Chapter 8 – Regarding the Demon Queen
“So, once again, I present the Demon Queen.”
The next day, I met with the executives again.
Although I had not yet agreed to become queen, from the demons’ perspective, the decision made by Ewaldt, the Demon Lord, is absolute.
I curtsied in response to Lady Alexia’s words.
“I am Rachel, the Lich. Ah, I haven’t yet accepted becoming Lord Ewaldt’s queen, so I’m not sure if it’s okay to call me the Demon Queen after all……”
“We can’t call you by your name, so that can’t be helped. We wouldn’t dare call out ‘Hey, Lich’ to you. It’s just a tentative term.”
“Hasn’t this matter already been decided……?”
Other people probably wouldn’t like to call me the Demon Queen.
Lady Alexia chuckled softly, “Hohoho.”.
Her lack of denial was, in a way, quite honest.
“I have no objection to what Lord Faust has decided.”
Said Lord Wilhelm, the dragon.
The others nodded in agreement.
“Although there are some parts I don’t like, it’s true that she resurrected the Demon King. Well, I guess I can trust her a little.”
“The Demon Lord is even more wonderful than I imagined he would be~. I’m so jealous that he desires you~”
“Oh, Lord Faust, it seems that he, too, has awakened to the beauty of love! How joyous this occasion is! We must prepare a celebratory feast!”
…… There is only one strange person.
“Wait, the Demon Queen hasn’t yet accepted becoming Faust’s consort. I fear the consequences if you do something unnecessary.”
Lady Alexia looks shocked.
Incidentally, this slightly unusual man is a vampire with short golden hair and red eyes, and like Lady Alexia, he seems to be one of the progenitors of the vampire race.
According to Lady Alexia, he was like her younger brother.
“What is it?! What could you possibly be dissatisfied with to not agree when the great Lord Faust has proposed?!”
I was a little startled by his sudden pressure.
“Eh, n, no, I have no dissatisfaction with Lord Ewaldt, but……”
“Then why won’t you accept him?!”
He presses harder and harder and I instinctively pull away.
“I have never made a decision for myself before. And even if I’m suddenly asked, I can’t trust it right away. It’s not about being a human or a demon, but as someone who was once abandoned, I don’t want to repeat the same thing again.”
“Wait, what do you mean you have never made a decision for yourself?”
Lord Rodolphe, the werewolf, asked back.
I smiled wryly at that.
“As I said, I was once a Duke’s daughter. And as the fiancée to the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Inglith, I was educated from a young age to become the Crown Princess, and by extension, the Queen. My dress, the accessories I wore, my hairstyle, the way I behaved, what I would say – everything was prescribed for me, and I followed those exact instructions.”
Lord Rodolphe snarled.
“What the hell is that? Isn’t that a bit strange? So, you… the Demon Queen, have been following the instructions of the people around you all this time?”
“Yes, you’re right. Looking back, it was foolish.”
Still, I was desperate at the time.
Being the Crown Prince’s fiancée was my only place in the world and my only sense of worth.
I thought that if I were no longer the Crown Prince’s fiancée, I would no longer be of any value.
Therefore, the words of the tutors and the Queen were absolute.
In truth, I had known for a long time that the Crown Prince didn’t care about me, but I continued to follow the instructions of the Queen and my tutors.
Even after the appearance of Saintess Yuri, I believed the Queen’s words —”It’s your fault for lacking charm”—and convinced myself that I was the one to blame.
…… Even though I haven’t done anything wrong.
I never thought that I would be falsely accused by a saint.
“That’s why I’m wondering, is becoming Lord Ewaldt’s queen the best path for me? Can I believe it? …… That’s what I want to know.”
There is no one I can believe in.
But I want to believe in someone.
Those were my true feelings, so I couldn’t refuse right away.
During her life as Rachel, the Young Lady of the Duke of Sheringham, I was never sought after by anyone.
I feel self-mockery at being sought after now.
“Then, it’s not that you dislike Lord Faust?!”
When the vampire gentleman, Fahlen Thein, asked me, I drew back slightly and nodded.
“Eh, no, I don’t dislike Lord Ewaldt. I’m grateful to him for accepting me as a member of the demon race.”
“In that case, there’s still a chance —……!”
“Thein, you will shut up for a moment.”
Dogoo, and Lady Alexia’s fist sank into Lord Fahlen’s abdomen.
