Hubert frowned.
A young man with black hair and black eyes, ordinary in appearance
However, the two ram horns sprouting from the sides of his head and his skin, which was beyond pale and tinged with purple, indicated that he was anything but ordinary.
'A demon?'
Inhabitants of the 'Demon Realm', a sub-dimension adjacent to Auterica, like the Spirit Realm or the Abyss.
Naturally, he was already well aware of their existence.
Siana, a succubus and one of the executives of the Immortal Legion, was also one of the demons from that Demon Realm.
'The problem is why such a being suddenly came to find me...'
- < ??? >
- A demon of unknown affiliation. Very excited to encounter artifacts that he thought he wouldn't see here.
- Key characteristic: Vast magical power
- Trustworthiness: ???
He barely managed to use 'Analysis', but he didn't learn much more.
The opponent was of a high rank, and it would be greedy to expect to understand everything with just a few words exchanged.
Still, it wasn't a complete loss.
'Excited to encounter artifacts that he thought he wouldn't see here...'
That one sentence held many meanings.
And considering his previous words and actions, the most likely one was—
"...What did you just do?"
Just as Hubert was organizing his thoughts in his accelerated mind.
The demon, still concealing his appearance, spoke in an unpleasant voice.
'Oh, he noticed.'
He had used 'Limit Break' to make his 'Analysis' as stealthy as possible, but it seemed it wasn't enough to completely deceive the senses of someone who had reached transcendence.
However, Hubert, who had already roughly grasped the opponent's identity, casually opened his mouth before the demon could react sensitively.
"I used every means I could because you were so confident. It's a sudden, unscheduled visit from an unknown intruder. What's so strange about that?"
He added a shrug, as if it was only a natural procedure from his point of view.
The demon showed a dumbfounded expression at his blatant response, but Hubert kept a straight face and held his head high.
As if he had only done what was natural.
It was an inappropriate attitude to take in front of someone who could take his life at any moment, but it was nothing special for him, who had something to rely on.
'And it doesn't seem like he'll harm me now. Of course, there's still a chance he might get forceful, but...'
If that happened, it remained to be seen who would regret it.
If his fragile younger brother got beaten up outside, his fearsome older brothers who supported him would never stand idly by.
Just like they did once in the past.
"...Well, alright. It's true that I came here suddenly, so I'll let it slide this once. But there won't be a second time."
Fortunately, the opponent didn't continue to pry any further.
Perhaps it was because of his confidence that he couldn't be completely seen through, no matter what methods were used.
"So, you haven't answered my question yet?"
"Well, it seems you already know, so there's no point in denying it."
"Does that mean?"
"Yes."
Hubert readily agreed to the demon's repeated questioning.
"I came from Earth."
He could have made up any number of excuses, but he didn't bother.
Because, this was the only way—
"From the looks of it, you're the same, so how about we show our faces and introduce ourselves? It's fate that we've met like this, being from the same place."
—to make the next conversation go smoothly.
"Oh? Aren't you afraid of dying? What makes you so calm? The moment I decide, your head will be off before you can even choose to return to Earth."
"Didn't you come here because you wanted something from me? It didn't seem like you were trying to hide from the beginning."
Hubert slowly rose from his seat.
He spoke calmly to the Earthling who had become a demon, still hiding his appearance.
And he began to lay out various foods taken from subspace on the large reception table in the center of the office.
"...What's that?"
Drinks including cola, cider, and beer, as well as food often eaten out like chicken, pizza, and sushi, and all sorts of sweet desserts.
A lavish feast was spread on the table, making it hard to tell if this was another world or Earth.
"Let's talk comfortably while eating. Someone like you wouldn't be affected by something like poison, right?"
He deliberately showed off his abilities in front of him.
This was his unique skill.
This was how he had achieved commercial success, and he had no power to harm him.
Gulp
The aroma of the food, preserved in its freshly made state, spread out, and Hubert sensed the demon swallowing slightly.
The fact that he could sense such a reaction from someone who was thoroughly hiding himself was proof that his guard against Hubert had dropped significantly.
