Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Temporary Alliance
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Demon King...
From the moment I heard about the Hero and the Saintess, I'd already anticipated the Demon King's existence.
But why had Lily, one of his subordinates, appeared before Nameless and me?
I scrutinized her expression closely to gauge her intentions.
Yet Lily just kept beaming with that cheerful smile, waiting for our response.
I couldn't fathom her motives at all.
Letting out a small sigh, I lowered my gaze to the coachman lying crushed beneath her foot.
"... "
The coachman was clearly in mortal danger, yet he lay there giggling like a madman.
It was so absurd I rubbed my face in exasperation.
"You came here for no reason."
I'd thought he'd be enjoying a peaceful life down there...
Nameless, who had been staring blankly, took a step toward Lily while still shielding me protectively.
"Lily, was it? What do you want from Master and me?"
"It's Lily! What I want? Uh... what was it again? Hold on!"
Lily actually seemed to be racking her brain, tapping her finger against her lips and tilting her head repeatedly.
Her foolish demeanor, so at odds with her appearance, made my brow furrow involuntarily.
Nameless glanced at me before raising his wooden sword toward her.
"...What exactly are you playing at?"
Lily flashed a bright smile at Nameless aiming his wooden sword at her and clapped her hands.
"Ah! I remember! Would you be willing to help with our Demon King's resurrection?"
Nameless furrowed his brow, his mouth opening as if to reply, but then he turned to look at me.
Was he seeking my opinion?
Hmm. Honestly, I had no desire to side with anyone and make enemies of either the Demon King or the Hero.
Siding with the Hero? He'd eventually become an obstacle in my path to the heavens.
Siding with the Demon King? Aligning with an obvious evil felt deeply unsettling.
Besides, now that the Hero had appeared, the Demon King's resurrection would succeed regardless of our cooperation.
"Let's hear what you have to say first."
Truth be told, regardless of my personal thoughts, since we'd caught the Demon King's faction's attention, we couldn't simply ignore them.
'I have no idea how we ended up on their radar.'
For now, smoothly resolving the current situation was key.
"Master?"
"A wise decision!"
Nameless's eyes widened in surprise, while Lily grinned broadly and clapped her hands.
Of course, I wasn't agreeing to cooperate for real.
My attitude here was to extract detailed information on the Demon King, and with the coachman under her foot, one wrong move could cost him his life.
Always assuming the worst was crucial; this was a rational judgment.
I met Nameless's eyes and nodded.
With that alone, he seemed to understand my intent and nodded back.
Once we agreed to hear her out, the excited Lily began chattering away.
"Where should I start? Oh, let me tell you about our Demon King first!"
Lily's expression suddenly shifted to a sad pout as she pressed her fingers together.
"Right now, our Demon King is in a deep sleep because of that damned Hero..."
"The Hero?"
"Ah! Yes! It was a few hundred years ago, so if the Hero was human, he's probably dead by now, right?"
A few hundred years ago—likely before I arrived in this world.
I nodded along.
Lily cleared her throat and continued her woeful explanation.
"Anyway, when our Demon King awakens, he'll need a tremendous number of souls to regain his full power!"
"So what exactly do you want from us?"
Our conversation with Lily was giving me a headache,
so eager to move things along, I asked what she wanted from us directly.
Her somewhat ridiculous response made my brow furrow again.
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
"If you don't know, then what's the point?"
Lily scratched her head awkwardly, as if it were a tough question.
"Well, the Demon King said something before falling asleep, but it's a bit... really just a bit! Vague."
A sudden headache hit me, and I massaged my forehead.
So what were we supposed to do about it?
Even after probing further in circles,
she kept dodging with "I don't know" and "it's vague," offering no progress, so I moved on to the next topic.
"Ha... If you're not going to explain, fine. Then what do we gain by helping you?"
As I rubbed my face with my hand,
Lily's eyes sparkled at my question, and she spread her arms wide with a beaming smile.
"A completely new world! The Demon King's goal is on another level entirely! I'm sure you'll be amazed once you hear it!"
A new world...
A flicker of interest sparked in my eyes.
Misinterpreting my reaction positively, Lily grew even more excited and rambled on,
while Nameless, who knew me well, hardened his expression and stepped away from me.
"Listen! The Demon King will offer up a massive number of souls as tribute and transcend the limitations of his created flesh! Then he'll become a transcendent being, like a god..."
"Ha!"
A god?
Indeed, as Lily said, a goal worthy of my admiration.
Wasn't that the very key to approaching the heavens?
The corners of my mouth lifted in a tearing grin.
"Gaining divine authority— Kyaaak!"
I lunged at her faster than she could react, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her into the ground.
Slowly, I brought my lips close to Lily's ear.
"I'll cooperate, so tell me that story in detail."
"...Ugh."
I pressed the wooden sword to her throat.
"Or your head will roll across the floor."
Lily, who had maintained her leisurely demeanor until now, paled and nodded frantically.
"Good girl."
I'd already been in high spirits from traveling with Nameless,
and now fortune had come knocking at day's end.
What a delightful day.
Nameless hoisted the unconscious coachman onto his back and glanced at Lily, who stood in an awkward pose.
"The coachman will really be okay, right?"
"Yes! Of course! He's probably dreaming something nice right now!"
Indeed, the coachman had been grinning goofily for a while.
I suddenly wondered what he was dreaming about,
but remembering it was a succubus inducing it, I shook my head.
'Time to head back soon.'
I approached Lily and patted her shoulder.
"Lily."
"Yes? Yes!"
Her awkward stance straightened into attention immediately.
My body swayed slightly, my gaze lingering on one spot before I shifted it away.
"...Nameless and I will do as we discussed, so relay that to your comrades."
"Got it!"
I turned my back on Lily and walked to Nameless's side.
"Let's go."
"Yes, Master."
Glancing back briefly, I saw Lily in the distance shaking off her daze, spreading her wings, and soaring into the sky.
Once she was fully out of sight, I poked Nameless in the side.
"Oof, Master?"
"Do you remember what I said to that girl?"
Nameless seemed to recall, mumbling to himself.
"...Yes, but I'll follow you to the end, Master."
His cute reaction from a minor misunderstanding drew a smirk from me.
I wanted to pat his head, but our height difference made it awkward, so I took his hand and fiddled with it instead.
"I know what you're thinking, but it won't be what you expect."
"Is that so?"
His subtle response made my eyebrow twitch.
"Don't you trust your Master?"
Nameless shook his head.
"...I can't imagine you serving under anyone else."
His excessive praise embarrassed me, and I scratched my cheek.
"So what will you do?"
"Hmm, let's drop off the coachman first and talk."
Nameless glanced at the man on his back and nodded.
"Ah, yes."
What Lily—or rather, the Demon King's side—had demanded from me boiled down to one thing.
Gather a large number of souls, and I'd agreed.
At a glance, someone like Nameless might misunderstand our conversation as "Isn't that just evil, harming people?"
But I had no intention of following their demands to the letter.
For starters, I didn't know how to harvest souls from people, and if it was just about gathering a large number of souls, didn't that simply mean gathering people?
And there were ways to gather people without resorting to force.
The method I thought of immediately was building my own faction.
Specifically, taking in those whose lives were too harsh, with no meal for today, harboring hatred for the world—they'd never want to leave my side if I sheltered and cared for them.
Of course, if asked if I'd harvest their souls, no.
Just cut ties with the Demon King at the right timing.
Praising my brilliant mind for devising such a perfect plan, I smirked crookedly.
"Master? Isn't that less gathering people and more... just volunteer work?"
"What."
I refined the plan bit by bit while talking with Nameless.