Chapter 12 - Volume 2 (1/2)

Chapter 1 – Quite Good Friends (Part 1)

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▯Weakest Demon Lord, Rank 71st, Dantalian

Empire Calendar: Year 1505, Month 9, Day 20

Niflheim, Hermes’ Plaza

“I heard everything. You had a big fight with your succubus lover, right?”

“Rumors really do spread fast.”

“I’m a girl who’s a bit sensitive to trends.”

Barbatos had come to visit me at my lodging.

For some reason this distinguished Demon Lord, who was ranked 8th, had become fairly fond of me. She probably had a good impression towards me because of the incident where I had knocked Paimon off of her pedestal. Well, that wasn’t the only reason.

“Go ahead and let it all out. Why did you two fight?”

“Do you not see me applying ice still? It has only been 20 minutes since I was slapped by Lapis. Honestly, I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”

“Oh, this poor male.”

Barbatos smiled slyly.

It was a bit annoying.

“Think carefully. Your lover is a half-breed succubus. She is an outcast who would normally get executed for merely touching a Demon Lord. If a child like that were to hit you, then she was doing so while literally putting her life on the line. What kind of misdeed could you have done to make her risk such a thing?”

“So are you saying that this is all my fault?”

“Yup. Throughout my entire life, whenever a problem occurs, males have always seemed to have a higher chance of being at fault than females.”

“You must be quite pleased to have been born as a female.”

Barbatos laughed.

Normally, we would not be in the position to be exchanging informal words so frankly.

Barbatos was the rank 8th Demon Lord. She had a standing army of 6,000 men and a countless number of followers under her command. She even led a huge political group known as the Plains Faction.

On the other hand, I was the rank 71st Demon Lord. Not only did I have no followers, but I was also not part of a proper faction either. I may have been overflowing with money, but that was all. Compared to Barbatos I was a mere fly.

Despite that, it felt like Barbatos vaguely wanted me to be her friend. What was I supposed to do when the other party wanted an easy-going style of speech from me first? I’ll more than gladly humor her.

“Dantalian. We may not be friends yet, but I believe that we have reached something similar to being friends.”

“That is quite the honor.”

“I’m being serious.”

Barbatos grinned.

That expression of hers was the reason why even if she told me that she was being serious, I felt no credibility from it.

“Most of the Demons Lords are a bunch of trash. None of them are promising. Yet, you’re the first rookie in 60 years to appear to be talented. I just wanted to treat you nicely as your senior in this business industry.”

A senior, huh.

Barbatos led the group known as the ‘Plains Faction’. This faction gained its name due to the fact that most of the Demon Lords who were in this group had castles that were located on the plains. As a result of residing in an open area, encounters with humans were frequent.

Thus, Barbatos naturally became a Demon Lord hostile towards humans. If the Demon Lord armies were to ever invade the human world, then Barbatos would, with no doubt, be the one to lead them. She had spread an information network across the human world and was constantly on watch as she prepared for a massive war.

On the other hand, Paimon, the Demon Lord that I had crushed, was known as the head of the ‘Mountain Faction’. As the name literally suggests, this faction consisted mostly of Demon Lords with castles located on the rugged mountain region, where they seldom met with humans face to face.

The Plains Faction and the Mountain Faction were locked in a rivalry.

Would the Aggressive Faction and the Moderate Faction be more appropriate?

So when Barbatos had called herself a ‘senior’ and myself a ‘rookie’, she was indirectly trying to lure me into her own faction. It was a statement with a plot in mind.

I gave a subtle glance at Barbatos.

“What’s your point.”

“If you’re trying to break up with that succubus lover of yours, then I can help. In the first place, it doesn’t make sense for an outcast to be having sex with a Demon Lord. It’s not too late yet, so ask for my help.”

“……”

We gazed at each other for a moment.

“Are you telling me to break up with Lapis?”

“Why? Are you embarrassed? Don’t worry about it. As much as people get quickly excited here, that excitement also goes away just as fast. Give it a year and people will have long forgotten that you ever fornificated with an outcast.”

Barbatos had spoken as if it was nothing of real importance.

I narrowed my brows.

“You’re not the one who gets to decide what happens between Lapis and I, I am. Don’t get too deeply involved with someone else’s love life.”

“Usually, I’m not this nosy. But you’re not a normal kid. You’re the big rookie that was able to get a blow on Paimon. As a senior Demon Lord, I have the obligation to show some concern for my junior’s reputation.”

Barbatos crossed her legs.

Pure white thighs and calves entered my vision.

“Of course, it won’t be easy breaking up with the lover that you showed so much affection for. I understand. But people grow stronger each time they lose their love, kid.”

