Demonic Encounter

The Library.

In the otherwise austere and no-frills Demon King's Castle, it was perhaps the most cultured space. However, the collection mostly consisted of books from the human and elf races. There were only a handful of books written by demons, and there was no professional librarian. Perhaps there were such roles in human countries, but they were certainly not utilized here.

As a result, the library had become a lawless land where books and scrolls looted from conquered regions were haphazardly stuffed onto shelves.

In one corner of this chaotic space, a young girl sat in a small chair, hungrily devouring a book. Her name was Sophia. She was a mid-level demon who presided over knowledge.

For Sophia, whose power increased with the acquisition of knowledge, reading was akin to eating. Moreover, her "appetite" for knowledge was almost infinite, never sated.

(It's been such a wonderfully peaceful time lately!)

She closed the book she had just finished with a snap, put it back in its place, and licked her lips as she scanned the shelves for her next selection.

Sophia had been under the contract of Platifia, one of the Demon King's wives, and had handled everything from educating the Demon Prince to various paperwork.

…Or at least, she used to.

Things changed half a year ago, when the Demon Prince Zilvagias entered the Demon Realm and went missing.

The role of educator was now up in the air, Platifia had spent her time anxiously waiting for her son's return in Cosmology, and there was hardly any work to be done.

Sophia welcomed this situation wholeheartedly.

She could now spend almost her entire day reading and studying. After all, she hadn't come to the mortal realm to work. It was all for the pursuit of knowledge—fresh, high-level information created by intelligent beings, a feast for Sophia's mind.

She had already exhausted most of the knowledge available in the Demon Realm and had grown tired of counting the blackwood trees that grew there. Besides, such knowledge had little flavor. Labor was just the toll she paid to pass through the portal.

Her contract allowed her to do whatever she liked during her free time. The problem was that the education and paperwork had been so time-consuming that she had little free time. After reading human legal texts, Sophia concluded that it was her own fault for not specifying working hours in the contract and quietly resumed her duties.

(The education part was fine, but the paperwork! Why should I have to cover for those incompetent hobgoblins?!)

Sophia was skilled enough to grumble while reading, fuming as she savored the text.

The administrative duties of the Demon Kingdom were mainly handled by hobgoblins and night elves. Demons had started to join recently, but the major positions were still held by those two races.

Hobgoblins.

They were the clever ones who had quickly submitted to the first Demon King's rule before he forcibly subjugated the goblins and ogres. Despite the name, hobgoblins were almost a different species from regular goblins.

They were about as different as humans were from apes. Though their appearance was grotesque, they were intelligent, especially when it came to money.

—But that intelligence was only impressive "for goblins," as the saying went. Their calculations were accurate, but their assumptions were often wrong. Sometimes their paperwork was so sloppy that it led to misunderstandings and caused coordination issues. They made surprisingly silly mistakes.

In the generally laid-back Demon Kingdom, such mistakes were often overlooked, or the plans were made with enough leeway to account for errors. However, for Sophia, a demon of knowledge who could not tolerate "mistakes," it was a kind of hell.

She would find mistakes in the documents submitted for approval, feel light-headed, storm into the office to scold everyone, and correct everything from the ground up. Sophia often took longer with the paperwork because of such inefficiencies.

She was feared by the hobgoblin officials as a literal demon, with her outbursts of rage at their frequent blunders, though she was unaware of this.

(It's so quiet here.)

The library was mostly devoid of people.

Occasionally, a few demons would use it, but they were always the least powerful and least ambitious among them.

The library was seen as a place where weaklings who couldn't handle combat came to kill time. At least, that's how most demons viewed it.

No wonder there was no real culture developing here. It seemed to Sophia like the demons were looting all the intellectual goods while burning the fields and slaughtering the farmers. While there were plenty of human and elf books for now, she feared for the future. If new knowledge wasn't produced, she'd be left with nothing but boring calculations and tree-counting again.

This thought made her uneasy.

(I wish there were more cultured demons around…)

Her thoughts turned to Zilvagias, the Demon Prince she had once been responsible for educating.

He was rare among demons—someone who had an understanding of literature and art. Though he initially resisted studying, once he began, he absorbed knowledge like dry earth soaking up water.

Perhaps it was because he was young and his mind was flexible, but his memory was excellent. He struggled with demon script at first, but he quickly mastered the human alphabet. When she tested him with elf script, he picked that up with ease as well, much to her surprise.

Unlike Sophia, who was a demon of knowledge, mortals couldn't remember things just by glancing at them, which made his talent all the more impressive.

Most importantly, Zilvagias possessed the rare balance of being both intelligent and power-hungry, a combination unheard of among other demons.

