Chapter 301
[Side Story] Demon Lord Pedonar
Born amid the darkness of the universe, I had no purpose in life.
I merely drifted through space and counted the beautifully twinkling stars.
But nothing lasts forever.
“Nyahahaha!”
“Give it back~ Give me back my panties~ If you don’t…”
“What’s that? I can’t hear anything…”
“Retribution!”
“Ugyahahaha!”
A pink pillow hit the cheeky guy holding sky blue panties in his hands.
But what was happening didn’t amuse me at all.
Because in the place where the pink pillow landed, there was nothing left.
No light, no darkness… Nothing.
Except for one creature.
“Are you alive?”
“Yes, I’m fine. This often happens when one’s in such a hurry they don’t even have the time to look back. Nyahahaha!”
“Is that so…”
The being was extremely emotional.
And powerful.
If that pillow hit me, I would’ve disappeared without a trace.
“You’re a spirit, right?”
“Spirit?”
I bowed my head in disbelief.
Until now, I hadn’t thought about who I was.
“You didn’t achieve perfection through training as I did, Spirit of Darkness. Rather, you’re a deity that’s perfect by nature.”
“Deity…”
“Wow! You began to shape your body as soon as you realized your personality! Not bad at all… Hmm? Hey! Did you just copy my horns on your forehead? That’s plagiarism!”
“Plagiarism?”
Were these horns called plagiarism?
I just decided to imitate him.
“These are the trademark of all demons!”
“…”
“Nyahahaha! You really don’t know anything. Don’t worry about it. I’ll make an exception for you. That aside, let me introduce myself. I’m the Demon God, and you… Oh! You will be the Demon Lord!”
“The Demon Lord…?”
“The Demon Lord, my friend! I hope we get along. Nyahahaha!”
“Yes.”
From that day on, I became the “Demon Lord.”
A passing God called me Pedonar.
Demon Lord Pedonar.
It sounded kind of strange, but I thought it was just me.
***
So much time passed after that that it was pointless to count.
I gained experience, began to visit the most famous restaurants in the universe, and learned how to use Dark Energy.
But this joy did not last forever either.
So I needed advice.
“Are you bored?”
“Yes.”
“Go and steal that innocent goddess’s underwear. There will definitely be no time to be bored then.”
“Oh…”
If I disappeared without a trace, then I would definitely not be bored.
The advice of this Demon God, my mentor, was always rash.
“Hey, Pedonar.”
“Yes?”
“If you run away because it’s hard, of course, you’ll be bored. Look at me. I never get bored. Nyahahaha!”
“You’re just very impatient and cannot sit still for a long time.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. But if you’re so intimidated by the innocent goddess’s underwear, why don’t you try something easier, like conquering the world? Consider it an initiation ritual.”
“Initiation ritual?”
“Yes. Nobody knows you. So let them know.”
“Okay.”
After that, I watched as he bravely approached the innocent goddess and held out a bouquet.
“Have my children…”
“Retribution!”
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“Kyahahahahaha!”
The pillow, which the goddess lovingly hugged, moved from its place, and an entire galaxy disappeared without a trace.
Hundreds of thousands of stars had been obliterated from existence, making it impossible to turn into black holes.
Why did she punish him like that?
“No harems!”
That was a valid and plausible reason.
“Conquering the world will be much easier…”
I was sure it was much easier than trying to touch the underwear of an innocent goddess.
After that, preparatory work began.
***
I went to a distant galaxy that the gods didn’t visit.
Since it was untouched by the deities who loved to spread their knowledge, I could watch the wild locals running around in nothing but their underwear.
I decided to stay here.
More precisely, on the planet Fronesis.
It was named after the First Spirit Fronesis, the elder sister of all spirits.
Having made this place the starting point for conquering the world, I created weapons and turned the locals into my soldiers.
As my mentor said, every day felt rewarding, eliminating my boredom.
Additionally…
I fell in love.
“Demon Lord Pedonar, abandon your childhood plans to conquer the world already. How many animals and spirits have lost their homes due to the deforestation you ordered for the sake of building yourself an exorbitantly huge villa… Pedonar? Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Really? What did I say, then?”
“That you’re very beautiful, Fantasy.”
