Prologue 2/3: Demon Lord Discusses the Aesthetics of Evil

Hey. Do you aspire to be evil?

Evil is good, you know. It's straightforward in fulfilling one's desires and doesn't hesitate to strive towards its goals.

If evil has pride, I'll support it wholeheartedly.

"What, you think evil can have pride?" Of course it can.

If you plan to conquer the world, making it better is the bare minimum requirement.

Even if you're sucking up to others behind the scenes, it's better when the visible world is thriving.

If you want money, become capable of earning more than anyone else.

Stealing? You'll hit a dead end quickly with that method, won't you?

If you want debauchery, it starts with obtaining enough violence and wealth to dominate many members of the opposite sex.

If you just want instant gratification, going to a brothel would be far more convenient.

What? Even though you're evil, why act so serious?

That's not it at all. Evil isn't something you can half-heartedly handle.

If you play around doing evil deeds, you'll remain a hoodlum and quickly age into an old man with nothing.

Listen up. If you want to be evil, you have to be dead serious about it, even risking your life to become evil.

Anyway, evil is wonderful.

The secret society of villains that appeared in the superhero shows I watched as a kid was the ultimate hero to me. Well, should I say they were villains now?

Evil is my raison d'être, my daily guide, and the ultimate goal of my life.

Given that, I couldn't possibly refuse that invitation.

Isn't that right? To someone like me who admires evil.

"You have the aptitude to be a Demon Lord. Please descend as a Demon Lord of a different world."

That line alone was enough to sway me.

I lived a normal life on Earth. I may not have shared hobbies with someone who aspires to evil, but I had good parents and a close sister.

I was good at studying and managed to get into a pretty good university.

Well, I couldn't manage to get a girlfriend, so I guess I wasn't living the dream.

That's me, but if asked to become a Demon Lord, I would have to leave everything behind!

Because I'd be a Demon Lord, the top elite of evil.

More than becoming a Demon Lord, the fact that I had the potential to become one made me happier than anything else, as someone who admires evil. I was ecstatic!

Before I could even suspect the suspiciously simple two-choice window floating in the air with "Yes" and "No," I had already pressed "Yes" with all my might.

◇

The next thing I knew, I was floating in a pitch-black space.

"Please set your ability values."

It was a voice of a transparent woman. Was she a voice actress? I briefly thought.

It would be great if this voice belonged to my secretary.

As I pondered, a window opened before me.

Apparently, I should set my ability values as a Demon Lord.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Name: Igusa (Igusa Sanada)

Race: Human from Earth

Occupation: Demon Lord

Level: 1

EXP: 0/100

〈Stats〉

Stat Points: 65535

Strength (STR): 5

Vitality (VIT): 7

Agility (AGI): 12

Intelligence (INT): 15

Mind (MND): 9

Charisma (CHA): 12

Life Force (LFE): 7

Magic Power (MAG): 38

〈Skills〉

Skill Points: 1048575

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Now, where should I start nitpicking?

As expected of a Demon Lord, the stat points are oddly high. But then, it's possible that human strength is inflated nowadays, so I'd like to know the standard for regular folks.

"Answer: The average stat value for a typical human is 10. The inherent skill points at birth average around 5."

Thanks for the answer. That's convenient.

I see, it's clear that a Demon Lord can obtain abilities far beyond those of an ordinary person.

The initial numbers must be my original stats. Well, I knew I was weak. Maybe I should have done more weightlifting.

As for skills... Is there a level system? I'd like to know how skill points increase.

"Answer: Skills range from levels 1 to 10. The cost to acquire a skill is the square of its level. Skill points increase by 1 upon leveling up."

I see. So, if it's level 1, I can acquire it with 1 point, but if it's level 5, I'd need 25 points, and if it's level 10, it would require 100 points.

Are there regular people who can acquire level 10 skills through normal effort?

What about level 1 or level 3 skills?

