“It’s over! The duel is won by the Demon Lord!”

With the duel concluded, I dispelled the Flame Funeral. The massive fireball, which had been scorching the surroundings, slowly disappeared.

Whew... it looks like I managed to pull it off. But this Demon Lord's power is truly overpowered.

As long as I have the Maou Kokuengai, I can easily overwhelm Jilbe, the strongest and fastest of the Four Heavenly Kings, and I could even overpower Libera and Debra with my magic.

It honestly feels like I could wipe out humanity... though as an old man, there’s no way I would ever do that.

“Anyone else have any complaints? If you do, I’ll take you on right now!”

“………”

Having displayed overwhelming power in my duel with Jilbe, known as the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings, no one else in the Demon Army dared to challenge me.

…Though, honestly, I only said that because I was confident no one would. Please, read the room and don’t raise your hand!

“…Who exactly are you? Is that strength really something a human could possess?”

Jilbe, who had been dumbfounded, stood in front of me. But there was no longer any hostility in his stance.

“I’m human. But I was summoned to this world as a Demon Lord and somehow gained these abilities.”

“…Why would a human ally themselves with us demons?”

“I don’t plan on being entirely on your side. To be honest, I didn’t want to get involved in this war between humans and demons at all, but I can’t stand the current state of this world, where even demon children are ruthlessly executed.

That being said, I’m still human. I won’t help you wipe out humanity. My goal is to end this war. I’ll work to achieve a ceasefire, taking as few lives as possible—human or demon alike!”

That’s my honest truth. I decided to be upfront about how I feel rather than pretend to fully side with the demons.

Ideally, I’d like to see humans and demons cooperate and coexist. But I know stopping this long-standing war between humans and demons won’t be easy. Especially if the war started due to human betrayal.

“The situation for demons is dire. I understand you might not want to accept me, a human, and that many of you seek revenge against humans. I can’t truly understand the pain you feel after losing family or friends to humans.

But right now, please prioritize the lives of the demons who are still living. Rather than focusing on revenge against humans, I ask you to help me protect your loved ones.”

“………”

As expected, it might be too much to ask… No matter how powerful I am, I’m still human, the race the demons hate. I get that they might not want to assist me.

“I pledge my loyalty to the Demon Lord!”

The silence was broken by Libera’s strong, clear voice.

She stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head before me.

“The Demon Lord was forcibly summoned from another world by the ritual we performed on our own. And as soon as we learned he was human, we tried to kill him.

But despite that, the Demon Lord, with his great heart, forgave us and saved the children of our people from execution. He promised to fight to protect us!

Now is the time to set aside our hatred for humans and focus on protecting the rest of our kin. I pledge my loyalty to the Demon Lord!”

“I, too, will follow the Demon Lord!”

Debra, the skeletal figure, followed Libera’s lead, walking forward to kneel and bow his head.

“What do we need now? It is the overwhelming power that can guide us, just like the previous Demon Lord! After losing him, we demons are merely awaiting extinction at the hands of the Hero.

But through the summoning ritual we performed in desperation, a new Demon Lord with overwhelming strength has appeared! I want to bet on this Demon Lord! I also pledge my loyalty to him!”

Two of the Four Heavenly Kings knelt before me, pledging their loyalty. While we had previously discussed this, their words carried weight. It felt like they were truly pledging their loyalty to me.

“In any case, I’m the one who lost the duel.”

Jilbe, who had been fighting me earlier, sat heavily on the ground with his arms crossed.

“…I’ll acknowledge your strength, at least. You may be human, but since you’re from another world, that’s acceptable. But let me tell you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If you betray the demons and side with the humans, I will kill you! I couldn’t defeat you this time, but no matter what means I have to use, I will kill you!”

“……”

Even though he had just lost to me, Jilbe’s eyes gleamed with intense murderous intent as he glared at me, as if he was ready to sacrifice his own life to ensure my death.

I had thought he was only fighting for revenge against the humans who destroyed his tribe, but it seems he’s more concerned about the future of all demons than I realized.

“Alright, that’s fair. But if you have a problem with how I do things, come at me head-on. The same goes for anyone else. I’ll take on any challenges! Just show me your strength in front of others!”

I don’t really want to fight duels anymore, but I’d rather avoid assassination attempts or rebellions. Those would be much worse.

At least with a duel, I can prepare and investigate my opponent ahead of time.

I might sound tough, but please, as an old man, spare me from assassination or rebellion.