“That’s not even close! You’re no Lord of Demons. You’re the Lord of Fools! You are stupider than my sister Fronesis! Why are you smiling? It’s not a compliment!”
“Ha. If it means meeting you, I’m ready to be a fool.”
“Lord of Fools Pedonar, please listen to me properly. How many times do you want me to repeat the same thing? Unlike my sister, I’m not an idle and lazy spirit. I have a lot to do.”
“If it means getting to talk to you, I am ready to cut as many trees as needed.”
I wasn’t joking.
The reason why the size of my villa increased unnecessarily was due to the First Spirit’s sister.
Star Spirit Fantasy.
She had lived on the planet Fronesis since time immemorial.
For the sake of meeting her, I was prepared to burn down all the forests in the universe.
“What?! Then this will result in a vicious cycle! Stop behaving like a child, Lord of Fools Pedonar. Now that we’ve figured out the cause, let’s find a solution to it. What do I have to do to keep you from cutting down trees?”
“You…”
“What about me? Speak faster. I still have a lot to do.”
“Well…”
“Do you need time to think?”
Fantasy was about to leave.
I had to act urgently.
It would take decades to meet her again, considering that she listened to the complaints of even the tiniest organisms living on the planet.
If I missed this opportunity, I would have to take up woodcutting again, which would cause her to hate me.
Looking back, I realized I acted rashly.
I could have caused the destruction of an entire galaxy.
“Have my children.”
But I didn’t regret it. After all…
“Dad! What is it?”
It was a success.
A beautiful demon resembling Fantasy was born from a star.
I felt so delighted raising my daughter Ssosia with her that I even gave up world domination.
“Heeheehee! Ssosia, you can call me auntie.”
“Hi, Ssosia. I am Parmael, the First Angel, mistress of a neighboring planet, and your father’s older sister. In other words, I’m also your aunt, but from your father’s side.”
“Hello, aunties!”
“Ssosia’s so cute~”
“Hohoho!”
But our happiness lasted only a few hundred thousand years.
Because Fantasy, which had gone off to warn the adventurers from the neighboring planet Parmael not to dig into its ruins, was killed.
Parmael, instead of apologizing, accused me of not looking after my own wife.
It was partly my fault, of course.
But…
“I will take revenge.”
I continued preparing for world domination, which I had long abandoned.
“Don’t do this, dad. Mom wouldn’t want you to do that.”
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“Ssosia.”
“Yes?”
“If you have time to lecture your father, you’d better continue your mother’s work and take care of the planet.”
“And what about you?”
“I can’t forgive myself for becoming so careless out of sheer happiness.”
“I understand… Farewell.”
I didn’t see her for a long time after that.
And our most awaited reunion wasn’t the most pleasant one either.
Ssosia, whom I met again, joined a group of adventurers formed to stop my revenge.
But their attempts were in vain.
I destroyed all who indiscriminately killed “demons,” the people I raised to conquer the world.
This was the difference between God and man.
They could never defeat me.
I became too arrogant.
“Wait! This is…”
I felt the energy of the cheeky Demon God from the last adventurer who called himself a hero.
“Take this!”
“Shit!”
It was already too late by the time I noticed it.
If I had thought everything through and prepared for this in advance, I could have avoided it.
I forgot.
About who advised me to conquer the world.
The Demon God wanted to have fun.
Damn mentor…
That being said, I was defeated.
It was undeniable that the adventurer who challenged me was stronger.
Where did a human get such strength?
So I asked, “Hero, what is the source of your power?”
“The rage from losing my comrades!”
“Is that so? To think that I, the one who considered himself the strongest, would be defeated by the power of friendship… Well, It was a great battle, at least.”
***
Defeated, I found myself sealed on the planet where my beloved wife fell asleep forever.
My sister stole my power and made me a training dummy for the adventurers she raised.
Those were miserable days.
Much time had passed since then.
“Hello, father.”
“Ssosia?”
“My aunt betrayed me, which was really stupid. Instead of avenging my mother, I helped slay my own father. This must be my punishment. Waaaaah!”
“Shhh. Everything’s going to be okay.”
I patted my crying daughter’s back, treating her like a little child.
World domination.
