The knight’s oath must be fulfilled.
I did not wish for the empire’s downfall or the annihilation of humanity.
“Helping me get out of here will be enough.”
Igdras let out a breath, seemingly surprised.
If I had been just a little closer, the force would have scorched my bones.
The emperor you served must have betrayed you; is that truly enough?
…I will bury that. I too, as a knight, serve two masters.”
The vassal relationship with Rupia was formed through the ‘contract’ sold by the black cat merchant, but I had no intention of denying it.
Igdras glanced down at Rupia, who was as small as his toe.
Is this insignificant demon lord your master?
I intentionally did not answer, to show both denial and affirmation at the same time.
It wasn’t insignificant, but she was indeed his master.
Whatever it is, it’s fine. I, Igdras, will fulfill the oath I made to Knight Kan.
At the same time as his dragon speech, Igdras swung his front paw, shattering the horn he had made, ‘The Dragon’s Oath.’
With just a small piece of his horn cut off, receiving such powerful help from a dragon made me have no regrets about risking my life 800 years ago.
I pulled Rupia into my arms and sat on Igdras’ huge back.
That was when Kyleen charged forward, sword raised.
“Wait!”
At the courage of this unimaginable person, Igdras let out a breath, mocking her.
Swept by the hot wind, Kyleen dared not come any closer and retreated.
She glared at me, holding her sword tightly.
Her murky eyes were filled with confusion.
“…Who are you?”
It was a question with no reason to answer.
If it’s this person, as she said earlier, she would eventually find me no matter what.
“Let’s go.”
With my brief command, Igdras stamped his hind foot. With a roar, the earth split open and dust soared like a storm.
His enormous wings tore through the air as his fortress-like body soared into the sky.
The knights and Kyleen left behind on the ground collapsed helplessly like chess pieces.
Kyleen, the only one standing, kept glaring at me until the moment she became a dot.
“Wow…”
Rupia, from my bony arms, let out an amazed sigh as she seemed to relax a bit.
The world seen from the dragon’s back unfolded like a divine painting.
Under the curtain of clouds, the mountain range stretching endlessly boasted a heavy green as if wrapped in silk.
The forest swayed in the wind, forming waves of green, and the small villages scattered around sparkled like stars.
Among them, the winding river glittered, shining in the sunlight.
Little demon lord, what is your name?
At Igdras’ sudden question, Rupia was startled and, at the same time, grew angry.
“Rupia Hon Derbil Balotus, descendant of the demon lord Balotus… but more importantly, I am not a little kid…!”
Balotus, of the Rovallac clan.
“Do, do you know my father…!?”
I’ve lived nearly a thousand years, of course I know. I was quite surprised when I heard that Rovallac’s dungeon had fallen and he had died. It wouldn’t be strange for the only daughter to die at any time.
Rupia lowered her head gloomily without answering.
Since I knew nothing about this past, I had no choice but to remain silent.
You’re still playing the demon lord act in that crumbled dungeon? Rovallac would be sad to know.
Rupia clenched her tiny fists and shouted.
“I will definitely rebuild the dungeon! Unlike before, I now have a general!”
As she said that, she turned her head slightly and looked up at me.
With a desperate look in her eyes, I gave her the answer she wanted.
“Of course, my lord. I will be with you.”
“Just as expected…! Th, thank you, General…!”
Rupia tightly hugged my bony frame, closing her teary eyes.
Igdras said no more.
In the distance, the dungeon began to come into view.
Balotus’ dungeon.
Lauro muttered irritably, wearing a sharp expression like an angry cat.
“…Why do I have to be here doing this?”
The dungeon was small, insignificant, dirty, and had no entertainment at all.
Normally, she should be locked up in her room, fully engrossed in ‘evolution’ research by now.
But due to the Death Knight, Kan, threatening with the Evil Eye, Lauro ended up stuck guarding the dungeon.
“…I wish it would all just collapse in the human world.”
Though it’s called a dungeon, it was essentially just a big cave.
The goblins still pretended to work, clanging away with their tools, but they spent more time idling. The slow dungeon expansion was because of this.
As soon as Kan disappeared, Lauro lost all motivation. She handled the goblins’ reports carelessly, passing the time.
“Do it yourself. Do it yourself.”
“Keruk.”
The goblins, as if they had been waiting for this, tossed aside their hammers and pickaxes and began to play.
Just as Lauro was thinking of taking a nap, leaning against a wide stone chair.
“Ex-excuse me!”
“Yeah?”
A shabby beastkin approached.
Looking closely, it was a wolf.
