[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 24: Demon Lord (1)

“Begin the report.”

Demon Duke and Lord of Inferno.

Orobos spoke to the demons kneeling before him.

None of the demons were ordinary.

Not only were their appearances fearsome, but they also exuded a chilling aura.

Therefore, anyone could tell. That these were no ordinary demons.

“As per the Lord’s command, we have annihilated the Red Horn tribe, which was suddenly expanding its influence in the eastern region.”

“Kihihit, we have killed Count Barbaya, who was hiding his wealth in defiance of the Lord’s command, and hung his corpse on the castle gate!”

His subordinates competed to report their achievements.

Orobos listened to his subordinates' reports with a solemn face.

Inferno was still in a state of chaos.

The aftermath of the War of Titles still lingered.

Therefore, Orobos consistently gave orders to his subordinates to eliminate the reactionary elements.

As Orobos’s direct subordinates, their titles and skills were of a remarkable level.

Among his subordinates, there was even a demon who had competed with Orobos for the position of Lord.

“We have burned down the entire Dagda region, which refused the 87 percent tax rate decided by the Lord!”

“We have captured the band of thieves who stole the tribute goods and torn out their entrails…”

It was then.

Suddenly, with a loud roar, the entire building shook slightly.

The report was briefly interrupted by the disturbance.

“Judging by this vibration… it seems the outer wall has collapsed.”

Even though the capital was under attack, Orobos was calm.

There were still many demons in Inferno who coveted Orobos’s position.

It was surely one of them who had staged the attack.

“Who is it this time? Marquis Glamon? Or Count Zeta?”

“Either way, they are foolish beyond measure. To dare to point a sword at the Lord.”

“Kihihit, it seems we will see blood again.”

Far from being nervous, his subordinates were rather delighted.

There was no demon who did not enjoy violence and pain. To demons, war was like a festival.

Orobos and his subordinates were letting out sinister laughs.

The great doors of the hall swung open and a guard entered. It was a demon that looked like an elephant.

“I-It’s an emergency! The capital is under attack! The one who revealed his identity is Demi…”

“You are before the Lord. Do not act without dignity.”

Orobos said in a solemn voice.

At the intimidating voice, the guard could not help but shut his mouth.

“I have a rough idea of who the culprit is.”

“I-Is that really so?”

“I was getting bored, so this is good. It will be a good source of stimulation.”

The guard was greatly moved by Orobos’s utter lack of tension.

“A-As expected of our Lord! To think you would consider fighting that monster!”

Monster? Was there a high-ranking demon with such a nickname?

Orobos was momentarily puzzled but soon dismissed it.

He would be seeing his face soon enough, after all.

“Did that bastard have a message for me?”

“Y-Yes, he did! He said something about bringing the Lord before him…”

“How dare he spout such nonsense!”

It was not Orobos who was enraged.

It was one of his subordinates, a demon named Gamigin.

Gamigin could not contain his anger and shot to his feet.

The coarse fur covering his entire body stood up stiffly in response to its master’s fury.

“My Lord, please leave it to me! I will shatter every bone in his body and drag him before you!”

Orobos made a quick calculation.

To challenge him, the demon had to be at least a Marquis-rank.

In comparison, Gamigin was a Count-rank demon.

However, Gamigin was a demon known as the strongest among the Counts.

A powerhouse so strong that if the number of titles were not limited, he would have already become a Marquis-rank demon.

“Permission granted. Go and drag that bastard before me.”

Gamigin placed a fist on his chest and bowed his head.

Then, with thudding steps that shook the floor, he exited the great hall.

“I-I will go too!”

The guard also hurriedly followed Gamigin out.

“Now that Gamigin has stepped up, we can be at ease.”

“Kihihit, I’m envious. It was a rare chance to taste the blood of a high-ranking demon.”

Orobos and his subordinates laughed and enjoyed themselves, awaiting Gamigin’s triumphant return.

A short while later, another loud roar erupted from a distance. His subordinates gasped in admiration with their mouths wide open.

“It seems a rather fierce battle is about to unfold?”

“To have this much vibration from the first clash. Gamigin is quite something.”

“Kihihit, I wish I could see it with my own eyes.”

But contrary to the demons’ expectations, a second vibration was not heard.

“What? Why is it so quiet?”

“Don’t tell me Gamigin has already subdued the traitor?”

Everyone was wondering about it.

“I-It’s an emergency!”

The elephant guard who had left with Gamigin came rushing into the great hall.

The elephant guard flailed his arms and explained to the demons.

“L-Lord Gamigin is dead!”

“Hm? Gamigin?”

“That blockhead of a bastard is dead?”

The demons’ eyes went wide.

“Gamigin lost? He was only a Count, but he should have been no pushover.”

“Kihihit, even so, he was just a Count. Compared to us, he was sorely lacking.”

But the demons quickly recovered from the shock.

It was true that Gamigin was a demon with Marquis-level skill, but among Orobos’s subordinates, he was one of the weaker ones.

“Th-This is no time to be so relaxed! Th-That monster said that if the Lord does not come out this time, he will come to find you himself!”

“Silence.”

Orobos spoke again in a solemn voice.

The guard could not help but shut his mouth as if a spell had been cast on him.

