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Short Story (9): The Careless Demon King

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The mock battle with Alice continued until nightfall. Perhaps because of that, those who had finished their tasks gathered, and everyone living in the dungeon became spectators. Amidst this, the Demon King was putting up a desperate resistance.

Though he had transformed and possessed the same strength as Alice, he couldn’t help but recall his traumatic battle with the Sword Saint, and thus became hesitant to fight. Furthermore, despite using techniques that Alice shouldn’t know, they were narrowly avoided, and Alice returned the same techniques, almost as if testing him. Moreover, a difference in mental fortitude began to show. Alice found enjoyment in the intense sword clashes, while the Demon King felt fear even when the sword barely grazed him. It didn’t take long for him to be on the defensive. However, from that point, the Demon King hung on.

For the sake of his subordinates watching, he couldn’t afford to lose too miserably, so he steeled himself. The fear of being genuinely struck by a blade if he let his guard down, pushed him to keep defending.

Alice, who launched a new technique that he hadn’t even considered when transformed, kept the Demon King in a state of desperately suppressing his screams, as he continued to defend. But even that eventually showed cracks, and once those cracks were attacked continuously, the Demon King could no longer defend. The moment he could no longer defend was one Alice would not miss, and her precise sword skill “Slash” aimed for the Demon King’s neck.

Unable to block the blow, Alice’s exceptional battle sense made it clear to him that the attack couldn’t be stopped, and at the same time, he realized he couldn’t defend. Thus, by reflex, he activated his abilities.

“Transformation.” (Nobunaga)

Defensive Combat Stance (Tungsten Body).

*Clink!*

The sound rang out as the sword point hit his neck and snapped off, flying away.

“Demon King, that is a han—” (Alice)

“Just now, the sword point hit me! If I hadn’t transformed, my neck would’ve been cut off!” (Nobunaga)

The sword point skillfully passed through the spectators and pierced into a tree.

“It’s fine. This happened often during training with my master.” (Alice)

“Don’t compare it to that idiot Sword Saint! If my neck had been cut off, I’d be dead!” (Nobunaga)

After shouting, the fear he had been suppressing until now surged, and the Demon King undid his transformation and collapsed to the ground. Meanwhile, Alice, looking highly satisfied, turned towards the Lizardmen.

“As you can see, even when the Demon King transforms into me, he can’t win. He is certainly not an unbeatable opponent, understood?” (Alice)

“Yes!” (Lizardmen)

The Lizardmen responded energetically, looking at Alice as if she were a hero, and the exhausted Demon King was helped by Ran, quietly raising her own standing.

“Now then, a summary. Gather around.” (Alice)

After the mock battle with Alice, most of the spectators left, and the remaining Lizardmen gathered to hear Alice’s summary. The Demon King, feeling exhausted, was trying to rest, but for some reason, Alice brought him over.

“The points I mentioned last time. Overall, you’ve all improved your awareness of defense. However, it seems there are some of you who neglected to work on your body’s flexibility. You should have realized during this mock battle that your tails can be used as weapons. They are weapons that only you have. Be sure not to neglect them. That’s all!” (Alice)

Alice, surprisingly thorough in her role as a combat instructor, delivered her remarks. The Lizardmen listened attentively, while the Demon King wondered why he had been brought here.

“Next, we’ll move on to individual evaluations. Now, Demon King, you’re up.” (Alice)

The answer came rolling in quickly. When asked why it was left to him, the reply was “I didn’t fight, so I don’t know”, given in a somewhat dismissive tone. Wondering what to do, the Demon King decided to at least review the first day.

“The first Lizard Commander was you, right? No issues with your offense or defense. But your body was stiff. Because of that, you had to use your spear like a stick when performing the Summersault Kick. Also, when observing your opponent, you should focus on the entire opponent, not just parts like the arms or legs. If you did that, you could have defended against the tail’s follow-up.” (Nobunaga)

Somehow, the Demon King managed to come up with an evaluation on the spot. Although there was a difference between those who left a strong impression and those who didn’t, he was able to provide evaluations that seemed acceptable. He continued to give out his evaluations one by one.

“Then, on the fourth day, the seventh person is… I have nothing to say.” (Nobunaga)

The Demon King’s words caused an uproar in the room. Until now, the evaluations had been somewhat unequal, but the seventh person, the Lizard Commander who had been the only one to bring the Demon King to a close fight, was given no evaluation at all. Why was that? In this unexpected turn of events, it was Rin who reacted first.

“With all due respect, Maou-sama, she is the one who proposed the idea of equipping both a sword and a shield. Also, she has put in the effort to make her joints as flexible as possible, following your words. Any words would be fine. Would you please provide an evaluation?” (Rin)

“Ah, so it was you who proposed the sword and shield. At first glance, the idea of equipping both a sword and a shield might seem simplistic but considering that weapons like swords and spears are mainstream, coming up with this idea is no small feat. As for the joints, I know that when I became you, you were the most flexible among the Lizardmen. …Is she a female, then? Is there a difference between males and females?

