Chapter 544: Standing Up the Prince
With the Demon Lord Army investing substantial manpower and resources, the castle located in Axel's northern outskirts was completely renovated in just a few days.
Perched atop a cliff, the entire castle exuded an ominous aura, appearing so sinister that weaker adventurers would flee in terror at the mere sight of it from afar.
Not only that, but elite soldiers of the Demon Lord Army patrolled the castle's perimeter in shifts.
Only those with absolute confidence in their abilities dared to come here to challenge the Demon King.
"Your Majesty, welcome back from your outing!"
As soon as Eiji returned to the castle, a goat-headed monster came scurrying over, bowing obsequiously.
"You're... Famen?"
"No, my name is Mamon."
The goat-headed monster choked back his words and forced an awkward smile.
"Oh."
Eiji nodded.
"You're fired."
"Wha—?! Why?!"
Ignoring the goat-headed monster's wails, Eiji headed straight for the castle's deepest chambers.
"Boom!"
A violent storm of wind erupted, sending several figures flying backward.
"You call this a challenge to the Demon King? If you can't even beat me, get lost!"
Airi snarled with palpable fury, berating them mercilessly.
"Dammit! To think we couldn't even defeat one of the Demon Lord Army's executives!"
The group hung their heads in shame and frustration before scrambling away without another word.
"Wow, someone's in a foul mood."
Eiji strolled into the hall, grinning lazily.
"And whose fault is that?"
Airi shot him a glare brimming with resentment.
"You were the one who said you'd welcome challengers, but now you're dumping them all on us. What's the deal with that?"
"Not just anyone is worthy of fighting me."
Eiji scoffed dismissively. "If they were as strong as Barnier or Wiz, I'd be happy to oblige. But your average level-forty adventurer? Boring. I'm not here to stomp on weaklings."
"You're just lazy!"
Airi glared at him, clearly seething.
"If you're sick of it too, just change the challenge system. No need to handle every fight personally."
Eiji shrugged, giving her a look that said, How have you not figured this out yet?
"...That could work."
Airi immediately caught on.
Over the past few days, as word spread, countless adventurers had flocked to Axel.
The first group had stormed the castle three days ago, only to be repelled by Airi. Though injured, they had all survived unscathed—igniting a frenzy among adventurers. Since then, dozens had come daily to challenge the Demon King.
Whether driven by fame, wealth, or the Demon King's promise, adventurers poured through the castle gates without end.
Thanks to this, Airi had already sent away dozens of teams in just a few days.
"Alright, I'll divide the challenge system into three—no, five tiers. The Demon King is the final tier, I'll be the second-to-last, and the middle tier can be handled by Mamon—"
"About that Mamon guy... I just fired him."
"Huh? Why?"
"Poor work ethic. Questionable mindset."
"Uh... I've heard about his behavior, but he is one of the Demon Lord Army's top fighters..."
"Then let's transfer Beldia here and have him clean the toilets."
"That works."
Airi Yasaka thought it over and agreed it was feasible.
However, this would likely block ninety-nine percent of adventurers at the third floor. There were barely any adventurers in the entire world who could reach the fifth floor.
By now, the new Demon King's overwhelming power must have spread throughout the kingdom.
"By the way, why are you back?"
Airi shot Eiji a sidelong glance, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Didn't you say you were going to win Wiz over these past few days?"
No particular meaning—just pure vinegar.
She'd changed so many outfits, yet he remained indifferent. Wiz did nothing, yet he buzzed around her like a bee drawn to flowers... No, could his courting methods even be called "attentive"?
In any case, Airi felt extremely unwilling.
"She said she needed a few days to think it over. It's just a matter of time."
Eiji was brimming with confidence.
After having a meal with Wiz, she said selling herself was a major decision and needed more time to consider. Eiji generously agreed.
Now that the castle had dedicated teleportation mages, the curvaceous demon beauties could come anytime. Nightly revelries weren't an issue, so there was no need for him to be impatient.
"Speaking of which, when I left Axel today, I saw the Royal Knights."
Eiji sat on his mini Demon King's throne at the head of the room, mentioning this topic for reasons unknown.
"The Royal Knights?"
Airi's eyes immediately lit up.
"Who was leading them?"
She rubbed her hands together, full of fighting spirit.
"Not sure. Some young guy, fifteen or sixteen, wearing a crown."
Eiji recalled the ostentatious boy whose arrival had stirred up all of Axel—guild branch heads, nobles, lords, all rushing to fawn over him.
"Oh, just the kingdom's prince then."
Airi curled her lip, her enthusiasm quickly fading.
"Probably here to slay the Demon King. Your open invitation for anyone to challenge you has given some people hope of winning the war."
"Pfft!"
Eiji couldn't help but laugh.
"Isn't that harder than winning the war itself?"
"True, but hearing it from you is... complicated."
Airi's expression was mixed.
In the past, the old Demon King would never dare leave the Demon King's Castle.
Because the old Demon King's power was limited. If someone like Kyouya Mitsurugi targeted him, there was a real chance he'd be killed, leading to the Demon Lord Army's collapse without a fight.
For the Demon Lord Army, the old Demon King was their absolute weak point!
But with this new Demon King, the situation had reversed.
The new Demon King's strength was so overwhelming, it completely surpassed the entire Demon Lord Army. Rather than worrying about the army collapsing if the Demon King was defeated, the concern now was whether the army could keep up with the new Demon King's pace.
Thus, the Demon Lord Army now had an indomitable pillar of strength! For the army as a whole, this was actually a great boon.
This reality left Airi with profoundly mixed feelings.
"If that's the case... maybe letting him be the Demon King isn't so bad?"
Sometimes, thoughts of stepping down even flashed through her mind.
But unfortunately, the position of the Demon King must remain in the hands of the Yasaka clan—there is no second option, or their family would be doomed.
"By the way, witch, come out with me later."
"Where to?"
Airi Yasaka snapped back to attention, suppressing the turmoil in her heart as she asked calmly.
"The royal capital."
Eiji crossed his legs and grinned eerily.
"I'm going to stand up that prince and have some fun in their stronghold!"