Chapter 27: Great Demon King – 5

Demon Lord Adolf Gearmann.

He was certain that his decision was the right one.

Of course, some would curse him.

Some might see his actions as nothing more than the tyranny of an old man obsessed with power.

But still, Adolf was resolute.

He knew that his actions were for the sake of the country.

He was certain that Kesar would eventually become an enemy of this nation, and a threat to the Great Demon King.

“Die!”

With that conviction, Adolf swung his sword.

The powerful strike, infused with the might of a Demon Lord, surged toward the traitor’s heart.

It was done.

With this, he would remove the threat, and the Great Demon King’s reign would remain secure.

Even if he was cursed for it, those who truly understood would recognize his loyalty.

And then.

“GAAHHHHH!!”

A scream pierced the air, but it didn’t come from Kesar.

No, the sound came from Adolf himself.

Feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder, Adolf instinctively turned around.

What he saw.

“This… this filthy human bitch! How dare you!”

Adolf’s voice, dripping with hatred, echoed as he turned to face the source of his pain.

And there, standing with a cold gaze and a staff raised, was the human woman.

Mari.

Around her, crimson flames began to spiral.

Two trails of fire coiled and writhed like snakes sensing their prey.

The flames slowly circled Adolf, closing in on his wounded form.

And then.

Hwaaaak!!

With the sound of wind burning, the flames shot out toward him.

Adolf swung his sword in response, aiming to deflect the oncoming fiery strikes.

Though he had weakened with age, he was still a Demon Lord.

Such magic could never harm him…

“Hmph!”

BOOM!!!

The collision between his mana-infused sword and the flames triggered an explosive blast.

The explosion’s force far exceeded his expectations, sending him tumbling to the ground in confusion.

‘W-What is this…? How could a human woman possess such power…?’

The unexpected strength of his opponent shook him to the core.

The fact that a mere human woman had the ability to potentially kill him was a shock he hadn’t prepared for.

But even so, Adolf refused to entertain thoughts of defeat.

BOOM!!!

The two lines of flame relentlessly pursued him.

Every time they made contact, explosions erupted, but they weren’t enough to break through his defenses and deliver a fatal blow.

The first strike had caught him off guard, leaving him with significant damage, but now that he understood how the attack worked, he was able to brace himself.

Though his opponent’s strength was unexpected, it became clear with time that she was still beneath him in power.

With enough time left before reinforcements arrived, he believed it was entirely possible to kill the human witch and Kesar.

“I’ll give you credit, human. You’ve managed to push me this far, but it ends here!”

Slash!!!

Adolf swung his sword, infused with black mana, slicing through one of the fire trails and dispelling it.

Seeing the opening, he immediately closed the distance between them, heading straight for Mari.

“Tch…”

In a desperate attempt to block the incoming attack, Mari quickly conjured a magic barrier.

However.

“Not a chance!”

With a single swing of his sword, Adolf shattered the barrier into pieces.

Mari, who had believed she could at least block the strike, frowned as she watched her defense crumble hopelessly.

But then.

…Heh.

A smile suddenly appeared on Mari’s lips.

Adolf, confused and unable to understand the meaning behind her expression, felt a brief moment of doubt.

And in that instant.

“Gghhh!!!”

An excruciating pain shot through his chest.

Starting from his back, the pain quickly became unbearable, piercing his heart.

Adolf coughed up blood as he struggled to look down at the source of the agony.

A massive chunk of ice, stained with blood, had impaled his spine and pierced through his heart.

Adolf, unable to hold himself up any longer, collapsed onto the ground.

But as he lay there, struggling to breathe, his vision blurred.

And what came into view was a figure slowly walking out from behind Mari.

It was…

A demon witch.

“You… you filthy… bitch… How dare you… How dare you do this…”

Adolf spat out words filled with hatred, glaring at the woman he had never seen before.

At that moment.

The witch lowered her stance and spoke in a cold, unwavering voice.

“This is what I want to say… How dare you cause such a ruckus at my banquet.”

