When I Was Reincarnated into the World of an Ultra-Difficult Game, I Ended Up As the Sole Subordinate of the Ridiculously Strong yet Incompetent Demon Lord, Tasked with Creating a Dungeon
“You’re overworking. Take a break.”
“No way~!”
“I’ll put out your fire and weaken you if I have to, just to make you rest.”
“I’ve gotten stronger, so that won’t be enough to stop me anymore~!”
Terapheia’s forehead veins bulged as she held up a syringe.
I don’t really know what’s going on, but I can at least tell that thing is dangerous.
“Whaaa—!? Using mana deficiency against me is so unfair!”
“If you’ve really gotten stronger, then losing mana continuously shouldn’t be a problem, right? Now, let’s see just how strong you’ve become.”
“Alright, alright… I’ll rest. I just have to rest, right?”
“Of course. And don’t even think about using one of your clones to rest in your place like before.”
“…Che~.”
“Seriously, people who can create clones are such a hassle…”
So there’s a history of this, huh.
It’s true that Pilkaya’s power is indispensable to the Demon Lord’s army.
Which is exactly why it’d be a problem if they kept pushing themselves until they collapsed.
“Now, just one more left. You—you’re quite an unusual one. That wasn’t exactly fun to watch, was it?”
“Not really, but managing the organization as a whole is directly tied to this, so it was useful.”
“Oh? In that case, I’ve been hearing some bad rumors about you.”
“…Huh?”
What bad rumors?
No way it’s from Lady Fiona. The Four Heavenly Kings wouldn’t say something like that—not those five.
It wouldn’t be the other four demons, either. Dikitis still hasn’t fully acknowledged me, but she’s not the type to spread nasty gossip.
So… is it one of the overworked employees?
“You push yourself recklessly, burn through your mana until you’re on the verge of collapse, and—of all things—you made contact with the Hero and got your arm rendered useless. Also, apparently, you have a thing for legs, but that part doesn’t really matter.”
That source is definitely Lady Fiona!
Give me back my faith in her from ten seconds ago!
“I don’t usually fight on the front lines.”
“Well, yeah, you’re a doctor…”
“Exactly. That’s the role assigned to me. What about you?”
“My role… which one?”
“Are you another workaholic like Pilkaya and Magirema!? You fool!”
No, no, that’s not it. I’m not that bad.
It’s just that I have a lot of responsibilities due to, uh, unique circumstances.
Let’s see… Dungeon creation. Maintenance. Replenishing traps and monsters. Providing treasure chests. Running the treasure chest gacha. Checking on reincarnated and non-reincarnated employees. Interviewing new hires. Lady Fiona’s bedding.
…Wait.
Am I a workaholic?
“At least you’re self-aware. That makes you slightly better than the others. Now go rest.”
“Maybe I really should…”
“I didn’t understand before, but just repeating the role you’ve been given is far too unhealthy. We managed to break free from that, so don’t bring that kind of atmosphere here.”
…Wait a second.
Was Terapheia also a workaholic before?
Could it be that Lady Fiona has actually been working hard to create a healthy workplace just by being lazy…?
“Just because you’re capable of doing a lot doesn’t mean you have to do everything. If you’re not careful, you might end up like Rigma and develop a split personality.”
“Ohhh, so that’s how that happened…”
Unlike Rigma, I only have one body, so if that happened, it’d just be inconvenient.
Yeah, I’ll be careful.
…But now that I think about it, Rigma probably used to be a workaholic, too.
“I’m here. …Hrm, was I interrupting? Should I come back later?”
“No, it’s fine. We’re done talking. You’re the last one, Ripianem.”
“Hmph, do not mistake me for who I once was. I have now mastered control over my power.”
“…What?”
The final health check was for Ripianem.
At her confident declaration, Terapheia frowned.
“Open this.”
“Hah, what is this, anyway?”
She handed over a small vial of healing potion.
Without hesitation, Ripianem effortlessly opened it.
“What… What just happened…?”
“Fufun! I no longer have any weaknesses! This is thanks to the Demon Lord and Sir Rey!”
“What did you do? Changing someone like this isn’t something that can be achieved through ordinary effort.”
It seems Ripianem’s power was on a level where even a doctor would throw in the towel.
Yeah, I get it.
“I need to run some tests. Bloodwork… No, first, I need to check for abnormalities in the brain.”
And just like that, Ripianem’s power control was so extreme that she was being treated as if she had a medical condition.
“There is nothing wrong with me. My power is simply being absorbed infinitely.”
