Chapter 3
A Meeting In The Desert With These Nomads!
Part 1
The next morning, we found that Regina-sama had woken up.
It took her a while to gain her bearings.
Once the color in her skin had returned, when I came into her room, she flinched away from me.
"Wah! No more! No more!"
She had that kind of reaction.
"Um… Regina-sama, I wasn't exactly sure what happened. Can you tell us what I did to you?"
The others were there, waiting for her explanation.
Regina-sama looked me in the eyes and said,
"Boya… You just kept going and going. Even when I begged you to stop, you never did. You were like a desperate, howling demon. Do it again."
Her eyes had a seductive look in them as she gazed at me.
"...As you wish!"
I started taking my shirt off.
"Oi! Not the time and place! Regina-sama, we're trying to find out what's happening with Revi…"
Iris explained what happened when Arue-sensei tested my blood, and Poke was summoned. I held Poke out for Regina-sama to inspect.
She took the imp on her hand.
"Poke! Poke!"
Regina-sama stroked the imp's white hair and said,
"...It must surely have to do with your bloodline. Perhaps one of your ancestors had demonic or devil-kin blood…"
"Eh? But from what I know, the Elroadian bloodline consists of ordinary humans?"
"Do you really think that a scandal like one of your ancestors being devil-kin would be made public?"
…They'd probably make sure that kind of information would be kept away from the history books.
As Regina-sama recovered, I looked through the royal library, and I sifted through the records, looking for any mention of demons or devils.
I didn't find anything.
Maybe one of the nobles would know something, but I didn't want to be in their debt, or let them know what I'm doing at the moment.
I had to let the matter drop for now.
Instead of chasing after information that might not even exist, I decided to do something more productive.
I went over to the R&D department and greeted my loyal scientists and artificers.
"Your highness! It's good to see that you've returned safely!"
"Praise be to his highness!"
"Kyaa! It's Revi-sama!"
The way they were treating me compared to the nobles and knights was like night and day.
Of course, since I gave the R&D department an unlimited budget and a lot of legal leeway, they treated me like an idol.
Even the female researchers were blushing as they admired me from afar.
"Greetings, my loyal researchers! How's the progress on those delayed explosive bolts?"
"Yes! They're ready for mass production! In fact, we've already produced many batches!"
"Excellent! Make the military buy it!"
"...You're not giving it to them for free?"
"Those bastards hate me, so why should I do them any favors?"
"Well… Maybe that's why… Ah, nevermind."
Since they were meek scientists, they didn't go against my orders.
"By the way, your highness, how did the Iris-sama pseudo-body project perform?"
"Yes, the Belzerg officials never suspected a thing! You all did a good job with them!"
"Thank you! Ah, are we still allowed to make personal sex doll versions of them?"
"Erm… I'm married to her now, so…"
"Oh, so your highness isn't into NTR?"
"Why would I be?! Change the appearance or something! I don't know, give your dolls blue hair!"
I sent the scientist away, who excitedly went over to his station.
A female scientist came over. She had somewhat scruffy hair and freckles. She was blushing when she reported to me.
Hehe, she's got a little crush! How cute!
"Um, your highness, we received the design and blueprints about those Moguninin you sent. Also, the magic absorbing magic item…"
The moguninin was too advanced for us to replicate, but the armor their bodies were made out of was within the reach of our current technology.
I had the idea of making armor that used the properties of the Moguninin bodies.
As for Hyoizaburo-san's magic crossbow that had the magic absorbing core, I also sent the schematics for my researchers to copy.
I bought the intellectual rights from him, so I could move to mass production if I wanted.
"Our army is incompetent, but if they're equipped with superior arms, we might stand a chance against the Demon King army! The future of this nation rests with you, not those cocky soldiers!"
I rested my hand on the female scientist's shoulder and gave her a thumbs up.
"Um… The soldiers will still be the ones fighting, though."
"Never mind that!"
I sent her away before she could see the flaws in my inspiring speech.
After checking the progress of the R&D department, I spent the day training with Poke to increase the weight capacity and size of [Po-ke Dimension].
Since the only way to increase a summoned demon's power is to increase the bond between master and the summoned demon, I tried all kinds of activities that will deepen the bond between us.
"Move your hips, Poke!"
"Po-ke! Po-ke!"
I was in my workout uniform, sweatband on my head, loose tank top and short shorts. I was in the gym while doing aerobics with Poke.
I got a similar outfit for an imp's size, which Poke was wearing while we synchronized our movements.
"...What are you doing?"
Iris said, stepping into the gym with Komekko-chan with her.
They were wearing workout outfits as well, tank tops and tight fitting active pants.
I admired the sight of my two girlfriends wearing such sexy clothing, before I replied,
"What does it look like? I'm training. We're gonna have a lot of battles from now on, so we need to increase our power levels as much as possible!"
"...You think wiggling your hips is gonna increase your fighting power?"
"Don't judge my training method!"
She rolled her eyes and picked up some wooden swords from the weapon rack and handed one to Komekko-chan.
"En garde!"
"Hiyah!"
They then proceeded to engage in an intense spar.
Poke and I watched them go at it.
"...L-Let's go get some ice cream, Poke."
"Poke…."
Poke and I got discouraged by the difference in training methods, so we went to get some treats.
Part 2
In the next couple of days, the Crimson Demons arrived.
