by CHIROLU
She was embarrassed and confused, but more than that, she was awash in a state of euphoria. The listlessness that enveloped her whole body afterward was a result of the bliss that they’d shared.
She’d long since hoped for this. She’d wanted to do this with him, not with anyone else. Her heart was overflowing with joy from the choice that she’d made. She felt so fortunate to be loved that it made her feel dizzy.
She was happy.
She brought her cheek up to that warmth that was closer than usual and lost herself in that smell that to her meant peace of mind.
She was happy, and so...
...in his arms, Latina started crying.
†
When she came to, she was surrounded by a familiar sight.
She sat down in front of her decided throne in the center of the circle of seven others.
Her tears kept flowing, unending. Her shoulders trembled and she continued to sob. She couldn’t hold it back.
It was because she had experienced such happiness that she didn’t want to lose it. She prayed that wouldn’t happen. That was her one and only wish. She wanted to live together with him—the man she loved. To be with him.
It had been a lie that she’d accepted her own long lifespan. When she said she had come to grips with the fact that she’d have to part with him someday, that hadn’t been true. She didn’t want to lose him. She surely couldn’t keep on living once he was gone, when she was all alone.
She stretched out her trembling, slender fingers. She touched the back of that throne outside of the natural order only to suddenly pull her hand back. But regardless, she knew. And because she knew, she reached her trembling fingers out toward the throne once again.
She had sworn that she’d never seek its power. And yet she still sought it because she knew it was the one and only power that could grant her wish.
[...Platina.]
That name she’d once been called had a nostalgic ring to it.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry... I know it’s wrong... but, but I... I don’t want to hurt you... but... I’m sorry, I’m so sorry... oh new First Lord...”
[I permit you to use my name... my dear Platinum Princess,] the kind voice responded to the sobbing girl, as if to console her.
She turned to face the first throne. Until now, she could only feel a faint presence from it, but now she could see a clear vision of the one sitting there.
“...Chrysos... I...” she said, her grey eyes teary. The being appeared to have a golden shine, just as their name implied.
[My beloved Platinum Princess, I...] the kind voice continued, only for the girl to shake her head back and forth over and over.
“I... I...” As her tearful voice resounded through this world, a multitude of rainbows covered the sky.
At this time when most people slept, the world was enveloped in rainbows, which silently twinkled alongside the moonlight.
†
Dale was unable to seek the reason behind the discomfort he felt towards the warm presence in his arms. If he was forced to say why, it was because of some essential factor he possessed. It was a noisy, discordant unease and disquiet. An almost instinctual part of him was rejecting the girl that he loved.
“L-Latina?”
Looking at her, Dale couldn’t see anything peculiar. She hadn’t changed in the least. And yet, he could sense something different.
She looked drowsy, with an even more innocent expression than normal, and her soft, white skin was enchantingly exposed. Rather than grinning wide like he had done the night before, though, Dale could only stare at the girl who had somehow changed.
“...Dale?” Her voice hadn’t changed, either. And the way she tilted her head looked entirely the same as it always did.
It was because she didn’t seem any different that he needed to wring out his words, saying, “...Demon lord.”
The words caused her to shoot straight up, and a look of surprise crossed her face. That reaction alone was enough to confirm that what Dale had sensed was the truth.
“Why...? Why are you... a demon lord?”
“D-Dale... how... how did you...?”
At the moment, Dale didn’t have the leeway to worry about how Latina was shaking, her teeth chattering. However, he was able to repress his instincts and hug her tight.
Those with the power of a “hero” possessed divine protection of multiple gods. One kind Dale possessed was that of Tislow’s principle god, Quirmizi, from whom he was granted a boon in regards to magic related to the earth. As he made a living by fighting, this was a hugely significant power. Dale also possessed divine protection from Azraq. It was precisely because he had this divine protection that Laband regarded him an “anti-demon-lord hero.”
Dale could detect demon lords and the demons that served them, and right now, he sensed a being that existed outside of the natural laws of man. Because he was aware of his own abilities, Dale wasn’t able to turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation. He couldn’t ignore it and pretend he hadn’t noticed.
He’d had a vague feeling that something was going on. That was why he simply hid Latina in his arms rather than taking her to the temple of Niili when he realized she was out of sorts.
He chose to just keep on calling her back, not wanting her to go wherever she was heading.
He didn’t know why.
He had no idea why she had changed.
“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” As Latina kept sobbing and apologizing, Dale hugged her tight.
As a being that was the antithesis of a demon lord, Dale instinctually rejected them. But even so, the one in his arms right now was undoubtedly Latina, the girl he’d always, always watched over, ever since she was little. He had sworn to be with her and give her a place to belong. As long as she remained herself, that wouldn’t change.
Unwavering in his resolve and having made up his mind, Dale regained his composure.