The voice was unmistakable.

It was a voice Adolf knew well.

“!… No… N-No… Your Majesty…?”

Mari’s voice rang out clearly—

“You defied my orders and schemed against me. And in the world, that’s called… treason.”

“! N-No… I… I did this for the Empress… for you…”

“Silence. You filthy traitor.”

“Of…of…”

The pain of having his heart pierced was nothing compared to the anguish of hearing the words of the Great Demon King.

The truth that he had long hoped someone would recognize—only to be denied by that very person was more crushing than any death.

For Adolf, in his dying moments, the despair was far worse than death itself.

The banquet hall had descended into chaos following the unexpected attack.

The festivities had been ruined due to the injuries Mari and Flantsu sustained.

Luckily, there were no casualties beyond Adolf and his followers.

However, even though the official event had ended, we were now stuck in Pandemonica for an indefinite period.

“Ugh… I can’t believe I’m stuck here again, of all ways… how unlucky…”

“It can’t be helped. No matter how you look at it, one of the Four Great Demon Lords is gone. It’s like when the Empire loses one of its great heroes—we’ll need to clean up the aftermath.”

Though our injuries had been healed quickly with magic, the real issue was Adolf’s death.

It wasn’t just that he had tried to kill me, another member of the Four Great Demon Lords; it was the fact that he had drawn his sword in the Great Demon King’s banquet that branded him a traitor.

All his titles and honors had been stripped away, and even now, his body was hanging in the public square.

In any case, the death of one of the Four Great Demon Lords meant that the vacant position had to be filled.

And the authority to do so lay with the Great Demon King, myself, and the remaining two Demon Lords.

This meant we couldn’t leave until a new Demon Lord was selected.

“I heard the messenger for summoning the other two Demon Lords has already left. They should arrive within three days at the latest.”

“Ugh… That’s not the problem, is it? It took us three months to elect a new Demon Lord last time. It’s probably going to go the same way again… how unlucky…”

“Look on the bright side. Poltuga, you’re still part of the Demon Army, aren’t you? You’ll get used to the high society culture and the atmosphere of Pandemonica in no time.”

“Ugh…”

Poltuga made a face that clearly expressed her distaste for the idea.

Sighing quietly, Flantsu glanced at me, then smiled again with renewed energy.

“Since we’re on this topic, I’d like to ask something. Lord Kesar, who would you prefer as the next Demon King?~” Flantsu asks directly, not even bothering to be subtle about probing his thoughts.

In response, I share my long-held opinion without filtering: “You.”

“…What?”

“I think you would make a good next Demon King.”

“My~ Does this mean… you’re finally accepting my love…”

“That’s a separate matter. I purely think you’re the most suitable candidate for the position of Demon King.”

“Oh come on~ Just say you like me for who I am. Why are you being so shy~♥”

Flantsu, clearly delighted, starts nuzzling me with her ample breast.

While admiring a large bosom is nice, and touching it is also ni… no, that’s not the point…

Even without any romantic feelings for her, I would have supported Flantsu regardless of the circumstances.

After all, wasn’t she one of the Four Great Demon Lords in the original timeline?

Though she was caught off guard in the recent assassination attempt due to the combination of a surprise attack + being unarmed + the assassin having the perfect counter to her abilities, her actual combat prowess at this point could rival even Adolf Gearmann’s, despite his decline with age.

With her family’s substantial backing, there would likely be little opposition to her becoming the Demon King.

Moreover, as my close associate with obvious overflowing affection towards me, having Flantsu as Demon King would be beneficial for future endeavors.

This had absolutely nothing to do with the incredible sensation of her breast that I could still feel.

Absolutely not.

“The next Demon King…”

Deep within the castle, Great Demon King Kaya sat alone, contemplating this matter seriously.

For the position of Demon King, which is chosen by vote, each of the Four Great Demon Lords gets one vote, while she, as the Great Demon King, gets two votes.

And now… as she considered the direction of this matter, one person’s image appeared in her mind.

“It wouldn’t be a bad gift for a friend.”