Right when I was making preparations to have the coronation ceremony, with the nobles doing everything they could to delay it, of course, the refugees arrived, seeking to cross our border.
"...As always, Crimson Demons have the most inconvenient timing."
I said, while weakly smiling as I prepared to approach them.
The nobles were grinning and already making plans to overthrow me from the throne.
While the citizens of Elroad were gathering, a group of nobles led by Lord Rickford started to publicly condemn me.
"...Your highness! What have you done?! Have you truly promised refugee status to a group of foreigners, even when Elroad has always had strict immigration laws?!"
The people started to murmur and glare at me, while they were riled up by the nobles.
"I assure you, the Crimson Demons will not give the citizens of Elroad any problems. We have more than enough resources to share with those in need."
"Ah, so we are doing charity work now! Elroad didn't get as rich as we did giving away our resources! I suppose we'll need to provide housing for these Crimson Demons, huh?!"
Right when he was stirring up the crowd even more, the Crimson Demon chief went up to us.
"Thank you for agreeing to take us in!"
I shook his hand and waved at the Crimson Demons behind him.
I didn't see Yuiyui-san and Hyoizaburo-san, so she must have stayed behind, or joined Megumin-san in Axel.
I did see Funifura, along with her mother Sakunori-san, as well as Shubaru and the other Crimson Demon students. Haru Haru-sensei was there, probably to make sure that her students were safe. She didn't strike me as the kind of person who would want to separate from the kingdom she grew up in.
While I was talking to the village chief, Lord Rickford once again reiterated his criticism about the refugee agreement,
"You're the leader of the Crimson Demons, correct? Do you know how much you are inconveniencing us right now? We don't have any housing for you! You'll have to camp outside the city! You expect us to deal with the eyesore of seeing a filthy refugee camp outside of our beautiful city?!"
Spoken like someone who never struggled in his life. What a jackass.
"...Please don't worry about us! As long as we have land, we're fine!"
"Land? What do you expect to do with just land?"
"We'll build houses of course!"
"...Typical needy refugees! Do you know how much it'll cost us to provide wood, construction equipment, as well as the plumbing and sanitary features for your homes? We have health and sanitation standards here in Elroad. We can't let you build such shoddy homes!"
"Please don't worry about that! This area looks free, can we use it?"
"Sure, whatever, go ahead! What can you even do with this dirt lot?"
The place we were in right now was a dirt lot used for parking horses and camels.
It's ordinarily used for big caravansaries who needed an area to let their beasts of burden rest, while they conducted business in the city.
Right now it was open, so Lord Rickford and the angry citizens were using this place to block the Crimson Demons from entering deeper into the residential areas of the city.
Since it was an insignificant property, Lord Rickford readily agreed to give it to the Crimson Demons.
…This guy doesn't know anything about the world outside of his own villas and estates, huh?
He had at least three days to research the Crimson Demons, yet he was blindly making promises to them without knowing the full-extent of their abilities.
If I was in his shoes, I would have already found every legal loophole to keep the Crimson Demons out.
It's a good thing I'm more competent than these fools will ever be!
The chief turned to the villagers and said,
"Alright! Crimson Demon Construction Crew, let's go!"
The Crimson Demons cheered and happily went to work.
It was quite a sight.
Golems sprung out from the ground, pillars of earth rose and formed into the base structure for houses. Stone and other materials were urged out from the ground as the Crimson Demons worked their magic.
The golems went to work in constructing beautiful houses that were expertly designed to account for the desert heat. In a matter of minutes, a second Crimson Demon village was already formed in the capital of Elroad.
"...W-What… Huh…?"
Lord Rickford and the other nobles were stunned by what they just saw.
"Alright, we're all done here! Oh, we should dig up a well, too."
"Y-You can't borrow water from the city! What are you planning to do, steal water from our magic pipeline?!"
"Don't worry! We can just make a well with a water rune that produces water!"
They made their own magic water source on the spot.
"Oh, we should make a swimming pool, right? It sure is hot in here and the girls are looking forward to a swim!"
The chief himself dug up space on the ground with earth magic, then filled it up with nice pool water.
"Alright, hop in ladies!"
"Thank you, chief!"
A bunch of Crimson Demon girls started taking off their travelers clothes, revealing that they were wearing bikinis underneath.
"Whoooaaa?!"
The bachelors in the crowd who were complaining earlier started getting excited by the sight.
"Oi, I thought the nobles said that Crimson Demons are just a bunch of old wizard dudes who wear pointy hats and carry staves?!"
"There's more girls than guys and they're hot as hell!"
"A-Are they single?!"
I whispered to the chief,
"You guys are still looking to find mates for the village's girls, right?"
He nodded.
"Indeed, we are still suffering from problems with our population. I hope that Elroad will cooperate with us in that regard. Ah, of course, I have also set aside some volunteers who want to become your highness's concubines. We want to have a good relationship with Elroad!"
This sneaky guy is trying to gain access to royalty, huh?
How commendable!
While the concubine offer was appealing, I focused on the present matter.
I looked to the guys in the crowd you were ogling the girls and said,
"Well? What are you waiting for, fellas? Let's celebrate the arrival of our new friends! Come hop into the pool! Today is officially Crimson Demon day! I'm ordering the chefs to prepare a barbeque now! Bring the liquor! Let's party!"
"He's a god! He's a freaking god!"
"Hail Revi! Hail Revi!"
