A small coffee in the capital of the Archlesia Empire. The store is run by a young Dwarven girl, and today, Ozma, her regular customer, was there.

  Ozma was sitting on the counter seat, wearing a loose trench coat, drinking her favorite coffee and eating a late breakfast.

  [Uncle? You’re here later than usual today, aren’t you? Also, doesn’t it seem like you’re tired?]

  [Ah~~ I’m just a bit tired because of work. Well, my busiest day was yesterday, so it should be fine for me to take it easy now.]

  [To be honest, I’m more surprised to hear the word “work” come out of your mouth.]

  [Young people these days are so outspoken that it hurts me a bit~~]

  Finishing a few sandwiches, the shopkeeper brewed another cup of coffee for him without saying a word.

  The warm atmosphere of the wooden store and the pleasant aroma of coffee. Ozma loved the time he spent drinking coffee in this store. So much so that he came here everyday without fail, just to drink coffee……


  Of course, the young Dwarven girl shopkeeper had known him for a long time. She knew exactly what Ozma liked, and had recently learned when to give him a refill.

  Engaging in light-hearted conversation in a relaxed atmosphere that was only possible because they were well-acquainted with each other, time leisurely passed.

  [……Speaking of which, did you know about it? I heard that there’s a very big festival going on in the Demon Realm right now.]

  [Ahh, you’re talking about the Six Kings Festival. It certainly was as big as the Festival of Heroes.]

  [That sounds great…… I’d like to go too, but I heard that I have to get an invitation from the Six Kings, so there’s nothing I can do about that.]

  [Unnn? Do you want to go to the Six Kings Festival?]

  [Of course, I’d like to go…… Ahh, speaking of which, did you know? I heard that one of the War King’s subordinates, more specifically, one the War King’s Five Generals, “have the same name as uncle”!]

  [T- That’s weird, isn’t it……]

  Hearing the words the shopkeeper told her with a cute smile, Ozma looked unusually awkward. Yes, Ozma and the shopkeeper have known each other for a long time now…… but the young girl still didn’t realize that Ozma is one of War King’s Five Generals.

  On the contrary, she’s just treating as if he’s “a different person with the same name” as Five General’s Ozma.

  [I only saw him from a distance during the Festival of Heroes, but he was a cool guy dressed in a neat suit, oozing with the charm of an adult. The atmosphere he had around him was different from yours.]

  [H- Heehhh……]

  [I think you should take a lesson from Ozma-sama, dress a bit more nicely. You already have the same name, so I think you should act more handsomely too. Uncle has the looks too, so if you just groomed yourself, you’ll look cooler. I think.]

  [H- Hmmm…… W- Well, I’ll think about it.]

  One of the biggest reasons why the girl was unaware of Ozma’s true identity was that the Ozma she saw was far from the Ozma in front of her.

  Ozma usually doesn’t even bother to shave properly, his shaggy hair uncombed, and wears a worn trench coat, which makes him look very disheveled.

  However, the Ozma he had seen in the Festival of Heroes was neatly dressed in a suit, shaved and combed his hair back for the festival.

  For the shopkeeper, who was only a commoner, War King’s Five Generals were beings out of her league, people that she could only look at from a distance. In a sense, it was inevitable that she, who only knew Ozma’s current appearance, would see the Ozma that she saw at the Festival of Heroes as a different person.

  However, what she said placed Ozma in a difficult situation. If he told her the truth, it might destroy the imaginary Ozma lurking within her dreams.

  Washing down the light sigh that was about to leak out from his mouth with coffee, Ozma wryly smiled and suggested to the shopkeeper.

  [……If you want to go to the Six Kings Festival, should Uncle bring you there?]

  [……Eh?]

  [In spite of appearances, Uncle has some connections, you know? I think I could get you an invitation.]

  [R- Really!? H- However, I’m afraid that I’ll trouble Uncle……]

  [Don’t worry about it. Ah, then, I guess you could say it’s my thanks for always serving me good cups of coffee?]

  Listening to Ozma’s calm suggestion while lighting a cigarette from his pocket, the shopkeeper thought for a while before nodding her head.

  [……T- Then, may I presume upon your kindness?]

  [Yeah, I don’t mind. It’s just that it may take some time…… I think you’ll only be able to participate on the 6th or 7th day, is that alright?]

  [Yes! Thank you very much, Uncle!]

  [Well then, here’s for the bill…… I’ll come visit again.]

  [Like I said, can you please stop patting my head!?]

  Enjoying the reaction of the shopkeeper, who hated being treated like a child, Ozma left the store with a smile.

  When Ozma returned to the city where the Six Kings Festival was being held, he went to look for a certain person on the floor assigned for War King’s subordinates in the Central Tower.

