I Became the Demon King’s Right Hand so I Will Alter the Original Story

  Chapter 1 – Chance Meeting

It has been said that Gods live in the highest layer and angels live in the second layer.

A layer below that, the third layer, is where humans live. The dead live beneath that layer and the lowest layer belongs to the aberrants. The border of the worlds is absolute and also the reason why humans could form a stable civilization in the third layer.

That is the Lapis Lazuli World. The Blue World.

However, in the past few months, the dead and aberrants have begun to crawl out from the lowest layers and the stability has started to crumble. This abnormality started one year ago, when a black castle suddenly appeared on the distant island in the west. It was the Demon King’s fortress that looked like it came out straight from the legends. It meant the Demon King’s revival. Due to the resurrection of the King of the dead and aberrants, the border of the lower layers has started to weaken. At this rate, the human civilization, the Lapis Lazuli World will collapse. Therefore, Kings of different nations designed the strongest people in their countries as heroes and sent them to the Demon King. However, none have reached the Demon King’s fortress thus far.

No, ― before now.

“What is this?”

No, really, what is this?

“I see…it’s a dream?”

Even after recalling the opening of『Lapis Lazuli World』, I’m still at a loss.

A towering black castle stands in a place full of rotting stench and devoid of any presence of life. The top of the castle, stretching like a tree, is hidden by dark clouds. That, which is much higher than a radio tower, occasionally lets out spark, as if rejecting all those who come to visit it. ―― How wonderful. It’s a perfect reproduction. It’s good enough to convince even the original work nerd like me. Let me offer applause and gratitude. Wait no, that’s not what I meant to say.

“I mean, there must’ve been a better place to dream about, right…? Why! Am I! In front of the demon king’s castle?! At the most dangerous place to be! I’d rather end up in the town! Or rather, if it had to be a castle, at least let me appear inside!”

Stranded in front of the Demon King’s castle, I hug my knees.

I mean, the gate is too heavy for me to open and even if I wanted to get away from the castle, the only thing around me is a bubbling swamp. That’s the type that instantly turns into poison when you step on it, right? I’ve seen it in RPG. It’s the type that drops your HP from walking, right? I know, I know. If an ordinary person like me steps on it, it’ll melt my foot, right? Thank you very much. It’s definitely clear that the erupted gas is also toxic. Truly, honestly, thank you very much.

“Also, this smell is most definitely hydrogen sulfide, isn’t it? The fact that I can tell from its smell means that it’s not that high concentration, but it’s still not a good place for a person with living flesh to be at. I’ve been feeling a headache since a while ago, my eyes and throat hurt too…In other words, at this rate, I will die!”

In order to understand the current situation, I say everything I understand about the current situation out loud and shiver at its content.

“Huh? Didn’t I just die a moment ago? Will I die for the second time? Nonono, there’s no way! That’s too cruel! It’s practically bullying! In order to avoid that kind of Dead & Dead End, I can only do you-know-what!”

There’s no other choice but to enter this castle.

“Mr. Demon King’s…castle…”

―― Die! Demon King!
―― The Demon King perishes to the Hero’s ultimate secret technique! (Instigation)
―― I couldn’t keep him alive no matter what. (The Author’s comment)

“The last…place…”

He was the last boss, so he should’ve at least been allowed to leave his dying words. He should’ve left his last words, even if a single word. But that person will talk no more. That story will also probably reach its conclusion in 2 weeks after getting axed. Just remembering it makes my nose feel sour and I start crying.

“Let’s go.”

I grit my teeth and get up.

Regardless of if it’s a dream or not, I’m at that Demon Castle. Then, let me pilgrim to the holy land where that person spent his time. Even if I’m already poisoned and about to die, I want to see the traces of that person, even if only for a second. No, I must see it.

I fire myself up. Not caring about how pathetic I must look, I raise my pantsuit as high as I can, tighten my belt, roll up the sleeves of my jacket and put my hands on the gate.

“Fugyuuuuuuuu!”

……………..It’s so heavy, I can’t imagine myself even making it budge. Shouldn’t I think of a more productive way? No, because there’s no other means right now…no but…I slap my cheeks with both of my hands and rekindle my spirit. I put both of my hands on the gate and push with all my strength.

“Gunyuuuuuuuuu!”
“…Hey.”
“Ooooooopeeeeeen!”
“Hey.”
“Nnyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Suddenly, my field of vision darkens.

“Where did you come from?.”

As I look up, I see a familiar face.

“Hyo?”
“Huh?”

A creature, looking like a condensation of beauty, is kabedon-ing me from behind.

“…Hyu.”
“Hey!”

When I become aware, I am unable to breathe, collapse behind and lose consciousness.

Something is touching my forehead.

That coldness is so comfortable, I snuggle closer, but as I do so, it goes away.  Just as I’m thinking about why the coldness disappeared, next, something soft touches my cheek. It’s ticklish and I unintentionally laugh.