For a beastkin, it was strange to see her holding a practice sword, as if she were learning to fight.
“Th-th-that’s Lord Demon King’s seat…”
Rain timidly barked.
Lauro turned her head and, without hesitation, flicked her finger, dropping a black lightning bolt.
Bang!
“Yip!”
Rain tucked her tail between her legs and hurriedly ran away.
Once the nuisance was gone, Lauro leaned back with a satisfied expression.
“Seriously, these dog-like creatures are always telling me what to do. Do they even know who I am… Hmph.”
Of the dog and the bones, the dog hid behind the wall and shouted in a voice barely audible.
“When General Kan comes back, I’ll tell him everything! You didn’t do your job properly! You were just playing around!”
“That’s really…”
Lauro used magic to instantly appear in front of Rain.
“Eeek!”
Startled, Rain sat down on the ground, covering her face with her tail, preparing for the coming violence.
But no matter how long she waited, the lightning never struck. When she cautiously opened her eyes, she saw Lauro with her silver hair buried in the ground.
“…I’m sorry about earlier. What can I do to be forgiven?”
Rain blinked.
To think that the number one S-rank monster registered at the monster exchange was bowing before someone who wasn’t even registered.
Moreover, she was a noble monster, a young lady of the Reaper family.
What on earth had General Kan done to make the proud Lauro act like this?
“Th-then…”
Rain fidgeted with her fingers and cautiously spoke.
“I’m in the process of crafting a Mana Heart. Would you be able to help me just a little…?”
Lauro sighed lightly while still lying down.
She gathered magic at her fingertips, creating black soot, and began drawing a magic circle with it.
It was the same magic she had used when she transformed a rankless slime into an A-rank monster.
“Step onto the magic circle.”
Rain’s rank was D.
The lower the rank, the less magical energy is required. She would likely be able to raise her to C-rank.
She had raised the slime to A-rank, but that was possible because it was a one-time deadly weapon.
Rain, being a sentient entity made of five stars, required a significant cost.
Gasp! Huh!?
As Lauro infused magic into the circle, Rain trembled violently as if shocked.
Exhausted from using her magic, Lauro squinted slightly and said calmly.
“Evolution is always painful. Just endure it.”
The torturous ritual continued, and finally, the crackling thunder subsided as Rain collapsed.
Lauro, also feeling a bit dizzy, staggered slightly.
Rain, lying on the ground, noticed a significant change near her heart.
“Huh… Is this…?”
Feeling the flow of mana from her heart to her fingertips, Rain exclaimed.
“I can… I can feel the mana! I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I tried…! You’re amazing, Lauro!”
Rain’s tail wagged energetically in joy.
This was also an unexpected result for Lauro.
After a brief moment of surprise, she swept her silver hair aside and maintained a composed expression.
…To skip C-rank and go straight to B-rank.’
Either Rain had exceptional talent, or she herself was incredibly powerful.
It was probably the latter. Definitely.
‘I’m amazing, after all. Yes.’
As she watched Rain, now reborn, Lauro reminded herself of her greatness once again.
Enhancing monsters with magic was a power only the Demon King possessed.
As a mere monster, she had reached that realm.
‘Just wait, I will become a being even greater than the Demon King.’
Losing to Kan was nothing but a coincidence caused by carelessness. She had underestimated her opponent too much.
Once the contract was over and the Evil Eye’s memory was erased, she would fight him again.
‘That time, I will repay the humiliation I suffered a hundredfold and show my might as the strongest monster…’
At that moment, Lauro’s detection magic, set outside the dungeon, began to vibrate.
Her previously solemn face instantly turned to stone.
“Hah.”
Kan had returned.
Lauro nearly fell off her throne in shock and shouted toward the slack goblins.
“That guy—No, no, General Kan has returned! Stop playing around, you idiots!!”
“Keheh?! Keruk, Keruk!!”
The goblins screamed and scrambled around.
They grabbed hammers instead of pickaxes, constantly bumping into each other and falling over, but finally, they got to work with frantic noises.
Lauro ran toward the dungeon entrance, forcing a smile and raising her hands politely.
“Welcome, General, My Lord Demon King.”
At the same time, she clenched her teeth and made a vow inwardly. She would repay this humiliation someday.
But her vow soon froze.
It wasn’t Kan who appeared, but a massive silhouette.
…?
Lauro rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked up again to confirm.
A massive body like a small mountain range, wings vast enough to block out the sky, a threatening tail that seemed to split the earth, and claws that shone as lethally as divine weapons.
On top of the dragon, known as the king of all monsters, Kan sat proudly as though it were his rightful place.