Volume 1 Chapter 40
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Even after doing whatever I wanted, Shiragi didn’t fall. She leaned against the wall, looking tired, but she wasn’t obedient. I still couldn’t fully trust her, but I didn’t want to let her go either, so I decided to take my time with her.
”How strong is a Demon King-level Dragon?”
I added some basic furniture like a carpet and a bed in the Underground Space and called out to Shiragi.
”Is that your first pillow talk line? You must not be popular.”
”Since coming to this Island, I’ve been super popular. Thanks to magic!”
Shiragi snorted, sounding bored, then shook her handcuffs. She probably wanted me to take them off if she wanted to talk. I took them off, and she rubbed her wrists as if checking the feeling.
”If my current strength is below even the Demon general class, which isn’t even Demon King level… then the Dragon Race on this Island is probably the weakest of the Demon King levels.”
Using some kind of life magic, Shiragi’s body suddenly looked clean. While fixing her uniform, she answered my question.
”Even if you have the power to control demons, it’s useless without intelligence. The one at the Mountain Summit is probably a Black Flame Dragon, which isn’t strong to begin with. They’re what you’d call a new Demonkind… well, maybe I don’t need to explain this much.”
She sat on the bed and smiled lightly.
”Tell me. I might not remember it all, but I want to hear it anyway.”
Shiragi glanced at me and quietly reacted, “You’re curious, huh?”
”There’s a conflict between the long-lived Demonkinds and the newcomers. The old Demonkinds have a lot of magic power and extraordinary strength. The new Demonkinds have less magic and no reputation or achievements, so they’re smaller in scale. The Black Flame Dragon is like a representative of the new Demonkinds, and even though they don’t have much strength, they were getting a bit too cocky.”
Hmm. Even demons can have conflicts among themselves. It’s not so different from humans.
”What side were you on?”
”Old Demonkind. My power was among the top of the Demon Kings… but now I’ve fallen from grace.”
”So you were quite a big deal.”
”I was even labeled a disaster by humans. In that world, everyone knew the name Yoki.”
”You’re really bragging, huh?”
”Oh, I’m sorry. I was just stating facts, but I guess it turned into bragging unintentionally.”
I don’t know how true her words are, but I’m glad she hasn’t regained her full power. If she were stronger than now, I probably would have lost.
”I’ll give you one piece of advice, though. You can’t win against a Demon King just by pushing with strength.”
I guess so.
I understand that, but…
”Unfortunately, that’s all I know. If it doesn’t work, I just hit harder until it does. That’s the basics of fighting.”
Shiragi looks at me and laughs, finding it amusing.
”You might have a talent for being a Demonkind, don’t you?”
Now even a real Demonkind is saying that. I kind of feel like I fit that role better than being a Hero. If everything could be solved with strength, the world of Demonkind might actually be fun.
* * *
I picked up the idol Tomi Maren and the lady Nijou Aoi and invited them to the Base.
Tomi was feeling down because she killed a classmate while being controlled, and Nijou came to apologize but was glaring at me a little.
Even though our families were close, this was Nijou’s usual attitude. The reason is…
”Such an intense gaze? Perhaps you could find another way to express yourself.”
”You were the one who glared first. And wow… you’re still using that fancy lady speech. What influenced that way of talking?”
”Silent! Please refrain from mocking my speech patterns as it is quite uncouth!”
Nijou is the type who cares about appearances, like her red curls. She thinks she’s hiding it, but everyone in class knows she’s a secret otaku.
”Koushi has always been a non-deli guy.”
”…Well, that’s true.”
After Mayuki said that, Nijou’s anger calmed down. …Mayuki? Thanks for backing me up, but that was pretty sharp, wasn’t it?
While I was doubting my childhood friend’s feelings, Tōmi came closer to me. She was apologizing to everyone politely, but then she started to look down, and I wondered what would happen next… but she seems to have calmed down a bit.
”Um… let me apologize and thank you again.”
”I get how you feel, but I’m tired of hearing it. We agreed you’d repay me for the trouble you caused during the Dragon battle. That’s enough.”
Tōmi’s light magic is super important for the Dragon battle. Just like Takaizumi’s Holy Sword, it’s easy for Demonkind to notice him, but it can deal serious damage to them too. It’s a double-edged sword, but it’s really powerful. As long as she does her job well, I don’t need anything more. Actually, I just want her to focus on that right now.
”If we can just defeat the Dragon, we can finally escape this crappy island. Just think about that for now.”
”…Got it.”
She might have her own thoughts, but Tōmi nodded honestly.
”That said, Hyakudou, a girl’s heart isn’t that simple, you know?”
Touka Kaede, the class rep’s friend and archer girl, was playfully bothering me with a mysterious energy. She was snuggled up to the class rep, looking at me.
”I think what a heartbroken girl needs is a vacation.”
”Oh? You just want to have fun, don’t you?”
”Since we have this beautiful ocean nearby, I think swimming would be great!”
”You want to swim in the ocean without knowing what kind of Demonkind is out there? That doesn’t sound sane.”
As I was feeling exasperated, Kashiro also looked up from the book he was reading and agreed with me.
”Yeah. It’s silly to take risks when it seems like we might survive. Are you planning to mess it all up at the last moment?”
But even with Kashiro’s strong opposition, Touka wasn’t backing down.
”Eh! You both sound like you have boring lives.”
That hit me and Kashiro hard.
”Hey, there are things you shouldn’t say. Look, even Kashiro is hurt by that.”
”I’m not saying anything wrong… so why does it hurt?”
Well, it’s because of those heartless words. That Touka, what a joker.
”Can’t we use Hyakudou’s magic to make a sea at the base? A pool would be fine too!”
”It’s not impossible, but it’s expensive. I don’t want to waste points on this when we’re about to challenge a Dragon.”
”Cheapskate!”
”Should I just mess with you to earn points?”
”No! Help me, Class Rep~!”
”Alright, alright. Don’t be too selfish, Kaede.”
The Class rep gently patted Touka’s head. Maybe that’s why she turned out like this, being spoiled.
”But we finally got Ms. Tōmi, the idol, to join us, right? Hyakudou wants to see her in a swimsuit too, right?”
Touka really has some shallow thoughts. Does she think I’ll change my mind over that? Good grief.
”Okay, let’s go. Beach day!”
”As expected of Hyakudou, you get it!”
Kashiro, feeling betrayed by me, looked at me like I was losing my mind.
”…Are you serious?”
”If you’re scared of Demonkind, the Class rep can just shoot lightning at the sea. Most of them would probably be wiped out.”
When I said that, even the Class rep looked shocked.
”That would be a crime if you did it in real life, you know?”
”What’s the point of worrying about crime now? They’re Demonkind; we’re not in the wrong.”
”You’re too desperate… you really want to see those swimsuits, huh?”
Kashiro was holding her forehead, looking like she had a headache.
That’s strange. This was supposed to be a vacation to heal my broken heart… so why am I talking about wanting to see swimsuits? I should have just accepted it from the start. If I had, I would have been seen as a gentleman who cares about the ladies, not a pervert wanting to see swimsuits.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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