They started cheering my name as they took their tops off and jumped into the pool with the sexy, bikini-clad, Crimson Demon ladies.
It didn't take long for the Elroadian bachelors, and the Crimson Demon girls looking for husbands to develop a party mood.
Lord Rickford turned to the women in the crowd and tried to rile them up.
"T-These refugees are taking your men! Aren't you angry?!"
"Huh? Those guys are bachelors, anyway. Good for them."
"My son is finally showing interest in girls! I thought he was gay!"
"Hey, there are some handsome guys among the Crimson Demon clan, too. Let's get our bikinis, girls!"
The chief made the pool bigger as the crowd rushed past Lord Rickford.
He turned to the other nobles and said,
"Why aren't you saying anything?! Help me out here!"
"Lord Rickford… You're in the way. I'm trying to watch the girls in bikinis."
"Get your fat ass out of the way, Rickford. Ohh! I think I saw a nip slip!"
"Um, ladies from the Crimson Demon clan, it's tradition over here to swim with your tops off…"
The oji-sans took out their pouches of Eris coins and went to the pool and went sugar daddy mode.
I shook my head. Too easy.
Lord Rickford looked away from my smug grin. Then he saw another group of people coming in.
"...Look! There's more refugees coming in! And they're not Crimson Demons! And that guy leading them is wearing a suspicious mask and a freaking tuxedo in the middle of a desert! He's a bad guy no matter how you look at him!"
I turned around to see Vanir leading a group towards the city.
…Who are these guys?!
I saw the shopkeeper Wiz also with Vanir.
I went up to Vanir and asked,
"Um, what are you doing here?! I convinced the people to let in the Crimson Demons, but who the hell are these guys?!"
I looked at the people behind Vanir.
"Muhahaha! Moi relishes the negative emotions pouring out of thee! As for the noble back there who is angry because he can't get hard anymore, even when there's a swimming pool of half-naked beauties in front of him, allow moi to introduce this humble group!"
Vanir swept his hands to the people behind him.
I noticed that they were wearing fine clothing. They went up to Lord Rickford.
"Greetings. We are shopkeepers and merchants who have fled from Belzerg. Obviously, it's hard for us to make profits in a warzone, so please grant us temporary citizenship in Elroad. You guys can do that for merchants, right?"
Since Elroad was a mercantile country, there were workers' citizenship given to foreign merchants who wanted to do business there.
"E-Erm… Well, yes…"
Unless he wanted to change the constitution itself, Lord Rickford could hardly reject the merchants from coming in.
The people will also hate him if he denies merchants from making business with Elroad.
We stepped aside and let the merchant caravansary in.
The Crimson Demons already made themselves useful by creating houses for the merchants.
A new business district was formed in a matter of minutes.
I turned to Vanir and Wiz and said,
"...So what's the real reason why you two are here? I doubt you're here just to sell your goods."
"This destitute shopkeeper will actually excel at thy kingdom, royal brat! Since she tends to buy expensive items that no mere peasant can buy, this country with many wealthy people will buy her products!"
Wiz-san, who looked like she was suffering under the heat of the desert, said,
"...For some reason, no one wants to buy my goods back in Belzerg, so hopefully this will be a profitable business move!"
"I said, tell me the real reason."
Their shoulders slumped and they hung their heads.
"...We got fired from the Demon King army."
"The new Demon King, Maouko, said that we were liabilities who actually caused more problems to the army instead of helping. She cut us off."
"I-I see. I'll help you set up shop."
I felt bad for them and let them in without another word.
Part 3
"Concubines?! What do you mean concubines?!"
Back in the palace, Iris was incensed when she heard about the village chief's proposal.
"W-Well, they're rightfully concerned about their status as newcomers, so they want some kind of insurance that the royalty will protect them. Having girls volunteer to become concubines will help with that…"
"You don't need any more girls! You already have me, Komekko-chan, and Regina-sama as your consort! You even have Serena as a concubine! Why do you need more?!"
More is always better!
I coughed and put on my best professional face.
"...I checked the concubines, and they're hot."
Wait, that's not what I meant to say!
I was just so excited that it slipped out!
"This guy…!"
Before Iris could smack me on the face, Zoe, my trustworthy maid, came in to interject,
"If I may, your majesty Iris, I would like to explain some obscure parts of Elroad's customs and history. Not even Revi-sama knows about this, since this practice is not as popular anymore."
"...I'm listening."
Zoe's calm and even tone stopped Iris from smacking the shit out of me.
Her hand was still raised, though.
"While I understand that Belzerg's royalty are monogamous, Elroad's royalty have a history of practicing polygamy. As it started out as a nation of nomads, then merchants, the first kings took on many wives in order to develop good diplomatic relations with the surrounding countries and kingdoms. Otherwise, Elroad's historically… insufficient military strength would have been crushed by the stronger nations in the continent."
Belzerg had always had their heroes and OP artifacts and such, so their rulers never needed to rely on forming many diplomatic marriages. Iris's late father never took on any concubines or even a second wife after the death of her mother. However, that was also the case with my father. I brought this up with Zoe.
"Indeed, the polygamous practice is not in use anymore, since Elroad is now an economic giant in the continent, and maybe even a top economic power in the world."
"...So what's your point? If the practice is outdated, then why should I allow it in this modern age?"
"Because the circumstances are dire now, aren't they, your majesty? Instead of ruling your country, you're in a foreign one as we speak."
