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Volume 2 10, “We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon…
Volume 2 10, “We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon…
Volume 2 Chapter 10, “We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon King!”
—— The Demon World, a Pavillion-covered Street, a Concourse
Wowww! Amazing! He’s taken down six people!
Slam!
The Hero: “It’s my win.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Damn you! Next! Who will come?! My brave heroes of the Fang!”
White Wolf Warrior: “I will be your opponent!” Howls.
The Hero: “Silver Tiger Lord. For insulting the Demon King, I will defeat ten of your so-called heroes as recompense.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Fine, Black Knight!”
White Wolf Warrior: “You have fought well but it ends here!”
Roar.
The Hero: “Oh. You’re strong.”
White Wolf Warrior: “Ha! Once you’ve fought with me, you’ll never escape! The lower body strength of the Tribe of the Wolves is a legendary affair!”
The Hero: “Haiya!”
Sword flashes.
White Wolf Warrior: “What!? …My stomach. Where is… Where is my stomach!”
Amazing. That Knight completely blew away the White Wolf…! It’s incredible… How does he do that…
The Hero: “Sorry. I couldn’t really hold back.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Next! Next one!”
Copper Bear Warrior: “You are no match for my unparalleled brute strength!”
The Hero: “But the Tribe of the Fang sure do have some excellent warriors. They’re very strong and quite brave… Without magic, even I would be having a hard time.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Haha. Are you beginning to feel the true power of the warriors of the Fang?”
The Hero: “I didn’t say that.”
Copper Bear Warrior: “Haiya!” Swipes.
The Hero: “Haaaa!” Slashes.
Copper Bear Warrior: “?!”
That small sword cut the six meter long metal pole into half?! How sharp is that thing?! That’s the true power of the Black Weapons of the Black Knight, the one they call the Sword of the Demon King…
The Hero: “What Black Weapons? It’s just my skill.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Argh! Where are my Five Divine Generals! Where are they!”
General Crimson Shark: “It’s time for me to make my appearance! Let’s go, Black Knight!”
Stomps onto stage.
The Hero: “…Whoa. What do you have to eat to get that kind of power?”
General Crimson Shark: “The ground-up bones of small fish!”
The Hero: “Small fish? You’ve got to be kidding me, don’t you eat any meat?!”
General Crimson Shark: “Hahahaha! Let’s see if your feet can keep up!”
The Hero: “In a place like this, of course.” Brandishes sword.
General Crimson Shark: “What?!”
Flash of light.
The Hero: “One hit!” Slash. “Two hits!” Slash.
General Crimson Shark: “Fast! How fast is this guy!”
The Hero: “That’s nothing.” Slash. “Invisible blade!”
Boom!
The Hero: “Hmph. That was enough.”
Wh-what? What happened?! He did something so amazing in an instant. General Crimson Shark isn’t even getting up. He’s even convulsing. That was really something, he just collapsed straight up?!
The Hero: “That’s the ninth. Last one then.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “…”
The Hero: “Listen up, Silver Tiger Lord! Everyone else too!”
Murmuring.
The Hero: “The Demon King is weak.”
…What? Wh-what did he just say?!
The Hero: “The Demon King is indeed weak. She’s different from the Silver Tiger Lord and would surely lose if she had to fight the warriors whom I have just fought.”
Wh-what… The Demon King is weak? But she’s the Demon King? I don’t get it…
The Hero: “No, she’s really weak. She’s weaker than a Titan-class Demon. You can take it from me, she’s weaker than some of her maids even. She’s got no physical strength and she moves quite slowly. But just what is strength? It’s undeniable that the Silver Tiger Lord is unparalleled on the battlefield. However, can a single person win against an army of tens of thousands? Of course not. At a time like this, even the Silver Tiger Lord has to lead an army to achieve victory. That’s why, to achieve actual victory, you cannot rely on just one person. You’ve got to mobilise the entire Tribe, using them as the weapon.
