Isekai Online Game Developer

“Oh, ah… So you came all the way here from the Demon King’s Castle, huh? M-Maou-sama.”

“That’s right!”

The girl claiming to be the Demon King… I awkwardly nodded as I listened to her story.

Honestly, I was at a loss for words, trying to figure out what in the world was happening.

It certainly seemed that this Maou-sama was from the Demon Race.

Her appearance and the overwhelming magical energy she radiated made it evident.

They say the appearance of Demon Races doesn’t correlate with age, so this could be her true form.

Recently, a Demon Race member had stolen Galleard’s “Maple Leaf Story,” so it was somewhat understandable that she might have played as a Demon Slayer.

I could even accept, for a million concessions, that this Maou-sama could be the real Demon King.

However,

“That doesn’t mean it makes sense for a real Demon King to just show up out of nowhere?! Yo!”

“Hm? But this isn’t exactly the right time for the entire Demon Army to cross into the Human World. For that to happen, there needs to be a significant accumulation of magic in the Demon Realm.”

“Ah… I see.”

Then Maou-sama took out her magical sword and began explaining how she had crossed over.

A magical sword she obtained while she was still in the Human World long ago.

She learned how to cross dimensions through her adventures studying ancient ruins and records.

But it’s different from the regular Demon invasions that occur periodically.

So, sending only one or two Demons at a time was the best she could do.

So, her coming personally to send those one or two was indeed quite the statement.

All because of “Maple Leaf Story.”

“Um, um… I’m just relieved you enjoyed playing it.”

I said that to find the right words, but honestly, this was a very dangerous situation.

The Demon King was currently inside the Illusion Tower.

If she was indeed the real Demon King, a mere flick of her finger could bring this tower crumbling down.

Of course, I wasn’t exactly relaxed either, given the situation.

Once the Demon Race had approached, I had already asked Hina to call for other Tower Masters through the illusion.

However, before Hina could escape the tower, it was sealed off.

Maou-sama had already blocked all exits with her magic.

She looked like a friendly, approachable girl on the surface… but when I considered her actions, a chill trickled down my spine, as if a knife was poised at my throat.

“F-First off, the story of the Demon is not related to you, Maou-sama. I was born in the era after the Human-Demon War. I just happened to have characters in that story.”

“I see… But Maou-sama was moved!”

“Uh, is that so? So what do you wish to do…?”

Upstairs, the Illusion Mages were sending urgent signals.

It meant that all communication to the outside world was being completely blocked.

Despite her smiling face, all means of communication were being thoroughly restricted.

Moreover, at the top of the Illusion Tower was the Artifact, which acted as the main server for every game.

If those were all immobilized, it would cause a major upheaval in the world.

Swish, swish

Rain was sending signals from upstairs.

Thankfully, the game seemed to be functioning normally.

Soon, other Mages would likely seek help, even if only within the game.

“I heard there are a few other games! Humans say they enjoy them immensely; does Maou-sama want to try them too?”

“Oh, is that so? Anytime…”

I showed her all the other games.

Maou-sama picked up COL with an interesting expression.

“Is this the one where humans gather in groups to play?”

“Yes, yes.”

Her tone seemed to mix Rikal and Zebit in a peculiar way.

No way Rikal was playing tricks, right?

“Hm!”

And so, Maou-sama logged into COL.

When you connect to an illusion game, you basically leave your body unguarded.

But none of us had any intention of touching Maou-sama.

Galleard had sensed killing intent during a game and even gotten up once.

After all, we were Illusion Mages with no combat abilities.

In times like this, I cursed my innate attributes again.

Swish, swish—

At that moment, Hina sent another signal from upstairs.

She had requested help from the Emperor and Electra in both “Maple Leaf Story” and COL.

If that’s the case, the Tower Masters and the Empire’s Army would soon come to the Illusion Tower.

Since the Tower Masters were in the same city, it wouldn’t take even a minute.

Only then did I feel a bit relieved.

And at that moment, the Demon King, having finished a game of COL, returned to reality.

“It’s a bit tough, but… this is really fun!”

“Th-That’s a relief.”

“Um… About that…”

She stroked her chin, carefully choosing her words.

Naturally, she didn’t have a beard or anything.

In that very moment, a massive flow of mana was felt outside.

It seemed the Tower Masters had arrived.

The swirling giant mana seemed to be trying to break through the Demon King’s magic isolating the Illusion Tower.

And at the instant that mana exploded outside,

The doors of the Illusion Tower, previously barricaded by the Demon King, swung open wide,

Bam—

“How could the Demon King—!”

“We also want to buy this game!”

Maou-sama shouted cheerfully.

The Tower Masters who broke in looked utterly bewildered.

*

“So that’s a real Demon King.”

Somewhere within the Imperial Palace.

We were seated in a place the Emperor said was the most secretive in the palace.

Here, “we” referred to the Emperor, myself, Rikal, Leo, a cardinal from the Holy State, and several key officials from the royal court.

Along with the Empire’s Army, which had arrived late due to our distress signal, I came to the imperial palace.

Of course, the Demon King came along, and I heard she was waiting obediently.

The Tower Masters didn’t follow since they were too weighed down.