Iris glared at Zoe, before sighing and non-verbally agreeing with her.
"...Please follow me, I'll show you something that may interest you both."
Iris and I exchanged confused looks when Zoe started to lead us somewhere.
"It may be prudent to invite Lady Komekko to come with us. This concerns her as well."
We had a maid fetch Komekko-chan from the kitchen, where she was working the royal chefs to exhaustion with her food requests.
They even had to worry about the Crimson Demon barbeque earlier. I should give them a day off tomorrow.
"Hm? What's this about? The Devil was in the middle of eating some juicy lamb chops."
Komekko-chan said, while she was licking her fingers.
"Right this way, please."
With Komekko-chan there, Zoe led us to a place in the palace that I had never seen before.
She opened a door and led us to a spacious area with many rooms. She continued to lead us to what appeared to be the main room.
She cleared some dusty curtains to reveal the biggest bed I've ever seen in my life.
"W-What is this place?"
"Your highness, this is the Harem Quarters. It's where your ancestors' harems used to reside."
"S-Such a place was in this palace?!"
"Indeed, although it hasn't been used since three generations ago."
We looked around the area. I saw a series of portraits and I recognized my ancestors portrayed in them.
In the paintings, I saw the previous kings of Elroad posing on the bed, surrounded by many beautiful ladies wearing the traditional belly dancing outfit of Elroad.
In those harems were the natives of Elroad, the dark haired, tan skinned, nomadic peoples of the desert. There were also fair skinned, blonde haired and blue eyed members of the harem, likely girls from Belzerg or some of the other countries in the continent, where such features were prominent among nobility and royalty.
I looked at one painting that was the first among the many paintings. I saw the first king of Elroad with a harem full of mostly native girls. However, there was one girl with purple hair and tanned skin.
The first king had a scimitar in one hand and the purple haired girl in the other.
"Ah, that is the first king and the first queen of Elroad."
Zoe said, as I continued to admire the paintings.
"This place is cool! The Devil wants to stay here! The room the Devil has right now isn't as cool as this place!"
Komekko-chan said, while jumping on the big bed.
"Don't get attached! Do you really want other girls to come in and join Revi's harem, Komekko-chan?!"
Komekko-chan stopped jumping and squinted her eyes.
"...The Devil feels that I'm more than enough."
"Oi, why are you saying that while looking at me?"
I love these two girls, but what kind of man will pass up a harem?!
Those paintings of my ancestors… All of them had a shit eating, bastard grin on their faces as they showed off their beautiful wives.
They're mocking me, challenging me!
"...Hoh? If you girls are saying that you're enough, then shall we test that out?"
I said, leaving the area with the paintings and joining them in the main bedroom.
"What are you on about now, Revi? What stupid idea do you have in that pea brain of yours?"
Iris said, looking particularly testy today.
"...I don't know the details, but there's apparently something demonic or whatever in my blood now. The common theme is that it tends to awaken when I'm sleeping with a girl. You both noticed that I have an unusual amount of stamina in bed, right?"
They both looked at each other, unable to refute my claims.
"You two saw what happened with Regina-sama. Will you really be able to handle my appetite if I turn Beast Mode again?!"
"Hah? Regina-sama was just caught off guard, especially since she hasn't had any action in literally a thousand years. Don't get cocky just because you beat the weakest one out of all of us!"
"...The Devil is more powerful than poor Regina! The Devil will avenge her!"
I smirked and pointed at the bed.
"Hoh? If you girls are so confident, then let's see what you two can do. I won't stop until you're comatose like Regina-sama!"
I turned to Zoe and said,
"Zoe! Are there still some of those traditional harem outfits around?"
She nodded and said,
"Yes, your highness. They were kept in pristine condition."
"Bring them out! Also, I want you to be the witness to this little gamble of ours. If these girls surrender to my awesome bedroom skills, then they'll have to agree to open up the Harem Quarters once more!"
"Right away. Please follow me, ladies."
Zoe led the two girls out. They looked determined. Komekko-chan even stuck her tongue out at me before she left.
When they returned, I found them wearing the Elroadian traditional belly dancing dresses.
Komekko-chan was wearing a red dress while Iris wore a blue one.
I looked at their exposed tummies and legs.
"Give a little dance, why don't ya?"
"...This guy is developing quite an ego, isn't he?"
"Let's show him that us girls are in charge, Iris!"
And with that, the challenge started.
Part 4
When I woke up the next day, Zoe told me that Iris and Komekko-chan had declared their defeat.
However, apparently I still went at it in an mindless, beastly state for ten hours after they already gave up.
"...Don't tell me they're actually comatose."
"No, but they're in need of bed rest."
I waited several more hours until they were awake.
I saw Iris with a group of Crimson Demon girls.
"Alright, here's your harem dresses. Wear them, now."
She was already distributing the harem dresses.
"Huh? What's going on?"
She turned to me accusingly.
"Y-You beast! You brute! There's no way we're going to survive with just us! You need at least one hundred girls to handle that lust of yours!"
"...Never has the Devil admitted defeat so easily. Some battles you just have to retreat, huh?"
These strong willed girls were singing a completely different tune from last night.
This time around, I remembered bits and pieces of what happened.
I remembered them completely submitting to me.
"...So, my harem fantasy is coming alive?!"
"Not like we have a choice. We'll actually die if we have to deal with that every night without any help."
