"Let me confirm once more. Are these truly all the demons in this city?"

"Yes, of course. This city has a slave ledger. Every demon listed there has been brought here. I’ve also informed their owners that compensation will be provided later."

A slave ledger… So such a thing exists. No wonder they managed to gather all the demons in the city and bring them here in just an hour. I thought it would take much longer.

Well, I guess it wasn’t a problem after all. But better safe than sorry.

"In that case, there should be no issue. Rest assured, once I confirm that there are no other demons, I will release the remaining ten hostages and return two-thirds of the others."

"Y-You're going into the city!?"

"Yes, but don’t worry. I’ll go alone."

"N-No, it’s just that…"

It’s not that they’re hiding something. They simply can’t allow the Demon Lord to enter their city. Understandable.

"As I’ve said many times, I don’t mind using force if necessary."

"Ugh… A-Alright! I’ll grant you special permission!"

A slight burst of the Demon Lord’s intimidation skill directed at the lord and soldiers was enough to get their immediate consent.

Yup, I definitely look like the bad guy here. Well, I am the Demon Lord, after all.

"My Lord!"

"No problem, Libera. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t try anything foolish."

"Understood!"

"I’ll be back shortly."

"W-What!?"

As I took off into the air using wind magic, the lord and his followers were visibly shocked. Maybe using wind magic to fly isn’t common, unlike flying creatures with wings.

I soared over the city walls and entered the city. Although there were guards stationed on the walls, they refrained from attacking me, likely following the lord’s orders.

The city was quite large, bustling with people and filled with numerous buildings. Flying above the rooftops ensured that no one below noticed me.

"I see…"

After surveying the city from the air, I returned to where the lord and others were gathered.

"I don’t know what you were looking for, but there weren’t any demons, right? Now, as promised, release the rest of the hostages."

"Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. There are still demons in the city. It seems you’ve been lying to me."

"W-What!?"

While flying over the city, I used my Detection Skill to confirm the presence of any remaining demons. Just like my intimidation skill, when I focus on it, I can gather more detailed information.

The Detection Skill not only senses the size of the entity but can also discern whether it’s a demon or a human.

While the city guards used a magical tool at the gates to distinguish between demons and humans, it’s possible that tool leverages a similar principle.

"We have not lied! Right, Chancellor?"

"Indeed! All the slaves in this city are accounted for!"

The elderly man beside the lord appeared to be his advisor. Judging by his reaction, it didn’t seem like they were hiding anything intentionally.

This means the demons I detected must be illegal slaves not listed in the ledger.

"Hmm… It seems these are comrades secretly captured. There should be no issue if we reclaim them. Now, follow me."

"Ah, Lord Governor! What a rare honor to have you here! To what do I owe the pleasure today?"

The lord, his advisor, and half the soldiers accompanied me to a large mansion near the city center, likely the residence of a high-ranking noble.

The man who greeted us was an obese gentleman in his fifties, adorned with flashy jewelry and oversized rings studded with gemstones.

"I must speak with you urgently, Lord Redal. I’ve received information that demons are being held within this mansion. Is this true?"

"W-What nonsense are you speaking of, my Lord? Such a thing could never be true!"

He was visibly flustered. Not that it mattered—I already knew there was one demon here, thanks to my Detection Skill.

"My apologies, but we will search the mansion."

"Of course, you’re welcome to. There’s nothing in my residence to hide!"

I see. He’s confident we won’t find anything.

"No point in wasting time. We’ll do this my way."

"My Lord, who is this man…?"

"W-Well, um… You see…"

Of course, the lord couldn’t possibly admit I was the Demon Lord.

Time to make an impression.

"Barrier."

I cast a protective barrier over the mansion’s servants and the demon we needed to rescue. I couldn’t risk anyone being harmed.

"Dark Lightning!"

BOOOOOOM

"W-What kind of magic is this!"

"To unleash such a massive spell without incantation… Unbelievable!"

"My mansion! My beautiful mansion is ruined!"

The spell summoned a massive black thunderbolt from the sky, obliterating the mansion and reducing it to rubble.