Chapter 7: Admission test (6)

The game that forms the foundation of this world is an RPG.

Even though it’s a bishojo harem game, the basic premise is ‘a game where you collect and raise various companions,’ and naturally, once you’ve raised them, you have to show off their performance.

Demon King! Killed! Game over!

If that were the case, who would continue to enjoy the game?

To keep players playing, to make them enjoy multiple playthroughs, and to provide the fun of raising and nurturing more companions, there must be end-game content for the game to be continuously enjoyed.

In technical terms, it’s called a ‘yarikomi (mastery)’ element, and the battle-oriented end-game content in this game is implemented under the name [Demon Realm Conquest].

Not a Demon Realm created in the Mortal Realm, but the true Demon Realm beyond dimensions.

In-game, it is set as 72 zones, and each zone has a high-ranking demon of an appropriate level serving as a boss.

The story of the end-game content is for the protagonist and their companions to cross over to the Demon Realm, even with the condition ‘once you cross over to the Demon Realm, you can never return,’ defeat all 72 high-ranking demons the Demon King left behind, and bring true peace to the world.

However.

‘Why is this guy here?’

Why is the gatekeeper of the Demon Realm Invasion now standing before my eyes as a tutorial boss?

It was absurd, but for now, I revealed my ‘hostility’ towards the demon Andromalius.

[Hoo. The Demon King, you say. Are you not human?]

“…Witch Liliana.”

[Aha. So you’re a human s*ave of the Demon King. Ugh, to think I’m conversing with someone worse than livestock. My ears feel like they’re rotting!]

“…….”

This is how human slaves under the Demon King’s army in the Mortal Realm are treated.

[Weak-willed fools who lost the will to fight, succumbed to the enemy, and chose to become slaves! If only you had died honorably, I would have used your remains as ornaments!]

Demons are a proud race, one that vehemently refuses to become anyone’s s*ave.

As such, they would surely despise dealing with someone like me, who originated as a human s*ave of the Demon Realm.

Wouldn’t the attitude of a European noble meeting an African in the 19th century—no, the Middle Ages—be similar to this?

[But you, you said something interesting just now, didn’t you?]

The reason Andromalius continued this conversation with a s*ave like me was because he felt ‘interest’ in me.

[On what grounds do you claim I am the Demon King’s enemy?]

“Because you didn’t use the honorific ‘nim’ when referring to the Demon King.”

[Were you testing me? No, that doesn’t seem right. It seems you said that with certainty.]

“…An abandoned demon, one who was not summoned to the Mortal Realm, would hardly have kind feelings towards the Demon King—”

[You wretched wench—!!]

Swish!

A blade of magic grazed my ear.

Some of my hair scattered and fell onto my shoulder.

[How dare you, how dare you…! You mere human s*ave, how dare you insult me?!]

“An abandoned demon sure talks a lot.”

[Kishaaaaaaak!!]

Isn’t making a high-ranking demon ‘throw a monstrous fit’ with just a few words quite the great magic?

[I won’t let you die peacefully!! I’ll sever your limbs, then throw you into a goblin den!!]

Andromalius erupted in intense fury.

Just touching the sore spot that all high-ranking demons possess would be a death-worthy sin from his perspective, and for a mere human s*ave to say it to his face—it’s understandable that he would flip his lid.

There was only one reason why the 72 Demons, as end-game content, were in the Demon Realm.

Because after the Demon King crossed over to the Mortal Realm, the connection between the Mortal Realm’s Demon Realm and the true Demon Realm was severed.

The Demon King came to the Mortal Realm with only four of his loyal subordinates, abandoning all remaining 72 high-ranking demons in the Demon Realm.

The high-ranking demons are desperately struggling to cross over to the Mortal Realm on their own, often appearing when a witch or black magician in the Mortal Realm formally follows procedures to summon an incarnation (avatar).

What stands before me now is not Andromalius’s true body, but a type of avatar formally summoned and called forth from the Demon Realm.

In the end-game content, Demon Realm Invasion, he appears as a Level 100 true body, but the avatar currently before my eyes is a much weaker Level 72.

“In terms of an opponent, he’s not lacking.”

[Impudent wench—!]

As Andromalius spread his wings left and right, several magic circles appeared from them.

[Demonic Laser—!]

A dark purplish-black beam of magical power erupted from the magic circles and surged towards me.

As if to blast all my limbs away, it was an attack precisely targeting the joints of my arms and legs.

“Let me tell you something.”

I subtly and quickly scanned my companions, who were afflicted with the fear status effect, while pointing my magic staff forward.

“I’m saying this because they can’t hear, but haven’t you felt something strange?”

[What—]

“Magic Mirror.”

Flash!

As soon as a mirror-like flat shield spread out centered around me, Andromalius’s Demonic Laser ricocheted and flew off towards the floor and walls.

Kwah—ang!

The laser, infused with abundant demonic energy, caused a powerful explosion as soon as it hit the floor and walls, but there were no casualties.

