Even the Demon King is worrying about another world today.

Elisa was clearly too lazy to say much to the foreign man. She addressed the Queen's Knights surrounding her and said, "I propose that Princess Ariel and the foreigners she brought back be confined to the royal city until the results of the examination are available before proceeding to the next step."

The knight commander nodded in agreement and then held Ariel down, saying, "Then, Your Highness, please excuse me."

On the way back to the capital, to calm the volatile Renee, Mikayi simply picked her up and carried her on his arms. Renee remained silent the entire way, her light weight making it easy for Mikayi to hold her.

017 The Demon King's Will

In the dungeon of Ais's capital city, a black-haired man leaned against the wall and yawned wearily. Beside him sat a well-behaved little girl, whose small schoolbag on her back kept twitching occasionally, the contents of which were unclear.

"So, after all that explaining, I'm still locked up in the dungeon," Mikayi muttered. "I even showed my sincerity by demonstrating wind magic..."

"Lord Mikayi, there are many humans here. Killing them and purifying them into undead can add new fighting power to Hell. Becoming Lord Mikayi's army is the only honor for lowly humans." It's hard to imagine that these words actually came from the mouth of this six or seven-year-old girl.

Mikael's lips twitched: "Rene, there's something I haven't told you yet."

Renee tilted her head to the side, listening intently to what Mikayi was saying.

“I have neither the intention to invade nor the plan to rule this continent of Lolan,” Mikayi said earnestly.

Renee paused slightly, her face full of confusion: "Why? Shouldn't the Demon Lord be doing something like conquering the world?"

"No, no, no, don't you think I'm not suited to be a ruler, Renee?" Mikael said helplessly. Although he enjoyed the process of ruling the world, in the end he would only make a mess of the world.

Renee shook her head blankly: "As the ruler of the world, besides Lord Mikayi, Renee can't think of a second more suitable candidate."

“I’m tired of that,” said Mikael. “From now on, I’m giving you, Akman, and all of Hell a new order.”

Mikael's voice carried an inviolable majesty, and Renee immediately lowered her head, accepting the command from the Lord of Hell.

A light, casual remark echoed in the dungeon.

"Protect this other world; we cannot allow it to decline."

Renee's small mouth opened wide, forming a large "O" shape.

The Demon King's intentions were not what they thought!

Akman, Akman, she's still here...

The thought sent chills down Renee's spine.

It's too late to stop Akman now; with Lord Mikaela by her side, Reni can't spare a moment. Besides, if she uses communication network magic, Lord Mikaela, the creator of magic, will hear her.

Renee's feathers all bristled up, and her already stuffed backpack was on the verge of collapse.

When Mikael saw this, he assumed that Reni had been...

Startled by her plan, he quickly reached out to comfort her.

"It's okay, Renee. If you're not used to doing this kind of thing, you can stay in hell."

Faced with the sudden gentleness of the Demon Lord, Renee could no longer restrain herself. She buried her head and crashed into Mikayi's arms.

The poor schoolbag was thus burst open by the wings that filled it, and black feathers kept falling out along the cracks.

Come to think of it, this was the first time his demon subordinate had ever acted so affectionately towards him. Mikayi stroked the girl's white hair and smiled almost imperceptibly.

Alright, now let's just casually use some illusion to teleport back to Hell. Being imprisoned in a human dungeon isn't the style of Demon King Mikayi.

-

Above the dungeon, at the very top of the building, nestled among layers of buildings, a young girl knelt in an empty room.

Ariel was in a huge birdcage, where the only colors were the white cloth and the golden pillars.

Ariel knelt on the ground, holding an unknown little flower in her hands, its white petals being peeled off one by one and scattered on the ground.

With a long creak, the door was pushed open.

Ariel crushed a delicate petal with two fingers without even looking up at the person who had sent it.

"How's the matter I asked you to do?"

The newcomer was shrouded in a long black robe, with a few strands of neat blue short hair peeking out from his jacket pocket.

"Your Highness, everything is going according to plan."

Upon hearing this, a sly smile, uncharacteristic of her gentle face, appeared on Ariel's lips.

