Let's Prepare for War! #1
She clearly possessed some kind of mental barrier. That was my conclusion, and I immediately began to channel my mana directly into Lea's mind.
Even if she was trying to pull some trick, direct contact with my mana would surely cause a disturbance. I expected her barrier to crumble and for her to start wailing, but...
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh♥♥♥"
The reaction was instantaneous, just as I had anticipated.
"Ahhh♥ Aaaaaahhh♥ S-stop♥ Stoooooop♥ No♥ Stop it♥ No♥ Noooooo♥ Aaaaaaaahhhh♥ Please stop ittttt♥"
"So, you did have a mental barrier after all, didn't you?"
"Kyaaaaaaaahhh♥ Stop poking my pussy-yyyyy♥ Aaaaaaaahhhh♥"
"Hehehe, it’s truly adorable how quickly you’ve changed your tune."
Just moments ago, Lea had been doing her absolute best to spew insults to bruise my ego, but once I flooded her mind with my mana, her defenses shattered, and she reacted exactly like all the other women.
"I suppose you can't even hear me now."
—Fwoosh.
Horns began to sprout from Lea’s head immediately. To think she’d undergo Demonization the moment she was broken. It’s a miracle she held out as long as she did.
"Anyway, congratulations, Lea. From today on, you’ll be able to join the Saintess."
"Noooooooo!"
As I looked down at the wailing Lea, I took my revenge for earlier. No matter what, I couldn't let those insults slide.
In the end, Lea was completely broken and trained by me.
"..."
Perhaps some lingering sadness remained; she was curled up in the corner of the room, hugging her knees and keeping her head bowed.
"Ah, Lea. Isn't it about time you got up? Who just goes straight back to that after waking up?"
"...Don't talk to me."
"Hurry up."
Revenge for the insults. I had relentlessly ravished the wailing Lea, and after we were both exhausted, we took a nap together. When she woke up, I couldn't feel any aggression from her, but she seemed rather listless.
Well, she’ll get used to it soon enough.
"Anyway, Lea. Thank you. Thanks to you, my power has grown even stronger."
It wasn't quite the massive growth I’d seen when I ravished the Saintess, but it was still a noticeable improvement. At this rate, I might even be able to create not just mana dildos, but mana tentacles as well.
"Tentacles."
I experimented with a translucent tentacle made of my own mana. If I used a mass-produced swarm of tentacles to ravish all the women in the dungeon at once... that would be quite obscene. It was an incredibly stimulating sight.
"Lea. Stop moping and get up. The Saintess will be waiting to welcome you. Don't you want to see her?"
"..."
Lea reacted to those words.
"That... that isn't the Saintess."
"By that same logic, the Lea of now isn't the same Lea as before, either. You’ve been reborn as a demon."
"That's..."
"So, is there anything to hold you back? From now on, you just need to enjoy the pleasure I give you and live for my sake."
"Kuh...!"
Lea glared at me for a split second, but that hostility vanished in an instant. Yes. I can feel it. Lea has become a woman who can no longer resist me.
"How on earth did you brainwash me? The hatred that was burning so bright...!"
"It wasn't brainwashing. Your body remembered. It remembered this part of me."
"Kugh!"
"Man. By the way, Lea. You said I was the worst among all the men you've ever been with. Has that opinion changed at all?"
A virgin putting on a brave face was actually kind of cute.
"Shut up!"
"Understood. Well, I'll go bring the Saintess. I hope you two have a nice reunion."
"..."
"Oh, one last question, though."
"...What is it?"
As expected, the hostility is gone. She’s ready to answer my questions immediately.
"How on earth did you hold out earlier? Even while I was doing that to you, you kept hurling insults until the very end."
"That is..."
—Swoosh.
Lea lifted her head and looked at me as she spoke.
"It’s mental training."
"Pardon?"
"To become a knight of the Saintess's guard, one must be able to endure any kind of pain. It’s a form of meditation. Separating the body from the consciousness. I used it to cut off the sensations of my body."
"My god."
So that was it.
That was how she was able to hold out.
Separating body and consciousness? Just hearing about it, I couldn't even fathom it; it was an incredibly mysterious technique, but at least now I knew how to deal with it.
"It’s a very useful meditation method for when you’re doing grueling training, enduring pain, or when you need mental fortitude."
"It certainly seems that way."
"In the end, I was still broken."
"Well, it seems my mana clouded your spirit."
From now on, even if I encounter a woman with a steel-willed spirit and inhuman meditation techniques like Lea, I have nothing to worry about.
All I have to do is inject my mana into their heads, just like I did today.
"Then, I’ll go fetch the Saintess."
Anyway.
Lea is now a member of the dungeon, too. I’ve gained another female knight who rivals Vanessa. I have plenty of work for her to do from here on out.
And so, we held a welcome party for Lea, the newest member of our dungeon. I’m not sure if you could call it a welcome party, but the Saintess insisted on it so strongly that I had no choice but to go along with it.
"Ah, fuck. Finally, the order is going to rotate properly."
"Seriously... *sigh*. It’s been so hard lately. I mean, really? Sticking only to the Saintess and Lea?"
"Honestly, it was too much. Spending so much time on those two women."
"Honestly, yeah..."
Wait, but aside from Ruby the mage, hadn't everyone else been trained by me for quite a while? Regardless, they were all celebrating the fact that Lea’s training was finally over.