As for the evaluation, there is nothing to criticize. I believe it’s nearly perfect. If I had to mention anything, perhaps noticing from the start that the tail could be used as a weapon. If you had done so, the outcome of the battle could have been different.” (Nobunaga)

As Rin had requested, an evaluation was given, but the content caused the room to fall silent. Perhaps misunderstanding the situation, the Demon King proceeded with the individual evaluations.

 

—

 

After finishing all the evaluations, the Demon King, mentally and physically exhausted, glanced at Alice to ask with his eyes if he could leave, and seeing her nod, he was about to leave the spot.

“The top ten must engrave this evaluation in their hearts and devote themselves to training. The other Lizardmen should understand the contents of the mock battles and apply them to improve their own strength. Also, forget about the mock battle between me and the Demon King. That is still an area beyond your reach.” (Alice)

As Alice began to wrap up the session, the Demon King found himself unable to move. However, he figured it would end soon and waited quietly.

“Now, lastly, for the eighth-ranked, before. It seems the Demon King will give a name.” (Alice)

That was the mistake. When he looked at her with protest in his eyes, Alice spoke to him in a whisper.

“Actually, the training has stalled. You may have heard from Rin, but what I’m about to teach requires a certain level of strength. However, based on the mock battle, the only two I felt were capable of being taught are Rin and that one. Since mock battles probably won’t be possible for a while, I want to use the strength of those two as a new training benchmark for the others. But if the benchmark is just Rin and the eighth-ranked, it would be a bit lacking. So, I want to give a name to stimulate the motivation of the Lizardmen, saying that the one with a name is the benchmark.” (Alice)

When told it wasn’t a misunderstanding, but rather something meant for the Lizardmen, the Demon King couldn’t refuse. Reluctantly, the Demon King stopped resisting and faced forward.

“As the saying goes, ‘A name represents the body’. From here on, what do you want to achieve, or what kind of person do you want to become? Let me hear that, and then I will decide on the name.” (Nobunaga)

“Yes, I… I want to become someone who can assist the Chieftain. I want to be of help, both as hands and feet, and serve Maou-sama.” (Lizard Commander)

After glancing briefly at Rin, the Lizard Commander spoke this answer, and the Demon King couldn’t help but nod. After all, recently when names were given, people would say things like wanting to run faster, which sounded like the wishes of a child, or declaring they were like family but soon arguing with the Chieftain. Compared to that, these words were filled with loyalty. The Demon King put more thought into deciding the name.

Assisting Rin, huh? Based on her reaction when looking at Rin, there seems to be affection. Then, a name that would allow them to be as close as possible. A name that would be with Rin. Epo? Pona?

“Understood. Then, from now on, you shall be called Ena.” (Demon King)

“Thank you very much. From now on, I will go by Ena!” (Ena)

 

—

 

A sudden cheer arose. The Lizardmen’s joyful voices, congratulating Ena. Everyone praised Ena, and they made such a ruckus until complaints came from other races.

“It’s someone’s fault that I’m more tired than planned. I just want to take a bath and sleep.” (Nobunaga)

After giving the name, the Demon King quietly left the celebration of the excited Lizardmen and returned to the throne room, opening his mouth to speak to the person behind him.

“Heh, should I help you wash your back?” (Alice)

Behind him was Alice, who had left the scene with the Demon King. Ignoring the sarcasm, Alice made a terrifying suggestion to him.

“You’re joking, right? A bath with you is not relaxing. The reply to my letter might come soon. I don’t want to sleep through it because I’m too tired, so I want to get rid of some of this fatigue in the bath. Don’t come in.” (Nobunaga)

“Stop worrying about it. I only wear that black coat when I’m going to behead you, Maou. Speaking of the letter, what did you write in it?” (Alice)

“The letter? I didn’t write anything special. It was the usual greeting and an offer for trade. Are you curious about it?” (Nobunaga)

The letter only contained simple things. The Demon King feared that if by some coincidence, the Sword Saint learned of it, it might be judged as evil. Therefore, without anything to hide, the Demon King could clearly explain it to Alice.

“Curious, or rather, I couldn’t read it. What country’s writing is that?” (Alice)

“Oh, that’s from Niho… wait?” (Demon King)

The Demon King searched his memory. What he had written in the letter was likely a script obtained from the “Otherworld Intelligence”.

What kind of writing did Alice and the others use?

In a hurry, the Demon King took out the map of the Great Forest of Owa, which was hidden behind the throne, the map containing what appeared to be some kind of written symbols.

“Alice, could this be writing?” (Nobunaga)

“Of course, it’s obvious. Is that the map distributed to the reconnaissance team? It contains various things like which team is assigned to which areas.” (Alice)

The Demon King focused on the map, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t read it. He didn’t understand. Similarly, if Alice couldn’t read the letter…

That day, the Demon King went to bed in frustration.

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