False Demon Lord

"…Who are you?"

I kept my voice level as I addressed the little girl who had appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t lower my guard.

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she continued to shove food into her mouth.

"Munch, munch… hufu-fuffa-fofa."

"I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Either eat or talk—pick one!"

"Munch, munch…"

Perhaps she was an orphan who had drifted here from some far-off land? I speculated, watching the way she prioritized the meal over basic communication.

To be sure, I attempted to use Appraisal to uncover her identity. The moment I did, my Magic Power was violently repelled. I instinctively clapped my hands over my eyes, the sting sharp and sudden.

What the hell just happened?

Nothing like this had ever occurred before. I stood there, bewildered by the unprecedented phenomenon. The girl, however, didn't seem to have done anything. She continued to eat the food laid out before her with single-minded focus, showing no concern and certainly no restraint.

Was my Appraisal just malfunctioning?

"Are you all right?"

Fee was the first to notice my distress.

"Yeah. It’s nothing major."

"…I think it’s time we brought this party to a close," Fee said firmly. "The rest of you can relax."

"I told you, I’m really fine."

Fee didn't believe a word of it. She grabbed my arm and forcibly marched me toward the bedroom.

◇　◇　◇

"Did something happen back there?"

After we returned to the room and I was forced onto the bed, Fee leaned over and looked into my eyes with concern.

"Do you remember when I used Appraisal on you before?"

"Of course," she replied.

I rarely spoke to others about my Appraisal skill, but since it required me to channel Magic Power into my eyes, anyone standing close enough could tell when I was using it. Fee, having been on the receiving end of it during a face-to-face session, remembered the sensation well.

"Truth is, I just tried to use it on that girl."

"And?"

"Something repelled it."

"Was your Magic Power insufficient, Lord Yuri?"

Is that even possible? I wondered. To test the theory, I turned my gaze toward Fee.

Name: Fee Gender: Female Age: 11 Race: Beastman Occupation: Apprentice Maid Level: 10 HP: 31/31 (E) MP: 3/3 (E) Attack: 8 (E) Defense: 6 (E) Agility: 16 (C) Magic Power: 2 (E)

【Skills】 Dagger: 3 (C)

【Magic】 Earth: 1 (E) Wind: 1 (D)

The Appraisal worked perfectly. Fee had been following me and fighting various Monsters, and it showed—her Level had risen considerably. She was actually becoming a decent combatant.

When I stopped the flow of Magic Power, I noticed Fee’s face was flushed a deep red.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"It’s… it’s nothing."

"Are you sure? You look like you have a fever. You’ve done enough for today, you should get some rest too."

"…You say that," Fee muttered, "but you’re just going to try using magic in secret the moment I leave, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. Not today. You can rest easy."

"I can’t. You always say that right before you go and use magic anyway."

"In those cases, it’s usually force majeure. You know, Monsters attacking out of the blue and all that…"

"I suppose that’s true," Fee said, finally letting a small smile slip.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

"Excuse us."

Emilina and Fritz walked in as if they owned the place. Perhaps because we’d gone through this exact routine before, their entrance felt somewhat lacking in energy. I sighed and sat up in bed.

"Did something happen?"

"No," Emilina said. "We simply wanted to consult with you regarding our next steps."

"Right. I suppose I haven’t given you a clear answer yet."

"Exactly. A Demon Lord Subjugation Request has already been issued. Why are you still just sitting here?"

The truth was simple: I didn't feel like I could win against the current Demon Lord.

In the Original Game, the player could technically challenge the Demon Lord early on. However, compared to the final boss version, the early-game Demon Lord possessed utterly broken stats. I wasn't sure if the developers intended it as a "completionist" challenge, but he had enough power to make victory a matter of luck, even if your Level was at the Level Cap.

He was a martial-arts type with a massive, muscular frame. Every turn, his HP would undergo Super Regeneration, and he would pummel you with terrifying Attack Power. Most players assumed he was purely a physical threat, but having played a Second Playthrough, I knew better.

