The Demon King Who Was Supposed to Lose Ended Up Defeating the Targets, and Now the Heroine Has Been Sent as a Sacrifice - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Demon King Supposed to Lose, Receives a Post-Event Report

“What? A human ranch?”

I couldn’t believe my ears when Balzac told me how they planned to use the territory that used to be the Kingdom of Alvera.

Balzac nodded with a big smile.

“Yes! Since we’ve gained such a vast land, I thought it would be best to use the humans as slaves or food.”

As someone who used to be human, I found it really hard to accept this idea.

No, I can’t hesitate now.

I’ve already decided to remain the Demon King, especially since I don’t want to betray Elsia’s expectations.

Backing down just because of a crazy term like “human ranch” wouldn’t be very Demon King-like, would it?

Doing my best to stay calm, I asked Balzac for more details.

“Originally, the humans in this country were going to be wiped out under Demon Queen Elsia’s orders, but I pleaded and managed to convince her.”

“You… convinced Elsia? That’s impressive.”

To put it bluntly, Elsia is a woman who would absolutely kill anyone from the Kingdom of Alvera.

Managing to persuade her to let the kingdom’s people live, even if only as slaves or food, is no small feat.

Balzac puffed out his chest proudly.

“Yes. I suggested that instead of simply killing them, making them miserable livestock might be more satisfying. She agreed with a great smile.”

I see, I thought to myself, understanding the situation.

It seemed that Elsia preferred this approach over just wiping out the kingdom’s people.

“Right now, a unit selected from the Land Demon Army is gathering humans from the scattered small villages in the kingdom. Afterward, we plan to give them the appropriate education.”

“Education? You’re going to teach them how to read?”

“Haha, my Lord, you have a good sense of humor.”

Wait, am I the strange one here for not understanding what other kind of education there could be?

“We intend to teach the humans, especially the children, about your greatness as the Demon King and their own foolishness. Due to their short lifespan, humans tend to try to apply the lessons of their predecessors to their lives.”

“…No way…”

“We will instill the belief that ‘humans are slaves and livestock to demons.’ It might not work for the first two or three generations, but with their short lives, they will quickly pass on. In two or three hundred years, the humans of the kingdom will become proper slaves and food for the demons.”

“I… I see. That might actually be effective.”

In short, they planned to brainwash the people over several generations to turn them into obedient livestock slaves.

I started to feel a bit afraid of Balzac.

Well, I was the one who ordered him to make good use of the land that used to be the Kingdom of Alvera.

And it seems like things were already in motion, so this was a complete after-the-fact report.

I decided to give a small warning for now.

“Uh, Balzac. From now on, I’d appreciate it if you could inform me beforehand about things like this.”

“…”

Suddenly, Balzac froze.

“I-I deeply apologize, my Liege!!”

“Whoa!? W-What’s wrong!?”

“I-I completely forgot!! Until now, I’ve been managing the army under your orders using my own judgment—no, that’s just an excuse. Please take this fool’s head for acting without consulting you first!!”

“Wait, stop! Stop! I’m not blaming you! I’m not blaming you, so don’t try to chop off your own head with your hand!”

I hurriedly stopped Balzac, who was about to behead himself in a self-imposed guillotine out of responsibility.

Now that I think about it, I had left all the details of the Demon King’s army in Balzac’s hands up until now.

It’s no wonder he didn’t ask for permission at this point.

“Well, Balzac, I’ve left everything to you until now, but from now on, I’ll help with something too. Maybe you could take it a bit easier—”

“Waaahhh!! My Liege, please have mercy!!!”

“!? What is it this time?”

“Please, please don’t take away my work!! If you take away my job, what do I have left!?”

Damn, this guy is totally obsessed with work!

Oh, wait, he’s a demon, not a human.

“Okay, okay! I’ll leave it to you! Just make sure to explain and report things to me from now on.”

“Sniff… Y-Yes, my Lord! Thank you for your boundless generosity!!”

“…Was that really generosity?”

I just added more steps to his work by asking for explanations and reports, making it more troublesome for him.

“But still, how did you come up with the idea of a ranch?”

“Sniff… Ah, well, I took inspiration from how humans live.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

I blinked in surprise at Balzac’s unexpected answer.

Then, as if his earlier behavior had been a lie, Balzac perked up and started talking enthusiastically.

“My, my, humans truly are fascinating. I was surprised by their idea of stopping hunting for food once they realized there were limits, and instead, raising animals themselves.”

“That’s an unexpected thing to hear.”

“Oh? My Lord, I don’t look down on humans, you know?”

Most demons see humans as nothing more than food, which, in essence, means they unconsciously look down on them.

But it seems Balzac is different.

“Because of their short lives, humans constantly strive to improve their way of living. That attitude is something worth emulating.”

Like other demons, Balzac considers humans a primary food source. However, he also speaks of how their lifestyle and culture offer valuable lessons.

It seems he holds a very rare perspective among demons.

“Ah, right. Back to the topic. There is one issue with the human ranch.”

“What is it?”

“The elves. Since elves have long lifespans, they’re not suitable for raising on the human ranch. I’d like to hear your thoughts on what we should do with them, Demon King.”

Elves.

They’re one of those classic fantasy races, both in my memories as a Demon King and in the games from my past life.

Pointy ears, and all of them are strikingly beautiful.

In this world, they live in a secluded forest deep in the mountains, somewhere in what used to be the Kingdom of Alvera.

Elves possess a lifespan and magical power that surpasses even demons, and they are a race that deeply values peace. 

Well, when I say they love peace, I mean they just avoid fighting.

When I attempted to wipe out humanity centuries ago, the elves were the first to surrender without much resistance and begged for their lives.

Since their numbers were so few, I figured I could wipe them out anytime, so I left them alone…

But not long after, some elves began siding with humanity, and bit by bit, the demons were pushed back. In the end, the war finished with me being sealed away.

According to Balzac, after that, the elves retreated into the forest.

It seems they might have wanted to erase their presence by isolating themselves in the mountains and cutting off all contact with the outside world.

I have to admit, it’s a smart move—hiding to avoid getting caught up in any trouble, rather than trying to interact with humans.

“Hmm… If it’s too much trouble, isn’t it fine to leave them alone? They usually stay hidden in the forests or deep in the mountains, right?”

“Well, the thing is, during a human hunt, we stumbled upon an elven village…”

“So, you’ve already captured them?”

“Yes.”

I see.

If we set them free now, word might spread to other elven villages, which could cause problems.

But trying to raise them on the human ranch isn’t ideal either, since their long lifespans make them harder to ‘educate,’ leaving us unsure of what to do.

“Where are these elves now?”

“They’re currently in the capital, working as slaves alongside the other humans.”

Elves… Elves, huh…

I mean, if you end up in a fantasy world, you’d want to meet them at least once, right?

Although, as the Demon King, I’ve already seen them a few times.

But with my memories of my past life and my Japanese sensibilities, I’d like to see the elves with fresh eyes now.

“Let’s go meet the elves you’ve captured. They’re in the capital, right?”

“Yes.”

I gave the order to Balzac and decided to arrange a meeting with the elves.

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Afterword: Just a little side story

Author: “What comes to mind when you think of elves?”

If you thought “human farm…,” “Balzac is funny,” or “Ero-elves,” please leave a comment, bookmark, rate, or write a review!