The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 1 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The Ex–Demon Lord and His Plans to Support a New Student

I had frantically tried to clear Olivia’s misgivings for some time…but all my efforts were in vain. Her smile had stretched across her face inch by inch, accompanied by a violent air around her, practically screaming, This guy’s the Demon Lord, right? Should I punish him? I think I should.

And then, it was lunchtime, and following that, the last period of the day, held at the underground dungeon.

These spaces are enveloped in a dense mana that allows the core to generate and maintain a predetermined number of monsters at any given time. On one hand, these underground dungeons are fraught with danger—on the other, they’re absolutely brimming with rare monster parts. Those who raid them to earn money and perform this public service are called “Dungeon Seekers.”

Because our academy touted a policy of educating well-rounded students, we had to learn a myriad of subjects that weren’t exactly relevant to magic, unlike some other schools. As a result, our alum branched out into innumerable career paths—including the notorious Dungeon Seekers.

I’d grown used to these spaces by now. Enclosed in stone from all sides, the dungeon was covered in a layer of moss emitting a faint glow, and the air was cool, instantly setting on edge whoever stepped foot inside. We stood at the entrance as our instructor’s drawling voice echoed through the air.

“Everyone, just relaaaax, okay? The upper levels are noooooo biggie,” he claimed in a slow voice that robbed anyone listening of all their worry.

His exterior was gentle and sweet, as expected of all halflings, but don’t let that fool you. According to the grapevine, he’d once been a great adventurer.

…Unsurprisingly, Olivia stood off to the side, her ears and tail twitching as she smiled at me. Oh, the things I would do to snatch that grin right off her face.

“This is our very first lesson, so I think I’ll make it niiiice and easy,” he commented before motioning us to follow him so he could teach us how to hunt and take apart a monster.

“Well theeeen, time for your assiiiiiiignment. Go waaaay down to the third level and defeat a Black Wolf. Bring its hide to me, and I’ll check its quality. Then I’ll give you a score, got iiiiiiiit?” he practically yawned out…and then unleashed a serious blow to the heart. “All rightyyyy, let’s make teams of three. For this assignment, you’ll be working in a paaaaarty.”

Needless to say, the word team is low-key forbidden when you’re a loner. I refused to recount the memories associated with this word. I mean, what is the point of reliving the past anyway? What matters is the present.

“Ard! Please join my party!”

“Hey! I wanna work with him!”

There was no harm in enjoying a reality where my classmates actually wanted to be on my team. They descended on Ireena and me in droves as soon as the instructor finished giving his instructions. As I wondered how to respond to this unfamiliar situation, I couldn’t help but break out into a small smile—when a girl standing all by herself caught my eye.

It was the beautiful succubus Ginny, the one who’d been bullied by Elrado. As she fiddled with her shoulder-length peach-colored hair, she nervously glanced around her, which instantly took me back to my own days at school during my past life: No one had invited either of us to be on their team, and yet neither of us had had the courage to reach out. As a result, we’d both ended up by ourselves.

Her blue eyes started to well up with tears, appearing embarrassed by her situation, and I wasn’t about to let that pass. I excused myself from the crowd, trying to take a step toward her.

“Hey, Ginny! Come and join our party!” Ireena demanded.

She’d managed to bound toward the succubus before me, calling out to Ginny in a voice full of stubborn determination and affection. Just like the other students, Ginny’s eyes had become as wide as saucers from disbelief until she was able to work her trembling lips to string together a coherent sentence.

“M-me? Really…?” she asked hesitantly, clasping her hands in front of her voluptuous chest.

Ireena left her no room for doubt. “Of course! Ard’s got no objections, either. Right?!”

I smiled ever so slightly. “None whatsoever, Ireena.”

This confirmed it: My daughter was the best—kind and overflowing with love. I couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if I’d met her in my past life.

Well, no use thinking about that now. We welcomed Ginny into our party and began our search.

The inside of the maze was breezy, causing the girls to shiver lightly in their skimpy school uniforms, though it’d be wholly inaccurate to say these chills were due to temperature alone. There was a peculiar sort of gloom that lingered within the maze and awakened a primordial fear, forcing the body to tremble of its own volition.

Beside me, Ginny was practically crushing her big boobs against each other as she cradled herself in her own arms, her eyes darting around fearfully. Her soft, milky thighs were daringly exposed and seductively turned inward…which naturally sparked a carnal desire in me that made me want to ravish her—this was a succubus’s trademark. That said, I’d obviously do no such thing.

