Chapter 71
“So, about the Tower Master?”
“If Hina appears, the viewers of Demon King-sama’s broadcast will undoubtedly skyrocket!”
“You already seem to have plenty…”
“Right now, 70% of the viewers are demons.”
Lumia, chatting excitedly in the Illusion Magic Tower.
At some point, Lumia began visiting the Illusion Magic Tower as if it were her own home.
Initially, it was merely to buy more games.
As a demon, she found it difficult to use the merchant guilds, so she had to come directly to the Illusion Magic Tower.
In doing so, she exchanged a few words with Rai.
From him, she learned about games, and later she would often come back to chat.
Had the developer been any other human, she wouldn’t have done so.
But Rai was a human unlike any other.
Even in the Empire, when everyone insisted Lumia should be attacked, Rai alone said he would give her a game.
The first existence that neither hated nor discriminated against her, whether to her face or behind her back.
Lumia found talking with Rai intriguing and enjoyable.
“Tower Master? Are you okay with this?”
“I-I-I c-c-can’t…b-broadcasts are…”
Hina stammered and mumbled, “Hoo-eh,” in response to Lumia’s request for her to join a broadcast.
Lumia had grown close to Hina as well from frequent visits to the Illusion Magic Tower.
Although Hina was also human, there seemed to be an understanding among the strong.
Moreover, Lumia had even started her own “Tworch” broadcast.
Watching famous streamers inspired her to give it a try.
She aimed to use her broadcasts to help demons better adapt to games.
“If Hina broadcasts, the viewership will explode, which is such a pity,” Lumia said as she grabbed a snack.
Lying comfortably on the sofa, Lumia laughed gleefully.
This signaled how relaxed she’d become.
She had even started forgetting to set barriers when visiting the Illusion Magic Tower.
Though she acted innocent on the surface, she was still the Demon King ruling the Demon World.
Moreover, her long life experience had made her trust in others difficult.
Thus, every time she visited the Illusion Magic Tower, she would isolate it from the outside world with a barrier, ensuring no funny business could occur.
But gradually, she grew more comfortable in the tower, convinced that these people were different.
It didn’t even seem like an act.
And Lumia could always see through people pretending in front of her.
Rai and Hina.
They didn’t appear to view Lumia as an evil being that needed to be eradicated.
Truly peculiar humans.
Most humans couldn’t wait to kill demons.
Of course, Lumia hadn’t entirely given her heart to them.
Still, she couldn’t help but hold hope that these beings were different.
“By the way, what is a ‘Col Cup’?”
“Oh, that…”
Hearing the term while gaming, Lumia asked Rai, who explained kindly.
“So, it’s a competition where beings from the human world gather to see who is the best at games?!”
“That’s correct.”
“Ooooooh! That sounds incredibly fun!”
Just hearing about it made her excited.
Naturally, Lumia wanted to go. She thought it would be great if she could participate.
But she soon grew dejected.
Though she played games, it was unlikely humans would welcome her in such an official tournament.
As someone who wished for a changed relationship between humans and demons, it was a painful thought.
“If you want, demons can probably participate. But, of course, you’ll need to decide on a representative.”
“…Really?”
“Elves, dark elves, beastfolk, all kinds participate. You’ll probably need to send an official request to the Empire.”
“B-but the Empire won’t…”
The Emperor had declared that the Demon King must die.
Lumia doubted the Empire would allow demons to participate.
“Even so, perceptions of demons in the gaming world have changed. While history hasn’t, they might even enjoy publicly stomping on demons in the tournament.”
“Hmm… That could be true. Then I’ll make the request.”
“Sure. I’ll also speak to them separately.”
It was an act requiring immense courage.
Humans had hated demons for centuries.
And they might suspect demons of planning something nefarious for the tournament and reject them outright.
Of course, Lumia had no such intentions, nor did demons have the power to invade the human world.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried.
“Why does Demon King-sama even want to bridge the gap with humans? Games are one thing, but don’t demons hate humans?”
“Demons don’t hate humans. The reason demons have invaded the human world repeatedly through history is that the human world lies between the Heavenly World and the Demon World, serving as a passage.”
“The Heavenly World?”
“If demons have an enemy, it’s the Heavenly World, not humans. It’s an ancient story even the Demon King doesn’t fully know. Beyond that, demons always seek stronger opponents. After the internal power struggles in the Demon World produce the strongest Demon King, they naturally turn their sights on the human world.”
“So basically, they’re just lunatics.”
“The Demon King just wants everyone to be friends. While battles for strength are natural, mutual hatred isn’t necessary…”
Lumia lowered her head, sadness overtaking her as old memories resurfaced.
Rai observed her silently for a moment.
“I see. Well, I hope demons can participate in the tournament.”
“Thank you, Riot.”
And so, demons were allowed to join the tournament.
Shortly afterward, the Empire approved it.
