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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Failure, and...
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I'm the Demon King, but There Are Too Many Heroes
I was a model student.
I enrolled in the Demon King Academy as the top student and graduated as the top student.
No other demon was above me, and no one could surpass me.
Demon King's Canon
This theory, established since the demon realm began its expansion, was something I delved into even deeper.
And when I finally became a complete Demon King and was dispatched to a dimension, that's when it truly shone.
I followed the canon more faithfully than anyone.
I proceeded with my grand plan step by step, just as the canon dictated.
I built a tower and kidnapped a princess.
I stirred up chaos as the mastermind behind it all and helped heroes grow in both material and moral ways.
In the tower that had grown past 20 floors, I placed goblins on the first floor and balrogs on the 19th. Then I sat on the throne at the top, waiting for the heroes.
Everything was perfect.
Everything was going according to plan.
The canon was never wrong, and I was just one final step away from victory.
Who would have thought I couldn't take that last step?
That I, the Demon King, and the canon that the entire demon realm swore by would be toyed with by mere humans? I never dreamed it possible.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Cough—
I vomited blood. An incomprehensible reality sometimes breeds denial.
I couldn't face reality.
Why my proud black flames couldn't harm the heroes.
Why the hero's red blade could pierce my scales—harder than any metal in the world—and reach my heart.
I couldn't understand it.
"How...?"
The question outweighed the fear of death.
I had faithfully followed the Demon King's Canon.
I kidnapped princesses to direct the kingdoms' wrath toward me and, as the mastermind, bought the anger and sorrow of even more people.
That made me stronger.
The restrictions of dimensional interference were mostly lifted, and a significant portion of the land had been demonized. Total conquest was no longer a dream.
Next, I helped the heroes grow.
Their special emotions were invaluable. That's why the canon instructed us to raise them and devour them.
I raised them as taught. All I had to do was sit at the top of the tower, feast on the ripe heroes, and bask in demonic energy.
So why was I the one collapsing?
"How? You Demon King bastards are always like this."
Heh.
The hero who had marred my grand plan sneered at me.
"You bring this on yourselves, yet you always make that 'unbelievable' face. I just don't get it."
"What nonsense...!"
"You always kidnap a princess or prince to signal the humans: 'The Demon King's active, stop him.' How kind can you get? Killing the king would cause way more chaos in the kingdom."
That's because kidnapping the king turns wrath into greed, sparking wars among them for the throne.
"And you always send minions after the heroes. Carefully selected ones they can just barely handle."
Can't have the hero die midway. It's about being cautious not to ruin the perfect dish.
That's what the canon teaches.
"That's not all? If we head to the tower, you send monsters accordingly; if not, you send them anyway. Know what we do? We say thanks. They're always just risky enough to handle. It's amazing how perfectly you calibrate them. Even my parents weren't that meticulous."
"And when we reach the tower? Even better. The first floor always has weak monsters. They get progressively stronger, perfectly matched to our level for training."
The hero bowed his head. He muttered "Thanks" softly. It twisted my gut.
I realized something was wrong.
"Know what heroes call your tower? A stable goldmine full of food. A heavenly treasure trove."
He whispered.
Our demon realm's, the Demon King's, my faith was wrong from the start.
It's not the Demon King raising and eating heroes—it's heroes toying with and exploiting the Demon King.
"Some heroes enter a Demon King's tower, clear everything except the top, and leave. Why? It's convenient. Even if you kill them all, they reset after a few months. Best hunting ground ever. Oh, you Demon Kings barely communicate, so you probably don't know."
Hunting ground.
My tower.
"But sometimes it gets stale and boring. Then you just kill the Demon King. You make that 'unbelievable' face as you die, and soon a new Demon King and tower appear. Fresh again."
An eternal hunting ground. How great is that?
"You were a bit tough, though. Stronger than most Demon Kings. Lots of heroes died because of you. But you did the same things, so it was inevitable."
My mind reeled.
To a Demon King, heroes are pigs to eat anytime. We just fatten them up for better taste—pigs don't become dragons.
That was the belief of all Demon Kings and demons.
It was utterly refuted.
Heroes weren't pigs; they were dragons capable of slaying Demon Kings from the start.
And Demon Kings were raising the dragons that could kill them—with their own hands.
No, it was the opposite from the beginning. Heroes were playing the Demon Kings.
How? How could this be?
"Well, bye then, Demon King. Thanks for everything. I even made a name for myself as a hero thanks to you. Wonder who'll come next to entertain us."