"...The Devil doesn't want to end up as a vegetable like Regina."
I looked at the Crimson Demon girls who were receiving harem outfits from Iris. I recognized Shubaru and a bunch of my former classmates among them. Then I noticed Arue-sensei and Rueka also receiving outfits.
"Eh? You two?!"
"Fufu… Of course I will join. We have unfinished business, Revi-kun."
"Rueka will join the battle."
I see.
My popular period has reached its peak!
While I was crying tears of joy, I noticed Rori-san was also crying tears of joy beside me.
"Wah… It's finally happening!"
Why does she seem more happy about this than me?
…
…
Zoe and the other maids worked on getting the Harem Quarters in order again.
They got rid of the dust and put new sheets on the beds.
While that was going on, I checked up on how the Crimson Demons were doing in their new home.
It looked like they never left the village. They were going about their business as usual.
Haru-sensei already had a new academy built. I went up to her and greeted her.
"Ah, hello, Revi-kun. Thank you for your hospitality."
She said, bowing at me.
"I'm only paying the village back for treating me so well back then! Besides, thanks to you guys, my public approval ratings improved!"
Apparently a lot of guys hooked up with Crimson Demon girls during that pool party.
I saw a lot of new mixed couples flirting on my way to Haru-sensei's school.
Even the male NEETs from the Crimson Demon village managed to score some Elroadian girls.
With all these matches going on, I looked at Haru-sensei.
"So? Did Haru-sensei manage to get lucky during the party?"
"Hm? Yes, I feel very fortunate about finding a new home in Elroad."
…Is she just playing dumb, or is she this naiive?
"No, I mean… Did you succeed in any conquests, if you know what I mean?"
"I assure you, we don't have plans to conquer your kingdom. We only wish to assimilate as well-behaved citizens."
Is this woman really this innocent at her age?!
"...Did you manage to get some sausage?"
"Yes, the barbeque was delicious."
"Did you get a young man to come back with you to your place?!"
"Yes, I did, actually."
"Oh, so you did!"
"Yes, earth magic is not my specialty, so I had a young man fix up my house a little bit."
I stared at her.
I considered asking her to be my concubine, so I could show her what I was talking about.
However, for a woman as delicate as her, I decided not to shock her too much.
"...Good luck, Haru-sensei."
"...? Um, yes, I wish you good luck, too."
"No, I'm not the one who needs to get lucky."
"I believe we all need to get lucky, Revi-kun."
"Amen to that!"
I left the oblivious Haru-sensei alone.
My next stop was the newly formed business district, which was built next to the former empty dirt lot the new Crimson Demon village was built on.
I checked with Vanir and Wiz-san's shop.
Just like Vanir predicted, they were busy and filled with wealthy customers interested in their goods.
Wiz-san was crying tears of joy as the wares that she thought were unsellable were flying off the shelves.
"Discount, discount! We have a discount on all wares! Muahahaha!"
Vanir said, cackling as the customers started fighting for the merchandise.
"...Discounted items can't be returned, huh? You sneaky bastard."
I knew what Vanir was playing at. He'll probably do something like that.
"K-Keep thy voice down, brat! Come here!"
Vanir led me to a backroom before I could expose his operation.
"I see you two are doing well for yourselves."
"Indeed! It's going beyond moi predictions!"
"And it's all thanks to me! Don't you think that I'm owed some payment?"
"Oh? The brat who is now eager to put any girl he sees into thy harem is interested in Wiz? Moi must warn you that she's actually…"
"...No, I don't feel like stealing your girl. I'm talking about prophecies! Tell me something useful that will help us in the future!"
"...Fine. But just for the record, Wiz and moi aren't like that."
He made some weird motions. I backed away, creeped out by his movements.
"Is all that moving around really necessary for future sight?"
"No, but moi needs some power to see the future, and thou repulsion at moi strange movements is feeding moi with more than enough power…"
"Well you're creeping me out a lot, so use that power to give me a prophecy!"
"Thou art impatient… Ah, this one should be helpful. Now remember, brat, moi can only see many possibilities of the future. That is why moi dreads the cursed game of rock, paper, scissors. The many options of that game are actually a weakness of moi!"
"...There's literally only three options, Vanir. Rock, paper and scissors."
"And those possibilities are already confusing enough! Anyway, the point is that moi can only give an incomplete prophecy…"
"Just spit it out already."
"Moi sees Komekko with a sword of great power. It appears to be a Cursed Sword. Although it will not be enough to bring about a good ending for us all in the future, this sword seems to be a required factor for victory…"
"A Cursed Sword, huh?! She'll be excited by that! So, where can I find this sword?"
"...Moi just explained that the prophecy will be incomplete! Start looking for swords and leave moi be! Moi has some stupid nobles to fool!"
He brushed me off and went back to the shop.
I went back to the palace, intent on finding all I could about this mysterious sword.
Part 5
"Hm? A sword?"
I went to the others and told them about what Vanir told me.
Komekko-chan's eyes lit up at the mention of the sword.
"The Devil wants this sword now! Gimme that sword!"
She got all hyper thinking about having a secret weapon that we could use to shift the tides of battle to our favor.
"...Powerful swords don't just drop out of nowhere. Where are we going to start looking for it?"
Zoe raised her hand and said,
"Actually, while Revi-sama was away, the nobles were excited about this magic sword they found. They thought that it would raise Elroad's military power."
