Personnel had been arriving from various parts of demon territory for several days now.
One day, struck by a sudden thought, I went out to the castle balcony.
From there, I gazed down at the town below.
Scanning the view, I spotted the district where the humans were gathered.
It had been empty just the other day.
The provided people were living there.
They were using the abandoned houses as they were, and there seemed to be no shortage of other supplies.
Even within the royal capital, it was separate from the dwellings of the monsters.
Relations between the two could hardly be called good.
I'd heard that clashes, too severe to even be called fights, had broken out several times already.
For those living on the same land, it would be ideal if they could get along.
I wanted them to build relationships that crossed the boundaries of race.
I believed this was possible.
Because there was a precedent.
The humans, who had originally been slaves of the former Demon King Army remnants, now coexisted with monsters without batting an eye.
They interacted as pleasant neighbors or colleagues, setting aside their past grudges.
This unique environment must have forcibly narrowed the distance between them.
It would make me happy if the people who had come with this latest personnel provision turned out the same way.
For now, however, there was no solution.
All I could do was wait for time to resolve it.
(What a pathetic demon lord...)
In moments like these, I'm acutely aware of my own helplessness.
All I can wield is violence. In that one regard, I don't allow others to catch up, but when faced with such delicate problems, I instantly become useless.
I was never good with interpersonal relationships, even when I was alive.
Becoming an undead seems to have only strengthened that aversion.
And here I am, calling myself the Demon Lord. What a farce.
Still, it's a challenge I must overcome. I can't continue to reign as the world's evil on power alone.
I have to grow as well.
"Lord Summer!"
As I sank into self-loathing thoughts, a carefree voice cut through.
Luciana materialized beside me.
She'd apparently flown in from the castle garden.
Holding a report in one hand, she began speaking.
"A problem has arisen... well, not exactly 'problem,' but I came to report it."
"What is it?"
As I urged her to continue, she flipped open the report.
"It's from the Lich Minister. He says the Empire's army is using some strange weapons, and he wants you to see them, Lord Summer."
"Strange weapons, you say..."
I stroked my chin in thought.
Had the Empire developed some new weapon?
Their technological capability hadn't struck me as particularly advanced, yet a false report seemed unlikely.
Furthermore, when we annihilated their forces in the World Tree Forest, there was nothing notable about the Imperial troops.
(Could they have been hiding a secret weapon?)
The possibility that reaching the Imperial Capital forced their hand couldn't be denied.
If they feared countermeasures, they would naturally want to avoid using it if possible.
I would think the same in their position.
Above all, Grom had been insistent I see it for myself.
I couldn't ignore that.
And frankly, I was genuinely curious.
"Is the battle going badly?"
"Hmm, judging from the reports, it seems they're holding. They've kept their distance to observe, apparently to avoid increasing casualties."
"Is that so."
Not a bad judgment.
To attack carelessly and suffer a painful counterstrike would be disastrous.
They seemed to be sticking to their policy of prioritizing their subordinates' lives.
"What will you do? Shall we go see for ourselves?"
"Yes. We'll strike a blow against the Imperial Capital while we're at it."
When I answered, Luciana placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.
She shrugged in an exaggerated manner.
"There goes the Demon Lord's hobby... or perhaps, more accurately, an invasion addiction."
"It's neither a hobby nor an addiction. It's a necessary course of action."
"Haha, right you are."
Luciana smiled, looking pleased.
What was so amusing about their exchange just now?
Her sensibilities were a complete mystery to me.
As I proceeded with the preparation of the teleportation magic, I sensed Grom's presence far in the distance.
I intended to move directly to his location.
With the boundless magical power I possessed, something like that was trivial.
"I'll be heading out."
"Okay~ Be careful."
Luciana waved her hand casually.
In that hand, she now held a glass filled with red liquid, seemingly appearing from nowhere.
It was probably fruit wine.
Her manner clearly indicated she had no intention of accompanying me.
Most likely, she found the prospect of combat troublesome.
With no other choice, I decided to leave her with some parting words.
"While I'm away, I'll have Grom stationed here. The two of you play nice and wait."
"Oh, how delightful."
Luciana spoke in a voice devoid of even a trace of emotion.
Her eyes were impressively clouded over.
It must be truly unbearable to be alone with Grom, then.
We always bicker and play around lightly, so it's quite a strange relationship.
Paying no mind to the languid Luciana, I activated the transfer magic.
◆
The destination was a desolate, ruined expanse of land.
The ground was collapsed in places, with many large gouges and craters.
In the distance, a city with colossal outer walls was visible.
Given the position, that must be the Imperial Capital.
"Oh-ho! Well, well, if it isn't the Demon Lord!"
A familiar voice called up from below.
Looking down, Grom was wedged awkwardly in a crack in the earth.
He was half-trapped in the fissure.
Cracking his jawbone, he welcomed my arrival with joy.
"Thank you so very much for coming all this way. I, Grom, am so moved I could nearly shed tears of gratitude."
"I heard there was a strange weapon. Where is it?"
I dismissed the exaggerated praise and asked Grom directly.
He pointed his index finger toward the Imperial Capital.
"It is over there. Annoyingly, it has been targeting us from long range. I or an archer could destroy it, of course, but I wanted to show it to you first, my Lord."
"Hmm."
I stare at the walls of the Imperial Capital.
Lined there, at regular intervals, are metal boxes.
Each box is about the size of a house.
Cylinders are mounted on their sides.
Inscribed on their surfaces are magical formulas, which emit a faint glow.
Shape-wise, they resemble cannons, but their structure is clearly different.
Since I've never seen anything so massive before, they're probably something else entirely.
Indeed, it's an exotic weapon.
No wonder Grom sought my instructions on it.
"Where are the others?"
"Along with the archers, they are resting in the captured city to the rear. I was planning to redeploy them after we decided how to handle that weapon."
"Good judgment. Well done."
"Oh! I am most grateful!"
In his joy, flames engulf Grom's entire head.
In truth, it was not flattery—it was a good judgment.
First, we need to examine that weapon.
It's unlikely it was manufactured with the Empire's technological capabilities.
Perhaps a new system of magic was discovered in the last ten years?
I don't recall hearing any such stories.
To confirm, I created a force field and stepped out into the sky.
I would continue my approach to the Imperial Capital as is.
"My Lord, please be careful. If they approach recklessly..."
Grom's warning came from behind me.
Before he could finish speaking, multiple gun barrels activated.
I thought they all turned toward me at once, but then they unleashed fire while spewing magic.
(—Ah, I see.)
A spiraling trajectory drawn as they flew toward me at tremendous speed.
Outpacing sound itself, what closed in was a series of metal cylinders with blunted tips.