Well, I never… surely not… he lives? This man!
However, surely he died over ten years ago.
A pretender? Yet, this ugly air…… this voice that evokes murderous intent just by hearing it……
“tte… an attack? On this Angela Kingdom?”
“Yes! Currently, the ‘men’ of the Guardian Angel Squad are heading to battle, but the enemy is unknown! We are in a state of emergency――― “
“All right, let’s move out at once!”
Also, what’s happening? Attack? Ugly creature?
I don’t understand. What in the heavens is happening?
“Ah, that’s why youngins~ … are hopeless, leaving me behind… ain’t nothing else to do. Now…… then.”
Then, as the footsteps of that young man, rushing out in a hurry after receiving the urgent news, became distant, that man laughed with amusement.
“Well, Hihahahaha, once again… long time no see~”
“…… wretch…”
“Don’t be like that~ Sis~, what if…… I just happen to help you… leave this cell?”
“Liar.”
“Yep I Lie ♪”
Sure enough, there is no doubt.
Not only this voice, but only one person in the past has an attitude of always belittling me.
“Thou… surely the Sword Saint and the Great Mage… of the Seven Heroes must have brought thy end? If thou still lived, why…”
“Why didn’t I come back to the Demon King’s Army? Honestly, I got… fed up with the war.”
“Huh!?”
“The Great Demon King comes up with better strategies than I do~ so I pretend to be dead~ become a villager and enjoy the slow life~ maybe travel around the world and play around once in a while~”
Fed up……? What is he saying? Pretending to be dead?
Nonsense! Ridiculous! No matter how much of a low-life he may be, this man is also one of God’s chosen beings.
He got fed up with such a person?
The war that I, we, have waged for so long. Tens of thousands of lives at stake…
“Hihahahaha, you want to start preaching, dontcha? It’s over and done, and you know it’s no use saying anything to me, right Sis?”
“…”
Yes, this man is right.
Even just talking to this man, my pace is disrupted.
The angrier I get, the happier he is.
Don’t be disordered…
“Hey… why art thou… here in Angela Kingdom?”
“Hmm? It’s just another place to hide out. Also, I wanted to have fun with angelic women ♪ As a paradise with lots of beautiful women like Sis, I wanted to visit once and enjoy rolling around with Seraphs to my heart’s content.”
“Wh… at?”
“I found this country about three or four years ago, I think?”
To maintain my composure, I attempted to change the topic, but this man merely carried on…
“But it’s wasted effort. Seraph women only have wings and a little better skin on the bones than the rest of us, nothing special. No matter how beautiful they were, they got boring after three goes. Moreover, every one of them was so dull and naive, they just can’t help themselves, hit on em with a sweet smile and they fall in love right away. They have flower fields in their heads, and are so assumptive that it’s almost annoying these days.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah, don’t tell the prince, okay? Gets mad when I make fun of women.”
How many years since I have felt so unpleasant?
Even though my former companion was alive… nay…… was this man…… ever a companion?
“Well, every day here, I eat then sleep, drink then sleep, party then sleep, screw then sleep, repeatedly, spending my days. For me, who has been in war for hundreds of years, this cloud world that only drifts in the sky is peace of mind itself, and if I realized something, I’ve spent a few years in comfort.”
“…… peace of mind… comfort? Thou? What mockery is this?”
“Isn’t it nice, so peaceful. The clouds are pleasant~, they just drift. Relationships, petty politics, scheming, hypocrisy, everything out of mind.”
Never did I think I’d wish for death as much as I do now…
“And thou, having been at peace…what art thou thinking?”
On the other hand, I don’t understand.
What in the world is this man thinking, what is he planning, and what is his purpose?
“Hmm… well, I’ve been enjoying my time in peace and quiet, but… I’m getting tired of the unchanging weather. Even clouds that just drift around, sometimes they drop thunderbolts or turn into rain clouds, and if it doesn’t make for rough weather, I won’t feel stimulated and will rot.”
“…… for that…… thou would cooperate with Dekte’ita?”
“His reputation is pretty bad. So he asked me for guidance. But, with a little human politics, a touch of interaction, and a mere whisper in the ear, the Seraph are no different from the Surface World and the Demon Realm, and it’s been a long time since they had an ugly power struggle.”
So that is why… why the Seraph tribe, which has always been non-interventionist in the world, now come to seize the world… how scum like Dekte’ita could become the King of the Heavens… was this man’s schemes moving behind the scenes?
