The Chronicles of the Founding of the Demon Kingdom

"This is the first time I've read a book in demon script," I said, running my hand across the cover.

It had been about three years since I started studying. By now, I had fully mastered demon script, but Sophia had only ever given me practical documents to read—war reports, logistics paperwork, and the like.

The only time I'd encountered demon songs or legends was in flimsy papers Sophia had compiled. Otherwise, the poetry or stories I read were all written by humans or elves.

Well... to be honest, demon script has fewer characters, making it harder to distinguish homophones, and the wedge-shaped characters are difficult to read and write. If I had the choice, I'd prefer reading human or elf script.

"Indeed. This is one of the few books written in demon script. Though, it's not the original," Sophia pouted slightly, sounding a bit disappointed.

"It seems the demons aren't very interested in writing or creative pursuits. There have been a few rare individuals who tried, but they were laughed at for being 'weak' or had their work ridiculed so harshly they gave up."

I glanced down at the book written by the first Demon Lord.

It made sense that no one would dare laugh at or criticize a book written by the Demon Lord himself.

"Still, if some demons tried to write, there must be other books, right?" I asked.

"There are a few in the Demon Lord's library, but most of them are poorly written autobiographical tales full of self-praise and vanity. They're not worth reading."

"Oh... that makes sense," I said, suddenly understanding why those authors were ridiculed.

"But no one starts out writing perfectly. People need those stepping stones to improve. Unfortunately, the Demon Kingdom doesn't have the soil for that kind of growth. Practical knowledge is important, sure, but if literature and art are constantly mocked as weak, then no great culture will ever flourish," Sophia muttered under her breath, almost as if venting.

Is it really okay for her to be saying this in front of the prince of the demons?

Still, I understood what she meant.

Demons... they really are barbaric, aren't they? Not just in temperament, but in lifestyle too.

For example, take my room or Platifia's. You won't find the usual paintings or sculptures that decorate most noble estates. At best, there's a brightly colored tapestry hanging on the wall.

Most of the furniture and decorations are made from bone or ivory, with little elegance to speak of. Our clothes might be flashy, but they're made by artisans from other races. The demons' orders often result in tacky designs with excessive fur and fang decorations, creating a strange, savage aesthetic.

In short, it's like living in the house of a rich caveman. The style is crude and primitive. And if you did decorate with more refined tastes, you'd probably be seen as weak.

"The book even criticizes the current state of demon society—but it's better if you read it for yourself."

And so, we ended the writing practice, and today's study session turned into a reading one.

The book written by the first Demon Lord, Raogias. What kind of content does it hold?

I began by reading the preface.

"—The demons were originally barbarians. Though we are a species blessed with great abilities, we are not necessarily superior."

!?

A demon... calling their own race barbarians?

If any other demon said something like "we're not superior," they'd be furious.

I double-checked the cover and author's name in disbelief. Sophia smirked as she watched me.

"Lord Raogias was quite the odd one for a demon."

"Clearly..."

Despite being titled The Chronicles of the Founding of the Demon Kingdom, the book was more of an autobiography. It explained why and how Raogias became the Demon Lord, his thoughts on his race, and a recounting of his life, all written in concise, straightforward prose.

Raogias, the first Demon Lord, was born as one of the many children of a small demon tribe.

His father, the tribal chief, had so many wives and concubines that Raogias didn't even know which number child he was.

"—At that time, the demons were nothing more than barbarians."

Raogias reflected on his early life.

"We wore fur, lived in caves, sat on the ground, and ate meat roasted over fire with our bare hands. When we were full, we grabbed our stone spears and fought over small hunting grounds we called 'sacred lands,' constantly warring with other tribes."

They really were barbarians.

The Demon Kingdom began rising to prominence about 250 years ago. Given when the first Demon Lord founded the kingdom, it seems that 300 years ago, the demons were nothing more than primitive savages.

I always thought they seemed barbaric, but at least now they use utensils. I guess that counts as civilization...

