“So, calling me Master Demon Lord is going to cause a lot of problems. Can’t you think of anything else?”
“H-How about... Master Kunai?”
“Hmm... That doesn’t sound right.”
What a picky dude. He was the kind of guy that would struggle to decide which restaurant to eat at or where to go on a date.
“...I think we’re back at Brother.”
“No.”
Aku shut down the Demon Lord’s last-ditch effort. Compared to when they had first met, Aku had grown a lot, too. At this rate, she might prove to be an effective emergency break for the ignorant Demon Lord’s shenanigans.
“But that meat skewer earlier, wasn’t that so delicious!?”
“Hm...? Yeah, sure.”
The Demon Lord mumbled in response to Aku’s innocent review. To him, that meat wasn’t that good. It might not have been bled out properly, as it was chewy and gamey. That’s why, the Demon Lord figured, they had overwhelmed the smell of it with black pepper. Motivated by that experience, the Demon Lord had purposefully sought out a top-tier inn. At least for dinner, he wanted something decent to eat.
“Oh, but I love the crackers, too, of course. They’re a little sweet, and they make me happy inside.”
“Happy, huh...?”
Aku’s face loosened into a brimming smile. Seeing it, a shadow flashed over the Demon Lord’s expression. Those crackers were emergency rations. While the Empire did, according to the game’s settings, put insane amounts of effort into even emergency rations and improving their flavor... the Demon Lord couldn’t bring himself to even call it a meal.
“Then, let’s go on a quest to be happy again. Tonight, we feast.”
Hearing this, Aku skipped in joy to the Demon Lord, and held his hand. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but shoot a glance at her pitiful right leg, but he simply lifted Aku onto his shoulders.
“Before we go, though, let’s do something about your clothes. I don’t know how things are in this world, but you have to dress the part at a fancy dinner.”
“Clothes??”
The Demon Lord had completely forgotten that the money bag in his pocket belonged to the Holy Maiden. His conscience was clear in claiming the money for himself. If Own Goal had seen him now, he would have shouted ‘See! He’s the real bandit, here!’
And so, the Demon Lord and Aku went on their shopping spree.
You Unlocked Some Information!
Magic
Magic is activated by controlling the elements that exist in this world. The elements are Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind (the basic four), along with Light and Dark, which are considered outside of natural law. Some elements have an elevated form, but only those who break through a certain limit can wield those elevated elements. Some talented mages combine elements, as well. The length of the spell’s name indicates its class, ranging from 1 to 10. Even the King of Devils with his ridiculous power for magic, the best he could wield was a class 6 spell. As to what Luna was wielding... The elevation of Light is the Holy element, but Luna’s Gold element is a one-of-a-kind that has branched off of Light. Mr. Own Goal, who survived such an attack, must be holding a special skill.
Princess Evil
——Fashion Police, a popular boutique.
Bingo, the shopkeeper, gave the two new customers a quick and sharp, top-to-bottom glance. The leading one had black hair and strange clothes. A foreigner, no doubt. This city was kind to foreigners, though. It was only natural since it strived to be a trading hub. Even the people in this city seemed to be happy-go-lucky most of the time. However, the shopkeeper was concerned with the child following the man. Her clothes were almost as poorly made as a street beggar’s. The contrast in fashion between the two made the shopkeeper uneasy.
(Is she a slave...?)
Foreigner or otherwise, a slave would spell trouble. Normally, slave owners would at least have them wait outside the city or have them stay somewhere instead of parading them around. Could this extremely well-dressed man be so oblivious to that unwritten rule?
“Hello, there. Are we looking for anything in particular, today?”
With a brimming customer service face, the shopkeeper approached the man. He had decided to try and insinuate the slave issue through innocuous conversation. The last thing he wanted was to take heat for something like this.
“If you don’t mind, could you pick out some things for this kid?”
“For the sl... For this lovely child, you say...?”
“Huh? Yeah, this one here.”
Buying clothes for a slave? The shopkeeper wondered if it was a fetish thing. Perhaps he was going to dress her in extravagant clothes only to tear them off, and... The shopkeeper halted his imagination. Business was business. No need to go asking questions when a customer is ready to pay. He just had to make sure that this girl wasn’t a slave.
“I’m not good at picking out clothes for other people. I’ll leave it to the pros.”
With that, the man took out a leather pouch from his coat pocket. From the looks of it, the shopkeeper could see how heavy it was. He salivated. He might even get a gold coin out of this man.
“This one’s the biggest... I’ll take whatever I can buy with this.”
The man haphazardly took it out, sending the shopkeeper into shock. Outside of the pouch, it seemed to shine bright enough to light up the store. A gold medallion.
“A gold meda... S-Sir... Th-That would be your price range... today...?”
“Huh...? You want more?”
“I wouldn’t dare! Allow us to pick everything out immediately. Right now!”
The shopkeeper called all employees to tend to the ‘gracious lady’ who had been looking around the store curiously. Just in case, he had even sent for the rest of the employees who weren’t in for the day, all the while having an employee prepare a beverage. The shopkeeper’s mind was churning faster than it ever had before.
