The next day had come. I lower myself onto my throne as I always do, reflecting upon what had transpired on the day prior. I had snuffed out fifty thousand human lives, a deed too terrible for words.
Well, I suppose it had been the right course of action for someone in the seat of the High King… But no matter how much my physical appearance or my power would change to reflect my position, I'm still very much human at heart. No matter how I try to paint it, I can't avoid the gnawing guilt.
"Yuuto-sama, may I be allowed to pose a question?"
Anri, kneeling in front of me as she always does, raised her head to me and spoke.
"What is it?"
"How soon do you plan to dispose of those humans?"
Hey, don't ask me about it like you'd ask someone when they'd get a haircut. I'm telling ya, I'm not planning on any kind of destruction! Anytime! I have to make myself clear here…
"… Listen well, Anri. You seem to have made quite the error in judgment."
"Oh, apologies. Vermin, I meant to say."
That's not what I meant!
"Tomorrow, perhaps? Or the day after? Or were you planning on doing so today?"
Just how much do you want to see humanity destroyed…?
In this world of Laruatos, humanity occupies approximately 90% of the earth, while demonkind occupies a mere 10%. While it may seem as if demons have been segregated from the rest of the earth and forced to dwell in a cramped space, their population is far less than that of humans. The percentage is more than enough.
That being said, there are still plenty of demons that were dissatisfied with this. Anri, in particular, is one of those.
"Do you really despise humans to such an extent?"
"Of course I do, Lord. Vermin with nothing but numbers to their name, who do nothing but needlessly grow as they suck the world dry of its resources should be purged, by all rights."
Yeah, I thought I might be able to change her mind, but… it's obviously impossible. What do I say now?
"… Do not be so rash, Anri. With the power I wield, destroying humanity is possible at any time. Why not let them indulge in whatever remains of their short lives?"
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"I understand. I've come to expect nothing less of you, Yuuto-sama. For you, demolishing those vermin would be nothing short of child's play."
Well, at least the delay was a success. It's not a proper solution to this conundrum, though.
"That reminds me, Anri. Would you refrain from calling them vermin?"
"… Why Lord?"
She tilts her head to the side, her face betraying that she didn't understand why I had asked her that. Well, it's obvious; hearing humans being called vermin while I'm a former human stings a little.
But that doesn't really mean I can just say, "Hey, I used to be a human, so stop calling them vermin. Pretty please."
"You saw what I did yesterday, did you not? I find it unpleasant to even treat them as if they were living creatures."
"Ah…! I-I deeply apologize!"
"This is why you shall no longer refer to them as vermin from now on. Even vermin pose more of a threat."
This sounds about right. I still somehow just managed to make humanity sink even lower in rank, but let's not overthink that.
"I understand. I shall be sure to refer to them as 'Diarrhea.'"
It got so much worse!!!
"… Listen here, Anri. You are a young woman, and should stray from using such foul language."
"…! A-Are you treating me as someone of the opposite sex, Y-Yuuto-sama?!"
"Huh? Well, I am, sure…"
Anri looks positively elated, shaking with joy.
"I, Anri, have never been known to feel such happiness! I shall offer my body to you at once!"
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What's gotten into her head?! Why's she starting to strip?!!!
"What are you doing, Anri?! Retain your composure!"
"Huh?! I-I apologize… I'd forgotten that it's still evening…"
No, no, this has nothing to do with the time.
"Really, an adorable girl such as yourself should never offer her own body so readily. Think before you act."
"A… Ado… Adorable…?!"
CRASH.
Anri's eyes morph into little hearts, foaming at the mouth, and falls over. She's gone unconscious, it seems. I'm not sure what to say about this girl, but… what a shame.
"Incantation: Almighty Healing!"
I let my incantation do its work on Anri. It's a healing spell that cures any sort of injury, illness or further abnormality in the body. It should be just as effective against unconsciousness.
MP – 9,999,999,959 / 9,999,999,999
I make sure to check my own status screen, of course. It looks like Almighty Healing takes up 40 MP. Unless I'm wrong, the Disaster Cannon I used yesterday used up around 10… But then again, given my MP reserves it probably wouldn't bring anything to the table if I did go out of my way to memorize the spell costs.
"Hah?! W-What was I…?"
Mere seconds after the incantation, Anri recovers and rises to her feet, disoriented.
"You merely lost consciousness. My incantation has allowed you to heal."
"I-Is that truly what happened?! I've not only shown my most pitiful state to you, but I've also forced you to intervene… I shall take my life at once!"
"There's no need!"
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I may have lost my composure just then, just a tad. It's only been four days since I was reincarnated as the High King, but I've already lost count of the times Anri's offered to take her own life.
That's when someone decided to knock on the door to the great hall, twice. I order them to enter, and three demons wearing maid uniforms walk in, come up to me, and take a knee.
"Yuuto-sama, Anri-sama. Our dining hall has been decked with your meals."
Oh, it's already time for dinner.
"Thank you for your report. You may return."
The female demons bow their heads one more time before leaving the hall. There are plenty of things I could ask here, like, "Why the maid outfits?" or even "Why do you need three demons just to tell me this," but I've already decided that I wouldn't let these things get to me any longer.
"Yuuto-sama. I do believe I've said this before, but there really is no need to force yourself all the way to the dining hall just to eat. You might as well just order them to bring your food here."
Anri speaks up once we're on our way.
"I merely think that eating together with my trusty demons will provide some brief entertainment."
"… You praise us far too much."
Eating all alone in a room as big as a high school gym? No thank you, too lifeless for me. Even if demons are the only company I can get, eating in a crowd of them is much more preferable to me.
"It's Yuuto-sama!"
"Yuuto-sama's come to see us!"
As I open the doors to the dining hall, all the demons inside direct their undivided attention towards me and rise out of their seats, ready to kneel.
"There is no need! All of you may continue your meals!"
My voice is loud enough to resonate through the entire hall. I'm still not sure if it's because I'm so large now, but my voice travels incredibly well. It still didn't mean that every demon I crossed paths with had to kneel to me, though. That'll just put me on edge, you know?
"Yuuto-sama. Your seat is over there."
One of the demon maids from earlier approaches me, her left hand gesturing toward the direction she meant. There, I can see a beautiful chair, decorated with all kinds of ornaments. The High King's personal seat. I think to myself that I would've been fine with any old chair, but I nevertheless make my way to it and sit down.
The food is already on the table. The other demons have bowls full of some strange, violet slop, along with plates of spaghetti-like food filled with what look like eyeballs, and various other meals that would make anyone sick to their stomach. I, on the other hand… had regular omelet rice. I've already made sure to order for this sort of meal in advance.