Days later, I ventured to the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
The area had become a construction site, with workers sweating profusely as they labored.
Makeshift huts stood in rows, and what looked like taverns dotted the scene.
It was a place I rarely visited, yet I could feel its unique, lively energy.
This was the open-air market street.
It all began when merchants who had come to the Royal Capital requested my permission to set up shop.
Since then, those who sensed a business opportunity gathered, and the area naturally expanded in scale.
Although it had only started recently, its growth was remarkable.
Now, it resembled a small village or town.
Those who used it were primarily wandering mercenaries and war refugees.
They had heard rumors of the Demon Lord's domain and had traveled far to come here.
With the influx of residents, the Royal Capital was gradually becoming cramped.
While clearing out abandoned districts could still provide space, the current reality was that time was consumed by other tasks.
Food issues and considerations for racial segregation had to be taken into account as well.
As it stood, the Royal Capital could not easily accommodate more residents.
Relieving that burden was this open-air market street.
Merchants supplied everyday goods, and those who had overflowed from the Royal Capital lived there.
From what I heard, the security wasn't even that bad.
The mercenaries had apparently formed vigilante groups to patrol the area.
Witnessing such a scene, I could sense the resilience of humanity.
(I suppose this place will become part of the Royal Capital someday, too...)
As such thoughts crossed my mind, I walked alone through the stall-lined street.
Since being noticed by those around me would cause a great commotion, I had used concealment magic to erase my presence.
Most of the people here were humans, and the vast majority had no acquaintance with me.
If my form were seen, I would startle them, inevitably causing trouble.
It would be best to move about quietly like this.
After proceeding without incident for some time, I stopped before a facility under construction.
There stood a roofed waiting shelter.
Adjacent to it, slender rod-shaped iron materials were laid out.
Two of these were placed parallel to each other, stretching endlessly into the distance.
Between the iron materials, wooden planks were installed at regular intervals.
Combined, the two types formed a shape exactly like a ladder.
These were what were called rails.
They formed the path for a box-like vehicle—a train.
Trains used magical power to move at high speeds, making the transport of people and goods easy.
Collectively, this facility was called a railway.
The railway was one of the plans found in the records of the Magitek Nation.
The inventor was, as expected, John Doe.
Indeed, his ingenuity is bottomless.
This revolutionary mode of transport will prove useful in various situations.
Currently, the railway is under construction.
The tracks extend toward the direction of the World Tree Forest, intended to connect all the way to its edge.
Undead units have been stationed along the tracks to prevent unauthorized tampering or theft of the iron materials.
The reason for building this railway is that Logan and some elves have been struggling.
Travel between the forest and the Royal Capital requires considerable time and effort.
Finding the current situation inconvenient, I decided to experimentally extend the railway line.
My goal was to allow the elves residing in the Royal Capital to return home easily.
Once the railway is completed, even day trips will become possible.
This fact makes me truly feel the advancement of civilization.
When I visited the laboratory the other day, my primary purpose was inspecting the golems, but I saw that various other developments are underway.
These extend beyond mere weaponry into diverse fields.
Most are either ideas from John Doe, or things the lab staff conceived while brainstorming from his concepts.
I expect many more varied inventions will emerge in the future.
I have my own thoughts on technological development.
Cases like the Magitech Nation are examples of why.
However, I don't believe excessive stagnation is optimal.
I am the Demon King, but I have no intention of destroying the world.
My objective is to reign supreme as the pinnacle of evil and deter conflicts among humans.
Even that, however, requires a certain form.
If the goal were to pursue pure peace to its absolute extreme, one could simply brainwash all of humanity and dominate them into never fighting again.
But that was not the future I desired.
To reduce people to the level of livestock and call it peace—I cannot accept that.
I affirm the way the world ought to be.
And upon that foundation, the Demon King will intervene.
It is a good thing for technology to spread through natural means.
That is how humanity has built civilization.
Therefore, the Demon King's domain will also adopt new technologies in moderation.
I wish for those living in this land to lead prosperous lives.
Technology itself is not evil.
It depends entirely on how the user wields it.
Of course, there are exceptions.
I cannot overlook incidents like the one in the Arcanotechnocracy.
That was an event that greatly destabilized the world.
It had to be eliminated swiftly.
Should similar problems arise in the future, I intend to strike with the full fury of the Demon King.
Desiring world peace while repeating the destruction of wars of conquest.
Accepting technological advancement while eradicating those who abuse it.
It is, perhaps, a kind of self-righteous and half-hearted approach.
However, I became the Demon King precisely to see this self-righteous, half-hearted conviction through to the end.
Even if an ordinary person were to say it, it would be nothing but empty words, but the strongest Demon Lord could make it a reality.
Knowing it was unwanted, I overturned fate anyway.
I once met a tragic end.
I will never make the same mistake again.
(Someday, when he is resurrected, I want to show him a peaceful world...)
The path is still unclear, but I will definitely bring him back.
That is the atonement and duty permitted to me.
"Lord Summer!"
Just as I was steeling my resolve, Luciana descended from the sky.
She landed right beside me.
That commotion drew the attention of the market square residents, causing a huge stir, but there was no stopping it.
Leaving quickly was probably the best option.
Watching the people hurry away, I responded to Luciana.
"What is it?"
"It's almost time for the meeting, so I came to call you. What were you doing out here?"
"I was watching the railway."
"Hmm, that's a quirky hobby."
Luciana spoke while tapping her chin.
All the while, her bat-like wings kept fluttering.
She didn't seem particularly interested.
Turning her gaze from the railway tracks, she clapped her hands together as if suddenly remembering something.
"Oh, right, right. It's said that a human of unknown affiliation was in contact with demons in the old demon territories."
"A human and demons...?"
I frowned.
The old demon territories were lands once possessed by the previous Demon Lord.
Located to the south of the demon lord's domain, a small number of demons still inhabited them.
Apparently, there were several settlements there.
They were remnants of the former Demon Lord's army.
Having evaded suppression by the human nations, they now lived in hiding.
The old demon territories were composed of desert and wasteland, a dangerous zone permeated by high concentrations of magic power and miasma.
It was hardly an environment where humans could live.
It was surprising that anyone would visit such a place.
To then make contact with the local demons was even more suspicious.
This warranted investigation.
"Luciana, do you have any ideas?"
"That was over ten years ago, wasn't it? I certainly don't know."
Luciana shrugged.
In the past, she had been the leader of the "moderate faction," commanding the remnants of the Demon Lord's army.
It seemed she had been in hiding in the borderlands until I became the Demon Lord, so it was only natural she had no recollection of this recent incident.
After thinking for a moment, I gathered my thoughts and made a declaration to Luciana.
"The invasion of the Slave Autonomous Zone is important, but we can't ignore that either. Tonight, we'll investigate the former Demon territories."
"Alrighty, I'll be joining you then."
"Sure, I'm counting on you."
It felt like a new problem was looming.
This time, we shouldn't put it off; we should act immediately.
Panicking only after things become irreversible would be too late.
While considering the specific arrangements, I teleported alongside Luciana.