The Immortal Castle, the stronghold of evil located in the northern mountains of the Ion Continent.
Siana, the succubus who oversaw the internal affairs of the Immortal Legion, was walking briskly.
She was suddenly summoned by the king while she was busy working.
'Sigh, what is it this time?'
Like all the executives here, she had a lot of work to do.
She was only in charge of internal affairs in name, but in reality, she was in charge of all kinds of miscellaneous tasks.
What kind of internal affairs would a group consisting mostly of undead need?
The immortal beings were fine even in the boundary of the Abyss, where there was no water, air, or even space-time.
Since undead were monsters that could be piled up in a warehouse and taken out when needed, all she had to do inside the Immortal Castle was to manage the black magicians, who were no different from slaves, and the captive crown prince.
'The Hubert Company... It's a good thing it's paying off. It's already grown to be one of the best on the continent.'
In that sense, managing the smooth trade with a human company was the most cumbersome task she had.
It was easy to collect rare materials that could only be found in the northern mountains by using the undead, but it was another matter to trade them secretly.
Well, she understood that there was no other talent in the Immortal Legion who could handle such a delicate task besides herself.
'Anyway, this generation's Immortal King is different from the previous ones who were foolishly relying on their strength. He's pretending to prepare for an all-out war to draw attention, while secretly encroaching on the continent's economy. Isn't this already a victory before the war even starts?'
Siana, who had vaguely grasped the big picture that the Immortal King was drawing through her work, was inwardly amazed.
All the lukewarm actions he had shown so far must have been groundwork for that.
She had no idea what he was thinking at first, but when she thought that the playful game he had called a three-year grace period was all for that, she got goosebumps.
'I didn't know it at the time, but I know it now. The attacks of the Immortal Legion that followed contributed greatly to the growth of the Hubert Company.'
War, which consumes enormous resources, and merchants, who supply them, were inseparable.
The Hubert Company, which had grown rapidly by moving most timely and actively in the attacks of the Immortal Legion.
How many people in the world would know that the Immortal King was actually involved behind the scenes?
'...His sharp intellect that doesn't rely on powerful force. It's not just the appearance of his skull that's sexy!'
Ignoring the fact that the inside of that skull was empty, Siana smiled with a blush on her cheeks.
The Immortal Legion was a black company with the worst working conditions, but the existence of a wonderful direct supervisor was a great welfare in itself.
Enough to calm her troubled mind caused by the sudden contact from her hometown.
"Uh... Your Majesty? Who is this...?"
That's why Siana was confused when she encountered an outsider at the place where she arrived after receiving the Immortal King's call.
The Immortal King... was with a woman he had never seen before!
[Hmm— I guess you could call her a business partner. No, maybe a competitor. Kekeke.]
"That's too much. I've said it many times, I'm not interested in this continent?"
The woman talked casually with the Immortal King.
A being with long horns, black wings, and red eyes that shone like rubies in the middle of black eyeballs, which could only be seen as a demon.
Naturally, her guard against the opponent rose, but that feeling didn't last long.
"Hello? You're a pretty child. My name is Hela. Nice to meet you?"
A beautiful woman exuding a strange charm from her whole body.
When she smiled and spoke, Siana's stomach began to churn.
It was just a greeting with eye contact, but an unknown favor welled up from the depths of her heart.
'...It's impossible. This level of charm! Who is that woman?'
Siana was a succubus.
A member of such an authoritative bloodline that could be said to be the best in the entire dimension in the field of seduction.
Her level was such that she could look down on other races with similar abilities, such as vampires, sirens, and lamias, and she was immune to being seduced...
'Ugh, me, a succubus... I can't fall for the same sex! I don't have that kind of preference!'
In front of the charm that naturally emanated from the being in front of her, Hela, gender was not important.
Maybe even an emotionless golem would be bewitched.
Siana's blood flowed down her lips as she gritted her teeth.
"Huhu, you're quite good, aren't you?"
[That's enough playing around. We have a lot to do.]
Still, thanks to her best efforts, she was able to hold on until the opponent withdrew her power.
She couldn't guarantee what would have happened if the confrontation had continued, but it was a place where she had come for cooperation, and she couldn't be rude to the Immortal King's subordinate any longer.
Siana, who let out a sigh of relief, raised her head and glared at Hela.
