Chapter 100 The Tyrant’s Pleasure: Kidnapping Iris and the Birth of a Demon King
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The world blurred, the familiar walls of the guardhouse dissolving into the thin, cool air of the deep woods. When the light cleared, we were standing directly before the towering silhouette of the Dominion¹ mansion. I blinked, my heart hammering against my ribs. We really had done it. We had snatched Iris away.
She, for her part, looked as though she had been struck by a stray Blasting Curse. One moment she was in a cramped room in town, and the next, she was staring up at the sheer, intimidating grandeur of a massive estate. Even the entrance was a spectacle; rows of maids stood in perfect, silent formation, an elaborate welcoming committee that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
”Walk on your own two feet, now,” Vectra-san said, her voice like the snap of a winter twig. Without a hint of gentleness, she dropped Iris onto the hard ground. The girl scrambled up, her eyes darting around like a cornered animal as she took in her new, alien surroundings.
”Wh-where… where are we…?” Iris asked, her voice trembling.
”Deep within the Demon Forest², of course~” Ami-chan replied with a breezy, musical lilt.
Iris let out a small, breathless gasp of horror. The name alone seemed to drain what little color remained in her cheeks.
”For the time being, Iris-chan is our captive!” Ami-chan announced cheerfully. “Vectra, go ahead and tuck her away in the dungeon~”
”As you wish,” Vectra-san replied, her gaze settling on the girl with predatory stillness. “Do not even entertain the thought of escaping. Even if you were lucky enough to stumble past the estate boundaries, you would only serve as a quick snack for the monsters lurking in these woods.”
Iris flinched, her shoulders hunching as she was led away. I watched her retreating back, a sudden wave of apprehension washing over me as I finally found my voice. “Er, haven’t we… haven’t we gone a bit too far with this?”
”We certainly have…” another voice agreed, though there was a note of dark amusement behind it.
”Oh, it’s fine!” Ami-chan chirped, waving a hand dismissively. “If we hadn’t done anything, they would have just kept looking down on us until the end of time~. It’s important to let them know that someone with the gift of teleportation isn’t just some common nobody!”
I supposed she had a point, in a way. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Ami-chan had only orchestrated this because it promised to be more entertaining. Kidnapping Iris hadn’t been part of the original plan, after all. It was an impulsive flourish, a stroke of chaotic genius born from her own boredom.
”In any case… let’s get Liliarette involved and think this through together,” someone suggested. I nodded, still trying to process the sudden shift in our reality.
Oddly enough, beneath the anxiety, I felt a strange, budding warmth. It was a thrill I had never experienced in my life-a heady mixture of joy and raw excitement. Those high-and-mighty officials, who had treated me with such oily condescension, had been silenced the moment Vectra-san appeared. It was incredibly satisfying. It was… refreshing.
I could see how this feeling might become addictive. It was a different sort of pleasure than anything physical. It was the thrill of trampling over those who believed themselves superior, a dark satisfaction that filled a void I hadn’t known existed. I suspected my Ego Point³ count was climbing steadily with every passing second.
As the sun began its slow descent, we sat down for a late lunch, the smell of warm food filling the room as we explained the morning’s chaotic events to Liliarette.
”I see…” Liliarette murmured, her expression unreadable.
”It was… well, it was my mistake not to hand the letter of recommendation directly to the councilor…” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. Looking back, the atmosphere had soured the moment that letter appeared. Our intentions and theirs had collided in the worst possible way.
I had hoped the letter would bolster my standing. It was a handwritten note from Liliarette herself, accompanied by a gift of sugar. I thought it might give me a bit of leverage, a way to be seen as an equal.
But the council had been far more ruthless than I anticipated. They were dead set on seizing the plantation area, and they saw Liliarette’s letter as nothing more than a convenient legal excuse to justify their occupation. To them, I was just a stepping stone.
Simply put, I had snapped. I had yelled, “Who do you think you are!” and then Ami-chan had proposed ‘Plan X’-a grand display of power to remind them exactly who the King of the Labyrinth was before we made our exit.
Of course, dragging Iris along hadn’t been in the script. I certainly hadn’t intended to go to war with the town, either. Liliarette listened to the whole tale, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on her lips.
”If they hadn’t been so obsessed with taking the plantation, they might have handled the letter with more caution,” Liliarette mused. “The sight of an unknown, bountiful farm right before their eyes… the mistaken belief that it was within their reach… it seems to have made them quite foolish.”
I could only agree. They had looked at me as if I were a speck of dust, a trivial man they could manipulate at their whim.
”But really, why did you decide to bring Iris-chan back here?” I asked, turning to Ami-chan.
”Hmm? Because I wanted to hear what she has to say, obviously~? A little interrogation of sorts~?” Ami-chan replied. I highly doubted that was her only motive. Knowing her, there was always a hidden layer of mischief beneath the surface.
