The news that the main forces of the Demon Lord’s army were utterly defeated in the In-Gye region had already spread to the Demon Realm.
The high-ranking demons, who had easily swept through the 20,000 knights of the Allied forces trying to stop the Demon Lord’s army from landing, were defeated by a human who believed themselves to be a hero, even though those high-ranking demons were considered some of the strongest.
As a result, the morale of the Demon Lord’s army had hit rock bottom.
The mysterious human who appeared so suddenly and wiped out the Demon Lord’s forces without any prior warning.
The only good news for the Demon Lord’s army was that an unknown, enigmatic demon had bought them time to retreat safely, though no one knew who this demon was.
Normally, they would have immediately searched for this demon to learn who they were, but since the Demon Lord’s army was too exhausted to even regroup, they decided to retreat to the Demon Realm first.
“Is it a miracle? In the end, everyone returned safely, didn’t they?”
“They did return, but half of them are already beyond recovery. Look, those guys are practically soulless.”
And now, the defeated Demon Lord’s army was just returning.
The gatekeepers guarding the Demon Lord’s city opened the gates and saw the state of the defeated soldiers.
Not only were they all exhausted, but several of the high-ranking demons, known for their foul tempers and arrogance, couldn’t even walk on their own, being carried in wagons with empty, vacant eyes.
[…What on earth happened?]
The gatekeepers likely couldn’t imagine what they had encountered.
‘What kind of terror had they faced?’
‘How powerless had they felt in front of it?’
Only those who had experienced it firsthand could understand.
“It’s terrifying… please stop pushing me…”
“I… What was I even researching magic for all these hundreds of years…”
“…Please spare me. I’ll do anything you ask. Just please, spare me…”
The fact that high-ranking demons, of all creatures, were retreating in such a state of terror was almost as unbelievable as the sudden appearance of hundreds of wyverns in a single city.
Though it was all undeniable truth.
“Who are you… What did you do?”
“I kept the balance.”
[…Of course, even those who had witnessed it firsthand could hardly believe it.]
***
Entering the Demon Lord’s castle was surprisingly easy.
By blending in with the countless defeated soldiers, it was impossible to catch everyone, even if the guards conducted a thorough inspection.
It seemed that there were limitations to what magic could detect; it was clear that nothing in the world was truly all-powerful.
Though some of them had grown suspicious of us, we had already ensured that no one could view us as suspicious anymore, so that wasn’t a problem.
“Is this the Demon Lord’s castle?”
At any rate, we had no choice but to explore the Demon Lord’s castle.
We couldn’t find any demons with staffs in the outer city, so we were left with no choice but to check the castle directly.
Even if we didn’t find it right away, our current goal was to search safely and accurately.
“It feels like it, doesn’t it? I have this sense that the Demon Lord must live here.”
[…Damn adventurers. Why did you come to my castle of all places? Were you not only lacking intelligence but also vision?]
Arsep’s frustration seemed to explode as she entered the Demon Lord’s castle.
At first, no one was even sure if the Demon Lord actually existed, but now, seeing the castle in front of them, her frustration must have been overwhelming.
I thought it was probably just because the castle was nearby, and since there were no other demons around, it seemed like an easy target.
They probably came here half in disbelief, yet hoping for something.
“Don’t you think so too? If I were the Demon Lord, I would have already dealt with those brainless humans.”
“…That outfit looks good on you, though.”
On another note, I couldn’t help but think that Arsep’s outfit really suited her well.
Her maid uniform, something I never expected to see in reality, attracted all my attention.
I knew she wore it, but somehow it seemed to fit her more than I expected.
“…Do I… look strange?”
“Not at all. You look cute and it suits you.”
“…I’m glad to hear that.”
Arsep and Flua had disguised themselves as castle maids.
I could disguise myself as a soldier by wearing the Demon Lord’s armor, but Flua was too small, and Arsep couldn’t wear armor because it was too heavy to move in.
So, we bought clothes similar to those worn by the Demon Lord’s maids from a store in the city.
“Are you teasing me?”
“No? I wasn’t teasing you. If I was, I’d do it properly.”
Arsep didn’t seem very happy with the outfit, unlike Flua, who was pleased by the compliments.
It looked like she was sulking.
“Ugh… Does it really suit me? It feels like you’re saying I belong in a maid’s outfit.”