"Eh?! How come I was never told about this?! Where is this sword?!"
"It's kept in the palace's treasure room…"
I went over to the treasure room, followed by an excited Komekko-chan, with Iris following behind. Zoe followed at a much calmer pace.
"...Where's the sword?!"
I found Lord Rickford in the treasure room. It was one of his duties to maintain the priceless treasures inside. He was writing on a scroll when we came in.
"What do you want, your highness?"
He didn't bother to hide the scorn from his voice, as he wrote something on the scroll while observing an ornamental, bejeweled breastplate.
"The sword! I was told that you nobles went behind my back and got a magic sword!"
He looked up from his scroll and saw Zoe. She gave an apologetic curtsy at him.
"Oh, that thing."
"Yeah, that thing! You were probably keeping it away from me since you don't want to give that powerful sword away to me, huh?! I'm tired of your games, old man!"
"I mean, it's over there. You can have it if you want."
I was taken off guard by his nonchalant attitude.
Zoe led me to the sword, which was displayed on a glass case.
It was a longsword with a silver sheen on the blade. The ornate and gaudy appearance definitely made it look the part of a magic sword. There were strange symbols along the crossguard and the hilt had a grinning skull on it with fangs.
"This… This is undoubtedly a legendary sword!"
All legendary swords have a cool and edgy, but impractical design! This is surely an authentic legendary sword!
Komekko-chan eagerly grabbed it and swung it around.
"I release the power of…! Eh?"
She looked confused as she swung the sword around.
"What's the matter, Komekko-chan?"
"Um… This feeling. Is it even made out of steel?"
She touched the blade.
To our surprise, it bent easily.
"What kind of material is this?"
Komekko-chan let me touch the blade. It was definitely not steel.
"Didn't onii-sama create products made with this material? I believe he called it plastic."
"You mean those plastic toys he sells at KazuMart?"
"Yeah."
Komekko-chan glared at the sword.
"So this is just a plastic toy?!"
Lord Rickford sighed as we came to this realization.
"We got scammed. The seller told us that it's a cursed sword, one of the divine weapons that those strange foreigners sent by the gods bring with them."
"And you believed this guy?"
"Well, he's a trusted merchant. He was a trusted merchant. We put him on the ban list already. If he steps foot in Elroad, he'll be imprisoned on sight, if not killed."
Harsh, but I understood why they were pissed off at this guy.
"...How much did you pay for this sword?"
"Ah, it's my lunch break now. Later."
He ignored my question and left the treasure room.
Komekko-chan pouted as she put the sword back in the display case.
I patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. There's going to be other opportunities to find a really cool sword for Komekko-chan!"
Zoe raised her hand again and said,
"If Revi-sama is looking for a magic sword, there are legends of a magic sword that the first king of Elroad used to wield."
"Oh? Is there such a thing?!"
She nodded.
"Legend says that this magic sword was given to the first queen's tribe, one of the many nomadic tribes that inhabit Elroad's desert."
"Oh! This is the typical setting of a native tribe giving the heroes a powerful weapon to wield, right?!"
Iris sighed and said,
"Even if this was true, we can't afford to go to the deserts to look for some tribe, for a sword that may not even exist. We need to come up with plans to take Belzerg back from the Demon King army."
"...Iris, I know that's what you want to do, but we're already doing the best we can, smuggling food and supplies to the capital through the secret tunnels. What more do you expect Elroad to do beyond that? You know our military is vastly incompetent."
"Thanks to you and your obsession with gadgets."
"That's besides the point! Right now, our best chance to turn the tides is to find this sword that Vanir was talking about!"
"The Devil completely agrees!"
Komekko-chan was really fixated on finding this sword.
"Ugh, fine! I guess it's better than sitting around and doing nothing. Let's go find this tribe or whatever!"
This tsundere was trying to hide the fact that she was excited about going on a quest again.
Part 6
We decided to keep the exhibition party small.
Coming with me was Iris, Komekko-chan and Rori-san.
The others stayed behind in case something happened. Regina-sama also needed to fully recover from her coma.
"Oh! These outfits are cool!"
They were literally cool, since we needed to stay cool in the desert.
We wore the loose, thin fabrics that were traditionally worn in the desert of Elroad.
To protect our heads from the sun, we wore headdresses.
We brought along camels and plenty of water for our trek to the desert.
"This is very exciting and nostalgic! The original party members are going on a fetch quest!"
Rori-san said, as she bounced while riding on her camel.
Since she was a devil, she didn't seem to be affected by the heat all that much.
She was born from Hell, after all.
For some reason, I endured the heat pretty well, too. I didn't know if that had to do with my Elroadian heritage, or the weird things that were happening with my body.
Iris was dying, though.
"Ugh! Why are we doing this?! I hate this stupid country of yours, Revi!"
She was slumped on the camel as we rode through the seemingly endless sea of sand.
"It's not that bad, is it? Look over there, Dune Fish!"
I pointed at the Dune Fish swimming across the sand. They rose up and splashed hot sand at Iris.
"Stupid fish! Damn it!"
She took out her sword and cut one up as it rose from the sand.
"Nice! We can eat that later!"
She groaned again.
Komekko-chan was humming happily. She was in a good mood ever since she learned about her Uncle Vanir's prophecy.
"Where can we find this tribe, anyway, Revi-san?"
Rori-san said, as she looked around the desert.