The hero laughed. Heroes laughed. Their blatant mockery burned into my eyes.
"I...! I am the Demon King! How dare lowly scum like you mock me!"
"King? Any kings here?"
"We've got generous patrons, though. Who takes better care of us than those Demon King bastards?"
"Right. Exactly."
They cackled.
Rage surged. I couldn't contain the explosive heat. So I didn't.
"If I'm going, I'm not going alone."
My pierced heart was losing power.
I'd die here no matter what.
Then I'd punish them before I go. Make them pay for mocking a Demon King.
Even if it cost my last life.
I crushed my heart. Roused all my demonic energy.
Flames roared, heat rippled.
"This bastard's up to something!"
"Cut his head off now!"
The heroes who realized too late shouted. Frantic movements. A cold blade aimed at my neck.
Slash—
My throat stung. My vision flipped.
But it was too late.
In my rolling vision, I saw my headless body sprawl. My heart, pierced by the hero's sword, swelled with black heat.
The gathered demonic energy exploded through my heart as the conduit.
I saw the heroes fleeing desperately.
Black heat devoured everything.
Ah.
Hot.
My flames burn like this.
My life flashed before me like a panorama. Doubts and regrets settled in.
The canon was wrong.
If I'd known heroes saw Demon Kings as suckers because of it, I never would have followed it.
If I got one more chance...
I'd shove that canon up an orc's ass.
But it was too late for regrets.
My vision went black.
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"...Please."
My mind floated in darkness.
I'm dead. Is this the afterlife?
Where am I going?
"...Please Day... ."
A faint voice tickled my ears. But my languid mind didn't care to listen.
"Berge Dayas! Are you here?!"
At that moment—
My vision brightened. I bolted upright.
It was an auditorium. Hundreds of demons stared at me.
What was this?
"Berge Dayas! Come forward, quickly!"
The confusion was brief; I realized the emcee on stage kept calling me.
I rushed onstage. A shrewd vampire greeted me.
"Berge Dayas. You're usually so reliable—why on graduation day?"
His voice was full of concern. From his words, I inferred a lot.
Graduation ceremony, this setting.
The vampire principal pinned a red badge to my chest—the symbol given to all Demon King Academy graduates.
Then I grasped the exact situation.
It was the Demon King Academy graduation ceremony from 15 years ago.
I was the top graduate, a prodigy drawing everyone's attention.
"It's nothing."
"Good. The school and I all have high expectations for you."
The principal recited exactly what he'd said back then, word for word.
I couldn't understand why I'd returned to graduation day.
But I couldn't deny it was a chance.
"Thank you. I'll do my best."
"That's the spirit."
The principal patted my shoulder. Then the second-place student and others followed onstage.
They all received their badges.
- Graduates, please turn to face the audience.
I turned. Hundreds of demons celebrated our graduation.
- Now, the oath for the new Demon Kings begins.
- Top graduate Berge Dayas will read it on behalf of all.
⚙ DEMON KING'S CANON ⚙
[1. The Demon King must build a tower in the assigned world.] [2. The Demon King must kidnap a prince or princess.] [3. Become the mastermind and incite chaos. Leave traces that you are the mastermind.] [4. The Demon King must support the hero's growth materially and morally.] [5. Place low-level demons and monsters on the lower floors of the tower, increasing difficulty toward the upper floors. The Demon King must always wait at the summit for the hero.] [6. The tower...]
That was...
Demon King's Canon.
The things I'd seen to death, memorized until my head hurt, and followed to the best of my ability.
The trash that led me to death and turned me into a hero's plaything.
Now I had to read it. Swear before everyone that I'd follow it faithfully.
Bullshit.
- Berge Dayas?
It's a moronic rule. Fundamentally flawed garbage from the start.
I didn't want to read it. No intention to.
- Please recite the great Demon King's Canon promptly.
The emcee urged me.
I knew denying the canon publicly was a grave sin.
That it'd ruin my bright future.
But I'd met death and been mocked because of it.
So I hated it more than I'd ever loved or blindly followed it.
"I can't."
The hall fell silent in an instant.
"I can't do that idiotic oath. Following the Demon King's Canon is no different from carrying a hellhound corpse into a dragon's lair—it's stupid and moronic. That canon is!"
Berge bellowed, veins bulging.
"Trash!"
"...!"
"...!"
It was the moment the Demon King Academy's star top graduate became the ultimate fool.