Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 1

by Kurone Kanzaki

  “Crazy rat. There’s only so much crap you can spew before...”

  The noble stopped there, as magic sparked out of Luna — more magic than any child should have had control over. What’s more, her magic was of blinding Light. The nobles couldn’t help but take a step back.

  “Wha!? How...?”

  While anyone could possess Magic in this world, the talent to wield it was another story entirely. No matter how much effort an average Joe put in, there was always the impenetrable wall of natural talent. Just like not all baseball players could become Babe Ruth or Derek Jeter.

  “I should ask for your names.”

  “H-Hmph! We shan’t give a peasant like you the satisfaction!”

  Intimidated by Luna’s unbelievable potential for magic, the nobles scurried away. In reality, with enough talent, there was a path for someone like her to get out of the orphanage and into the Holy Church or Holy Knights’ Order. Realizing that there was a chance for Luna to follow up on her threat, the nobles hurried away in fear.

  “L-Luna... That was so dangerous!”

  “I can’t let them bully me... I’m going to keep working harder than anyone else in this world.”

  Hard work was the motto of this country. Angels smiled down upon those who worked hard, promising them success. That doctrine... that beacon of hope had motivated Luna thus far and kept her from giving up altogether.

  As they started walking down the streets again, they spotted a long line. It was for a bar called Kanpai, one popular among adventurers. It had opened as a small bar initially, but was now a mid-sized establishment after ten years in operation. Nowadays, it wasn’t rare to see a line forming at the place even during the day. Luna gave the bar an envious glare for a moment, before continuing on their path without a word. This bar had grown, not by some privilege given at birth like nobles, but by its own merit and hard work. Luna didn’t want some privilege handed down to her, either. She wanted to achieve her goals with her own hard work and merit.

  “That place is always really busy.”

  “...I know.”

  Normally, Luna would have had a few choice words, but she was uncharacteristically quiet. Eagle saw that she must have had some ideas about the bar.

  “Come on, let’s get our bread, already! I can’t even concentrate with an empty stomach!”

  “You really do take magic seriously, Luna... If nothing else.”

  Running through the city illuminated by the sunset, the girls ended up securing their rock-like loaf of bread.

  They were softening it bit by bit, dipping it into their scrap-vegetable soup.

  “Hey, Luna. Do you really think you can get into the Holy Church?”

  “Offource. Who elfh buf mf...”

  “Y-You can finish chewing, first...”

  “Mm... I’m not going to stop at the Church. I’m going all the way to the top to become a Holy Maiden.”

  Her determination shone like a rainbow. Eagle didn’t dislike her friend, who always kept her gaze straight ahead and talked about her future with gleaming eyes. In fact, in a life where every day could be her last, Luna was her one shard of light in the darkness.

  Noticing Eagle staring at her, Luna cleared her throat and said, from a high-horse:

  “Mm! Well, when I’m a Holy Maiden, I wouldn’t mind making you my servant.”

  “Servant...”

  Squire or lady-in-waiting might have been a more appropriate choice of words, but Luna was too busy trying to make it out of her environment. She didn’t have time to worry about making friends on an equal footing.

  “You just watch. The Angels will smile upon me!”

  “Yeah. I believe they will, Luna.”

  “You’re such a slowpoke, so you have to follow me with all you’ve got!”

  “Hee hee... I’ll try my best.”

  Two years past...

  A messenger from the Holy Church came to Luna. As she had hoped, the Church had noticed her talent in magic, and wanted to train her closely. The Angel’s doctrine did not steer her wrong. Luna told the messenger that she intended to take Eagle with her.

  “I have a servant. I’m taking her with me.”

  “Ah, I know the one you mean.”

  “Oh, you did your homework. Good job.”

  The messenger frowned at Luna’s attitude totally unbecoming of an orphan. Still, Luna had already began to awaken her power to use the Holy element, a step above Light. Her talents were extraordinary and remarkable.

  “That slowpoke... It’s my big day, and I haven’t seen her since yesterday!”

  “That one isn’t here anymore.”

  “She’s getting ready to welcome me at the Holy Castle, then? That might be the best idea she’s ever had.”

  “That one... has been put down.”

  Luna froze. She couldn’t comprehend what the messenger was saying.

  “When we looked into it, we discovered that it was a demi-human. Such a surprise that it had infiltrated the Holy City.”

  “D-Demi-human...”

  In this world, demi-human was an umbrella term that included all species, like the Anima, Dwarfs, Elves, Giants, etc., who were not quite human. Their relationships with humans, however, were tense. Especially in Holylight, humans were openly hostile towards the demi-humans.

  “B-But! She hasn’t done anything wrong!”

  “Being a demi-human alone is a crime enough. I have heard that you, brazenly, aim to become a Holy Maiden... In that case, you must be careful who you associate yourself with.”