While for me, it was initially a bit of a joke to brighten up my boring everyday life, it turned out that my sister, the First Angel Parmael, took it seriously.
Something had to be done about it.
But what exactly?
“Something is making this hero late.”
It took heroes an average of three years to reach my villa, which had been named the Demon Lord’s castle.
But this particular individual hadn’t appeared in ten years.
How long did this pathetic guy plan to take?
BOOM!
Finally, he brazenly kicked my doors down.
“Are you the Demon Lord?”
“Right. I am Pedonar, evil itself! I shall be the one to plunge this world into eternal darkness!”
Great show as always.
My audience was only a single hero, though.
That being said…
Where were all his companions?
He was a strange guy.
“It looks like it’s really you this time.”
“Haha! Hero, your eyes are full of determination. I love it! Let it be so! I accept the challenge presented to me by humanity!”
“Wait a minute. Before we fight, I want to ask you something. Why did you just watch and wait for your subordinates to die?”
Surprised, I frowned.
“Just watched and waited? How crude. I’ve always sent my strongest subordinates against you to take revenge.”
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“But they were killed nonetheless.”
“Then I sent even stronger subordinates.”
“They died, too.”
“Are you really unhappy that you were lucky enough to survive, Hero?”
He was a really strange guy.
No hero ever doubted what was happening.
“If the infamous Demon Lord had acted himself from the start, would I be here now?”
He had a sharp mind.
Or perhaps the others were just too stupid.
But I couldn’t tell him…
About my escape plan.
“Your speculations are meaningless, Hero.”
“They’re definitely not…”
“Unless you’re knowledgeable about the politics of demons, shut up.”
“…”
I was able to adapt to the level drop caused by the Demon Lord’s handicap because we talked for a long time.
Now I was at the same level as him.
He was the perfect adversary because there weren’t even any companions next to him.
I thought it would be an easy victory, but… I lost in an instant.
How?
How?
How?
I immediately remembered the time the First Hero defeated me.
However, unlike him, this Hero remained calm, and he didn’t use the Holy Sword, imbued with the power of the First Angel Parmael.
He defeated me based on pure skill alone!
I couldn’t believe it. I had to ask him.
“Kh! Does your mighty power come from the rage of losing your comrades?”
“No, this is the result of training.”
Having said this, the Hero smiled.
And I got goosebumps.
“How is that possible? Well… It’s at least a great fight…”
At that moment, my instincts whispered.
I had found a suitable successor.
***
“Thank you so much for your warm welcome, father-in-law. That meal removed all of the accumulated stress that your cowardly daughter has brought me. However, I would now like to set this aside and get down to business.”
The Last Supper.
The time has finally come.
“I understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Even if you are my father-in-law, I cannot calmly close my eyes to everything you’ve done. Sorry, but I must kill you.”
“If you were a hero, then that really would be our fate. However, you haven’t officially become a hero yet, have you?”
“I am a hero.”
“They’ve told you that you are, but the documents state otherwise. Am I wrong?”
BOOM!
Striking the table with both hands, my daughter got up and looked at me in surprise.
“How do you know that?!”
“Did you really think I made him my son-in-law without any preparations, my beloved daughter? Since we first met, I had already decided that he would become the Demon Lord’s vessel. I doubted my decision at first, but as soon as you became the first to fall in love with him, I started thanking my fate.”
I could never forget that day.
The face of my son-in-law, who defeated me with nothing but his own skill. His eerie smile.
I knew then that he was ready.
My son-in-law would become an impeccable Demon Lord.
It was fated.
“Fate? No! Run!”
“Be freed from your shackles as the Hero and let the Second Demon’s curse devour you! You shall become the Second Demon Lord as I, the First Demon, gladly accept the fate the universe itself has prepared for me!”
This was also fate.
I would start all over again.
I handed over the family business to my reliable son-in-law and turned him into an actual part of my family.
Bound by blood.
“Wow~”
It was time to begin world domination from scratch!
I had something to say to my sassy and impatient mentor.
That aside…”
“Ah! Our youngest is often so quiet. Han-soo was always crying.”
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As soon as I saw the smile of the woman who was trying to feed me, goosebumps went down my skin.
It was better to keep quiet for now.