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
“I am grateful for the permission to have an audience with you.”
The Dark Elf Queen, representing her people, spoke as she faced the Demon King, who was seated on the throne, resting his cheek on his hand.
Fiona-sama had already heard the details, but it was up to me to carry the conversation forward.
“They seem to want to submit to us~.”
Of course, we had already overheard their conversation, but since they didn’t intend to reveal their abilities, Pilkaya reiterated the situation for us.
Alright, let’s resolve this step by step.
“You’re supposed to be in conflict with demon king, so why would you voluntarily seek subjugation?”
“We… we are a race forsaken by the Goddess! Unlike the Elves, who were once the same species as us, we were declared an accursed race… Not once, even after thousands of years, has a reincarnator—one of the Goddess’s divine agents—ever appeared among us!”
First of all, she can perceive my presence.
Clara’s Status:
- Magic Power: 68
- Strength: 30
- Skill: 49
- Endurance: 43
- Agility: 52
The Queen’s stats are higher than Jelmy ‘s and are on par with, or possibly even slightly above, Luf’s. The other Dark Elves have lower stats than the Queen.
Considering these stats, I’m unsure whether she can perceive me because she bears no hostility or simply because she’s strong enough.
As expected, their reason for seeking subjugation is due to the persecution led by the Goddess.
It does seem a bit late for this, but given their longevity, their perception of time and endurance for suffering likely differ from mine as a former human.
Wait… so reincarnators are essentially treated as divine blessings granted by the Goddess to the natives? What does that mean for reincarnators’ rights? Ah, she probably doesn’t care about that at all.
“Setting aside the persecution, why didn’t you try to secure reincarnators like the humans did?”
“Originally… reincarnators were meant to be a source of strength for short-lived, fragile races like humans and halflings. They were never supposed to appear among Dark Elves or Elves.”
Wait, but Zino is an Elf reincarnator, right? Was this an exception?
“However, over time, reincarnators began appearing even among powerful races such as Beastkin and Dwarves. And in this Great Reincarnation, at last, one even appeared among the Elves…”
Now that I think about it, races like Beastkin and individuals like Luf already possess great power. They don’t really need reincarnators.
But then again, humans have Heroes, so maybe the Goddess isn’t putting much thought into power balance?
So this is the first time an Elf has been reincarnated, huh?
“You’re saying that if the Demon King’s army is destroyed, you’d be the next targets of persecution, and since you lack the strength to resist, you want to ally with us?”
“Yes… we did not know of the Demon King’s true power, but as we investigated the dungeon, we came to understand. If someone could create such a dungeon, then they would certainly be capable of fighting against humanity.”
“Oh… that thing, huh?”
“By the way… is it true that the Demon King has lost his power after fighting the Hero?”
That was an expected question, but she seems genuinely worried about it.
Surprising. Could it be that they truly intend to submit and seek protection under Fiona-sama?
I assumed they would pretend to pledge loyalty only to later betray us and sell information to the humans.
“As you suspected, the Demon King is currently focusing on regaining his strength.”
“I see… Then, perhaps we can be of assistance. We are highly skilled in magic, after all.”
So they’re offering their cooperation.
Hmm… should I take this as a sign that they genuinely want to join us?
Even when faced with Rigma’s clone, which took on the form of a Demon King, they made no attempt to attack.
Well, let’s observe a little longer.
“The Demon King despises betrayal. Make sure there is none after you swear fealty.”
“Th-Then…”
“Demon King-sama, may we grant the Dark Elves permission to serve?”
“I have no objections.”
With Rigma’s approval, the Dark Elves officially joined our side.
Now, we just have to monitor them and see if rumors about the Demon King’s weakened state begin to spread.
“From now on, you will work for the Demon King.”
“Y-Yes! We will do our utmost to be of service!”
“Then tell me this first—how did you know that Pilkaya was still alive?”
“We had never heard any news of her survival. We were told that the Four Heavenly Kings had all been slain by the Hero…”
So there’s no strange misinformation going around. That’s a bit of a relief.
But then, another question arises.
Why were the Dark Elves the only ones trying to contact Pilkaya?
“We discovered remnants of a powerful and unusual magical flame in the dungeon. It was possible that it was left behind by Pilkaya-sama in her final moments, but we had no other way of reaching the Demon King’s army…”
『No way! Was I really that easy to track? Ahh, what a blunder…』
『Perhaps it’s because you absorbed the Aurora Flame? Your power has grown significantly, which may have made your traces more noticeable.』
『I need to be more careful… If I’m too easy to find, my stealth abilities will be useless.』
So it was Pilkaya’s residual magic, huh?
That makes sense. She can appear anywhere in the world, not just in dungeons.
And since she actively monitors dungeons, her flames are probably more likely to leave traces there.
…Wait, if these traces are that easy to find, wouldn’t that be a problem elsewhere too?
“Are these traces easy to detect?”
“N-No… Um, this may sound arrogant, but I am a Dark Elf who has lived for a long time, and I take great pride in my ability to observe magical energy.”
“So in other words, it’s not something that just anyone could find?”
“Yes… Unless it were the High Council of the Elves, who oppose us, it would be difficult for anyone to discover it.”
Elves. So only those of long-lived species?
I’m not sure if I should take that at face value, but it’s at least somewhat reassuring.
“So, the fact that the Demon King has lost power means that dungeon was something created in the past…?”
Hmm… I suppose I’ll explain that part once the Dark Elves have truly become our subordinates.
“For now, we need to make preparations as well, so return to your territory for today. Once we’re ready, we’ll summon you.”
“Understood. Then, we shall take our leave.”
Just as at the beginning, the Dark Elves deeply bowed before departing under Pilkaya’s guidance.
For now, they seem to be speaking their true intentions, but we’ll still need to keep an eye on them.
“Aw, so they weren’t planning to lower our guard and attack after all~.”
Ipiletis pouted, sounding a little disappointed.
I appreciate her always protecting me as a maid, but I’d rather she not expect things to turn violent.
“What shall we do, Demon King?”
“They’re likely telling the truth. Their position is weak, and if we disappear, they could be the next targets. That’s why they want to form an alliance with us.”
“I thought the same, seeing them up close.”
The only ones who directly met the Dark Elves were Rigma (posing as the Demon King), Pilkaya, Ipiletis, and me.
If too many demons had been present, it would have been obvious that the Demon King’s army was recovering. If the Dark Elves were to betray us, they’d leak that information.
We wanted them to believe we were still weakened.
That’s why Rigma, in his weaker doppelgänger form, myself (who is naturally weak), and Ipiletis (who appeared unassuming despite being my bodyguard) were the best choices.
Meanwhile, Fiona and the other Four Heavenly Kings observed through Pilkaya’s shared vision, standing by nearby.
If things had gone south, Rigma’s doppelgänger and Ipiletis would have protected me, so there was never any real danger. In the end, everything went smoothly.
“Your Majesty… was this really the right decision?”
“What do you mean?”
“We may have secured cooperation with the Demon King’s army, but… they seem to have lost more power than we expected.”
“That only means the Hero is truly formidable… But the Demon King will regain power in time.”
“Then, should we focus on buying time until that happens?”
“Exactly. The more time passes, the more advantageous our position becomes. Besides, even if the Demon King has lost power, we know better than anyone how much of a threat his relics still pose, don’t we?”
“Indeed… With the dungeon’s defenses, reaching the Demon King won’t be easy.”
“That’s right. A natural fortress. We’ve tried multiple times, but we’ve never been able to create anything nearly as formidable. Even if the Demon King has lost power, siding with him was not a mistake.”