On the other hand, my dear Ireena was jovially singing as she scampered along.

“Ard! A is for Annihilating Evil!   R is for Runs ’Em Straight Through!   D is for Decimate the Enemy!  ” Ireena blared, plunging fearlessly ahead, swinging her arms around, and humming an odd little tune. Her generous chest jiggled every time she let her arms sway in time with her tone-deaf voice.

It seemed both of us were used to these eerie surroundings. After all, we’d routinely made our way through the dungeons back in our home village.

As we pushed forward, the monsters in question appeared before my party: Black Wolves. These dark beasts measured less than one merel from the withers, slinking forward in a pack of ten. Ginny was startled enough to let out a tiny shriek, collapsing onto her butt and quivering in fear.

I grinned at this sight. “It’s all right, Ginny. We can take care of these monsters—easily.”

I snapped my fingers, unleashing a host of geometric patterns that served as magic circles around the Black Wolves and unfurling a flurry of flames. They didn’t even last three seconds before they were burned to a crisp.

YOU DEFEATED THE BLACK WOLVES! A transparent gray message box popped up before us.

You could say that the dungeons were a world of their own. It honestly felt that way sometimes, considering how they operated on a different set of rules and seemingly a whole other plane of existence. This message box was just another one of those dungeon-exclusive elements that toyed with the common preconceptions of reality. They cropped up at various points: Following the defeat of a monster or retrieving items from a chest were just a few examples. The reason for their existence was shrouded in mystery, but I couldn’t really say that I cared either way, so I had no plans to find out in the foreseeable future.

“Y-you defeated a pack of Black Wolves in an instant…! A-Ard, you’re incredible…!”

“Heh-heh-heh! If you’re shocked now, just you wait. This is the boy who took down an Ancient Wolf when he was…wait for it…twelve years old!”

“Whaaaaat?! An Ancient Wolf at twelve years old?!”

As I listened in on their conversation, I took a good look at the remains of the monsters in front of us and folded my arms. I had gone way overboard. There was nothing but ashes left. We wouldn’t be able to bring back any of their hides at this rate. It was honestly really hard to go easy on anything.

“I-I’m honored to be in a party with you two. You’re amazing, really. B-but…are you sure you want me on your team? …I mean, all I’ll do is drag you down…,” Ginny whispered.

Hmph. It seemed this girl had a tendency to needlessly put herself down, though I could identify the culprit. She’d probably developed the habit from suffering under Elrado’s torment since childhood.

I could relate. After all, I’d endured abuse during the formative years in my past life, thousands of years ago. Like being called “girlie boy” for my feminine features and getting garbage chucked at me day after day. Or like the time I lost my family and home, when some people totally trashed my makeshift bed on the streets. I still can remember how they jeered, “You ain’t got no place to sleep”…and all these experiences from a young age culminated in an inferiority complex. I was saved by my childhood friend, Olivia, but it didn’t seem like Ginny had found her own savior—yet.

“Ginny, if you’d like, I could instruct you on the ways of magic. How about it?”

“What? Y-you mean you’ll teach me?”

“Precisely. I’m inexperienced, but I hope my knowledge is enough to grant you the tiniest bit of confidence.”

With power comes confidence, to a greater or lesser degree. I figured I’d toughen her up and give her some much-needed self-esteem.

“…I’ll never be strong. That’s for sure.” Her eyes were cast downward, hidden by her bangs. But I could tell they were swimming with servility and anguish.

“No. You can be strong. I’ll make sure of it. I swear,” I declared as forcefully as possible.

Ginny raised her head timidly and glanced at me. “Wh-why? And why me…? I… Compared to you, I’m a tiny pebble at the edge of the road, right…?”

“Listen up, Ginny. In this world, there is no such thing. Each of us is a main character, living life to the fullest, and that includes you. You just don’t know how to shine yet… I mean, you do want to succeed, don’t you?”

“…That sounds just like…a line from a heroic ballad…” Ginny looked down again and mumbled incoherently.

Just as I started to worry that maybe it was a no-go, she snapped her head up with a whoosh.

“I-I’d love to!”

In her eyes, I saw a fighting spirit ready to say good-bye to the past.

And thus, I decided to educate the sad and lovely succubus.