In an instant, the surrounding atmosphere changed completely.
"······."
"...Hoo."
A heavy current that made one feel as though they should not open their mouth carelessly.
Yet even within it, an absorbing force that continuously captured one's gaze.
Gulp.
Even while those present swallowed dryly without realizing it, that being's footsteps did not stop.
Footsteps that seemed to tread lightly and softly, yet contained an imposing spirit, as if pressing down upon space with each stride.
The air tinged with a strange tension only dissipated once she reached the one who held the highest position here.
All because of the radiant smile hanging on her face.
"Hehe, it's a pleasure to meet you like this. My name is Hella. I look forward to working with you?"
She had simply uttered a few words with a smile.
Yet that appearance was bound to be deeply etched into the minds of those present with a meaning different than before.
...No, in truth, what was engraved upon their hearts was even greater than upon their minds.
'Truly a devilish charm.'
The Matriarch of the Dream Walkers placed one hand over her heart and let out a soft exclamation internally.
Proud to call herself the greatest in this domain, her heart—which ordinarily wouldn't so much as twitch at ordinary temptations thanks to her resistance—was beating twice as fast as usual.
If she was like this, how much more so would the others be?
"Ohoho, it is a pleasure. I am Ririana, currently leading the Dream Walkers. I sincerely express my gratitude for taking the trouble to come all this way deliberately."
But she did not show it outwardly and calmly received the other's words.
In contrast to the one who consistently used casual speech from the start, she displayed a refined attitude as though she were a noblewoman.
"But this does not seem like a suitable place for conversation. Shall we head inside for now? I have prepared some delicious refreshments to welcome our precious guest."
Then she quickly glanced around the still chaotic surroundings and guided Hella inside.
This place was an important facility that was virtually the core of military transport.
It was a location that had to be operated in a constant state of tension, not a place where one could afford to be distracted as they were now.
'By the way...'
While moving to another place, she stole a glance at Hella exchanging reunion greetings with Siana.
Having already reached a mature transcendental realm, she could read a great deal of information from just that.
Her opponent's stride and the weight carried within it, the cycle and depth of her breathing, the changes in expression and movements of her pupils when speaking, habits and gestures that even the person themselves was unaware of, and so on.
The conclusion reached after synthesizing all those elements was a single one.
'...Hah, as expected, there's no way she's Rereie.'
That is, it had been her own misconception.
There was no need to nitpick the finer details.
From the beginning, not only her appearance but also her physique down to the nature of her magic power, there were differences in many aspects from the Demon King she had known.
'But she resembles her.'
That much, even she could not dare deny.
Above all, hadn't the name jumped out at her at a glance the moment they first met?
Though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, the strange atmosphere hovering around her opponent was astonishingly similar to the monarch Ririana had longed for long ago.
'And those eyes and horns too. It's certain. This child is Rereie's...'
Her gaze turned toward Hella's face.
Inverted eyes with red pupils against a black background, and black horns that rose high with a slight curve.
Everything else aside, no matter how she looked at them, those were unmistakably the symbol of the previous Demon King!
While the Matriarch was immersed in such thoughts, her eyes suddenly met those mysterious inverted eyes head-on.
It was a small mistake born of failing to properly control her gaze due to the complicated thoughts churning in her head.
"Huhu, you seem to have a lot you want to ask?"
An expression that said she knew exactly what she was about to say.
But Hella did not open her mouth any further about that.
Instead, she simply smiled brightly, first opening the door of the drawing room they had just reached and extending one arm toward the inside.
"Conversation is the most efficient means of communication for understanding one another. You don't seem to have much leisure, so let's not waste time and get straight to the main point."
And with that, she naturally walked inside with light, soft steps.
As though she were the master of this place.
***
'So this is the Dream Walkers' headquarters? As expected of a prestigious house that produced the previous Demon King. It's on a completely different level from the riffraff I've encountered so far.'
Hella let out an inward exclamation and nodded slightly.
Though she didn't show it outwardly, she was extremely satisfied with the current situation.
'At this level, it should be of considerable help to my work. After all, since I'm a latecomer, the stronger the foundation, the better.'
The stronger the influence she could exert over the Demon Realm, the faster her forces would expand through her abilities.
If the Dream Walkers assisted with the work currently underway, she would be able to build a powerful force in short order.
