2.3
Whaaaaaatttt!!!???
What is this!? Ignoring the virgin part, which I won't confirm nor deny... Demon Lord!? Really!? Like the dai Maou, Satan, Lucifer; the freaking last boss!? Then isn't everyone here supposed to kill me?!
I can't die here!!!
People die when they are killed, you know!? And if I'm killed and end up dying, then I won't be able to go back home!!!
Noooo!!!! Wahhh!!!
…
*several internal screams after that*
…
Ok, calm down, me. I can't start having a panic attack right now. That would only bring unwanted attention…Yeah, for now I should just take a deep breath and calm down. Then I can find a way to get out of this.
Besides, I don't even know yet if being the Demon Lord really is such a bad thing…
Exactly! It could just be a weird description, right!? Like: 'the only hero who can face the Demon Lord in battle'; or something like that! Right? Right!?
Right… I should just listen to more of the shining woman's explanation before jumping to any conclusions. 'Demon Lord'… It shouldn't even be anything to be that worried about…
"Whoaa!!!" Someone excitedly exclaims.
Each of them had varying impressions after reading their own status… But it's safe to say all of them were impressed with the fantasy and novelty of it all. Though, I would bet no one got quite as impressed as me… Haha… Imagine the Demon Lord dying of a heart attack right after being summoned… Couldn't be me…
"It really says here that I'm a hero!!!" The timid boy exclaims with evident joy on his face… Man… That's the expected isekai reaction… I kind of envy him a little…
Well, I mean… My situation is pretty bad… But I can't deny my heart is beating in a way I haven't felt in a while…
"Yeah!!! Awesome!!!" Complimented the normie…
Most of the others also seemed to be nodding at their words. Of course, I nodded as well, trying to fit in. There was a feeling of excitement in the room, and I didn't want to be the one to ruin it…Even the shield girl who had such a scowl on her face before seemed to have mellowed out. Is this what they mean by that setting with a delinquent character gap moe?
Only one-person wasn`t particularly immersed in these feelings of wonder. The red haired girl had an indifferent face--- nope; she was blatantly frowning her eyebrows…
Either way, mostly everyone else's mood seemed to be positive, so I took the opportunity to try and move things up a little.
"Yup, mine has 'hero' too…" (Yes, definitely. I have absolutely no doubt that depending on the interpretation you take on the words 'Demon Lord' you can somehow make out the meaning of 'hero'. I mean, for the demons, the 'Demon Lord' must be kind of like a hero at least, right? Yes. So I'm not lying here.)
I continue. "However, I couldn't quite understand the meaning of some terms present in there, such as 'expression' or 'conversion'." (The virgin part made no sense either. It's a preposterous accusation, absurd even…)
Finally, I wrap it up asking: "And more importantly, even if we can read such capabilities written in there, it's uncertain whether or not we would be able to put them to practical use. Could you please clarify this point? In addition, if it's not too much trouble, could you explain what it is we should do in order to win this… War? What is it, specifically, expected of us?"
Uaaa! How scary, the normie is actually glaring at me. Why, though, they're fair questions… Then again, I guess he was trying to hype everyone up to just accept the mission first… Now that I took a step back, everyone is going to put some more thought in it.
But then again, that would only make sense if he were that intent on helping them… A sense of justice? Or did he also fall for the woman at first sight…?
Well, whatever. I look back to the shiny woman and she faces me directly. I almost think she looked at me gently for a second… Wow! What a lovely smile---! Not… She remains without showing any expressions. It's weird, I'm usually quite confident on my ability to read signs. Though I guess her deadpan face might be throwing me off.
Ok, my life's now depending on her answer...
"Your worries are not unfounded, hero. This same issue has recently been brought to my attention. Should you choose to help me; the Commander of my Guard shall analyze your stats and employ the best method for your training."
Commander… Could it be that serious woman from before? Then she would be a Commander and not a Captain… Honestly, I've never been a fan of military stuff, so I wouldn't be able to tell the difference either way, haha…
But that's unrelated. What's important is that this method is certainly more reassuring than if they just threw us in the world with a few coins and said 'defeat the Demon Lord; how you do it is not our problem'.
"Now, concerning your other question. About what is expected of you heroes."
This should answer my unasked question… Do they need me to die, because of that 'Demon Lord Soul' stuff?
"It's simple; the demons also have a single ruler. The 'Demon Lord'; some mistakenly prefer to use the term 'Devil'."
As expected, I do not like where this is going...
"Historically, the heroes have had the duty of sealing the Demon Lord's soul. However, being just a seal, it will deteriorate with the passage of time, and the soul would break free to find a new host. Once that happens, I will repeat the process and summon new heroes in order to seal it again."
Sealing the soul, ok. Doesn't seem that bad compared to---
"Seal, you say? Simply killing them won`t work, then?" The normie asks in a matter-of-fact way.