“On her own, the Demon King is weak, but that doesn’t matter. More so than a Demon King who leads with individual fighting strength, what the Demon World really needs is a Demon King who may be weak individually but is more than capable of commanding the great armies to achieve decisive victory. As a military commander, the Demon King is unparalleled. Moreover, the Demon King has another hidden ability, something even greater than mere military victory. That is the power to achieve a ‘victory without war’. The power to achieve our goals and end without drawing a single sword, without a single injury on either front. It’s true that the Demon King’s goals may often be far-fetched and that it may be difficult to comprehend… But all that she does is for the good of the land. Ever since the Demon King took over the throne, the number of meaningless casualties on the battlefield has decreased dramatically, hasn’t it?”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “…”
White Wolf Warrior: “Isn’t that just an excuse for her cowardice! Hasn’t she just been running away from all these battles up till now!”
The Hero: “I took you down just now, so you’re a corpse. Corpses aren’t allowed to speak.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “!”
The Hero: “What do you think, Silver Tiger Lord?”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “…”
The Hero: “The strength of the Demon King is one thing, but your unshakable strength is another that I cannot deny.”
The Hero: “The Demon King is weak. But the battlefield requires battle-strong people. You, with your incredible experience and fortitude, are required.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “…I understand.”
The Hero: “Then.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “I will apologise to the Demon King. I believe the Demon King really holds this power that you say she does, seeing as you are the Sword of the Demon King. I must bow to your strength. The Tribe of the Fang will side with the Demon King.”
The Hero: “Thank you.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “However, I continue to believe that the Demon King must have some strength.”
The Hero: “…”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “I have seen with my own eyes that you have defeated my warriors. I see and admit that you are strong, as you have said you are. However, I have yet to experience the Demon King’s command on the battlefield. In fact, I cannot testify to the strength of anything she does. I cannot place my faith in something which I do not know.”
The Hero: “…Didn’t you say you would take my word for it?”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “I trust you but not your script.”
The Hero: “Well, I guess that’s enough for now.”
- The Kurultai, the Pavillion-covered Street
Butler: “This is the conference venue of the Kurultai, it’s almost like a small city.”
Secret Agent: “Sir. We have eight agents from the Rear Intelligence Unit reporting.”
Butler: “Nyohohoho. Find a suitable hill and put up a pavilion, pretending to be merchants. For the time being, we’ll use that as our headquarters. Set up a logistics centre and put a few people on Patrol Duty*.”
Secret Agent: “Yes, sir!”
Runs off.
Butler: “Alright, what shall we do now? Nyohohoho.”
Secret Agent: “Forward Intelligence Unit reporting in.”
Butler: “Let’s hear it.”
Secret Agent: “There are at least 6,000 Demons gathered at this venue. In the gorges and valleys surrounding the area, there is also a fair number of guards. Not a lot, but enough to claim a military presence in the event of any hostilities.”
Butler: “Hmm.”
Secret Agent: “About a third of the Demons present here are lesser Khans, or other influential Demon figures linked to the Khans, their attendants, and their personal guard. The remainders are mostly merchants capitalising on these wealthy individuals hoping to sell their wares as well as ministers and mercenaries hoping to display their strength and attract contracts.”
Secret Agent: “The Kurultai and the Conference of the Khans will be held at the massive Grand Pavillion for several days. Judging from a cultural perspective, it’s difficult to say for certain but most of the attendants here believe that the Kurultai will last at least till the end of the month.”
Butler: “So, one more week.”
Secret Agent: “The pavilion directly beside the Grand Pavillion is the pavilion of the Demon King. The Demon King made a speech on the first day. It’s surprising, but the present Demon King is actually a woman. In other words, she’s a Demon Queen.”
Butler: “Hmm, Queen…”
Secret Agent: “However, it is clear that she is giving her pure and undivided focus to the Kurultai. This has been mentioned before but it appears that the ones who will control the Grand Pavilion, in other words, the Eight Great Khans, the Khans of extremely powerful Tribes, have been making audiences with the Demon King.”