“And I’d love to have a smoke. Do you have an ashtray?”
“My hands! Put your ashes in my humble hands, sir!”
“Jeesh, dude! No. Just a normal ashtray and a chair to sit on...”
“My back! Sit on my humble back, sir!”
“Jeesh, dude! What’s wrong with this store!?”
While the two were stuck in an endless loop, Aku was surrounded by the employees and piles of clothes she had never seen in her life.
“Mademoiselle, how will these suit you?”
“I-I’m not a...”
Shortly after the Demon Lord and Aku’s arrival, the shop was bustling more than ever before. Even off-duty employees had been called, resulting in five employees mad-dashing around the store. They would swarm around Aku, showing her all kinds of articles of clothing and accessories, causing a tremendous ruckus.
No one could blame the shop’s employees, though, since the Demon Lord had shown them a gold medallion. With the exception of the Holy Coin of Ramd (which has a limited number in circulation), the gold medallion was the most valuable piece of currency. Most people, save for employees of a major, nationwide trading organization, would live their whole lives without finding out what a gold medallion looked like.
When the shopkeeper generously offered a bonus of a silver coin to any employee who could pick out something Aku liked, the game was on.
Oblivious to the commotion, the Demon Lord was looking outside of the shop’s window onto the bustling main street with a smile on his face. He didn’t seem to dislike the energy of the city. In fact, it looked like the Demon Lord was finally coming to terms that he was now in a strange world. After a while, the curtain at the back of the shop parted, revealing Aku.
“U-Um... D-Do I look okay...?”
“Y-Yeah...”
The Demon Lord fell speechless upon seeing Aku in a white dress. When it came to certain things, the Demon Lord really was sloppy. He didn’t know that Aku was a girl until this very moment... When, suddenly, a little princess emerged from behind the curtains.
> “Will this be satisfactory, sir...? We would love to show you other pieces from our collection.”
“S-S-S-Sure... I’ll take everything that looks good.”
The shaken Demon Lord dropped his cigarette ash onto the floor, but the shopkeeper was shaken up worse.
“E-E-E-E-Everything... Sir...?”
Aku was about to say something, but the shopkeeper was much too quick.
“Everybody! Quickly! The best of the best for this mademoiselle!”
“Aye aye!” they all called back. At the end of the day, the Demon Lord ended up buying countless clothes, undergarments, shoes, etc. No matter what she wore, the Demon Lord said it looked good. True, Aku did look good in everything. Not only the more girly outfits, but even the tom-boyish styles suited her well. She did have a genetic advantage in this department.
The items he purchased were sent to the inn one after another, much to the amazement of the innkeeper. After all, the Demon Lord had booked the best room. The innkeeper couldn’t help clasp his fists at the arrival of a top-notch guest.
In the blink of an eye, the Demon Lord and Aku raised a storm of gossip around them. Were they foreign royalty? A mega-rich family from up north? If the duo had heard of these rumors, the Demon Lord would have burst out laughing, while Aku would have passed out.
“Aku, shall we...?”
After their shopping trip, the pair entered the restaurant attached to the Gooogle inn. In lieu of his usual suit, the Demon Lord adorned a black tux over a white dress shirt. He looked quite handsome, even wearing a pocket square. Aku was wearing the white dress she tried on first in the clothes shop, looking elegant and beautiful. The other patrons of the restaurant looked at them just long enough as to not be rude. Suddenly, they had another interesting conversation topic.
“You don’t see those kinds of clothes every day. Is that what’s popular up north?”
“I’ve seen some like that in the city-states.”
“Is she his daughter, do you think?”
“Nah. They’re not acting like it.”
“I’ve heard that they’re royalty from a small country.”
“Apparently, he’s ridiculously rich. Probably here to lay some groundwork on a business venture.”
“He used a gold medallion just to get clothes for that girl, right?”
“She’s spoiled rotten, huh...?”
After walking through tables full of gossip, the duo reached their table and opened their menus. The Demon Lord made some vague order at the waiter, and told him to first bring the best bottle of wine they had... as if he owned the place. His attitude only worsened the mistaken impression on the patrons of the restaurant, but the Demon Lord remained oblivious.
“The first thing he orders is the best wine of the house?”
“Maybe he’s not a businessman, and just owns a mine or something.”
Without acknowledging any of them, the Demon Lord lit a cigarette. There were things akin to a cigar in this world, but they were legitimate articles of commerce. Each cigar would cost a pretty penny. The Demon Lord’s cigarettes were of a white, which was unusual for this world. That fact alone drew eyes to him.
As everyone in the restaurant secretly watched, he sipped the wine that was served to him, and mumbled ‘nah.’ What in the world was he used to drinking? Then, he ordered the cheapest ale on the menu, took a gulp, and brimmed a smile.
“Now this is a drink for the salaryman. You can’t beat starting a meal with a pint of this.”
