The Game Difficulty
Is Insane
Audience Hall of the Demon King’s Palace.
The walls and floor of black stone stretched vast, and in the center stood only a long table.
“So, what is it you want to tell me?”
Leaning forward into the light of the candle, the figure was Demon Lord Rupellos van Zausreze.
His subordinate, Penelope Ogma, sat across from him with eyes full of tension.
“You said you had something personal to tell me, so I can expect something, right, Penelope?”
Golden eyes glimmered coldly through her curly black hair.
“Y-Yes, of course.”
The Demon Lord gestured with his chin, signaling her to speak.
Since her opponent was him, speaking vaguely or dragging words out would be dangerous.
Penelope fixed her gaze.
“The Undertaker… you are searching for him, right?”
It worked.
The Demon Lord raised the corner of his mouth, seemingly pleased that Penelope brought up this topic.
“So?”
“After withdrawing the army to the rear, I took some personal time to investigate that existence in various ways.”
“Hmm. I see.”
The Demon Lord raised his eyebrow.
“Listen, Penelope. Sending you to the rear wasn’t so you could go do irrelevant things, you know?”
He seemed to be enjoying himself.
Now that Penelope brought the information he wanted, he deliberately listened slowly, as if savoring a tasty dish from the table.
Of course, Penelope had no power to call out his fickle mood.
“Though it might not seem like it, the information about the Undertaker is essential to winning this war.”
“Is it? Why?”
“Because… the Demon Lord has not moved because of him…”
Since the moment the Undertaker was mentioned, the Demon Lord had fallen into ennui.
With the war against the Papal State imminent, his withdrawal was the greatest loss of power.
On the other hand, it was absurd to ask why he, holed up in his room, was doing irrelevant things.
‘What can I do? He’s a man who does as he pleases.’
“So, will you find this Undertaker quickly and join the war?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Heh, hahaha. That bold thinking suits you perfectly, Penelope.”
The Demon Lord smiled cheerfully, but cold sweat ran down Penelope’s neck.
“Good. Once your personal business is done, you will go to war. But the information you bring must be useful.”
Penelope nodded slightly, and the Demon Lord gestured again.
“First, I could easily hear reports because the Undertaker has a distinctive appearance.”
Calmly, Penelope recited the scenario in her mind.
From Elchisco to the Raygle territory. And from Raygle to the Demonic Lands.
The elusive Undertaker, in the end, had moved beyond the Demonic Lands toward the western continent.
Of course, this was not Penelope’s own investigation, but exactly what Glenn Wadsworth had told her.
In other words, it was Glenn’s plan.
“First, return and get close to the Demon Lord. If you mention the Undertaker, he will listen to you.”
Honestly, she had thought leaving the Demon Lord in ennui and taking part in the war might even be better.
But.
“No. This is right. No matter what happens, Rupellos will appear on the battlefield eventually.”
Glenn Wadsworth said confidently, as if seeing one move ahead that no one else could.
“Better to send him as far from the battlefield as possible. When he returns, the situation should be irreversible.”
‘What is this Undertaker that he can control the Demon Lord like this?’
But the important point was that, as Glenn said, Rupellos would move, so the question didn’t matter.
Rupellos quietly tapped the table with his fingers, eyes closed.
“The far west… going to the Gaulren region, maybe…? If it’s him, there must be a reason.”
“The last confirmed location was the Dustilfian region, so it should be certain.”
“Hmm… but you know.”
Rupellos’s eyes showed interest as he looked at the confident Penelope.
“You really know your stuff?”
“Y-Yes?”
“No. Really know your stuff. I’ve been searching for over a month and couldn’t find a trace. I wondered if you had some secret.”
Penelope had no secret; she was only relaying what Glenn told her.
“For example… are you friends with that Undertaker…?”
“……”
His snake-like pupils glowed gold as he pierced Penelope.
Cold sweat soaked her collar.
“T-That’s impossible! I only wanted to help the Demon Lord as best I could!”
She forced a smile and looked him straight in the eyes.
“…Trying to help me? Hmph.”
The Demon Lord chuckled coldly and stared at her sharply.
“Trying to earn points with me and move up in rank, aren’t you?”
“…Th-That, and I couldn’t just stay idle either.”
If she stayed holed up in the rear, she would not escape death at the Demon Lord’s hand.
Penelope desperately appealed her situation to him.
Until Glenn Wadsworth rescued her, her role was to survive.
“……”
The Demon Lord fell silent and turned his gaze away from her.
“Fine. I understand.”
Removing the intimidating aura, he rose and headed for the exit.
Only the sound of his shoes echoed in silence.
He glanced back.
“Is the information accurate?”
“It is… accurate.”
“If it’s gone when I check, you die?”