-

The ninth level of hell, with one hundred and one steps leading up to the Demon King's throne, is now completely bare.

Two figures appeared without warning in the quiet hall.

Mikael stretched and slowly stepped onto the stairs. Reni, on the other hand, knelt below the stairs, not daring to approach without orders—unless, of course, the Demon King was not present.

Mikayi waved his hand, and a magic orb floated out from somewhere, hovering in front of him. After infusing the orb with some magic power and confirming that it would work in this other world, Demon King Mikayi plopped down on the empty floor.

Countless black particles climbed upwards from the ground, forming a magnificent throne in the blink of an eye.

Before his buttocks made intimate contact with the ground, Mikayi sat on the new throne.

The throne was made of black metal, and compared to the grotesque bone decorations, it was merely adorned with a few swords.

After finding the angle and firmness of the throne to be reasonably comfortable, Mikayi refocused his attention on the important matter at hand.

A crystal ball floating in mid-air creates a scene depicting a bustling street teeming with people. This is not the scene Mikayi wanted to see; with a thought, the scene shifts rapidly.

Mikayi stopped switching screens only after a head of long, trailing golden hair appeared on the screen.

The woman's once full skin became sunken and dry, and her menacing blood vessels were exposed to the air, throbbing with her pulse.

Mikael examined it carefully for a long time. For someone who had mastered all types of black magic, this was the first time he had ever seen such a curse spell.

Not to mention that as a curse spell, its spread speed is ridiculously slow. But this kind of slow-acting magic that can curse bloodlines and spread to the surrounding area is something Mikayi has never seen before.

While this magic undeniably accelerates aging, it hasn't reached the point of being directly fatal. Currently, aside from being somewhat ugly, this curse magic is far too gentle.

The curse magic that Mikayi had seen was all cruel and fierce. How could such indecisive magic have such a strong ability to spread? Mikayi was quite curious about this.

Observing from a distance offers limited insights into magic. After half a day of fruitless research, Mikayi could only categorize it as 'the unknown of another world' for now.

The Demon Lord, who enjoys studying magic in his spare time, has developed a strong interest in the unknown magic of this other world. The perspective shifts again, and Mikayi once more sees the curse spreading across Ariel's arm. The fragile girl lies helplessly in the royal cage, evoking pity.

Mikayi tossed aside the crystal ball and stood up from the chair.

"Let's go, Renee."

018 The Demon King's Plan

Reni, who had been dozing on her knees at the foot of the steps, was awakened. Rubbing her tired eyes, she mumbled, "Lord Mikayi, where are we going this time..."

Reni's six tiny wings were pressed tightly against her back; though small, the jet-black wings were quite conspicuous in the light.

Come to think of it, there doesn't seem to be a race called angels in this world. I wonder what the reaction would be if humans discovered the existence of angels.

"Can the wings be hidden any smaller?" Mikayi asked.

"Huh?" Is the Demon Lord finding his wings an eyesore? Reni's little brows furrowed, looking quite aggrieved. "This is already the smallest form... Lord Mikai."

"Never mind," Mikayi thought to herself. "Given Renee's size, a square kindergarten-style backpack would be perfectly fine for her."

He could freely mobilize the resources of hell, and the particles from the decomposed materials spread out, gradually forming a square black backpack in Mikayi's hands.

-

Back in the dungeon, it was already late at night. Even the guards responsible for watching over the dungeon were taking a short rest against the wall.

Cancel the previous illusion, Micah's Plate

My legs are sitting on the damp ground.

"Lord Mikayi, this kind of ground... don't sit on it..." Reni, standing to the side, was worried. How could she let the great Demon King be imprisoned in a dungeon by lowly humans and made to sit on such an unbearable surface! If those old guys in Hell found out about this, they would probably come out to kill him immediately!

"Rene, come here." Mikael reached out his hand to Rene.

Seeing the Demon King's long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles, Renee blushed deeply. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and leaned against Mikayi, mimicking the Demon King's posture as she sat on the ground.

Unexpectedly, Mikael picked up Reni and placed her on his lap: "Your clothes will get dirty, sleep on my lap."