Butler: “Have you had any contact?”
Secret Agent: “We have not yet received the opportunity. So that we do not have an information leak, I have been trying to be as discreet as possible.”
Butler: “That’s fine.”
Secret Agent: “Yes, sir.”
Butler: “But, hmm…”
Secret Agent: “What’s on your mind, sir?”
-
Explanation
Patrol Duty: This refers to walking around the perimeter of an installation, keeping vigilant to ensure that the enemy does not conduct a surprise attack.
-
Butler: “Should I also go undercover?”
Secret Agent: “Is that alright?”
Butler: “Of course, I will have to be very careful. Since the rumours say that these streets concern the fate of the Conference and hence the world above, we can’t afford to make any mistakes. Above everything, we need reliable intelligence. Nyohohoho. Looks like I’ve got to do it.”
Secret Agent nods.
Butler: “Let me teach you why they used to call me Sudden Death.”
Secret Agent: “Y-yes.”
Butler: “Nyohohohoho.”
Secret Agent: “Then I will return to the field.”
Butler: “Understood. Establish contact at the headquarters.”
Secret Agent: “Sir.”
- The Kurultai, the Pavilion of the Demon King
The Demon King: “…”
The Hero: “What’s up, where did that come from?”
The Demon King: “It’s a letter from the Witch-Queen of the Banshees.”
The Hero: “And?”
The Demon King: “She supports the ceasefire.”
The Hero: “Ohh… Wait, wasn’t she from the Invasion Faction?”
The Demon King: “Yes, but it’s completely different. There’s a world of difference between ‘I would like a ceasefire’ and ‘I would not like to go to war’. The Banshees have a splendid military force. They were always rivals with the Demons of the Pale, so I think we’ve got to thank their assertiveness for changing the minds of the Banshees.”
The Hero: “I see… And what of the Automatons?”
The Chief Maid: “I have delivered the gifts you requested. Precious stones, soil samples… They expressed great interest in our gifts.”
The Demon King: “That’s a good sign.”
The Hero: “What’s the point of that?”
The Demon King: “It’ll definitely have an effect. For future progress, the Automatons are keen to secure rare ores and metals. I was hoping to demonstrate that it might be more stable to acquire these goods via trade.”
The Hero: “That’s a good idea.”
The Hero: “Right. It was a bit blunt, but I told the Tribe of the Fang what you told me to say.”
The Chief Maid: “How was it?”
The Hero: “As you predicted, they took the bait.”
The Chief Maid: “Is that so, hahahaha.”
The Demon King: “What do are you talking about?”
The Hero: “Well, you know how misogynistic the Tribe of the Fang is, right?”
The Demon King: “Yeah.”
The Hero: “I goaded them into a fight by saying that I would defeat ten of their bravest warriors to make them take back the insult they made against you.”
The Demon King: “Can you really do that?”
The Hero: “I’m the Hero after all.”
The Demon King: “But surely that must leave them very frustrated with us.”
The Hero: “Well, that’s the strategy of the Chief Maid.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes.”
The Hero: “When the situation called for it, I praised the Silver Tiger Lord while presenting my case. I think it succeeded.”
The Chief Maid: “I figured that if we cover the difficult-to-stomach news with words of praise and encouragement, then they might be more receptive. It’s them after all.”
The Demon King: “Wow, not bad.”
The Hero: “I just nudged him in the right direction.”
The Demon King: “Hmm, you would need an impeccable sense of timing for this.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Demon King: “…Even though you’re usually so lost.”
The Hero: “Although, I was a bit pressed for time so I had to convince him about your leadership ability. The other Khans were very interested in that as well.”
The Chief Maid: “That’s right. I wouldn’t say we’ve really prolonged it, but now the Khans are all very curious about your command ability on the battlefield.”
The Hero: “We haven’t made any inroads to the Demons of the Pale though.”
The Chief Maid: “Yeah.”
The Demon King: “It’s about time, then.”
