Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu

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SS Devil


　Devils are beings that feed on fear.
　Without fear, their power only fades away.
　Until now, the Demon King had been a thorn in our side, and we hadn't been able to move around properly.
　Even weakened, the other party is the Demon King.
　His power surpasses all living things, and he deals with devils with ease.
　If we were to take action in this peaceful world, he would immediately take action and try to expose us.

"——The meeting will begin shortly."

　A voice is sent to the other side, connected by sorcery.
　My kindred spirits, freed from their seals.
　A gathering of our kind, devoid of camaraderie, recognizing only each other as tools.
　Yet this did not begin now; it was predetermined before the seals, something akin to instinct.

"We will act as planned."

　The devil race is on the brink of extinction.
　The numbers now barely reach ten; all others were utterly exterminated by the previous hero.
　Proof of this is the fact that there was no conflict in the world when we awoke from our seal.
　Every king has grown complacent in peace, utterly lacking the will to wage war. Such is the spineless age we now inhabit.

"To regain our strength, we must once again plant our terror deep within the hearts of humanity."

　There's no way we can accept this.
　We cannot tolerate such a ridiculous world.

"———That's all."

　Erasing the sorcery, I close my eyes.
　The days before he was sealed away, filled with joy and delight as we stirred up people's fear and anger.
　Now it shows signs of fading, cowering like a bat in the dark shadows, avoiding human eyes.

"———Hh"

　Don't mess with me.
　Why do we, who represent fear, have to live such a gloomy life?

"It looks like the communication is over, Reali."
"...Before we start moving. Don't talk to me, Rapudo."

　Rapdo is a demon who lives with me in this world of darkness.
　The devil, a silver-haired man who is pure pride incarnate, clad in beast-skin over his upper body, flashes a triumphant, arrogant grin at me.

"I wonder why I have to team up with someone like you. You got carried away and had your wings ripped off."
"... Don't talk about my wings. I'll kill you."
"Oh, so scary, so scary."

　Glaring at the one who rudely stared at my wings, torn off and currently regenerating.
　Perhaps because I haven't fully regained my strength, the regeneration is slow, only about halfway complete.

"To have your presence detected despite casting a spell to conceal it? That's beyond pathetic. Don't tell me, you were actually afraid of a human? How utterly pitiful."
"That thing... is not human. It's something else... something different."
"Fu-Fuhahahaha! That excuse is beyond ridiculous!"

　Gritting my teeth to endure Rapdo's belly-aching laughter.
　A healing mage from the Kingdom of Lingle.
　A human being who is called a devil and feared.
　Normally, the Demon King would have been killed, but he managed to let him live.
　That was a huge miscalculation for us.

"If only that healing magician hadn't been there."
"I couldn't agree more. That thing threw our entire plan into chaos. An aberration like the Demon King should have perished right there... Yet, of all things, reconciling in the worst possible way? What a pathetic ending."

　What infuriates me most is that he's feared as a devil.
　Because of that, the fear that was supposed to be directed at us dissipates into thin air and disappears.

"Even if rumors of our existence spread, the fear would be shared by that healing magician. He's just as despicable as the hero."
"One day, he'll pay the price."
"Of course. We would be nothing if it did not."

　Now is not the time yet.
　In the current situation, we must move things forward little by little and build up our strength.

"In the Kingdom of Lingle... It's true we were outmaneuvered, but we did what we had to do."
"That goes without saying. But thanks to that, the Demon King has become aware of our existence. This is nothing short of a major setback! Normally, we should have made that life our sustenance. Not doing so is infuriating beyond measure, but we are a weak force unless we unite."

　This fact only makes me more and more frustrated.
　If there had been no previous hero, if only that embodiment of unreasonable had not existed, the world would have been free of the Demon King and would have been transformed into a paradise for us, a place filled with hatred and lies.

"Don't screw this up, Reali. You don't get a second chance."

　Rapdo said this slowly and disappeared into the darkness.
　He probably planned to stay hidden until the operation began.

"This is clearly doomed to failure even before it begins."
"..."

