The Simple Job of Only Perishing to the Hero - Book 10: Chapter 21: (3)

After the Demon God grinned from seeing those girls motion as if to say that they knew that he was that sort of man, she nodded with a 「Fumu」.

「Well, for me, I think it’ll be interesting no matter which one of you becomes the Demon Queen though.」

For example, if it were Ichika, she would probably support Vermudol perfectly as the 「Demon Queen」.

Even in regards to the 「next Demon King」, Ichika would unmistakably do child-rearing that was a mix of being slow and fast. After all, among the four of them, she was the one who looked cool-headed and was actually the one overflowing the most with motherhood.

However, conversely, there was also the possibility that a 「next generation Demon King」 overflowing with human-liness as a Mazoku would be born from that.

In regards to Nino……Well, she has a bit of a problem as the 「Demon Queen」. Basically, she was close to being a feral child, and her instincts as a Mazoku were too strong.

Since she has the spec of being able to do things if she tries, the key will be if the person herself is interested in becoming like that.

As for her child-rearing ability……There is the risk of 「Nino No.2」 being made and them joining forces, but since that in itself would be interesting to the Demon God, it wasn’t a problem.

In Rokuna’s case, as the 「Demon Queen」, she would probably perform it in a different direction from Ichika.

That thirst for knowledge and dynamism was different amongst the Mazoku, and she was also flexible enough to form strategies and express herself without words or gestures but with courage and power.

The problem would be the child-rearing aspect, and there was probably the risk of raising an overly-theoretical Demon King.

Finally, for Ykslaas……Actually, her specs were unexpectedly high.

On top of having a personality and abilities that seemed to precisely fill up the parts that Vermudol was lacking in, she was pretty much the only one that could squarely say complaints to Vermudol.

In regards to her child-rearing ability, it was unknown, but what kind of 「next generation Demon King」 she would raise was the most unknown, and that was also something to look forward to.

「……Fuumu. It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to peek into the future.」

She closed her eyes to it since it wouldn’t be interesting to know the answer, but the Demon God couldn’t help but feel excited about it.

What kind of future was there beyond this? What kind of possibilities were there, and how would it change with what kinds of divergences?

If she opened that 「eye」, she would know everything, but that was a blasphemous action that was just like reading starting from the final scene of a thrilling tale. She knew that everything would grow stale the moment she did.

The Demon God had no intention of personally making this place, that she went out of her way to intervene with, something boring.

「Hey, hey, Vermudol. I’m gonna go out for a bit to the Wentas (Warped God) and erase it. And once I do, let’s decide on your wife, okay?」

「Stop that, it’s a nuisance. It will be troubling if we don’t have the Wentas (Warped God) be the bait for world harmony for a bit longer.」

「Cheーh.」

The two of them were speaking as if the world crisis was like cleaning up a nearby garden, but it really was a talk at that sort of level to the two of them.

Just as Vermudol said at the world conference, world crises were always overflowing out everywhere.

For everyone, as long as it doesn’t harm them, it will be nothing more than a fire on the opposite shore and be a 「crisis somewhere」.

However, as for whether or not it really was a fire on the opposite shore, there is no telling which it is until they see that fire go out.

In most cases, it is only once the sparks have flown towards them that they recognize it as 「This is a world crisis」.

All events, it could turn out like that at any time.

Moreover, many of them would be triggers that wouldn’t vanish unless the world itself changed.

For example, yes──just like how a Demon King born in a place called the Dark Continent had changed the entire world in order to avoid the future where he would be destroyed.

「To begin with, you’re also a mystery. Even now, I still can’t believe that you 『created』 Vermudol.」

「I……can understand that a bit. I thought that I would die the last time we met after all. Right now, I don’t feel that sort of presence though……」

In response to Ykslaas’s mutter, Rokuna quietly added those words.

Before, what she felt when she tried summoning the Demon God together with Vermudol was, a fear of death.

She couldn’t feel the overwhelming pressure of that time from the Demon God that was here, but there was no way she could mistake that figure of hers.

「Right now, it’s the opposite. I can’t feel anything from her. I can’t sense anything to the point that it’s frightening. It’s me, who is confident that I wouldn’t lose to anyone in regards to magic even amongst the Mazoku, who is saying that, you know? Even though she’s right in front of me, it’s like 『I can’t tell if she’s there or not』 in terms of magical power.」

Presence was something that everything possessed as long as they were living. Breathing, the sound of their heart, magical power……there were various things, but in the Demon God’s case, that magical power couldn’t be felt.

Normally, one could tell the opponent’s strength to a certain extent by looking at their magical power, but she couldn’t tell in the Demon God’s case. Whether she was strong, or if she was weak, it wasn’t evident at all.

Being unable to sense that, putting aside mankind that was insensitive to magical power, it was also the most creepy thing for the Mazoku.

「I can tell, you know.」

「I am able to understand it.」

Vermudol and Ichika answered like that at the same time, and they looked at each other.