With a proud smile, Ripianem showed Terapheia her Soul-Devouring Bracelet.
It seemed this wasn’t Terapheia’s area of expertise, as she just looked confused.
“What is this?”
“A piece of equipment that continuously absorbs my power. By eliminating unnecessary excess, I have ascended to an even greater height!”
“…I see. A restraint device. You used to break restraints like they were nothing. Did the Demon Lord prepare this for you?”
Hard to admit it was actually a gacha prize.
And yeah, breaking restraints like that?
Ripianem’s past strength was definitely not normal.
◇
“Hmm… You certainly live up to your boasts. At last, I can finally take proper measurements like I would for a normal demon.”
“See? This time, I didn’t break any measuring devices.”
“And yet, your power is still the greatest in the Demon Lord’s army… No, it’s not just power—your entire physical ability is unmatched.”
“Ah…”
Ripianem was about to toss the measuring device back, but it ended up flying in the wrong direction.
The glass containers neatly arranged on the shelves started falling one after another, spilling their contents all over the floor.
“You fool…! You claim to have mastered power control, yet why are you still so clumsy?!”
“It’s my charm point.”
“Don’t just brush it off! And besides, you never used to say things like that!”
“Tokito told me so.”
…That guy, huh?
He actually had the guts to say something like that to one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Tokito is getting bolder and more thick-skinned by the day.
“Enough! You’re healthy! Get out!”
“Understood. Thanks for your time.”
Incredible. Terapheia’s anger doesn’t affect her at all.
Is this the composure of the strong? Or just pure insensitivity?
She’s leaving with such enthusiasm just because she was declared healthy.
Ripianem is seriously something else…
◇
Since Terapheia kicked me out so she could compile the health check results, I decided to follow Ripianem on a whim.
She headed into the shop managed by Tokito and offered to help.
“Yes! We did it! Ripianem-sama has successfully stocked the shelves!”
“It was thanks to Tokito’s cooperation. I appreciate it.”
“Now we can officially have you helping out at the shop!”
“Leave it to me. I’ll handle the customers as repayment for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
Unbelievable.
The old Ripianem would never have done something like this.
She’s actually contributing beyond just carrying goods.
She seems happy about it too—her tail is wagging.
It’s probably moving unconsciously.
As Ripianem and Tokito cheerfully tend to the shop, Okui approaches with a hesitant expression.
Did I interrupt something?
“Um… Rey-san. About Ripianem-sama…”
“Huh? Not me?”
What is it?
She seems to be handling the shop just fine.
“Is Ripianem-sama feeling unwell?”
“No, we just came from Terapheia, and she was declared healthy.”
“T-Then why does she no longer have an overwhelming amount of power?”
…Guess no one even considers that she might have learned to control it.
Unlike Tokito, who’s been helping her nonstop, Okui seems genuinely worried about Ripianem’s sudden “weakening.”
Well, the truth will spread over time, and eventually, Ripianem will be recognized as a reliable figure.
◆
“Yes!! I won! This is the answer! No wonder she was so overpowered!”
“How do you even use this thing…?”
“Wait, are we supposed to equip it…? No, it doesn’t really look like clothing, does it?”
As the man gripped his controller, his triumphant declaration was met with skeptical glances from his friends.
Despite claiming victory, he hadn’t actually won yet—he hadn’t even started the battle.
Still, he was certain.
This item he had obtained was the key to finally defeating the boss that had kept them stuck for months.
“Take this! Restraints!”
Upon using the item, chains shot out and wrapped around their arch-nemesis, Ripianem.
And just as he had expected, it worked exactly as intended.
“See?! The whole point was to stop her movement so we could take her down!”
“So that’s what restraints do, huh?”
“Well, they never said it was clothing. Still, she really can’t move now.”
With her immobilized, their attacks landed effortlessly.
Without fear of retaliation, they pummeled Ripianem, who had effectively become a punching bag.
“Alright, I got her down by thirty percent without taking any damage. Now we just—”
『Did you really think this was enough to hold me?』
“…Did you? Did you think it was enough?”
“Wait! This is wrong! Why is she breaking the restraints?!”
『You worms have no right to call yourselves heroes. You are unworthy of wielding a sword. I will crush you in this form.』
“She says we’re unworthy.”
“Wait! Why is she already in her second phase?!”
Transformed into a dragon, Ripianem mercilessly trampled the so-called heroes.
One by one, their allies fell without even managing to scream.
Only the player’s anguished cries echoed through the room…
