Chapter 48: The Exorcism of the Demon Lord

"What—what do you mean, the Demon Lord?! Guards! Guards!"

"Save us—someone!"

"Kyaa! Lord Demon, you’re so dreamy!"

As the royal family’s screams (…of varying kinds) echoed through the hall, the armored guards surrounding them leapt forward to defend the royals.

More reinforcements poured in from the corridors, forming tight ranks until the Demon Lord was completely encircled by a wall of spears.

I crouched behind the line of armored knights, peeking through a narrow gap to see what was happening at the front.

The guards leveled their spears and, in perfect unison, thrust them straight at the Demon Lord.

Naturally, the spearheads met only air—the Demon Lord’s figure was nothing more than a holographic projection.

"Hmph. Such ill-mannered barbarians."

With an elegant flick of his wrist, the Demon Lord’s hologram raised a hand. Instantly, the guards began collapsing one after another, falling unconscious where they stood.

Ignoring the chaos, I turned my gaze toward the real Demon Lord—the one pretending to sleep nearby—and watched closely. Every so often, his fingers would twitch slightly to the left or right.

He’s casting something. Definitely some kind of spell.

The initial panic that had filled the grand hall was long gone. What remained now was a heavy, suffocating fear.

Bishop October stood frozen, his face pale and contorted with distress, one arm tucked stiffly inside his cloak. But he wasn’t the only one—no one dared move a muscle.

No one knew where the Demon Lord’s true body was hidden, and even if they did, any resistance would be crushed instantly by his overwhelming magic.

A dreadful silence filled the room. It was as if everyone feared that even the faintest sound might provoke the Demon Lord into baring his fangs.

Amid that oppressive stillness, the Demon Lord’s projection looked around the hall with regal composure, clearly savoring humanity’s trembling fear.

"I granted the human race a thousand years of autonomy… yet that term is soon to expire. I have come to see for myself the fruits of that long experiment."

He idly twirled a wine glass in his hand, letting his gaze drift lazily over the crowd.

"However, I imagine it will take you some time to gather your records, analyze a millennium of history, and compile your report."

The Demon Lord nodded once.

"Thus, in my boundless generosity, I shall grant you humans a brief extension of your autonomy."

Looking around, I noticed several people bowing their heads. Were they collaborators? Pre-informed insiders? Or just cowards groveling before the Demon Lord’s might? Hard to tell.

Still, something about this whole situation didn’t sit right with me.

I raised my hand.

Asking the real Demon Lord—who still appeared to be asleep—would’ve been reckless, so I addressed the holographic one instead.

"Um—excuse me! May I ask a question?"

"Hm… You, the human girl named Ai. Very well. Speak."

"Thank you. I have just one question. Why did you attack our castle in the Kingdom of Sugarcreek without any prior negotiation? It was practically an ambush!"

I asked boldly, ignoring the tension that gripped the hall.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the real Demon Lord (still feigning sleep) twitch slightly. His concentration must have slipped, because the hologram flickered faintly for an instant.

"Hmm… I did send emissaries to several nations in advance," he replied.

"Did one come to our country?"

"I do not meddle in the internal politics of autonomous regions. Only the nations formally registered under my dominion were contacted."

"Registered… nations?"

"Indeed. I dispatched envoys, but received little in the way of proper replies. As a gentle reminder, I advanced troops into the border territories—at the recommendation of certain trusted collaborators, I might add."

What—so our country was attacked just because it happened to be geographically close to the Demon Lord’s domain? That’s… absurd. We were just collateral damage? Or maybe victims of some scheming ministers’ dirty politics?

And me—Sonia—was nearly turned into some monster’s plaything just because I happened to be there that day. What a nightmare.

"Any further questions?" The Demon Lord’s tone grew sharper. "…No? Very well. As I said before, in my magnanimity, I shall grant you a grace period of six months. I look forward to seeing what results you humans produce."

With that, the Demon Lord’s image vanished.

What followed was utter pandemonium.

"What’s going on—someone explain this!"

"A thousand years ago doesn’t even count anymore—it’s ancient history!"

"Lord Demon is so cool!"

Looking around at the chaos, I couldn’t help but think: yeah, nothing’s getting decided in this meeting.

"Ahem—ladies and gentlemen," Bishop October finally raised his voice above the uproar. "Given the gravity of these events, several national representatives have requested time to consult with their respective governments. The Church likewise believes it necessary to establish a cooling-off period to reassess our stance."

He drew a deep breath.

"This assembly is hereby adjourned. Once you have returned to your nations and consolidated your positions, please contact the Church so that we may reconvene at a later date."

Well, yeah. Figures.

But honestly, with this much mutual suspicion between nations, even if they do talk through the Church, no one’s going to agree on anything.

And even if someone demanded a decision right now, the scope of this issue is way too big. It’s not something today’s delegation could possibly handle.

At this point, I was starting to think the Western nations would never form a united front again.

And yet, despite everything, one emotion burned inside me.

Yes—above all else, I wanted to demand compensation. For the damage our country suffered when the Demon Lord’s army attacked, I wanted to send a bill—loud and clear—to all those nations that ignored his warnings. Desperately so.

And, most importantly, I wanted reparations for the emotional trauma I suffered. That one would be… yes, very expensive.

…Heh heh heh. I’ll make them pay dearly—for the damages, the losses, and the suffering. With interest.

In my heart, I could feel a dark, heavy fire of resentment beginning to burn.

After the assembly ended, I returned to the lodging house and collapsed into sleep as if dead.

For humans without natural talent for magic, forcing its use takes a heavy toll—sometimes draining not only stamina but even one’s life force or lifespan.

