A few days later, Luciana dropped by my private chambers while I was reviewing reports.
She brandished several sheets of paper as she spoke. "I’ve finished looking into John Doe."
"That was fast. You’ve found out already?"
"It seemed important, so I prioritized the investigation. One look at your face, Demon King-sama, and I can tell that much."
Luciana stated this with an expression brimming with confidence. In response, I placed a hand against my own cheek.
It was a cold, hard sensation. I had no skin, no muscle, and no blood pumping through my veins. Only pitch-black bone, stained by miasma, remained.
"...My face is but a skull."
"Even so, your feelings still come through. Here, take a look."
Luciana set the documents on my desk. I picked them up and began reading.
The papers were filled with information regarding John Doe. The first page depicted his appearance: short chestnut hair and silver-rimmed glasses. According to the records, he was in his early thirties, though he looked younger. His features weren't particularly striking; he gave off a plain, unmemorable impression.
However, he wasn't exceptionally unattractive, either. He possessed the kind of ordinariness found anywhere. With his thin build, he had the look of an intellectual scholar. One would never guess this man was an architect of modern warfare.
"A weapons technician serving the Technomagic Kingdom. His credentials seem legitimate, and he’s apparently earned quite a name for himself in their military," Luciana explained, leaning over my shoulder and pointing to various sections of the report.
I had expected as much regarding his reputation. After all, he was talented enough to be dispatched to the Magic Workshop in the Imperial Capital. He wouldn't have been chosen for such a post without a proven track record.
"His career took off quite suddenly about a year ago. He's been in and out of the Imperial Capital several times since then, providing technical expertise and delivering progress reports."
"I see."
I focused on the section detailing his history. It aligned with what Luciana had told me, though her report went into even greater depth. I was genuinely impressed she had gathered so much information in such a short window of time.
(...A year ago, was it?)
I fell into thought. John Doe’s rise to prominence began almost exactly when I became the Demon King. The timing was too perfect. Was it merely a coincidence?
According to the records, the catalyst for his promotion was a proposal to improve the Magic Cannons. His design was submitted to the Imperial Capital’s Magic Workshop and successfully adopted. From that point on, John Doe produced one weapon development proposal after another, each contributing to significant technological leaps.
(Before that year, however, he had no notable achievements. If anything, he was regarded as incompetent.)
John Doe’s brilliance had manifested abruptly. Even re-reading the records, I couldn't find a clear turning point. He had simply become a world-class technician without any preamble.
The first thing I associated this with were those empowered by the Will of the World—the same force that had bolstered the Hero and the Saint I had slain. They, too, had suddenly come into possession of immense power.
It was highly likely that this technician, John Doe, was of that same breed. The timing of his rise certainly suggested as much. However, I felt it was premature to be certain. It was possible he had simply experienced a late-blooming flash of genius. It wouldn't be impossible for such a coincidence to occur, regardless of the timing.
Unlike a Hero or a Saint, he hadn't awakened to a dramatic, supernatural power. His ingenuity had simply increased, allowing him to streamline weapon development. I couldn't say for certain that the Will of the World had interfered.
"What’s the plan? If you wanted, Demon King-sama, I’m sure you could just teleport in and assassinate him," Luciana suggested.
"I'll stick to surveillance for now," I answered without hesitation. "While I don't desire excessive technological innovation, humanity also needs hope."
In the future, there was a high probability that John Doe would become a thorn in my side. New weapons would undoubtedly be born from his mind. I had already witnessed how warfare was evolving during the battle at the Imperial Capital. Even the new armaments in our Research Institute were largely based on technology we had captured.
In a sense, even we were benefiting from John Doe’s intellect. He was not a man who fought on the front lines, but his influence undoubtedly rivaled that of a hero. Whether or not the Will of the World was involved, that was an undeniable fact.
Luciana placed a finger to her lips and glanced at me with nostalgic eyes. "'Hope for humanity,' huh? Spoken like a man with experience."
"I won't deny it."
When I replied, she looked genuinely surprised. "Oh? Not going to be humble?"
"It is the truth. Isn't that how we appeared to the former Demon King's Army?"
I recalled those distant days. Back then, the people sought a pillar of hope—a hero. A powerful champion who would strike down the Demon King. It was precisely because that person was there that the people were able to endure even the deepest despair.
"Now that you mention it, you're right," Luciana mused with a wry smile. "You and the little Hero were the emotional bedrock for the humans. Though from the perspective of the Demon King's Army, you were a massive pain in the neck."
There was a hint of irony in her voice. From the standpoint of the previous Demon King's forces, we must have been their ultimate natural enemies. We had thwarted their invasions time and again, eventually even slaying their leader.
Naturally, I had fought many death matches against Luciana as well. She had pushed us to the brink more than once. And yet, over a decade later, here we were in a master-servant relationship. Life truly is unpredictable.
"This man, John Doe, will light up the world not with individual valor, but with his wisdom and technology. He will likely become the people's hope in a form entirely different from what came before."
"A change of the eras, I suppose," Luciana whispered reflectively. "I wonder if I can keep up. I feel like I might get left behind."
I understood her sentiment. I had a ten-year gap in my own memory. Even though I had been back for some time, I still had mixed feelings about next-generation weapons like guns and Magic Cannons.
Yet, that tide could not be stemmed. I could only stop it by waging a campaign of total annihilation to collapse civilization itself, but that was not the future I desired. I had no wish to see a world reduced to ruins where only despair remained.
As the Demon King, my thoughts were fundamentally contradictory, yet they were my sincere beliefs. John Doe’s technological prowess would one day enrich the lives of the common people. Though currently focused on weaponry, his innovations would surely find broader applications.
Secretly, I hoped for that.
My desires were horribly warped. Even as I offered the world a premonition of ruin, I welcomed its prosperity in my heart. While harboring hatred and despair for humanity, I sought world peace. I felt as if I were desperately trying to balance a broken scale.
"T-T-This is a catastrophe, I say!"
While I was lost in thought regarding my role in this world, the door was thrown open. Grom came tumbling into the room, shouting at the top of his lungs.
He was in a total panic. It was a sight I had seen many times before; whenever he arrived in such a state, it meant a significant problem had occurred.
Supplying a sense of dread, I made an effort to remain calm. "What is it?"
"The, the Holy Staff Kingdom... The Holy Staff Kingdom has declared war on the Technomagic Kingdom!" Grom reported, all eight of his arms flailing in distress.