A Weak Demon Lord Started Livestreaming in a Bottom-Tier Dungeon and Went Viral?! After Completely Crushing Rude S-Rank Explorers and Annoying Streamers, the Internet Erupted in Praise. Um, I'm Supposed to Be the Enemy of Humanity, You Know? - 3

Chapter 3: The Demon Girl Swears Her Loyalty

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A skeleton exuding a strange, overwhelming presence appeared out of nowhere. The first to speak upon seeing it was the leader of the group.

“H-Haha!! You scared me for a second! But it’s just a skeleton!”

A skeleton was a type of monster animated by magic. Like slimes or goblins, it was considered low-level trash. As long as you didn’t let your guard down, you could easily defeat it without sustaining any injury. 

The leader quickly regained his composure and smirked. He had never seen a skeleton that could talk before.

“Hey, that talking skeleton—we’re taking it alive. It’ll sell for a fortune.”

“Yeah. Let’s break its arms and legs but keep it alive.”

“O-Olden-sama!!”

Al cried out in alarm.

She didn’t know Olden’s actual strength, but within the demon world, he was infamously known as a weak demon lord.  Meanwhile, these men, for all their vile nature, were clearly strong fighters.

Even now, Olden carried a strangely relaxed air, and Al just couldn’t picture him winning. She thought Olden was in danger. But that assumption—was an egregious, utterly insulting mistake.

Would a massive elephant ever fear a tiny ant? The answer—was no. Beings of immense power didn’t even register something so weak.

“Gyaahaha! Skeleton! We can kill it an instant—huh?”

“You’re in the way. I’m trying to clean here.”

In an instant, the head of the man who attacked Olden vanished.

“Ah—oh no… I went and did it… Now there’s blood everywhere…. Even though I’ve worked so hard to clean everything up…”

“W-What!? K-Kazu!? Hey, Kazu!! Hang in there!!”

Olden held his head in his hands as he looked at the blood spattered on the floor, walls, and ceiling, while the men around him reeled in shock. Al, too, froze as she witnessed the unbelievable sight. She had seen exactly what happened with her own eyes.

Olden had simply backhanded the man and that alone had caused the man’s head to burst like a crushed fruit.

“Indeed. One shouldn’t try things one’s not used to. Oh dear, oh dear. Cleaning can wait. Now then, what exactly are you gentlemen doing to my subordinate?

“……!”

“Oh? Going silent now?”

As the skeleton tilted his head, the men all sensed their impending deaths. No—death itself stood before them, on two legs, slowly drawing near.

“To me, it looked like you were trying to violate her. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

“F-F-Formation A!!”

“R-Right!!”

At the leader’s order, the men drew their weapons and formed a battle stance. They now fully recognized the skeleton before them as a real threat. Olden casually scratched at his cheekbone with a fingertip.

“Ah, you’re going serious now because I killed your friend. That’s my bad. Allow me to revive him right away.”

“……Eh?”

“—Resurrection.”

Olden touched the corpse with its shattered skull and activated a spell. Flesh and blood, scattered about, squirmed and gathered as if time itself were rewinding. Eventually, the body reformed—and the dead man opened his eyes. It was a sight that defied all reason, all sanctity. A grotesque reversal of death itself.

The man screamed.

“Uwaah!? I-I was… I was dead!?”

“Yes, you were.”

“Hiiieee!!”

The revived man scrambled to his feet, dragging his legs and stumbling back to his comrades. The leader, stunned, muttered aloud.

“W-What the hell are you…?”

“Me? I’m just a skeleton. One who happens to be good with the dead and capable of resurrection.”

“R-Resurrection…!?”

“Indeed. Now then, I’ve answered your question. This is the third time I’ve asked mine. I’m starting to lose my patience. So I’ll ask again.”

The skeleton addressed them in a low, quiet voice filled with fury and bloodlust.

“What were you doing to my subordinate?”

“J-Just kill him!! We’ve got the numbers!! Work together and take him down!!”

“…Haah. I wanted to have a civilized conversation, but it seems that the attempt itself was a waste of time.”

With a deep sigh, a glowing purple magic circle appeared beneath Olden’s feet. From within it, countless shadows began to crawl forth. They were skeletons, armed with swords and spears, clad in jet-black armor. The leader immediately grew wary.

“S-Skeleton summoning!? But if it’s only one or two, we can finish them off quick—wait…”

There weren’t one or two. They came pouring out of the circle in droves—dozens, then hundreds—an overwhelming horde of skeletons filled the hallway. The leader stared, dumbfounded, as Olden spoke.

“I may not be one of the stronger Demon Lords. But I am a Demon Lord. I’m not so weak that I’d lose to humans. And this—this is my specialty: war by overwhelming numbers.”

“D-Demon Lord!?”

“Scary, isn’t it? Don’t worry. I don’t like meaningless slaughter.”

“Wait, then… You’ll let us go?”

The leader asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice. To that, Olden—the Demon Lord—shook his head coldly.

“No. I’ll probably kill you about ten times.”

“…H-Huh?”

“I’ll kill you, resurrect you, then kill you again. When I’m done, I’ll revive you and dump you at the dungeon entrance. Though depending on your luck, your mind might break in the process—but you did terrify my subordinate. You’ll need to accept that much as your punishment.”

“Hiiiieeee!!”

“Relax. I am merciful. I’ll make it quick.”

The men were devoured alive, torn apart, and revived—only to be devoured again. Their minds were shattered by the overwhelming despair and fear, and they never set foot in the dungeon again. Al had witnessed it all and in that moment, she understood.

No matter how relaxed he seemed, no matter how gently he spoke to his subordinates—Olden was a being far, far beyond her. An absolute superior being.

Olden walked up to Al.

“Al-san, are you hurt? I’m sorry I couldn’t save you before things got scary.”

“W-Why… Why did you save me? I was so rude to you…”

“Rude? Well, yes, your attitude was rather cold. I was a little hurt…”

The skeleton smiled gently as he spoke.

“But I’m not so heartless that I’d abandon a comrade I’ll be working with from now on.”

Thump.

Al felt her heart pound—and her cheeks flushed red. She wasn’t so naive that she didn’t know why.

“Olden-sama.”

“Yes? Oh—are you injured? I’m not great with healing magic, but if you die, I can revive you good as new…”

“I pledge myself to you.”

“…Eh?”

“No, I misspoke. I, Al, will serve you as your loyal hands and feet until death. Please issue any orders you desire.”

“Uh, th-thank you…?”

Olden tilted his head at the sudden change in Al’s demeanor. At the time, Olden had no idea. That Al was a severe yandere, a dangerously obsessive subordinate who would gladly die for him and that this entire scene had been captured perfectly by the adventurers’ recording camera—and was about to go viral across the world.

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Afterword:

Al’s new hobby is licking Olden’s bones in secret.