'I'm sure. That power just now. She's from the same family as me...'
It was a little late to notice because it was a little different from a complete succubus, but now she was sure.
The opponent also shared the same origin as herself.
'But that's that and this is this.'
It was a separate issue from her curiosity about the woman named Hela.
Even though the Immortal King was present, her pride was hurt and she couldn't just let it go without saying a word.
Siana looked straight at Hela and spoke confidently.
"Um, can I call you... big sister?"
With a shy voice that didn't match her expression.
It was embarrassing for a succubus to be swayed by the seduction of others, but if it was the 'big sister' of the same family, there was no problem at all!
With that thought, Hela smiled at Siana, who was fidgeting like a girl, and answered.
"No."
A word that felt like a certain belief, as if she could never allow it.
Siana, who was dejected by the firm answer, became sullen, and the full-fledged meeting finally began.
To overthrow the chaotic political situation in the Demon Realm and enthrone the true Demon King.
For the progress of 'Operation Demon King's Return'.
***
When collecting information, cross-checking is essential.
Even if the witness believes it to be true, no one knows if it is really true.
In that sense, Siana's testimony, following Ken's and Frances's, was very helpful in understanding the situation in the Demon Realm from various perspectives.
Above all, the faction to which her family belonged was hostile to the factions of the other two demons.
'The faction Siana belongs to is currently being pushed back helplessly.'
The situation in the Demon Realm was more complicated than expected.
After the 14th Demon King Leraje invaded the continent with the Demon King's army and was subjugated, the selection of the 15th Demon King proceeded without much trouble.
Of course, the process was not very peaceful, as the Demon Realm's law was that whoever took the position, whether by personal power, force, or popularity, would become the Demon King.
Still, it was also true that they succeeded in reaching a consensus.
The problem began when the 15th Demon King suddenly disappeared shortly after his enthronement.
In fact, demons were not very responsible, so at first, they didn't pay much attention, thinking he had gone on a trip, but as the vacancy lasted for decades, and then over a hundred years, things inevitably got bigger.
The unprecedented disappearance of the Demon King.
It was a natural result that it led to chaos.
Various factions rose up to challenge the next Demon King position, and the faction that still supported the 15th Demon King fought back without backing down.
That was the aforementioned war that had continued for hundreds of years.
'But that can't be all.'
It wasn't uncommon for wars to occur in the Demon Realm, where conflict was a daily occurrence.
Hadn't most of the previous Demon Kings risen to their positions through similar processes?
The fact that the war that occurred right after the previous Demon King's disappearance escalated into such an unprecedentedly large war...
'It's unnatural. It's impossible without some artificial external intervention.'
And that was exactly what was bothering him.
He had a rough idea.
'If there's a big problem in Auterica, it's only reasonable to suspect him first.'
How many years had it been since he arrived in this land, faced various incidents, and resolved them?
This judgment came from experience.
『Divine Fragment of the Imprisoned XXX (15,500,000)』
There was evidence like this.
'It was 30 million when I first saw it, but it's almost halved now.'
The text that he hadn't been able to understand properly was mostly revealed.
Well, it was obvious what the remaining word was.
'The number dropped sharply the moment I arrived here?'
The required points had steadily decreased as he became entangled with him several times, but the drop to nearly half had happened only a few minutes ago.
"It's a subtle feeling. It certainly feels similar to the 'World of Demonic Heavens'."
Hela slowly raised her head and looked up at the sky.
It was clearly daytime, but there wasn't a celestial body like the sun, only a purple sky that shone faintly and illuminated the ground.
And as if something had cut through the center of it, the Milky Way of the night sky was visible beyond the torn sky.
"...That's a sword mark, isn't it?"
A dry wind brushed past Hela's ears as she stared blankly at the mark engraved in the sky.
The negative energy that filled the atmosphere boosted the power within her body, but in front of that majestic sight, such things felt trivial.
'It was a good sight. It was worth coming here.'
With a faint smile, she slowly moved her steps.
Towards the place where the walls of a castle built of black stone were visible beyond the horizon.
A blackened earth and a vast wilderness without a single tree.
The land Hela was currently treading was the home of the demons, and...
—The Demon Realm, soon to be her home.
***
Hela, with narrowed eyes, stared quietly at the gate in front of her.
'First, I need to find out where this is.'
Coming to the Demon Realm itself wasn't that difficult.
