Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Warrior Hears the King's Proposal
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The one who had revealed herself as the Demon King, Arethia, bowed politely to Balak.
"You're the Demon King?"
"Hahaha... I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."
With a hero present here, it was only natural that a Demon King would appear as well.
But for someone in the position of king to move personally instead of sending subordinates...
According to Anima's intel, this female demon was supposed to be younger than me, wasn't she?
"Balak, I understand you have questions since you've lived in the middle realm."
"You know about my childhood, then. Did you hear it from Anima?"
"Some from him, and some from my own knowledge. And... don't worry too much about my title. I'm a king without subjects, after all."
A king without subjects...
That explained why she led only a small force and had few subordinates.
"So what is this place, and why has a king come looking for me?"
"I'll explain step by step."
The one who called herself the Demon King suddenly waved her hand toward the sky, creating a square space.
It showed the entrance to my dungeon from inside this space.
"This is..."
"You asked where this is? It's like a 'control room' where you can manage the dungeon's interior. Honestly... it's useless now. You can already do whatever you want."
Just as the Demon King said, I was already receiving support from the dungeon merchants.
With manpower support as well, what more was there to adjust?
Just in case, I mentioned a game system I knew.
"Like in virtual games, if you kill goblins and they drop gold coins... Ahem! It can be implemented similarly."
"Oh ho, the possibilities are endless."
To think it could handle adjustments like that!
This must be like the developer console in some games.
"But why does this amazing space look like a cityscape?"
"It's filled with my tastes."
The Demon King gave a wry smile as she gazed at the cityscape.
"...It was my dream, too."
"Demon King, it seems your dream was to build a city like this."
"Yeah, though it's impossible now."
"Was the defeat in the Great War that devastating?"
"Well... if we're being precise, it's like civilization took two steps backward."
Extremely devastating, then.
Now that I knew what this place was, I asked why she'd come to me.
"Balak, I've come to make a 'proposal' to you."
"A proposal?"
"Yes. Don't you want to escape this dungeon?"
What was this about?
**************
The Demon King explained her proposal in more detail.
"As you can see, I'm a being with 'authority' to use this control room."
"Why do you have that?"
"Think of it as something I gained through a 'deal' with someone long ago. Anyway, I can get you out of here."
So, with the authority this Demon King had, she could send me outside.
When I gave off a skeptical vibe, the Demon King showed me the outside scenery.
Birds flying in a clear sky.
Deer frolicking in a forest teeming with life.
An endless ocean boasting a horizon without end.
It was truly beautiful nature.
"Balak, don't you feel stifled? There's no reason for someone as powerful as you to be stuck in a dungeon like this."
"...I can't deny that."
I did miss the mountain valley where I'd lived before.
A dungeon was ultimately a confined space.
But it didn't make sense for this Demon King to come from the demon realm just to free me.
"What's your real reason for making this proposal? Tell me the truth, Demon King."
"The demon realm needs you right now."
"There's trouble there, I take it."
The Demon King let out a deep sigh and described the current state of the demon realm.
In short, all the tigers on the mountain were dead, and the foxes were running wild.
The demon realm was in a Warring States period, with dozens of factions at war.
"The surviving demons after the Great War are completely fractured. The demon realm is in a state of constant infighting."
"Why me for a place like that—"
"You're strong."
Mid-sentence, the Demon King approached me.
"Balak, here's my real proposal. How about becoming the true ruler of the demon realm? With your power, I guarantee you could conquer and rule an entire world."
"Hah, even I, who knows little of politics, knows you can't rule everything with just strength and fear. Plus, no one in the demon realm knows me—do you really think I'd buy into such a delusion?"
"That's why I'm here."
Pointing to her golden horns with a finger, the Demon King continued her explanation.
"What you're talking about is legitimacy and fame, right? I can provide that."
"What do those golden horns signify?"
"They're horns passed down only through the direct bloodline of the first Demon King. They, uh... so, you know..."
Her face suddenly flushed red, and she repeated herself like a broken recorder.
Wondering what was wrong, I stared at her, and she blushed even deeper before letting out a squeal.
"Marry... marry me!! And gain that legitimacy!!"
"Hm?"
At that moment.
It felt like time had stopped.
Since I didn't react, the Demon King, beet red, dropped her head.
If I married this Demon King and went to the demon realm, could I unify it?
After pondering, I had my answer.
"...It could work."
"Y-Yes...! And there are only three of us with golden horns, including me! So if we m-marry, ev-everything!!"
The Sword Saint, who was said to have shone in the Great War, had lost to me by an overwhelming margin.
That meant the demons who'd lost the Great War were far weaker than me.
In this barbaric era, fame and legitimacy were crucial for founding a nation.
And here was visible proof: golden horns, the blood of the first Demon King—immense fame and legitimacy.
If we united and built a nation, no one could deny it.
Even in my past life, couples had jointly ruled kingdoms in the West, making it realistic.
Who knew the demon realm would be so packed with content.
It truly fit a god-tier game.
To sum it all up in one word!
"Is this a proposal?"
"Eek?!"
I'd never had a woman come at me this boldly before.
Anyway, this Demon King wanted me to fill her lack of power.
Her goal was obvious from this control room.
The beautiful cityscape visible from here had even surprised me.
