The deaths of the two heroes sent shockwaves through the surrounding nations.
Every country had been watching this conflict closely, placing their hopes in the Steel Knight and the War Maiden.
Yet, their end came with those heroes' deaths.
Only the fact of this age's Demon Lord's victory remained.
The Holy Staff Nation and the Magecraft Nation, who had led the charge, were being condemned by other countries.
They were suspected of rushing for glory and criticized for their lack of caution, which they argued had cost the lives of two precious heroes.
A deluge of complaints and slander poured into the two nations, sparking considerable unrest.
From the standpoint of a third party merely observing, it was a thoroughly foolish development.
People refused to cooperate with one another.
They knew alliances were being forged and non-aggression pacts signed beneath the surface.
But those were solely for their own nations' interests.
Not a single country was truly serious about subjugating the Demon Lord.
No one had a viable plan for defeat, yet all were fixated only on my eventual demise.
I did not call that evil, exactly.
But it was profoundly lacking in any sense of unity.
Through my efforts as Demon Lord, I had managed to induce a state where open conflict would not erupt.
However, many challenges still remained.
Every nation possessed enough room to consider their own interests, and even now, they were still trying to outmaneuver each other.
I knew their leadership consisted of such people.
But when confronted so directly with their nature, I could not help but feel disappointed.
Of course, they too have their own stations to uphold.
They must protect and nurture the prosperity of the nation.
While I wish they could cultivate a bit more consideration, that too seems unlikely.
One must not rely on the goodwill of others.
I have been betrayed time and time again.
If there is a future I desire, I must seize it with my own hands.
To that end, I must evoke fear and loathing, forcing things into the ideal state.
In the end, that was the most certain path.
I must look to the grand scheme and move the pieces myself.
I must whittle away uncertainties wherever possible.
Given these principles, the Will of the World was truly a nuisance.
It stood in direct opposition to my hopes, plotting interference at every turn.
It was the very embodiment of absurdity.
An absolute apparatus designed to extirpate evil.
Its true nature remained a mystery, but some force was undoubtedly at work.
It would invariably trigger all manner of phenomena, all aimed at my elimination.
Was the Will of the World intervening in this matter as well?
Without clear criteria, I could not make a judgment.
The Will of the World was undoubtedly a problem I would eventually have to unravel.
I had a premonition that it would continue to obstruct my path for a long time to come.
If a solution could be found, I would execute it without hesitation.
(Though even just being able to prevent or avoid it would make a difference...)
Once this incident is concluded, I should conduct a thorough investigation.
Time-wise, I have considerable leeway.
The Demon King's Domain was becoming structured to run even in my absence.
I wanted to keep it in this state until it was fully independent.
That way, I could move about freely.
(But first, the demigod.)
I shift my thoughts to the most immediate problem.
The two heroes are dead.
Of those created through ritual magic, only one remains.
Almost certainly, it was that man called the demigod.
However, his crucial location is unknown.
He was an abnormally skilled practitioner of spatial magic.
He could move anywhere without restriction, making it nearly impossible to uncover his hideout.
The Holy Staff Nation's magic workshop, which could have been a clue, had been thoroughly destroyed by the demigod.
Thus, I could only wait for contact from his side.
As a precaution, I had deployed various countermeasure spells.
Even a demigod should not be able to infiltrate the Royal Capital undetected by me.
At that moment, Luciana entered the audience chamber.
She came swiftly to my side and reported in a whisper.
"Demon Lord, a spy was apparently handed a letter. It was on his desk when he came to."
"...Is that so."
I murmured in acknowledgement.
Currently, other subordinates were busy with paperwork in the room.
Luciana was whispering because she didn't want to spread information that might cause too much disturbance.
Rumors spread in an instant.
Unless you exterminated everyone in the area, suppressing them was practically impossible.
That's why I made sure important information didn't reach my general subordinates.
If necessary, I would disclose it, but in some cases, I kept it secret.
"Have you looked at it yet?"
"Not yet. What if you opened it carelessly and something strange happened?"
What Luciana was talking about was probably some kind of curse-like magic.
There were things in this world that would activate upon being unsealed.
It was a wise decision not to open it rashly.
"Here you go. Be careful."
"I know."
I took the letter and analyzed it.
Nothing suspicious stood out, and it was utterly unremarkable.
I peeled off the wax and broke the seal.
I opened the letter and checked its contents.
Having read it to the end, I nodded.
"Hmm, is that so?"
"What did it say?"
I answered Luciana, who was peering over my shoulder.
"It's a proposal from a demigod. A date, time, and location for a duel have been specified."