And that's how we're going to be working with the devil, Verrado.
There's more ....... ......?
You say that?

　I met up with Lakra and Marya at Natra's house in Mejlis and introduced the demon Bellard, who had just been named by Exoik.
　Each of them reacted differently, with Natra looking surprised, Lakra looking dumbfounded, and Marya looking confused. In addition, the source of all this, "Purple", has disappeared somewhere. As the creator of the Mejisu demon world, it would be awkward to show up in the villages of Mejisu.

"Hmm? What do you mean there are more of them, Marya?
No, no, it's just that ...... we need to prepare a few more meals!
You don't have to worry about that. You don't have to worry about that. Bellard is a demon. He's a demon, he doesn't need to eat if you give him my or Ao's magic.
Right. Besides, I'm a demon. And I'm a demon, so I shouldn't be around the people of Mejlis.

　Berard took one look at Natla and then turned to leave. For the people of Mejis, demons are objects of fear and hatred. In addition, if he is under the command of Beguragud, there is a high possibility that he is the one who attacked the village where Natra lived. It's just that he's pretty good at caring, isn't he?

"Mr. Bellard, right? ...... Do you know the village of Ze'at?
That's the name of the village where we picked up Ecdysium. I've raided that village before. About fifty years ago. But even if he wasn't directly involved, there's no denying he may have gotten his hands on your blood. Don't worry about it. Sometimes we need to keep our distance from each other.

　Is he really a demon? I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

...... So. I'll just prepare a lunch for you then. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.
"Yes, I understand, mother-in-law! I'll have it ready in a jiffy!

　Hey, there. I'm sure you'll have a great time. It's a good idea to take a look at the web site and see if you can find any useful information about it. ...... No, chill out, I . I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

That's about right, isn't it?
"...... You can do what you want. Ecdysium, I'll wait outside the village. Call me if you need me.

　Berard dissolved into his own shadow and disappeared. Natra is trying to take care of Ecdysius because he's on her side. But I'm sure it's very complicated inside.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable.
Don't worry about it. Of course I'd have a hard time if you introduced me as the devil, but you didn't want to hide anything from me. I was surprised, but not as much as when Ao-san was introduced as the Demon Lord, right?

　Since my son introduced his boss as the Demon Lord, I guess it's not such a shock to have more demons under him now. That's true.

But I'm a little bothered by the fact that Ex-Doik introduced another girl in a row. ......
"Oh, really? I thought I'd introduce you to one of my other men next time. ......

　Natra-san turns her gaze towards me. I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm not sure what to say. I nodded my head, but my face must have looked very tired.

Is it your father's blood? ....... That's okay. So, are you staying here today?
"Yeah. I've got a few more things to do in Mejlis.
Oh, good. ...... I wonder if you can make a bed out of chains?

　Natra looked a little troubled. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's fine for me and Ecdysium to camp out. .......

No problem. We can build more rooms if we want to.
I don't like the idea of a chain wall. ....... I'll provide the bedding, you just help me set up the sleeping quarters, okay?
Okay.

　A bed of chains ...... is not the kind of thing you can sleep on. But the chains of Exoik are flexible and even the hardness of the chains can be manipulated at will. The other day when I was camping, I used a bed made of ecdysiac chains, and I had mixed feelings because the quality was better than a bad bed.

"Mother-in-law! Your lunch is ready! Where's Miss Berard?
"He's waiting outside the village with Dal'Agestia. I'll give him a quick one before dinner.
That's a good idea. I'm going to finish preparing the meal then. And you, Lakra, help me.
Yes, sir.

　Natra and Lakra went back to the house in place of Marya. Natra's cooking ...... will determine the cooking skills I will need in the future, depending on how well she cooks. ......!



"Mr. Ekduik. If you're going to go now, can I come with you?
No, I want Marya to carry this box into the house.

　Eckdœk exchanged his lunch for the crate he had brought from the demon world. Marya nodded her head as she checked the weight of the crate. But when he told her what was in the crate, she trembled slightly and quietly burst into tears.

"You've finally come home, haven't you? Welcome home, big sister.

　When he saw Marya hugging the crate, he patted me on the shoulder and urged me to move. I obeyed and we headed out of the village together.

I made you cry, didn't I?
"It's okay, she's crying for joy. You could have at least told me beforehand.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if the bones I buried in the demon world would still be there today.
Oh, that's understandable. But it's not like you did anything wrong, so you should be proud of yourself.

　I slapped Exequim hard on the back. It hurts. He's got chains on his back too.
　To be honest, I'm a little jealous of Marya. I know I shouldn't be jealous of her considering her circumstances, but I still feel jealous of her.
　I'm disgusted with myself for thinking that if I could, I would want more of that kindness for me, for me alone. I had never thought that I was so greedy.
　I wonder who you are, and what right you have. Every time I imagine a happy scene, I can't imagine myself being able to accept it.
　My mind, which has lived a long and pessimistic life, is seeking happiness, but is afraid to accept it, isn't it?

You have a difficult look on your face. ...... Are you angry?
No. I was just thinking about something.
If there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask.

　There's a lot of things I want you to do, of course. I wish I could say out loud that there are a lot of things I don't want you to do.
　But I'm getting too much from you. I've gotten so many wonderful things from you that I never would have gotten otherwise. If it weren't for you, I'd have been erased like Lahite. I might have been forced back into this world by those who resented me through necromancy and used as comfort.
　What are you seriously worrying about? This is ridiculous. You're not doing yourself any favors by thinking like this. Maybe it's Docora's fault. I think the willful undead have reminded me of the cruelty of my power.

