Chapter 19 : Help me! Holmes!

I had created an internet ecosystem, but then I realized that the jungle of the internet could be too complex and tiring.

In that sense, my broadcast was a kind of ‘public broadcasting.’ Content provided conveniently when the time came, without the need to worry about what to watch. Content that was both popular and not overly stimulating… low-fatigue content.

So, variety shows it was.

The answer was a vicarious satisfaction-type variety show, easy to watch, 21st-century style.

“In that sense, fan club members… uh… want to work on something with me?”
“Yes! Give us your command, oh Great One!”

“I’m not that great… Anyway, I’m planning to rebuild the vampire nation.”
“Ooh! Vampires! The sinister and beautiful ancient chosen race who take and spread human blood! You plan to make them your kin!”

“Ah, well. Something like that. They’re not that ancient, but…”

‘These guys would be great as reaction panelists.’

Observational variety shows often had celebrity panels in the studio who reacted to the videos, right?

Their exaggerated gasps and exclamations… Using these guys as reaction panelists could be quite satisfying for the viewers.

“Anyway, I can create the veil of darkness with magic, but to rebuild the fortress, I need buildings. Preferably something grand, but not too modern, or it won’t suit a vampire fortress. So—”
“We shall go and build them!”

“No, who has time for that? I’ll just extract some buildings and move them.”
“Pardon?”

If I needed buildings, I could just put them in my inventory and take them myself.

So…

The fan club members’ role was simple.

“I’ll give you teleportation magic tools. Travel the world and find buildings that would suit a ‘vampire fortress’. Old, unoccupied castles are fine, and occupied buildings are fine too, as long as you can buy them. Look around and see.”
“Yes! Understood!”

“Ah, and film the entire process with the Network Magic Tool.”
“Yes!”

Reliable.

I could just relax at home and eat snacks.

‘Ah, I should also check out the new item I got.’

Was it called the Eternal Rift?

After leaving the mage’s mansion with the teleportation magic tools, the apostles looked at each other.

They felt like they had just escaped the jaws of a tiger.

“Phew… The Great One’s power is truly limitless. To think that this Network Magic was all part of His plan. And to have the Hero, the Saint, and even the Demon Monarch as His followers…”

The apostle leading the devil worshippers marveled.

The Saint, a servant of God, the Hero, the enemy of demons, and the Demon Monarch, ruler of the Demon Realm, were all followers of the ‘Great One’. A majesty truly befitting the true king of this world.

Then, a new devil worshipper, looking at the apostle, tilted their head in confusion.

“B-But is he really the ‘Great One’? No matter how I look at it, he just seems like a human Archmage, not a demon…”
“You blasphemous fool!”

The apostle struck the new devil worshipper’s head with their staff.

The new worshipper screamed, collapsed, rolled on the ground, and then stood up again.

The apostle clicked their tongue and admonished them.

“Could such grand magic be possible with the power of a mere human? He is preparing.”
“Preparing…?”

“For the time when all human souls are completely subservient to this magic.”
“Ah!”

Come to think of it, it was strange that such grand magic required no price.

Of course, it needed some Mana Stones to use, but it could be maintained with just low-grade Mana Stones. The amount of Mana Stones required was too small compared to the scale of the magic.

This perfectly matched the characteristics of ‘black magic’, which borrowed the power of demons.

Instead of using one’s own mana, it opened a path to hell and borrowed the power of demons, allowing for much more efficient use of magic. Because the one actually wielding the power was the demon.

And the price of black magic was human souls.

“In the ancient mythical age, when the false god and the Great One opposed each other, it was the blasphemous humans who stabbed Him in the back. The false god instigated the humans to betray Him. The power of human souls is strong enough to even pierce a god.”
“So—this time, the Great One plans to capture human souls.”

“Humans are unaware of the truth… No, even if they realized the truth, they would still use this magic. This ‘Network Magic’ is too convenient… too entertaining. Most people can no longer imagine a time without Network Magic. They’re addicted.”

It was a poison. A poison seeping into the souls of people all over the world.

Actually, considering how internet addiction was treated on Earth, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“So do not act rashly and ruin His grand plan. From now on, we devil worshippers must work diligently to promote the spread of ‘Network Magic’.”

At that moment…

As if affirming the apostle’s words, an incredibly sinister and ominous aura emanated from the mage’s mansion.

An aura of a true Greater Demon—as if directly connected to hell.

The devil worshippers, trembling with fear, prostrated themselves towards the mansion.

And then, they scattered across the world to fulfill the mission bestowed upon them.

After protecting the building with barriers and magic, I installed the rift connected to hell.