'I don't know how long ago this guy was transported, but...'
As soon as he realized that Earth's goods were being distributed, he rushed to find him, the person in charge.
He must have been longing and yearning for Earth.
He already knew through Siana that the taste buds of demons weren't much different from humans.
She had said that they could live without eating if they had magical power, but because of that, she was even more obsessed with gourmet food when she did eat.
How much more so would the obsession be for an Earthling who was used to MSG and all sorts of spices?
"Don't hesitate and help yourself. I can bring as much food as you want."
Hubert, the ruthless businessman, smiled warmly and gestured to the feast on the table.
'...The Demon Realm, demons, and Earth's awakened. How can I use this material?'
He hid his busy, calculating mind behind narrowed eyes.
***
These days, the clouds of war were deepening across the continent.
Like others, the executives of the Immortal Legion were also busy day and night.
[With this... we have finished clearing the Rohan Duchy area... Everyone did a great job...]
[The work of turning the monsters of the mountain range into undead and organizing them is also going smoothly. We have made all the preparations to invade the continent at any time, if only the king commands.]
[Kukuku— We can also detour through the recently captured Cain Castle of the Sharoti Kingdom. In the process, we can disperse a considerable number of the human forces.]
They hunted monsters to constantly increase their forces, occupied the already fallen Rohan Duchy area to prepare an invasion route connecting the mountains and the empire, and continued to cause random waves to terrify the humans.
There were many sacrifices in the process, but the Immortal Legion was no longer moving as sluggishly as it did in the early days of the Immortal King's revival.
'I still don't understand why he did that back then... but how would I know what the king is thinking? He must have had some purpose.'
And Siana the succubus was also busy.
As the person in charge of internal affairs of the Immortal Castle, she managed the humans who had converted to this side, such as black magicians, and the captive crown prince, while collecting information as an imperial noble and preparing various behind-the-scenes operations.
Simple information couldn't compare to Olivia's, but it was true that it was difficult to obtain high-level information as the humans were also wary of the ghosts under her command.
In that respect, the information Siana obtained as an imperial noble was not to be easily dismissed.
"Phew, I've roughly finished the urgent work. Then, shall I go bother Simon for the first time in a while...?"
-Siana? Is it okay to talk now?
"Huh?"
Just as she had finished another day as a faithful executive of the Immortal Legion.
A message arrived from a place she had forgotten for a while.
-"Sister Seira? What's wrong? Why so suddenly?"
A communication from the Demon Realm, her homeland.
Of course, as they were separated by dimensional boundaries, sending a message across that distance was no easy feat.
That's why they had been using a ritual to reduce the penalty by using barriers on both sides at a designated time.
'It's only been a few months since the last contact. There are still five years left until the next scheduled communication, but to contact me like this...'
It meant that something urgent had happened that was worth accepting such a loss.
-Umm... The situation here isn't very good. How about there? You said you joined the Immortal Legion to gather information, right? Have you made any progress?
Siana smiled awkwardly at her sister's question, which contained a hint of expectation.
How could she be honest?
That she hadn't gone voluntarily but was captured by the current Immortal King and had no choice but to join.
That, far from investigating, she was suffering from labor day in and day out, and her words back then were merely excuses created out of embarrassment.
-"Umm, no significant results yet. It's been quite busy with war preparations here too..."
-Sigh— Right. Well, the chances of success weren't high to begin with. Still, it would be a great help if we could at least obtain the Queen's essence, even if not the King's remains.
-"I know..."
That was the purpose for which she had been dispatched from the Demon Realm.
To search for the remains of the Demon King who had invaded this land in the distant past, or the essence of the Succubus Queen, a high-ranking executive who had accompanied him.
In fact, since that last invasion had taken place a thousand years ago, when the first Immortal King had appeared, it was almost impossible to find them now.
If the target was nearby, she, as a demon, would be able to sense it, but there was no way such a dangerous thing would be lying around in an easily accessible place.
'It must be sealed in the holy land of the Main God Church, the Imperial Vault, or a dragon's lair.'
In fact, her clan, who had sent her, didn't have high expectations when they assigned her the mission.