“Well, maybe I was also a bit off my game in my own way.”
“What?”
“The greatest in the history of the Demon Realm is the Great Demon King. The most feared in the history of the Demon Realm is Boss Hakuki. So, what about me? Maybe the worst in the history of the Demon Realm? If so, we’ll have to tweak that accordingly.”
And then, I of all people, questioned the inane actions so far.
What is this man’s intention? What’s his purpose?
I can’t help wondering about such things.
“Fifteen years have passed since the war. The countries on the surface have developed, the Demon Realm has stabilized, and the next generation of both worlds has begun to grow. Considering the short-lived humans, Hiro, Mamu, and the other Seven Heroes are now at their peak. If you want to create something that surpasses the past war parleys between humans and demons, now is the time!”
For there has always been one goal in all his designs, whatever his actions.
“Seriously, doing it now would be the most fun! Absolutely! Oh yeah! Really no joke, right?”
Yes, this man… from time immemorial.
Why did God… once grant this man an equal status to me?
“So I’m thinking of having Sis die to signal the start of the war, but I have a little something I’d like to ask. That’s why I asked the Heavenly King to set up our talk here.”
And this time from the other side… or rather, is it the main subject?
This man seems to have something he wants to ask me… is it to do with Lady Kron?
No matter what it is…
“Oh, by the way, what I want to ask, it’s not about the doll you’ve been playing with for the past 15 years.”
“ts, scoundrel!”
This dross…… abominable…… if not for my state… he would have died many times over… damn him!
If it’s not about Lady Kron, what in the world is this man…
“I’ve also… been getting a lot of information about the Empire, but… just who is Earth Lagann?”
“Huh!?”
“You’ve been with him in the last few months, haven’t you?”
That was…… unexpected, but… in a way, perhaps an understandable question.
“In fact, for about 20 years, I’ve had a man under my thumb in the Empire as a spy. Even while I pretended to be dead and backed out of the war, I was receiving information on the military power of the Empire, the family structure, the strength and magical power of the next generation through him.”
“What was that? Such a person? For 20 years without being noticed by Hiro or Solja?”
“Fufufu, that’s how good he is. He blends in so well. At the moment, he’s already married and has children… I call him ‘Koaso’… well, that doesn’t matter.”
I was unaware…… I never thought there was such human resource…
That’s why, if we, the Demon King’s army, once had the information about the spy… we could have done so much more in the previous war… this man…
“That’s why I was also checking Earth Lagann, of course. But that kid’s numbers changed significantly. At least he did not have the ability to beat The Sword Saint’s son. Not to mention…… the Breakthrough? The Great Demon Spiral? Why?”
That’s why I need not answer this man’s question. Well, actually I don’t know either.
However, this is all I can say.
“Why? It’s obvious. He is Lady Kron’s destined partner. Earth Lagann is the final key and the successor to the Great Demon.”
“Oh, no! I just don’t get this fucking bitch. Well, that’s just like you. That’s why the Great Demon King was appalled. I mean, why did the Great Demon King put you in the same position as me…”
“That remark should be mine!”
Snickering at my words, I began to swear bitterly, and I heard him turn on his heel.
“Anyway, whoever he is, that kid… I see him as a key figure in the future of the world. I’d really like us to get along. In the spirit of fraternity. And, let’s ask the person in question directly.”
“What?”
“Even if we don’t get along, he’s Hiro’s son. Then that kid will come around. That’s enough. Maybe the attack mentioned earlier…”
“Eh! N, nay!?”
Certainly not, is Earth Lagann here? How? Riding an ugly creature? Nay, I certainly don’t know how, but it may not be possible.
Even though he made full use of his strategy, if that man defeated me, he might be . . .
Wait, what was said earlier… the ugly creature carried people from the Surface on board. they said that, didn’t they?
Not alone? Could it be, who else? Machio? Hold, where’s Lady Kron? Nay, that’s…
“Hihahahahahahahaha! What’s going on? So fun, so fun! Throwing a party with just the prepared event and the guests is too boring! There are always surprises at a party! The unknown? I welcome them with open arms! Now it doesn’t matter whether they’re going to spice up the party or ruin it! No matter how rough it gets, if I can have my fun, I win! Come on, get excited, it’s Showtime!”
As if to grate on my feelings, the fiend’s amused laughter resounded.
Author’s Note
It’s not that I was aiming for this, but I didn’t expect that the most common point of view in the interval would be from Jamdi’el.