Chapter 7: Interlude: The Prince and the Chancellor

"Ah—aren’t you the Chancellor of the Sugarcreek Kingdom?"

"Pr–Prince Sirlot!? Wh–what are you doing here!?"

An enormous corridor stretched endlessly before them, lined with towering walls of jet-black stone. Whether born of magic or forged through advanced engineering was impossible to tell—but its seamless, polished construction far surpassed anything humans could achieve. Not even the tiniest gap could be found between the titanic stones. It was a marvel beyond imagination, a structure any ordinary person would call divine craftsmanship.

This was the Castle of Terror, the Demon Lord’s fortress—an edifice seemingly built by gods themselves.

Through its vast halls walked countless beings of every imaginable race—giants, dragonkin, demons, fairies, spirits. Even the undead, like skeletons and ghosts, mingled freely with magical creatures such as golems and will-o’-wisps. Among them, dwarves, elves, and even humans strolled without fear.

It was unbelievable. All these races coexisted here, walking the same corridors in peace.

Prince Sirlot of the Paptes Kingdom had seen it with his own eyes—and finally, he understood. When the Demon Lord’s army had invaded the Sugarcreek Kingdom, their main force had consisted only of goblins and skeletons. That had merely been a probe, a faint touch of the true power that now surrounded him.

Now, the prince was being held—not quite as a prisoner, but as a “guest”—in the far west beyond Sugarcreek, in the lands known simply as the Demonic Domain. Yet this place was utterly different from what the Church had always described. Far from a savage wasteland, the Demon Lord’s followers lived in a highly civilized society.

…So this is the land of those so-called monstrous barbarians?

The sheer contrast from what he’d been told left him dumbfounded. After being questioned by the Demon Lord’s officers, he’d been treated with surprising courtesy, even granted freedom to move within the castle once his interrogation ended.

During questioning, they had used what appeared to be a magical device that instantly detected lies, leaving him no choice but to speak the truth—though he hadn’t possessed much valuable information to begin with.

To his surprise, he had even been granted an audience with the Demon Lord himself. Apparently, the information he’d shared was deemed useful, and he was rewarded with a magical artifact—an item even a royal prince of Paptes would have difficulty obtaining.

…But why was the Demon Lord so insistent about Princess Sonia?

As her fiancé, Sirlot harbored mixed feelings toward the princess. He had long imagined himself heroically risking his life to protect her from danger. Yet she had escaped unscathed through her own quick thinking—leaving him, if anything, a bit unsatisfied.

Perhaps that frustration had led him to boast a little too boldly about her before the Demon Lord.

Well, what’s done is done. It’s not as if the Demon Lord and Princess Sonia have any real connection anyway.

With that, he decided to forget the exaggerations he’d made.

To shake off his gloomy mood, Sirlot took a stroll through the castle. The Demon Lord’s citadel was vast—large enough to rival an entire human city—and every corridor revealed new wonders.

It was during this wandering that he happened upon someone unexpected: the Chancellor of the Sugarcreek Kingdom himself.

And not only that—the man was dressed in the Demon Lord Army’s uniform, with a voluptuous beauty at his side.

"Why are you here? In fact, that’s my question—why is the Chancellor of Sugarcreek here? And that lovely lady beside you…?"

"Ah, well! Might I assume, Prince Sirlot, that you too have sworn loyalty to his Majesty, as I have?"

The Chancellor stepped closer with an overly familiar smile—his demeanor almost suffocating.

"Well, let’s just say I’m being treated as a guest for now."

Sirlot gave a vague, noncommittal reply—neither quite a lie nor the truth.

"I see, I see! As for myself, I was rewarded for my contributions during the Sugarcreek campaign. I now serve as an advisor to the Demon Lord’s army."

The Chancellor grinned slyly, a low "heh-heh-heh" escaping his lips.

"I see. And the woman with you?"

Sirlot couldn’t help the flicker of curiosity—and lust—in his tone. As the saying goes, heroes are fond of beauty, and he was no exception.

"Ah, this one? She’s a succubus. A reward from the Demon Lord himself. You could always make a similar request, Prince Sirlot."

"Oh-ho…"

Sirlot’s eyes glimmered mischievously. His gaze trailed down the succubus’s body, drinking in every curve. The demoness met his stare with one just as sultry, and a shiver ran down his spine under that sweet, intoxicating look.

Perhaps, he thought, fortune was finally smiling upon him.

"Well then, Prince Sirlot—would you care to join me in my quarters?"

"Hmph. Very well."

And so, the Chancellor, the Prince, and the succubus disappeared together into the Chancellor’s room.