* * *

“Ah, annoying. Why did this ogre wake up again.”

“Stop complaining and let’s go.”

Karos clicked his tongue. He and Bathesia were on their way to the forest. The village chief had screamed that an ogre had awakened from hibernation and was preying on its kind, so they were going to catch it. Bathesia waved her hand, and the bushes parted.

“Why did you save that one?”

Bathesia asked. Karos shrugged.

“That one?”

“Don’t play dumb. The kid who stole from us.”

Bathesia asked with a scrunched face. Not only had they saved him, but they had also bought an apple and used the remaining money to buy a house and blankets for him. She had quietly complied, unable to refuse the order, but felt as if her heart was rotting.

Karos laid his hand on a twisted tree. It was an ancient tree. When this tree first took root here, there were neither humans nor goblins.

“To gather information. Even if we hide our identities, there’s a limit to how deep we can dig.”

“Information on humans? What use do you have for such things.”

“Such things…”

Karos smirked. Demon Kings were arrogant. They trusted their power and despised humans. And they died.

“Bathesia, let me ask you one thing. If you were in perfect condition, could you win against the empire?”

“…”

Bathesia didn’t answer, but her silence was answered enough. She wouldn’t last a week before being torn to shreds, and the Demon King named Bathesia would disappear.

“Humans are strong. Though their average power may be less than ours, when united, they have the strength to trample the world. It’s actually like that, isn’t it? We haven’t conquered the surface.”

At best, they had divided it in half. And most of that was barren land, lands humans did not care about. Demon Kings who reached out for the fertile lands, towards the empire, all died.

The empire was a giant. Even if other kingdoms were destroyed and only the empire remained, they would not disappear.

“Krooooooah!”

A giant monster. The ogre screamed and appeared. The monster, with blood-red eyes, rushed towards Bathesia. Smoothly flying through the air like a water strider, it clenched its fist. Bathesia swung her hand roughly.

Boom!

With an explosion, the ogre was crushed. It fell to the ground, head-first in front of Bathesia.

“Kroooooah!”

“So what now? Are we going to flatter them and lick their boots to maintain our lineage?”

“Hardly.”

Karos replied softly to Bathesia, who spoke harshly. He was weak. Without magic or significant abilities. Therefore, he intended to take a different path than other Demon Kings.

“Do you know why I settled in this place?”

Karos’ demon king castle was at the edge of the continent, within the empire. Far from the frontline between the demons and humans on the opposite side of the continent. The only things around were human territories. If discovered, they wouldn’t be able to run and would be annihilated.

“Because you have many enemies? Right away, there are countless demon kings who want you dead.”

“That… is also true. But that’s not the main reason.”

The mood broke. Karos clicked his tongue. He applied pressure to the old tree, and it crumbled into dust with a crack.

“Would I have been able to do anything if I went to the frontline?”

Bathesia hesitated at Karos’ words. Karos was the most atypical among demon kings. Weaker than an average demon. Even if he went to the frontline, he would have been relegated to supporting roles, managing logistics.

“…No.”

“Right. Going there wouldn’t change anything. A drop of water in a calm pond doesn’t change anything, right? Eventually, conquering the surface will be the job of other demon kings. So, I chose the method with the highest chance of success.”

From within the empire, slowly growing in size. Borrowing human names to swallow territories. And when the empire notices, detonate it.

The empire is a giant. But although a giant is strong, it cannot cure the disease within. It will slowly rot and die. That was his aim.

“This place is safest from humans. Farthest from the frontline, and the sea behind us is the Sea of Dragons. Demons can’t invade. That’s why the defenses are the weakest here.”

If they were near the frontline villages, they wouldn’t have been able to enter. Detection devices were installed in every home. Even if they had entered, they would have been captured and killed immediately.

But here, there wasn’t a single detection device. Not only that, but people’s vigilance was also lower. They would spill all the details of their territory to a stranger they saw for the first time.

“…You’re serious.”

Bathesia murmured quietly. Many demon kings had given up on conquest. Subdued by the powerful force of humans, they were satisfied with the current situation. But not Karos.

“I became a demon king. There’s only one thing to do.”

Dangerous, but the payoff was substantial. Karos smiled pleasantly.

“Killing a giant is always done not by an external enemy, but by the disease within.”

Hyung_Otaku

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!