"Fine, we'll see. One day, I'll surpass you. I’m not thrilled, but until then, I'll follow your lead. However, don’t expect me to follow your 'no killing humans' rule."

"…Yeah, that’s something I’ll have to consider too."

If his entire clan was slaughtered, it would be hard for him to suppress his anger when facing humans.

If I were in front of someone responsible for my parents' death, I’d likely act on impulse and try to kill them too. I need to figure out a way to prevent direct confrontations between demons and humans as much as possible.

"…Still, are you really the same human from before? Your demeanor and attitude are completely different."

"……"

Now that he mentions it, I’ve been wearing the Maou Kokuengai this whole time. This skill doesn’t consume any magic or stamina. In this unpredictable world, it’s best to keep myself protected at all times.

I deactivate the armor, revealing my human appearance. Knowing Jilbe’s personality, he wouldn’t try a surprise attack in this situation.

"Tch, so the timid act you put on at first was just to catch us off guard, huh? Whatever, I prefer this version of you anyway."

"…Yeah, something like that."

I say that while reactivating the armor.

Though honestly, the timid me was the real me. Now, as Libera and Debra said, I’m just putting on a strong front so I won’t be underestimated as a Demon Lord. Truthfully, this tough act is pretty tiring.

"…It seems I have no choice but to follow along as well."

The last of the Four Heavenly Kings, Lugaro, with his blue skin and goat-like horns, steps forward and kneels before me, just like Libera and Debra did.

"I have seen your power firsthand. It seems to surpass even that of the previous Demon Lord. I, too, pledge to recognize you as my Demon Lord."

"I see. But if you have any objections, feel free to challenge me anytime. Don’t hesitate to speak your mind."

Please, no assassinations or rebellions. If you want the Demon Lord title, I’ll gladly hand it over.

Lugaro is said to be the strongest magic-user among the Four Heavenly Kings. While Debra is also a skilled magician, his expertise lies more in knowledge and strategy. When it comes to sheer magical power, Lugaro holds the advantage.

I’ll be learning about magic from Debra, but right now, my knowledge of it is nearly non-existent. I don’t want to be caught off guard by some unfamiliar magic or assassination attempt.

"We, too, pledge our loyalty to the Demon Lord!"

With all of the Four Heavenly Kings now pledging their allegiance, the other high-ranking officers of the Demon Lord’s army who had been gathered around the dueling arena also kneel and bow their heads to me.

It seems I am now officially the Demon Lord, in both name and fact. I chose this path, but how did it come to this? Just thinking about the future makes this old man weary…

"Alright, let’s talk about what happens next."

We moved from the dueling arena to a room that looks like a conference room. There are five of us: myself and the Four Heavenly Kings.

I would like to take a break, but there’s one thing I need to address immediately. That’s why we’re discussing the future now.

"As I mentioned earlier, I aim for a ceasefire in the war between humans and demons. What are the chances of the humans accepting a ceasefire if the demon side proposes one?"

"There is almost no chance of that happening. The previous ceasefire agreement was made because the power balance between humans and demons was perfectly even. It was an agreement made to avoid unnecessary casualties.

But with the death of the previous Demon Lord, the humans have pushed us back, and the demons are in a vastly inferior position. There’s not even a one-in-a-million chance they’d accept a ceasefire now."

I figured as much…

Debra is right. In the current situation, where the humans have the upper hand, there’s almost no chance they’ll accept a ceasefire. Humans and demons have been at each other’s throats for centuries.

The humans will likely seize this opportunity to wipe out the demons entirely. They’ll probably even demand the demons become subservient to them.

"The only way the humans would consider a ceasefire is if they perceive the Demon Lord as a significant threat."

…That makes sense. Unless a Demon Lord, more terrifying than the previous one, emerges and forces a balance, the humans will never agree to a ceasefire.

"Perhaps we should publicly announce the rise of a new Demon Lord on both the demon and human sides? It would boost the morale of the Demon Lord’s army, and it might lower the spirits of those humans who knew the power of the previous Demon Lord."

"…Yeah, let’s do that."

Though honestly, I don’t want to. If we announce that I’m the new Demon Lord, I’ll become a full-fledged enemy of the humans. It’s hard to accept that my own people will be gunning for me…

But if we’re going to secure a ceasefire, the presence of the Demon Lord is necessary.

"We’ll also need to demonstrate your overwhelming power to the humans."

"That’s easy. We could just crush human towns one by one. With that crazy magic you used earlier, you could probably destroy a small town in one shot."

"Jilbe, the Demon Lord already said we’ll try to minimize human casualties."

"Tch!"

Debra rebukes Jilbe’s reckless suggestion. Sure, that would be the quickest way to show off my power, but it would result in thousands of deaths. As a human myself, there’s no way I can allow that.

"Still, Jilbe’s idea has some merit. Of course, I don’t intend to kill humans, but we could launch raids on towns near demon territory to spread the word about the new Demon Lord’s threat."

"See, I told you!"

Raiding human towns and hitting their frontlines would be the fastest way to demonstrate the Demon Lord’s power. But there’s also something else I want to address urgently.

"As we raid human towns, we’ll also rescue any demons captured by humans."