Translator: Manga0205
It was, an infinite darkness.
No matter how far one went, there was no end
No matter how long one waited, there was no dawn.
There was one spot, where there was light.
A throne that floated within the darkness──Only there.
A dark clump that had the shape of a person sat on that throne.
It's shining red eyes, they asserted that it wasn't just some darkness or a type of shadow.
Then again, it wasn't like that was its true form.
But, it wasn't like it had a true form.
It became like this after abdicating its right and responsibility to establish its form. That was all.
That thing that had abdicated even its name……It was something called the "Demon God".
Demon God.
The summit of all demons.
The Creator of all demons.
The enemy of all good.
The enemy of all evil.
The tolerator of all good.
The tolerator of all evil.
The one who affirms all contradictions.
The one who transcends all logic.
In this place where even chaos is seen as well-reasoned, the Demon God looked down upon the thing that was before its eyes.
「Haa……」
A listless face befitting of that little girl appearance.
A sigh befitting of that little girl appearance.
From atop the oversized chair, the Demon God effortlessly tumbled down.
Staying collapsed on the floor just like that, she rolled forward. She rolled back.
When she bumped into the chair and stopped, the Demon God breathed a sigh once more.
「You are surprisingly doing your best. I can't tell if your true nature is that you're diligent or if you're prone to worrying……」
Prone to worrying.
What the Demon God was referring to was Vermudol.
「Gramfia was an idiot that didn't think about consequences, but you yourself are too prone to worrying.」
This was something that Vermudol did not know, but the Human side's Hero was already born.
However, for the time being, he has not awakened as the Hero. It was that sort of situation.
Most likely, at the time the people would try to perform the ceremony for the Hero Summoning, the Goddess Philia intended on informing them of the Hero's existence.
Gods occasionally had the tendency to prefer having things done with that sort of ceremony.
For right now, that hadn't happened due to Vermudol's frantic maneuvering to avoid war──that is probably how things were.
With this sort of meaning, Vermudol's scheming could be said to be a success.
「But, you know, Vermudol. You're surprisingly stupid too, aren't you?」
When the Demon God caressed the black floor with her hand, that part of the darkness became transparent as if it were peeling off.
What was displayed beyond that, was a black haired man──It was a scene of Vermudol reading a book.
After seeing that figure and distorting her face looking delighted, the Demon God muttered.
「Even though there isn't any remains of the you from when you were Human no matter where you search. You're stiiill intending on being a former Human.」
That's right, the Vermudol from when he was Human had died in his original world.
The Demon God did not remember what his original name was, but the Demon God had smashed that soul to very small pieces and reconstructed it.
Since it was used as the raw material, there were probably some memories left within him.
However, Vermudol wasn't a so-called 「Reincarnator」.
It was because reincarnation was where a soul is transferred into a different vessel.
Due to the norm of the soul not matching with the world in doing so, those reincarnated into another world would awaken to strange powers.
However, Vermudol was different.
The Demon God had went out of her way to construct it so that it would match with the norm of Remphilia.
Without any complications, Vermudol was a Mazoku of Remphilia, and the Demon King.
Therefore, even now, Vermudol was acting with the long-term interests of Mazoku as the top priority.
Making maximum use of his own authority of creating Mazoku, he tried to eliminate any factors that were outside of his own control.
That was fine.
That was fine but……However, he had a strange leniency towards mankind, especially Humans.
It wasn't hard to imagine that it was most likely the part of him that was a former Human that was influencing him.
The cool-headed sense of ethics as a Demon King and the sense of ethics as a human of his former world simultaneously existed within him.
And that surely held true due to his expectations towards Humans.
──I can understand since I was once Human, so we should be able to compromise with each other.
That sort of sentiment was still within Vermudol.
However, Vermudol did not understand it.
「You've already overlooked several signs.」
The trigger that Vermudol was dealing with was simply something small.
The damage done by monsters certainly instigates anxiety, and connects to the Demon King revival theory.
Dealing with that was correct.
Collecting information while doing that and performing past countermeasures is also correct.
He had even obtained new information called Summon Magic.
But, however.
Vermudol had forgotten.
Certainly, the ones that destroyed Gramfia were the Hero and Humans, it was mankind.
That being said, who were the ones that helped them out.
Who were the ones that gave them the power to destroy the Demon King, the system known as Heroes.
He had excluded the ones known as Gods from his thinking, and thought only of the workings of those that lived on the earth.
And then, above all.
Vermudol was making light of the dirtiness of Humans.
「Actually, I do think that you are hanging in there, Vermudol.」
While rolling about on the floor that had once again been concealed in darkness, the Demon God smiled.
For a Demon King to personally associate with Humans, surely no one would have ever thought of that.
Moreover, to be moving in order to avoid war with mankind, surely no one would ever believe that.
However, the world won't be at peace with only that.
Certainly, just like in the past, there are many that fear the outbreak of a war between Mazoku and mankind.
However, the happy ending of a Hero defeating the Demon King only happens in heroic tales, and reality isn't like that.
Why was mankind's territory──the Shutaia continent divided into several countries.
That reason is something that Vermudol didn't think deeply about.
It is because he unconsciously had hopes for Humans that he overlooked the signs.
「……I won't call it futile effort. Even if, it continues on into despair.」
Raising her body up, the Demon God sat down in her chair.
「In the near future, you will be complete as the Demon King. Just who will become the trigger for that……I suppose I'm looking forward to seeing that just a little bit.」
That, was a spectacle seen from the Demon God.
An overlooking muttering that wasn't transmitted to any of the living creatures in the land of Remphilia, not even to Vermudol.
That was simply all it was.