NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
Chapter 17: The Return of the Demon Lord’s Prince
Well, it turns out that when I returned to the real world, I had grown quite a bit taller, and my mother, the Demon Lord’s wife, Platy, was crying and clinging to me.
Platy, who had been in a panic, managed to regain her composure within a few minutes, as expected.
I learned that half a year had passed since I entered the portal.
I thought for sure that several years had gone by. Doesn’t seem so bad after all—until I found out that normally, one would come out in a matter of hours, or at most a few days.
My survival was apparently considered half hopeless.
Demons are generally friendly towards their own kind, but it seems there are some who will indiscriminately gobble up visitors from the outside world. Several demonfolk have gone missing after entering the Dark Portal.
To avoid worrying me, Platy had deliberately kept that information from me.
“As expected, I seriously thought it was over this time…”
In the first few days, Platy acted calm, but around the fifth day, anxiety started to creep in. On top of that, other mothers of princes had caught wind of it and rode in on dragons just to gloat.
“Your son still hasn’t come out? (laughs)”
“Hopefully, he can come back alive. (snickers)”
“The youngest to enter the Demon World (laughs)—now missing! (roaring laughter)”
They said that and started rolling on the floor laughing—especially that Razriel…
Platy’s mental state was completely shattered. She couldn’t eat a thing and couldn’t sleep at night. There was no place for her in the Demon Lord Castle, and for half a year, she just kept praying and waiting at the Cosmology Lodge for my return. No wonder she was looking gaunt.
Now that I had finally returned, Platy’s mental state was fully restored, and she vowed with bloodshot eyes, “Those who mocked us will regret it to the depths of hell!”
Those other mothers… they probably thought I had died and that Platy was completely out of the power struggle…
This was definitely going to end badly.
“…So, you made the contract, right?”
At Cosmology Lodge, in a certain room.
Platy sitting on the sofa looked over at Antendeixis, who had been grinning ever since arriving in the real world. Platy frowned at his cocky attitude.
They stared at each other, sizing one another up—both of them.
If my son brought home such a rough girl, would it feel like this? I found myself thinking about pointless things.
By the way, I was dressed in oversized clothes I got for a change, wearing a fur vest over my bare skin—totally the look of a handsome barbarian. It was early spring right before I entered the portal, but now it was autumn.
I had suddenly shot from the physique of a human child around ten years old to about fifteen…
Antendeixis secretly informed me that this drastic increase in my ‘class’ was the result of the contract, as well as my body being reconstructed from the Demon World to the real world, trying to match my soul’s form.
Even ordinary demonfolk often undergo bodily changes when returning from the Demon World.
In my case, it seemed to be a drastic one—so Platy interpreted.
“Well, this is… the demon of contractual binding, Antendeixis. We’ve made the contract.”
Since I had been silent, the tension between Platy and Antendeixis was so thick it felt like you could cut it with a knife, so I had to speak up. Platy’s gaze shifted towards me.
“I thought it was a full contract. …It might be due to spending a long time in the Demon World, but your magical power has become incomparably stronger. Is he a high-ranking demon? He feels… quite unique.”
Incidentally, Antendeixis was muttering something like, “How shameful to be treated like these rookie demons…!” while trembling in indignation. Well, unique, yeah. Still, it seemed Platy couldn’t quite gauge Antendeixis’s abilities.
“He’s certainly highly ranked.”
Higher-ranked than just a demon god, mind you.
“What powers do you have?”
“I can’t elaborate on the contract details or my powers due to binding restrictions.”
I dodged the question.
“Just know that myself included, there will be some restrictions on our actions. Additionally, power can be gained from imposing or breaking restrictions.”
“Hmm… So it’s like binding magic. There were unforeseen troubles, but establishing a contract with a high-ranking demon on your first trip to the Demon World is an excellent achievement. As expected of you, Zilbagias. But couldn’t you have come back a bit sooner?”
Platy looked sullen. She probably realized how ridiculous she had been during my absence, and as her anger towards the other mothers reignited, her mood soured more and more.
However, thinking about it calmly, even when she was in a foul mood, she had never taken her frustrations out on me unnecessarily.
“I went quite far away…”
“Did you not meet the guiding demon?”
“I did. They showed me the way, but it still took this long.”
I never thought that half a year could pass in the real world.
“Anyway, I’m sorry for worrying you, Mother.”
“…It’s fine. You came back safely. That’s enough for me.”
Platy let out a short sigh, resetting her emotions.
“When I next enter the Demon World, I’ll find a place nearby.”
Hold on, after all this, you’re already planning to go back to the Demon World?
But no need to worry.
“About that… It seems I can’t enter the Demon World again.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve filled my soul’s container with the contract, so if I go back in, I won’t be able to return.”
Horrified by my words, Platy shot a fierce glare at Antendeixis.
“—You demon! What have you done?!”
If there hadn’t been a table between them, it looked like she’d grab him by the collar right then and there.
“What’s all this ruckus about?”
Antendeixis asked, sticking his finger in his ear and feigning ignorance.
Ah, he definitely aims to make a toy out of me. His gaze had changed.
“You’ve filled your soul’s container with a contract?!”
“Indeed. I’ve poured my powers into you until just short of overflowing.”
“Overflowing…”
Platy was left speechless.
“What have you done? Now I can’t even form contracts with other demons!”
“Is that a problem?”