　Replacing Rapdo was a group of seven figures clad in black robes.
　I glared at one of them, a frivolous-looking woman with purple hair peeking through the gap in her hood.

"Hahaha, you guys are down a man now, aren't you. That devil who looks like he'd charge headlong into anything, who'd have thought he'd get his soul crushed by some unknown little girl, that is more than just hilarious."
"Shut up."
"If you want me to shut up, turn me back into a corpse. Who in their right mind would want to be brought back to life? Besides, these guys have no soul at all. And if there's no soul, what are they? Just strangers, right?"

　The girl grinned and pointed at the six silent people around her.
　Unlike her, the six people had pale skin and lifeless eyes, and they simply stood there swaying back and forth.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. These guys. Without anything inside, they're just flesh dolls."

　She said that and kicked one of the larger ones aside roughly.
　She looks down on her former comrade as he slowly gets up, and I sneer at her.

"What do you think about it?"
"About what?"
"About the one who took your place."

　I get behind her and whisper in her ear.
　I speak with malice that stirs up the suspicions of those in power and fuels their anger and hatred.

"Someone who has earned the trust of your respected mentor."
"..."
"Someone who has accomplished what you couldn't."

　There is no response.
　But as the atmosphere clearly shifted, I twisted my lips and spoke the next words.

"Well then, what feelings do you harbor toward that healing mage?"
"...It's nothing special, I've died once, you know? I couldn't care less. Well, I guess it'd be nice if he could listen to my glorious tales of valor and feel some respect for me."
"Oh my, you're good at joking."
"You figured it out? I was just kidding."

　She shrugged her shoulders and turned to one of her burly companions nearby, pointing her finger toward the ground.

"Ora, you muscle gorilla over there. Be a chair."
"..."

　She sat on the back of her dead comrade, who was on all fours, and let out a light sigh.
　Whether it's because her soul has changed, or she was just this kind of cruel person to begin with, I don't know, but how can she sit on the corpse of someone who was once her comrade.

"Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I had no thoughts about it."
"Hee."
"The fact that the commander chose him as his successor, well, that says it all, doesn't it? He's got no decent character, right? That's for sure. I know full well that anyone serving under the commander can't possibly be a decent person."

　The person who said this with exaggerated hand gestures then crossed her arms in a troubled manner.
　She's a person whose emotions change drastically.

"But... what if I mess up that successor? I keep wondering what kind of face the commander would make if that happened... that's all I can think about right now."
"We~ll. You're perfectly crazy, aren't you."
"Well, he was chosen by the commander, after all. I don’t think I could do anything about it. ———Oi, you two drunken losers who abandoned your womanhood, rub my shoulders.”

　After saying that, she started got a shoulders massage from the two silent women.
　The magic to summon back the souls of the dead almost never succeeds completely.
　Most attempts fail, creating nothing more than flesh puppets that only obey commands. But in extremely rare cases, if the person possessed superhuman mental strength, they might begin moving with a personality quite close to their living self.
　———She may be a little strange, but I think I got lucky with this woman.

"But that commander is a terrible person. She quickly found a replacement after you died... Oops, that's getting dangerous."

　I look at the sword that is thrust out silently without dodging it.
　The trembling blade's owner, Auru stopped as if forced to halt just short of touching me. She glares at me, her eyes, now black, peering out from beneath her purple bangs.

"We will not tolerate anyone mocking our commander."
"It was just a little teasing. Well, you can't attack us, your masters, so please just ignore it and think of it as a trivial remark."
"..."

　Auru sheathes her sword.
　Though her skin has regained color, unlike a corpse's, beneath her black robes lie the wounds that caused her death in life.
　But even so, her soul has been drawn back into this world and she has been resurrected.
　The people around her may not have souls, but they are all very capable people.
　So, now it's their turn to serve us, risking their lives to the bone.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Notes:
Usato was constantly sabotaging the Devil's plans without even realizing it.
It seems that the other one is also causing the plans to be distorted.

The episode where Devil and Auru appear.
This is Auru's first appearance in the WEB version.