#588 Conclusion: True Demon Kingdom

Silence...

The arena is filled with a deafening silence.

Just a moment before, this place had indeed been abuzz with enthusiasm from the crowd.

Now, everyone dares not to speak, let alone breathe.

They were overwhelmed by an outsider...a budding hero who went on a rampage.

“...?!”

Even Ritheseus himself is perplexed by this strange atmosphere.

Everyone was astonished by his strength.

It seems people freeze up like machines when they are shown prowess that goes beyond the limits of their understanding.

“...U-Um...!”

However, the most bewildered by this scenario is the winner, Ritheseus himself.

He knows that he caused this situation, so he feels even more uncomfortable.

Ritheseus tries to liven up the place, but...

“I-I won, whoo...!”

Pulling that lame gag is too painful to look at!

But I can at least distract him from the feeling that he had utterly bombed that joke.

“T-That’s incredible, Ritheseus! Wowww!!!”

This is the least I could do!

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap...

The monosyllabic clapping sounds awkwardly empty.

“Waooo!!!”

Oh!

Little Marine followed us up!

What a good girl! Please be my son’s wife in the future!

“A-Ahem, well...!”

The Demon King breaks off our fooling around and starts to talk.

“The whole tournament ended without a hitch. What do you think of the portion of the prowess my army demonstrated, Demon King of Spontina?” he asks the True Demon King sitting next to us.

This contest of strength was held between the Demon Kingdom in Spontina and the mainland nation.

After an overwhelming handicap of four to one, we won by a landslide!

“Ritheseus is a promising asset of ours. Eventually, I would like to take in promising people like him, irrespective of race, to further enhance our military capacity. Ritheseus will be the key person to my dream of an interracial army.”

Yep, and that’s why they’re all studying at the farm.

The Demon King’s words are a glimpse of the strenuous effort he’s putting into reconciling the two nations, but that’s a little off-topic right now.

“But don’t get me wrong. My army doesn’t comprise Ritheseus alone. We have a versatile lineup of useful human resources, both young and old, new and experienced.”

The Demon King pressures further.

We aim to show our overwhelming strength to discourage the other side and negotiate peacefully, so everything’s going as planned so far.

“If you wish, I can provide you with opportunities for further training. I would like to reiterate that Ritheseus is still a young man, not a formal soldier. He was from the enemy country that had recently merged with ours. Until a few years ago, my army fought vigorously with the fierce warriors of the human race who were much more seasoned fighters than him.”

Oh, the Demon King embellished his story a little.

In reality, I don’t think there are many people as strong as Ritheseus in either kingdom’s armies. 

But when our goal is to scare the other party, I will pitch in to make the story more credible!

Like saying under my breath, “Heh, and Ritheseus is supposed to be the weakest fighter we have,” or something!

Bet they’ll imagine a more elite group in their imagination!

...

When I tried imagining it myself, I was shaken.

But in fictional works like manga, the first opponent from the enemy’s group is usually second strongest to their leader. 

Nnnnot that that matters here.

Amidst my weird fantasies, Demon King Zedan continues to corner True Demon King Azar.

“What will be your decision, Demon King of Spontina? Of course, as promised earlier, we won’t demand anything from you, despite winning all battles. We merely want to deepen our mutual understanding.”

As expected of the Demon King, he has a very sophisticated way of constricting someone.

“I hope you have a good understanding of our situation. If you think this wasn’t enough, please don’t hesitate to say so. I will let you relish the depth of the layers of our army.”

“F...”

“F?”

“Fweeeeeeeeeeh!!!”

Well...someone broke down.

He suddenly started bawling his eyes out like a kid!

“You’re evilllllll! The Demon King of the mainland is truly evilllllllllllllll!!!”

“W-Wait, that’s not what I-!”

“If you really mean it, you could destroy my country, slaughter my people, demolish all buildings, and sprinkle salt on the ground to wipe out any trace of biological life, all in a single day! Just like some old tale!”

What old tale?

