“I can’t believe it’s about a marriage. It’s too sudden. We should discuss this again next time.”
| There’s no need to take it so suddenly. Just think of it as a light greeting, no need to consider it heavily just because it’s an engagement. Even if we don’t marry, we could become good friends, couldn’t we? After all, you need to look around to adapt to the Demon World, so it would be good to meet my daughter while you’re at it. |
“······.”
It carries the form of a polite proposal, but in reality, it’s not.
Satan, who had been suppressing his intimidation for my consideration until now, begins to threaten me by gradually releasing demonic energy.
It’s half a threat.
“······I understand.”
For now, I had no choice but to accept.
In the Demon World, Satan is like a king.
If I fall out of his favor, I might die here before I can return to the current world.
| It seems you’ve roughly gotten used to breathing. |
“That’s right.”
“······Yeah.”
“You aren’t breathing, are you?”
“······.”
|Then I will guide you outside. If I roam around carelessly outside, many citizens might get scared, so these two demons will take charge of the guidance. By the way, the introductions are quite delayed. This is Astaroth. And this is Dantalion. |
Astaroth waves with a smile (it’s hard to tell if it’s a real smile since the boundary of his mouth is ambiguous), while Dantalion shyly greets with just his eyes.
I almost forgot since Satan appeared.
These guys are incredibly strong enough to keep me from moving.
“Are both of you Great Demons?”
“Only this lord is a Great Demon······. There are only seven Great Demons in the Demon World, and these guys are just ordinary demons.”
So, these two are not Great Demons?
For a moment, my mind stopped.
Didn’t Belphegor say he was a Great Demon?
That weakling is a Great Demon, yet ordinary demons are this strong?
‘That Belphegor… he lied!’
He was trying to come off as all serious.
It seems it was all a show of bravado and lies.
|If there’s anything uncomfortable while you’re staying here, just let these guys convey it to me anytime. I will take care of it promptly. |
“Thank you······.”
With a gesture from Satan, the round entrance to the lava waterfall suddenly opens with a whoosh.
I walked out with the two demons and Mi Jeong, leaving the solemnly seated Satan behind.
Then, I was greeted by the spectacle of a sea made of bright red lava.
And that’s not all.
Even the seemingly intact ground occasionally shifted rocks, and the lava would spurt up like a fountain.
An extreme environment where humans cannot survive.
But the demons stroll through this dangerous street leisurely as if it were nothing.
I, feeling the scorching heat, tightly squeezed Mi Jeong’s hand.
“We need to find a way to return to the current world quickly.”
“······Yeah.”
I absolutely detest living here.
I currently can’t find any leads, but I will definitely return to the current world.
I reaffirmed that determination once again with Mi Jeong.
“Is it just me, or do I feel like eyes are on us?”
|Of course! Don’t you think they stand out just looking at them?|
“I know that, but······.”
While cautiously following behind the two demons, I began to feel the atmosphere gradually become eerie.
One by one, dark figures emerged from the caves here and there.
They all stared at us with their dark pupils, silently.
Their gazes weren’t merely intrigued or watchful, like when I first entered Elvenguard; it felt distinctly different.
Something like… ominous.
|Uhmm. Is it because they’re green and lively?|
|Well, we almost couldn’t help but disassemble and eat one ourselves.|
“······.”
It really felt ominous.
The fact that those eyes were all licking their lips as they looked at me made me unconsciously get closer to these two demons.
…Though their gazes didn’t seem much different either.
‘But they are just numerous demons; they’re not too scary.’
I was just nervous because I was facing unfamiliar threats in an unfamiliar space.
I didn’t feel a significant risk.
When I quickly glanced to gauge their strength, each demon’s power seemed equal to or less than Belphegor.
Honestly, I felt that even if those hundreds of demons attacked me all at once, I could win.
As long as Mi Jeong is by my side, it feels entirely possible.
Is the majority of demons inherently this weak?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt my previously hazy vision begin to clear.
It seems I have somewhat adapted to this atmosphere.
Even though it’s demonic energy from another realm, I felt that I could control it now.
However, strangely, it felt like I was handling the demonic energy better than in the current world.
|The place you just surveyed would be what we’d call the downtown area in the current world. And this way is the path to the underground prison. |
“Why to the underground prison?”
|Your future spouse is here. |
“······?”