She had once enjoyed planning his education. Perhaps she'd have him read the grand epic poetry of the elves next, or teach him the human art of surveying. Or maybe, since his horns had grown and he would soon be handling magic, she'd instruct him in the physical laws that governed the material world…

All of those plans were now gathering dust.

(…Did some malicious demon eat him?)

The thought crossed her mind.

Though the demons were generally friendly toward the demon race due to the pact with the Demon God Kanibal, not all were. While the pact was meant to be respected, it wasn't as binding as a contract. It was impossible to control every demon. Some gained power by circumventing the rules, while others made it their mission to destroy such frameworks.

Even the most powerful demon gods weren't omnipotent. They might act like rulers, but they weren't. Many never even left their domains. In short, the Demon Realm was a dangerous place.

Zilvagias, the mischievous yet cultured demon prince…

(Maybe his title didn't protect him in the places where it mattered…)

How disappointing. The sentimental pang that came with the thought surprised her.

At first, she'd found the idea of babysitting a demon brat a hassle…

(Well, what's done is done. I just hope his end was a quick one.)

In true demon fashion, she shook it off, closing the book she had finished and reaching for the next one—

"Sophia-sama! Sophia-sama!"

A high-pitched voice echoed through the library.

Sophia frowned as she turned to see one of Platifia's beastfolk maids, the white-furred girl rushing toward her in a panic.

"…What is it? This is a library, you should be quiet."

"I-I'm terribly sorry! But it's urgent!"

The maid's fluffy white tiger ears twitched as she said, breathlessly:

"Lady Platifia and Lord Zilvagias! They've returned!!"

"—What?!"

Despite her own warning to be quiet, Sophia herself let out a loud, startled shout.

To think he had survived, that her educational plans were no longer moot, and to wonder what kind of demon he had formed a contract with—her mind raced.

And she realized something else.

This long vacation was finally coming to an end.

†††

About thirty minutes after leaving Cosmology, Zilvagias and the others arrived at the Demon King's castle without any trouble.

"I'll go report your survival to His Majesty the Demon King," said Platifia, swiftly leaving after changing into a dress.

With just a brief nap while riding the wyvern, Platifia seemed fully rejuvenated.

For some reason, as I watched her walk away, I couldn't help but think she looked like a warrior heading into battle, or a gangster preparing to storm a rival's hideout.

'She's ready for blood,' Ante remarked in a casual tone. After all, she had been humiliated by the other mothers of the princes. Revenge was certainly on her mind.

Speaking of which, what are you planning to do in the castle, Ante?

'What do you mean?'

Well, you're a demon god. Aren't you worried about running into someone who might recognize you? Nobody seemed to notice at Cosmology, but…

'You needn't worry,' Ante replied with a self-deprecating smile.

'I told you, didn't I? I grew so powerful that I couldn't move on my own anymore. I've been stuck in my palace for ages… and there were only a handful of people foolish enough to come visit me.'

So, in other words…

'The only ones who might recognize me are other demon gods or ancient ones like Odigos. You won't find many of those here at the Demon King's castle. And if one of them were to descend to the mortal realm under contract, word would spread soon enough.'

Hmm, I guess that makes sense.

You're so high up the chain that even the newcomers wouldn't recognize you.

That explains why no one figured you out at Cosmology.

"Lord Zilvagias! I heard you've returned!"

The door to my room suddenly burst open.

A small demon girl with a monocle poked her head in.

"Hey, Sophia. I'm back."

When I greeted her, Sophia froze.

She blinked a few times, then took off her monocle, wiped it with a handkerchief, and put it back on.

"…Uh, did you…get bigger?"

"Oh, yeah. Apparently, I grew after I came out of the portal."

"That's terrible!!"

Sophia cried out, clutching her face in despair.

"Your brain was still so flexible! You're going to lose your sharp memory!!"

"That's your first comment after seeing me again?!"

After that minor commotion, Sophia finally congratulated me on my safe return.

"Even though your body's grown, your studies will continue!"

"Uh… sure…"

"So, why did it take you so long to return? Did you manage to form a contract with a demon?"

"Yeah, I did. It was a tough journey, but I ended up with a pretty high-ranking one."

I figured I should introduce Ante to her as well.

She's Sophia, the mid-level demon who was in charge of my education.

'Oh?'

Ante, who didn't seem all that interested at first, floated out of my body and gently landed on the floor.

"Allow me to introduce her. She's the demon I've contracted with."

"At ease. I am—"

Before Ante could finish, there was a sharp, strangled gasp.

Sophia's expression was one I had never seen before.

Her eyes were wide, nearly bulging out of their sockets.

"Wh-Why… Why is there… no way…!!"

Sophia, trembling uncontrollably, staggered backward and collapsed to the floor.

"Why is… a demon god… here?!"

Sweating profusely, she stammered:

"The Demon God… Ante…Antendexis…!!"

—Are you kidding me, she recognized you immediately!!