"Answer: Level 1 is considered proficient in a skill. Level 2 is referred to as a professional in that field. Level 3 and beyond are prodigies who combine natural talent with relentless effort, leaving a mark in history. Acquiring skills level 4 and beyond is almost impossible for pure human species."

So, even skilled craftsmen like National Treasures in the world of crafts or robot engineers can only reach around level 3. Level 4 and beyond would involve skills in non-human realms.

As for the skill list... Ugh.

When I tried to display the skill list, it scrolled with a massive amount of skills.

It's like a phonebook-thick encyclopedia filled with tiny text.

It seems I can expand them later if I have points remaining, so I'll take my time setting them up...

This is also part of preparing for my life as a Demon Lord, so it's actually quite enjoyable.

Long live the fantasy life of a Demon Lord!

◇

───Approximately one week in subjective time───

Phew, I finally finished setting everything up.

Increasing my stat values unlocks additional skills that require certain thresholds, and acquiring skills leads to branching paths of related skills. It felt like tinkering with a complex subway map of Tokyo, I couldn't help but think.

Honestly, there were moments I wanted to give up along the way. I even threw a fit a few times.

But well, now it's a good memory, I suppose.

After confirming my stat and skill choices...

Now, the enjoyable life of a Demon Lord begins───

◇

When I came to, I found myself standing in a place surrounded by stone tablets.

It was the bottom of a crater in a barren wasteland stretching with reddish-black rust-like sandy ground.

It must be night now. In the sky full of stars, the presence of a blue moon and a red moon asserted that this wasn't Earth.

But I had no time for such observations.

"Cough, it's so painful... Cough, cough!"

It felt like my lungs were being squeezed.

Moreover, my eyes, nose, mouth, every sensitive part with mucous membranes, all of them were throbbing with pain.

"Law Magic Activated: Environmental Adaptation V."

"─Phew. I thought I was going to die suddenly."

I didn't sense any attack, so I activated a magic to adapt my body to the environment around me, which significantly eased my discomfort.

I've even maxed out my poison resistance... Why?

I cast an analysis magic on the nearby ground.

"Law Magic Activated: Target Analysis VI."

Ah, it was a good decision to take the 'No Chant' skill derived from 'Chant Shortening LV10' + 'Chant Omission LV10'. It's a characteristic of a Demon Lord to cast magic with just a snap of the fingers, but if chanting was necessary, I might not have been able to use the environmental adaptation magic.

Oops, I almost forgot to check the analysis results.

"Red Rust Sand: Soil Contamination LV7, Contamination Release LV6."

Ah... contamination, huh? Well, it can't be helped, it's the place where a Demon Lord descends.

But contamination skills were listed in the skill tree?

"Skills added: 'Contamination Resistance' and 'Contamination Magic.'"

Looks like it was an irregularity.

I'll bring up the status window and acquire Contamination Resistance LV10 just in case.

I don't know what caused the contamination, but if it was contamination caused by the Demon Lord's descent, it could have led to an ending where the Demon Lord dies in polluted land, which wouldn't be funny at all.

◇

I calmed down and looked around, and saw a pale blue light rising from somewhere in the distance. With my enhanced eyesight as the Demon King, I saw a group of stone monuments similar to the one I was summoned to.

The stone monuments were emitting a pale light, and perhaps they were the place where the Demon King's subordinates were summoned.

After walking a few kilometers across the crunchy, rust-colored sand that was difficult to walk on, I arrived at the stone monuments.

There were few ruins around, and it was an open area that wasn't a crater like the one I was in. Perhaps it was the remains of a park or something.

The pale light had only been there a moment ago, but by the time I arrived it had become a blindingly bright light.

I had just reached a point where I could see the center of the stone monuments.

"Cough... cough... cough cough!"

I saw a person crouching on the ground, coughing.

He was quite short. He looked to be around the age of a middle school student. It was hard to say for sure if he was an elementary school student or a middle school student.

