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I Got a New Skill Every Time I Was Exiled, and After 100 Different Worlds, I Was Unmatched (Web Novel) - Chapter 402: The More Meticulous the Plan, the Harder It Becomes to Fix When One Thing Goes Wrong
Chapter 402: The More Meticulous the Plan, the Harder It Becomes to Fix When One Thing Goes Wrong
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
“Ah, here we go again…”Inside the Demon King’s castle, a multitude of enemies once again greeted us, who had boldly entered from the front. The vast hall was teeming with various kinds of demonic beasts or perhaps demonic tribes; in any case, beings loyal to the Demon King were everywhere.
“Hehe, quite the enthusiastic welcome,” I remarked.
“There’s no problem. With the power of Tia-san and myself, this level… Well, the Demon King is somewhat useful, I feel,” Tia added.
“You’re as blunt as ever, Hero. Why not simply acknowledge my great achievements quietly?” the Demon King taunted.
“I would rather die than do that! Noooo!”
With renewed determination, Schwarz gripped the holy sword and charged into the ranks of the Demon King’s army. I quickly followed him, and from behind, Tia’s spirit magic was relentlessly unleashed.
But really, there were so many of them. A bizarre beast with the lower body of a spider and the head of a horse charged at us, a chicken-like creature with dragon wings lunged at us, and then someone with a face just like mine slashed at me… Wait, just like me?
“What!? You’re the Demon King, aren’t you!? What are you doing, blending in with these minions so casually!?”
“Hahahaha! You’ve noticed at last!”
“How could I not notice! Take this!”
As he laughed, I clashed swords with the Demon King and sent him flying. The Demon King spun in the air before landing, and as if on cue, the surrounding enemies ceased their combat.
“Well met, Hero and his companions! I am the Demon King Eldereid!”
Though his face and physique were exactly the same, the Demon King, wearing a noble-like frilly white shirt and shiny black trousers, declared his name while dramatically flipping his long coat. It was only appropriate that we respond in kind.
“Hahahaha! I am the Great Demon King End!”
“Hahaha! I am Lunaritia, the Dark White Elf! Hey Ed, don’t you think your character overlaps a bit with that Demon King?”
“Hmm, do they? Even if you say so…”
“I am Hero Schwarz… Indeed, the same face and the same tone of voice… Does that mean it’s no problem if I mistakenly cut him down!?”
“Of course there’s no way that’s true! Jeez… Well, whatever, I’ll just talk normally then.”
“Eh? Is it really okay to switch back to normal so easily? I thought the Great Demon King Ed was quite amusing.”
“No, it’s not like I was pursuing humor with that tone of voice…”
“Hey you lot, how long do you plan to ignore me?”
Having just introduced ourselves and then started chatting, Eldereid spoke to us with a clearly annoyed tone. His temples twitched, indicating he was quite angry.
“Oops, sorry. But you’re also to blame, right? Normally, a Demon King waits grandly at the innermost part of the castle, right? Why are you attacking from among these minions?”
“Why!? Why, you ask!? It’s all your fault! Come forth, my Four Heavenly Kings!”
At the Demon King’s call, figures leaped out from behind him.
“With my charm, all men are utterly smitten, nya!”
A cat beastwoman with pink fur cooed in a sugary voice.
“Hehehe… Once caught in my schemes, even the purest white will turn pitch black…”
A man, looking like an unhealthy, sleep-deprived scholar, muttered under his breath.
“Gwahahaha! This world is all about money! Money is everything!”
A fat, frog-faced man, dressed in luxurious clothes adorned with gold threads and jewels, laughed heartily.
“We are the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings!”
“…Hey, there are only three of you.”
“And they don’t seem very strong, do they?”
“Quiet! How dare you criticize the Four Heavenly Kings I’ve painstakingly chosen? Do you not have a heart?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry…?”
At our naive questions, Eldereid exploded in anger, and I reflexively apologized. However, his anger did not seem to subside.
“Originally, I am an intellectual type of Demon King! And this time, my concept was ‘to win without fighting’! I knew the Hero often changes party members.
By seducing and betraying, manipulating laws to defame, stacking gold coins for bribery, or even reducing them to debt slaves! By gradually eliminating each of the Hero’s companions, making the Hero unable to rely on or trust anyone, and when the Hero finally enters alone, the entire Demon King’s army would crush him…!”
Pausing, Eldereid pointed sharply at me and glared intensely.
“It’s all your fault! How will you compensate for ruining my long-term plan?”
“Well, even if you say that…”
Neither Tia nor I would be swayed by mere allure, and with substantial assets at hand, neither bribery nor debt slavery would work.
Moreover, this time, I was acting as the Great Demon King from the start. If a commoner turned out to be a villain, it would be shocking, but being told that the Great Demon King is a villain, Schwarz would just say, ‘I knew that from the start, so what?’
In fact, since we were accompanying the Hero on our own terms, it was impossible for us to leave. And since the Hero was forcibly accompanying us as part of the Great Demon King’s party, there was no escaping from me, the Great Demon King. Thus, the Demon King’s plan to sow discord was doomed to fail the moment we became companions.
“Well, it was just bad timing.”
“That one phrase! My! Years of planning!”
“I don’t know what to tell you… If the Demon King’s plan has failed, isn’t that actually a good thing?”
“That’s what you think too, right, Schwarz?”
“Ah… Indeed, if that had succeeded, I would have come here alone by now…”
As we conversed, Schwarz’s expression, which had seemed somewhat deflated, suddenly turned pale. If the Demon King’s plan had succeeded, and if Schwarz had come here alone, possibly even without the holy sword, he wouldn’t have stood a chance against the vast army and would have been crushed.
“Terrifying… Truly terrifying. But what’s even more terrifying is the existence of the Great Demon King who easily thwarted such a plan…”
“Oh, what? You’re starting to see me in a new light?”
“Don’t joke! That’s not it! But… I might be a tiny bit grateful, like the tip of a little fingernail.”
“Why can’t you be more straightforward—!?”
At that moment, I felt a chilling sensation at the back of my neck and instantly drew my sword to face the threat. A dark knight’s sword, descending from above, nearly beheaded me, but I managed to block it just in time.
“Ho, you blocked this?”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Tch… But I did say it, didn’t I? My Four Heavenly Kings… and so!”
With a slight click of his tongue, the Demon King, however, wore a confident smile as he spoke. A feigned foolishness for a surprise attack… Indeed, as he said himself, Eldereid seems to be a cunning type of Demon King.
“So, this one is the fourth member, huh? It turns out there is someone capable of a real fight. Hey, Schwarz! Tia and I will take on the Four Heavenly Kings! So you go defeat the Demon King!”
“What!? No, but—”
“What are you hesitating for! It’s the natural order for the Hero to defeat the Demon King! Or are you going to cry and beg me… me, to spare you because a cowardly Hero lacks the courage to face the Demon King?”
“What…! Understood. Then I’ll leave that side to you and Tia-san!”
“Alright! Tia, I’m counting on you for the other three!”
“Leave it to me!”
I turned my back completely on the Demon King and faced off against the dark knight. Behind me, Tia was taking on the remaining three of the Four Heavenly Kings, and Schwarz must be drawing his sword against the Demon King.
Each of us faced our respective foes, and thus, our final battle began.