“Are you awake?”

Something fluffy is caressing me from time to time. It’s ticklish, warm and comfortable. I stretch my hands towards it and hug it. It’s fluffy, warm and big, with just the right elasticity. It’s truly a good hug pillow, shaped like an animal’s leg. I rub my cheeks at it. It’s so fluffy and squishy, I’m happy. Is this how the morning with pets feels? It’s just the best. I really should buy a ferret.

――Huh?

Right. I don’t keep any pets.

“You’re awake, aren’t you?”

As I open my eyes, there’s something in close vicinity.

“I will have you make an explanation.”

Grey eyes, like pale pearls, are looking down at me.

“How did you reach this Demon Castle?”

The lustrous jet-black hair as light as celestial maiden’s robe is spilling over the bed, spreading on top of it.

“Hey, are you listening?…There shouldn’t have been any poison left.”

His left hand, from the elbow down, is that of the aberrant ―― the feeling of hugging it definitely feels like touching a beast.

His right is that of the dead. His arms are human-like, but not even a millimeter of skin is peeking out from his jacket and leather gloves. By the way, you can’t notice it unless you’re looking at colored cover, but his black leather gloves are articles of rare beauty, with a delicate pattern using a lotus as a motif. ―― There is indeed such supreme item on the right hand, that is placed next to my head.

Rather, that『Face』

“D, d-d-d-d”
“…Are you perhaps unable to talk?”

Even that glaring face, which is looking at me while frowning, is beautiful.

―― Oh, this must be a dream.

I once again look at the fluffy thing I am hugging. It looks like a paw of a big cat with black fur. Toe beans are buried in the fur, but when I touch it, there’s definitely a squishy sensation. It’s truly a good squishy. When I press at the base of the beans, the claws appear. When I press again, they hide. I press and they appear. I press again and they disappear.

“Hyoe!?”
“What are you even trying to do…”

It’s a low-pitched and calm, glossy voice that slightly makes me feel weak in waist. It’s a far more Mr. Demon King-like voice than the one I imagined while dreaming about the anime adaptation of the story. Again, I take my time and carefully observe his face.

It’s Mr. Demon King.

― Mr. Demon King is here.

“If this is a dream, please never let me wake up!”
“No, get up.”

He pulls back his arm.

“Goodbye, fluffy.”
“Huh?”

Mr. Demon stops looking at me, seeming exasperated, and stands up. So, chasing after him, I also slowly raise my upper body.

The unpleasant feeling I had before I lost my consciousness is nowhere to be found. Rather, I feel like I’m in a top physical condition that I haven’t experienced in the last few years. I try to open and close my palm, but there’s neither cramping nor numbness. It seems like the symptoms of poisoning aren’t showing up.

“Hey.”
“Ah, yes.”

As I look towards the direction of the voice that called out to me, Mr. Demon King’s grey eyes start to shine.

―― Oh, I’m being appraised.

I see. So it’s not just a manga-like expression, and his eyes do actually shine. While thinking that it doesn’t look like a very useful skill if it’s this obvious when he’s doing the appraising, I look back at those shining eyes.

The light disappears after about 3 seconds.

“…You have neither force, nor magical powers. How were you able to come this far…”

Looks like he wants to know about the path the suddenly appearing human intruder took. I see. It’s an obvious concern regarding the security. However, I was already at the castle gate when I woke up, so I can’t address his concerns.

“Ah.”
“What is it?”
“Ah, nothing…”
“…What’s wrong?”

―― Then, fall here.

“I felt like I remembered something just now…but looks like I still don’t remember anything…I’m sorry.”
“…It’s not like you can remember every little thing. Don’t apologize for something like that.”
“How kind! What are you, an angel?!”
“Huh?”

Mr. Demon King tilted his head.

Wait, what’s with that gesture? It’s super cute!

“What…in the world are you?”
“Even if you ask me that…”

『What are you』must mean『what race are you』. In other words, the correct answer would be『I’m a human』, but would answering that have any meaning? It’s the matter of ‘you can tell just from looking at me’.

“Well…”

The fifteenth episode was the commercial version.

At the end of the fifteenth episode, the servant (sub-protagonist) resolved himself and told the hero (protagonist) his name. That was moving. Well, personally, I found the fact that it was a recollection where Mr. Demon King didn’t appear a minus, but it was still an important episode that made the relationship between the servant and the hero clear and highly acclaimed amongst the fans, wait no, that doesn’t really matter right now! It’s the bad habit of otakus to immediately go off-topic.

The important thing is that telling a name means 『submission』

It’s an unbreakable vow of spending one’s whole life for another. A vow much heavier than marriage.

Though, I wonder if the demon king side also has the same setting? To start with, I feel like there were no depictions of Mr. Demon King’s subordinates.

As I glance at Mr. Demon King’s face, I find him expressionlessly waiting for my answer.