And what's bad! He didn't seem to have any resistance to contamination. Isn't the soil contamination too strong!?

I rushed out and knelt next to the child who was coughing on the ground, and held my hand over her head to cast a spell.

"Law Magic Activation: Environmental Adaptation V"

A pale blue light covered the small figure, and her breathing became stable.

"I cast a spell to adapt to the environment. Are you okay?"

"……Yes. Thank you"

A girl with a pretty face and a pretty impression wiped away the liquid that had come out in response to the contamination with the handkerchief I handed her, and looked up to thank me. It's good to be able to give a proper thank you.

It's weird that she's wearing the boring pajamas-like clothes provided by the hospital.

Given her appearance... what position is she in?

She looks young and seems like she could be a close aide to the Demon King... no.

If she was a loli-baba witch, she'd be an advisor or aide, but at least she doesn't seem like a succubus. The demand for a succubus exclusively for lolicons is too niche, and as a close aide to the Demon King... maybe she could be a pet?

"Um, are you a magician?"

The girl timidly called out. She can certainly use magic.

"I can use magic, but I'm not a magician by profession. Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't understand, but are you Japanese?"

She has silver hair and green eyes. She's a beautiful girl with surprisingly well-defined features, but there's something familiar about her, and apart from the color of her hair and eyes, she has similar features to Japanese people.

"Eh... yes. I'm Japanese. Maybe you were summoned too?"

She seemed surprised, but understood right away.

She's got a pretty quick mind.

"Yeah, I'm Japanese and I was summoned too. It's not a coincidence... right?"

"I don't think it's a coincidence. It's probably intentional."

I guess so. She was summoned nearby, and we're both Japanese.

"I have a favor to ask of you. It seems like it's tough here without your magic, so could you accompany me for a while?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I was also having trouble understanding the situation."

The Demon King had descended, so even if it wasn't a grand welcome, I wanted someone to at least guide me.

"My environmental adaptation magic only lasts for two hours, so I'll accompany you. I would feel bad about abandoning someone from my hometown."

Some may feel uncomfortable, but good-natured villains and scoundrels are kind to strangers.

The people you treat kindly may become your subordinates or subjects, so you'll be polite.

Using violence for no particular reason and actively increasing your enemies is not evil, but the actions of scum.

Demon Kings and evil leaders are in a position and profession that requires tolerance, so much so that they ask brave warriors and heroes who have defeated their subordinates if they will become their subordinates.

"Thank you. I'm a summoned hero. I think I might have other hero companions... I think. I don't hear much about heroes being alone. If you're a sage, maybe you could be a companion candidate."

"What? A hero?"

You mean that hero?

Hold on. If you say female hero, you mean a beautiful girl who was raised like this.

Wait, wait! I was really looking forward to it!

It's the demon king's privilege to capture a female hero and do naughty things to her!

The event where he takes a reluctant female hero in his hands, trains her little by little, and then says "I'm frustrated, but..." is a sure thing!? I'm not to blame for expecting such a development, am I!?

If I did that to this girl, it would be a crime in a different sense, or rather, it would change the genre. If there's someone in charge, I'll complain, so come out...!

"What's wrong? Maybe you're really a sage?"

Her puzzled, confused expression is cute too. She's cute, but it's a bit different from the sexually attractive female hero I was looking for.

The innocent eyes of this girl hurt as I shed tears of blood in my heart.

"...Ah, no, I'm not a sage. I'm the Demon King."

I answered honestly, frustrated and sad.

"Huh?"

The next moment the girl froze at my confession, numerous beams of light flashed across the night sky, and the darkness was dyed in a dazzling light.

"The human death toll has exceeded 100,000. The hero failed to protect the humans, and the Demon King won."

"The hero's survival has been confirmed. With the Demon King's victory, the hero will now be enslaved to the Demon King."

"What!?"

The two of us couldn't help but sing in unison at the sudden victory message.