If the Immortal King and the Demon King joined forces, a dimensional barrier blocking the Demon Realm wouldn't be an obstacle.
The problem was that she couldn't choose where to arrive after crossing.
After all, it was her first time coming to this land.
'It would have been more convenient if I could have come with the others as planned.'
The current situation of being dropped alone in the Demon Realm wasn't part of the original plan.
There were two locals and one immigrant who could guide her, so why would she come to a foreign land alone and struggle on her own?
'I wondered if something would be different if I moved with them, but this is how it turned out.'
Unlike herself, a Demon King who was new to the Demon Realm, they had descended on the continent through official channels.
Naturally, the coordinates to return to were already set, and as soon as they crossed the dimensional barrier of the Demon Realm, they were transported to those coordinates.
Leaving Hela alone in this remote place.
"Well, it can't be helped. It's not the first time I've been dropped alone in another world."
Besides, she had more than enough power.
Hela shrugged lightly and walked confidently through the gate.
"Huh?"
"Hey, look over there."
"Gasp?!"
The gazes of the demons near the gate focused on her.
From a frog-like creature to a giant that looked at least 4 meters tall, a quadrupedal dinosaur, a figure made of smoke, and so on.
They were truly diverse appearances, befitting the name "demon."
'They look interesting. It's like I've come to a zoo.'
There was no need to bother disguising herself in the Demon Realm.
If she cowered needlessly, it would look even more suspicious.
Hela straightened her shoulders and walked forward, trying to look as confident as possible.
'It's okay. I disguised myself so as not to stand out.'
That was also the effect of 'Unparalleled Beauty'.
If it was called 'beauty that could topple a nation[1]', it had to satisfy any aesthetic preference.
Although it had the limitation of only being able to transform into the form of a beautiful woman, that was enough to hide unique features like horns, wings, and eye color.
'Thanks to practicing with Siana, I can control the charm well.'
If she thoroughly hid her unique charm, a pretty humanoid demon wouldn't be a big deal in this place teeming with demons of all shapes and sizes.
Wouldn't it be like appreciating a pretty cat or dog?
"Wait, please wait a moment!"
But it seemed that was just her thought.
A demon with a Doberman head, who seemed to be the security chief of this castle, pointed directly at her and approached quickly.
With a number of demons behind him.
"Phew, what brings you from the Koatl family to Dalun's territory? We haven't received any contact."
Then, he looked at Hela and asked a question she couldn't understand in a subtly polite tone.
A voice that seemed to be suppressing tension and burden.
She glanced around subtly just in case, but there was no one else around.
'The Koatl family... They're one of the central forces that are currently gaining the upper hand in the war, right? Why did he think I was one of them?'
It was a name she had vaguely heard while gathering information.
It was said to be a force with considerable influence even within the faction Ken and Frances belonged to.
Hela quickly grasped the situation, trying not to show it outwardly.
There must be a reason why they misunderstood.
They wouldn't say such a thing to a stranger for no reason.
Perhaps misunderstanding her silence, the Doberman-headed demon gulped and spoke again in a more cautious tone.
"...I will escort you inside. Seeing as you're even wearing combat gear, it seems you've misunderstood something, but shouldn't you give us a chance to explain? Please give us a moment, just a little of your time."
Combat gear.
At those words, Hela glanced down and looked at the clothes she was wearing.
Magic tools from the Demon Realm that she had taken out of the 'Golden Treasury' before coming here.
She didn't have any other clothes to wear, and since she was going to the Demon Realm, she just picked out the best fit...
'Was this from the Koatl family?'
It seemed to be combat gear symbolizing a very high-ranking member.
No wonder it was so comfortable and had various effects.
'Those guys, they should have told me this earlier.'
Anyway, the priority was to resolve the current situation.
A situation where she had been unintentionally misunderstood.
Hela let out a small sigh and looked straight at the Doberman in front of her, opening her mouth.
"Lead the way."
In an arrogant voice that seemed to be ingrained in her body.
"...Yes, yes. This way. I told them before I came, so they should have finished preparing to welcome the guest inside."
"Hmm, let's see how well they've prepared."
Hela, the Demon King who had descended on this land to conquer the Demon Realm.
She wouldn't miss an opportunity if it came.
[1] Unparalleled beauty can also be translated as Nation-toppling Beauty