"I was born with exceptional strength. I never lost to anyone in my generation, and by the time I came of age, I could defeat even my elders. In battle, I slew countless warriors and was seen as the next tribal chief."

"One day, I looked up at the sky and saw a flock of migrating birds. I wondered where those birds came from. When I asked those around me, no one knew or cared. They simply saw them as prey from beyond the mountains that surrounded our lands."

"I had grown tired of the endless, pointless fighting."

"I wanted to know what lay beyond the mountains."

Raogias, disillusioned with the constant tribal warfare, fled.

The demons' homeland was an isolated region surrounded by steep mountains. Besides the small sacred hunting grounds, the land wasn't particularly bountiful. Food and water were scarce, and the frequent tribal wars might have been a form of population control, Raogias mused.

Crossing the mountains was a harsh journey. Even for a strong demon warrior, the freezing temperatures and lack of food would have been deadly. Raogias, timing his departure with the migrating birds, used his spear and stones to bring down his prey and kept himself alive by drinking snow melted with fire magic.

"—And what do you know? Beyond the mountains, the land stretched endlessly, lush and green."

"The excitement I felt when I reached the summit of the mountains is unforgettable."

"I swore to myself I would survive and reach that land, no matter what."

Raogias eventually reached what he considered paradise.

He saw the small, bloody conflicts his kin waged over hunting grounds as pitiable, given the vast, fertile lands beyond the mountains.

However, paradise wasn't uninhabited.

The land was already home to humans, elves, and beastmen.

And they, too, were fighting over territory.

"—I had only heard of them in ancient legends: creatures said to have been created by the God of Light. I was astonished to find out they were real."

"—But what shocked me even more was how vastly more advanced their civilization was compared to the demons."

"—When I first visited a human kingdom, I was mistaken for a monster and received a hostile 'welcome.' Covered in dirt from the long journey, clad in animal hides, and with my blue skin, powerful horns, and immense magical power, it was no wonder the weak humans were terrified of me."

"—I easily dealt with their 'welcome,' cutting down the humans as they came at me, and then I visited a beastman kingdom."

"—It so happened that the humans and beastmen were in the middle of a conflict, so when I attacked the humans, I ended up assisting the beastmen."

"—The beastmen welcomed me. Though they are weak in magic, their martial arts are impressive. I liked that, unlike the humans, they respected strength and knew their place when faced with a superior force."

"—I stayed with the beastmen for a while, listened to their stories, resupplied myself, and continued wandering from country to country."

Raogias wandered the continent for decades. He learned to read and write the languages of other races. He experienced different cultures. Sometimes he fought against humans, other times he formed alliances with them. He encountered the reclusive elves, sometimes clashing with them, other times befriending the odd rogue elf. He marveled at the dwarves' craftsmanship, traveled with beastmen caravans, and even fought a dragon once.

The more he saw of the world, the more he realized how pathetic his homeland and his people seemed in comparison.

"—I didn't want to live the rest of my life as an outsider, wandering in foreign lands. But I knew my people wouldn't follow me after I had abandoned them. Even if I managed to unite my tribe, I didn't yet have the power to lead all the other demon tribes."

"—If we wanted to take control of the bountiful lands beyond the mountains, the demons needed to unite. But my kin were not the type to follow logic or reason. They would only follow overwhelming strength."

"—I continued my journey, unsure of how to acquire such strength."

"—Then, near my homeland, I found the answer in a desolate, cursed land, untouched by man—a scar left by the ancient war of the gods, a rift in space."

"—A portal to the Demon Realm."

"—The Dark Portal."

It was a tiny rift leading to the Demon Realm, where devils lived.

Because of the distortion in space-time, the land was unstable, making it impossible for weaker beings like humans or beastmen to even approach. The elves avoided it, and the dwarves, obsessed with their forges, had no interest in the place.

But Raogias, for some reason, entered the demon-infested wasteland and, incredibly, found the portal to the Demon Realm.

