At the Demon Palace

They were caught in a cloud of eerily colored smoke. The moment the three of them thought so, they had already been transported from the 'Dragon's Sacred Land' to the Demon World. Mott hurriedly checked the map, which read 'Demon Palace: Audience Chamber.' He could not tell whether they were safe, but he understood that they had definitely arrived in the Demon World.

"Yoo-hoo, wanderers. How are you doing?"

The three of them had been suddenly transported to an unfamiliar place, so they immediately became wary and turned toward the source of the voice. A man sat upon a ghastly throne made from bones and internal organs, with two men and two women attending him.

He had a handsome face that rivaled a goddess's, with glossy black hair cut short and evenly trimmed. His skin was pure white, and his body was moderately muscular, with ideal, golden-ratio proportions. His clothes were also of the highest quality, so the three of them guessed that he must be one of the higher-ranking Demons.

However, he was slouching against the back of the throne with his chest exposed, so he gave off not the slightest hint of dignity. He also looked somewhat frivolous, making him seem less like a cool prince and more like a flashy host.

At first glance, he looked like a frivolous pretty boy with a carefree grin, but that was not how he appeared to Mott. One of the Skills granted to him by his Race was 【Ultrasonic Waves】, which he could use to determine the exact distance and shapes of himself and his opponent through ultrasound.

According to his ultrasonic waves, the opponent's outline had wavered ever so slightly. The same had been true of Almardelux, which was how Mott had realized that his appearance was false.

"Yes, I feel perfectly fine. Now, who are you?"

"Me? I'm Satan-sama, the Demon Lord. Nice to meet you!"

"The Demon Lord... You are the one who leads the Demons?"

Hearing that, Mott grew tense at the realization that the man who had suddenly appeared was far more important than he had imagined, but he was also relieved that his judgment had been correct. If he had looked down on the man based on his appearance and spoken rudely, he had no idea what might have happened to him by now.

"That's right. You know your place pretty well, don't you? You're completely different from the wanderers I invited before."

"You have invited wanderers before?"

"Yep. There were two Humans and three Beastmen that time... but they were so disrespectful that I killed them! Ahyahyahyahyah!"

Perhaps remembering when he had killed those players, Satan laughed loudly and vulgarly. Mott thought that being able to invite someone and then kill them instantly when they failed to please him was the very embodiment of a Demon.

"Anyway, about why we called you here... Congratulations! You've earned the right to become Demons! Now, let's have a round of applause!"

Satan beamed and began clapping. The men and women attending him soon joined in. However, the applause gradually grew louder. There should have been only five people in the room besides Mott and the others—Satan and his attendants.

"Eek...!?"

"Wow, they're multiplying."

Before they knew it, countless grotesque beings had gathered in the audience chamber. Monsters possessing the features of all kinds of creatures—beasts, birds, insects, and more—stood assembled. Many of them had more than two arms or legs, and the audience chamber was filled with thunderous applause. Shifune could not help shrinking back in fear, while Wool observed the scene without losing his composure.

Mott guessed that those gathered here were probably high-ranking Demons. That, too, was thanks to 【Ultrasonic Waves】. Although it could not reveal exact level values or Skills like 【Appraisal】, it could immediately determine whether someone was stronger than he was.

However, it was by no means an all-powerful Skill. Mott could sense nothing from Satan, his four apparent aides, Langhoort, Almardelux, or Maria. Apparently, like 【Appraisal】, it could not detect anything from opponents whose abilities were far too distant from his own.

If he relied too heavily on this Skill, he might mistake someone for an ordinary person only to discover that they were vastly stronger than him. That was why he did not put too much faith in it.

(Chat? From Shichikou?)

As Mott struggled to remain calm, he heard a notification sound mixed in with the applause. Since his avatar's hands were difficult to use, he opened the chat with gaze controls. Then he quickly used brainwave typing to enter as detailed an account of the situation as possible.

"Clapping's over! ...Anyway, here. This is for you."

Satan brought his hands together and gave one especially loud clap in front of his chest, bringing the applause to an abrupt halt. He then opened his joined palms. Three oddly shaped, murky purple objects resembling stones appeared there. They floated toward the three of them, then vanished in a flash.

"What I just gave you is called a Demon Element. If you evolve with one inside you, you'll officially become a Demon. Oh, and just so you know, you can't give it to someone else or sell it, okay? Keep that in mind."

The Demon Element was apparently either impossible to transfer or an item that imposed some kind of penalty if transferred. Mott stored that information away, but he was somewhat confused. The reason was...

"Um, excuse me! Do we have to use this Demon Element right now?"

Just as Shifune had said, Mott could not believe that they had not been told to swallow it then and there. Satan was the sort of person who killed players for being 'disrespectful,' so Mott had assumed he would say, 'If you don't swallow it right now, die,' and immediately try to kill them.

"What!? No, no, no, no, no! I'm not going to force you! There's nothing good about forcibly dragging people into our ranks, you know? We don't make the same mistake twice!"

