376. Restraint
376. Restraint
- 1 -
Lord-level monsters did not die easily.
Even more so for a being like Paimon, who had once been a Dungeon Lord and was called an Archduke.
But that only meant she did not 'die' — it was questionable whether her current state could be described as 'alive.'
Paimon's main body, a colossal warhorse, was impaled upon Saya's black sword and pinned to the ground.
The blade, imbued with the power of 'Nullifying Annihilation,' fundamentally blocked the wound's regeneration, bleeding away her strength somewhere.
Her head, which housed her consciousness, remained humiliatingly crushed beneath Evangeline's greave.
- Let go...!!
The former Archduke tried to thrash in desperation, but a severed head with nothing below the neck could do nothing but roll its nine eyes in despair.
- What in the world are you...?
The main body of Paimon, barely maintaining consciousness, asked in a groan.
That voice carried not the resentment of defeat, but a primal terror toward an incomprehensible phenomenon.
I slowly approached her and tilted my head.
"What do you mean?"
- I asked what you are!
Paimon's voice rang out sharply.
Even pinned under Evangeline's foot, her spirit remained unbroken.
Though it was less dignified and more simply a snarling voice.
- Archduke or whatever, a Dungeon Lord cannot sustain multiple Lord-level monsters at their side! But you... why do you keep retainers that should be beyond your power to control!
Listening to her scream, I smiled instead.
It was only natural she could not understand by the common sense of an ordinary Dungeon Lord.
The relationship between a Dungeon Lord and monsters was always one of domination and subordination, lord and vassal.
"Sustain?"
I chuckled and slowly looked around at the women surrounding me.
Evangeline.
Her golden hair swaying in the gentle breeze, she looked down at Paimon with cool green eyes.
Even now, she held in one hand the sword that had severed Paimon's arm.
Shue.
My blood demon, with red energy still flickering through her white hair.
The afterglow of battle still lingered in her eyes.
Saya.
With her black hair neatly swept back, she remained ready to draw her sword again at any moment.
True to her prestigious lineage, she maintained a flawless posture.
Esther.
Holy light still swirled around her.
The saintess of the Holy Kingdom stood at my side, keeping Paimon in check.
And even Yuran and Sonia, who were not present here.
If all six gathered, indeed... no, even Seth alone would overwhelm me helplessly.
"But that is not my concern."
- ... What?
Doubt frosted over Paimon's voice.
I answered with kindness still lingering on my lips.
There was no reason not to answer.
"We are those who have shared 'true hearts.' Though you will never understand in your lifetime."
- True hearts?
Mockery mixed into the doubt.
- Monsters and a Dungeon Lord? Such nonsense...!
"It is not nonsense."
I cut her off and declared firmly.
"We are those who trust one another, cherish one another, and can stake our lives for one another. Whether you understand or not."
- What ridiculous...
"If you do not wish to believe it, that is your freedom."
I ignored her for a moment and looked at Evangeline as I spoke.
"Eve. Pour me another cup."
"Yes, Master."
Paimon stared as if she could not comprehend the sight of Evangeline taking a tea set from subspace and solemnly brewing tea.
Our relationship was a way of life that would be difficult to understand with the conventional mindset of a Dungeon Lord.
"Now, then..."
After taking a sip of warm tea, I spoke to the demon.
"Let us finally hear your name."
- ...
"If you do not wish to speak, it does not matter. I never expected to get much information from you anyway."
At my leisurely attitude, all of Paimon's eyes glared at me at once.
A simple interrogation followed.
The circumstances of her sealing 200 years ago, information on the other beings the Holy Kingdom had released, even the details of her contract with the Archbishop.
But the result was as expected.
'She doesn't know much.'
Besides, the Holy Kingdom held the evidence of the contract anyway.
Even if I brought the severed head of a demon and accused them of wrongdoing, they would simply feign ignorance.
However, it was not entirely without results.
"You agreed to assist in the attack on the Demon Realm Archdukes, did you..."
This ultimately meant that the Holy Kingdom possessed the military strength to subjugate other Demon Realm Archdukes.
And that military strength was likely incapable of being mobilized for a 'dark' attack against my alliance.
