Going Baby Mode, Part 5
Renowned heroes are always bestowed with titles. An incubus who brought ecstasy to over a hundred women in a single night became famous for the intuitive yet heavy title, "Solid Thunderbolt."
In the case of the former Demon King, the title "One-Man Army," earned by facing an entire enemy host alone, was widely known. And the title of Troll Yugelt, who served under that very Demon King, was "Rock Breaker."
In a way, it might have sounded a bit underwhelming. But that was only because the previous two examples were so absurdly grand. In truth, there were very few in the current Demon Realm whose titles could even compare to Yugelt's.
Unlike the mages who relied on mana or the knights of the Demon Realm, Yugelt possessed an uncommon, monstrous strength that allowed him to easily crush a boulder the size of a house with sheer physical force.
Crunch!
Even now, that strength was on full display. Having tethered his wyvern, Yugelt paced back and forth, his eyes glued to the chat room. In his extreme anxiety, he mindlessly grabbed whatever trees and rocks were nearby.
Splinter!
Rumble!
If the Head Mod hadn't responded to his chat in time, his title might have very well changed from "Rock Breaker" to "Mountain Shatterer" today.
If the IP ban wasn't lifted, it seemed impossible to suppress the riots in Kronendike without summoning the nearby Demon King's army. And if he couldn't at least secure some chocolate...
Then it's truly over!
The power inherent in the royal bloodline of the Demon King, passed down through generations, was astronomical. If he failed to obtain chocolate, he could vividly foresee a future where he would be tormented to the brink of death by Her Majesty.
No, actually, since she had entered puberty, her power awakenings had become more frequent, and her temper had grown increasingly volatile. If things went even slightly awry...
Kronendike itself might be wiped off the map.
Cold sweat dripped down his face at the very real possibility.
The loyal subjects who had served the former Demon King—especially the vassals, including Yugelt—could never bring themselves to defy the current Demon King. Not only did they owe an immense debt of gratitude to her predecessor, but there were also the Elders and high nobles watching the young ruler like hawks, waiting for any opportunity to strike. Furthermore, the long-standing war between humans and demons was far from over.
Attempting to force a change in leadership during such times would only breed further chaos. Consequently, the aging vassals could not bring themselves to strictly discipline the spoiled, prickly young Demon King.
I should have risked my neck to speak the harsh truth back then...
The current Demon King had become the textbook definition of "a child spoiled rotten by overindulgent guardians." There had certainly been opportunities to correct her behavior, but Yugelt himself had let them slip away.
Regretting it now changed nothing.
"CHO!!! CO!!! LATE!!!"
The Demon King's roar still seemed to ring in his ears. Drenched in cold sweat, Yugelt stared desperately at the chat window when—
"Ohhh!!!"
Overwhelmed with emotion that the Head Mod had personally graced their one-on-one chat room, Yugelt wept tears of gratitude. And then...
"Y-yes, of course! An IP ban... he had every right to do so if he was displeased, indeed!"
"If only I can get some chocolate... even just the chocolate, so I can return!"
Throwing all decorum out the window, Yugelt frantically typed a reply, begging him to sell some chocolate.
"Um... the Regent of the Demon Realm I know of is supposed to be incredibly powerful, yet exceptionally wise..."
"What you just described matches my knowledge of him exactly, Head Mod."
"Right? But looking at the verification he sent, it's definitely not an imposter."
My image of the high society of the Demon Realm completely shattered today. The Succubus Queen was basically a friendly neighborhood auntie, and the highest authority in the Demon Realm looked like nothing more than an irresponsible old man who couldn't care less about a riot in the capital as long as he got his chocolate.
Just to be absolutely sure, I checked the gallery activity history of the Fixed Nick "Trollugelt."
"Huh, he didn't use this handle before."
His previous nickname was "Steel Rock." He had changed it to his current one a mere five minutes ago.
Did he change his handle to his real name just to show his sincerity?
If so, it certainly felt like a genuine apology.
But why is he suddenly begging for chocolate out of nowhere?
Curiosity piqued, I scrolled through the posts and comments the Regent had previously written.
This is definitely about the Demon King, right?
The Demon King is a mint-chocolate fan...? No, wait. That's not the important part right now.
Judging by the post expressing worry that the Demon King was skipping meals because she loved chocolate too much...
The one who suffered the most from the shop closing down was...
Undoubtedly Yugelt.
Just like the Hero, the Demon King's appearance and abilities were kept strictly confidential. However, even I had heard the rumors about her being incredibly spoiled and short-tempered.
Just the fact that the Regent of the Demon Realm had rushed all the way out of the IP-banned zone just to beg for chocolate painted a vivid picture of the situation.
Because of the Demon King's dignity, he couldn't risk letting word slip to the outside, so he couldn't even entrust this task to the servants. Seeing the Regent himself secretly moving to message the Head Mod was anything but normal.
"It seems we misunderstood."
"Y-yeah, looks like it."
To be honest, I hadn't slapped an IP ban on Kronendike to reduce it to ashes. I had only done it like a hedgehog raising its quills, warning everyone to just leave me alone.
I had merely made a strong statement: You mess with me? Fine, then you guys can enjoy being locked out of the gallery, the shop, and everything else.
The effect was super effective.
User 'Trollugelt' has sent an item.
A neatly rolled scroll materialized on the table. I showed the contract to Reina.
"Hmm, looks perfect. It's a very clean contract that simply guarantees the personal safety of you and those around you, Head Mod."
"Well, that's good enough then."
The moment I signed it, blue flames erupted from the scroll, consuming it in a flash until nothing remained.
"Huh? What was that?"
"It's a soul-bound contract. The same effect has likely been applied to the Regent as well."
"Oho."
Fascinating. Anyway.
"Guess I should lift the IP ban now."
I drafted an announcement and lifted the IP ban at the same time.