In the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen, somewhere in that vast space, an indescribable being that one could not dare to face with their eyes let out a bizarre sound, uncertain whether it was laughter or crying. A presence engulfed in complete blackness, as massive as a mountain. The only thing visible was a pair of crimson eyes shining through the pitch-black energy.
“Hehehehe… What could it possibly be?”
The air around it throbbed violently as if ready to swallow everything whole. This being had no name. No one dared to think of giving it one. It was simply referred to as the Demon God in the world.
The Demon God could hardly contain the boiling rage within.
“What on earth have you sent me, Celestial God?”
A strange sound escaped from it.
The Demon God could not accept this reality.
In this world where time had been turned back, it should have been marching towards that glorious yet tragic warfare, just like the previous dimension.
However, far from war, even the smallest fragment of battle could not be found.
All because of that one human brought by the Celestial God.
“I should have killed her long ago, shouldn’t I?”
Just a single weak human.
That insignificant being dared not even think that she could change the fate of the world.
So it had let her be until now, but after seeing her storm into the Demon King’s Castle not long ago, its thoughts changed drastically.
She was a person who greatly sympathized with driving the world into tragedy.
A monster of sunlight.
Since the moment the soul of Athena Caladbolg transformed for the better, the Demon God sensed something was amiss.
She was a significant piece leading the world towards tragedy.
But now, that single human had taken away the key.
Not just her.
Even the Hero with a strength entirely different from the previous dimension.
And the supreme being meant to engulf the world in flames. Even Dragons.
One by one, everything was changing.
Unable to comprehend this absurd situation, the Demon God immediately ordered the Demon King to start a war.
But even the Demon King was not obedient to its command.
“No. The world must be destroyed.”
A glorious war drenched in blood.
And a perfect cycle of that horror repeating forever.
There was no way it could allow that mere human to break it.
“If the Celestial God caused a variable… then I must create a variable as well.”
The identity of this unidentifiable, pitch-black being was hidden as it chuckled quietly in the vast darkness.
*
“Tsk.”
Arbes, seated on the throne, made a frustrated gesture.
The Dark Knight, Tyrus, who always stood by her side, looked at her and asked.
“Is something bothering you, Demon King?”
“The Demon God’s urging is bothering me.”
“…Do you wish for war?”
“Yes. It seems he wishes to gather troops immediately and annihilate the empire.”
After a moment’s pause, Tyrus knelt before the Demon King to show his respect.
“I am the Demon King’s servant. I will follow your will.”
At his words, a single eyebrow raised on Arbes as she asked,
“Oh? Even if it means going against the will of the Demon God?”
“Indeed.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Tyrus replied, bringing a small smile to the Demon King’s lips.
“What a loyal subject.”
However, her smile was fleeting, replaced by boredom almost instantly.
“But… it’s starting to become annoying. I feel like my patience is running thin.”
“…Demon King, only two days have passed.”
“Two days? Are you saying it’s still okay for me to be stuck in this Demon King’s Castle, bored for two days?”
As Arbes spoke with a voice full of mischief, Tyrus bent down as if to bury his head in the ground.
“I’m sorry. I did not dare to presume to know the Demon King’s feelings.”
Arbes, watching the rather comical posture of Tyrus, chuckled softly and nodded. Tyrus stood back up awkwardly, tension evident in his voice as he spoke again.
“…Demon King.”
“What is it?”
Unlike his usual silence, Tyrus hesitated for a moment before speaking with a stutter.
“If you enjoyed your time with that woman… how about spending some time with me instead?”
“…What?”
Arbes regarded his unexpected suggestion, curiosity filling her voice.
“I… I suggested it because you seemed bored, Demon King. I’m sorry. I overstepped my bounds.”
“……”
After briefly gazing at the restless Tyrus, Arbes suddenly burst into laughter, patting his shoulder.
“Hahaha! You can joke around unexpectedly. Thanks to you, I’ve had a brief laugh.”
“…If you found it enjoyable, then I’m satisfied.”
With his head bowed, Tyrus returned to his usually quiet demeanor. Arbes turned her gaze to the ceiling, mumbling to herself.
“If they don’t come in five days, I might have to align with the Demon God’s wishes.”
Today too, she calmed her burning heart while recalling Hera, who kept swirling in her mind.
*
Athena, Lily, Mari, and I.
The four of us huddled together in the inn’s lodging, brainstorming.
“Let’s have a lengthy conversation with the Demon King. I’m sure we can find common ground.”
“…No matter how I think about it, I don’t understand, Hera.”
I spoke up, stretching my hand forward, prompting Athena to frown and look at me.
“I don’t get the feeling that the Demon King will understand.”
I smiled brightly at the doubtful Athena.
“You’ve never been on a date with the Demon King, right?!”
“…What?”
Athena stared at me, momentarily dumbfounded, before raising her hand palm up with an angry expression.
“Do you want to get scolded again, Hera?”
Fearing her deadly aura, I quickly waved my hands in front of me.
“N-No! I didn’t mean it like that!”
I spoke to Athena, who wore a look of suspicion.
“I’ve spent time with the Demon King. So, I can assure you. She’s not as rigid as we think.”
“…..”
“They say communication can solve anything, right? I’m sure there’s common ground.”
Upon hearing my words, Athena sighed deeply, looking at me with concern.
“What if you end up in trouble instead?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I hugged Mari and Lily beside me, smiling at Athena.
“I have a strong daughter and sister here to protect me. Why would I worry?”
With that, I boldly looked into Athena’s eyes and shyly spoke.
“And… you’re here too, Athena. To protect me.”
“………”
Athena mumbled something, but I chose to ignore her.
Her face slightly reddened as she ruffled her hair while looking at me.
“Okay. I’ll make sure no one lays a finger on you.”
“Hehe… Thanks, Athena.”
As I smiled at the kind-hearted Athena, Lily tugged on my sleeve and asked.
“But how are you going to meet the Demon King, sis?”
“Hehe… don’t worry about that, Lily.”
I looked at Lily’s curious eyes and beamed with a concealed smile.
“We have a close friend in the Demon Realm!”
Lily tilted her head in puzzlement at my words.
*
“…Sis, stand behind me. I’ll handle this.”
“Hiyaaaaak!!”
“How dare you stay next to my sister, you demon?!”
“Hiieeek?! Why isn’t anyone stopping them?! SOMEONE PLEASE STOP HER!!”
The pink-haired succubus screamed as she ran around in panic.
Sephir’s face was pale as she dashed away in the opposite direction from Lily.
“It’s no use. You might as well give up.”
“Hey!! H-Hera!! Why aren’t you helping me?!”
“….How dare you call out my sister’s name?!”
“H-Hera!!”
As Lily was about to draw her sword and Sephir attempted to flutter her wings and escape, Mari grabbed my sleeve, bringing me back to my senses.
“Oh.”
I burst into laughter at Sephir’s frantic antics.
Looking around, it seemed Athena was similarly charmed, as she merely watched Sephir with her hands down.
I pulled Lily closer, grabbing her shoulder.
“Sis…?”
“Calm down, Lily. She’s my friend.”
“Ffriend…?”
Lily regarded Sephir with eyes filled with disbelief.
Perhaps scared by Lily’s gaze, Sephir shivered and hid behind the couch.
“Hmm… to be precise, she’s my familiar…”
Maybe that statement was even more shocking. Lily’s eyes widened twofold.
“Familiar…”
Lily was left speechless.
It seemed like clearing up this misunderstanding would take a bit of time.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.