Antendeixis asked disdainfully while lounging on the sofa, legs crossed.
“Of course it is! I’ll never get subordinates bound by contracts, and I can only handle powers that are yours…!”
“That is how it should be.”
A snort escaped Antendeixis.
“It’s foolish for a being with a lifespan to think they can wield multiple powers. That wouldn’t benefit the contractor. The purity of power only gets diluted, making it weaker. There’s no one who can achieve greatness while dabbling in multiple powers… that mentality is so weak.”
There it is! Weak!
Saying that is the most infuriating thing for a demon!
“…That wording is only permitted for—”
Platy growled,
“True powerhouses who achieved greatness themselves.”
“Care to try?”
Antendeixis retorted, looking down at Platy from his seated position.
“—”
Platy reached for her waist belt and pulled out a metallic rod.
It looked like a sword’s grip, tangled with vines—she snapped her fingers, and the magic power exploded, transforming it into a spear.
A magical weapon, huh?!
Then, without a hint of hesitation, Platy launched a sharp thrust at Antendeixis.
“—【Prohibition of spear movement】”
But, accompanied by Antendeixis’s incantation, the movement was instantly halted. The spear tip, glowing ominously, froze just in front of Antendeixis.
“Ugh…”
A powerful magical force radiated from Platy’s horns as she tried to shake off Antendeixis’s curse—
“—【Prohibition of resistance】”
However, another curse from Antendeixis crashed down, shattering the magical shell that enveloped her.
“…”
Platy stood frozen, her stance still poised with the spear as it remained stuck. Meanwhile, Antendeixis lounged casually on the sofa, not lifting a finger.
“What do you think? Got anything else?”
Antendeixis questioned arrogantly.
Glaring at him, Platy summoned up all her magical power again.
With a loud snap, the leather strap broke, and she forcefully shook off Antendeixis’s curse.
“Well…”
Antendeixis let out a tone of admiration, muttering, “Well, this is about the level I expected…” and shot me a meaningful glance.
Antendeixis had been cast in the incantation of 【Prohibition of spear movement】, not the heavier 【Forbidden】.
After blending in as a decent high-ranking demon, he seemed to be saying that this was all he had.
“…I’ll acknowledge this.”
Stowing the magical spear, Platy spoke calmly.
“You are strong.”
She sat down on the sofa with a thud.
“Of course.”
Antendeixis nodded grandly.
“Consider yourself on a grand ship.”
That grin of his had an evil glint.
“—I will make your child a splendid Demon Lord.”
Under the pressure of an unknown force, Platy gasped.
Antendeixis suddenly stood up and stretched right there.
“The real world is indeed cramped. I think I’ll take a rest now.”
Then, he hugged me and suddenly slipped inside me.
“…………”
Platy looked as if she’d seen something strange.
“Um… seems he’s made a place for himself inside me to conserve magical power.”
“…It’s not uncommon to contain parts or replicas of a contracted demon, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the whole body like this…”
Oh, so containing demons itself isn’t rare…
“In any case… Zilbagias.”
“Yes?”
“You seem to have brought quite the demon along.”
“It was hard work.”
I really wondered what was going to happen back then. It felt like a miracle to be sitting here now, posing as the prince of the demon race.
“…Alright. We can’t just sit here. We need to head back to the Demon Lord Castle immediately.”
Platy snapped her cheeks with both hands to pump herself up and stood.
“Already? You should rest a bit…”
Despite her spirits reviving from my return, her body was still drained, right?
We were riding on a dragon, not in a carriage!
“You are officially considered almost dead, Zilbagias. If we don’t cancel that soon, things will get messy.”
“Ah…”
So, thanks to the rush of my return, we set off from Cosmology Lodge with barely any rest.
I mounted the dragon. Unlike before, because I had grown, Platy couldn’t cradle me anymore.
So I sat behind her.
The autumn sky was colder than I expected. As I sniffled at the chilly wind, Platy remembered to chant a protective spell to alleviate the pressure of the wind.
After taking off and finding stable flight for a while, Platy began to doze off.
Hey, hey. You could die if you fall off the saddle at this height.
“Mother, this was kind of reckless, wasn’t it…?”
What a pain.
“I’ll support you, so just rest, okay?”
I grabbed the saddle’s handle and held Platy securely.
“…Is that so? …I’m sorry…”
Platy said, leaning against me. She seemed to be struggling to stay awake, but soon began to make soft snoring sounds.
Napping while riding a dragon—how disrespectful…
“A dutiful son, indeed.”
Antendeixis’s teasing voice echoed.
Shut up. If you die here, I’m the one who has trouble.
By the way, what did he mean by, “I will make your child a splendid Demon Lord”?
I sought power, but I never said I wanted to be a Demon Lord!
“Simple enough.”
Antendeixis laughed cruelly.
“Seek power, slay the Demon Lord, kill your siblings—betray your mother. Once you’ve completed your revenge against the demon race you desire, you will become the next Demon Lord in both name and reality.”
…
“So I promised that woman. That I would make her son—make you a splendid Demon Lord.”
—That’s right.
That was my bitter wish.
That blood-soaked conclusion is… what I truly desire…
“I look forward to it. I can’t wait for that day.”
So Antendeixis fell silent.
I embraced Platy’s warm body, staring into the horizon.
The Demon Lord Castle should come into view soon, at the end of the horizon.