Not only Lumia but all demons were delighted.
It was an opportunity to compete with humans in strength through games rather than war during the current era of peace.
This was largely thanks to Rai’s determined persuasion.
***
“I said I’m not doing any interviews!”
Lately, I’ve been pestered by reporters again.
This time, it was because it had been revealed that I supported the Demonkind’s participation in the Col Cup.
Of course, people criticized me.
By now, everyone had gotten used to the Demonkind playing games.
In the game world, they couldn’t cause any physical harm, and players could even experience defeating them.
However, inviting them to the Human Realm to participate in a competition was a different matter.
It was about interaction between species.
Inviting the Demonkind to a Human Realm festival.
On top of that, being in the same space as the Demonkind inevitably caused unease.
“Rai, are you really sure about this?”
Rain, who had just chased off the reporters, asked me worriedly.
If even Rain reacted this way, the public reaction would be far worse.
“It will be fine. At least for now.”
But I was certain.
At least for now. And the current Demon King, Lumia, wouldn’t attack humans.
It was half intuition. A belief that Lumia would never lie.
Honestly, Lumia seemed like just a kid who really liked games.
If she had any intentions otherwise, she would have acted long ago.
Also, there were currently severe restrictions on the Demonkind crossing into the Human Realm.
By the original timeline, it would still take a few hundred years for the realms to connect.
Lumia could barely open a small passage for one or two individuals with her Demon Sword.
Even that couldn’t be done frequently.
Bringing enough Demonkind to invade the Human Realm was impossible.
“Besides, doesn’t the Demon King-sama seem far from the stereotypical Demon King?”
“That’s true.”
“There’s even that famous story from a thousand years ago, during the second Demon King’s invasion, where one of the heroes’ party members fell in love with the Demon King.”
“Oh, that one’s well-known.”
“Come to think of it, maybe the Demonkind’s goal isn’t human slaughter. Humans attack the Demonkind out of hatred, but the Demonkind seem to approach humans with a different concept in mind.”
Perhaps things could change. In the distant future.
Rain seemed to be pondering over my words.
I smiled lightly and headed to my room.
Even though I said that, it wasn’t as if I wasn’t anxious.
But I trusted my feeling that Lumia was trustworthy.
In reality, the Demon Realm Lumia envisioned seemed different from the Demon Realm of the past.
Maybe this could truly change the course of history.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t prepared for the worst.
I had asked the Tower Masters if they would be willing to fight if the Demonkind caused trouble.
After all, the Tower Masters would all be watching the Col Champs.
With the combined firepower of the Tower Masters and the Imperial Army, we could handle six or seven Demonkind.
I also coordinated with the Empire to ensure evacuation routes and protective barriers for the audience were thoroughly prepared.
It was a bothersome task, but I insisted strongly enough that everyone complied.
Of course, I didn’t think such incidents would happen.
Still, ensuring the audience’s psychological safety was necessary.
I heard that this caused a decrease in the number of spectators for this year’s Col Champs, but in the long run, it was a necessary step.
Not long after, the second Col Champs began.
***
Several months before the Col Champs, in the Demon Realm.
As soon as Lumia gained approval to participate in the Col Champs, she announced it to the Demonkind.
“So, we’ll choose representatives to participate in the human competition! We’ll hold the preliminaries starting next week, so those who want to join, sign up! And anyone with a COL or Auto Chess tier of Diamond 1 or higher should definitely participate!”
“So, does this mean we’re going to the Human Realm?”
“Is this finally the invasion of the Human Realm, Demon King? Oh, no, Demon King-sama?”
The Demonkind were excited about the idea of going to the Human Realm.
To them, invading the Human Realm less than a century after the last Human-Demon War was a monumental event.
“I said it’s not an invasion! We’re just going to play games! And any Demonkind who causes trouble with humans will be killed on the spot! We’re going to show the Demonkind’s manners!”
““What???””
The Demonkind were confused.
To them, the idea of not fighting humans didn’t make sense.
“We’ll select representatives purely based on gaming skill! This isn’t about physical strength; it’s about gaming prowess!”
“So, we’re competing with our strength in the game.”
“In that case, I’m in. I’m the best mid-laner. I’ve always wanted to go up against that guy.”
“Finally, it’s time to show humans my unmatched side-lane skills. Hehe…”
“Shut up, Baalzebub. What will you do if your champion gets banned?”
“Well, it seems playing only Auto Chess while others focused on COL paid off…”
But the simple-minded Demonkind quickly accepted the idea.
After all, it was a competition of strength in games.
A chance to mercilessly dominate in COL.
“It’s not the Human-Demon War, but it will still be fun to compete against human champions.”
“The Human Realm has an incredible number of skilled players. Let’s all prepare thoroughly!”
And so, the heat for the upcoming Col Champs began to swirl in the Demon Realm as well.
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