I transfer to the audience chamber.
My eyes meet Luciana's, who had been buried in paperwork.
She springs to her feet and comes rushing over, scattering documents everywhere.
"Demon King Sama!"
Luciana wraps her arms around me in a frontal embrace.
Her grip is crushingly tight, and my body groans under the strain.
She is a high-ranking demon, and more than that, a powerhouse who once served as one of the Demon King's Army's Four Heavenly Kings.
Though she doesn't draw much attention, she possesses truly formidable physical strength.
And perhaps because she's shaken, she has no control over how much force she's using.
Cracks spider across my shoulders and arms.
My entire body being reduced to powder is only a matter of time.
"I was so worried. You just never came back..."
Luciana murmurs, her voice faintly trembling.
This is a sight utterly unlike her usual composure.
"Sorry about that."
That's all I manage to say.
At the same moment, a bone in my arm cracks and falls away.
The sound snaps Luciana to her senses, and she hurriedly pulls away from me.
Her eyes are rimmed with red.
She must have held back her tears at the very last moment.
I pick up the fallen arm piece and fuse it back in place with miasma.
When I raise my head, I spot Diera standing at the far end of the room.
Arms crossed, standing ramrod straight, she wears a fearless smile.
"Well, you've finally returned. As expected of the Demon King."
"I still have things to do. I can't very well die here."
When I reply, Diera's face breaks into a pleased expression.
She nods with deep satisfaction.
"Good, good—that's the spirit. There's plenty of work ahead for you, I'm afraid."
"...What do you mean?"
"While you were away, the state of the world has shifted considerably. Beasts from the outer world have been manifesting, one after another."
Diera adopts a grave expression and begins to explain.
While I was immersed in the spirit world, ten days had elapsed in reality.
The beasts from the outer world had apparently begun mobilizing in earnest.
They had appeared across various nations and were rampaging without discrimination.
The Demon King's Army was currently intercepting the beasts that had manifested within our territory.
It sounded like an intense battle, but apparently they were managing to hold the line.
That they hadn't been overwhelmed was nothing short of remarkable.
The officers serving as the command hub must have been coordinating well.
Incidentally, the concept of "beasts from the outer world" hadn't been made public—each nation apparently understood it as mutant monsters running rampant simultaneously.
Some regions had already suffered devastating damage, and the chaos was severe enough that even the Demon King couldn't afford to sit idle.
"The other officers are all fighting on various fronts. They wanted to come greet you, it seems, but they had no choice but to let it go."
"I see."
It couldn't be helped.
Rather than waiting for me to return—when there was no telling when that would happen—heading out to subdue the beasts was the more constructive course of action.
It was an eminently sound judgment.
"Now that you've returned to the real world, that means you've dealt with the beast that was consuming you?"
"I've confined it beneath the research facility and left the director to keep watch. Escape should be virtually impossible."
"That director on guard duty... what a harrowing thought."
Diera grumbles with a sympathetic grimace.
It's not a subject that comes up often, but the reaction perfectly captures everyone's impression of the director.
Glancing over, I see Luciana wearing much the same expression.
The director had originally been an ordinary researcher-mage.
She should have had the most unremarkable background and career of anyone here.
And yet, before anyone realized it, she had become someone that even the beasts of the outer world feared.
She herself didn't seem to give it any thought, but without anyone quite noticing, she had risen to become one of the most extraordinary figures in the Demon King's Army.
Breaking the delicate atmosphere, Luciana addresses me with a question.
"Demon King Sama, what do you intend to do from here?"
"I'll maintain the established front lines while heading out to provide support wherever it's needed. Luciana, I'd like you to focus on gathering intelligence."
"Roger that. Leave it to me."
Luciana answers with a serious expression.
The entire continent—no, even the other continents—were exposed to the threat of the beasts.
The defensive mechanisms seemed to be active as well, but they were probably spread too thin.
Besides, those mechanisms only aimed to prevent the world's destruction.
They had no intention of saving the people.
It was precisely in circumstances like these that diligent intelligence gathering was essential.
We needed to synthesize it all and move as efficiently as possible.
"Diera, would you be willing to take on the defense of the Royal Capital?"
"Truthfully, I'd love to be out on the front lines, but I'll show some restraint here. My time to shine will come a bit later."
Diera groans but nods, seemingly reluctant.
She didn't seem to have any objection to cooperating.
She had essentially become a de facto member of the Demon King's Army's leadership.
Once upon a time she was supposed to be an arch-nemesis—now she was a reliable neighbor.
You never could predict how things would turn out.
(I was slow to act, but from here on, I have no choice but to make up for it.)
In the brief time I'd let my guard down, the world had been ravaged extensively.
I didn't know what purpose the beasts served, but I intended to eliminate them thoroughly.
This world only needed one great evil.
I would show them the power of the resurrected Demon King.