Lord Fahlen’s feet floated in the air for a moment, and his body was blown away a little.
“Also, back away from the Demon Queen. If you get too close, the Demon Lord will discipline you, right?”
Lord Fahlen rolled on the floor.
Everyone looked at him with stunned faces.
Lord Fahlen choked.
“Ah, dear sister’s fists are as stimulating as ever…”
I was taken aback by his somewhat cheerful tone.
Lady Alexia ignored it.
“Anyway, the Demon Queen is also one of the executives. Make sure all your subordinates are aware of this. Looking at her mana and presence, I doubt anyone will lay a hand on her, but if anything happens to the Demon Queen, it would incur the Demon Lord’s wrath.”
“Understood.”
Lord Wilhelm nodded at Lady Alexia’s words.
“Hey,” Lord Rodolphe called out.
“Y-, Demon Queen, be careful. There might be some foolish enough to disregard the Demon Lord’s will.”
I think about it for a moment.
“Demons follow survival of the fittest—might makes right, correct?”
“Huh? Ah, that’s right.”
“Is it acceptable to show no mercy to those who come after me?”
I’m not going to put up with it anymore.
Silence does not always bring good results.
I also learned that sometimes it’s important to resist.
“Well, maybe you should just beat him up. But don’t kill them. Killing your own kind is not allowed unless you have a very good reason. If you must kill them, get permission from the Demon Lord.”
“Alright.”
It’s not that you shouldn’t kill, but that you should ask permission and then kill.
Truly, demons have an interesting value system.
…… But okay.
Since I am no longer human, perhaps I should abandon my human values.
Because I’m Rachel, the Lich.
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“Fu,” the Demon Queen smiled.
Alexia watched as Rodolphe instinctively recoiled at the subtle intensity of her smile, inwardly finding it amusing.
Although she hadn’t expected that the girl she’d picked up out of mere curiosity would turn out to be a descendant of Saintess Illumina, it was a stroke of luck that it ultimately led to the resurrection of the Demon Lord.
…… Still, to think she would become a queen.
The Demon Lord and Alexia have known each other for a long time, but this is the first time that the Demon Lord has ever courted anyone.
Also, she is a former human, the reincarnation of a saint.
But it’s certainly a better option than killing her.
Liches are immortal, and the Demon Queen is said to be proficient at necromancy. Zombies and skeletons are improvised, but they are useful as advanced troops for an army.
It’s unclear how powerful they are, but if they can handle a decent number, they can reduce the attrition on the demon side in the fight against the humans.
Besides, as a former human, she would likely be knowledgeable about the situation on the human side.
The resurrection of the Demon Lord alone is joyous, but she should also be welcomed as it would increase the strength of the Demon Lord’s army.
Only the Demon Queen can seal the Demon Lord.
However, if they get married and become companions, the chances of betrayal may be reduced.
This girl knows the pain of being betrayed, so once she becomes an ally, she won’t betray him so easily.
As we were talking, the door to the room opened.
“There you are.”
Everyone except the Demon Queen bowed their heads.
The visitor was our master, the Demon Lord.
The Demon Queen was about to bow in haste, but the Demon Lord stopped her with his hand.
“Rachel, you don’t need to do that. What are you doing here?”
“I was talking with everyone. Now that I’m a member of the Demon Lord’s Army, I thought we could get to know each other better.”
“That makes me jealous.”
The Demon Lord approached and took the Demon Queen’s hand.
The Demon Lord planted a kiss on her hand.
“I wish you would pay a little more attention to me.”
The Demon Queen looked embarrassed and confused at his low, sweet voice.
Apparently, the Demon Queen is not accustomed to men.
“Well, I’m interested……”
The Demon Lord smiled at that.
“I see, I’m glad to hear that.”
The Demon Lord then pulled the Demon Queen closer to him.
“But I want you to be more interested in me. I want to get to know you. Please, will you give me the chance to get to know you?”
The Demon Queen slightly nodded her head in the arms of the Demon Lord.
Then, the Demon Lord left the room with the Demon Queen.
Alexia watched them go.
…… It would be best not to disturb them now.
As the door closed and the footsteps faded away, everyone stood up.
“Oh, Lord Faust! What a beautiful man! Why doesn’t the Demon Queen just accept him? There is no one in all the land who is as wonderful as he is!!”
