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Maou no Hajimekata Volume 3 Chapter 4 Part 3

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist  Editor:Weasalopes

「What is Aur doing in there?」

「Don’t listen. And trust me, you don’t want to know.」

Sarnak answered with a disgusted expression when the next round of screams echoed from the room next to the one they were currently in.

When Aur returned wit Courteau in tow, the only explanation he offered to them was 「There is something that I would like to ask him」. At first, the screams they could hear were harrowingly ear-shattering, but over time they began to quiet down, eventually being interrupted by painful crying.

「Maybe I should go in there after all…」

「Don’t be stupid. Nothing you could say or do could help him now. So just cut it out.」

Sarnak didn’t know why Aur chose to cooperate with Froro, but whatever he is doing, it should ultimately be for her benefit, and if that’s the case, the he shouldn’t be interrupted. They have to let him see it through to the end.

No matter how Froro protested, a single sentence was enough to make her stand down:

You’d just be in the way.

「But…」

「Anyway, what’s the deal with you and this guy? How did it happen that you ended up with someone like him? As far as I’m concerned… I just can’t get used to him.」

Sarnak has always thought of himself as a villain. Of course, he knew that those who reside on the Upper level achieved their position thanks to their power, but it looks like, Aur was on an entirely different level. Whenever Sarnak was committing the acts that could be described as “evil”, he didn’t hesitate, but he himself was fully aware that what he was doing could only be described as a “bad thing”.

However, Aur was the complete opposite. He committed evil and brutal acts as naturally as he breathed. That was the case with his encounter with Nagia and when he hunted him down.

「I am not sure, but there is one thing that is clear to me.」

Froro replied flatly without any doubt in her voice.

「He is a trustworthy person.」

「People will always betray you without fail.」

The famous words that were more akin to a curse rang out.

「It is okay to be trusting, but you need to exercise more caution when doing so.」

Aur emerged from the room, throwing the convulsing Courteau at Sarnak’s and Froro’s feet, sat on the table by the wall and drank water from the glass that was prepared for him beforehand.

「{People will always betray you without fail.}? Whose words are those?」

「Mine.」

Aur continued, not even bothering to look at Sarnak who looked like he has just eaten a bite of an outrageously bitter food.

「Courteau didn’t seem to know much, but there was one thing he was able to tell me. He said that he is a slave to Yueloy, but to be precise, he is three levels below Yueloy, and his real owner is actually someone called Radico. Do you know who that is?」

「No, that’s the first time I’m hearing that name.」

Froro shook her head, telling that she doesn’t know. And by the looks of it, it was the same with Sarnak.

「I know who that is, Lord Aur.」

The one who spke was th beautiful half-woman, half snake capable of moving without making a sound, Nagia.

「Snake woman.」

Seeing her, Sarnak grumbled.

「Aur, this treacherous viper here is the perfect example of your words. She’s betrayal incarnate!」

「My oh my Lord Sarnak, how horrible. I have been serving you faithfully up until now, so much so that I even obtained the Eye of the Ruler for you, remember?」

Nagia hid her face in her hands and started sobbing, but not a drop of water was spilled from her eyes.

「You just didn’t know how to use them so you gave them over to me! That thing is completely useless if the user has no slaves of his own.」

Froro’s left eye. Just as its name implies, the {Eye of the ruler} gave its owner the ability to see everything that its subordinates were seeing. But it was not limited to just the sense of sight. Hearing, touch, smell, taste and everything the slave was feeling could be felt as if the user was experiencing that themselves. But it was really useless for the likes of Froro and Nagia, who didn’t have slaves of their own.

「So, what’s the price for that information?」

「Oh goodness gracious, no, Lord Aur.」

Nagia entangled herself around Aur and whispered into his ear, pressing her plump breasts tightly against his chest.