“……”

“The only significance love has is that it reveals your weakness. People don’t grow stronger through experiencing or giving love, they grow stronger after throwing it away.”

“Hou.”

I twisted the edges of my mouth.

“Is that really how it is?”

“Sure it is. Trust me. Despite my appearance, I’ve lived for 500 years already. The amount of lovers I’ve had a relationship with up till now is over 1,000. If you listen to my love advice then beautiful women will give you fellatio even if you’re just lying down.”

Barbatos smiled.

It was a smile that was as sly as an alley cat.

“Anyways, just tell me what led up to this split up. Let everything out and allow your mind to feel at ease. If you let it all out then you should feel lighter.”

I stayed silent for a while.

What happened to make Lapis Lazuli slap me.

The situation behind this was much too large. It contained a story that was so complexly twisted together that I had no idea where to start.

I opened my mouth slowly.

“Half a month ago an old woman visited.”

“Hmm.”

“At first, I thought she was just some beggar. Her appearance was pitiable and dirty, after all. But I soon found out that she wasn’t a mere bum. The old woman was……”

I closed my eyes for a second.

I could remember the entire scene distinctively.

“That old woman was Lapis’ mother.”

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▯Weakest Demon Lord, Rank 71st, Dantalian

Empire Calendar: Year 1505, Month 9, Day 3

Niflheim, Governor’s Palace

“I see. So you’re Lala’s birth mother. What has brought you here?”

“Yes, oh great lord. This humble one has heard news of her daughter, whom this one has been roaming many years in search for. Despite having to risk discourtesy, this one had turned her path here, to your highness.”

An incredibly wrinkled old woman spoke.

I personally poured the old lady a cup of tea. She insisted that it was too much of an honor and tried to refuse many times, but despite my appearance, I put respecting the elderly foremost. Additionally, if this person was Lapis Lazuli’s mother then the game was over. Would that not make her my mother-in-law?

“Please do not make my kindness go to waste.”

“T-Thank you very much.”

The old lady, as if there was no other choice, carefully received the first glass of tea. Despite her actions, it didn’t feel like she truly disliked it.

“You said you have been roaming around in search for Lala, correct?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“To my knowledge, Lala became an orphan at a very young age. When she had gained her senses, her parents were already gone. This may be rude of me to say, but I thought that you had thrown Lala away and ran off on your own……”

“Oh no. That is not correct.”

The old lady had begun to shed tears.

“This humble woman was banished from her village as soon as she had given birth to that child. The mayor had chased this one away. A succubus who had made a matrimonial contract with a mere human could not possibly be accepted as a part of the village. That was our village’s rule.”

I listened to this old woman’s life story without a word.

“This one had given birth to the child on a cold winter day. This humble one’s conscious was still coming to and fro and yet the mayor had suddenly ordered this one to leave. This humble one pleaded stubbornly for more time…… for a week or at least for one more day. But it was to no avail. This lowly one was expelled from the village without having been able to breastfeed her own child once.……”

The old woman lowered her tea-cup and got on her knees.

She crawled to me and grasped my left hand.

“Oh great lord. The only thing this woman of humble birth had left behind for that child is her name, Lapis Lazuli. Her father had the same lapis colored eyes, and thus this one had named her so. That child is most certainly this humble woman’s daughter. Please, if this one could see her daughter’s face…… see if her daughter is doing well…… that is this woman of humble birth’s only wish.”

This old lady’s plea most certainly touched my heart.

A succubus who bore a child because of her affection towards a human.

By nature, marriage between a demon and a human was prohibited. This old lady, for having violated such a taboo, was exiled and had lost her daughter. For a scar formed because of a single summer night love, one could only see it as severe.

“I see. I shall arrange for you to meet Lapis.”

“I-Is that true!? Thank you. Thank you very much, your highness!”

“A mother is meeting her child. I’m merely granting something that is obvious. There is no reason for you to be thanking me.”

I called for Lapis Lazuli to enter the room.

Shortly after, Lapis Lazuli, wearing the same as usual tidy uniform, arrived. Lala had glanced at the old woman but it seems she was unable to recognize who the woman was.

“Did your highness call for this one?”

“Lala. My eternal lover and loyal subject.”

“……Why is your highness behaving like that all of a sudden? Whenever your highness starts to imitate a weird way of speech, this one can’t help but feel a strange anxiety.”

“Examine this old woman here. Do you recognize her, perhaps?”

Lapis Lazuli narrowed her brows.

It was a face displaying that she had no idea.

“This one is sorry, but this individual is an utter stranger to this one.”

“Look more carefully. Do you truly not know?”

“This one is unable to guess what your highness is thinking.”