"Well, they're nomadic, so we can only hope to come across them in these parts."
"Are you kidding me?! What are we gonna do if we don't end up finding them, huh?!"
"Then we'll just go back home. Stop whining, you spoiled princess!"
I got tired of hearing her whine all the time and snapped back at her.
Rori-san rode her camel up to Iris and patted her on the shoulder.
"Now, now. Let's be patient. Vanir-sama's predictions are always correct! As long as we look for the sword, we'll eventually find it! That's how prophecies work!"
"...You practically worship Vanir, Rori-san, so of course you'll see it that way. I do admit that Hachibei is pretty reliable, though."
Rori-san smiled when she managed to calm Iris down.
When I turned away, I heard Iris let out a squeal, but when I turned back, I didn't see anything.
Iris was blushing, though.
"...What was that?"
"N-Nothing?"
Rori-san giggled. Then she perked up and said,
"Ah, should I fly up again? Maybe I'll see something this time."
"Alright. Be careful about the Flying Hawk Kites, though."
"This desert is a godawful place!"
I ignored Iris's whining and gave Rori-san the all-clear to fly up, after I used [Farsight] to check that the skies were clear.
She spread out her wings and flew up.
We watched her go up, then float down.
She glided back to her camel.
"Well? What'd you see, Rori-san? Let me guess, sand, sand, and more filthy sand!"
Iris said, spitting some sand that got in her mouth when a Dune Fish rose up from the sand again.
"Actually, I saw a bunch of tents just beyond that dune over there!"
"Oh?! That might be them! Alright, everyone, go behind me. They'll open fire if they think that we're from a rival tribe invading their territory."
The tribes agreed to maintain a certain distance from each other during their nomadic cycles of travel along the desert.
I made sure to unfold the royal crest and hold it out in front of me as we approached the dune.
Once we went around it, we saw the tents that Rori-san was talking about.
I recognized the symbol of the tribe of the first queen of Elroad.
Once we approached them, a group of archers who were coming to check our crest lowered their bows.
"...The prince approaches! All hail the prince of Elroad!"
They didn't bow. The nomadic tribes show respect with their words, not with gestures.
They also don't like it very much when royalty comes to visit them. Rather than taking it as a sign of respect, they feel that their independence is being challenged by the royalty of the land.
To the nomadic tribes of Elroad, their independence from the crown is a source of pride. They are exempt from taxes, the laws of the land and they are not obligated to fight in any war that Elroad might face.
The greater powers of Elroad recognize their right to roam the deserts. Royalty are instructed to never communicate with the tribes directly, unless it's very important.
I started to sweat a little. If this sword didn't exist, the tribe might be offended by that.
In fact, if I went to their sacred lands just because of some stupid legend, they have every right to execute me.
"M-M-Maybe this is a bad idea."
I croaked out, getting second thoughts.
"Hm? What are you so scared of, Revi? These are your subjects, you know?"
Iris said, as the archers came up to us and did some basic inspection and pat downs. Iris was talking to me as a female archer respectfully patted her body down.
I glanced at the ripped and tanned archer who was patting me down.
"...These people are the true natives of this land. They gave us our part of the land to rule over, but these sacred lands are theirs. They're not my subjects or anything. If I offend them, they can execute me even if I'm the prince."
"Again, why the hell did we come here?!"
The guards got startled by Iris's shout and looked at her suspiciously.
She closed her mouth for the first time during this trip.
"Hehe, that tickles! So, sand people, show the Devil your sword!"
Komekko-chan?!
This girl is trying to get me killed!
It's a good thing that sand people is the term they actually use for themselves.
But knowing Komekko-chan, she just said that on a whim!
"Sword? The prince and his retinue came all this way to trade for a sword? Will this one do?"
They pulled out a sword and held it out for me to inspect.
I gulped when they held it dangerously close to my face.
"U-U-Um, no! Great sand people of the Tazik tribe! I come here seeking the legendary magic sword that was wielded by my ancestor, the first king of Elroad!"
It only just occurred to me how stupid that sounded when it left my mouth.
"...Ah. Right this way."
"Eh?"
They gestured for us to follow.
"...Did you understand what I said? I was talking about the magic sword the first king wielded?"
"We don't have sand in our ears. This way, I said."
"R-Right…"
The sword is actually real?!
Part 7
The guards led us to the biggest tent in the encampment.
"...Men are not allowed to enter. The female guards will escort you, your highness."
"Is it alright for me, a man, to go in?"
"...I just said the female guards will escort you, right?"
"Forgive my idiocy!"
I bowed several times to the guard who looked like he was getting tired of my shit, and headed inside the tent.
We were greeted by the smell of perfume and spices.
There were several female attendants surrounding a woman with a veil covering her face. She was wearing a dress that looked like the traditional dress of Elroad, which was based on the clothing of the nomadic tribes.
Her beautiful, tanned skin was exposed by the outfit, which showed off her toned stomach.
She spoke out in a melodious voice,
"...It has been almost a hundred years since royalty visited our tribe. What is your name, prince?"
"M-My name is Revi Elroad, milady…"
"Ah, Revi. I used to have a pet dog named Revi… Don't tell me that's your namesake? Geez, maybe I should have been more descriptive when I was writing in my diary."
"Um… I was told that I was named after the first queen's most trusted companion."
"Yeah, my pet dog. I just said that, right?"
