Burning loyalty

It was midnight when I, Kageyama Kai, finally arrived at the Demon Castle.

The dark and ominous-looking castle was located in the middle of a dead forest where every tree was just rotting away. The structure of the castle shared similarities with a cathedral, but it was less well-maintained, or rather, it looked like nobody was there.

I took vigilant steps towards the entrance and once I was in front of the gigantic door, I had to use all my might just to creak it slightly open. But it was at that moment when the bats and birds in the surrounding area let out eerie screeches before flying away.

"I offer you my greetings, my liege."

Quickly, I turned around and looked at the person who approached me in a calm, monotone voice. There was a young woman who appeared to be in her twenties. Her long white hair reached her waist, whereas her bangs covered her left eye. She was tall. Probably even taller than the average man in my previous world. In addition, she had a thin figure.

Considering we were in demon territory, it was safe to assume she was one, too. Her white hair, the black eyes, the horns and the tail. Yes, she was indeed a demon. And even though demons were known for being pale, she was paler. I wouldn't exaggerate if I were to say that she could be mistaken for a ghost and maybe it was because I had already managed to slowly adapt to my new circumstances that I didn't faint on the spot.

Or maybe it was due to the maid uniform that she didn't look that scary to me.

"I am the head maid of the castle. Eri is my name." she stated humbly, bowing her head to me slightly and elegantly.

Eri...

Truth be told, I didn't know much about the demons' side. Tales of Tasia focused mostly on Alice and her party, introducing demons only when they encountered them as obstacles. That meant I had almost no information about the demons who stayed back here, instead of chasing Alice’s blood.

Well, there was one demon, who was shortly mentioned but didn't face Alice and the others yet.

"H-hello, there. I'm Kageyama Kai... And I, uhm..."

Even in a new world, my social skills were still trash.

"This servant of yours understands. Please allow me to guide you to your throne." Eri continued the conversation despite my awkwardness.

Thus, Eri walked past me and entered the castle with me following pathetically behind.

"So that's the inside..." I muttered, slightly astonished.

Aside from the castle's location, I didn't know anything. It had only been revealed because Alice came here once to challenge the former Demon King, who wasn't there at that time.

However, the interior had the exact same vibes the castle gave off from outside. It was eerie and desolate. Despite having at least one maid here, it didn't look well-maintained or cleaned. Dust was everywhere and in some corners, I noticed large spiderwebs belonging to spiders with the size of a human head. I also realized that there were no decorations, like any paintings or sculptures.

"Aren’t castles supposed to be more glamorous?"

Eri and I were walking on a dirty and ragged red carpet as we headed to the stairs.

"We are almost there." Eri said.

I became more nervous when she said that. Was there something or someone awaiting me? Eri assumed that I came to the castle and wanted to head to the throne, but the latter one didn't even cross my mind yet. I came here due to safety reasons! But I could hardly say no back then... Not when she was the one who wanted to guide me.

Either way, it was too late to have those thoughts. After all, we were now in the throne room.

"I was expecting you, my liege!"

And again, I was welcomed by a stranger who wore an excited smile. This time, it was a man who seemed my age and wore a butler uniform.

"You aren't finished yet, Valer?" Eri asked, her tone colder than it had been with me.

"My bad, my bad! I still had some things to do, you see?" he responded lightheartedly.

Contrary to the typical image of a cold, cunning demon, he seemed... carefree? Still, my focus was not on him. Instead, my gaze was glued to the fire next to him.

"S-shouldn't we put that out?" I asked Eri.

"I apologize for not informing you sooner, my liege, but this is a part of our tradition." Eri replied with her usual monotone voice.

"Tradition? What do you mean by that?"

"We're currently burning the throne of the previous Demon King."

"Wait, what?!"

I was taken aback by that man's answer. They were burning the throne of their previous king while smiling?! Weren't they loyal?!

"Oh, but please don't misunderstand, my liege! We're burning his throne because it's a tradition that whenever a new Demon King arises, a new throne will be made. It's our way of giving a welcome gift." he explained.

I see... So this way, the new king won't feel like a replacement but like the actual king and owner of the demon kin.

"With that being said..."

With the fire crackling behind them, the two were now in front of me and bowed to me.

"As the right-hand of my liege, I, Valer, greet you and offer you my everything. Be it my body, mind, soul or my loyalty... I shall present them all to you."

His smile left his face and was replaced by a stern and determined expression. Eri, on the other hand, remained emotionless, but her sincerity still managed to reach me.

"You can lift your heads."

At my words, they did it instantly.

"Eri, could you bring me some clothes?"

"Of course, my liege."

Without hesitation, she left the throne room.

They really obeyed me.

At first, I had no idea how I should handle it, but it was for the best for me to accept it. Even though I was a newbie and as weak as some random child, I had to embrace the role of the Demon King. What I needed the most right now was a safe place. If I were to keep hesitating about being the Demon King, I would lose the trust and respect of my subordinates. Not only did I need them for my plans, but there could be the chance that I'd become the target of a coup d'état.

"Valer. You said you're my right-hand? What does that mean?"

"It was the role given to me by the former Demon King, my liege. As one of the strongest and most capable demons, I was chosen to do everything the king needed and wanted me to do. While Eri's there to take care of your personnel and the castle's needs, I am there to act as your representative for things that won't be worthy of your time."

"If it's taking care of enemies, handling and commanding our army or acting as your messenger, I will make sure that my liege doesn't have to lift even a finger." Valer added, pointing his thumb proudly at himself.

Sorry, Valer. But to me, it still sounded like you were some kind of errand boy...

“Then, one more thing... How did you and Eri know about me?”

Valer glanced briefly at the throne that was burned to ashes.

"We can feel the presence of the Demon King if we're in the vicinity. And we can also sense the presence change when the Demon King dies." Valer answered.

He wore a smile again, but that smile did not reach his eyes and felt rather lonely.

"Once a Demon King dies, their successor will emerge. Therefore, we knew that you were the Demon King. After all, we sensed the Demon King's presence approaching the castle!"

The way Valer explained it made it sound like it wasn’t unusual for a Demon King to die and be replaced.

And that, in fact, told me that the role of the Demon King would never be vacant.

"Does Alice know about this...?" I accidentally murmured, flabbergasted.

Luckily, Valer didn't hear me as he looked with great anticipation outside the window.

"Seems like the first ones are arriving!" he announced joyfully.

I shifted my gaze to the window only to see dozens of flying demons heading our way.

"They've come to greet you, my liege!"

"Y-yay..." I faked my happiness. I mean, should I be happy about that...?

"Hopefully, the three generals also come."

"Who?"