For example, the most powerful holy knights or priests in their homeland.
Those who were probably deployed to each border Demon Realm by now, individuals who rivaled the continent's greatest adventurers.
I knew of a few such people by name.
"A place with a long history indeed."
To possess such powerful forces even excluding the saintesses.
It was fitting for what 'had been' the continent's sole religion.
No weaknesses.
'Well, there is no longer a need to find weaknesses anyway.'
The Holy Kingdom, Kakia, and Norn had been preparing for war even amid their discord.
But even if they were to invade together, they had already missed their chance.
My alliance. Grakheisen was already prepared.
"Then... I must now decide how to deal with you."
- ... What?
"Do not worry. I will not kill you. There is still one more thing to gain from you."
Paimon's eyes wavered with unease.
- 2 -
The one who bore the alias Witch of Mist, Ennasha.
She was in an outlying fortress town of Grakheisen.
'How did it come to this?'
Hiding her body in an alleyway, she looked back on everything that had happened.
Only confusion filled her mind.
Archduke of Binding, Paimon.
She had been a powerful being.
Not only her own martial might, but the power of the retainers she received from Paimon had also been greater.
200 years of sealing was not short, but neither was it so long as to be unendurable.
But...
'We underestimated the enemy far too much.'
On top of that, when she and her party saw the enemy's Lord-level monsters, they had unconsciously assumed that was the entirety of the enemy's forces.
That it would be their strongest power. That, like themselves, they had no more than their Lord at their side.
'It wasn't.'
The enemy's lord.
That Dungeon Lord, whose aura was completely different from Paimon's.
The moment she appeared, the blood wolf, already insanely strong from the start, began unleashing an even more overwhelming and destructive presence.
The lightning falcon, which had flown across the sky at high speed daring anyone to even think of assisting Paimon, began using bizarre powers wholly unlike before.
'Even...'
The two other maids who had emerged with the lord also possessed a strength that could never be ignored.
The knight who had cleaved off Paimon's arm with a slash that struck from the ground to the sky.
A force of pure destruction was felt from the sword swung by that golden-haired woman.
And something resembling a human, who strangely used the power of a saintess.
The holy magic she unleashed was mightier than that of any current saintess in the Holy Kingdom.
'Those things are monsters...'
The witch trembled and slipped deeper into the streets.
She did not use any mana at all.
She feared that if she used high-speed movement or teleportation, they would track that mana and follow her.
Had she not faked her death, she would not have been able to escape that place.
'I must at least get away from the alliance's territory.'
What was even more surprising was the humans' reaction.
This incident had occurred because those who served that detestable foreign god had asked them to treat the alliance's people as prey.
Yet the aftermath was strangely minimal.
"Step right up! Step right up! Honey apples that only come once every ten years!"
"Buy your accessories here!"
Even though Lord-level monsters had torn through the sky and shaken the earth in battle, the people of the nearby villages went on with their daily lives.
As if nothing had happened at all.
It was proof that this human territory was ruled by that demon.
'If the clergy knew, they would have told us.'
The clerics had said they were hostile to this place called the 'alliance.'
It might have been a lie, but she decided not to dwell on that possibility.
Then, her only path to survival...
'... No, wait.'
The Witch of Mist suddenly realized she had no reason to return to the Holy Kingdom.
Why was she heading there? That place was also an enemy—
「Return.」
'Yes. That's right. I must return.'
There were still two more lords sealed away there.
If they intended to use those lords, her information would surely be helpful.
How Paimon had been defeated, how powerful those enemies were.
She had to inform Archbishop Anselm of all of this.
- That place alone is my path to survival.
She had to return to the Holy Kingdom and seize new opportunities based on this terrible experience.
She began to put strength into her feet.
Berating herself for how foolish and shortsighted her judgment had been just moments ago, when she had thought there was no reason to return to the Holy Kingdom.
Never dreaming that this 'rational' conclusion blooming in her mind had, in truth, originated from a 'seed' planted by someone else.
- 3 -
I had captured a Lord-level monster, moreover, a Dungeon Lord who had once been called an Archduke of old.
'A very good thing.'
