"My Lord, I have a report."
Grom appears in the audience chamber and bows deeply as he speaks.
He looks tense.
Bad news, it seems.
From my throne, I cross my legs again.
"What is it?"
"The Holy Staff Nation has formally declared war."
"I see."
At Grom's words, I respond perfunctorily.
I'm not particularly surprised.
It's been over thirty days since the war with the Empire ended.
This was always a possibility.
The Holy Staff Nation is located to the east of the Demon Lord's territory.
It lies beyond a deep forest and a canyon region.
As their name suggests, they are well-versed in holy magic and seem to have a very devout population.
They loathe the undead to an extreme degree.
Because holy power is the polar opposite of their existence.
In hero tales, whenever an undead is defeated, someone from the Holy Staff Nation appears almost invariably.
In truth, I hear many within the nation are skilled users of holy magic.
When it comes to countering the undead, the Holy Staff Nation is without peer among other nations.
It was a nation that served as the very synonym for undead slayer.
A Holy Staff Nation like that would never leave the existence of a Demon King unchecked.
They would want to destroy it at any cost.
I had anticipated they would eventually make a move.
So, why had they remained silent until now? The reason likely lay in the Holy Staff Nation's particular sense of pride.
Beyond their revulsion toward undead, they placed greater importance on the very essence of what the Holy Staff Nation represented.
In other words, their pride, self-esteem, and sense of honor.
The Holy Staff Nation treasured these aspects and was constantly concerned with how other nations perceived them.
I recalled it was often mocked as a pretentious country.
Acting rashly would endanger the Holy Staff Nation's reputation.
Therefore, they must have been biding their time for an opportunity to invade.
And now, with the Empire destroyed, they judged the moment had come for them to act.
Their declaration of war was undoubtedly meant to demonstrate their majesty and legitimacy to other nations.
"They say they will destroy the undead king who seeks to shroud the continent in darkness. Truly, what an exasperating statement."
"On the surface, it's the truth. They aren't wrong."
"That may be so, but..."
Grom grumbled with dissatisfaction.
From his perspective, this was hardly a welcome development.
He knew my true purpose as the Demon King and agreed with it, so the Holy Staff Nation's stance must have felt deeply unpleasant to him.
That said, this was turning out to be a not unfavorable turn of events.
The Holy Staff Nation's declaration of war could be interpreted as them recognizing the Demon Lord as a threat worthy of such a response.
It aligned perfectly with my objective to act as an enemy to the world.
"In that case, what shall be done? Shall I and the archers depart, similar to the invasion of the Empire?"
"Hmm, let me see..." I mused, stroking my chin.
The door at the entrance opened.
It was Luciana who entered.
She held a document in one hand as she spoke.
"We have a problem. It seems the Holy Staff Nation's army has begun its invasion of the Demon Lord's Domain. According to our operative, the damage is reportedly quite significant."
"...Is that so?"
According to Luciana, the Holy Staff Nation's forces had apparently already begun their incursion from the southeast.
They were cutting a path through the Demon Lord's Domain, indiscriminately slaughtering humans.
The Holy Staff Nation's stated justification was that they were "bringing salvation to the dark people who have fallen into the Demon Lord's grasp."
Grom, who had been listening nearby, interjected with an irritated expression.
"Succubus. Is this information certain?"
"Of course. Do you think I'd lie about something like this?"
"I am asking if there might be an error in the operative's report."
In response to Grom's point, Luciana stepped forward.
She poked him in the chest with a finger.
"Trust me on that. I train them properly, you know. By the way, Bone Minister, why are you here?"
"I came to inform the Demon Lord that the Holy Staff Nation has declared war upon us."
"The Holy Staff Nation invaded right as they declared war? How typical of humans," Luciana said with a bored, mocking tone.
The contempt for humanity was plain on her face.
Even her usually cheerful gaze had turned completely cold.
The Holy Staff Nation was more ruthless than I had imagined.
Though it wasn't clear how far they intended to push, it was obvious they were seriously attacking Demon Lord territory.
And among them, even compliant humans were likely purge targets.
"What about the Holy Staff Nation's army? The towns being attacked are human settlements. Should we observe for now?"
"No, we will intercept. We can't stay silent while they do as they please in Demon Lord territory."
I answered immediately.
If left unchecked, further damage would occur.
Those human towns were now part of Demon Lord territory.
Once they submitted, they became mine.
I would not tolerate anyone threatening them at will.
"When will you march?"
"As soon as preparations are complete. Please organize the troops immediately."
Upon hearing my order, Luciana let out an exaggerated sigh.
A wry smile lingered on her lips.
"Oh my, the Demon Lord is so kind. You might make a good king someday."
"Spare me the jokes. Go. Grom, you too."
"Roger."
"As you command!"
At my urging, the two took their leave without protest.
Once alone, I leaned back against the throne.
My thoughts inevitably turned to the Holy Staff Nation.
(They are my bitter rivals, after all...)
Ten years ago, that nation subjected both him and me to incessant obstruction. They could not abide anyone other than their own slaying the Demon Lord. Though the circumstances differ this time, it is surely to preserve their pride and dignity.
There were even a few moments where we nearly lost our lives. Alongside such despicable harassment, no figures of note had emerged from the Holy Staff Nation either. Their few heroes had perished in battle against the demonkin. At that time, the Holy Staff Nation possessed no remaining power capable of contending with the Demon Lord.
In the end, we broke through the multitude of their sabotage efforts and, after a fierce battle, succeeded in slaying the Demon Lord. Following that, all contact from the Holy Staff Nation ceased, and we were soon executed.
Even after a decade had passed, even after I had abandoned my humanity, I could hold no favorable impression of that country. Their attitude is arrogant to the core, concerned only with their own interests. In a sense, they could be considered kin to the Empire. Though their orientation differs, they are hardly a nation one could describe as cooperative. I do not necessarily wish to settle old scores, but I intend to inflict upon them a grievous loss.
I will not destroy it this time either.
I will simply urge them to discard their pointless obsessions and form alliances with other nations.
The power of the Holy Staff Nation will be useful for humanity's future.
It will undoubtedly offer hope when dealing with the Undead Demon King.
I shall make use of its nature.
Shortly thereafter, an army was assembled to intercept the Holy Staff Nation.
Henry, who is unaffected by purification via Holy Magic, and Grom, who can command the undead, were made generals, while Luciana, Dolda, and I remained on standby.
They would lead a mixed force of monsters, undead, and elves.
Since their enemy would be using Holy Magic, I also granted strengthening magic from myself.
This improved the durability of the undead, making them a force capable of defeating most armies.
I will teleport the interception force to the Holy Staff Nation's location.
The plan is for Grom to contact me via telepathy once the battle is concluded.
Based on past experience, it should be settled by dusk.
—Thus, after a brief respite, the Demon King's army began a new war with another nation.