Moreover, the succubus matriarch named Ririana could undoubtedly be called the greatest talent she had seen in the Demon Realm thus far, could she not?
'Though I must take into account that demonic strength is further amplified inside the Demon Realm... if a Count-class is at this level, just how strong is a Duke-class?'
Of course, she had confidence that she could handle a one-on-one fight even in her current state, but considering that subordinate forces would also get involved, it was still too early to clash head-on.
What was needed for that was precisely to take this place, the Dream Walkers, completely into her own hands.
'Perhaps because they have strong resistance to charm, it seems it would be difficult to forcibly subjugate them as I have done until now.'
Of course, there was no need to go that far with them.
They were already bound to her by connections stronger than anything else.
Hella, Ririana, and Siana sat facing each other in the drawing room.
Since neither side was in a position to relax, the conversation progressed quickly.
From public matters to slightly personal content.
"...By 'I suppose,' what do you mean?"
In the midst of such back-and-forth, Ririana furrowed her brow as if dumbfounded.
It was evident that she was frustrated at not receiving a satisfying answer to the question she had truly wanted to ask.
But Hella simply shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"Of course, there must be some connection to the previous Demon King? A being like me couldn't have occurred naturally. But the truth is, I haven't had consciousness for very long, and this is my very first time coming to the Demon Realm, so..."
To the question about her origins, she consistently feigned ignorance.
How could she reveal everything honestly in this situation?
That she was one of countless avatars created using the remains of the previous Demon King as a medium.
Even so, she avoided giving a definitive answer by talking in circles, at least not telling any lies.
A demon of that level would find it simple to detect falsehood in one's words.
'Though I'm not sure if it would work on me, it's best to be as careful as possible for now.'
Though she had recently fully adapted, Hella was a fledgling being not long since her birth.
Preparing for unforeseen circumstances was only natural.
Moreover, if she left room for all possibilities with such an ambiguous attitude...
"...Could it be that they made some arrangements in advance? Preparing for after their deaths...? Hmm, and the fact that you possess the Queen's essence too. Perhaps those two really might have..."
She would fill in the gaps and construct a scenario that made sense all by herself.
There was no need for Hella to rack her brains unnecessarily.
"Come to think of it, I'm curious too? Matriarch Ririana, what is your relationship with the 14th Demon King and the Succubus Queen? From the way you speak, you seem quite close."
At the casually thrown question from Hella, the Matriarch's body, which had been frowning in thought, stiffened for a moment.
Silence flowed for a brief instant.
But soon she opened her mouth as if it were no big deal.
Staring fixedly at Hella with a strange look in her eyes.
"...They were my blood sister and my mother."
A gentle, detailed explanation followed those words.
As if telling old tales to a long-lost family member, or confessing past family history to a niece met after a long time.
Rereie and Ririana, who shared the same Succubus Queen as their mother.
Among them, Rereie was a very special existence.
Unlike Ririana, who was born as an ordinary succubus, Rereie was born a mutant called a 'Succubus Half-breed' due to excessively expressed paternal genes.
Originally, for the succubus race, males were nothing more than prey and targets of exploitation, so such a thing was normally impossible, but considering the power of the one who became their father, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Because he was the 13th Demon King, the strongest of that era.
'So the father was the 13th Demon King and the mother was the Succubus Queen.'
It was an even greater lineage than she had thought.
Well, no wonder she could rise to the seat of Demon King in the Demon Realm where all kinds of vicious monsters ran rampant.
"Now, those eyes and horns you inherited were also traits passed down by the 13th Demon King. Rereie didn't like them much because they stood out so much. Really, she had no idea how much the rest of us, including me, envied her."
Ririana sighed and fiddled with her own horns, which were barely a handspan long.
The same went for Siana, who sat quietly beside her.
And her briefly condensed story soon led to the 14th Demon King Rereie's and her executive, the Queen's, invasion of the continent.
Thanks to the Queen, who had not only produced a Demon King but also grown to Duke-class through her relationship with the previous Demon King, the Dream Walker territory enjoyed tremendous prosperity, but they could not simply rest on their laurels.
While they did desire to escape this barren land and plunder abundant resources, more than that, they had a mission they absolutely had to fulfill.
"...The will of the Demon God?"
"They say it is a duty handed down since the birth of the first Demon King. Well, even without such a thing, nothing would have changed. That fertile land was like a well-prepared feast to us."