I recalled the past, when I had only known this world as a game.
When capturing a Lord-level monster, there were usually two choices.
Either recruit it to my side as a subordinate, or use it as material to elevate another monster's rank or as a sacrifice.
'I mostly only used them to 'transcend' my favored summons or mercenaries, but...'
Other players often chose recruitment for the sake of efficiency.
The transcendence ritual came with quite stringent conditions, requiring additional Elite-grade or higher monsters to be consumed.
Even Lord-level monsters alone were like that.
But if that monster was a Dungeon Lord, its value was on an entirely different level.
Because one could choose the far more valuable option of increasing the number of vassal Dungeon Lords by one.
「The Archduke of Binding, you say?」
On top of that, if that Dungeon Lord even possessed a special title like 'Archduke of Binding.'
'The benefits cannot be limited to just within the dungeon.'
A 'sin name' title personally bestowed by the Demon King was in itself an authority and a political justification.
I had not been joking when I said I had received a precious treasure from the Holy Kingdom.
"Yes, Sister. That's right."
My half-sister, the first of the Demon King's only two legal wives.
Bellastella.
Beyond the communication orb, she suppressed the surprise on her face and smiled.
「You've done something astonishing yet again. A title of one who was imprisoned by the Holy Kingdom and committed betrayal... Indeed. That is a good justification. How do you wish to use this?」
"About that decision."
I made the request in a gentle voice.
"I wish to decide after having an audience with His Majesty."
「With His Majesty?」
This time, my sister looked at me with worried eyes.
「Will you be alright? Having an audience with His Majesty the Demon King is no simple matter. As one who possesses the dignity of an Absolute One, merely seeing him brings great mental fatigue. Even though you are a duke...」
"Yes, of course. I'll be fine."
I had certainty.
The certainty that I would be fine even facing him.
After 'Mother' had awakened 'something,' I was no longer the same as before.
「Very well, if that's the case... I shall make the request. However, whether His Majesty the Demon King will permit it...」
"That's enough. Thank you, Sister."
I looked straight into Bellastella's eyes and whispered.
"I love you."
Bellastella's face flushed red for an instant.
She understood that my words were not merely something said between siblings.
「... Fufu. You've grown more affectionate.」
A softly whispering voice, and eyes like dripping honey.
「... Yes. Me too.」
The last words were so faint I could barely hear them, but I heard them well enough.
「... But really, having an audience with His Majesty is no ordinary matter, so you must steel your heart. If anything happens, contact me immediately. I'll be waiting.」
After Bellastella composed her expression and vanished beyond the communication orb, I straightened my own face.
The meeting with the Demon King was a matter for some time later. Before that, I had to sort out the spoils of war.
"Master."
Saya approached and asked.
"How shall we deal with this demon?"
"First..."
I looked down at Paimon.
Still reduced to only her head, she stared up at me with great resentment.
- What are you planning to do?
"Your title, Archduke of Binding. I intend to take it."
- Impossible! That is something His Majesty bestowed upon me...!
"It is not impossible."
I reached out and placed a finger on Paimon's forehead.
And immediately after, the nine eyes meeting mine felt something and began to shake violently.
"Because this is no longer yours."
My hand touched her authority and power.
For a sealed being to exercise the authority of that title, they must be recognized by the Demon King once more.
Conversely, until then, it was merely 'power' and could not become 'authority.'
And if it was power without authority...
It was more than possible for it to welcome a new owner.
- Aaah, aaaargh —— !!!
When her neck had been severed, when her body had been impaled and fixed to the ground, even when she had gnashed her very soul to exert her obsession upon Saya, she had let out not a scream, not even a groan.
But now, she could not bear it and cried out in agony.
That was what it meant to have one of the roots of one's power torn out.
"Do not worry. I will not kill you."
I suppressed the corners of my lips that threatened to rise.
Something like darkness was slowly seeping out from Paimon's forehead, gathering above my hand.
All the authority and power held by the title of Archduke of Binding was compressed within it.
An immense power was flowing in.
"Not yet, that is."
She still had many uses.
As a Lord-grade sacrifice, and for other purposes as well.
Until then, even if she wished to die, she would not be able to.