  Demi-humans, in the context of the Mythical War, were in a grey area. At first, they had aided the Angels and the humans who served them. But suddenly, for some reason, they sought independence during the commotion of the war. Their pullout had drastically affected the power balance of the continent, and Animania was established in the east. If the legend was true, the demi-humans were traitors. They were like disaster thieves who founded their own nation on the back of the chaos of war.

  “She’s... really dead...?”

  “Did you expect Holylight to pardon a demi-human?”

  Hearing this, Luna could only tilt her head, powerless. In this country that worshipped the Angels, there was no room for demi-humans. Accepting demi-humans would, in turn, be a betrayal to the teachings of the Angel, which had become Luna’s rock.

  Even after joining the Holy Church, Luna couldn’t believe that Eagle was dead, and continued to search for her friend’s whereabouts whenever she had the chance. In the end, though, she could never find her. Soon, Luna’s life became even busier, leaving her without enough free time to continue her search.

  Two years after joining the Church, at the young age of ten, she became a Holy Maiden. With her once-in-a-millennium talent in magic, she climbed up to become a figure adored by all. Luna’s powers had evolved to Golden, stemming off of Light, making her an unparalleled mage. However, her reputation wasn’t great. Some called her “Walking Pride”, and others even called her an elitist monster.

  (Hmph... Talk all you want. I’m climbing higher and higher.)

  Luna was too loyal to the Angel’s teachings, which had guided her up the ladder this far. She believed that only she, who had worked hard for what she had, was just and strong. Everyone else were lazy nobodies. She no longer had a friend to keep her in check. After joining the Church, and even after becoming a Holy Maiden, Luna was always alone. People must have seen her as unapproachable and unfriendly. As they kept walking on eggshells around her, Luna’s arrogance and holier-than-thou attitude grew out of control.

  Just once, though, Luna had surprised those around her with an uncharacteristic decision. This happened when her land was assigned. Dona Dona, the leader of the noble sympathizers, who didn’t want the Holy Maidens getting any more power than necessary, schemed to leave Luna with some troublesome village. This village was the village of Rabbi, an isolated village where a species of demi-humans, called Bunnies, lived. The Bunnies were the only demi-human
species explicitly described in any literature as to have been loved by the Wise Angel itself. Even in Holylight, where they treated any non-human species harshly, they weren’t sure how to deal with the Bunnies.

  “Bunnies...? All right. I’ll be their lady.”

  “Ooh, my my... Your generosity becomes you, Miss Luna. Of course, you are a devout student of the Wise Angel’s teachings.”

  Dona, surprised by Luna’s response, still managed to drool out some platitudes. He was taken aback, as he was ready to pull all sorts of tricks to make her accept. Since Luna had no talent for politics and intrigue, Dona would have convinced her in the end no matter how she reacted, anyway.

  “I am surprised, I must say. Are you not disgusted by those beasts... pardon me, demi-humans, Miss Luna?”

  “Whatever. It’s better than looking at your face all day.”

  “My my, that’s a good one. Some day, I think you will discover the charm of middle-aged men.”

  “...Anything else? I’m busy.”

  With that, Luna left her seat in a hurry. She didn’t like the beating-around-the-bush that all nobles did. Dona was a prime example of that.

  (Bunnies...)

  Some distant memory resurfaced in Luna’s heart. If she were stronger and had more power, she might not have lost her.

  (This isn’t nearly enough...)

  It wasn’t like she was on top of the pyramid. Holylight was divided into numerous factions which continued their battles under the surface. She had the two Holy Maidens above her to worry about, too. White, the oldest, who was talented in peacemaking, popular among both nobles and the common people. And Queen, the middle sister, who was talented in combat, and had begun to build her fearless private army. Taking a good look at herself, Luna was aware that she had no other power than magic. At this rate, she may very well never make it to the top.

  (Wise Angel... Lend me your strength...!)

  Determined, Luna started moving forward, once again.

  Later on, her wish would come true. The one who lent a hand, though, wasn’t an angel at all...

  “Luna, I want to borrow a plot of land in this village.”

  “What?”

  ...But a man claiming to be the Demon Lord...

  Memorial: The World Remembered, Connected, or Buried

  X/X/2000

  Type type type type. The chatroom symphony.

  “Hey Akira, this next game...? I don’t really get it after reading the manual.”

  “Each Game lasts a week. Players try to kill each other. Last one standing wins. Simple.”

  “No, what I mean is... An MMO can’t end in a week.”

  XX asked, and Akira replied with the bare minimum. He was working on creating said game, and seemed to want every second he could use.

  “The Game starts on a Monday and ends on the next Sunday. Then a new arena starts on Monday again. No problem.”

  “What about the character you grow? All that work for nothing?”

  “Yep. Clean reset. If players saved progress, the long-time user will have an unfair advantage, and all the new players won’t be able to kill them.”

  XX was confused. Wasn’t the fun of playing an MMO growing your own character?

  “Besides, there won’t be any monsters? Like co-oping with friends to go in a dungeon or take on a dragon?”