― Eh, isn’t he incomparably better than my boss? Isn’t he quite kind to wait for my reply? Actually, now that I think about it, didn’t he open the gates for me? Didn’t he wait for me to wake up? He probably also neutralized the poison too, right? Isn’t this too dangerous? He hasn’t pushed me off or killed me either, isn’t he just the best? I mean, if it’s for Mr. Demon King, I can do anything.

“My name is Tohru.”

Mr. Demon King’s eyes open wide.

It’s an easy –to-understand expression of surprise. Looks like this setting is also valid for the Demon King’s side. Good, good. As I smile broadly, Mr. Demon King narrows his eyes and wrinkles his nose. This is also an easy-to-understand expression of aversion.

“…I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear it…so, hurry up and tell how you got here. And…leave.”

―― That kindness makes me laugh unintentionally.

“What’s funny?”
“My name is Kariya Tohru.”
“You!”

I stand up from the bed and kneel before Mr. Demon King, who’s slightly backing away. When I grab his black coat and drop a kiss on it, his black, aberrant leg shakes.

“…Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
“…So you’re really saying that you will serve the great me?”
“Yes, of course!”
“……….”
“…”
“…….”

The silence is long.

I peek at Mr. Demon King and see him holding his right hand over his mouth.

“What…is the matter?”
“The great me has no subordinates. There is…no necessity.”
“Eh?!”

The shock probably directly shows up on my face. Mr. Demon King looks at me and says “that’s not right” in fluster.

“Do you…not understand? I am Demon King.”
“Yes! Mr. Demon King!”
“Mr. Demon King…the great me will bring about the destruction of the world.”
“Yes, if that is what you desire!”
“Regardless of what the great me desires, the existence of the Demon King…no, anyway, the Demon King will create the world of chaos where the dead and aberrants will mix together, you know? If that happens, the humans will immediately die, you know?…Hey, do you understand? Demon King will kill you, you know?”
“I understand!”
“…Did you think that you would survive if you became Demon King’s subordinate?”
“I don’t care about my survival. I simply want you to survive because I like you.”

And this time, I want to dedicate everything to you for once and all.

“If you wish for stability, I shall make it happen. If you desire destruction, I shall assist you with all what I can. I will definitely make all your desires into reality. I want to be useful to you. And more than anything, I want to protect you. I want to see you laugh in happiness. Therefore, I want to serve you.”

Mr. Demon King blinks absent-mindedly at my words and once again frowns.

“…Is it not allowed?”
“…You’ve already told the great me your name.”
“Yes.”
“…In that case.”

After sighing, Mr. Demon King opens his mouth.

“Tohru.”
“!”

The moment my name is called, something disappears from me. And something from Mr. Demon King starts to pour into me. ―― Ah, we’re connected. I’ve become connected to this person.

“It can’t be helped…so I’ll accept you.”
“Yes! Mr. Demon King!”
“Well, the great me is generous to my subordinates, so, yeah, I shall allow you to call me that.”
“Are you an angel after all?!”
“Huh?”
“Mr. Demon King! You’re just the best!”

As I smile broadly, Mr. Demon King sighs again and then suddenly puts his hand on my head.

“…You are my subordinate.”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“Kuku…”
“What is the matter?”
“The aberrants cannot talk, after all…being able to talk with another is quite amusing, kuku.”
“Oh, does Mr. Demon King not have any frie-“
“Hey!”
“I’m sorry!”
“…Well, whatever.”

Mr. Demon King smiles as he strokes my cheeks.

―― He only slightly narrowed his eyes, only slightly raised the corner of his mouth but I can feel that I’m blushing.

“Be diligent, Tohru.”
“O-of naturally course!
“Huh? What?”
“Ahhhhh! It’s an angeeeeeeeel!”
“Who is?!”
“I will definitely make you happy!”
“Huh? No, the great me is…”
“I will definitely let you survive!!”

Thus starts my work to alter the original story.
――This is a story of one’s deathbed.

—
Notes:
I read the manga a while ago and nobody seemed to have translated this so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s a teaser for now, so if anybody actually wants to give translating this a try, please do give me a nudge so I don’t waste my time on the next chapter. The chapters are pretty damn long.

I usually keep narration in past tense, but I thought I’d give present tense a try this time, (the sentences are mostly in present tense here, with past tense here and there) so please also notify me if you see any mess-up in the tenses.

Tachypsychia is a neurological condition that alters the perception of time.
異形 is “fantastic; grotesque; strange-looking; suspicious-looking”. Aberrant seemed like the best choice for the word. Maybe they’re like werebeasts? dunno.
[EDIT] I kinda forgot to mention, but the Demon King calls himself “ore-sama”, you know, the haughty way of referring to himself. I changed it into great me to somehow keep the quirk but if it reads weird just tell me and I’ll replace it with regular pronouns.

Notify me if you find any mistranslations, typos and/or akward grammar so I could fix it afap.