The Demon King's Throne

Piiiing—

When I hit access the Akashic Records, the backdrop shifted from a clear blue sky to the green Earth.

Guoooooo…

Rolling the massive, round Earth around brought back memories of the globe my parents bought me as a kid for school.

I’ll get to see Mom and Dad soon!

My excited fingers fumbled impatiently as I spun the planet.

But it whirled so fast that nailing the exact date was a nightmare.

…

…

“Agh! Come on, just line up already!”

Frustrated by the constant jumps to random eras, I ended up yelling out loud.

Was the Control Tower getting impatient watching me? It kindly offered to let me pick a date.

“Y-Yeah! Set the access date to August 13, 2021! Make it that day.”

Queeing—

Flash!

The surroundings changed.

A gate must’ve burst nearby—goblins were swarming out, attacking people.

That’s right. August 13, 2021, was the day the first gate opened on Earth.

So many died or got hurt that day… including my parents.

I’d connected to save them from the danger.

But…

“Where the hell is this?”

Unfamiliar Western-style buildings, people who didn’t look Korean at all.

“USA? America? No! Not America—Korea! Seoul, Korea!”

Damn, in my rush, I’d forgotten to specify the location.

1,000 points per hour was steep, but thinking of my parents in peril somewhere made it worth every bit.

“Move me now!”

Queeeeeeng…

The scenery shifted agonizingly slowly.

A far cry from the speedy changes before connecting.

“Why’s it so damn slow? Can’t it go fast like before?”

“What…”

I screamed silently, clawing at my hair.

The Control Tower’s polite voice laid out the travel time, but my burning impatience couldn’t wait that long.

Plus, 1,000 points per hour while connected was a heavy burden.

This unforeseen snag might make the rescue impossible.

I needed to conserve points with some buffer for emergencies.

World Tree points didn’t pile up overnight, so trekking 14 hours to Seoul was out.

“Can I disconnect and reconnect?”

Not sure who to address, I glanced around awkwardly.

Then.

Swoosh… A black silhouette in human form appeared.

Black but translucent, it shimmered mysteriously like it held countless stars.

“Who are you?”

In other words, it showed up to help my flailing around.

“Uh, okay. Nice to meet you. So… can I disconnect and reconnect?”

Beltatron and Earth have the same time flow?

That explained why quest timers from Earth carried over perfectly to the demon realm.

I’d been too busy clearing quests to notice, and time dilation never crossed my mind.

“Got it. Disconnect me now.”

Piuuuu…

The scenery reverted to normal.

Blue sky, endless abyss below.

Next time, I’ll nail the date and location before diving in.

Vowing to return in 24 demon-realm hours, I exited the Control Tower.

The starry shadow bowed politely to my back as I left.

The Demon King’s castle in the demon realm buzzed with preparations for the new king’s coronation.

“Hey! Drape that curtain more lavishly. Geruk.”

“Like this?”

“No! More lavish! Don’t you know what lavish means? Geruk?”

“I know! I know what lavish is! Like this?”

“How is that lavish? You idiot demon! Geruk!”

“Kraaak! You dare insult me and live?!”

Crash! Thud…!

Demon-realm work progressed at a snail’s pace.

Subordinates rarely united—fights like this between kobolds and lesser demons were constant.

Snap! Thunk!

“Kraaak! That hurts!”

“Geruk! Geruk!”

Baldr gave their heads a sharp flick.

Light ones, but chunks of their skulls shattered, blood spraying wildly.

“Quit slacking and work! The 1st Legion Commander arrives soon—we need this coronation pronto. Move!”

“Ugh, under…stood, Lord Baldr…”

“Got it, geruk.”

Baldr eyed their groveling—heads clutched, blood gushing—with distaste before moving on to inspect elsewhere.

“Ow, that stings.”

“Lord Baldr’s flicks pack a punch. Geruk.”

The lesser demon, resuming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠curtain work, glanced at the kobold.

“Hey, you hear? Lord Baldr’s banging the hero.”

“Eek! What nonsense! Lord Baldr would never! Geruk!”

“But the rumors say…”

“Our noble Lord Baldr hobnobbing with some lowlife hero? Absurd! Geruk. All lies!”

The lesser demon wiped clotting blood on the curtain, muttering.

“No smoke without fire.”

“No fire without smoke, idiot! Geruk!”

“Kraaak! You dare—”

Crash! Thud…!

Baldr shook his head, clucking his tongue at the pair rolling in a brawl from afar.

Yet he mulled over the recent rumors swirling in the castle about him and the hero.

Our Demon King somehow ends up as a hero…

He tried understanding—after all, the king was born human—but deep down, Baldr struggled to accept the deception.

The king fooling everyone as a hero dragged Baldr’s name through the mud too, but that wasn’t the issue.

What if the dimwitted demon-realm scum gang up on our still-fledgling king?

The new king’s low level and fragility worried him most.

Hell, the kid had already been attacked over the hero mix-up.

Baldr’s resolve hardened: this couldn’t go on.

Maybe spill it to the demon realm: our king’s the hero.

Baldr had resisted at first, but now his loyalty burned fiercer than anyone’s.

If the king touted his wicked schemes in the human world, even demon-realm idiots would buy it.

And any holdouts? Sweep ’em clean.

The demon realm existed for the Demon King.

A few thousand lesser demons vanishing? No big loss.

“Kukukuku…”

Baldr grinned, fantasizing about purging the whispering scum.

Exiting the king’s chambers, I skipped stealth for the Demon King’s Polymorph skill, shifting to incubus form to roam the castle freely.

Seems loyal Baldr was faithfully executing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠orders to elevate Balpador.

Overhearing legion soldiers, Balpador was due any moment.

Then I’d better plant this fast.

Tucking the demon-realm World Tree seed safely, I slipped into the underground pantry.

Right below the grand hall for the coronation, stocked with food and nutrients—perfect for the tree.

Planting the demon-realm World Tree held deep meaning.

It’d shore up the crumbling demon realm post the previous king’s death, and its fruits could expand territory anywhere.

Plus, World Tree points from the Control Tower.

Per Baldr, the old king wandered a millennium seeking an untainted “demon-realm World Tree.”

Balpador—once agriculture god in the heavens—planted the corrupted version on Earth.

Why hunt the pure one when he could’ve gotten corrupted seeds easily?

Hated dark energy taint? Or bad for the realm?

Yet he built a vault right under his chambers.

The previous king’s actions baffled me more with each revelation.

But on reflection…

Watching dark energy ravage the realm yet relying on it to sustain—his anguish mirrored mine.

I awakened as hero yet couldn’t protect Earth without Death Terraforming.

His death forced unwanted kingship on me, but this loop revealed:

Inheriting his magic, I hadn’t gone mad, lost myself, or turned evil.

Conclusion: my corruption stemmed from dark energy use, not kingship.

The being who passed me magic for 999 loops.

Gave me power to protect what mattered.

Still learning, but his Control Tower let me seize this chance to save my parents.

So this is my humble token of gratitude.

Meager compared to his gifts, but the only thing I could offer.

I used magic to wall off food with supplies, shaping demon soil into a mound.

Carefully, I planted the demon-realm World Tree seed.

Pong. A purple sprout pierced the soil.

I summoned a touch of divine power.

“The Demon King who’ll share magic with you isn’t me.”

Upstairs in the pantry, Balpador—freshly ascended to the throne—grinned innocently, baring crimson teeth.