  “I am sick and tired of those lukewarm MMOs that’ve flooded the market. Dreams! Adventurers! Play with your friends! All these niceties in the game world are giving me heartburn.”

  Strictly speaking, even by this time, there were MMOs with PvP (Player vs Player), but they had always been just a feature of the game. It was rare to have an entire MMO revolve around PvP.

  “Live opponents, huh? It’s true that AI monsters keep doing the same thing over and over again.”

  “See? There’s no variance in the fight. If you fight other people, though? They’re smart. They’ll run when they think they’ll die, they’ll set traps... They might even drag other people into the fight.”

  Akira was remembering the arcade he frequented as a child. A decade or so ago, in-person fighting games had become a massive hit, which only grew bigger by the introduction of the battle stations, where people could sit across from one another to challenge them in-game. From boys to men, people of all ages fought day and night against strangers over monitors, honing their craft.

  “Fighting against a computer with a programmed set of moves gets old, no matter what.”

  This was the gist of Akira’s motivation. Against other people, who knew how they would respond to each move? Less predictable. More fun. As long as they kept up the servers, the Games could go on forever.

  “Right! There were some IRL fist fights at the arcade!”

  “That’s what I’m talking about! The excitement and the powerful reaction to losing all happened because it was all human.”

  Type type type type. The chatroom symphony.

  “Now, here’s a list of features so far...”

  (Tentative) Game Arena Features

  -A Game lasts one week. Monday through Sunday.

  -Linked with real-world time, the fight will take place 24/7, all the time.

  -Last player standing on the last day is crowned victor.

  -Alliances are allowed, but only one may survive in the end.

  -Implement survival gameplay like fishing, material collecting and base-building, hunting and gathering, sewing, etc. so even players who aren’t good at combat can enjoy the Game.

  -As a bonus stage, the players can rebel against the Empire. Here, the players will work together. Players stop killing each other to work together.

  -The difficulty of the bonus stage, Sleepless Castle, is set to Inferno.

  -When the Sleepless Castle falls, the MMO will discontinue.

  “Akira, hold on! What do you mean, linked with real-world time?”

  “Just like it sounds. If it’s 7am in Japan, it’s 7am in the game. Early morning, late nights, they’re always killing each other in real time.”

  “Wha... What about people with school and work?”

  “They have to hide well or stay in their Base. They can automatically retaliate against attacks, and run away if they can.”

  “So... You’re god at the game if you’re jobless? All right!”

  “No, you go get a job. And characters will use Stamina as they move, so if they don’t get a lot of sleep, the characters will be out of Stamina and won’t be able to move.”

  “Oh. So having all the time in the world won’t do any good.”

  “You got to make calculated moves. Otherwise, you’d turn into a punching bag. That’s going to suck. Being attacked without even being able to run?”

  “I might just snap if that happens to me.”

  “Awesome. That’s raw humanity, right there.”

  The IRL fistfights he witnessed in the arcade... To Akira, that was proof of immersion and what made the game real. And so, a world was created.

  A legendary game that took Japan by storm began here...

  Postscript

  Thank you so much for reading the first volume of Demon Lord, Retry! I’m the author, Kurone Kanzaki. This piece was published before, but thanks to the anime adaptation, we have re-published it with new skin. I never thought I’d be the one “retrying” things in the real world. It’s all because of that heinous Demon Lord...!

  In the story, the Demon Lord gains influence really quickly, drawing in everyone around him. In real life, this story is kind of doing the same thing. First, winning the 5th Web Novel Award, then getting a publication. After that, a manga adaptation, and now an anime adaptation. It’s incredible. I had never dreamed that the story would be aired on TV after less than a year on the market. At the moment, I’m just staying busy doing all sorts of work.

  There’s something wonderful about the characters and world I’ve created being brought to life in the real world. Come to think of it... Are we sure we can air this thing full of weird
os to the general public...? Yes! (‘Cuz I said so.)

  So, once it airs, I would love to have you check out the anime. This past year was really dense for me, like I was swimming in Calpico concentrate. I experienced so many things I never thought I would, and I’ve learned so much in that time, too. I have a vague feeling that I’ll keep learning all sorts of things little by little for the rest of my years. I’m going at a tortoise’s pace, but I would love to have you along for the ride.

  All of my thanks to the people who’ve made this new edition possible. I’ll be doing my best to meet your expectations.

  And finally...

  Once upon a time, I created a utopia with a bunch of friends. I lived a second life there, all over again. Those golden days have left me with a story, which now allows me to live a third life, it seems. I hope this story will be a fresh breath of life to somebody.

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  Copyright

  Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 1

  by Kurone Kanzaki

  Translated by Adam Seacord

  Edited by Jack Diaz

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © Kurone Kanzaki 2017

  Illustrations by Makoto Iino

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2017 by Futabasha Publishers Ltd.

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Futabasha Publishers Ltd., Tokyo

  English translation © 2019 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.