I am Lloyd di Saloom, the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom. I’m a ten-year-old who is absolutely obsessed with magic.
In my previous life, I was a destitute, low-ranking mage. I was eventually lynched by nobles in a sham of a duel, but when I saw advanced-grade magic for the first time, I was so mesmerized that I forgot to defend myself. I took the hit directly and died.
Next thing I knew, I had been reincarnated into this body. Blessed with incredible talent and told to live however I wanted—since as the seventh prince, I had no real claim to the throne—I have been spending my days enjoying a carefree life of magic research.
"Hah-haaa! Die, Lloyd! Demon King Annihilating Black Strike!"
"Not a chance! Triple Casting Large-scale Magic—Radiant Sky Fang!"
Zudooooon! A massive shockwave erupted, causing the space around us to warp and distort. Rock walls crumbled, the ground buckled, and boulders rained down from the ceiling.
This was a nameless dungeon at the northern edge of the world. It was an ultra-massive place that had grown out of my various past mishaps, located in a wasteland where no human dared to live. Between the freezing cold and the swarm of powerful monsters, no one came near it, which made it my perfect personal experimental site.
It was quite far from Saloom, so I usually only dropped by once in a while to clear out the monsters before they could overflow, but lately, I had been visiting frequently.
The reason was the person currently standing before me.
"Kukuku... Not bad, Lloyd. It seems you still have plenty of tricks up your sleeve. I'm truly delighted."
The source of the muffled laughter was a girl in a maid uniform... or rather, the Demon King Beal residing within her.
The maid, Connie, was a girl who loved making magic tools. I had met her back when I attended William Academy. She had a Magic-Housed Constitution, meaning she possessed no mana of her own, but in exchange, her hands were preternaturally dexterous. She applied that ability to magic tools, possessing technical skills so incredible they even impressed me.
When Beal manifested, she took the form of a figure draped in a black cloak, wearing a mask split vertically down the middle.
In the village where Connie grew up, people were often born with Magic Disorders due to the influence of powerful terrestrial mana. Connie had come to the academy to create a magic tool that could help her people, but the Nucleus of the Demon King Beal had been slumbering inside her. The awakened Beal was every bit as strong as a Demon King should be, and it took a desperate struggle for me to finally defeat him.
However, Connie insisted that losing Beal’s knowledge would be a waste, so she accepted the Demon King and became one with him. Since I couldn't just leave a girl who was half-Demon King to her own devices, I made her my maid.
Well, I wanted Beal's knowledge too, so it was a win for everyone. We all ended up happy.
As a result, Connie’s body now housed two distinct wills. Usually, Connie was in control, but Beal would occasionally emerge to challenge me to a match. It seemed he still hadn't quite accepted his previous defeat. Beal was a battle maniac to the core, having crossed over from the Demon World specifically to seek out strong opponents on this continent.
Still, having an opponent I could use magic against without holding back was great for my experiments, so I suppose our relationship was mutually beneficial. Of course, Beal’s combat power was immense, so I had to fight with nearly everything I had. That required a sturdy location.
Thus, this dungeon. Since it was originally formed from my own mana, it was vast and incredibly durable—the perfect place for us to go all out.
"Regardless, are you sure Connie’s body can handle this much violence?" I asked while parrying a strike.
Beal charged at me, a twisted grin on his face. "Unnecessary concern! My mana is constantly protecting her! She won't die unless I take enough damage to perish myself. If anything, her daily life is far more dangerous. Her diet is a mess, she stays up late, she barely takes care of her skin... Honestly, the girl is going to die young at this rate."
Beal fired a barrage of mana bullets while grumbling about her lack of skin care. He really shouldn't be worrying about lifestyle habits in the middle of a fight.
"M-Move it, Beal! Stop it, that's embarrassing!" Connie’s voice called out from the gaps in the black magic body.
It was hardly the kind of dialogue you'd expect from a Demon King, but health management is important. I didn't have to worry about that myself, since my maids Sylpha and Ren took excellent care of me. Hmph.
"Master Lloyd! This is bad!"
Majin Grimo poked his head out from my palm.
"If you fight any longer, the dungeon won't hold! There's a limit to how fast it can repair itself!"
"He is right. The walls and ceiling cannot withstand the intensity of your battle. It looks ready to collapse. Perhaps we should call it a day?"
Angel Jiriel spoke up from my other palm. Both of them were my familiars, currently residing in my hands as the Magic-Armed Arms—a pair of black and white gloves. This technique, the Complete Materialization of mana, was a specialty of high-ranking demons. While it took time to set up, housing Grimo and Jiriel inside the arms allowed me to boost my combat capabilities exponentially. It was the only way I could keep up with Beal.
The downside was that the output was so high I had to be extremely careful of the collateral damage.
"You're right, we're at the limit. Hey, Beal, let's wrap it up."
At my call, Beal relaxed his stance.
"Hmph. The dungeons of the human realm are far too fragile. Fine, I suppose I'll settle for this much for today."
Beal descended to the ground, looking bored. I suppose I was as bad as ever—once I got absorbed in magic, I tended to lose track of my surroundings.
"Thanks, you two. That would have been bad if you hadn't warned me."
Once the battle ended, Grimo and Jiriel released the Magic-Armed Arms, returning to their forms as a kid goat and a small bird.
"Well, even if the place collapsed, Master Lloyd would probably just walk out without a scratch..."
"Beal would likely be the same... Truly a terrifying pair. You two could probably conquer the world together by now."
Give me a break. I’d never do something like that. World conquest sounds like a massive headache that would just get in the way of my magic research.
"But Beal actually tried to do that once, didn't he?"
"Mm... Yes. That is true."
The Demon Army Advance. In the distant past, Beal had apparently led an army from the Demon World and rampaged across the continent. But he was stopped by the Human Army led by the Ancestor of Magic, William Bordeaux, and fell into a long slumber. Or so the story went.
"I realized I’ve never heard the details. Why don't you tell me the story of that war today?"
Part of my agreement for sparring with Beal was that he had to share one piece of his knowledge with me afterward.
"Oh, I want to hear it too! Please, Beal."
"Very well... Honestly, it’s about time you asked."
Beal let out a heavy sigh. I wasn't sure what he meant by "about time."
"I’ve been bracing myself for you to ask that story for ages, but you lot always ask about the most trivial things. I was starting to get anxious."
"I didn't think any of it was trivial..."
Between the mechanics of his unique black mana, the sensation of possessing a host, and the state of magic in the Demon World, I had so many technical questions that I just hadn't found the time to ask about his personal history.
"You actually wanted us to ask about you? That's kind of cute, Beal."
"Wha—! D-Don't be ridiculous, Connie! Of all the things to say... I am the Demon King!"
"Hehe, okay, okay, I'm listening. Tell us all about yourself."
"——gh!"
Teased by Connie, Beal writhed in embarrassment. They really were starting to look like a pair of siblings.