"Excuse me, milady, but you speak as if you are…"
She sighed and pulled the veil off. The female attendants gasped and started to leave the tent.
"...?!"
I saw this face from a painting in the Harem Quarters.
But that person should have been long dead!
"T-The first queen of Elroad?!"
"I have a name, you know. It's Shanie, the Mirage Flower of the desert! The great genie! But you can call me granny!"
She went up to me and enveloped me in a hug, pressing her breasts up to me.
She smelled good, and her chest was soft!
"Wait, granny?"
"Yup. You should have seen a portrait of me, or a drawing of me in your history books, right?"
My hardening son immediately softened up.
"...Hi, granny. Wait, why is a hag like you still alive?!"
I got a smack on the head.
"Watch your tongue, brat! Want a spanking?! I'll give you one!"
"No, wait…?!"
Thankfully, she got distracted by Iris, Komekko-chan and Rori-san.
"Oh, what beauties you've brought with you! Are they members of your harem?"
She went up to Iris and chuckled when Iris drew her face away when she tried to touch it. Komekko-chan was much more receptive to her touch, but only because Komekko-chan was beaming right now and muttering 'magic sword' over and over.
When she moved to Rori-san, I noticed that Rori-san went down on her knees.
"Um… Rori-san, the great sand people don't really view bowing as a sign of respect. They prefer it if you verbally express your respect for them."
"Ah…! Then please allow me to express my respect to a higher ranking devil and succubus queen!"
Rori-san stood up and looked at my supposed grandma with admiration in her eyes. It was the same look she gave Vanir.
"Eh? What'd you say, Rori-san?"
"Oh? It's been a while since I talked to someone of my own kind. And yes, my grandson. How do you think I lived this long?"
"...Eating veggies and working out?"
"...Are all my descendants idiots, or what? I'm a devil! A succubus, specifically!"
"I mean, you're a hot, hot grandma, but a succubus is taking it a bit too far…"
"No, Revi-san, she's actually a succubus! Furthermore, she's a high ranking greater succubus, a succubus queen!"
Shanie smiled and patted Rori-san on the head.
"Wait, so I do have devil in my blood?!"
"Of course you do. The signs should have manifested already, right? I mean, look at your red hair."
By signs, she was probably talking about the increased stamina in the bedroom, the beastly state I enter once I'm filled with lust, and the whole demon summoning thing.
As for the red hair…
"...Are you saying that all half-devils have red hair?"
"It's a common mutation, yes."
"T-To think that the first queen of Elroad is a devil…"
"Well, the sand people call us Djinn, or Genies, but yeah, we're Devils, pretty much."
Rori-san got over her shock at meeting a superior devil and said,
"Um… I'm confused. The common understanding is that devils can't breed with humans… or at all, really. It's the same thing with goddesses."
Since they don't belong to this world or have true, biological bodies, devils are supposed to be barren and unable to give birth.
"Oh, yeah, but I discovered that you can give birth if you do it with an otherworlder, heroes, you call them. The first king of Elroad was a man from a place called Japan. I thought he was cute, so I spent the night with him. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was pregnant a few months later!"
She smiled while remembering fond memories.
"T-This completely changes everything we know about our own biology?!"
Rori-san said, shocked by what she learned.
"I mean, I tried to tell all the other devils. I even tried to share the good news to the goddesses, but of course, the fundamentalists who didn't want news about this to leak out stopped me from doing so. The devils I thought I could trust conspired to curse me and trap me in these deserts. I can't leave or go back to hell. The fact that we can even talk to each other means that the curse has considerably weakened. Before, I would have been knocked unconscious if I tried to interact with another devil."
Being betrayed by her own kind, and those she trusted, I could sense the sadness in her eyes.
"Ah, but enough about that. You came here for my husband's magic sword, yes?"
"Yes! Yes! Magic sword, yes!"
Komekko-chan, who started to drool and space out while we were talking, came alive again at the mention of the magic sword.
Shanie got up and looked around. Her eyes settled on a black box. She opened it, unraveled a red fabric and revealed what was inside.
It was a beautiful scimitar with a pale blade. It looked supremely sharp, a masterpiece of a weapon. It was one of the most beautiful treasures I've ever seen.
"Taking up the sword are you, my great great great great grandson? I don't think you have a swordsman's build, though?"
I shook my head while my great great great great granny looked at my slim build.
"Ah, no, we are hoping to give this magic sword to Komekko-chan here. We think that this sword will help us defeat the Demon King army once and for all!"
"...I thought you said she was in your harem, though?"
"Yeah, she is."
"...I don't condone incest, my grandson!"
She started hitting me on the head.
"Ow! What do you mean incest?! Do we look related?!"
"Then why did you say that she'll wield the sword?!"
"Because she's a powerful fighter!"
"...Revi-kun, this sword can only be wielded by those with our blood. There's no way a non-blood related outsider can wield it."
"Eh?"
"That's how most divine weapons work, right?"
I looked at Iris, who was carrying Calibur.
…We forgot about that part!
Komekko-chan had a devastated look on her face.
"B-But the devil wants a magic sword?"
"Well, I'm sorry, dear, but this sword won't respond to your blood."
"Then why did we come to this stupid sandy place and put up with this arrogant grandma droning on and on about her boring life story?!"
"...?! What's with this sassy girl?! You want a spanking, huh?!"
"Noooes?!"
Instead of a magic sword, Komekko-chan got a spanking.