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Maou no Hajimekata Volume 1 Extra Chapter 1

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Extra Chapter 1: Life Under the Demon Lord

The count of the Goldman dominion of the Kingdom of Figlia, Zenski Goldman was an ugly man. His body was plump and fat and a triple chin was hanging loosely from his large face. His nose was like a deformed potato, eyes were small and shoved way back into his head, and the head without a single strand of hair was hidden under an oversized cap he wore at all times.

He held his position as a count since the times of the previous king, and there was a lot of rumors going on about him, among which were the ones that he was secretly a servant of the Demon Lord and that he was the result of an unfortunate love affair between a troll and an ogre.

He was violent and brutal, imposed heavy taxes upon his subjects, and frequently abducted girls from the villages so they could service him. All he ever did in life was for the sake of his own luxury.

But things turned around when the Kingdom of Figlia became a demonic country ruled by the real Demon Lord.

「 I’m willing to overlook the corruption. As for the rest…」

Such was the policy of the Demon Lord Aur.

First, he doubled the taxes, and when the people who already had trouble paying them came to him to complain all at once, he told them that the increase was only temporary as a means for the reconstruction of the country.

Then he invited them to his mansion and offered up the supper composing of the lavish cuisine and the best ingredients he had. Furthermore, as winter approached, he got rid of all the artists from his mansion and used the money he received to give the best possible accommodation to the people so they could easily survive through the cold season.

And finally, he was ordered to open his mansion up to the people in general, and build a smaller mansion next to it so he could live there. Compared to the main mansion, the second one was a bit smaller, and contained only the furnishings necessary for the daily life. It was completely different than what he was used to.

Because of such actions, people gradually started to warm up to him. The Demon Lord is the bad guy here, not the count, they were saying, and that he changed for the better because of it.

But as you could probably guess, it wasn’t that Goldman had a sudden change of heart. He was merely acting in accordance with instructions he received from the Demon Lord.

None of the people knew about it, but under the basement of the main mansion he build a complex of secret chambers that were even more luxurious than his main home, and lived there while deceiving others.

And as for the taxes, they were told that as soon as the reconstruction was finished half of that they gave to him would be returned to them. That was another lie, obviously. He had no intention of giving back even a single coin.
Because of this little charade his reputation with the people skyrocketed. Once reviled as the personification of human greed, he was now treated as an ally of the poor who would gladly share his home and food with everyone. As a result, more and more people swore allegiance to him.

He took advantage of that, as he made women service him in secrecy in exchange for special favors and preferential treatment. The sight of a woman going down on him was just so intoxicating to him that he just couldn’t help himself.

As time slowly passed and the situation in the kingdom stabilized, the amount of his work decreased, until his only duty was to rule over his territory without causing any major incidents.

Whenever he had some free time on his hands, he tried to learn how to cook. After all, the hearts of all men are supported by pride and a full stomach, and if you provide them both to them, you’ll be able to achieve so much more. It was his majesty the Demon Lord who imparted that knowledge onto him.

He gradually, through trial and error, got better at cooking, up to the point where he even made a few meals all by himself. His menu changed from abominations drowned in oil and sugar to variety of dishes that fully utilized the balance of all the ingredients used to prepare them.

Thanks to that, his physical appearance also underwent a drastic change for the better. He lost some weight, got rid of his triple chin, and the skin on his face regained its long lost healthy color and springiness.

Of course, he was still relatively unattractive, but now his subjects didn’t hate or resent him as much as they did before. When one of the girls he took in as a slave confessed her love to him, he took her in as his wife without a second thought and care about the difference in social standing and stopped playing with girls on the side.
He also abolished slavery in his dominion and build an orphanage for former slaves. As the director of said orphanage, he spared no efforts to give his pupils the best education so they could become proper members of society.

Zenski himself thought that he did not changed in the slightest. He still considered himself to be a greedy underdog. Even though the kids at the orphanage admired him. Even though his wife who was to soon deliver his child into this world loved him.

He was still a sleazebag. He didn’t want to give this happiness away to anyone. He did not care how dirty his hands would have to become, as long as he could protect the happiness he earned for himself, he did not even mind siding with the Demon Lord.

Once, Demon Lord Aur said such words to him:

「 This is how it is supposed to be, for you are evil to the core. 」

When he heard that, Zenski broke down in tears. Finally there was someone who understood him and acknowledged him for what he truly was. On that day, he swore his undying allegiance to the Demon Lord yet again.

To his last dying breath, count Zenski Goldman remained loyal to the Demon Lord and continued to be good to his people.

Surrounded by a large number of children and grandchildren, he departed from his mortal shell with a smile on his face.

Was he going to heaven or perhaps hell?

Even the Demon Lord himself did not know that.