So what if she was a demon lord? Even if she was, that didn’t change that she was an adorable, well-behaved girl and someone utterly irreplaceable to him. Even if she’d become a demon lord, Latina was still Latina.
Now that he’d thought on all that, he remembered that thanks to the events of last night, Latina was disheveled and her skin exposed, and he was currently hugging her.
I only noticed that just now. Maybe I really am a failure as a person. “Come on, don’t cry, Latina...”
“I...! I... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...”
“I’m not mad. I may be concerned, but I’m not angry. Please don’t cry...”
Dale was so weak to Latina’s crying face that it didn’t need to be restated.
He felt absurdly guilty as Latina kept on sobbing. It wasn’t as if he were at fault, so there was no reason for him to feel that way, but he did regardless.
As if displaying that, he said what he was thinking to the girl in his arms. “It surprised me that you became a demon lord, but it’s fine.”
“Wha...?”
“I mean, it’s already happened, so there’s no helping it now.”
“Huh...? Wha? Dale...?” Latina responded in shock, not having expected him to declare such a thing without even questioning her.
“As long as you’re still you, I don’t mind,” Dale said calmly. He’d already gotten over it. His expression looked crisp and refreshed.
His great love of Latina had overcome his instincts as a hero, the antithesis of a demon lord. His own identity was just too overpowering.
Before he was a hero, he was a former doting idiot who always put his adopted daughter first.
“But I... I knew that it was wrong...”
“I see.”
“I knew... that I shouldn’t seek that power...”
“Right.”
With teary eyes, Latina looked at Dale, who simply hugged her and kindly listened to what she had to say.
“Why...? Why aren’t you angry?”
“I still don’t see any reason to be mad. If it’s
a decision you made after a lot of thinking, then I know you must have a reason.”
“Dale...” Hearing his kind voice, her tears started flowing again.
Clinging to Dale, Latina told him her thoughts, bit by bit. He stroked her hair as he listened to what she had to say.
“I love you, Dale.”
“I know you do.”
“I never want to be separated from you!”
“Right... I know.”
“And so... so... I sought the power of a demon lord...!”
“Hmm?” He didn’t quite understand what she meant with that statement.
Up until now, Dale had simply listened without asking any questions, but he naturally wanted an explanation. When he opened his mouth to ask, he realized he had forgotten something important.
Even if they were facing unusual circumstances, the world would keep moving as usual. Which is to say, Kenneth was curious as to why Latina still hadn’t come downstairs when she normally would have long ago, so he called up to her. “What’s going on, Latina?”
With that, the couple came back to their senses like they’d been splashed with ice-cold water.
In more ways than one, it would be bad to be seen in their current state. At the moment, that was more important than demon lords and things like that. Putting aside Dale, being seen would be especially awkward for Latina.
Rather than having any proper walls, the attic room that they lived in together was sectioned off with luggage and partitioning screens. Kenneth and Rita didn’t normally come up during Latina and Dale’s private time, but if they did now, they’d see all sorts of things. Finally remembering that she was in a rather unladylike state, Latina’s whole body turned red with embarrassment.
The instant he heard footsteps from below, Dale instinctually called out, “Sorry, Kenneth! We overslept!”
Next to him, Latina hurriedly started getting dressed. She was so flustered that her nightgown got tangled around one leg, and she fell down with a thump. Now she was on the verge of tears again, although for a different reason than before. There wasn’t even a hint of demon lord-ness about her.
Then again... just what exactly is a demon lord?
There were no visible changes to Latina at all. Dale could tell something was different because he had divine protection from Azraq, but nobody else would notice just from looking at her. Demon lords all shared a title but, for example, the Second Demon Lord and the Fourth Demon Lord had entirely different powers and natures. Dale had no idea what sort of demon lord Latina had become or what type of power she possessed.
And having changed, today Latina...
...peeled a mountain of potatoes, the same as she always did.
Dale tried to think about the situation calmly, but things only grew more and more confusing.
He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of a “demon lord who cries cutting an onion.” They say truth is stranger than fiction, but he’d never imagined a day when he had to confront a reality like this.
Right, but Latina really was cute. He was trying to face reality, but he ultimately ended up avoiding it.
As Dale’s thoughts chaotically darted about in that way, it showed on his expression.
According to what they’d once heard from the devil woman Glaros, demon lords weren’t inherently humans’ enemies, nor were they all incarnations of destruction and slaughter. And based on what he’d heard from Rose about when she encountered the Second Demon Lord, that monster wasn’t an enemy of other races because she was a demon lord, but because of her own inherent nature. And that was why, even if Latina was a strange demon lord, Dale couldn’t imagine that she was a so-called “Demon Lord of Calamity.”
As he thought about such things, however, a question came to Dale’s mind. He counted on his fingers and then tilted his head.
“Just which demon lord did Latina become?”
Following the logic of the world ruled over by the gods of the seven colors, the number of demon lords the world over should naturally be seven. Dale hadn’t faced off with all of the demon lords personally, but thanks to his work, he was well-versed on the subject.