Invading the continent at regular intervals to break the momentum of humans, and of course, taking certain measures there.
The moment she heard those words, an assumption flashed through Hella's mind and passed by.
'So the Demon God was periodically interfering with the resurrection of the Human God!'
Why the Demon God, of all gods, isolated in the difficult-to-reach Demon Realm, had taken on such a role, she didn't know.
Perhaps simply because the two had a bad relationship, or perhaps due to laws she didn't yet know.
What was important was that this ritual had manifested as continental invasions all this time.
And that it had been completely severed with the 14th Demon King as the last.
Eventually, the arrangements of the Human God, including the Undead King, had begun to awaken one by one.
'Wow... He really is a man of incredible tenacity. Buried in the Abyss yet never giving up for thousands of years, continuously challenging until he finally succeeded, isn't that it?'
And on top of that, he even launched a counterattack against the Demon God who had constantly obstructed him to get revenge.
Before being sealed in the Abyss, it was unimaginable just how tremendous a power he must have possessed.
Well, no wonder the Chief God, who normally wouldn't intervene, had directly taken action.
"Mother volunteered to accompany Rereie to help her. The other dukes' opposition was too fierce."
To that extent, the 14th Demon King's power of fascination was extremely threatening.
Had she had just a little more time, she could have crushed all the high-ranking demons and completed absolute power.
Of course, that was already in the past, and as a result, not only Demon King Rereie but even the Succubus Queen had perished during the continental invasion.
What had happened in that process, whether there had been schemes by other dukes or the Human God, was unknown, but...
"...But it seems opportunity has come to us once more."
A strange heat began to seep into Ririana's voice, which had been continuing calmly as if recounting a fairy tale.
In her two eyes, a flame unlike any before was already blazing.
"I shall acknowledge you as my sister and as the daughter of the 14th Demon King, Rereie. Even if not born directly from her, your power and will seem to have been properly inherited."
And slowly rising from her seat, she tapped the side of the table placed in the center.
At that light gesture, the heavy table laden with refreshments slid all the way to the wall, but no one here paid any attention to that.
"I, Matriarch Ririana of the Dream Walkers—"
"—and her daughter Siana."
Siana, who had been quiet until now, opened her mouth after Ririana.
Without even having time to react to the fact that she was the Matriarch's daughter, the two standing side by side slowly knelt before Hella.
""We pledge our loyalty to Lady Hella.""
Language resonated, and waves imbued with magic power flowed heavily.
At the same time, a dual contract was formed with both Ririana and Siana, who was a subordinate of the Undead King.
Perhaps being under a higher-class command as a member of the Demon Realm's demonic races was treated separately from contracts made outside.
"There is only one thing we desire."
Then, Ririana, pressing her forehead to the floor, continued in a voice filled with passion.
Though she had acknowledged Hella as her niece, as if prioritizing serving her as a monarch who would fulfill their will over such a private relationship, her still-respectful tone showed not an inch of deviation.
"—To execute all those ugly dukes and see Lady Hella ascend to the summit of the Demon Realm!"
Her eyes, raising her head while prostrated, met Hella's gaze.
A gaze burning with anger and vengeance, impossible to conceal even by a face haggard with fatigue.
A soft smile formed at the corners of Hella's lips as she quietly looked down at it.
Of course, the answer to that was already decided.
***
"...Wh-what is this."
Miyamoto Ken swallowed dryly.
[Grrrk! Grrk!]
[Aah...! This refreshing blood! More! Give me more!]
Before his eyes, grotesque existences that could in no way be seen as normal living creatures writhed.
Eyes, noses, mouths, and even arms, legs, and heads.
White monsters that elicited an instinctual revulsion the moment one saw them, with positions and numbers of attached parts all different, as if a child had haphazardly assembled them.
"Hmm, you seem surprised."
"Yes, a little..."
The owner of a benevolent voice slowly approached from behind Ken.
And tapping his shoulder a few times, gazed at the scene ahead with a satisfied look.
"What do you think? Aren't they magnificent?"
A sticky, cloying desire that could not be concealed even by the packaging of benevolence.
Before Ken could reply to that, the owner of the voice opened his mouth again.
"These are precisely what will lead us to victory—"
Curving eyes like an abyss that not a speck of light could penetrate into crescent moons.
"—the soldiers of God."