.

The Vampire Child will attend an elite school attended by noble-born demons.

Well, the Vampire Child should be able to keep up, given their current state.

From the Demon King’s perspective, it seems he intends to prepare the Vampire Child through education and networking for the future.

If the fragmented body remains attached, reckless actions should not occur frequently. It would be better for the Vampire Child to attend the academy, broaden their experience, rather than remain isolated with us.

I had no objections.

The issue lies with Mel.

Honestly, I do not care, but I cannot allow Mel to remain near the Vampire Child in this state.

It is not impossible, but the Demon King believes doing so would not benefit either party.

Mutual dependency, perhaps.

Mel finds purpose in protecting the Vampire Child as a substitute for what was lost.

The Vampire Child trusts Mel blindly, as he is the last connection to their former self.

That relationship is acceptable as-is. But if one party is absent, the other may not survive the loss.

The demon lord believes future danger lies in failing to separate and independently develop each individual.

I lack personal experience with such dependency, so the concept remains abstract.

Thus, Melia has been designated as a subordinate to be taken by the demon lord.

The demon lord will begin active demon lord duties shortly.

First, to organize the demon race's military forces.

To initiate war with the human race.

Likely to become a conflict on a scale unseen in history.

Implies a correspondingly high death toll.

That is the demon lord's objective.

Frankly, the demon lord would be stronger acting alone.

But without pitting both armies against each other, the conflict cannot sustain itself.

Worst case: the demon lord's overwhelming strength could force humans and demons to unite—though such a scenario is unlikely.

Regardless of inner thoughts, survival becomes unavoidable when existence is at risk.

The reason I am obedient to D is the same as well.

If humans and demons were to unite in this manner, the gap long built between the two races might finally be bridged.

The moment peace arrives, the sight will be unbearable.

It must not be allowed to become a conflict between humans and demons.

Troublesome, but that is the rule in this world.

Perhaps that will prove futile as well.

I have concluded my journey of wandering and eating. It is time to begin moving with purpose.

Preparations are proceeding smoothly.

The fragments scattered across various regions during the journey have performed their duties well.

I’m not just walking around eating.

Deploying subsidiary bodies at strategic locations has enabled information gathering across a significantly broadened area, encompassing both human and demon territories.

To observe this world with my own eyes.

The demon lord's war will begin at a later time.

In the meantime, I will observe the world and complete preparations.

Preparations to dismantle the world.