“What should we do now? The deity still hasn’t responded. This is an unforeseen situation…”

“The Demon invasion shouldn’t happen for several hundred years, so we have that time.”

“What are the chances of being able to defeat the Demon King right now?”

“If it’s just the Demon King, I believe it’s possible with the help of the Tower Masters, the Empire’s Army, and the Paladins.”

They were discussing everything very seriously.

Perhaps it was indeed the opportunity they spoke of.

That seemingly young Demon King had carelessly crossed over into the Human World alone.

Plus, since there hadn’t been time for magic to build up, it could be possible to deal with her now.

“But the Demon King merely said she wanted to buy a game.”

I spoke up amidst their serious expressions, and they turned their heads to look at me, still maintaining those serious looks.

“That’s what’s really hard to understand. The Demon King crossing over to the Human World just to buy a game?”

“…Then, could it be a trap? To catch us off guard and spring hidden troops on us? Knight Commander, search the perimeter for any ambushes or traps set by other Demons!”

“But I can understand why Demons wouldn’t be able to resist COL…”

The conversations flowed chaotically.

Now I was even starting to wonder if the Demon King set a trap using herself as bait.

Outside, sounds of knights moving in an orderly fashion could be heard at the Emperor’s orders.

But from my perspective, it didn’t sound like they had any intention of attacking.

Just looking at how she had been patiently waiting till now proved that.

Unable to hold back any longer, I spoke up.

“I really think she came here just to buy a game. How about we give her the game and let her go?”

“But even so, it’s a problem. What if that wicked Demon does something in the game?”

“That’s true. They might ruin the game somehow.”

“If it’s a wicked Demon, I’m sure they will.”

“They might have a scheme to keep us from playing the game.”

But people’s animosity toward Demons was stronger than I expected.

“Users cannot tamper with the game system at all. And I can immediately restrict malicious play.”

“But that wicked Demon…”

“Those wicked Demons would definitely…”

“We absolutely cannot hand over the game to Demons…”

Those opposing simply because of the Demon race.

I still couldn’t understand them.

Perhaps it was because I heard Maou-sama’s story earlier.

A life that was half-human, half-Demon.

She probably faced that kind of discrimination wherever she went.

And it was clear that Maou-sama hadn’t come to the Human World with an invasion plan in mind.

She merely wanted to be here for the fun of her words regarding the game.

“No. I will hand over the game.”

“…What do you mean, Riot!”

“Are you crazy?”

“Illusion Mage! Why…?”

“No matter how I think about it, the Demon King is here for the game. Just because she finds it enjoyable. I don’t see any signs that she intends to ruin our game, nor would she divert our attention to attack us. She probably knows by now that there are no traps from the Demons.”

“Reports say there aren’t any traps or traces of magic either.”

The Knight Commander informed the Emperor.

“And if we were to attack the Demon King right now, have you considered the repercussions? The entire regime would certainly be destroyed. A fight with the Demon King would come at a great cost.”

“But…”

I stood up, having made my decision.

The Demon King definitely wasn’t here to attack.

Yet, she was still on guard because she must have experienced something at the hands of humans before.

As the person who creates games, it was my job to allow someone who wanted to enjoy that game to do so.

And so, I departed from the Imperial Palace.

Even after that, the royal family and the Holy State continued casting glances at me.

But as time went on, they had no choice but to withdraw those looks.

*

Demon King Lumia returned to the Demon Realm filled with Illusion games.

“An unusual human…”

In truth, she had been waiting in the palace, listening to the conversations of the humans.

They whispered so secretly that even Maou’s ears could catch such murmurings.

The Emperor and the cardinal, among other humans, spoke with the same hatred towards her and insisted she must be attacked.

She was simply here because the games were fun.

And yet, humans continued to harbor their disdain for her.

Still, she had no intention of causing a ruckus.

If humans were to attack her, she would simply cross back to the Demon Realm.

For, no matter how much of a Demon King she was, she was still just one entity and couldn’t defeat all of humanity alone.

However, among the humans, one individual displayed a different opinion.

That was Riot, the game creator.

He didn’t express hatred nor did he insist she needed to be attacked.

He merely stated, since she had come to play a game, he would grant her the game.

An unusual human indeed.

None of the humans who had despised Lumia her entire life had ever said such a thing.

His words lightened her mood, which had been a bit down.

And Riot, ignoring the Emperor and the other humans, ultimately handed Lumia the game.

It didn’t feel like he had any hidden agenda.

“If only everyone were like that.”

Having suffered many wounds and unable to easily trust anyone, Lumia felt somehow he truly was different.

Of course, that didn’t mean she could get close to humans like this.

But it was a strangely pleasant feeling.

“Everyone is gathering!”

Returning to the Demon King’s Castle, she distributed games to the Demon Race.

“…You want us to play what humans made?”

“How primitive…”

The Demon Race felt the same way.

At first, nobody wanted to play the game made by humans.

But their bodies were honest.

After trying it a few times, the Demons became quickly hooked on the game.

Soon, an enormous gaming fever spread throughout the Demon Realm.

“Gahhh! I can’t accept losing like this!”

“Level 176? I can’t believe I died to a measly mushroom! Wajaja!”

“I’m not sleeping until I break this losing streak!”

“Truly, you are a god…!”