As Thein made exaggerated gestures and made a fuss, Alexia punched him in the side.
“You’re noisy.”
Thein let out a ”Gufu”, but the look of delight on his face was so strong that no one commented.
This younger brother, though brilliant, was a bit eccentric and always had been.
Rodolphe scratched his head with a sigh.
“I’ve heard what’s going on, the Demon Lord really wants to make the Demon Queen his consort, doesn’t he?”
“Mmm, perhaps. He’s a man who doesn’t go back on his word.”
“It’s not against the will of the Demon Lord, but as the Demon Lord’s consort, you need to be reasonably capable. I don’t think the others will be convinced, just having a lot of mana is not enough.”
There is the feat of resurrecting the Demon Lord.
However, that alone is not reason enough for the demons to follow her. The demon world is one in which merit matters.
“Maybe we should decide after seeing how things go from here on out?”
Rodolphe snorted softly at Hilde’s words.
“You’re just going to accept it, aren’t you?”
“Well, our Demon Lord has made his decision, so I’ll just follow it~”
“Think about it a little more.”
Hilde put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks slightly.
“Well, how cruel. I’ll have you know that I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. The fact that she was the fiancée of the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Inglith means that she must have deep knowledge on the inner workings of the country. And the Kingdom of Inglith has a saint. If we can take that country, I think we can also weaken the influence of other human nations. Right now, the center of power on the human side is the Kingdom of Inglith, right?”
Indeed, Hilde is right.
The center of human power is the Kingdom of Inglith, where the Saint resides, and if that kingdom can be taken, the rest will scatter.
The human nations are currently working together to fight the demons, but unlike the demons, they sometimes wage wars among themselves.
If we have someone who knows the inner workings of the Kingdom of Inglith, it will be easier to attack.
As the Crown Prince’s fiancée, it would not be surprising if she knew about the internal affairs of the country and the state of the human military.
If we could get information about the saint who was summoned from another world, we might be able to find some way to counter her.
The purification magic used by the Saint is troublesome.
It is a wide-range Holy Attribute spell that weakens demons, and can even kill weak demons.
“Well, that’s true, but …….”
Rodolphe made a doubtful expression.
He didn’t completely trust the Demon Queen.
That was the case for everyone present.
However, considering that she has resurrected the Demon Lord, Alexia believes that she will not return to the human side.
If there was any doubt, she would not have resurrected him.
“Either way, I’d like to have the power of necromancy. We can increase the number of zombies and skeletons in our army and weaken the humans first, then attack them, minimizing our losses.”
“Yes, I have some hope for that.”
“Oh, isn’t it unusual for you to say such a thing, Wilhelm?”
Since the dragon hates humans, I thought he might be unwilling to ask for the Demon Queen’s help.
“If enduring a little is necessary to destroy humanity, so be it. Besides, a lich is a demon. I’ll use what I can, even if it is a former human.”
“Hoho, that’s true. Even though the Demon Lord has been awakened, the number of demons is much smaller than they were in their heyday. Humans may be weak individually, but they are numerous. The only way to counter numbers is with numbers.”
“With that amount of mana, it’s unlikely she can only manage a small number.”
Alexia also had high hopes for that.
Liches are originally demons who are skilled in necromancy.
And the Demon Queen said that she was skilled in necromancy even when she was human, so after becoming a Lich and gaining a connection with the Demon Lord, her mana has increased, and her necromancy is likely even stronger than when she was alive.
“I would also like to witness the Demon Queen’s power.”
Everyone nods at Alexia’s words.
“However, even I am too afraid to interrupt the Demon Lord. It would be better to wait until the Demon Queen tells us what she wants to do.”
“…… Is the Demon Lord really that fond of the Demon Queen?”
Alexia laughs at Rodolphe’s question.
“Didn’t you see what happened just now? The Demon Lord is serious about marrying the Demon Queen. I’ve never seen him treat anyone so specially.”
Wilhelm also nodded silently.
“Unless you intend to incur the Demon Lord’s wrath, just sit back and watch. He has a big heart, but if he is displeased, he will not hesitate to eliminate even his own people. I do not want to die yet.”
Rodolphe seemed to think carefully and said, “I see.”
…… Well, I hope nothing happens.
Alexia’s intuition is often spot on at times like this.
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Sads Translates 