The Hero: “Shall we go?”
The Demon King: “Yeah. I really want to know what the Banshees have got to say, and it’ll be good to check out the reactions of the other Tribes as well. I’m especially interested in whether the Automatons have changed their views. If we did it well, then the Demons of the Pale may be forced to support a ceasefire under the overwhelming weight of the other Tribes. Once that happens, we will have managed to isolate the Demons of the Pale as the only member of the Invasion Faction.”
The Hero: “Indeed.”
The Chief Maid: “Then, let’s meet at the Grand Pavilion tomorrow.”
The Demon King: “And so it begins…”
- The Kurultai, the Grand Pavilion for the Conference of the Khans
Murmuring…
The Demon King: “Then, at this Kurultai, I would like to seek the views of my Eight Great Khans on our relations with the Human World.”’
The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “Hmm…”
The King of the Pale: “This matter is very clear. We should march on them and destroy them.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Hmph! What of these humans! To begin with, the ones who came to pillage our green land, to set fire to our homes are those humans, right!”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “However, victory is not something that is assured.”
The Cyclops: “Yes… Further involvement… will only increase… number of casualties…”
The Baron of Steel: “I am interested in the multiple mineral deposits located in the Surface World.”
The King of the Pale: “If we conquer them, these deposits will be ours to use!”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “…That is reckless.”
The Queen of Fairies: “I oppose this decision. We are two distinct Worlds. We may have fought each other and trespassed many times, but we are both weary of this. We now have the opportunity to walk along the path of peace.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Hmph! Coward Fairy.”
The Demon King: “Silver Tiger Lord, please refrain from making irrelevant jibes during the Kurultai.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Hmph.”
The Demon King: “I do not believe that with a ceasefire we will be able to co-exist harmoniously with the Humans. However, if we were to compare the military strength of the Underground World with the Surface World, it is clear that we cannot defeat them. The sporadic state of war which we are in now will never result in victory with these random ambushes but in the long-term will drain our revenues and make life difficult.
“In the first place, what happens if we win? Even if we manage to take down the Humans and split the lands of the humans among ourselves, can we really maintain these lands? Hasn’t the Isle of Light proven anything?
“I propose that we post strong garrisons along the poles where the destroyed gates between the worlds are, strictly monitoring any entrance or exit from these gates. We will allow any trade or flow of goods which are beneficial to us as the Demon Race, but I do not intend to allow free passage for humans. Since we have taken back the City of the Gate, neither of us have territory in the lands of the other. I believe that we must make them pay, however, considering the present situation, continuing the war is an irrational decision.”
The Hero: “What an excellent speech. Surely they have nothing to say in retort.”
The Chief Maid: “As expected from the Demon King.”
The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “We, the Tribe of the Fiends, have no intention to alter our initial view. We will leave this decision to the Khans of the other Tribes and maintain our middle position.”
The King of the Pale: “We the Tribe of the Pale have reached a unanimous decision, that the Human Race must be exterminated. They are a thorn in our side and the perpetrator of heinous crimes, they must be removed. That is the path of the Tribe of the Pale.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “We, the Tribe of the Fang are of the same view. If we turn the lands of the Humans into our Hunting Grounds then we can easily recoup the expenses of this expedition… However…”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “However?”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “To give time for us to make preparations, I feel that a temporary ceasefire is necessary, and so I lend my support to the Demon King.”
The King of the Pale: “Silver Tiger Lord! Are you betraying me!”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “What are you saying! Do not take me for a fool.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “We the Tribe of the Banshees oppose the war. We wish for a ceasefire.”
The King of the Pale: “?!”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Having considered various factors, it is clear to us that this war will occur at the expense of many of our soldiersand without significant benefit. My lords will remember that it was the Tribe of the Banshees that occupied the Isle of Light in the Human World.
“However, we could not hold the Isle of Light. Why is that? The biggest reason is that the island alone was insufficient to support the supplies needed to maintain our troops. It is a regrettable thing to say, however at present, we are still squabbling among ourselves. I must say that we clearly lack the ability to continue with this war.”