It was then that the old lady started to approach Lapis Lazuli.

While letting out a cry, the old lady hugged Lala.

“Aah……! My child! This is certainly my child!”

Due to the sudden situation, Lapis Lazuli froze. Instead of appearing confused, she more looked as if she was unable to understand what was happening. It was that kind of feeling. Lala turned to look this way.

“Your highness. Please explain.”

“As you heard just now, that person is your birth mother. Of course, there are many things that must be confirmed first, but surely a person wouldn’t tell a lie while in the presence of a Demon Lord, when the truth could be revealed at any time.”

I felt somewhat proud.

An orphan was able to reunite with their parent. Even for myself, who always thought pessimistically, I couldn’t help but be touched by this reunion. I leisurely waited for the words ‘thank you’ to come out from Lapis Lazuli’s mouth.

But.

“……”

Lapis Lazuli was strange.

A peculiar emotion had appeared in her eyes for an instant. It was truly a short moment. If one were to calculate the time, then it was as short as a blink. Lapis Lazuli’s face was indifferent—perhaps too indifferent.

Despite not knowing what exactly that emotion was.

It was certain that it wasn’t the type of expression a person should have made when meeting their own mother for the first time in decades.

I quickly made a decision.

“Lapis Lazuli.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Kneel.”

Without asking any questions, Lapis Lazuli knelt down. I wonder if the old woman was confused by the sudden order I had given, but she was looking back and forth between Lapis and I with a bewildered gaze.

I approached Lazuli and swung my right hand. It wasn’t a joke. I had properly put strength into my arm and slapped her. Lapis Lazuli, unable to withstand the force, fell onto the floor. As soon as this happened, the old woman let out a sharp scream.

“W-What is your highness! What is your highness doing!?”

“Be silent, you shallow-minded succubus. Say another word and I will slice off your tongue and shove it into your ear.”

I ignored the old woman’s cry and grabbed Lapis Lazuli by the hair. I then lifted Lala’s body up by force. Lapis Lazuli didn’t let out a single sound and simply looked up at me with emotionless eyes.

“Confess. Did you dare to use dirty tricks?”

“……This one has found out for the first time that your highness is a lot more violent than this one had originally thought.”

“You’re quite good at shamelessly moving your trap like that. Did you become blinded just because you had gained my royal grace? I had allowed a mere peasant like you to stand by my side and now you want me to treat your parent as well? Speak. Am I your lord or your coin bag?”

I glanced slightly at the old woman and could see her lips trembling.

It seems she couldn’t understand what was going on before her.

“Your mother did not come looking for you. You’re the one who probably found your mother first. You and your mother planned this unamusing performance to ridicule me, am I right?”

“That’s not possible…… great lord, it’s a misunderstanding!”

The old lady shouted out as if she was screaming.

“This humble one has only met her daughter for the first time today! There was no occasion of this one and her daughter meeting beforehand and devising a plot against your highness. Please believe this one!”

“I know very well how crafty your daughter is. Always trying to fool me and stab me in the back whenever she gets the chance. This is the same. It wasn’t enough that you alone were living in wealth, so you brought in your own mother. You disgraceful woman.”

I slapped Lala’s cheek once more.

Once, twice, thrice, I continued to hit her.

Each time the old lady screamed over and over again. But that was it. Once I had taken out a dagger the old woman hurriedly ran out of the room and escaped off to somewhere.

“……”

The reception room was silent.

Lapis Lazuli stood up and silently dusted her skirt. Lala’s face was still expressionless, and it seems she didn’t feel any particular pain from her swollen red cheek.

“……Damn it.”

Thud

I stabbed the blade into the table.

“It was a lie. Your mother ridiculed us with her lie, Lala! She didn’t come looking for you because she was worried, she probably planned to simply latch onto you like some parasite.”

“That is most likely correct.”

Lapis Lazuli spoke calmly.

“This one has been officially approved as your highness Dantalian’s mistress. Adding to that, your highness has also joined the ranks of the wealthiest people on the continent. This one’s mother had mostly likely approached your highness and this one aiming for our wealth.”

“To run away by herself when her own daughter was being beaten……!”

It was a simple but extreme test.

To confirm what the old woman’s true intentions were.

If that old woman had truly wandered for 40 years in search for her child, then there was no chance that she would stand by idly and allow the violence to happen. She would have tried to stop me even if she had to risk her own life.

However, that old hag had ran away much too easily. What did this mean? It meant that that old woman, as a mother, did not love or treasure Lapis Lazuli.

The likelihood of her visit here was ten to one for money. She most likely crawled her way here to lean on her daughter and live a life of luxury. My heart became pitch-black with rage.