“…What?”
I was left momentarily speechless as a completely unexpected name was mentioned.
Mari?
Why is she being brought up here?
If the Great Demon King, who had been keeping an eye on me alongside Adolf, had pushed for Feglerai, recommended by Alexander, I wouldn’t have been this shocked.
This reaction wasn’t just mine—other Demon Lords were just as surprised.
“Your… Your Majesty? Could it be that you mean that human witch, Mari?”
“This… This cannot be! How can we possibly make a human witch the Demon King?”
Since the vote was anonymous, it was proper not to mention who voted for whom, but the Demon Lords had completely lost their composure in this situation.
And then,
The Great Demon King addressed the confused Demon Lords in a calm voice.
“What is it that cannot be done? Was there some issue with the process of selecting the new Demon King? As far as I can see, there are no procedural issues at all.”
“W-Well, yes, that’s true…”
“That’s not the issue, is it? Your Majesty! She’s a human! How can a non-demon become the Demon King? Please, reconsider!”
“Once a decision has been made, it cannot be undone. This country’s tradition has lasted for hundreds of years and is law. Breaking it would shake the very foundation of this nation. Do you truly wish for that?”
“Tch…”
“B-But…”
“Furthermore, if she undergoes the ceremony to become Demon King, she will no longer be human. There’s no reason to object to that.”
With those words, Charlemagne and Alexander were silenced.
The Great Demon King then turned toward me, who had been silent all this time.
“What about you, Kesar? Do you have any objections to this?”
“…I…”
I was taken aback by the unexpected situation.
Honestly, with Mari’s abilities, I think she might actually do quite well as Demon King.
As a powerful sorceress, she possesses immense strength, and as the former head of the Magic Tower, she also knows how to manage an organization.
In terms of abilities, there was nothing to criticize, except for the fact that she was human.
Furthermore, considering the ceremony to become Demon King, any racial risks would inevitably be mitigated.
Above all, if Mari became the Demon King, this was a result I couldn’t complain about, especially since I had intended to place my own person in the position of Demon King.
The fact that this was the Great Demon King’s decision and not mine significantly reduced any political burden as well.
‘Since selecting Flantsu is off the table anyway…’
There was no loss here, only gain.
After completing my calculations, I lowered my head toward the Great Demon King and spoke.
“I… I support Your Majesty’s decision.”
“Then it is decided.”
With those brief words from the Great Demon King, the selection of the new Demon King was finalized.
“…What? Me?”
“W-Wait… Kesar, what exactly is going on…?”
The news of Mari’s selection as Demon King left everyone, including Mari herself, stunned.
Of course, I was just as surprised.
A human Demon King?
It was a contradiction in itself, like a machine-cold bowl of cold noodles chosen by hand.
But this had been decided and sealed with the Great Demon King’s royal seal.
Now, with all the other Demon Lords agreeing without a word of protest, no one dared oppose it.
“Um… well… congratulations, Demon King…?”
“Ah… th-thank you…”
Poltuga awkwardly congratulated Mari, who responded stiffly.
At that moment, Flantsu carefully tugged at my sleeve.
“…What in the world is going on?”
“I don’t know. I knew the Great Demon King had a tendency to act on his own, but I never expected this…”
“…So what you’re saying is… Kesar, you didn’t orchestrate this?”
“Why would I do that? As I said before, I recommended you for Demon King. The Great Demon King is the one who turned things upside down.”
“…I understand. In that case… it doesn’t matter.”
“?”
Flantsu gave a somewhat relieved expression.
I had expected her to be disappointed, as the opportunity she had been waiting for was slipping away, but to my surprise, she seemed unusually calm.
This left me with a sense of doubt.
Anyway, what mattered now was that Mari was about to become the Demon King.
There was no room for change now, and even if she didn’t like it, there was nothing we could do…
“If she becomes the Demon King, she’ll surely crush those filthy humans, right? That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
She actually seemed pleased…
Wait, does this even make sense?
Could this whole situation be because of me?
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other plausible explanation.
Mari, the noble hero who fought until the end for humanity, was now becoming a Demon King who longed for humanity’s complete destruction.
It was ironic, and as the one who had set this all in motion, it left me with an odd sense of guilt.
“Anyway, I’ve long since stopped fearing humans. It’s actually for the best. Heh… just wait, humanity… I’ll make you pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold for the pain I’ve endured…”
“Humans… must be killed… to eliminate this misery…”
“Now that I’m Demon King, make sure to wipe them out completely. Erase those filthy humans from the surface of the earth.”
…Does it really matter?
After all, I’m the Demon King…
And everyone around me is a demon.
Since this is how things are, it would be nice if she fully embraced this side of things.
More than anything, becoming the Demon King means inheriting not just the position but also the power.
Once the ceremony imbues her with the Demon King’s power, she’ll essentially become half-demon, and any lingering possibility of her betraying us will be completely erased.
As long as I could stay with Mari, whether she fell or changed, it didn’t matter much to me.
I came to that conclusion.
With that in mind, I looked at Mari in a completely different way from before and quietly thought to myself.
‘…I’m looking forward to it… Mari’s transformed appearance…’
Becoming the Demon King is not just about receiving a title.
Through a specific ritual, one absorbs the essence of the Demon King, gaining far more powerful magic as a result.
Along with this, physical changes are inevitable.
For me, it was just a slight increase in the length of my horns, but for middle-aged demons, it can rejuvenate them to their prime in their 30s, and female demons tend to become more attractive in various ways.
However, for those like Adolf, who have aged for a long time, these effects wear off over time, but that’s a concern for much later.
Considering that, if Mari receives the essence of the Demon King now…
‘She’s already pretty nice, but will she get even more beautiful?’
No… maybe she’ll turn into one of those seductive, somewhat lecherous teacher types.
In the end, this could be considered a form of corruption.
With that mixture of concern and expectation,
I silently watched the ritual unfolding before my eyes.
Mari, kneeling before the altar, had a calm expression, even in such a tense situation.
She didn’t seem to have any lingering regrets or resistance.
What I felt from her was a sense of lightness.
And a strange joy.
Could it be that her desire for revenge against humans was that great?
Or perhaps it was simply the fact that she could grow stronger?
I couldn’t be sure of her feelings at this moment, but I silently watched as she was enveloped in black magic.
Becoming the Demon King.
Just a few months ago, this was a situation that Mari couldn’t have imagined.
Back then, she was foolishly devoted to humanity, blindly giving everything for their sake.
But now, the thought of becoming the Demon King didn’t faze her at all.
In fact, she welcomed it.
‘With this… I’ll be the same as him…’
The person she had started to harbor feelings for.
Until now, even though she was aware of these feelings, Mari couldn’t accept them.
She had always thought that a Demon King, and an elf hybrid like herself, who was not even fully human, could never be together.
But now, becoming a Demon King herself, if she could stand side by side with him…
Mari would no longer hesitate to be with him.
She felt genuine joy at that thought.
Without hesitation, she welcomed the black mana flowing into her body.
The overwhelming power wrapping around her entire being.
A sensation of euphoria that she had never felt before.
The powerful strength she had once longed for.
The very power she had desperately wanted to defeat demons with, was now in her hands to protect them.
There was a slight irony in that fact.
At the same time, her hatred for the humans who had shaped her this way flared up even more.
Mari absorbed all the mana that had surrounded her body.
“Ha…”
As the black magic receded, Mari revealed her transformed appearance.
A single horn had grown from her head.
Black wings had sprouted from her back.
Slowly, she rose to her feet.
It was the birth of another of the Four Great Demon Lords.