The other day, Latina said that a new First Demon Lord had been crowned. If that was true, then there shouldn’t have been any other vacant spots.
The ruler of the largest devil settlement as well as their only nation, Vassilios, and in turn the king that led their people, was the First Demon Lord.
Then there was the one Rose encountered, the killing enthusiast, the Second Demon Lord.
In the east, coexisting with the Merfolk was the Third Demon Lord.
There was the one who governed illness, whose mere presence could ruin whole nations with plague, the Fourth Demon Lord.
Also known as the “Demon Lord of the Tower,” the Fifth Demon Lord never left the tower that served as her castle.
The “Giant Demon Lord” who led demons far larger than normal devils as he wandered the earth was the Sixth Demon Lord.
And finally, there was the lover of war and strife, the Seventh Demon Lord.
They were all accounted for.
Maybe one of the spots had opened up without humans learning of it, like what had happened with the First Demon Lord.
Still having no means of answering the question that had come to his mind, Dale stared at the girl who was undoubtedly a new demon lord.
Looking at her again, Latina sure was cute.
When Dale found himself remembering how she’d looked even cuter than usual last night, a lewd look crossed his face. She’d been a pampered child to start with, but had let him dote on her further, and she’d called his name in an adorable voice that he’d never heard before. They’d lived together for so long, but it was all things he’d never seen before. It was only natural for him to feel lovestruck.
He tried to pull himself back together, but since that sloppy grin had already crossed his face, his renewed feelings of affection thwarted that effort.
He was the same as always, too.
†
“So, I’ve been thinking about it all day...” Dale started, having waited until they were all alone in their room at night.
“Yeah?”
A demon lord and a hero were confronting each other, with no one else around. When simplified down to just that, it sounded like part of some epic saga, but the atmosphere between them felt more like some sort of strange review meeting. There was a regrettable feel to it that was very fitting to the two of them.
“You’re still you, Latina.”
“That’s right. It’s not as though my personality or thoughts have changed.”
Based just on how the scene looked, it wouldn’t be strange to think of this exchange as an interrogation, but there wasn’t that sort of tension between the two. For better or worse, they were just that close.
“So was it your choice to become a demon lord?”
“Yeah,” Latina hesitantly responded, looking like she was about to cry. “I knew that it was wrong... that if I chose to become a demon lord, there’d be no turning back... And I knew... that I’d become something other than what I’d been, so...”
“So did you think on it carefully?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s fine,” Dale said with a smile, patting her on the head. That action he’d done since she was little was imbued with the message that he was always her ally.
“Dale...”
“If that’s the path you’ve chosen, then I won’t just reject it without hearing you out, so go ahead and tell me about why you made that choice, and about demon lords.”
“Right,” Latina said with an earnest nod. She started thinking about what to say.
“‘Those chosen and protected by the gods become demon lords’... I heard those words when I was in Vassilios. Demon lords are those protected by the ‘fate’ granted to them by the gods. They are destined to become demon lords and continue to be demon lords, so they are protected from all things.”
�
�I know that,” Dale replied briefly. This was common knowledge to him as a hero—the antithesis of a demon lord.
No matter how great of a warrior or martial arts genius someone may be, their weapons and magic could never reach a demon lord. The ability to negate a demon lord’s natural protection was the crucial power of the heroes who were their opposites. Rather than the multiple forms of divine protection heroes possessed, it was this ability granted to them by the gods that placed them in the position of opposing presences, and that was where their true worth was.
“Demon lords are granted a portion of the gods’ authority, making them into lower gods born from man,” Latina said, her grey eyes quivering. “That’s why not just anyone can injure a demon lord. One with the power of man cannot defeat a demon lord... The only ones who can harm them are their fellow demon lords, also granted the power of the gods, and those to whom the gods give the ‘power to overthrow,’” Latina stated. Though she’d had trouble figuring out what to say, there was no hesitation to her words once she started talking.
“Did you hear that back in your home village, too?” Dale asked, seeing that she wasn’t just guessing, but rather was stating facts.
“No, that’s not it. Demon lords are granted the power to change the world from the Gods of the Seven Colors, who manage and maintain the world and are themselves the natural order of things. Ever since I became one, I’ve been permitted knowledge of a part of the foundation of this world.” As she said that, Latina looked at her own throne in that place which could be called a neighboring dimension, which Dale couldn’t perceive.
It wasn’t as if everything was open to her, but as long as it was within the permitted range, as she was now, she could learn all sorts of things using this terminal. She knew that this was how she was able to understand the power of a demon lord as well as all sorts of other things.
Right now, as a demon lord she was just standing at the starting line. If she tried to learn everything at once, she’d end up drowning in the sea of information before she could understand any of it. That was precisely why she’d just be able to obtain the information that she needed bit by bit from this throne.