Chapter 334
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Side Story: Miyu 2
Launching an information manipulation campaign, I spread fake information across various SNS channels in addition to Laplace, stating that a dangerous Demon King was haunting the Nagano Prefecture and that one shouldn’t get on the bad side of said Demon King.
Excluding myself, ten other Demon Kings had had enough power to survive through the initial phase within the Nagano Prefecture. Eight of them were participating in Laplace.
I decided to crush the other two first.
First off, I had the humans attack them by fabricating news that they were extremely cruel or hoarding treasures. Afterwards, I posted on Laplace, suggesting it was the right time to attack the Demon Kings in question.
Moreover, I bolstered my own strength and did【Reign】 on free land while the demon kings were fighting each other or the humans. With this information manipulation and my strategies bearing fruit, I became the Demon King possessing the largest domain in the prefecture.
Two years after becoming a Demon King.
I was harvesting the results of my daily activities, having been assigned to be a Hazard rank S. Hence, I shifted to the final touches of my plan.
I used an anonymous forum boasting the largest user base in the country. If something made a buzz on this forum, it’d be discussed on regular sites, spread to all sorts of SNS channels, and eventually be regarded as the truth.
１ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｔｆｄｙｋｇｒ
Hasn’t the naming of the 13 S-Rank Demon Kings been decided yet?
I moved in order to be inserted into the group of powerful Demon Kings.
２ Nameless Adventurer ＩＤ：ｍａｓｋｅｒｉ
The Demon Kings whose territories have been designated as Hazard Rank S?
Since it’d be challenging to push the matter with just one account, I used several accounts to get the thread going.
And thus it was decided that the 13 Demon Kings with a Hazard Rank S, including me, would be called Thirteen Evil Stars. This name spread across forums, blogs, and social media. And once the mass media began using it, it became widely known.
I had succeeded.
Starting with that day, the number of people invading my domain dropped sharply. I had succeeded in securing a brief period of peace for myself.
The only mistake I made…even though I tried to popularize my alias as Secret, the alias Nanashi was attached to me instead for some reason…
Oh well, whatever. I can fix that anytime, if I want.
◆
Three years after I became a Demon King
On a particular day, I finally managed to conquer all of Nagano Prefecture.
But, I was careless…
After conquering the prefecture and turning my attention to other prefectures, I was forced to realize my own weakness anew.
What is the difference between strong and weak Demon Kings?
I think there are several answers to this question, but the answer I feel applies to me is level――or to put it in other words, experience.
Strong Demon Kings have experienced countless battles ever since they became Demon Kings.
Talentless Demon Kings were weeded out through the countless battles and vanished.
Prodigal Demon Kings experienced those battles and survived them all as victors. And menial Demon Kings avoided the battles and survived, if they were blessed with good luck, but would eventually be devoured by the strong, nonetheless.
Many Demon Kings were talentless. The Thirteen Evil Stars were prodigies. And I’m a menial Demon King.
It’s not like I’m aiming to conquer Japan or anything like that. So, is there any way for someone like me to survive?
Entering under someone’s protection…would be a last resort. How about allying to get a powerful backer?
But, who…?
If I look at my neighboring Thirteen Evil Stars members, it’s War Goddess Yui in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Storm King Hayate in the Aichi Prefecture, Creator Shion in the Hokuriku area, and a bit further away, Solid Queen Sumire in the Tohoku area.
War Goddess Yui is the only one among the four candidates who isn’t participating in Laplace. So she’s out since I have no way to contact her.
Sati or Storm King Hayate gives me the image of being reckless and straightforward, but…as far as I can tell from his skillfully evading the extremely troublesome humans of the Shizuoka Prefecture, he probably has some clever parts to him as well. Moreover, given that there is absolutely no information about him being allied with other Demon Kings, it seems like it’ll be extremely difficult to gain his trust.
Saburo or Creator Shion gives me the impression of being calm, level-headed, and smart, but you could say he’s not very typical of a Demon King. Demon Kings are supposed to like freedom and chaos, but…actively building a town――no, a country to take in humans makes him quite eccentric. But, he also possesses the coldheartedness to kill all those betraying or opposing him brutally. Allying with him would be fine, but…he likely won’t trust me easily either.
Seven or Solid Queen Sumire gives me the impression of being calm, collected, and gentle, but…she’s pretty much the worst Demon King. She already has several Demon Kings under her protection…no, she’s managing them as lower subordinates. With her skilled way of using words, she enticed the surrounding Demon Kings to join her side and made them obey with her tremendous power. Several complaints have been posted about her on Laplace. I think she’s the worst candidate for an alliance.
The ideal partner would be Creator Shion, but…I wonder whether it’ll work out.
He’s the man who concluded an alliance as the first Demon King in this world while broadcasting it to the whole world. His first alliance partner is still going strong, and you can easily tell that they’ve built a good relationship.
His next alliance partner in the Toyama Prefecture was destroyed after getting tricked by Shion, but…that was just reaping what he sowed.
Trust will be answered with trust, and betrayal will be met with death――he’s a truly easy-to-understand guy who doesn’t fit the image of a Demon King.
As Demon King Miyu, Laplace’s administrator, and Nina…I waited for a chance to ally while keeping an eye on Demon King Shion and Demon King Hayate.
◆
Four years after becoming a Demon King
A Demon King Festival started upon Creator Shion’s suggestion. During that event, Creator Shion was coincidentally…no, inevitably targeted by the fanatic people of the Shizuoka Prefecture, causing him to struggle.
Is this a golden opportunity?
I bet everything on this and sent an email to Creator Shion.
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