The other patrons had no idea that a ‘salaryman’ was a term for the 9-to-5 worker in a country called Japan from an entirely different world from their own, their best guess was that it was a name for his homeland. Up north, close to a dozen nations were in constant conflict, and there were even a bunch of city-states in the north-east. From the perspective of the people of Holylight, the foreign nations were still barbaric and in a constant state of war.
Without paying any mind to the commotion around him, the Demon Lord poured ale down his throat as he chuckled at himself for ordering the best wine on the menu.
(No good comes from showboating, I guess...)
Cleansing his palette with the ale, the Demon Lord started cutting the meat that was brought to him and throwing it into his mouth. Unlike the meat he had for lunch, this one was of pretty good quality. In truth, he wished he could eat and drink the stuff made by the Empire, but he had to be conservative about his SP usage.
“I... must be dreaming...”
“...Hm?”
The Demon Lord looked up to see Aku’s food untouched. She had her pure white dress and even a pretty tiara on her head, making her truly look like a princess.
“Thank you. Thank you. There’s so much food, just for... someone like me...”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
“Of course I... worry...”
Aku’s powerful glance stopped the Demon Lord’s hand, mid-air. He was taken by her eyes. Each eye glowing in a different color, red and green... It almost seemed mystical. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but look away.
“Why do you treat me so well?”
“...It’s nothing special.”
From his perspective, he hadn’t done anything to deserve such praise. In fact, all he had done in this world so far was mercilessly slaughter a monster that attacked him, set the house of a man he didn’t like on fire, then spanked a Holy Maiden and stole her money. It was atrocious, come to think of it. Recalling his track record so far, the Demon Lord nearly choked on his ale. Granted, most of the incidents were a result of self-defense, but could he really blame people for calling him the Demon Lord?
“I don’t know... how I can repay you.”
“You don’t need to. I don’t think you owe me anything, anyway.”
The Demon Lord said, as he chucked more pieces of meat into his gullet. Cold meat and lukewarm beer were things he hated most in the world, especially warm beer. Watching a pint go flat even made him feel the bleakness of life.
“Master Demon Lord, ask anything of me. I’ll do anything I can.”
“...Anything?”
Just as the Demon Lord replied, a shout was heard from the entrance. What’s worse, the door had been kicked down.
“...There you are, Demon Lord!”
There was the Holy Maiden the Demon Lord had thoroughly spanked the other day, her face beet red. Her breathing was fast, and she seemed excited. That was precisely why this joke of a Demon Lord only had this response to give:
“You again. I don’t remember ordering a stalker...”
HMWII (the second Holy Maiden War) had begun...
Luna, the Golden
“...There you are, Demon Lord!”
Luna yelled, triggering murmurs around the restaurant. It was at this point that she reconsidered her actions. On her quest to hunt the Demon Lord, she had snuck out of the castle without telling her sisters. If she caused a scene, the news could reach the Holy City. If that were to happen, she could expect all sorts of repercussions.
“Hm. I didn’t know that, in this country... the proper way to enter an establishment was by kicking down the door.”
The Demon Lord snarked, which nearly burst a vein in her forehead. The two at the table were dressed differently from before. Their clothes looked extremely expensive. Luna shuddered, deducing the fate of her missing money bag.
“It was you...! You took my money!”
“First, you interrupt everyone having a nice dinner, and now you’re calling me a thief? I sincerely hope you’re not a fair representation of this nation’s government.”
“Shut your mouth! I had to save up that money for a long time!”
“It’s not like you’ve worked an honest job and earned it. No wonder this country’s in disarray with someone like you at the top. Why don’t you stop and listen to what the people have to say, for once?”
This is when Luna realized that the Demon Lord was derailing the conversati
on left and right, dodging the accusation. Her fists trembled in rage at the Demon Lord’s slimy tactics. To prove her suspicions, his eyes were wandering all over the place.
“Give me back. My. Money...! Then drop dead!”
“Moving on from false accusations to verbal abuse, are we? It’s unbecoming for a Holy Maiden, don’t you think?”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Idiot! Pervert! Thief! Die!”
“Why don’t you stop yelling and take a seat? Have you forgotten where you are?”
When the Demon Lord said this, Luna sensed silent encouragement from the rest of the room. She could feel her grip on the situation slipping. How was this happening? He was going to weaponize the crowd against her!
“Why do you think I’ll listen to...”
“Do you need another lesson on your manners?”
The Demon Lord’s sharp glare engulfed Luna. When he slowly lifted his right hand, a shocking sensation ran through her rear end, while a mysterious urge pounded in her chest.
(No... What’s happening...?)
Luna was sure that her face was bright red. Her breathing had gotten more rapid. Finally, she couldn’t stand anymore, and slumped down onto the ground.
“I’m glad we could come to an understanding. I’m sorry for the commotion, everyone... Please accept my humble token of apology.”
The Demon Lord announced, and ordered the waiter to provide a bottle of wine to each table, on him. Cheerful reactions rang throughout the restaurant. Any wine here wasn’t cheap. With a gentle smile, the Demon Lord waved to the crowd in response before carrying Luna to their table.
(Why? What happened? How did I end up here...?)
Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 1 Page 7