11 – Painting Our Demon World Bright Red
After the hero’s sudden assault, Lain dies in vain.
The Demon King was holding his throbbing head, deep in thought. The work in the Demon Castle had come to a standstill with Lain, who had been handling most of the administrative tasks, now gone.
There was, in fact, an aspect of Lain’s intent to induce an administrative paralysis of the Demon Castle, but there was no way for the Demon King to know that.
The Demon King looked at the pile of documents before him and doubted his own eyes.
“…All these tasks were handled by Lain alone?”
“Yes, Your Legitimacy.”
“There’s no need to be so formal… well, thank you for bringing them. You may leave now.”
“It is an honor to be of use to you, my lord.”
The Demon King meticulously went through the documents one by one.
The workload didn’t seem like something that could have been managed by a single person. Moreover, the format was quite alien to a Demon King who had been resurrected after several hundred years. Lain made it seem simple and intuitive when he reported and explained things, but now, trying to figure it out alone, it was difficult to understand.
In the end, the Demon King decided to use his power instead of his skill to solve the problem. It wasn’t because of the lack of skill, but rather an abundance of power. The Demon King summoned the demon underlings who had been working under Lain in the field.
“Come in.”
“It is an honor to be in the presence of the great king.”
“We really must have some uniformity in etiquette. Every time we resurrect after a few centuries, everyone doesn’t know what to do.”
“Eh?”
“You don’t need to fret about it. More importantly, are you the subordinate who worked under the Four Heavenly King, Rain?”
“Yes, I am. Rain…the Four Heavenly King, was our leader.”
“In that case, can you take a look at this?”
“These documents…are you asking me?”
“Yes. I guess I’m getting old; it’s getting hard to make sense of them.”
Quietly, the demon started going over the documents, page by page. Some of them were marked for classification and a slightly confused expression crossed his face as he looked at certain documents, tilting his head.
Having finished going through the documents, the demon finally spoke up.
“I can understand a few pages…but that’s hardly half of it.”
“Hmm…Is there any other demon capable of taking on Rain’s work in his stead?”
“Well, there is one demon that comes to mind.”
“Oh, and who might that be?”
“She’s a succubus called Scarlet.”
“Scarlet…Ah, the unusual succubus who inherited the power of a hero.”
“Yes. Scarlet has always been by Rain’s side, assisting him with his work, so she should be capable of handling most matters.”
“Then could you bring her to me?”
“Well…she has been in a near-hermit state since witnessing Rain’s death. Recently, not a single demon has seen her leave her room.”
“Sometimes too much loyalty can be a problem. Can you at least pass along that I wish to meet her?”
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“I guess I could at least deliver a message at her doorstep…”
“Do so for now. Oh, and also tell her that I have summoned her with regard to the handover of Rain’s Four Heavenly King duties.”
“Understood.”
He closed his eyes for a moment to refresh his tired mind.
This was the problem with the Demon King’s castle. Everyone acted independently so there never really was a proper handover. In fact, the biggest issue was that the top administrator is resurrected only once every few centuries.
Nobody cared about the chaos until now, since everything was in disarray anyways.
But now that one person who tried to sort out the mess was gone, the void left behind felt overwhelming. There’s a lot to be said for knowing what you’ve lost.
Once this demon called Scarlet arrives, I must instruct her to prepare a handover document. The Demon King’s castle needed some organization as well.
“…But why isn’t anyone coming?”
Shouldn’t the demon, who went to pass the message to Scarlet, be back by now?
I hadn’t explicitly told him to return after delivering the message… Huh?
What am I supposed to do with all these documents if no one shows up?
Maybe I should review them again.
Ah, this one is an expenditure approval form. This document can be approved right away.
A plan for leveling resources based on the project timeline… I can’t grasp what that means. Why can’t we just minimize the use of all resources?
And this one is…
Then there’s this…
…
“Did you summon me, Your Majesty?”
“Ah.”
I was so engrossed in the documents that I hadn’t noticed anyone enter.
This succubus must be that demon named Scarlet.
“Yes, you’re Lain’s… deputy, is that right?”
“Yes, my name is Scarlet…”
“You look quite pale. Would you like a cup of mandrake tea?”
“No thank you.”
“Well then, let’s get down to business. Due to Lain’s death, the workflow has been disrupted. It’s manageable for now, but if the situation persists, we’re likely to face significant difficulties. That’s why I’m asking—would you be willing to take over these tasks?”