"...... Well. In the meantime, get me a comfortable bed.
Yes, sir. Did you have trouble sleeping on the ...... one?
It wasn't bad. But it's human nature to want something better, isn't it?
Yes, it is. Greed is a way of life. So I don't mind if you want more.
Oh, you don't want to fill me up so badly that I don't even want to be greedy?

　Ohhhh! What are you talking about, purple? I'm not sure what to say.

That's a goal I'd like to work towards in the future. It's going to be a bit of an inconvenience for a while, but we'll get to ...... soon enough.
"...... Well, I'll put up with it. You'll be angry, though.
Be gentle with me.

　No wonder more girls are attracted to you. It's not often that you find a guy who is so straightforward with you.

　Hey.

　While my brothers were resting in Serende, I went back with Masetta to my brother in Jestaff. To tell the truth, I would have been fine on my own, but Masetta wouldn't listen to me, saying that it would be bad for her dreams if she died from such an injury.
　After I finished explaining everything to them, I went to them to explain to Komiha and Smaith.

"Why isn't Ecdysium here?
No, he's in Mejlis with his mother.
Why am I not there?
Because you're here.
What are you doing?

　I'm not sure what to make of that. I didn't know Komiha was this kind of guy. I've heard he's a quiet guy, but that's a lot of pressure. Instinct says, "You need to step away from him.

"Komiha wanted to see Ecdysique. If you're here instead, he's going to have a complaint or two.
I didn't do anything wrong, did I?
By the way, that guy is in Serendipity, right? He's not lurking around here, is he?
What do you think you're doing, Smyths? What do you think you're doing with my brother, Smyths?

　And they're just as scared of you as you are of them. I don't understand, though. I was an enemy too. Anyway, I appease Comaha and tell him about the incident with Ritual. They owe him a debt of gratitude, and they'll be a little relieved to know he's alive.



"Gosh, ......, how did you survive against Lord Ritual?
And you defeated the Tudori? You're good.
It's almost a miracle you're still alive. My brother tells me that there is a possibility that Ritual will move again. If he contacts you, do what you want. So, what do you think? Are you going to turn?
You're the only one who'd be stupid enough to say "turn. Well, yeah. I don't know what will happen if you persuade me, but I'm going to refuse for now.
"Wow, me too. ....... I owe you a debt of gratitude, but we have to protect the other children.

　We owe you a debt of gratitude, but . It's great to know that you have your priorities straight.

You know you can trust Jest Staff's brother, right? You don't have to be so adamant about it, do you?
Mr. Jestaff is definitely a nice guy, but his ...... face is scary.
The kids are scared of him. It's going to take them a while to get used to it.

　Ah, yes. That's the only thing I can't defend. I like his stern face, but I'm sure it looks scary to kids. Even I'm scared of him now sometimes.

When the kids are older, I guess. But isn't it hard to stay in the demon world until then?
"We take turns being off. I'm accompanied by a companion, but I can also go shopping in Quama.
I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. It's strange that there is no threat of demons in the demon world.
On the contrary, they're using them as labor force. It's amazing.

　It was an empty wilderness, but now there are a lot of buildings. It's because the merchants who collect, process, manage, and transport the resources of the demon world to this place have built facilities. In addition, there are houses for them to live in and small markets where they can make a living.

There are only a few people who aren't afraid of demons now, but I'm sure there will be more soon. Won't there be more adventurers to protect us?
"What do you think? This demon world is under the control of the Blue Demon Lord and they don't attack us, so we don't need them.
I'm sure there will be people who blame the demons for their misdeeds. There will be people who will blame the demons and make adventurers do bad things.
"Oh, yeah.

　They're talking about some pretty crazy stuff too. But it's not impossible, is it? I've heard that there are a lot of merchants who are trying to use unspeakable demons as useful labor. There's even a possibility that they'll try to frame the Blue Demon Lord to ruin his reputation. Well, I'm sure my brother and Jestiff's brother know that already.

Oh, there you are! Hark-dog! I thought I told you to stay in bed!
Hey, Masetha. I was just telling Coma and the others about Lytal. I'm resting properly, okay?

　You're breathing a little hard. Looks like you've been looking for me.

How is that restful? You lost a lot of blood in Serendipity and you almost died! You lost a lot of blood on the slopes, you almost died, and the wound is still open on the outside, but it hasn't been properly treated yet!
Well, I'm in pain all over. I know it's not healed yet. I know it's not healed, but you can still walk, right?
I'm angry because even walking opens the wound!
Oh, really?
I've explained it to you twice!

　I've explained it to him twice! I might have heard him talk about it in Serendipity or on the way here. But I didn't listen to it because I heard that my brother woke up and I had to rush to visit him, and I kept thinking about what kind of report I should give to my brother since I was going to see him.
　I've been thinking about how I'm going to see my brother and how I'm going to report to him.
　I thought so, and peeked inside my jacket to see that my underwear was stained red. Oh my god, this is an open wound. When I became aware of it, I felt a sudden rush of blood .......

"Oh, hey, are you okay? There's blood seeping under your clothes!
What? It's my fault! I have to get stitches!
Oh, my God! Stretcher! I'm gonna tie this idiot to the bed!

　Oh, so that's what Instinct-sama meant when he told me to stay away from Comiha. I thought it was a light joke. ....... It's little things like this that kill people. Take care of yourself, brother.