“If your roar didn’t scare me, then of course there would have been a reason, wouldn’t there?”

[You, you…! You mere s*ave…!]

“I may be a human s*ave, but there’s this.”

A question.

“I’m a spy sent by the Demon King to the magic academy, so do you really think my skills would be mediocre?”

[!!]

“It’s amusing. This feeling of facing a demon who thinks himself a predator.”

[You, you…!]

Andromalius is a strong opponent.

If I were to face Andromalius’s true body (Lv.100) from the Demon Realm, I wouldn’t have been able to utter a single word and would have immediately become Lil/ia/na with a squeak.

“What? Are you mad? If you’re mad, then bring your true body.”

But what stands before me is Andromalius’s avatar.

The will and soul contained within the body made of magic are authentic, but the power is not real.

[You, I will definitely kill you!!]

“How scary.”

Andromalius stretched his two arms wide to the left and right.

[Demonic Claw—!]

Sharp magical claws sprouted from the ends of his muscular arms and beast-like hands, and Andromalius immediately flew towards me, aiming his claws.

“If I get hit, I’ll really die.”

I held my magic staff horizontally, grasping its ends with both hands.

“Ice, Earth.”

I simultaneously activated two different magical attributes, channeling and releasing mana through my left and right hands respectively.

“Glacial Gale.”

Crackle!!

As soon as I released the magic, a gigantic ice mass materialized before me.

Each ice mass, larger than a basketball, immediately surged towards Andromalius as soon as I pulled my hand inward on the magic staff.

Kwahhhhh—ang!

A powerful booming sound echoed, like the scene of a traffic accident.

From within the explosion of the two magical powers, dark purplish-black sharp claws emerged and pointed at me.

Thud.

And they stopped right in front of the mana staff I had extended forward.

Pshhhhhhh.

Andromalius’s body began to turn into mist and scatter from the lower half upwards.

Just as Imperial Princess Maella had incinerated and annihilated the demonic beasts, Andromalius began to be ‘unsummoned’ like other demonic beasts.

[Ha.]

His entire body was riddled with several gaping holes.

The size of those holes was identical to the ice masses created by my magic, ‘Glacial Gale’.

[To a mere human s*ave…!]

“But you lost to that mere human s*ave, didn’t you?”

[…….]

Andromalius tried to reach out further somehow, but from the moment he began to be unsummoned, he lost the power to exert any substantial influence in this Mortal Realm.

[Let me ask you something. You wretched wench, how do you know ancient magic?]

Well, because I was a player who had cleared this game 100%.

Even without system support, I know the technique of Dual Casting, which involves appropriately combining two spells to create a new one, all too well.

“Want to know? Then….”

Towards the vanishing Andromalius, I said.

“Become my s*ave, and I’ll tell you.”

[…….]

I gripped my magic staff horizontally as if pulling myself up on a pull-up bar, raised only my middle finger, and smiled brightly.

“Go screw yourself, you filthy demon bastard.”

[You motherfu—]

Andromalius tried to say something, but.

Pshhhhhhh.

He turned into mist and vanished.

“…Haa.”

The demon was dead.

The one presumed to be the boss here had vanished, and now, Andromalius’s summoner, the one who set this trap, would surely show some reaction.

“Hmm.”

The three women were still paralyzed by fear.

Even though the demon was defeated, the status effect it inflicted remained.

Since it was a method that stimulated trauma, none of them could think of waking up.

“What to do.”

Would it be better to take them outside?

Or should I pretend to be ‘just a mob’ for now?

“Ah. That method would be good.”

I gripped my magic staff with both hands again, then.

“Flame. Wind. Heatwave Explosion.”

I caused a powerful explosion towards the center of the three women lying on the floor.

Kwah—ang!!

The Imperial Princess, the Princess, and the Genius were all amicably caught in the explosion and sent flying.

The Imperial Princess, who fell after hitting the wall back-first.

The Princess, who rolled across the floor and lay limp.

The Genius, who slumped like a doll against the pillar near the entrance.

And.

“Let’s see, how far should I fly? Ah, right.”

Flame. Flame.

Dual Explosion.

“Still, flying all the way to the innermost part of the boss room would at least make it seem like I worked the hardest, wouldn’t it?”

Anyway, what happened here.

The one who summoned Andromalius doesn’t know either.

Since no one knows what happened here except for me and Andromalius, whatever I say happened here will all become ‘truth’.

‘A story where an incredibly strong demonic beast appears in the tutorial and wipes out the party in one blow should do.’

I subtly distanced myself from the two fireballs floating in the air, then.

“……Body Reinforcement.”

Kwahhhhhhhhhhh—ang!!

Entrusting myself to the powerful explosion, I flew straight to the innermost part of the boss room.

‘I’m tired.’

Dual Casting.

Healing. Sleep.

In a pose that clearly showed I was ‘the most severely affected,’ I lay there, completely covered by the explosion magic I had cast myself.

“Zzz….”

I fell asleep.