Return of the Demon Prince

Hello again, this is Zilvagias, the demon prince who returned to the mortal world only to find himself taller and have his mother cling to him, sobbing.

Although Platifia had lost her composure earlier, she quickly regained her usual calm, as one would expect from her.

Apparently, it had been a full six months since I entered the portal.

I thought for sure years had passed. Turns out it wasn't that long—except, typically, people come out of the portal after a few hours, or at most a few days.

My survival had pretty much been given up on.

Demons are generally friendly toward the demon race, but some, it seems, devour visitors from the mortal world without a second thought. More than a few demons who entered the Dark Portal have gone missing.

Platifia hadn't told me any of this, deliberately, so I wouldn't be worried.

"I really thought… I thought it was over this time…"

At first, she was confident I'd be fine. But after five days had passed, she began to worry. And then, hearing the news, the mothers of the other princes took it upon themselves to come by dragon, just to taunt her.

"Your son hasn't returned yet? (laughs)"

"Hope he makes it back alive. (mocking smile)"

"First to enter the Demon Realm at such a young age (lol), and now missing (dying of laughter)."

Led by Lazriel, they came one after the other to gloat and sneer.

Platifia's mental state was shattered. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and felt she had no place in the Demon King's castle. She waited endlessly in Cosmology, praying for my safe return for six months. No wonder she looked so gaunt.

Now that I was back, her spirit fully restored, Platifia was vowing revenge. "I'll make those who mocked me regret it until their dying breath…" she seethed, her eyes filled with fury.

Those other mothers must have been so sure that I was dead, and that Platifia had completely fallen out of the power struggle.

This is definitely going to turn into something ugly…

"…So, you did form a contract, right?"

In a room at an inn in Cosmology, Platifia sat on the sofa, glancing at Ante, who'd been smirking ever since we returned to the mortal realm. Platifia, clearly displeased with Ante's smug attitude, narrowed her eyes.

They were staring each other down, sizing one another up. It reminded me of how a mother might react if her son brought home a sketchy girlfriend…

By the way, I'd managed to get new clothes. But since nothing fit my new size, I ended up in a loose outfit—just a fur vest over my bare chest, giving me a rugged, handsome barbarian look. When I entered the portal, it was early spring, but now it was already fall.

I went from having the body of a 10-year-old to looking like I was 15 in a matter of moments.

Ante explained to me later that the drastic increase in my 'status' due to our contract, combined with the transition between the Demon Realm and the mortal world, had caused my body to reconstruct itself to better match the state of my soul.

Apparently, even regular demons often return from the Demon Realm with changed bodies. In my case, the transformation was just more extreme. Platifia seemed to interpret it that way, at least.

"Uh, this is… Ante, a demon of restrictions. I've formed a full contract with her."

Since it seemed like Platifia and Ante would keep glaring at each other forever if I stayed silent, I finally spoke up. Platifia turned her gaze toward me.

"I figured it was a full contract. …Maybe it's due to spending so much time in the Demon Realm, but your magical power has grown considerably. She must be a high-level demon, right? There's something very… unique about her."

Meanwhile, Ante muttered under her breath, twitching a little, "To think… that I would be treated as though I were some low-level demon… such humiliation…"

Unique, indeed. Platifia couldn't quite gauge Ante's power either.

"She's definitely of a high level," I said.

Though in reality, she's a demon god.

"And what's her power?"

"I can't say much about the terms of the contract or her abilities due to restrictions," I hedged.

"But you can assume that she can impose restrictions on actions, including mine. She also gains power through the act of imposing or breaking restrictions."

"I see… so, binding magic. There were some… unexpected troubles, but making a full contract with a high-level demon on your first journey to the Demon Realm is quite an accomplishment. Well done, Zilvagias. …Still, couldn't you have come back sooner?"

Platifia's voice took on a disgruntled tone. She must have been fully aware of how disgraceful her position had become during my absence, and her anger toward the other mothers was visibly flaring up again.

However, now that I think about it, even when she's upset, she never takes it out on me irrationally.

"I had to travel pretty far…"

"Did you meet the guide demon?"

"I did. Even after being shown the way, it still took this long."

I had no idea six months had passed in the mortal world.

"In any case, Mother, I'm sorry for worrying you."

"…It's fine. You came back safe. That's all that matters."

She let out a short sigh and seemed to regain her composure.

"Next time you enter the Demon Realm, make sure to stay closer to the portal."

Whoa, wait. She's still planning on sending me back into the Demon Realm after all this?

But she doesn't have to worry.

"Actually… I can't go back there anymore."

"…What?"

"I filled my soul to capacity with this contract. If I enter the Demon Realm again, I won't be able to return."

Platifia's eyes widened in shock as she turned to glare at Ante.

"—You demon! What have you done?!"

If there hadn't been a table between them, she would have grabbed Ante by the collar right then.

"My, how noisy," Ante said, plugging her ears and grimacing dramatically.

Oh no. I could see it in her eyes—she was planning to turn this into a game.

"You've filled his soul to capacity with the contract?!"

"Indeed. I poured my power into him until he was nearly bursting."

"Bursting…"

Platifia stood there, speechless.

