Chapter 533: Eiji: That's Right, I'm the New Demon King!
"Who exactly is Mr. Minato?"
Wiz asked him with great curiosity.
Though his hood obscured his face, he didn't seem like a bad person.
But what truly astonished Wiz was how a human could walk alongside a key officer of the Demon King Army.
He must be with the Demon King Army, right?
Wiz speculated internally, probably one of Airi's subordinates or something.
What were they doing here?
Did the Demon King Army have some plans recently, sending them over?
Wiz realized belatedly.
Oh no, did I mess up their business?
As she pondered, Eiji opposite her removed his hood.
In an instant, his flawless features carried a divine charm, delivering a staggering visual impact that left Wiz momentarily stunned, even forgetting to breathe.
"I'm the new Demon King."
He introduced himself with a smile.
"So handsome!"
Wiz's mind was completely captivated by his terrifying visual appeal, leaving only this single thought swirling in her head.
Then she snapped back to reality.
Wait, what did he just say?
He said he was... the new Demon King—?!
Huh???
"W-wait what?"
Wiz suddenly widened her eyes, flustered.
"R-right, a human walking with Miss Airi... Miss Serena did mention the new Demon King went out with Miss Airi, mhmm? Huh?!"
It took her sluggish reflexes a while to finally process this.
B-but, even if he's the new Demon King, it's no big deal!
After all, we're all humans... well, former humans, standing on humanity's side. There's no need for hostility, and I haven't offended him, so there's no reason to feel scared!
Yes, that's right!
"I-is that so? What a surprise! I never expected Mr. Minato to be the new Demon King. That name must be an alias too, how astonishing!"
Wiz covered her mouth, laughing like a proper lady.
But why?
Even though she shouldn't feel afraid, her entire body was trembling uncontrollably!
"Heh."
Under Wiz's nervous gaze, Eiji chuckled lightly, as if holding her weakness in his grasp.
"Twenty billion. You'll have to pay it back, you know?"
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!"
...
The carriage traveled along the hillside as adventurers kept watch around them.
With all preparations complete, the subjugation team had set out from Axel and was now on its way to the northern outskirts.
"Miss Wiz, are you alright? You don't look too well."
By now, the sun had risen high in the sky, nearing noon, and the night's chill had long since dissipated.
Luna sat in the carriage, accompanying the subjugation team as the guild staff overseeing this operation.
Adventurers were essentially freelance mercenaries, so guild personnel had to be dispatched to coordinate during large-scale missions.
Noticing Wiz's pale complexion beside her, Luna expressed concern.
"N-no, it's nothing. Please don't worry."
Wiz forced a strained smile at her.
Then she glanced worriedly at Eiji, who wasn't far away.
Noticing her gaze, Eiji responded with a polite smile.
"Hah, haha..."
Wiz didn't know whether to laugh or cry, her beautiful face gradually contorting.
She had left the Demon King Army precisely to escape the massive debt of two billion!
Who would have thought that the two billion debt would come knocking on her door instead!
This is too much for me!
"Don't grin so awkwardly, people might think I did something to you."
Eiji walked over to Wiz's side, his face adorned with a warm smile.
"Ahaha, well, you see, Demon King-sama..."
"Hmm?"
"Um, Mr. Nangou?"
"Yes."
"We're actually going to defeat Mr. Beldia now, aren't we?"
Wiz cautiously looked at him, "Is it really okay to just go like this?"
"Speaking of which, I haven't asked you yet."
Eiji glanced at her and countered, "Why were you willing to take on this mission? Bad blood with Beldia? Some old grudge from the past?"
"That's part of it."
Wiz suddenly blushed, her face showing a hint of embarrassment.
"Back at the Demon King's Castle, Mr. Beldia often pretended to 'accidentally' throw his head over to peek under my skirt..."
"Beldia deserves to die!"
Eiji instantly shared her indignation, his face filled with righteous anger.
"W-wait, death might be too much!"
Wiz hurriedly waved her hands, afraid he'd misunderstand.
"I just want to drive Mr. Beldia away. With him around, everyone in town lives in fear, so I accepted Miss Luna's request."
"Weren't you called the Ice Witch before? Why are you so agreeable now?"
Eiji looked at her with surprise, finding none of the murderous aura one would expect from a witch.
"Oh, that was all in the past! I was so immature back then, it's embarrassing to think about now!"
Wiz fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, her face full of bashfulness.
For her, that bloodthirsty demeanor from before was probably her dark history—a relic from her chuunibyou phase.
"But what about you, Mr. Nangou?"
Wiz lifted her flushed face and turned her gaze back to Eiji.
"Of course, I don't plan to do anything extreme to Beldia either."
Eiji waved his hand dismissively, but then his expression turned oddly mischievous.
"But with such a perfect setup, how could I not stir up some trouble?"
"Um, Mr. Nanjo, your smile is kind of scary..."
"Is it?"
"Uh..."
Wiz sighed inwardly.
This new Demon King was indeed a good person.
But while he was good, he didn't seem entirely normal either.
He wanted to use this subjugation mission to pull off something big.
This made Wiz extremely uneasy.
"What should I do? Is it too late to turn back now?"
"No jumping ship once you're on board!"
As if sensing her thoughts, Eiji shot her a sinister look.
Wiz shuddered and resigned herself to following the subjugation team into the mountains.
Please don't let this turn into something too crazy!
Wiz prayed anxiously.
Before long, the subjugation team reached the halfway point of the northern hill, where the ruins of a castle gradually came into view.
Perched precariously on the edge of a cliff, the castle looked as if it could collapse at any moment, yet was actually as sturdy as a fortress.
Most of the castle had fallen into ruin, with only broken walls remaining, as if it had frequently endured heavy bombardment—only its outer appearance remained somewhat intact.
"Has a grand sorcerer been bombing this place in the past few days?"
Wiz stared thoughtfully at the distant ruins before turning to Luna.
"Not at all!"
Luna looked puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"That castle has many traces of explosion magic bombardment. I can use explosion magic too, so I recognize them, and those marks are all very fresh..."
Among the four-person team.
Megumin visibly trembled upon hearing this.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
Kazuma Satou's murderous glare couldn't be concealed at all.
"...No, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
Megumin silently pulled down her pointed hat, covering her face.