The Queen of Fairies: “We the Tribe of Fairies support the ceasefire. To begin with, we never supported the beginning of the war. Going one step further, we believe in meaningful cross-world exchange with the Human Race.”
The Cyclops: “We… do not like… war… We support… the ceasefire…”
The Baron of Steel: “With a ceasefire, my Tribe will still require the goods of the Surface World. Our conditions for the ceasefire are trade with the Humans and possibly recompense in the form of material goods. — Under these conditions, we agree to a stop in the war with the Humans.”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “Well, since that’s how it is, I’ve got no choice. The Tribe of the Dragons agrees to the ceasefire. Our original worry has always been the City of the Gate, but since that has been reclaimed and placed under the direct control of the Demon King, we no longer have an issue. If it had not been reclaimed, we would never have agreed to this.”
The Demon King: “So, in summary… with various conditions, the number of Tribes that agree to the ceasefire are six. One Tribe takes the middle ground and the one Tribe who opposes the ceasefire is the Tribe of the Demons of the Pale…”
The Hero: “That went better than expected.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes, the Tribe of the Fang changing their mind was a huge bonus.”
The King of the Pale: “What a bunch of weaklings! Damn you! What has happened to the pride of the Demons! Are you willing to be trampled by that damn Human Race!”
The Queen of Fairies: “The ceasefire is the will of the Demon King.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Hmph. She may be impudent but the Demon King is the Demon King.”
The Cyclops: “Yes…”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “We are a Federation of Tribes. The will of the Demon King combined with the support of the Khans is how we decide things.”
The King of the Pale: “! You defeatists!”
The Demon King: “So. Heroes of the Pale, will you change your decision?”
The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “In that case, the Tribe of the Fiends also supports the ceasefire. We don’t agree to complete peace and harmony with the Humans but if we do not break this impasse at the Kurultai then the Demon World may be launched into chaos again. We would like to avoid that. The Tribe of the Fiends supports harmony in the Demon World.”
The King of the Pale: “—So.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “?”
The King of the Pale: “So, you place such a strong emphasis on the words of the Demon King, don’t you? Then allow me to ask you. While it is the will of the 34th Demon King, Ruby Eyes, to have a ceasefire, was it not the will of the previous Demon King to go to war in the first place?”
The Baron of Steel: “If it is the will of the Demon King, we the People of Steel will don our armour and march bravely onto the battlefield without objection.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “The Tribe of the Fang believes that as well. Under the leadership of a brave and capable Demon King, we await the rich and prosperous lands that we will gain and the honour and glory of war.”
The Queen of Fairies: “However, at present, the war is merely inflicting senseless casualties without any gain. In this case, I would rather preserve the lives of my people.”
The King of the Pale: “But that is the responsibility of the Demon King! He is the one who leads the Demon Race to expand and glorify the Demon World. That’s why we’ve never had a soft and kind-hearted Demon King from the Tribe of the Fairies.
“Are you saying that the Tribe of Fairies does not place its trust in every Demon King? Or what? The Tribe of Fairies may be an adorable race, but would you deny the Demon World its deserved prosperity!”
The Queen of Fairies: “Of course not…”
The King of the Pale: “We, the Tribe of the Pale, contest the Seat of the Demon King!”
The Cyclops: “!”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “What?!”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Do you think we will let you get away with that!”
The Demon King: “?!”
The Hero: “Wh-what?! What the hell?!”
The Chief Maid: “I don’t understand. I didn’t even think that such a thing was even possible.”
The Queen of Fairies: “Don’t be stupid! What right do you have to do this without the consent of the other Khans!”
The King of the Pale: “I can. It is stated plainly in The Demon Annals. It occurred under exceptional circumstances, but there are stipulations for it under the 8th amendment.”
The Cyclops: “…Stipulations…”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “What does it say exactly?”