"Do you realize what this means? Now he can't form any other contracts with demons!"

"…Is that a problem?"

Ante lounged arrogantly on the sofa, sneering.

"Of course it's a problem! He can't gain any more subordinates through contracts, and he can't use any magic besides your power…"

"That's how it should be."

Ante snorted dismissively.

"For mortals to think they can wield multiple powers is pure arrogance. It does the contractor no favors. Diluting one's power weakens it. No one who spreads themselves across multiple contracts ever amounts to anything… Such a mindset is pure weakness."

Ah, there it is—weakness.

That's the worst insult you can throw at a demon.

"…Those words are only tolerated," Platifia growled, "if they come from someone who has truly mastered their own power."

"Care to test that?"

Ante, still seated, looked down at Platifia with smug superiority.

"...…"

Platifia reached for her belt and drew a metal rod.

It was intricately designed, almost like a sword hilt—magic pulsed through it, and with a sharp snap, it unraveled into a spear.

A magic weapon!

Without hesitation, Platifia lunged at Ante with a fierce thrust.

"—I forbid your spear to move."

With Ante's curse, Platifia's attack froze in midair, the spear's sharp point halted just before Ante's face.

"Ugh…"

Magic poured from Platifia's horns as she struggled to break free from Ante's curse.

"—I forbid your resistance."

But with a second curse, Ante shattered the shell of magic surrounding Platifia.

Platifia, still in her attack posture, stood frozen.

Meanwhile, Ante remained lounging on the sofa, having lifted no more than a finger.

"Well? Do you have anything else to try?"

Ante's voice dripped with arrogance.

Platifia, glaring, summoned more magic power.

With a snap, like the sound of a taut string breaking, she forcibly broke free of Ante's curse.

"Ho."

Ante sounded impressed, muttering to herself, "Well, I suppose that'll do…"

Then she shot me a meaningful glance.

…Ante had said, "I forbid your spear to move." Not, "I forbid it as a taboo."

She had toned down her power to match that of a mere high-level demon.

"…I concede."

Platifia retracted her magic spear and sat down, speaking quietly.

"You are strong."

"Of course I am."

Ante nodded grandly.

"Rest assured, you are in good hands."

Her smile turned wicked.

"I will raise your son to become a great demon king."

There was an ominous weight to her words that made Platifia's breath catch.

Ante stood up, stretching languidly.

"This mortal world feels so cramped. I think I'll rest for a while."

Then, without warning, she embraced me—before shrinking and slipping into my body with a pop.

"..."

Platifia's expression was one of complete disbelief.

"Uh… she said it was to conserve magic power, so she made a space inside me to stay."

"…It's not unheard of for parts or copies of demons to reside within their contractor, but I've never seen a demon's whole body do it…"

Oh, so having a demon inside isn't that unusual…

"In any case… Zilvagias."

"Yes?"

"You've brought back quite the demon."

"It wasn't easy."

Honestly, I wasn't sure how I'd managed to pull it off. It felt like a miracle that I was still able to maintain my status as a prince of demons.

"Well, there's no time to waste. We need to return to the Demon King's castle immediately."

Platifia stood and slapped her cheeks lightly as if to wake herself up.

"Already? Wouldn't it be better if you rested first…"

Even if her spirit was restored, her body was clearly exhausted.

Not to mention, we'd be riding a dragon, not just sitting in a carriage.

"You're officially listed as dead, Zilvagias. If we don't correct that soon, it'll cause all sorts of problems."

"Oh… right."

So, after barely any rest, we left Cosmology.

We rode the dragon back. Unlike on the way here, Platifia could no longer hold me since I'd grown so much.

So I sat behind her.

The autumn air was colder than I expected. The wind was biting… as I sniffled, Platifia, seemingly remembering, cast a spell to shield us from the wind.

Once we were in the air and the flight stabilized, Platifia began to nod off.

Hey, falling out of the saddle at this altitude is a death sentence.

"Mother, this was too much for you after all…"

Guess I've got no choice.

"I'll hold on. You can rest, Mother."

I gripped the saddle handle and held Platifia steady.

"…Really? …I'm sorry…"

Platifia said, leaning against me. She tried to stay awake at first, but before long, her breathing became slow and even as she fell into a deep sleep.

She's got some nerve… napping while riding a dragon…

'A dutiful son you are,' Ante's voice teased.

Shut up. If she died, I'd be the one in trouble.

Still, I couldn't shake what Ante had said earlier.

"I'll raise your son to become a great demon king." What was that supposed to mean?

I asked for power, but I never said I wanted to be a demon king.

'It's simple,' Ante replied with a cruel smile.

'You seek power. You'll defeat the Demon King, kill your siblings, and betray your mother. Once you've taken your revenge on the demon race, you'll naturally become the next Demon King.'

…

'So I promised her. I would raise her son—you—to become a fine demon king.'

That's right.

That was my goal all along.

That bloody conclusion is what I desire…

'How I look forward to that day,' Ante whispered.

She fell silent after that.

Holding Platifia's warm body close, I gazed out at the distant horizon.

Soon enough, I would see the Demon King's castle rising over that horizon.