Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 55

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 55   Hades’ troubles in agony

“Uh… My, my chest seems to be growing a bit more…”

On the night after treating the injured, where the lower-rank demon was beginning to be recognized as the potion distributor, there was Hades, in his personal room prepared at the main residence of the Margrave. He observed his slightly budding small chest, blushing with embarrassment.

“This is strange… Why is this happening? I was supposed to succeed that damn old man and ascend to the throne of the Demon King as a man… Why am I suddenly starting to be identified as a woman? Wasn’t the lineage of the Demon Lord supposed to turn into men if they were strong like the old man?”

Confused by the fact that he was heading in the opposite direction from the growth he had been aiming for, Hades muttered to himself, looking up at the void, but there was no one here to answer his murmurs. At that point, he had misunderstood things.

Those who inherit the lineage of the Demon Lord through generations will change into the opposite sex, forming a pair with someone they deem suitable, regardless of the circumstances, and eventually achieve completeness by loving them with all their heart.

However, for some reason, Hades had mistakenly believed that “being strong as a demon would make me a man.”

“What should I do… If I end up becoming a woman, Ars might be disappointed in me. And somehow, I feel like my control over magic is getting weaker as I become more feminine…”

With teary eyes, Hades observed his slightly budding chest while contemplating. Despite approaching completeness, he decided to try using magic, but the results were disastrous. There was a noticeable decrease in the speed of spell deployment and precision of control compared to before.

However, this weakening was simply a consequence of the abnormal increase in his own magical power, indicating the evolution towards becoming a Demon Lord. Due to the excess energy swirling within him, he found it difficult to regulate his power properly, leading to the perceived weakness.

Although in reality, it was just that – a perception. But until he understood the reason behind it, it would likely remain a fact that he was weakened due to an inability to delicately control his magic.

“No… If I become weak like this and can’t keep up with Ars in the future, he might actually abandon me… No, no, no! I can’t accept that! Yes, I, I refuse to accept it! I, the Crown Prince of the Demon Realm, Hades-sama, will not allow it! If Ars dares to abandon me, I’ll never forgive him, that idiot!”

Pressing his face into the pillow, Hades, overwhelmed by despair at the prospect of an improbable future, vented his frustration by cursing and insulting. Then, after a moment of writhing on the bed, he suddenly had an idea.

“I got it… I don’t like the idea, but maybe that evil old man knows some solution. Really, I really don’t like it, but I’ll consult with him next time…”

Imagining the evil old man’s smirk and sarcastic laughter upon hearing his request for help, Hades made a displeased face, but he realized that sacrificing his pride was worth it to avoid being separated from Ars.

In other words, at that moment, Hades had discarded his pride.

“I’ll do it! I’ll definitely do it! I won’t lose to that old man’s despicable humiliations! In fact, I’ll become even stronger than I am now and show him what I’m capable of… Kukuku, that’s right, that’s what makes me Hades-sama. Well, it’s not that hard, huh?”

—As I thought, victory in the end will belong to me!

Having regained confidence after discarding unnecessary pride, Hades resolved himself and indulged in his dreams. He forcibly convinced himself that he would ultimately surpass both the overwhelmingly powerful Demon Lord old man and the evil old man with unfathomable power, firmly believing that he would stand at the pinnacle.

In fact, he needed to bolster his spirits like this, or else he feared his heart might break.

Afterward, having fought and triumphed over the troubles born from the turmoil of his own body’s growth, Hades, with a slightly lighter heart, stormed into Ars’s room. He was caught indulging in some affectionate moments by Saint Isha, who then discovered them. Ultimately, peace was restored as both Hades and Ars were disciplined by Elsa.

◇

“Achoo!”

“Hmm? Are you alright, Master? Catch a cold?”

“Nah, it’s not that. It’s just that, well, a snippet of a certain youth’s moment of adolescence reached my overly attentive ears. Well, it’s what you call a sneeze performance, you know. Don’t worry about it, Gaius.”

While Gaius pondered what a “sneeze performance” was all about, the lower-rank demon chuckled knowingly. It seemed that the inner turmoil of a certain girl who was brooding in another room had been completely exposed to this sinister man.

Truly, demons were cunning.

“Well, never mind that. So, in the end, the final challenge for the kids is going to involve all three of us disguised as the Three Demon Generals, right?”

“Yeah, you can see it that way. If they can team up their powers, those four kids can probably wipe out even intermediate-level demons and feel a sense of accomplishment. But if they get too cocky, it won’t do them any good. In the end, us adults need to show them the ropes, right?”

“Heh, well, that’s true. You’ve got a good personality, Master, truly.”

As they chatted and played cards, the two adults confirmed their future plans while enjoying the game.

The day of the kids’ unprecedented greatest trial was approaching.