And, recklessly, he threw himself into the distortion, arriving in the Demon Realm itself, where he met the devils for the first time.

"—The welcome I received was far from kind. Unlike my previous encounters, the devils I faced were incredibly powerful, and the battles were far from easy."

Yet his fierce combat abilities caught the attention of a mighty demon.

"—The Demon God Cannibal. He was the most powerful being I had ever encountered. He offered me a contract. He would grant me the power of 'Soul Devour,' allowing me to consume the souls of my enemies and turn them into my strength. In return, I would offer him a portion of that power and entertain him with my life."

The contract was sealed.

With the forbidden magic of 'Soul Devour' now his, Raogias slaughtered all who opposed him on his journey back home, using their souls to fuel his strength. Through the Dark Portal, he offered part of his gained power to Cannibal.

When Raogias finally returned to his homeland, he united the demon tribes with overwhelming force, becoming their king.

To solidify his rule, he implemented a class system he had learned from the humans, ensuring cooperation between the tribes. Then, united, the demons crossed the mountains and launched their conquest of the fertile lands.

The rest is history.

Raogias conquered human kingdoms, annexed beastman territories, subjugated goblins and ogres, burned the elven forests, and welcomed the night elves under his banner. He subdued dragons, integrated the undead into his forces, and, once he had gained enough power, shared the secrets of the Dark Portal and the devils' contracts with his kin.

Thanks to their contracts with devils, the already powerful demons grew even stronger. Meanwhile, weaker devils flocked to the human world, knowing it was easier to gather strength there than in the Demon Realm.

In the epilogue, the Demon Lord wrote:

"—Demons, my kin, unite."

"—Do not underestimate the strength in numbers, even of weak races. If we continue to fight among ourselves, we risk being undone. The days of fighting over sacred lands are over. Learn from your enemies. Hone yourselves. Do not misdirect your fighting spirit."

"—Demon Lord, my successor, lead our people."

"—Without a grand purpose, the demons will never unite. Therefore, invade. Conquer. Create enemies. Let the blood of our foes be the fuel for competition. Let the tribes forget their petty disputes. Never again let our race fall into the barbarism of the past."

I closed the book.

I see.

Now I understand the first Demon Lord's philosophy. Everything he did was to elevate the demons, to unify them as a formidable race. And to maintain that unity, he needed overwhelming power and had to channel their fighting spirit outward.

I see, I see.

What a load of crap.

So that's what it was for.

All of it.

Was my village, my home, wiped out for that? My friends and family slaughtered for that?!

Are you kidding me!?

If the demons would just kill each other without a common enemy, then that's the end they deserve!

And they think they can justify spilling the blood of other races to preserve their filthy kin?!

Don't joke with me...!

My hands were trembling.

It took all my self-control to stop myself from tearing the book to shreds right then and there. If Sophia weren't watching, I would've done it.

"What did you think? It's a masterpiece that captures Lord Raogias' philosophy perfectly, don't you think?" Sophia asked innocently.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

I hoped she mistook my flushed face for one moved by the text.

"...It shook me to my core."

It certainly did, in a way.

"Lord Raogias' philosophy... I understand it now."

I spoke each word slowly, forcing myself to sound calm.

"...It was very enlightening."

Sophia beamed, pleased with herself. "I'm glad to hear it."

Oh, I'll make use of it, all right.

I understand you well, Raogias. I've learned your philosophy.

And I'm going to tear it apart.

I'll destroy everything you wanted to build.

The blueprint is right here in The Chronicles of the Founding of the Demon Kingdom.

All I have to do is the opposite of everything written here.

I will bring the Demon Kingdom to ruin.

I will drag the demons, those creatures of darkness, back into the caves, where they'll live like beasts, stripped of their so-called civilization.

And when I've succeeded... maybe I'll write a memoir of my own.

The Chronicles of the Fall of the Demon Kingdom sounds fitting, doesn't it?