"Shaa. Reika? You did well."
"What do you mean 'did well'?"
"The Demon King only listens when I speak strictly, but Sharan can't do that, shaa. From now on, Reika, please treat him well. Shaa."
"Treat him well, my ass... I just did it because he was annoying me. D-don't cling to me."
"Shaa."
"Ha..."
Sharan clung to Reika, displaying her characteristic thick-skinned nature. But wait, he only listens when I speak strictly? Sharan? If you’re thinking things like that behind my back, I can’t help but feel hurt.
"Lea. Now that we are together again, never try to leave my side. If Lea were to leave, I would not know what to do with myself."
"I-I won't leave. Saintess."
"Did you not refuse to become a member of the dungeon? That is the same as saying you would abandon me."
"...That is not..."
As I was looking over the welcome party...
"Keruk. Demon King."
Buril crept up to me and called my name.
"Yeah. What is it, Buril?"
"Keruk... Demon King. I was thinking after seeing the Saintess, keruk."
"What were you thinking? Tell your big brother all about it."
What on earth could he be planning to say?
As I waited, Buril spoke.
"Demon King. Won't you give me wings?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Keruk! You gave the Saintess wings and a tail! Demon King! I need wings too!"
No, that’s...
"No, you idiot. That happened because the Saintess is a bit special. It wasn't something I intended."
"Kerururururung!"
"Hehehe. It’s no use acting cute, you brat."
A goblin with wings and a tail? That wouldn't even be a goblin anymore. Above all, the Saintess was the only one who had such an abnormal reaction and awakened as a succubus.
I wasn't sure if monsters could do the same.
"Grrr. Honestly, I'm jealous of the wings."
"Keruk. Does the imp think so too?"
"Grrr! That’s right! Buril!"
Wait.
Actually, imps might grow wings as they evolve. Imps are a species that even naturally occurs in the Demon World. It wouldn't be strange for them to have wings.
Well, anyway.
I gained a massive amount of experience points from ravishing the Saintess and Lea. It’s a certainty that my subordinates will grow because of it.
"Alright, then. Let’s get to the work I’ve been putting off."
"Kya-hahahahaha!"
"Liliel, you're slow! You're going to get caught!"
"Run away faster!"
—Vrooooom!
Angel interception training using pixies.
The taggers were all the pixies, and the one running away was Liliel alone. But Liliel’s speed was much slower compared to the pixies. Compared to the pixies flying around at high speeds making vroom noises, Liliel’s speed was quite sluggish.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!"
"Liliel is cut!"
Anyway, over ten pixies were quickly catching up to the fleeing Liliel at full speed, conducting pursuit training while firing finger-guns.
If this were a real battle, they wouldn't be firing finger-guns; they’d be shredding her with Wind Cutters.
"Kugh...! Cut it out!"
Eventually, Liliel exploded in frustration.
"Alright! Break time! Serineu! Bring the kids down!"
"Got it!"
—Vroom.
Serineu soon gathered the pixies and descended.
"This is too easy! I feel like we could kill all the angels if they invaded!"
"Hehehe, is that so?"
Serineu said with a wide, beaming smile, as if she enjoyed the training, which was like a game of tag where a group chased one person.
She really is cute. Her innocent side is just too adorable.
"Wait! I am in a weakened state compared to when I was in Heaven! If it were other angels, they wouldn't be caught like me!"
Perhaps embarrassed, Liliel said that.
"Oh, is that so? Then let me ask. Specifically, in your current state, can you handle the pixies?"
"That... I cannot guarantee. If they are angels conducting aerial reconnaissance, they would naturally know how to wrap themselves in defensive barriers. It would be fine if the pixies' Wind Cutters could pierce those barriers, but if not, it would be dangerous."
"Hmm."
That was certainly an important point.
"It’s okay! You said our Wind Cutters are Dark attribute, right! You said Dark attribute is fatal to angels!"
"That’s right, Serineu. Your Wind Cutters are Dark attribute."
The pixies had grown stronger, too. Their Wind Cutters were now imbued with the Dark attribute. Naturally, the Dark attribute is lethal to angels.
"But Serineu. Conversely, the angels' attacks are also fatal to you. In a real battle, you must make sure you don't get hit, no matter what."
"Then should we do evasion training, too?"
"We should."
To secure air superiority against the angels, I have to train the pixies rigorously. If I can just secure air superiority, my strategies will generally work out.
Not only are they accustomed to the jungle terrain, but some of my soldiers have even finished guerrilla training. If I can secure air superiority and identify the enemy's location, rear-guard ambushes and disruption are nothing. I can even operate the Lamia cavalry perfectly.
"Alright, then, Serineu. Training starts again—"
At that moment.
—Sssssss!
I heard the sound of a snake moving.
It seems Julia, who had gone out hunting, had returned.
But isn't it a bit early?
"Julia has arrived."
"Demon King!"
"Oh. Julia. Is there something urgent?"
"I have discovered Dark Elf warriors!"
"Serineu. Training suspended. Find the ones who went outside and have everyone return immediately."
"O-okay! Got it!"
"Julia. Well done. I will reward you later."
"Ah... yes."
I immediately stroked Julia’s head and praised her.
"To think the Dark Elves would invade at this timing."
Yes. This is actually what I wanted. It’s better this way. Let’s wipe them out once before the humans arrive. Only then can I fight the humans with peace of mind.
"All troops! Assemble!"