“Lionelzord, as his title suggests, is a subordinate who controls the wind. He possesses power that rivals… no, surpasses the previous Demon Lord. Yes, truly the strongest in the Demon Realm.”
“Demon Realm… the strongest.”
I gulped.
That must mean— stronger than Vila.
“In terms of pure combat ability, he surpasses me. Undoubtedly.”
As if reading my thoughts, Vila answered.
“Uncle… no, what is Lionel’s aim? Is it my downfall? Is he aiming for the throne of the new Demon Lord?”
“Probably.”
The demon nodded in response to Vila’s question.
“The initial plan was to seize cursed weapons and distribute them to the human world. This would escalate the war between human nations and the Demon Lord’s realm, thus diminishing your power.”
“Since Lionel’s forces are mostly in the Demon Realm, he plans to conserve his own power and diminish mine by having humans fight me… hmph.”
Vila snorted.
“He’s still as cunning as ever.”
“Hey, does this Lionel guy want to become the king of the Demon Realm? Or is he also eyeing the human world?”
I inquired about something that had been on my mind.
“I, too, do not know everything about his ambitions. After all, I am just a subordinate…”
The demon said.
“But perhaps he is also aiming for the human world? He used to say it like a catchphrase. ‘I won’t just stay as the king of the Demon Realm. Eventually, I will make humans and even gods kneel at my feet.'”
“Even gods, is he planning to invade the heavenly realm?”
Vila groaned.
“If he does that, the entire Demon Realm will be destroyed…”
Is it fair to call it the ambition of a demon aiming for the Demon Lord?
“Gods are not merciful beings. They show no mercy to those who oppose them…”
Vila muttered.
“We must never provoke… for beyond that lies utter destruction…”
“Utter destruction?”
“Yes. If a god were to get angry, even the human world would easily be blown away by the aftermath.”
“Eh…?!”
I unintentionally stared at Vila.
“We will send scouts to the DEmon Realm to first investigate Lionel’s movements. Ideally, I would like to go to the Demon Realm myself, but we don’t know when humans might come invading.”
I was speaking with Vila.
The captured demons from the interrogation are still being held.
Vila mentioned considering releasing them at the right time.
“I see. Is there anything I can do?”
“…Before that, I want to ask. What do you intend to do from now on, Shion?”
“Eh?”
“You are ultimately a human. You have no obligation to share our fate. If you wish, you can leave from here at any time.”
As he spoke, her eyes were trembling.
Her true feelings were clear.
She doesn’t want me to leave.
“You’re on this ship now. I can’t just leave you.”
I smiled gently.
“I’ll fight alongside you. After all, I’m supposed to be a hero. I’ll fight for everyone to live happily… for everyone’s smiles, whether they are humans or demons, we’ll protect together.”