"So if you free me from the dungeon, I become the demon realm's ruler, and you get to build a city this beautiful?"
"Mm..."
A contract marriage...
Honestly, it was incredibly tempting.
I could be the world's protagonist without being bound to the dungeon.
But leaving the dungeon alone meant nothing.
"Hey, Demon King, snap out of it."
"Uh... Mm! Yes!! Mm!!"
"If I slip out, what about my sworn brothers and comrades? Can they leave too?"
"S-Sorry, but I only have authority over 'this dungeon,' so I can't extract others..."
"What does that mean?"
"The ones you mentioned are from other dungeons."
Tsk, so her authority is really limited to my dungeon.
No point continuing, then.
"Do you think someone who betrays loyalty and trust can truly become king?"
"...!!!"
"And I will never betray my followers and allies."
The bonds formed here had become shackles for me, but those shackles had shaped who I am now.
Besides, if I raised my realm here, I could leave on my own.
Then I could take all my shackles and escape this prison-like dungeon—so why rush?
"I'm truly sorry. You came all this way from afar, but I'll make my own way out."
"........."
Oh no, the Demon King had buried her head and wasn't moving.
I understood her disappointment since I lacked ambition.
No reward would sway me—!
"Got it. I'll respect your choice."
She accepted immediately?
She even looked relieved.
Just as I wondered what she was thinking.
The Demon King smiled brightly and spoke.
"Then let me make a different proposal."
Another one?
**************
With the atmosphere shifting dramatically, the Demon King made another proposal.
"I know you're allied with the spirit realm right now, so how about allying with my side this time?"
"Ally with you?"
"Don't you need undying soldiers? Direct subordinates under you, even."
My direct subordinates were just my sworn brothers, Damphir, and Ophelia—only four.
She was offering to fill that gap.
But how...?
"'All challengers' not bound to the dungeon revive outside upon death. We use that."
"You're saying you'll send your demon forces from 'outside' into my dungeon as troops?"
Currently, even dwarves and elves revived outside if they died here.
So demons not bound to the dungeon like me would revive outside upon dying here.
And this Demon King before me could freely control things in my dungeon.
"You can adjust their respawn points, then."
"Respawn... point? The nuance sounds like revival location, and yes, I can control that—which is why I'm proposing this."
Teaming up with the Demon King, who had control room authority, meant no more relying on dungeon merchants—a great deal.
The 'current' me had nothing to lose.
But now for the other side of the scale.
"Demon King, what's the price for helping run the dungeon and lending private soldiers?"
"Th-That is..."
Blushing again, the Demon King mumbled in a tiny voice.
"...I need a token."
"A token?"
"A token that we're connected, even if faintly."
"Don't tell me another contract marriage like before—"
"N-Not that far! An engagement would suffice!"
Meeting my cold gaze, she turned away, face red.
Was linking with me that important...?
Anyway, her proposal made sense.
In my past life, they mocked parachuted executives as three-out-of-five falling parachutes.
But marriage and engagement were among the strongest guarantees in this era.
If we got engaged, even her loyal demons switching to me fully wouldn't matter.
Demons unaware of internal affairs would think we were marrying and serve us truly.
It was perfect, truly perfect.
No hang-ups like the first proposal, all gain no loss.
Especially huge gains for me.
But...
"I didn't expect you'd use the door-in-the-face technique."
"…………."
Door-in-the-face.
Face-closing-the-door.
Reverse stepwise request technique.
This psychological negotiation tactic involved a huge initial demand followed by a smaller one.
That's why she led with demon realm unification—a massively dirty big ask.
"Admit it. Was this your real proposal?"
"Ahahaha..."
"Cute trick."
Even as a ditz, a Demon King was still a Demon King.
Her proposals so far were all genuine, just with varying benefits for me.
The scales had balanced similarly.
Refuse this, and like Matryoshka dolls, a third proposal would emerge.
"Demon King, I get not fully trusting the other side. Even hearing about me from Anima, we're strangers meeting today. Still, I want to ally with someone truly honest."
"Th-That..."
"But I'll consider your latest proposal positively."
"Really?!"
"With two conditions."
"Yes!! I'll agree to anything!"
Unknown dungeon merchants with unclear scale, and mutually beneficial contracts with the spirit realm.
In this setup, an engagement contract with a minor but powerfully authorized Demon King?
Not full marriage, just adds a major ally for me.
No reason to kick away a no-loss gain.
However!!
"You said marriage or engagement as conditions for those proposals? Then that 'relationship' surely hides 'other intentions.'"
"...Yes."
"Good. I won't ask what. Instead, first condition: Tell the 'complete truth' if that relationship intended harm to me or my comrades."
"Absolutely not! I swear on my name!"
Satisfied, I began loosening up.
"Wh-Why are you moving like that?"
"Now the second condition."
Kuuuung!!!
"Prove yourself to me. And realize how heavy what you've placed on the scale truly is."
"Eh...?"
I had zero interest in rescuing a helpless princess captured by the Demon King.
So I needed to see this Demon King's true power.
Plus, here was a mage on par with or above Karian!
I'd wanted to spar with him before, but his skeletal frame made it awkward.
Now the stage was set.
I wouldn't miss the chance to fight the Demon King!!
So come at me, Demon King!!
If you truly want to get engaged, bring it!!