'Kill', my ass!!! Why would you jump to 'killing' just like that!? Why do some people always jump to the most extreme conclusions!?
"Simply killing the demon hosting the soul would be of no use. In that case, the soul would then choose a new host and repeat the process."
"I see, too bad…" He answers, dejectedly.
"After the seal is broken, the soul divides itself amongst many possible candidates, and the one who unites all of it becomes the new ruler. Of course, sometimes powerful and influent demons with most of the soul may already be considered as the new Demon Lord, for practical effects."
Ah... I see, so I was possessed by a part of the Demon Lord's soul... What am I even doing? Trying to become the freaking shaman king!? Seriously!?
Or rather, in the name of God I compel you, fuck off Satan!!! This body does not belong to you!
Nothing happened… I mean, it was worth a try…
"Therefore, your duty is to capture the ruler candidates and bring them to me, so I may exterminate them in a manner that will seal their soul. That is the best way to stop the demons from uniting and enslaving you all."
Exter---
I quickly continue the conversation:
"Okay… I understand. However, is it truly necessary for you to… End them? Or would it be possible for you to seal the soul without going through such extraordinary lengths? What I mean is: I imagine I speak for most of us when I say that we came from a different world, in which killing a sentient creature is kind of a taboo for many..." I say, in an attempt to guide the conversation in a different way.
"Some heroes have said something similar before, so I am quite aware of your hesitation. However, there is no need to think of them as sentient beings. They are, after all, nothing more than filthy garbage. A waste of space, truly. Of course, the same goes for the other demons as well."
She finally opens up a beautiful smile.
"Huh, I see." I say.
All I have to do is--- Die!?
"I hope to have managed to clear your doubts."
Scary! Crap! I think I might've just shat my pants a little right now!!! Why is it that this was the only time when she actually showed her smile???!!!
I-It`s ok, calm down, no problem. I once saw the solution for this in an anime about a silver haired samurai.
Can someone see a drawer somewhere? Or a blue cat robot?
Right now, I-I j-just h-have t-to f-find a t-t-t-time m-machine…
…
Chill out… It's okay… Calm down and focus…
…
I think I might still have a way out.
I try asking another question.
"Alright, that does seem simple enough. However, according to what you just said, this 'soul' might be divided in god knows how many parts. Do we have to collect all of them? Furthermore, how would we even be able to find them?"
Ah... She looks at me and smiles wryly... She's just too beautiful, I mean it.
"Unfortunately, all of it must be sealed off. Failing to do so not only would weaken the seal, but also inspire all of the demons. Just by possessing it, one of the demons might declare themselves as ruler, and a unified demon race is… Certainly problematic."
AKA: total annihilation necessary…
"The division of the soul has a limit of about ten. The bigger the portion of the soul, the more influence the demon will receive. As such, they often compete amongst themselves in order to steal portions of the soul. What I mean to explain is that if you take too long, you might have to face an oversized cockroach instead of many ants."
By the way she paused and is looking at us, it would almost seem as if the last part of her sentence is a joke and she was expecting some sort of reaction from us…
If it wasn't for her current deadpan face and my certainty that no one would make such a bad joke, I might've let out an educated smile. No reaction from the others either, so I assume my decision was correct.
"… There's no need to be concerned, however, for we have the means to track the soul's distinct signature."
Pft-!!! Hahaha!!! Now that is a joke! A very funny one at that! I'm seriously having to hold myself from laughing manically right now! At one side there are the heroes, who can track me and want to kill me in order to seal the soul! On the other, there are the demons who want to kill me in order to steal the soul! Can they track me too? Who knows!
All I know is that I'm definitely screwed up from both sides! I have to get the hell out of here...
Seriously, I just want to go home…
"According to our current Intel, there's a self-denominated Demon Lord who has already defeated most of the other candidates, and has the loyalty of a good amount of demons. This situation might turn troublesome."
She doesn't need that many words just to say I'm fucked… I mean, my status said 40%, right? The two sides are definitely coming after me, like crazy…
"Don't worry; everything will be okay now that we're here!" The normie says.
I'm trying not to worry, but you all aren't making this easy!
"Indeed. It's possible to detect portions of the soul, however only the part with the current lowest percentage. In such manner, you heroes may train and test your abilities on weaker demons, and prepare before facing the stronger ones."
That's a very specific way for the detection to work, huh? Almost like in a RPG… Well, whatever makes plot progression easier, I guess. I just hope it doesn't point at me first…
"According to the latest reading, there is a demon hiding at the border of my continent and the immortals territory. With 11% of the soul."
!!!
It might be too soon to celebrate, but finally some good news! Honestly, I'm so relieved, I won't ever complain about obvious plots ever again!
Ah, I almost screamed this out loud just now...
This should give me some time to figure things out and maybe go to a different place… Where to though? The immortals land? They do seem to have their own territory after all…
"As such, once again I request your help, heroes!"