Going by how the other members were narrowing their eyes or tilting their heads, it seemed that only Vermudol and Ichika could tell but……it was there that the Demon God went 「Ahh」 and clapped her hands.

「Vermudol and Ichika are like my children after all. It wouldn’t be strange for you two to be gifted with something that is able to sense my existence.」

「Children……huh.」

Vermudol sent his gaze towards the Demon God, and fixedly stared at her.

「What, you look discontent.」

「I was thinking that a parent that would spill what they were eating on a person’s bed didn’t have any majesty or anything like that at all.」

「It’s not like we’re related by blood or anything. If you want, shall I put my hand in as a candidate for your wife?」

「I refuse.」

「You can’t.」

「Rejected.」

「Of course you can’t.」

「Nope」

Vermudol and the four girls simultaneously made their denials, and seeing that, the Demon God smirked.

「I see, I see. Then I’ll refrain from that.」

After the Demon God nodded looking like she was amused, she left behind the words 「Well then, I’m going to look for some new snacks」 and left through the door.

As Vermudol was unconsciously looking over at the scene of someone leaving through the door with eyes that seemed like he was looking at something rare, Ichika whispered to him.

「……Please be careful. I have also spent time with that person, but that is a person more mysterious than the other Gods.」

「I know that. I have made conjectures in regards to that thing’s true identity, but I have nothing concrete.」

The Demon God. Even now where both the mysteries of the world and the mysteries of the Gods were made clear, it was an existence still wrapped in mystery.

It has been left alone since it hasn’t really caused much damage so far, but if in the small chance that it becomes an enemy, there is no mistake that it would be more troublesome than anything else.

「Conjectures you say……Ver-cchi, what do you think that thing is?」

「……Let’s see. I have said this directly to it as well, but the God of Magical Power……that is what I thought.」

「I certainly heard that before. I also thought that it was well explained with that though.」

In response to Ykslaas’s words, Rokuna said 「I haven’t heard it」 and puffed her cheeks.

Vermudol saw Rokuna like that and made a wry smile.

「It was because I had no intention of saying anything indefinite. But, now, I think that it being the God of Magical Power might have been wrong.」

「Then, what is it?」

「Who knows.」

Vermudol readily answered like that to Ykslaas’s question.

The God of Magical Power. If it was thought about like that, then a standardized explanation could be made about the Demon God.

However, like that, there were also some phenomena that couldn’t be explained.

According to the myths of this world, the creation of the world was done by the hands of the Gods.

However, the Demon God’s name was not found in that myth, and even going by that the Gods have said, their encounter with the Demon God was 「after the creation of the world」.

In that case, was the Demon God a god that came from somewhere?

In other words, to dispel the doubts about the Demon God’s true identity, he would need to start from before the creation myth──to start from what the Gods were to begin with.

After having it explained like that, Ykslaas made an exasperated looking expression.

「That’s……」

「It means that just thinking about it at the present point is a waste of time. If we look at what that thing can do, it might be possible to make more conjectures though.」

「So we have to wait-and-see……huh.」

Vermudol answered “that’s how it is” to Rokuna, and took a document into his hand.

In regards to the Demon God, that was enough for now. If its degree of relative priority were to be said, it was quite far on the lower side.

There was always a mountain of problems, and a huge amount of things that need to be done.

「……Ahh, come to think of it, if I recall correctly, didn’t Kain come over here?」

「Will you see him?」

When Vermudol spoke about the now famous 「Hero-sama of the St. Altlis Kingdom」, the Demon God appeared while holding a crystal ball from somewhere.

「……Didn’t you go out to get some snacks?」

「About that. When I went to the kitchen, the yellow maid glared at me while holding a kitchen knife. It was kind of like a silent coercion. It was an energy like she was gonna turn me into ingredients and dispose of me, ya know? 」

「Lemon, huh. It’s because she’s quiet, or rather, timid. I think you’re overthinking it though.」

Hearing those words of Vermudol’s, everyone, including the Demon God, whispered with each other.

Krim, Marin, Lemon. If those three maids were to be lined up in order of dangerousness, it was common sense to everyone that worked in the Demon King Castle that it would be Lemon, Marin, then Krim.

Lemon was famed for having various things wrong with her personality, but it seemed that Vermudol, who didn’t get quite involved with her, couldn’t help but not understand.

「……Oi, oi, I don’t like this. Something like the Demon King getting stabbed by a mere maid and having it end there is way too new.」

「Although I don’t know how that is new, I get that Ver-cchi is in danger in various ways.」

「Nino thinks it’ll be fine if she’s cut if she gets close.」

「In that case, I’ll cooperate with you, okay?」

「That is no good.」

Vermudol, who was expressing a question mark over how the five of them were talking with each other in whispers, looked at the crystal ball that was floating near his hand, and took it into his hand.

The principles behind how it was floating were unclear, but it might become some sort of reference.

When he did that, maybe because taking it was the activation switch, the crystal ball shone and projected a scene of some place.

That seemed to be within the forest.