The King of the Pale: “According to The Demon Annals, to remove the Demon King at the Kurultai, a Khan need only obtain the support of half of the Khans. In other words, four Khans. This right has never been exercised before, but a stipulation is a stipulation.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “To think such a clause would exist…”
The Baron of Steel: “In her time as the Demon King, she has yet to gain any battlefield experience. Do you intend to question her ability to decide the fate of the Demon World through these troubled times?”
The King of the Pale: “Indeed I do.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “That’s right, the Demon King should be someone fairly powerful.”
The Baron of Steel: “…That is a reasonable proposition.”
The Cyclops: “…The Demon King… should be… bigger…”
The Hero: “What are you saying?”
The Chief Maid: “Come on!”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “…”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “So we will impeach the Demon King… And who will be the new Demon King?”
The King of the Pale: “Just like when the Demon King falls, we will elect a new Demon King. As usual, we’ll have the martial competition to decide the Demon King.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “This time for sure, the Demon King will be a member of the Tribe of the Fang.”
The King of the Pale: “Indeed that may be so, and you will have the gratitude of the Tribe of the Pale. In any case, the next Demon King will surely be a stronger and braver Demon King.”
The Cyclops: “We… the Giants… will bring honour…”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “…This is worth considering.”
The Demon King: “…”
The Chief Maid: “The Demon King is turning green…”
The Hero: “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
The Chief Maid: “This is completely unexpected…”
The King of the Pale: “Well then, shall we take a vote?”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “No, wait.”
The King of the Pale: “What?”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “This is no small matter. I would like to request for more time to discuss this.”
The King of the Pale: “What is there to discuss? If you believe in it, then just show your agreement and we can get this over with.”
The Silver Tiger Lord: “Indeed.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “No, what the Fire Dragon Lord says is correct. We cannot make such a decision without first consulting our Tribe. This decision has many implications after all.”
The King of the Pale: “Hmph.”
The Cyclops: “Dusk…”
The King of the Pale: “Fine. It will be dusk in two hours. I want to have the election at dusk. That leaves us with two hours to discuss whatever we need to discuss.”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “…Fine.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Agreed.”
The Queen of Fairies: “That’s…”
The Demon King: “…Then.”
The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “This election will decide whether or not the Demon King Ruby Eyes will continue to sit on the throne. Your Majesty, as stated in The Demon Annals which you so revere, you may challenge the notion. However, you may rest easy for the two hours. No matter what happens, tonight we will decide what is to happen.”
- Epilogue
Arising from her light slumber, she forced her consciousness back into the painful world of the living and opened her eyes to the fuzzy light of day. Her memories and thoughts were a mess as the long, long period of loneliness and isolation had sapped most of her remaining strength But even in this eternity, miracles happened as well.
That was the birth of the Hero.
Borne on the summer winds. Bathed in a glow of light. The saviour of the world.
She was not the only one from whose world, lying in the lands of the undying, hard and thorny like a craggy precipice, would be liberated. He was to be her saviour, the one of destiny.
This Hero was born.
There was a feeling of intense regret and misery. The birth of the Hero, would come to disrupt the balance of the world he was meant to save her from, creating vacuums as he went along. Her ability to predict events was considered to be omnipotent and infinite, but while she knew many, many things, she was not omniscient by far. As such, she had no way of predicting whether the world would be perfectly fine or would be consumed by the chaos.
However, the Hero was born into this undecided world. The soul of this black haired youth, delivered into the trap of this dangerous world, shone brightly with the courage and hope of being the saviour of the people of the world.
(But, maybe…)
The chance was low, maybe one in thousands, in ten thousands, she did not know, but she felt hopeful. Maybe, maybe he would understand. He had never understood before in all her projections, but maybe a miracle might happen.
That day, as she extended her hand, she said those words of apology.
And she wondered, what was he thinking?
She reached out and hugged that shadow as it slipped away into the darkness, and fell back into her shallow slumber.
To be continued in Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Volume 3: The Holy Crusades