  However, Ozma scratched his head, looking troubled as the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found.

  [……Oya? Ozma-sama?]

  [Unnn? Ahh, Epsilon-chan, you came just right on time…… Do you know where I could find Bacchus-kun?]

  [Bacchus-dono? No, he wasn’t at the training grounds…… Is this an urgent matter?]

  [Ah~~ No, it’s not really that urgent. I was just wondering if he could get me an extra invitation for one person…… and since Bacchus-kun was the one who manages our invitations, I came to find him.]

  Ozma explained the situation to Epsilon, one of War King’s Five Generals, who happened to be passing by. Thereupon, Epsilon seemed to be thinking for a bit before she spoke.

  [……An extra invitation huh…… Bacchus-dono certainly was responsible for the invitations we send…… but the management of the invited guests is under Phantasmal King-sama’s jurisdiction, isn’t it? If that’s the case, I think you need to talk to one of the Phantasmal King’s subordinates.]

  [Ahh~~ I guess I really have to huh…… This is troubling though. Our children and Phantasmal King-sama’s subordinates don’t really get along…… Talking to them would be difficult.]

  [Agni-dono, our leader, and Pandora-dono, the leader of Phantasmal King-sama’s subordinates, also hate each other. In addition, there are a lot of hot-blooded people in our group, so I guess it couldn’t be helped.]

  [Haahh, it can’t be helped…… I might end up being a bother, but I guess I’ll ask Miyama-kun for help.]

  The War King’s subordinates and Phantasmal King’s subordinates don’t get along very well, partly because their respective leaders are acting like cats and dogs. Ozma personally hopes that he can get along with Phantasmal King’s subordinates, but it doesn’t seem to be easy.

  Even if Ozma himself, a direct subordinate of the War King, directly went to ask them for help, he doesn’t think he would get a favorable response…… So, the most effective way he could think of was to ask someone who could make their King move.

  Ozma didn’t feel comfortable bothering Kaito, who was so young to be called a young child, but he wanted to take the most reliable means for the sake of that young Dwarven girl.

  When Ozma was about to walk away, thinking that he should bring something when asking for Kaito’s help, Epsilon spoke.

  [……Speaking of which, why is it that Megiddo-sama’s subordinates and Phantasmal King-sama’s subordinates…… or rather, why is it that Agni-dono and Pandora-dono don’t get along with each other?]

  [Ahh, no, the reason why that happened isn’t really that big…… They just had a big argument with each other whether “who’s stronger, Master or Phantasmal King-sama”, and after that argument, they didn’t get along anymore……]

  [I see…… But I’m curious about that too. Who does Ozma-sama think is stronger, Megiddo-sama or Phantasmal King-sama?]

  [Unnn? If it’s the “current Master”, Phantasmal King-sama is overwhelmingly stronger. Or rather, the current Master is most probably the weakest of the Six Kings. Well, he’s still in a whole another level if you compare the current Master to normal Peerage-holders……]

  [……Eh?]

  In response to Epsilon’s question, Ozma nonchalantly said that Megiddo was weaker than the Phantasmal King. He even went as far as saying he was the weakest of the Six Kings…… and as if she hadn’t expected that answer, Epsilon looked astonished.

  Thereupon, when Ozma saw her reaction, he brought one hand to his face, as if to say that he misspoke.

  [……Sorry, I misspoke. Forget what I said, Master will kill me if he hears it.]

  [Eh? W- What does that mean!? What is that you’re hiding, Ozma-sama?]

  [……I’m sorry, I can’t tell you. However, since I’m the one who accidentally spoke about it, I’ll give you a hint.]

  [……A hint?]

  [……If “I” get serious, even I can beat “Megiddo Argetes Borgnes”. But if I fight “Megiddo-sama”, I will never win. Not being able to inflict a single scratch on him, he will kill me.]{br}(T/N: Ozma refers to himself with “Ore” here)

  [……Huh? W- What does that even mean?]

  [Argetes Borgnes…… His name is based on the ancient language of the Demon Realm. You can look it up in the dictionary. But don’t tell anyone about it…… that’s unless you want to experience Master’s wrath.]

  Ending with those words, Ozma held a cigarette in his mouth before departing. Leaving a dumbfounded Epsilon behind……


  Argetes Borgnes….. In the ancient language of the Demon Realm, it means “Armor of Prohibition”. In the current Demon realm, only a handful of people know its true meaning.

  Ozma used to be someone who brandishes his tyranny around the Demon Realm…… But the power he had developed, the confidence he had built up, the pride he had in being the strongest, all of it shattered to pieces by the incarnation of tyranny. The being he admired to the point of pledging absolute loyalty. The red beast that had once turned “a third of the Demon Realm into scorched earth” was now still asleep.

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