CH 76.2

PART – 2

What? …Why… lie?

I came to the Cursed Wetlands with Lerga.

“Lilia and that girl… have bones.”

“…Bones? I have bones, and so do you.” After creeping forward, I observed the area around the centre of the swamp from a faraway cliff.

“Bones and birds are fighting.”

“Bones and birds are fighting… Mhm.” He repeated the words that the adorable Lerga had said. She made the same gestures as he did, like a swan.

The thick steak on the grilled stone plate, which gave an impression that it was very juicy, was being cut into pieces by a knife and fork.

Lerga still held a bone in her hand, as if regretting that she ate the meat on the bone.

The [Swamp Demon] deals with powerful magic that I’ve never seen, and seems much more like a demon lord than me.

Maybe it’s still in its growth period? It’s powers are growing crazily fast.

But let’s put that aside for now.

The main question is, why are Lilia and Kageha here?

I had told you. I had told you not to worry about the Wetlands, Kageha.

In other words, you’re ignoring my… instructions.

“…Hey, Lerga, why do you think Lilia and Kageha came here?”

“That’s obvious.”

No way. Lerga seems very confident in her hypothesis.

“Sneaking off.”

“…I guess you’re right. Hmmm… seriously?”

Could it be that… you’re trying to recruit [Swamp Demon] before me and create a faction… within the organization?!

No, I shouldn’t hastily decide it’s a rebellion.

Let’s not be negative, let’s be positive.

Imagine… the most convenient world for me.

.

“Hey, isn’t our president amazing? Isn’t he amazing?”

“Right? He’s got the charisma of a demon king.”

“But I mean, isn’t the boss working too hard?”

“Then, why don’t we just finish the job ourselves?”

No… That was far too positive.

However, upon thinking deeper about it, I realized that the girls will have to do work such as cleaning when they return to the mansion. Considering the size of my mansion, Lilia and the others are obviously not enough to prepare meals… and clean.

…I see.

It did make sense that they came here on their own to recruit subordinates.

“They’ve got such big bones… it’s not fair…”

As I ate while picking at the vegetables in between the meat, I began to think, ‘That bone monster is strong, isn’t it?’

He’s controlling something that looks like a big pinball… That was dangerous! You were about to hit those two!

I stopped eating my lunch and wiped my mouth with a handkerchief.

“Crono-sama, are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. I’m going to work for a bit, can you join those two over there?”

I stood up and pulled out the… black sword that was placed in my back, and instructed Lerga to play with it as I made preparations.

While I was teaching Princess Erika, I thought I should practice more with my sword, but I never thought I’d get a chance to show my sword skills off for real.

“Black Sword, Makuhiki.”

It’s one of the many Demon Lord weapons I’ve made.

“…Okay.”

“Here, these are leftovers, but you can eat them if you want. I’ve cut them into small pieces. If you want, you can also have some of the special fried rice I made.”

“Okay!”

That was an enthusiastic answer.

I nodded to Lerga, who immediately began eating the steak, and jumped to the center of the swamp.

♢♢♢

“…Demon King, huh?”

A handsomely dressed boy landed on top of the heart of the Cursed Wetlands, with a beautiful jet-black sword standing in front of him.

His well defined muscles could be seen even through his clothes. He certainly looked like a warrior, but at the end, he was still just a boy.

And yet he had managed to sneak all the way here without any signs.

It was clear that he was no ordinary person.

‘…Are you telling me you’ve been replaced by another…?’

“I’m here to recruit you. Let’s work together comfortably.”

“…work? What are you talking about? Are you crazy?”

Molly had been stopped from retrieving the treasure, and in frustration she unleashed her magic.

Dark green magic.

“Guh!”

“…!”　

A heavy pressure filled the area, the nauseating magic stifling the mouths of Kageha and Lilia who tried to warn Crono about the dangers of the [Swamp Demon].

They hoped for the best, but after seeing the power of the Swamp Demon, they felt an inexplicable uneasiness. A certain corner in their hearts wished that he hadn’t come.

The fear and impatience in their hearts was growing every second.

“Whoever you are, I can’t deal with you right now. Even if you are a rare guest. Solnada-“

“Hmm, then…” The Demon Lord said in front of the demons who were becoming more and more eager to kill him.

The demons waited with bated breath, expecting some weak words to come out of the overwhelmed Crono.

He folded his arms over his sword, pretended to think, and then said with a… fearless smile, “…Why don’t you come and get me? I’ll take care of both of you at once.”

The air in the swamp became tense, as if it had frozen over.

〜・〜・〜・〜・〜・〜

Attention!

According to the schedule, there will be a battle next. After that, this phase will end in 3 episodes.

Lerga’s clothes may be changed to a maid’s uniform. I may also add some gags to this story later.

That’s it for now.