Volume 1 - CH 2.1

Translated by: Riciel

The Imperial Conference Room.

After leaving his position, Sato hurried down the hallway. The sound of his footsteps tapping on the stone pavement changed with each step. He went from a tentative, somewhat weak gait to a sharp, clacking stride. Similarly, his expression also changed since leaving the conference room.

The further he got away from it, the more it changed. The soft, flattering, amiable smile disappeared as if it was peeling off, and a cruel, heartless, terrible face peeked out from underneath. The fact that he had the appearance of an adorable boy made the cruel appearance stand out even more.

“Who is there?”

The tone of voice in which he asked the question was also chilling. It was as if the one that had been before Kengo and the others was a substitute.

“By your side, Your Excellency.”

Sudo’s entourage emerged from the shadows as he strode down the corridor. It had a humanoid shape but with a black goat head and a pair of black wings on its back. It was a big demon that shared features of both sexes.

“Prepare to go into battle. Immediately.”

Sato, without looking back or stopping his steps, ruthlessly ordered.

“The army has already been organized and set up in front of the castle. All we need is Your Excellency’s orders.”

The entourage responded reverentially as it glided along after him.

“Hou? You’re quite good at what you do.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Since you are the one His Majesty the Demon King’s trusted and favoured one, I knew that you would definitely be assigned the role, so I prepared for it even though it might be presumptuous.”

“Kengo-sama’s trust and favour, huh… Haha, does it look like it?”

“I’m afraid that the way His Majesty the Demon King looks at you is similar to an older brother looking at a younger brother.”

“Hahaha. I see… I see…”

Sato smiled, one that he rarely showed in front of his subordinates, and repeated again, “I see.”

“To think that Kengo-sama cares for me so much! What a lucky man I am!”

He felt ecstatic!

“Aah, Kengo-sama! I’m the one who should stand up to you, your Majesty the Demon King! Absolute is what defines you! The mightiness of the magical power within you…!”

“The strength! The beauty! Every time I see it, I can’t help but be elated! What eye candy you are!”

Sato, with an intoxicated face, praised Kengo to the limits. His entourage, too, was not dismayed by the news; he simply gave a sincere and humble response. After a few moments of intoxication, Sato’s expression changed again. It became a cruel, cold-hearted demon general’s face.

“You know that, don’t you? I will not betray Kengo-sama’s trust. You get that?”

“I’ll keep that in mind even at the cost of my life, my liege.”

“Very well. I’ll teleport then. Follow me.”

Sato’s figure, who was strutting down the corridor, suddenly disappeared. A moment later, he appeared outside of the Demon King’s Castle.

Teleport.

It was a very high level of magic, but someone as great as Sato hardly needed to go through any magical procedures such as chanting spells or moulding magic power. His entourage also completed the instantaneous movement with a slight delay and followed immediately after.

In front of them, the 66,600 warriors of Satan’s army had lined up in an orderly formation. They waited for Sato’s visit without a whisper. It was truly a spectacular view. The senior demon clan member in charge of the order shouted hoarsely to let all the troops know that their lord had arrived.

“His Excellency, the Ruler and General of the Grand Duchy of Satarnia. The devil among devils, the adversary of the Celestials, the Red Dragon King, Saara Sataana Sadisuto Satan Sasan Satouuda Sassan Satan-sama, has arrived!”

In response, Sato nodded his head and said harshly, “Die.”

That command was not just a simple order but a kind of curse that contained Sato’s enormous magical power. The commander’s forehead immediately lit up with ‘666.’ Miasma appeared next, and then-

“With pleasure!”

The senior, with the look of a drug addict, committed suicide. A chilling feeling of dread spread through the 66,600 soldiers. A painful silence fills the room. But Sato, without regard for the corpse of his commander or his awed troops, asked a question to no one in a ruthless tone.

“What’s my name?”

“Your excellency, you are our liege, Lord Sato.”

It was the black goat-headed aide who quickly and respectfully replied.

“Yes, it’s Sato. It’s the name my cousin Kengo-sama gave me personally, you know? It’s the proud nickname that he gave to me. I will not allow you to call me by any other name.”

“I will notify all of your soldiers to ensure that this won’t happen again.”

“Do it then.”

Sato ordered in a lifeless voice and began to march forward unrestrainedly. He strode toward the 66,600 soldiers as if he were walking through a deserted field. In fact, the soldiers, in awe and reverence, parted and opened a path in front of Sato as if fleeing for their lives.

Sato didn’t give a second thought to these loyal soldiers and just accepted it as something natural.

Then, he and his entourage entered the large tent that had been was pitched in the center of the camp. Here was the central banner—the military command center. While the high-ranking military officials were standing upright and unmoving, Sato sat down alone at the end of the military council desk. Without any greeting or preamble, he unilaterally told the staff members.

“Without the blessings of His Majesty, a fortress holed up by a tribe of humans could be easily captured by me alone.”

“Yes, my lord. That is correct, Lord Sato.”

“But this time, I have Kengo-sama’s decree. So, I must show him good results.”

“Yes, my lord. You definitely will, Lord Sato.”

“You guys only need to surround the fort. I’ll do the rest, so don’t mess with me. Just don’t let any ants escape.”

“Yes, my lord. We have received your orders, Lord Sato.”

Sato’s orders were simply parroted by the high-ranked lieutenants. It couldn’t even be called a military conference.

(But this is the way I want my army to be.)

With his hand holding his cheek and his elbow on the chair’s armrest, he calmly declared that he did not care about any of the people in the room. The same was true for stones on the roadside. He watched blankly as the senior demons left through the curtains to deliver the orders to the entire army. Then, two demons, the cooks, showed up to replace them.

“Until the siege is complete, please enjoy your meal, Lord Sato.”

“I know this is a coarse meal, but as you are in the middle of battle, please forgive us, Lord Sato.”

They quickly put the plates in front of the desk and serve them. Without a word of thanks, Sato carelessly spooned the soup and brought it to his mouth. And—

“Too warm.”

Sato spat in a chilling voice that felt like absolute zero. He splashed the entire plate of soup off the desk.

“What!? Eh!? However, as per your preference, we made sure it was perfectly warm…”

“Did we make a mistake!?”

“Silence. It’s 0.4° C warmer than usual. It’s too warm.”

“T-that’s just the margin of error…”

“Shut up. Die.”

““With pleasure!””

Under Sato’s curse, the cooks got marked with ‘666’ on their foreheads. The number started to float, and they committed suicide. A creepy, pale air drifted through the tent. The high-ranked and well-known demons in the crowd were sweating and pretended not to see the scene.

Sato glared at them.

“Not enough tension. While I’ve been visiting Kengo-sama for a while, weren’t you guys completely relaxed?”

“My lord. It will never happen again, Lord Sato.”

“Hmm, I hope so.”

Sato waved his hand as a signal for them to clear the plates and then told them sternly.

“Don’t piss me off too much, okay?”

“Understood.”

He was a general of the demon world that had a tendency to easily lose his temper and was quick to kill his subjects over the slightest mistake. No one in the whole of the demon world did not know this. Yes, except for one, the unknowing demon king.