The Greater Demon, squirming to escape, poked its head out of the entrance. A monster resembling a combination of a human, a goat, and an octopus, oozing a muddy fluid.

“Hmm, what kind of demon is this?”

What awaited the demon from hell…

…Was a barrage of magic, pouring from the countless magic circles installed in the mansion.

• Screech?!

The startled demon struggled, using its demonic power to contaminate even mana and holy power, but I had already completed the magic to counter it while researching the ‘Silent Demon.’

The demon tried to escape back through the gate to hell, but—

“Store.”

The rift connected to hell was already in my inventory.

All the demon could do was endure the endless magical bombardment until it was drained of power.

• KIIIEEEEE—!!!
  “It would be nice if you had an ability that could be used for Network Magic, like the Silent Demon…”

Well, it didn’t matter if it was useless.

The rift remained open even after the demon was expelled. I could just destroy this one and summon a new one.

“If you’re useful, you’ll get to meet your friend.”

And so…

The demon gacha to summon an SSR demon began.

Time passed once more.

Finally, the broadcast day for the previously announced ‘Help Me! Holmes!’ content arrived.

“Kinnikos, it’s been a while.”
“Hee hee, it has. Will you turn on the radio more often? Your voice is excellent material. I listen to the recordings twenty times a day.”

Kinnikos, the progenitor of the vampires, who lived eternally in the shadows.

She hugged me enthusiastically. I could feel her breath on me due to the vampires’ characteristic lack of personal space.

“Ah, yes. I’m glad you enjoy the broadcasts. Today, we’ll be broadcasting the reconstruction of the ‘Vampire Fortress’. Is that alright?”
“Of course. Isn’t it for me?”

Her archaic way of speaking, like a child imitating an adult, was oddly endearing.

She bowed her head politely and expressed her gratitude.

“Our panelists… I mean, our colleagues will offer various opinions on the buildings to be built here. Kinnikos, you can evaluate and integrate those opinions.”
“Hee hee, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Then, I’ll start the broadcast in a moment.”

I adjusted some system settings and started the broadcast.

The world’s first home renovation variety show content.

It was beginning.

[“Hello, friends! The mage is here! As previously announced, today we’ll be broadcasting the reconstruction of the ‘Vampire Fortress’. Oh, messages are already pouring in. I’m afraid I can’t read them all right now, so please focus on sending opinions about this broadcast. The usual ‘story-reading radio’ segment will be in the second part after the first part is over, so please understand.”]

The magic-linked camera showed a barren wasteland, devoid of even a single blade of grass.

The land, turned into a wasteland where no living thing could grow due to the aftermath of the Sky Whale’s crash.

Kinnikos’s half-collapsed castle stood alone in the ruins.

Then, the camera showed the inside of the castle where we were. The panel consisted of me, the Apostle (fan club member), the Demon Monarch, and the Saint. The hero couldn’t participate because they were busy saving the world. Apparently, they had a lot of catching up to do.

“Kinnikos, we’ll be adding buildings to that wasteland. Do you have any requests?”
“Requests… I’d like lots of tall buildings. Vampires like to look down at the party from a high vantage point. The central plaza, which will be the party venue, needs to be kept open, so it would be nice if the buildings could surround it.”

This was a request we’d discussed beforehand.

After this brief chat, I connected with the staff (fan club members) dispatched to the site.

[“Ah, greetings! Oh, Great One!”]
“Don’t be so nervous, just relax, we’re on air. Can you show us the property you’ve prepared with the camera?”

[“Yes!”]

And…

The building the staff member showed was something I hadn’t expected at all.

[“The former Demon Monarch’s Castle of the Demon Realm!”]
“…Huh?”

I looked at the Demon Monarch sitting on the panel.

“Is it okay to offer this as a property? Did you agree to this?”
“Indeed. I have recently constructed a new Demon Monarch’s Castle, so this building is no longer in use.”

“Ah, I see.”

And so, the staff member introduced the various facilities within the former Demon Monarch’s Castle.

The Demon Monarch gave positive commentary from beside me.

“They said they wanted spires with a classic atmosphere befitting a vampire fortress. I too was a being who looked down upon all from the highest point. The spires of the Demon Monarch’s Castle, resembling my beautiful horns, are a symbol of that. Especially the welfare facilities for high-ranking demons—”

[“Next, we have testimonials from the demons who actually used this building!”]

The screen changed, and testimonials from the demons who worked at the Demon Monarch’s castle began playing as archival footage.

It was obvious that the Demon Monarch had a hand in this.

“…Um, t-thanks?”
“It was a trivial matter.”

And…

The buildings that followed the introduction of the former Demon Monarch’s Castle were also quite extraordinary.