It was more like grasping at straws out of desperation, and also sending her away as a refuge in case the remaining clan in the Demon Realm was wiped out.
'But I thought there might be a chance if I was lucky.'
The second Immortal King was running rampant, throwing the world into chaos, and in the process, the dragons, a major obstacle, had suffered near-extinction levels of damage.
She continued her activities secretly even after the Immortal King was defeated.
Then, realizing the limitations of acting alone, she infiltrated the Azerion Empire, which had become the strongest country on the continent, as a noble, and later even rose to the position of an executive in the global criminal organization called 'The Oath Against Heaven'.
'And until now...'
It had been hundreds of years since she left the Demon Realm.
But there had been no significant progress.
This was the first time she had received such an urgent contact.
-"Is the situation that bad? Didn't you say there wouldn't be any major problems for the next hundred years?"
-I thought so too...
Her sister's voice trailed off on the other end of the communication.
-The balance that had been maintained for hundreds of years has completely collapsed as the tide of war turned. It seems there's been some kind of variable. Hmm, for example...
There was no certainty in her voice.
The matter was that serious.
- Something like another god besides our Demon God has intervened in the Demon Realm.
***
Hubert stroked his chin and looked at the young man in front of him, who was savoring the food while steadily devouring it.
"Kha— This is amazing. It's been so long since I've had cola."
The settler from Japan, who had introduced himself as 'Miyamoto Ken', gulped down the cola and smacked his lips slowly.
It had already been two hours since he sat down.
Even though he wasn't a fast eater, the food initially placed on the table had long been depleted, and the newly added food was also almost gone.
"Hmm... Where was I?"
"You were talking about the recent situation in the Demon Realm. How the outcome of the war that has been going on for hundreds of years has tilted sharply to one side."
"Ah, right. Let's see..."
Completely relaxed by the Earth food he hadn't had in a long time, he enjoyed his meal while readily answering Hubert's subtle questions.
Whether it was because he wanted to talk about himself to a fellow countryman he had met by chance, or because he wanted to pay for the food in this way, he didn't know.
'Or maybe it's just a simple whim.'
Demons were a race based on black magic, so such a peaceful appearance was very rare.
Even if he seemed tame now, there was no telling when he might go crazy.
Hubert used his skills as a merchant to extract information little by little without provoking him.
Ken, who once worked as a top-tier mercenary calling himself "Ken of the Tempest," said he fell into his current state after accepting a request to eradicate cultists.
The request at the time was a trap set by demon followers, a scheme to make carefully selected sacrifices come to them on their own.
'He said he didn't have enough points saved up to return at the time, so he accepted demonization to survive and was forcibly sent to the Demon Realm.'
The problem was that something went wrong in the process, and when he came to, he had lost all his abilities as an Awakened and was left stranded in the Demon Realm.
He had unwillingly become a settler.
'...Is it a similar judgment to becoming an undead?'
The undead are recognized as completely separate beings from their former lives, so they are deprived of all rights as Awakened.
Even if they have memories of their past lives, it is simply recorded knowledge, and they are born as new beings with everything twisted.
'It's strange.'
But there was something that bothered him about just letting it go.
There were many villains on Earth alone who could undergo complete demonization.
'Is demonization in Auterica somehow different?'
Hans, the Immortal King and the highest authority in this field, reviewed the theory.
In just a few seconds, 'Forbidden Truth', 'Unholy Sage', and 'Path of Magic' cross-checked several times.
'No, this spell isn't particularly different either. The reason he lost his power as an Awakened is not demonization, but something else.'
An unknown intuition pricked him.
He shouldn't just let this go.
'The Demon Realm, demons, demonization, Awakened, and settlers...'
His thoughts accelerated and several hypotheses passed by, but there were still not enough clues.
If only there was some kind of hint...
Then, at some point.
Hubert, who was sitting in his chair, suddenly raised his head.
And his lips slowly curved upwards.
'...This is really perfect timing.'
Is this what fate is?
The next stage of 'Unique Skill Enhancement' had finally been unlocked.