“Nevertheless, I am the leader of this island! I won’t let you lay a finger on my people until you get through me firsttttttttttttt!!!”

True Demon King Azar has entered “kill me as you wish” mode.

He looks pitiable in a sense, but even so, his willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of his people is admirable for a leader, and it brought tears of joy to those present in the arena.

“Worry not,” says Demon King Zedan, taking Azar’s hand. “We are from the same race, albeit divided by misfortune five hundred years ago. Our brethren, who have not been in contact with each other for a long time, have finally reunited. Nothing could be more gratifying.”

“O-Oh...”

“To celebrate this joyous occasion, should we not join hands and live together in harmony? I, for one, think so. Let us honor our friendship as equal allies.”

“D-Demon King...!!!”

Thus, the two kings took each other’s hand, and a peaceful, cooperative system was established.

The crowd in the colosseum, witness to this historical scene, celebrated with thunderous applause.

Two divided nations have once again been united.

* * *

And so, our part ends here.

From this point onward, concrete political discussions should be left to the related parties. Those who have done their part should leave immediately to avoid confusing the situation.

“A job well done out there, Ritheseus.”

“Thank you, Lord Saint...”

But Ritheseus deserves the majority of the credit today.

He showed what he had learned at the farm and made his enemies understand that he was not a force to be reckoned with.

“You’ve grown much stronger. I’m sure your teachers are proud of you.” 

“Oh, no, I still have much to learn compared to you, Lord Saint.”

...That’s not true.

People tend to think I can fight, but you can tell I’m not from my very disposition.

I’m the exact opposite of those characters in manga who are natural-born fighters and have their minds filled with nothing but fighting.

Even if there is a slight difference in ability, I’d still lose because of my mental resolve.

That’s why I never fight. If there is a problem, I will resolve it peacefully.

That’s my motto!

“Well, thanks to that, we made you work a lot today. Let’s go back to the farm.”

That being said, I can’t use teleportation magic.

So, we brought along Sakamoto; a synthesized homunculus horse created some time ago. He’ll be our ride back home.

Sakamoto’s the finest of his kind, created by synthesizing the DNA of a thoroughbred stallion and a dragon.

He can gallop faster than the speed of sound and even fly.

So even from an island far out at sea, we can return to the farm in no time sweat.

“Ride behind me, Ritheseus. Two people may be heavy for a regular horse, but Sakamoto should be all right.”

“Okay.”

But...I wonder what’s this feeling.

Why do I feel like someone’s staring at us?

Is it directed toward me? Or toward Ritheseus?

Well, the spotlight was on him for the most part, so it’s only natural that he’d get attention...

The problem, though, is the identity of the person staring daggers at us.

It’s a girl.

Moreover, she looks familiar.

She’s the leader of Spontina’s Heavenly Four and Ritheseus’ last opponent. Didn’t she also say she’s the Demon King’s daughter?

“She’s been following me around since our battle. She even asked me when we could see each other again. I wonder if she’s asking for a rematch?”

I can’t believe this guy...

He made another girl fall for him again. And in the most natural flow of events! 

Is this what they call protagonist characteristics? Or hero characteristics?

They do say great men have great fondness for the sensual pleasures. Besides, the source of his ancestral blood is a celestial god known for his rampant lechery.

I can see a vision of Ritheseus being sandwiched between two hot babes in a money bath.

“All right, let’s go home and tell this to Eryngear.”

“Huh? Why are you bringing up her name, Lord Saint? Wait a minute, I don’t know what’s going on, but I sense a scene!”

Don’t act like you can instantly sense danger with your instincts!

Go, Sakamoto! We must keep this man away from his harem!

Ahh, no fair, Ritheseus used magic to teleport back home! And he’s a human, mind you!

He’s trying to get ahead of us and persuade Eryngear! Ohh, not on my watch!

Sakamoto, now’s the time to test your top speed!

Surpass the speed of teleportation magic and return to the farm! I believe in you!

We’ll get there before Ritheseus does, and we’ll tell his girlfriend all that happened here!