If Berial were to use his full power at its highest level, my life alone would never be enough to sustain it. So he limits the magic to the bare minimum when channeling it through me.

Even so, the backlash is brutal. My energy is completely drained, leaving me utterly exhausted—body and soul.

And yet, the next day, I once again resolved to have Berial invoke his magic through me—sacrificing a little more of my life in the process.

"Lady Sonia, you don’t look well. Are you feeling all right?"

"Mm. I’m fine—it’s just that I’m not feeling my best today."

Kamina’s worried voice reached me, but I had things to do—things that couldn’t wait.

…I had already arranged for “Princess Sonia” to visit Miss Olive’s residence in advance, so I was smoothly shown into the guest room upon arrival.

The princess of the neighboring Kingdom of Sugarcreek visiting the ducal family—relatives of the royal house of the Kingdom of Liner—was no small event. The duke himself and several family members came to greet me at the door.

After exchanging formal pleasantries, I was led to a private meeting with Miss Olive, under the pretense of wishing to build a friendly relationship with someone of similar age.

"Welcome, Princess Sonia. Please, this way."

"Thank you, Lady Olive."

I was guided into a tastefully decorated room and seated on a sofa. A servant brought tea, and I took a small sip to wet my lips.

"…Now then, Princess Sonia. I hear you wished to speak with me?"

"Yes. There’s something I very much wish to discuss."

"…I believe we met at the recent assembly, but—have we perhaps met somewhere else as well?"

Olive tilted her head slightly, studying me.

I had reduced the strength of my illusion magic this time, which must have made the disguise feel subtly off to her eyes.

But now that we were alone, there was no need to keep up appearances. I gave a discreet signal to the invisible Berial to drop the disguise.

"Ah!"

Before Olive’s eyes, Princess Sonia’s face shimmered—and transformed into that of another woman. The sight made her cry out in shock.

I gave her a faint, composed smile.
"Good afternoon, Lady Olive."

"Y-you’re… that maid named Ains—the servant of Lord Maor! Wh-why—why are you disguised as Princess Sonia!?"

Perhaps she thought I had used some forbidden magic, because her voice trembled with fear.

"The name Ains was merely an alias. I am the real Princess Sonia."

I said it with a bright, confident smile.

"Eek!"

Olive’s knees gave out beneath her, and she crumpled to the floor in fright.

"…Well, no matter. The reason I came to see you today, Lady Olive, is quite simple. I want you to sever all ties with the Demon Lord—completely."

"T-the Demon Lord?"

"Yes. You’ve been getting rather close to Lord Maor, haven’t you? I assume it was because you were aiming for the Demon Lord himself?"

"!? Th-that’s a misunderstanding! That man called Maor was said to be an influential figure connected to the Demon Lord’s army! I only thought that if I could gain his favor, he might offer me some advantages—so I simply treated him with the utmost courtesy!"

Her voice rose into a near-scream.

"Oh my. So you truly didn’t know that he himself was the Demon Lord?"

I see now. She wasn’t anything special—just another opportunist trying to curry favor with the powerful.

"H-he’s the Demon Lord…?"

Her face went deathly pale, and her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

"I-I won’t tell anyone! About the Demon Lord, or about you, Princess Sonia! P-please, spare my life! My life!"

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she collapsed into a full prostration on the floor.

Oh, come on. Don’t make it look like I’m the villain here.

Apparently, I’d scared her far more than I intended.

I sighed softly.
"…Berial."

At my call, the demon Berial appeared before me, kneeling on one knee with his head bowed low.

"You called, Lady Sonia."

"Ah!"

Olive let out another strangled cry and stumbled backward until she hit the wall, shaking like a leaf.

Relax, I wanted to say—but that probably wouldn’t help. Fine then. I’d better handle this quickly and efficiently.

"In the name of Sonia, I command you: rewrite this girl’s memories regarding the Demon Lord."

"As you wish."

"Aaaaahhh…!"

As Berial bowed deeply, his face twisted unnaturally—and several dark tendrils unfurled from his body, slithering toward Olive. They wrapped around her like snakes coiling around prey, or vines entwining a tree.

There are many ways to cast magic, I suppose, but this one looks excessively horror-themed even to me. Is he enjoying this a little too much?

"…Ah… ah…"

Olive could no longer speak, paralyzed with terror as the tendrils brushed her face.

A few seconds later, they vanished as if they had never existed. Berial straightened behind me and bowed once more.

"It is done, Lady Sonia."

"Ah, good work. You may go."

"As you command."

Just as when he appeared, Berial’s form dissolved into mist and disappeared.

Cough!

I couldn’t help but cough. When I dabbed my lips with a handkerchief, I saw a faint smear of blood.

Ugh. The toll of forcing Berial to perform memory manipulation under my control is too much. My head’s pounding, and my ears won’t stop ringing.

"Lady Olive. Lady Olive."

Enduring the pain, I knelt beside her and gently helped her up.

"…Ah, Princess Sonia. I’m so sorry. I must have fainted for a moment. I seem to be feeling a bit unwell."

"Heh heh. That’s quite all right."

"Um… What were we discussing again?"

"Don’t worry—it was nothing important. Just a bit of idle conversation. Anyway, I should be going. You seem tired yourself, so please get some rest."

"Yes, Princess Sonia."

"Oh, and by the way—your younger brother is adorable. Make sure you take good care of him, all right?"

"Huh? …Ah, yes, of course."

Olive smiled brightly, as though a heavy weight had lifted from her soul. Her once-clouded eyes now shone clear and calm.

I gave a single satisfied nod.