Following the meeting at the castle, I set out for the Former Demon Territory.
I had come to confront the demons who were rumored to have made contact with humans. Given the implications of such a report, I couldn't afford to ignore it.
I chose Luciana and Dorda as my companions for this excursion. I had a specific reason for bringing Dorda along, beyond just having Luciana at my side. Thanks to Henry’s tutelage, the Dullahan had recently begun to exercise some self-restraint. I had heard from the monsters under his command that his violent outbursts were becoming less frequent. Curiously, he had also become a frequent fixture at the local taverns.
My objective was to see if he could remain disciplined even without Henry there to supervise him. If things took a turn for the worse, I could simply teleport him back to the Royal Capital immediately, so the risk was minimal.
On a personal level, I wanted Dorda to forge a firm sense of self. Dullahans are a mid-to-high-ranking race among the undead; they should be more than capable of possessing clear reason. His current state of mental fog was likely due to his overwhelming impulse to hunt for heads. If he could suppress that urge, Dorda would become an even more formidable asset. In life, he had been the Great Pirate, a man feared even by demons. Once he reclaimed his original personality, he would undoubtedly become a reliable ally.
We teleported into the heart of a wasteland. Under the silver glow of the moon, the black earth stretched out toward the horizon. The air was cool, though the atmosphere was heavy with Magic Power and Miasma—a environment unique to this land. Such conditions would be unthinkable in a human nation, but for demons, it was likely ideal. Even I, having become an undead, found the atmosphere comforting.
"Wow, it’s been a while since I breathed this air... It hasn't changed a bit," Luciana said, taking a deep breath with a look of genuine pleasure.
This region had once been under the total control of the Demon King’s Army. She must have spent a significant portion of her life here. To her, it likely felt like returning home.
"Doesn't it bring back memories for you too, Demon King-sama?"
"...Indeed," I replied after a brief pause.
Back when I was still human, I had ventured into these very lands alongside her. Our goal, of course, had been the Demon King Subjugation. In those days, we fought desperate battles time and again, using magic to filter out the suffocating Miasma. We weathered every hardship until we finally brought the Age of Darkness to its end.
"Heads... I... will... take... heads..."
Dorda prowled the area, axe in hand. He repeated the same grisly words over and over in a sinister, raspy voice. He was still wearing the old wolf's head today. According to Henry, he had grown quite fond of it. Apparently, he had flown into a rage during a previous attempt to swap it for a different head, and he hadn't let go of it since.
Luciana placed her hands on her hips and gave a wry smile. "Dorda seems to be in a great mood. He's happy to be here."
"Is that so?"
I couldn't quite read Dorda's emotions myself, but since Luciana was the one saying it, I assumed she wasn't far off the mark.
A moment later, a Succubus dressed in black robes appeared before us. She was one of the spies I had deployed to this region, and likely the one who had sent the report. As she knelt before us, Luciana addressed her with practiced ease.
"Where are the demons who met with the humans?"
"This way. I shall lead you to them."
The spy rose quickly and began to move, with the three of us following close behind.
"...Hmph."
Using perception magic, I detected multiple presences ahead. There were approximately a hundred demons gathered at our destination. Soon, the silhouette of ruins appeared in the distance.
"Is that the place?"
"They’re really scraping by, aren't they?" Luciana noted. "If a human army marched on them, they’d be wiped out in a heartbeat."
"They likely have nowhere else to go," I said.
Luciana let out a short, mocking laugh. "If you don't have a home, you make one. Just like I did," she said, her voice turning cold.
Her words carried the weight of experience. For ten years, she had kept her subordinates alive through sheer will. To the demons, the era following the fall of the previous Demon King must have been a living hell. In her eyes, the ones hiding in these ruins probably looked pathetic—beings with no future, merely waiting for the end. One could even call them fools.
I turned to the spy. "Which ones are they?"
"The ones over there," she said, pointing.
At the entrance to the ruins, a group of demons stood together, talking amongst themselves while keeping a wary eye on the horizon. Judging by their magic levels, they were mid-ranking—strong enough to be the ones in charge of this settlement.
"Good work. We'll take it from here. Return to your post."
"Understood."
The spy vanished instantly using concealment magic. I didn't want to risk losing a valuable agent if a fight broke out.
By the time we reached the front of the ruins, a large crowd of demons had gathered. they brandished crude, handmade weapons at us, their expressions filled with hostility. One of them stepped forward and shouted a challenge.
"Who goes there?!"
"I am the Demon King. Step aside if you wish to avoid a painful end," I declared firmly.
A ripple of unease ran through the crowd, which quickly turned into a boiling rage.
"The Demon King...? For a mere undead to tell such a pathetic lie!"
One of the demons lost his temper and charged at me with a spear. I didn't panic. With a flick of my will, I invoked my magic. Vines of thorns erupted from the earth, ensnaring the attacker and hoisting him into the air. The thorns tightened, digging deep into his skin.
"U-guah...!"
The demon let out a strangled scream as he coughed up blood. His skin began to grey, and his flesh and blood evaporated into mist. Within seconds, he had withered into a skeleton, which the thorns then crushed into white powder.
The surrounding demons watched in absolute horror. Their bravado vanished, replaced by a trembling, primal fear.
"I will say it once more. Step aside if you wish to avoid a painful end."
They hesitated. They clearly didn't want to share their comrade's fate, yet they were loath to submit to my demands. They stood frozen in a desperate internal struggle.
Luciana watched them with an exasperated sigh. "They’ve been cut off from the world for so long they’re completely out of the loop. They really have no idea who you are, Demon King-sama."
"Y-You... You're Luciana?!" a voice cried out.
It came from the mid-ranking demon the spy had identified. He was cowering behind the others. Luciana met his gaze with a look of pure indifference.
"Oh? You finally noticed? And that's 'Lady Luciana' to you. Learn some manners."
"I have no intention of bowing to a coward who ran from the humans in terror! The Four Heavenly Kings are a thing of the past!" the demon spat back, his voice thick with resentment.
Luciana sighed again. "And that's the thanks I get. How heartless. I wonder who he thinks kept things running back then."
"It is the way of the world," I said flatly. "Gratitude is easily forgotten. Only dissatisfaction and resentment remain."
Luciana let out a sudden, genuine laugh. "Aha, when you say it, Demon King-sama, it really carries conviction."
At that moment, Dorda stepped forward. He brandished his axe, his gaze sweeping over the cowering demons.
"Heads... Hand over... your heads..."
"Try not to kill them all," I warned him immediately. "They are an important source of information."
Dorda was more than capable of wiping out this entire group on his own. That was well and good, but it would be a problem if he slaughtered them all on impulse. I wasn't entirely sure my orders had reached him, though; he wasn't exactly a man of conversation. I prepared myself to forcibly teleport him back to the capital if he lost control.
But then, Dorda suddenly glanced back at me.
"—I understand. Rest assured, I have things in hand."
The voice was startlingly clear—nothing like his usual guttural grunts.
Luciana blinked in surprise. "Oh, did he come back to his senses?"
"Slay them... Heads... I'll lop them all off...!"
Almost instantly, Dorda reverted to his animalistic state. With a primal roar, he raised his axe and lunged at the demons.