“You mean, Lain’s duties?”
“Yes. The position of the fourth demon king will remain vacant, but I’ll grant you the authority to act on their behalf. If you find it too burdensome, I could assign other demons as your deputies…”
“I’ll do it.”
“Ah, thank you for your prompt response. That’s a weight off my shoulders. Oh, and if you find the time, maybe draft a handover note as well…”
“I’ll go now to start my duties.”
“…the manners of demons these days, I tell you.”
The Demon King grumbled as he slumped back into his throne. All he wanted was to finish the day’s work and lie down in bed. He was tired of sitting on the throne all day…
*
I walked to the office carrying the documents given by the Demon King. Not to my office, but to Lain’s. The small potted plant by the window, the teacup on the desk, everything here belonged to Lain.
Even I, sitting here, was Lain’s.
Of all the things that should be here, only Lain was absent. That fact felt bitterly cold to the bone, and I found myself trembling involuntarily.
“……”
Lain died because of me. It was my weakness that kept me from aiding Lain, my exhilaration that disarmed the dungeon trap, my cowardice that prevented me from witnessing Lain’s death.
Lain was not meant to die. Lain could have changed the future of this demon world. Lain had offered hope to all demons, overturning everything we had taken for granted.
Rather, it should have been me who died. Even if it meant throwing myself at the hero, I should have saved Rain. Why couldn’t I do that?
I am the one who killed Rain.
Rain was the one who truly fit to be our leader.
Perhaps even more so than the mighty and immortal Demon King.
No, certainly more so.
Rain was our great leader.
And I, the one who killed Rain,
have the duty to complete the ‘rightful’ Demon Realm that Rain envisioned.
Rain’s words seemed to echo in my mind.
-“The demonkin have been bound in the sturdy chains of power for too long. I intend to break those chains. It’s not power that should rule us demons, but the will of the demons that should govern power. The Demon Realm will transition from an age of savagery to an age of order.”
Rain taught me many things. About equality, will, kindness, order,
And love as well.
I knew that Rain had never felt such emotions for me; I had this cursed ability to feel it all too vividly.
But Rain taught me to cherish my own feelings, not the feelings of others. Even if Rain did not love me, it was okay for me to love Rain. I understood that love wasn’t about relations but something that resided in the depths of my heart.
Just as our will does.
Now it was time to use what Rain had taught me, for Rain’s sake.
I planned to transform everything in this Demon Lord’s castle for ‘Rain.’ Not for the eternally resurrecting Demon Lord, but for the Demon Realm that would be led by Rain, our leader with an undying will.
The only thing necessary was will. The united will of the demonkin would correct this wrongdoing world. It was a thing only possible through will.
“Rain…”
The cursed ‘heroic power’ I possessed was shining brighter than ever before. The twisted blessing, which grew stronger through hardship, beckoned me with its luminous gleam to use it.
Now I knew this was not a curse. It was my fate that I had to accept, this power that was only a mere tool subject to my will.
So I planned to use it.
To fulfill my will.
*
While following the trails of a dark mage on my journey.
A serious problem occurred.
“Kana.”
“What, what! Why!”
“Why have you turned our provisions into trash?”
“Are you being harsh?! It’s not garbage, it’s a stew, a stew!”
“Just because you boil all the leftover food in water doesn’t turn it into something edible.”
“I only put in things that were appropriate?!”
“Haah….”
I sampled a spoonful of the ‘stew that the hero insists is a stew’. A strange taste that I couldn’t even guess the cause of lingered on my tongue. It would be a shame to throw it away… I wonder if it can be saved.
Might as well give it a try.
First, I scooped out unnecessary chunks and only left soft things that would easily dissolve in the soup. Then I let it simmer for a while. Doing just this could counterbalance the horrific mixture of flavors. It may not be exquisite, but it’s decent for flavorless soup.
“You know, I’m hungry…? How much longer will you boil this…?”
“Please wait.”
“Hmph.”
I suppressed the taste that didn’t subside with vinegar and spices. I further boiled the soup, now somewhat worth eating, adding left-over mushrooms, jerky, carrots, and potatoes along with a few sauces.
By doing so, it would become decent stew.
“I don’t like mushrooms…”
“Just eat it. And from now on, I will be doing all the cooking.”
“Okay then.”
By the time I completed the stew that was boiled multiple times, it was a starlit night. We spent the night chatting over a shared stew.
It was a normal, nothing special day-to-day life.