“It seems a rather dangerous challenger has appeared. Who will step up this time?”

“Kihihit! I will go and take care of it!”

A demon with a pointed snout shot up and said.

Its limbs were as thin as a mosquito’s, but a hard-looking carapace covered its entire body.

It was like looking at a needle that could pierce through anything.

“If it’s Morkito, we can trust him.”

“He’s a disgusting bastard, but among the Marquis-rank demons, he’s one of the strongest.”

“There has never been a problem he couldn’t solve when he stepped up.”

His subordinates seemed to agree with Morkito’s participation. Orobos also nodded his head.

“Permission granted. Go and bring that bastard here.”

“Kihihit, leave it to me.”

Suddenly, Morkito made a gesture. A servant demon appeared and offered him a teacup.

Inside the teacup was steaming blood.

“Kihihihit, I will return before this blood cools.”

Morkito left the great hall with a confident face.

The elephant guard once again followed Morkito outside.

As soon as Morkito left, a loud explosion was heard. The sound was much louder than with Gamigin.

“As expected of Morkito. He shows no mercy to traitors.”

“His personality is rotten, but his skills are guaranteed.”

But this time too, the vibration ended with just one. His subordinates could not help but be bewildered.

“Don’t tell me…?”

Just then, the doors of the great hall burst open and the elephant guard entered.

He looked so rushed that he even tripped over his own feet and fell.

“D-Dead! He’s dead again! A-And what’s more, in a-a-a, a single slash! His body was split in half with a single slash!”

At the elephant guard’s vivid description, the faces of the subordinates turned serious.

“Morkito was killed in a single slash?”

“Morkito was a demon strong enough to once stand against the Lord.”

Just as the atmosphere among the subordinates was about to become more serious.

“He is no ordinary fellow.”

Orobos rose from his seat.

At that moment, the atmosphere changed.

Just by Orobos revealing his presence, the air became heavy.

“A worthy traitor to have appeared after so long. It’s been a while since a bastard has tensed me up like this.”

A black wind blew in from somewhere. A huge current of air swirled around Orobos.

“Th-The Lord is moving himself.”

“The Steel Storm rages again!”

The Lords of Inferno had, for generations, possessed titles that symbolized them.

In Orobos’s case, he was known by the name Steel Storm.

This was because he possessed the fearsome ability to create a typhoon with mass, grinding anything to dust without a trace.

“No one is to interfere. That one is my opponent.”

Saying so, Orobos kicked off the ground.

He became a black gale and went out through the window. He raced through the sky toward the place where the commotion had occurred.

Once outside, he could see it clearly.

The miserably collapsed outer wall and the shattered buildings around it.

‘The damage is not as great as I thought.’

He must have controlled his power. After all, he was the one who killed Morkito in a single slash.

Orobos discovered the corpses of Gamigin and Morkito.

Next to the corpses stood something small, like a human.

‘Found him.’

Though small in size, it was exuding an unusual energy. Orobos headed toward it.

The black gale gathered and reconstructed Orobos’s body.

Orobos shouted at the traitor.

“To kill two of my subordinates! You’re riding high! Worthy of aiming for my seat!”

Orobos felt his blood boil for the first time in a long while.

It had been a long time since such a traitor had appeared.

“Strange demon! State your name and title! If you do, as the Lord of Inferno, I will accept your challenge!”

This was the highest praise a Lord could give.

It meant that he was accepting him not as a mere traitor, but as a challenger.

“…”

But the traitor remained silent. Orobos tilted his head.

“Can you not hear me? State your name and tit…”

“I sent word twice for you to come out yourself, and you ignored my warning?”

At the voice that sounded as if it were desperately suppressing anger, Orobos could not help but be bewildered.

Somehow, his attitude was different from the traitors he had seen so far.

Orobos got the feeling that this challenger was treating him like a neighborhood mutt.

“Wait, you’re a Death Knight?”

Now that he was closer, he could finally see. The challenger was not a demon, but a Death Knight.

“A Death Knight killed two high-ranking demons?”

To demons, a Death Knight was nothing more than a toy for amusement to be sent into the fighting pits.

Not even a high-ranking demon, even a demon without a title could easily handle a mere Death Knight.

“This makes no sen…”

Suddenly, a certain being came to Orobos’s mind.

It is impossible for a Death Knight to kill two high-ranking demons.

But in this world, there was exactly one Death Knight capable of such a thing.

The monster who had slaughtered the previous Duke, who was known as the absolute monarch, and all his subordinates, and who had single-handedly annihilated the Demon Kings resurrected in the mortal world.

‘N-No way. Th-That can’t be.’

Orobos denied his own hypothesis and sniffed the scent and mana fragrance emanating from the Death Knight.

The next moment, Orobos’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

The scent and mana fragrance were both identical to those of ‘that being,’ which he had barely managed to obtain by sending his clones to the surface.

“D-Don’t tell me…”

Just then, the Death Knight drew its sword. Orobos’s face was reflected on the blade.

In that instant, a chill ran through his entire body. His instincts screamed a warning.

“Lord Damien Haksen!”

Orobos immediately prostrated himself.

He slammed his head on the ground and shouted.

“Welcome to Inferno!”

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]