“Look at it this way: you have the looks to pull off even a maid’s outfit.”
“…Was that the case…?”
Fortunately, Arsep’s mood lifted quickly.
Seeing her smile made it clear she wasn’t that upset about the outfit after all.
“Well then, I’ll go look around separately. Stick with Flua and keep an eye on her. If anything dangerous happens, call me. I’ll rush to you no matter where you are.”
“Understood. Hearing that from you makes me feel more at ease. But, if possible, I hope there’s no need to call you.”
With that, I decided to split up from Arsep and Flua.
Her castle and the Demon Lord’s castle were similar in structure, but the scale of this one was much more massive.
It was probably because, besides the Demon Lord’s chambers, there were many other buildings inside the castle.
I heard that various departments for maintaining and operating the Demon King’s army are divided, and each department has its own building, which is why there was a difference in size.
Here, Arsep and Flua decided to look for the buildings of those departments, while I decided to confirm the main hall of the Demon King’s castle—the part where we usually stayed.
It was important to find the demon who took the staff, but there was also a possibility that I could find her staff by chance here, so I moved separately.
Even if I wasn’t there, she had a way of subduing the demon who took the staff and extracting information.
The guards here were numerous, so Arsep and Flua couldn’t move freely.
***
“There are so many guards…”
It was expected, but once I entered the corridor, I saw even more guards than at the entrance.
“Hmm? What’s this? Did a window open? Why is the wind suddenly blowing?”
“Over there, it’s open. I’ll go close it.”
Of course, that wasn’t a problem for me.
No matter how many guards there were, if I passed through blind spots or went quickly and quietly along the ceiling, they wouldn’t notice.
As I went deeper into the main hall, the number of guards slowly decreased until there were no more to be seen.
For me, this was a good thing, as it allowed me to carefully examine the building, ‘but isn’t it normal for the number of guards to increase the further you go inside?’
It was really strange.
And even stranger things were yet to come.
***
“…Wow, is this exactly the same?”
After entering a place with no guards, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
Now I was 100% sure.
After carefully examining the main hall of the Demon King’s castle…
It was identical to Arsep’s castle.
It wasn’t just similar in structure.
It was as though they had copied her castle and placed it here.
The placement of the luxurious furniture and decorations, even the types and growth stages of the plants in the windows, were eerily identical.
The only difference was the changes that had occurred since I arrived at her castle.
It couldn’t be explained away as mere coincidence that both castles were similar, as there were too many parts that defied explanation.
Even the rooms inside the castle, not just the corridors, were identical.
Now, it was starting to feel scary.
At this point, anyone familiar with the management of a castle would have noticed something strange, even if they didn’t usually oversee it.
***
“…It’s amazing that there’s no one in this huge castle.”
But the decisive difference was that there was no one here.
The room I was using in Arsep’s castle was just an empty room here.
There was no mattress on the bed, no blankets, and only old furniture remained.
There were no signs that anyone lived here.
When I cooked in the kitchen in Arsep’s castle, she and Flua would wait at the dining table, but here, there was no feeling that anyone had ever lived here.
The interior design and arrangement of furniture were identical, but it felt like no one had ever resided here.
This is a strange difference, despite everything else being the same as her castle.
Anyway, this was the Demon King’s castle.
Surely the Demon King must be living here, yet it felt like this.
***
Once again, the rooms in the Demon King’s castle had the same furniture and interior as Arsep’s castle.
Her room was probably the same.
I went to her room to search for the staff.
After all, this place couldn’t be any different from the other rooms.
Aside from the changes I’d made, the Demon King’s castle was identical to hers.
At this point, I began to wonder if I’d find the staff here, but I searched anyway.
Screeeech-!
See? Even Arsep’s room was identical.
The position of the furniture, the unique scent only in her room—everything was exactly the same.
Even her appearance was perfectly identical.
A beautiful woman in a white dress and black shoes, just like when I first saw her in this world.
***
“Who is it?”
Arsep, with her characteristic horns, black wings, and tail, slowly turned her head from the window.
She gazed at me with intense eyes.
This was a little different from usual.
Normally, she would have wagged her tail and run toward me cutely, but now, leaning on a staff, she only looked at me from a distance.
This new side of her felt refreshing.
In fact, it seemed more fitting for the Demon King.
Yes, it felt truly like a Demon King…
It felt like it…
“Uh?”