At the mention of our guest, Vectra-san, who had been standing silently in the shadows, spoke up. “I have stripped her and provided only rags before confining her to the glass-walled cell.”
”What!?” I nearly choked on my drink.
”Here, she is nothing more than a fool who dared to defy the Dominator,” Vectra-san continued coldly. “It is necessary for her to understand her new station through her appearance.”
So that meant Iris was… in quite a state right now. I made a mental note to check the Great Phantasmal Soulstone⁶ room later. Purely for administrative purposes, of course.
”What’s done is done,” Liliarette said smoothly. “She may prove useful as a bargaining chip when we eventually deal with the town again. If you like, shall I take charge of her education? I can ensure she understands exactly whose land she is standing on.”
”That sounds wonderful!” Ami-chan agreed.
”Is it really okay…?” I muttered. It seemed that the moment Plan X was set in motion, my fate as a ‘Demon King’ had been sealed. I remembered Ami-chan saying once that anyone capable of making a contract with her had the makings of a Demon Lord.
”Oh, we left the fruit and sugar back in town, didn’t we…” I realized with a sigh.
”Given the commotion, it’s probably best to avoid the town for a while,” Liliarette advised.
”Why not just go normally~?” Ami-chan countered. “If they want Iris back, they’ll have to reach out to us for negotiations eventually!”
Perhaps, but I didn’t think my nerves were quite strong enough to stroll back into town after kidnapping a local. I sighed again, mourning the lost evening of drinking and relaxing in the open-air bath.
”Actually… I’m thinking of expanding the northern side of the living area to build another plantation,” I said, changing the subject.
”Oh? Really?” Ami-chan asked.
”Yeah. This whole mess made me realize something. If something happens to the southern farm, it’ll be a nightmare to start over. If we have another one of the same scale elsewhere, we can handle setbacks more easily.”
”I see. Risk management,” Liliarette nodded. “A wise decision.”
If an outside force ever managed to seize my farm, I would probably just level the place to the ground out of spite. Having a backup would make starting over much easier. Of course, it meant more land clearing, setting up the Land of Blessing⁴, and finding more labor. It would cost quite a few Resource Point⁵ and a lot of time. But time was the one thing I had in abundance now.
”For now, I’ll focus on the Dominion’s maintenance rather than visiting town,” I decided.
”And I shall focus on Iris’s education,” Liliarette added.
”In that case, perhaps I should fly over to the town and scout things out?” Cleonora suggested.
”Are you sure you’ll be alright…?” I asked. She stood out quite a bit, and I was sure people would recognize her.
”I can fly and deploy barriers if things get hairy,” Cleonora replied confidently. “Besides, they might actually be preparing for war to get Iris back. It won’t be easy, but we can’t say for sure they won’t try to march all the way here.”
She had a point. They had the money and might try to use brute force. Once the farm expansion was done, I’d definitely need to increase the number of combat maids. “Alright, Cleonora, I’ll leave the scouting to you. Keep an eye on the town’s movements.”
”Leave it to me!” she chirped.
I had acted on impulse and ended up in this mess. I couldn’t help but wonder… where exactly was this path leading us?”
—
Summary:
After the chaotic events in town, the protagonist and his companions teleport back to the Dominion mansion with Iris as an unexpected prisoner. While the protagonist feels a dark thrill from exerting power over those who looked down on him, the group discusses the fallout with Liliarette. It is decided that Iris will remain a captive for ‘education’ and future negotiations. To mitigate future risks, the protagonist decides to expand the Dominion’s plantations to a second location. Cleonora is tasked with scouting the town to monitor their potential military response.
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Character Insight:
This chapter marks a significant psychological shift for the protagonist. For the first time, he acknowledges a ‘pleasure’ in trampling over others-a sensation he finds more addictive than physical lust. This ‘refreshing’ feeling of superiority suggests he is leaning further into his role as a ‘Dominator’ or Demon King, moving away from his previous passive nature. His decision to expand the farms shows a budding strategic mind, while his willingness to allow Iris’s harsh treatment reveals a growing coldness or loyalty to his own inner circle over external morality.
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Behind the Scene:
The author highlights the impulsiveness of the ‘Plan X’ outcome, specifically noting that kidnapping Iris was an unplanned ‘fine play’ by Ami that shifts the story’s direction.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Vectra – A Unique Individual maid with white skin and white hair. Height 170cm, Bust Size D. Class: Duelist. Attribute: Darkness. Weapon: Star-Strike Battle Axe Volkein
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Liliarette – The other Princess, who sacrificed her ability to walk and her sorcery talent to save her sister, Cleonora. She is imprisoned in the East Tower and is being used as a political and monetary pawn by Viorga. C-cup, true golden hair, waist-length hair, the fringe was a slightly blunt, hair on her left side was braided to the chest.
• Cleonora – The second princess. Have a yellow blonde hair. Usually styled as hairbun. D-cup.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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