Chapter 32 Epilogue Part 1: Demon Lord Alliance
#KyoudoushaEpilogue Part 1: Demon Lord Alliance
“Hah! Hah!”
A man with twisted horns, out of breath, was running while weaving through the trees.
Vines tangled around his proud horns.
His appearance was shabby and filthy.
His body was covered in dust, with spider webs clinging to him.
Wearing his one and only tuxedo had been a terrible mistake.
He was fleeing from human soldiers exterminating goblins.
Damn it! How did things go so wrong?!
He ducked behind a rock to catch his breath.
As a demon, he had been sent by the leader of the alliance to assist the Demon Lord Goblin King.
The Demon Lord Goblin King was eccentric but approachable—a good boss who actually listened to his opinions.
Some Demon Lords couldn’t even communicate and would attack him on sight.
In that sense, he had been fortunate.
His senior, who had been sent to assist the Demon Lord Iron Rat, never returned.
His senior’s expression when assigned to that mission had haunted him—a trauma he could never forget.
Asking someone to communicate with a rat demon was just unreasonable.
But he stayed quiet, knowing that if he complained, he would be the one sent in his place.
When he was assigned to assist the Goblin King, he thought that with a good presentation, he could help build a powerful force.
He was convinced the Demon Lord Goblin King had the potential for greatness.
He dreamed of a glorious future.
He chased away the foolish human adventurers and, just as predicted, set a trap for the human army that would follow.
He thought it was a flawless plan.
The goblin soldiers he’d stationed in the underground cave numbered over 40,000!
Well, by the time they’d multiplied, he’d lost count, but it was probably around that many. Probably.
In a direct confrontation, they should have won.
They could win, right?
On top of that, by sheer luck, he managed to place a [Curse] on a wandering human woman, forcing her to stab the human hero.
He kept this part a secret, but deep down, he started to feel uneasy about how smoothly everything was going.
Then, taking advantage of the chaos, his special demon skill [Illusion Magic] worked perfectly. The sight of the humans’ stunned faces nearly sent him into ecstasy.
The Demon Lord Goblin King was surprised to see him so euphoric.
There had never been a moment in his life when things had gone so well.
He cried tears of joy, and the Demon Lord Goblin King grew concerned.
Everything had gone according to plan. In that moment, as he exchanged a smile with the Goblin King, he was certain of victory…
But then, something fell from the sky and destroyed everything.
The underground cave, packed with goblins, collapsed entirely. Rocks fell, one striking the Demon Lord Goblin King directly, leaving him gravely injured.
The demon man barely avoided being caught in the collapse.
Though usually unlucky, this time, his bizarre streak of good fortune had saved him.
Desperate to save the Goblin King, he used [Illusion Magic] to escape, but when he reached the rendezvous point, the Demon Lord Goblin King was already dead.
And he hadn’t died from the injuries. He’d been murdered.
He was battered and bruised—a complete mess.
The man was so shocked he nearly wet himself.
Still reeling from the Goblin King’s death, he was suddenly ambushed by soldiers, leading to his current predicament.
No matter how many times I think about it, this isn’t my fault! I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?!
The demon man clenched his teeth, half-crying.
Why… Why am I running away in such a pathetic state? Everything was going so well… If things had gone according to plan, I’d be drinking victory wine with the Demon Lord Goblin King by now!
He looked up at the sky.
The hateful, cloudless blue sky.
Who could have imagined that two true Demon Lords would fall from the sky all of a sudden!?
This was completely beyond his control.
It was like a small convenience store owner suddenly having two major chain stores open up next door.
Not just one, but two!
Instant failure.
Even if he wanted reinforcements, the harsh truth was that he was just a low-ranking soldier…
A low-ranking, underpowered demon whose only skill was [Illusion Magic].
“If I’d succeeded in this mission, I would have been promoted and could’ve gone back to my mother in the countryside to report my success…”
Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes.
This is too cruel, too cruel, God! They say God gives trials, but there’s a limit, right?
By the way, the “god” he referred to was considered an evil god by humans.
A very evil god who delighted in causing misery to both humans and demons alike.
As a side note, this evil god saw humans and demons as essentially the same and cursed them equally.
The world is harsh.
Anyway, I have to report those two true Demon Lords to the higher-ups… If I report it properly, maybe they’ll overlook my failure… I’ve never seen those two before, so it should count as an achievement… I hope!
Rustle! Rustle!
Just as he reaffirmed his resolve, he heard a noise behind him.
“H-Hik!?”
The man turned in a panic and saw… a rabbit.
“Oh… Don’t scare me like that…”
He breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest. But then…
“Oh, a rabbit! That could be dinner…”
At that moment, human soldiers emerged from the bushes.
Their eyes met.
Their gazes locked.
Silence filled the air.
The rabbit fled.
“M-M-Monster!”
“Wha—!?”
Both parties jumped back, their screams echoing through the forest.
Unfortunately, the man was weak.
There was no way he could defeat a soldier.
He was a thinker, not a fighter.
His only skill was [Illusion Magic].
Quickly, he cast [Illusion Magic] to create the image of a grotesque giant moth to scare them off.
He had no offensive abilities.
He was harmless, relatively speaking.
“I need to get out of here… I need to go home… I can’t die like this, not without ever having had a girlfriend!”
Hongerusu Nuru ホンゲルスヌル, 26 years old, single.
A member of the Demon Lord Alliance. His heartfelt cry echoed in the forest.