「I made a promise to do anything for you, which means that I have became your faithful servant, so that means that you don’t have to pay for it, right?」

「She’s quite a wicked one」 Aur thought to himself. But her words were hardly false. The real question here is: what are her true intentions?

She certainly said that she will do anything for him, but getting a contract was more important than what she want or didn’t want to do.  Currently, she could very well lie to him and betray him if she wanted.

However, he cannot tie her down the same way as he did with Sarnak. There is no reason for Nagia to make the contract with Aur. Despite his life threathening situation, the contract was something that Sarnak himself wanted. Unless a promise is made, the curse of the contract would lose its effect immediately.

「Whatever. I’m listening.」

「Radico is a member of the Fangs Tribe that live in the Bottom layer, and he possesses the {Iron Arm} Skill. He is a brave and brilliant warrior. He is someone who can wield the Iron Greathammer with one hand and fell the best like the Winged Lion with a single blow.

Whoever that guy was, Nagia spoke very highly of him. However, instead of what kind of person he was, Aur was more interested in a more detailed description of his battle abilities, but it looks like he cannot count on it this time.

「Is he a member of the Demon Clan?」

Sarnak addressed the elephant in the room, irritated with Nagia’s exalted explanation.

「What is a Demon Clan in the first place?」

Aur asked, remembering that he didn’t receive a proper explanation ever since he arrived here.

「The Demon Clan are those who possess some characteristic of a demon, like Nagia and I. Depending on the part they possess, they can be divided into Tail, Fang and Wing Clans.」

Froro explains, touching the horn on her forehead.

「Hmm… then shouldn’t you be called a Horn Clan, Froro?」

「No. I know it might sound confusing, but individuals such as I who only have a horn are simply called demons. 「Demon Clan」 refers to the demon race in broad sense, and 「Demon」 in a narrow sense refers to those with horns.」

「And with all that knowledge, you didn’t know that there was another Demon Lord?」

Aur asked Sarnak, who reflexively took a step back when he approached him.

「Well, there were rumors flying around, but they were just that, rumors. Long ago the demons ruled this world, but humans rebelled against them and killed the Demon Lord. Some believed that his daughter was also killed, while some said that she secretly managed to escape and survived by disguising herself as a slave, plotting her eventual return, but…」

「… It’s mostly right.」

Froro agreed with most of what was just said. So it was basically like a story straight from some kinda epic saga passed down among the common people, or at least something very similar to it. There was one thing that still had Aur worried, but for now he chose to ignore it and proceed further.

「If he took action at this particular time, then it would mean that Yueloy knew of Froro’s circumstances and was monitoring her closely.」

A mysterious man whose identity they don’t know. They don’t even know if he is currently at the Bottom or not.

「In that case, it is quite possible that he continues to silently observe us even now.」

Aur doesn’t know what would his reason for doing so be, but one thing was crystal clear here: this Yueloy guy is definitely going to become an obstacle on Froro’s path to becoming a full-fledged Demon Lord.

「Ha! It doesn’t matter. If he gets in our way, all we have to do is to cut him in half!」

Sarnak rested his back on the chair and crossed his long legs. In the contract he has made with Aur it was stated that he will not take {The Steel Shield} away from him, so he still has his signature Skill. Be it a greathammer or a spear, he won’t lose to any of those.

「About that. There is something that I would like you to do, Sarnak.」

「All right, chief. Just show me who needs to be slashed int pieces.」

Sarnak stood up and started unsheathing his weapon.

「No, your sword won’t be necessary for this job. You’re going to use this instead.」

Aur handed him something that he has prepared beforehand.

「The hell is this?」

It was a rod-shaped object, but not a sword.

It had a long handle, but was not a spear.

It had a big head, but it was not an axe.

「Can’t you tell just by looking at it?」

「No, I can’t, so just stop playing games and tell me already.」

Irritated beyond belief, Sarnak barks at Aur.

「It’s something that we’re going to use to catch ourselves some bugs.」

It was a so-called Bug Net.