After circling around the Demon World for a while, we finally arrived at the place.
Following the cylindrical, deep pit, we descended the endlessly winding stairs.
It seems demons are exceptionally fit since I had to ask for breaks multiple times on the way down.
“······Ugh.”
“Hey. Just say it.”
“······Ugh.”
As soon as I tried to sit down and rest, Mi Jeong bit my finger.
Is she now too lazy to even ask for food?
As I let demonic energy cause a small wound on my elbow, Mi Jeong rushed in and started sucking on it.
“By the way, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
|Food? Hmm… Oh, that’s a problem… the demon’s staple is the life essence obtained through contracts, so there’s probably nothing worth eating for a living person…|
“Ah······.”
|Let me catch a Fire Dragon or something! I’ll bring it back and see if it suits your taste!|
In the blink of an eye, the two demons vanished into thin air.
A little while later, they returned, dragging a massive lizard.
I was at a loss for how to deal with this but somehow managed to disassemble it, cutting off some edible parts from its hind legs and grilling it over a fire.
Finally, I was able to take a single bite, and the experience was…
“We absolutely need to go back.”
“······Yeah.”
We will definitely return.
That determination only grew stronger.
After finishing our interim meal, we began heading down to meet the demon who is my engagement partner in the underground prison.
The darkness deepened as we descended, and the appearance of the demons inside the iron bars became even more grotesque.
“Didn’t you say the engagement partner is Satan’s offspring?”
|That’s true, but she’s quite a troublesome child. She ran away and was recently caught again, so for now, she’s locked up. |
|There was no choice but to keep her imprisoned in case she runs away again and disappears for thousands of years. |
“······.”
So, he offers me his troublesome daughter to deal with.
Sorry, but that’s not how Satan’s wishes are going to unfold.
I will find some way to escape the Demon World.
There’s no way I will end up living a life with a demon wife and having rabbit-like offspring.
|Here we are. |
“······?”
Upon reaching the lowest level of the underground prison, dark shadows wavered inside the dark iron bars.
Though it seemed like a strange encounter in a foreign land, for some reason, I felt a sense of déjà vu from the entity beyond the bars.
I thought all demons appeared dark and similar.
However, the moment I recognized the face emerging from the darkness, I knew.
This bastard…
“Hey, you fucking bitch—”
|Huh?! Stop this human!|
|No, don’t! She’s your future wife!|
None other than Belphegor.
In an instant, I couldn’t control my rage, rolling up my sleeves and lunging forward.
However, I was quickly restrained by the two demons.
“Ugh?!”
|See? You get excited and forget how to breathe!|
In the midst of trying to breathe wrong, my lungs filled with demonic energy.
I felt my lungs burst in an instant, blood spewing out.
The demons rushed to help me, but I raised a hand to stop them.
‘I’ve gotten quite used to the demonic energy here.’
I’ve more or less figured out how to use it.
Unlike in the current world, the demonic energy in the Demon World is very dense.
But that doesn’t mean it’s more difficult to handle.
Once I learn the technique, it’s actually easier to handle a larger amount of demonic energy at once.
Slowly, I captured the demonic energy filling my lungs and extracted it.
Then, I spat out choking black smoke through my mouth.
Quickly, I pulled out a healing potion and shoved it down my throat, pouring it deep into my lungs.
It was incredibly painful, but…
In the end, I managed to heal myself completely.
If the healing potions ran out, this kind of thing would be tough…
But, of course, that’s not what’s important right now.
|H-Hey! Why is that human here in the Demon World?!|
“I want to ask you the same thing, Belphegor. Why are you here?”
|Well, this is my sanctuary, isn’t it?|
“You bastard, don’t talk back—”
|Kyaah!|
As I raised my fist, Belphegor’s mask came off, and he freaked out.
I was dying to beat him to death right then and there, but…
Since the two demons seemed ready to pounce on me again, I had to hold back.
|You two were acquaintances…?|
“An enormous bad fate. But the fact that this guy is here means, no way, is my engagement partner…? ”
|That’s right. Once upon a time, under the name of Sloth, I was seated at the left of the Great Demon but was deposed. Belphegor is Satan’s own daughter. |
As I stepped closer, the darkness and demonic energy enveloping him started to fade, revealing a woman with bronzed skin.
All of a sudden, a migraine started pounding in my head.
