The day after conquering the Edina Archipelago.
I had expected that more than half of the nobles and soldiers would flee.
What was truly surprising was that fewer than ten people refused me and disappeared.
The kingdom had been taken from them by the Demon King.
To the people of the Edina royal family, this must have felt like deprivation.
But for the nobles, soldiers, and citizens, it would have a different meaning.
The weak royal family had vanished, and the absolute ruler known as the Demon King now sat in their place.
Besides, this place was an island.
There was nowhere to run. Sailing across the sea to the mainland was only possible for the hardiest of captains and sailors.
Thus, although they were afraid of the new Demon King, they had no choice but to stay, hoping that he wasn't as fearsome as the world perceived him to be.
Therefore, there were hardly any deserters among the majority of the royal nobles and troops. I was rather curious about where the disappeared ones had gone.
In front of me, seated on the throne, a trembling royal administration official in charge of disaster relief began to report various details.
He talked about how many houses were destroyed, how many people were killed, how many people lost their homes, and the state of relief supplies within the castle.
Honestly, I couldn't fully comprehend the information.
I was weak with numbers.
When those countless deaths were translated into numbers, the array of figures seemed more complicated than sad.
"So, can we provide enough relief supplies to the refugees for now?"
"We might manage if we start distributing relief supplies immediately, but there is an overall lack of facilities to accommodate the refugees. The weather is good, so they won't freeze to death, but... we cannot be certain that winter won't come before the large-scale reconstruction is completed."
In this gathering were not only the nobles and soldiers of the Edina Kingdom but also my people.
Harriet and Airi stood at my sides, and except for the absent Gallarush and Luvien, Eleris stood behind me.
Liana was currently sulking, claiming she knew nothing about governing, and although Olivia initially disliked helping others, she went out into the city of Lazak to treat the wounded since I wanted her to.
"How many refugees are there?"
"Approximately eight thousand."
Eight thousand.
Eight thousand people who had completely lost their homes. However, according to the person in charge, more than forty-five thousand people actually needed help.
It seemed like a large number, but if we had been even a little later, the eight thousand who lost their homes could have become forty-five thousand.
"We might need to set up a large-scale refugee camp on the outskirts of the city..."
The nobles' expressions turned gloomy.
They knew it was necessary, but it was not an easy task.
Feeding and housing eight thousand people was an overwhelming thought.
Even if we used all the royal assets, there would eventually be a limit.
Whether they believed it or not, we couldn't engage in trade between continents. Thus, importing materials and food was impossible.
And then there was the construction period.
If we couldn't provide warm sleeping quarters for the refugees before winter arrived, they would all freeze to death.
Food and shelter.
As much as it's a problem for individuals, it becomes a headache when the scale grows larger.
"Eleris, how's that house-building magic coming along?"
"I still need to work on it a bit more... but I think I can have a draft ready within two days."
Everyone seemed astonished by the conversation I had with Eleris from the throne.
House-building magic.
From the beginning, magicians were an extremely rare resource.
There are so many aspiring magicians in the temple that they practically trip over each other.
Thus, while magic can solve problems arising in the southernmost part of the continent, the scarcity and mediocre quality of magicians make it impossible for magic to solve everything.
Since the temple has gathered the best of the best from across the continent, everything seems ordinary.
Just as the knight commander or the royal guard commander is easily subdued by my sword skills, it's incredibly difficult to enjoy the benefits of magic here.
"Even if we were to build houses, we need materials first. How do we provide for that?"
"There are plenty of trees. We can cut them down and use them, and if not, we can use magic to intervene with nature and provide timber, so you don't need to worry about that."
"What about manpower?"
"I think I can handle it all by myself."
The faces of the royal officials begin to contort with shock at the magician's statement that she would single-handedly build temporary housing for the eight thousand refugees in need.
The problems that plague the royal officials are solved by a single magician.
I have three Vampire Lords at my disposal. All of them have already reached the level of archmage.
Moreover, Harriet, who is capable of using magic beyond their wildest imagination, stands at my right.
Magic can provide answers to most problems.
However, it's crucial that only a tiny fraction of people enjoy the benefits of magic.
And receiving the benefits of such powerful archmages is even rarer.
These people will find out within a week that my reign can only be a blessing to the inhabitants of the archipelago.
"What are you so surprised about?"
I laugh as I look at the wide-eyed royal officials.
"I am the Demon King."
Though I began by ruling them with fear, I have no intention of deliberately promoting terror.
There's no particular reason for it.
"Whatever you imagine, you'll see more than that."
In many ways, indeed.
—---
I decided to do what I could.
Of course, I don't have grand goals like creating a very fair, perfect, and citizen-oriented country.
I will build a nation that rolls as I please, a nation where I can do what I want.
I may ultimately wish for the people's peace and well-being, but the fact that I am a dictator will never change.
If necessary, I will conscript, confiscate the citizens' property, and make them move according to my orders.
The first thing I did was to occupy the Edina Archipelago.
Although the gate incident was resolved in the early stages, emergency measures must be taken for the four damaged ports.
And the next phase proceeds simultaneously.
I chose the Edina Archipelago as a base because, if I suppress the four gates here, I can have a place unaffected by the gate incidents happening on the continent.
Many cities will be destroyed, people will die, and a significant amount of land will become uninhabited wastelands where monsters roam.
There are numerous towns and cities without gates.
They suffer additional damage as the monsters from the gates spread.
Protecting such places is difficult. Monsters will continue to pour out, and although my forces will soon be replenished, they are limited.
So the next goal is to rescue people from the continent and relocate them to the Edina Archipelago.