Satan vigorously shook his hands and head, protesting vehemently that the accusation was outrageous. Judging solely by his movements, he seemed to be responding sincerely in an effort to clear up the misunderstanding. His expression also looked as though he were genuinely lamenting the situation from the bottom of his heart.

However, Mott had not forgotten Almardelux's warning. The man before him was a Demon. According to what Almardelux had told him, Demons were beings who acted cunningly while tormenting large numbers of people. No matter how convincing Satan's movements were, it was only reasonable to assume that he was putting on a remarkably realistic performance.

For one thing, Satan had admitted that he had forcibly recruited people in the past. Mott absolutely could not let his guard down. He became even more wary.

"Then, may I ask a question as well?"

"Sure! Ask as many as you like!"

"If we become Demons, will we incur any obligations? What would they be?"

Satan's eyes widened for an instant at Mott's question, which practically radiated certainty. But he quickly put on an even sadder expression, rose to his feet, and gazed at them with tearful eyes.

"How could you say that...? It's as if we're trying to deceive you!"

"That does not answer my question, Satan-sama."

"What matters is whether you want to become stronger! Wanderers want to become stronger to one degree or another, don't they?"

Satan held out a hand as if inviting them closer. The gesture was so natural that Mott nearly believed it was genuinely well-intentioned. Yet after seeming ready to cry his way into winning their sympathy just moments ago, Satan had now completely changed and was tempting them with an evil smile.

"Demons are strong, you know~? In this world, strength leads to freedom. And I hear wanderers love freedom~?"

"Your mood changed rather suddenly... Is this your true self? This suits you much better."

"Heeheehee! I'm glad to hear it!"

Although Satan's sudden change in attitude was intimidating, Mott continued to maintain an air of composure. He had learned this while traveling with Izamu, even if only briefly: in FSW, a player who genuinely committed to role-playing received better reactions from NPCs.

It was obvious when one thought about it, but to NPCs, even ordinary conversation—not just quest requests—was real. Those who brushed things off because 'it's just a game' or refused to take them seriously would never be viewed favorably, nor would they earn trust. Many players knew this, but few actually put it into practice. Mott decided that he should follow Izamu's example, since Izamu was nearly perfect at it.

"It is true that many wanderers value freedom. It is also true that monster wanderers can hardly be called free under the current circumstances. And it would not be entirely wrong to say that they seek strength. I am one of those who desire strength, after all."

"Right?"

Satan nodded in satisfaction, but Mott continued, "However..."

"I am already being allowed to live fairly freely with my current companions. And as for strength, I take no small amount of pride in what I have built up little by little. I am not so desperate that I would leap at the chance to become one of your fellows without even being told about the disadvantages."

"Heehee... Hya-hahahahahaha!"

After hearing Mott's argument, Satan suddenly began laughing uproariously. Mott, meanwhile, was trembling inwardly. He knew that he was speaking rather boldly, and the three of them could be killed at any moment because of it.

"Good! Excellent! That's exactly right! That's what makes you worthy of becoming one of us—one of the Demons! All that effort I put into playing a lousy actor paid off!"

Satan's tone changed. He laughed uproariously for a while, and the three of them waited in silence until he calmed down. Shifune and Wool had left the negotiations to Mott, and Mott himself could not afford to anger Satan with some unnecessary remark.

"Whew. All right, I'll answer you. If you become Demons, we'll occasionally ask you to run errands for us in the mortal world. Of course, we'll pay you. But if you keep failing or ignoring those requests, you'll have to expect an appropriate penalty."

"Errands... May I ask about the nature of the work and the penalties?"

"The errands can be all sorts of things. You might help fellow Demons who are playing pranks in the mortal world, or exterminate monsters in the Demon World... There are probably other things, too. As for the penalty, we take away your Demon Element. Anyone who can't be useful has no place among my fellows."

"I see..."

To summarize Satan's explanation: 'Becoming a Demon allows you to accept exclusive quests, but if you repeatedly fail or refuse them, your Demon Element will be confiscated.' It was unclear what would happen if the item required to become a Demon were taken away after one had already become one, but it was certain to be nothing good.

"So we must be prepared to be pushed around by you, then?"

"I want you to think of it as a sign of how much we expect from wanderers. In any case, think carefully before you use it, okay? Heehee, this is going to be fun."

Satan's handsome face twisted with delight. He looked almost as though he was certain that they would become Demons. It was unpleasant to feel as though he could see right through them, but Mott did not let that show.

"Well, sorry for bringing you here. I'll teleport you back to where you came from."

"...You're going to send us back?"

"Of course!"

Satan snapped his fingers. A disgusting squelching sound came from somewhere in the room. Mott had a bad feeling about it and asked with a grimace,

"What exactly did you do?"

"What do you mean? I'm sending you—to the Demon Palace, of course!"

"T-Tentacles are coming out of the floor!?"

"Aaaaaah!?"

"Here we go again..."

Countless tentacles rose from beneath their feet, wrapped around the three of them, and dragged them down into the floor. Satan watched them with the biggest smile he had worn yet.