To be honest, Mikael still felt a little guilty about making Renee sleep in the dungeon with him. The angels' way of life, which included sleeping for twelve hours after sunset, was something Renee hadn't completely shaken off even after falling from grace.

Reni was far from sleepy, and nestled on the Demon King's lap, her little heart pounding as if it would jump out of her chest.

The passage of time was imperceptible to Mikayi; having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, a night was but a blink of an eye for him.

As dawn broke, the dungeon guards finished their handover and began their first patrol of the day.

The guard, clutching his spear, yawned frequently. For some reason, he'd been having nightmares all night. It was as if a great demon lurked nearby, subconsciously influencing his mind.

"Hey, guard over there." The guard, who had been called, looked towards the source of the voice with a puzzled expression. "How's the investigation going? When can I be released without charge?"

"Seriously, don't you guys provide meals? Not even half a loaf of bread all day? If it weren't for my superhuman physique, I would have starved to death in this foreign land long ago, okay?"

The guards were completely bewildered by the man's barrage of questions, and even Renee was utterly confused. When did that cold and ruthless demon king become so frivolous?

"My job is to keep an eye on you. As for the rest, Her Majesty the Queen has the final say." The guard walked over and tapped the iron bars with his spear. "Behave yourselves and keep quiet."

“Hey, haven’t you heard? My lady Renee managed to save your country’s dying Zera.” Mikayi leaned against the iron railing and said leisurely, “So, maybe the curse on your emperor can also be lifted by us foreigners.”

"What a joke! That severely injured archmage is being treated by the royal medical priests. He's practically crippled now, without legs. There's no way he can be cured..."

“This concerns Her Majesty the Queen, so I advise you to be cautious. Report what I just said,” Mikayi said earnestly. It seems the dungeon guards aren't very well-informed. “After all, finding the murderer of the noble isn't as important as curing the Queen's curse.”

The guard was reluctant to be ordered around by the prisoner, but since it concerned Her Majesty the Queen, he dared not be careless. He checked the locks of the iron cage several times, and only left after confirming that the person imprisoned inside could not escape, cursing under his breath.

Mikayi leaned against the iron railing, smiling as he watched the guards leave.

"Lord Mikayi, what are you going to do...?" Reni was completely baffled by the Demon King's plan and had no idea what he was going to do.

"Wait, Renee. Once we've dealt with this, we'll leave this human country. Speaking of which, we still haven't found a comfortable place for Hell to settle down..." Looking up through the small window, one could see the sky above Ais's main city. Only the Demon King's eyes could see the completely invisible Hell.

To maintain its suspended height, Hell must constantly rotate. For this colossal object, not to mention the immense magical energy required to keep it rotating, the sheer magical energy needed to keep it floating at such a height is beyond the capacity of ordinary people. While the sheer volume is insignificant to the Demon King, it does substantially deplete his magical reserves, forcing him to divert his attention from Hell.

Renee tilted her head, puzzled: "Just kill all these humans. And this prison where Lord Mikayi is being held, Renee can tear it to shreds along with the main city."

“No, no, no,” Mikayi pressed a paw down on Renee’s head, “Don’t always think about fighting. The continent of Lolan is already in a state of war. If we add to it, it will be finished.”

It seems that Renee hasn't fully accepted what I said about 'protecting the other world' last time. The fallen angel's murderous intent can't be changed in a short time. The road to protecting the other world is still very long… the Demon King worries about this.

Mikael was incredibly patient at this moment. He squatted down to be level with Reni: "When the continent of Lolan is like the continent of Galan again, we'll have to risk our lives again. We succeeded by chance last time, but we might not be able to succeed in the next interdimensional crossing."

"Therefore, in order for Renee and me to exist in this world longer, Renee cannot think about things like killing and exterminating clans."

Rene's eyes lit up instantly. To live longer in this world with Lord Mikael... to be alone with Lord Mikael... to marry Lord Mikael and have children... Speaking of which, the angel race has an incredibly high reproductive rate; eventually, the entire Hell would be filled with little angels born together with Lord Mikael...

Well!