If you fought his "Perfect Form" in the early stages, he would supplement those physical strikes with high-tier magic every single turn. The magic was actually more devastating than his fists. It led to a common fan theory: the Demon Lord was actually a Mage whose magic had been sealed by some plot device by the time the late-game rolled around.

Now that the Demon Lord Subjugation Request was active, a confrontation was inevitable. But charging in now was suicide. I had been promised independence if I fulfilled the request; I just had to kill him within the deadline. There was zero reason to attack while he was at his absolute peak.

Even for the late-game version of the Demon Lord, the recommended Level was 50. We hadn't even reached half of that.

"Do you honestly think we can win if we challenge him right now?"

"If it's us—"

Emilina was being far too optimistic. Given her history of plotting, I wondered if this "thoughtlessness" was just another act.

"No. As we are now, we wouldn't stand a chance. Especially you and Emma."

Fritz and I had reached double-digit Levels by slaying Dragons and members of the Demon Race. Emilina and her group were still stuck in the single digits. Taking on the Demon Lord in this state was a non-starter.

"…I see. So we are to focus on building our strength for the time being."

"Exactly. I’ll need you to move eventually, but until then, just take it easy in this territory."

"What’s this? Are you lot actually planning to defeat the Demon Lord?"

The little girl had slipped into the room without me even noticing. She really was a phantom.

"…And if we are?"

"Well, I owe you for the bed and the meal, so I’ll give you some advice: you’re just going to die for nothing."

Does she know something about him? I wondered. Is she one of the Demon Race? The fact that she could block my Appraisal suggested she was high-ranking.

"…I don't recall saying you could stay the night yet."

"What?! But the conversation was flowing so perfectly toward you letting me stay!" The girl shouted, leaning in toward me.

"I don't mind you staying. But in exchange, tell me what you know about the Demon Lord."

"I suppose that’s fair."

The girl hopped onto my bed and sat down, a fearless smirk crossing her face.

"The current Demon Lord is a high-rank Mage. If you don’t have a way to nullify magic, you’ll never win."

"I knew that already. Can you give me anything more specific?"

Her smirk vanished, replaced by genuine shock. "Wh-Why do you know that?! I haven't told a soul!"

She looked genuinely rattled. Was that her "trump card" info? If so, she might not actually know as much as I’d hoped.

"Well, you can stay regardless, even if you don't have anything else to say…"

She was likely just like the other Orphans—struggling just to survive. But my pity seemed to wound her pride. Her face turned red as she scrambled to find something else.

"R-Right! For example… what if I told you the one people call the Demon Lord right now is actually a Body Double, and the real one is someone else entirely?!"

"I-Is that true?!"

Emilina was the one who took the bait. Seeing her reaction, the girl puffed out her chest, satisfied that she finally had the upper hand.

"Yes, it’s the truth. A Demon Lord needs to maintain a certain level of dignity, after all."

"I see… So the real Demon Lord doesn't look the part?"

The Demon Lord I knew from the game looked exactly like a stereotypical final boss. Was that version just a fake? Or does the real Demon Lord get replaced before the game’s story officially begins? I needed more.

"Exactly. That’s why the Body Double is a big, hulking brute who looks exactly like what you’d expect. He’s reasonably strong in his own right, though."

A chill ran down my spine. The "image" of the Demon Lord she was describing—the brute—was exactly what I remembered from the Original Game.

If that was the case, I was looking at a worst-case scenario. There was a Demon Lord out there even stronger than the one I feared, and there was a very real chance both of them could march on us at once. I had already killed several of the Demon Race who had targeted this land. It was perfectly logical to assume the Demon Lord would retaliate.

"That is excellent information. Thank you," I said, my mind racing. "It looks like I need to overhaul our defenses immediately. We have to be ready for an invasion at any moment."

We needed to raise the residents' stats. We needed fortifications. We needed a plan.

"Wait, n-no! The Demon Race has no intention of attacking other countries… I think?"

The girl spoke with a hint of panic in her voice, but her words didn't reach me. I was already too deep in thought, calculating the odds of our survival against the coming storm.