We need to save the survivors from the cities and villages that could collapse at any moment and those who have survived the monsters, and relocate them to the Edina Archipelago, which is free from the influence of the gate incidents.
The warp gate system is not available.
So, people needed to be physically moved.
Next, I gathered the fleet masters of the massive fleets that remained in the Edina Archipelago.
As expected, the fleet masters who saw the throne of the Edina Archipelago become the Demon King's possession were filled with astonishment.
"As the ruler of the Edina Archipelago and the king of the demon world, I hereby conscript all ships, captains, and sailors from this moment on."
Don't assume that I will be a benevolent ruler.
I will take what I need if necessary.
"Speak up if you have any objections."
I was not an ordinary king, but a horned demon.
An Archdemon.
I would fully utilize the fear that stemmed from my name.
They would imagine that if they disobeyed my command, they might face something worse than death.
That imagination would also help my reign.
Naturally, everyone was too frightened to raise any objections, trembling in fear.
"First, we will organize three fleets. The purpose of each fleet is to accommodate refugees from the three ports that were affected this time and relocate them here to Lazak."
Though the fleet masters were pale and terrified, as if they were about to be devoured alive, they all nodded their heads when I told them that I was doing this to accommodate the refugees.
"Next, we will organize a large-scale fleet of the greatest size and send it to the continent."
Upon hearing my words, their expressions became strange at the thought of heading to the continent that had already become hell.
"Soon, my army will cross the ocean and come here. The fleets will be responsible for periodically transporting people from the continent and my soldiers back and forth."
Gallarush was currently at the base in the Gelkorgis Desert, gathering followers of the Demon God Cult.
It was not possible to teleport all of them using Mass Teleport.
That's why we were organizing a large-scale fleet to relocate them to the Edina Archipelago and place them under my management.
The archipelago wouldn't be teeming with people.
Fortunately, there were many uninhabited islands in the Edina Archipelago.
There was plenty of land.
So, all we had to do was clear and develop the land so people could live there.
A place where people could live without worrying about monsters after escaping the calamity of the continent.
The Edina Archipelago would become a refuge for people.
"In the long term, we will expand and develop the uninhabited islands of the Edina Archipelago into habitable lands for people."
I wasn't sure if we could turn a temporary refugee shelter into a major country in the south, using the small islands.
However, I hoped that these distant islands would serve as a veil for people to hide from danger.
I desired it and would make it so.
That was not all.
The demons in the remote areas.
They might not be directly affected by the Gate Incident, but they could be affected in the long term.
I would also need to subdue them and incorporate them into my forces.
And the ports connecting the Edina Archipelago to the continent.
Since the Gate Incident likely occurred there as well, I needed to start taking action for those places.
I would organize an army to eliminate the monsters overflowing on the continent, carry out operations to clear the ports on the continent, and establish bases there.
There was so much to do.
Too much.
Far too much.
—---
In the middle of a ruined city,
-Whoosh-
Atop a mountain of corpses, Ellen Artorius drew her sword.
On the massive pile of flesh intertwined with human and monster corpses, Ellen slowly rose after cutting off the last monster's breath.
Atop a mountain of corpses, Ellen surveyed the scene around her.
Between the charred remains of buildings, the Imperial Army was just finishing up the battle.
In the eyes of the soldiers watching Ellen descend, there was a mix of awe, respect, admiration, and fear.
She had ventured alone into the ruins of the once-great city, slaughtering dangerous monsters and cooperating with the main force in battle.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she had practically carried out the monster extermination mission in the city by herself.
"Are, are you alright, hero...?"
"Yes."
With a cold and indifferent demeanor, as if she couldn't be bothered by anything, Ellen nodded her head.
From a distance, someone approached Ellen.
"Aren't you okay? Don't you need to rest? You haven't slept in days."
It was Ellen's classmate, Heinrich von Schwarz. Ellen shook her head at the concerned words of her classmate.
"...I'm fine."
As a pyrokinetic, Heinrich was responsible for disposing of the corpses now that the battle was over, so he advised her to get some rest while she had the chance and then headed off somewhere.
Given the regrettable state of the empire, capable combat students from the temple were being deployed all over the continent to deal with the ongoing monster extermination missions.
Countless soldiers, knights, and students had died.
For not believing in the Demon King, humanity was paying a heavy price.
Two years after the Gate Incident.
Humanity had yet to reclaim all their lands.
Having seen so much death, Ellen's eyes were hollow, numb to the deaths of both monsters and allies alike.
In one corner of the burning city, Ellen saw a group of refugees carrying bundles, moving under the guidance of the soldiers.
"Were there... survivors?"
The soldiers shook their heads at Ellen's question. It was unlikely that any survivors could have lasted this long in the ruined city.
"They're not survivors but refugees. They were found on the outskirts of the city."
"Ah..."
"They say strange things."
"...Strange things?"
At Ellen's question, the soldier wore an ambiguous expression.
"Yes, they say there's a paradise to the south... They were heading south in search of it."
Paradise.
Ellen looked around her.
The burning streets, the piles of corpses like mountains.
Soldiers and knights who had become so accustomed to the death strewn about that they no longer even retched at the sight.
Hell was the present world, and people had become inhabitants of a hell they had grown used to.
Where in this hell could there be talk of paradise?
A world that might have been a paradise before was now destroyed, as if by her own hands.
Where in this world could one find paradise and respite?
With the world full of despair, people began to believe in strange things. Somewhere, there might be hope.
Ellen was someone responsible for this hell.
That's why she couldn't rest.
She didn't believe in a nonexistent paradise; her only role was to erase the hell from the world, bit by bit.
With that in mind, Ellen set off in search of her next mission.
