Demon Lord Gallery

“Meeting, resumed.”
It was a short phrase consisting of just two words, but its impact was indescribable.
In an instant, the Manmajeon main conference hall transformed into a proper conference hall-like appearance, and silence filled the interior of the hall to the extent that no further explanation was needed.
The sight of the Demon Lords who had been fighting life-and-death battles just moments ago now sitting in their respective seats, all neat and tidy, clearing their throats, was enough to evoke admiration.
“…Are these really the same Demon Lords who were fighting and splattering blood just now?”
Of course, I had seen such scenes in the gallery too. I had experienced watching Demon Lords who were burning firewood and setting the gallery on fire suddenly being suppressed and the atmosphere changing, but no matter what, community firewood and real fighting are on different levels, aren’t they?
“Ah, that?”
Hearing my question-laced words, Leon smiled slightly and answered.
“It’s just imprinted in their bodies. Should I call it instinct? If you get beaten to the brink of death enough times, your body remembers. Even I, after getting cut up by that main manager a few times, my body started reacting automatically.”
“What?”
“Demon Lords who haven’t been beaten by the main manager in this Manmajeon conference hall are rare enough to count on one hand, right? Those who’ve been beaten once have all been beaten to the point of trauma.”
Leon’s answer was beyond my common sense.
The fact that he had implanted such intense trauma that the body reacts automatically even in the midst of a fierce fight where reason flies away.
It was an incredibly crude method, but in a way, it could be said to be a governance method befitting the leader of Demon Lords.
“And there were hardly any guys fighting without reason among those fighting earlier. You can see that when the arena opens after the meeting ends… They’re just fighting to loosen up during break time. It’s easier to see it as Demon Lords’ way of conversation.”
“….”
The words “If they have that conversation one more time, a few people will die” came up to my throat, but I chose to swallow them back.
I was gradually realizing that it was futile to apply the common sense I knew to these beings called Demon Lords.
“It’s easier to just think ‘that’s how it is’ and listen to the meeting. By the way, the content of the meeting being held this time should be quite helpful for you, Su-hyeon?”
“Really?”
“Let’s see… the content of the meeting before you came… I summarized and posted it on the gallery, but… What’s this, why won’t it open? Did the main manager close it?”
“Come to think of it, I couldn’t open the gallery earlier when coming to Manmajeon either. It’s still not opening now.”
At Leon’s words that the gallery wouldn’t open, I hurriedly tried to open the gallery window, but just like when coming here, the gallery window would only forcibly close with an error message.
Come to think of it, why isn’t the gallery working? The Wolf Viscount and Odin clearly said that gallery browsing was possible even during meetings.
But these doubts of mine quickly disappeared at Leon’s words, which brushed them off lightly.
“Well, I guess the main manager is doing some maintenance or something. Anyway, there weren’t any topics particularly related to you in the first part. It was about things like reestablishing magic circles, the scope of magical studies that can be passed on to humans, reestablishing Manmajeon’s formal swordsmanship, and so on.”
“If it’s magic, it won’t be of any help to me.”
“From what I heard from old man Odin, beings called magicians can’t even appear in that depth’s dimension.”
“There are things called abilities, but magic seems to be something different.”
No matter how many times I think about it, the most unfair thing is about the dimension I belong to.
Things like gates and abilities exist, but why on earth isn’t magic possible?
Just as I was about to voice these complaints about my dimension.
“Should I teach you swordsmanship when I have time? It’s something you use purely with your body, regardless of things like mana.”
“What?”
What interrupted my complaints was Leon’s shocking words. The words offering to teach swordsmanship.
It was unbelievable.
To think that one of the gallery’s 3 great sword masters, and the swordsman who received Moses’ sword strike that could cut dimensions, would so readily offer to teach swordsmanship.
For me, it was nothing short of a groundbreaking offer.
“There’s no need to be so surprised? My swordsmanship won’t perform at full capacity in a dimension without mana anyway.”
“..Wasn’t it something like secret swordsmanship before?”
20 or 30 years ago, when humanity still existed on Earth. At that time when numerous ability users were subjugating gates and saving humanity from the brink of extinction, the few sword/martial art ability users I met all showed the same reaction.
It’s a family secret martial art so it would be difficult to teach, this swordsmanship probably wouldn’t suit you, it’s a national secret so it would be hard to pass on, and so on.
It was the swordsmen and martial artists who refused to share their knowledge and experience using all sorts of excuses.
To me, who had only seen people who clung to their knowledge until the end even if humanity were to perish tomorrow, how should I describe Leon who offered to teach swordsmanship without any conditions?
A great hero? A savior? A messiah?
Anyway, he felt like a being far from being a Demon Lord.
“Anyway, even if I teach swordsmanship, only those with perseverance and talent will succeed. And it’s not like I’m going to keep the swordsmanship all wrapped up to sell it. It’s better to take on a disciple and create something like a school while we’re at it.”
“If that’s the case, I’m grateful. I can treat you as a master as much as you want, no, I can, Master.”
“Just drop the formal speech.”
While happily promising swordsmanship guidance like this, and receiving explanations about exchanging messages in the gallery and a rough training schedule, suddenly one question arose.
“Come to think of it, don’t other Demon Lords learn swordsmanship from you?”
No matter how much you’re treated as a hero spy, with that martial prowess shown in the arena, wouldn’t it be worth learning regardless of being a hero spy or whatever?
Leon’s answer to my question was extremely Demon Lord-like.
“Would Demon Lords who live on pride alone lower their heads to learn from someone?”
“Ah…”
“Except for the neutral and moderate Demon Lords here, you should consider that there are no Demon Lords who show such an attitude, and the moderate Demon Lords are mostly strong from the start, so they have no reason to learn swordsmanship from me.”
“The moderates are strong?”
“Of course, since peace is a kind of power discussed by those with strength in the first place.”
It was correct.
The moderation and peace discussed by those without power were merely ideals, and true peace originated from power.
Thinking about what result the peace of the powerless had met, and what I had experienced in it, there was nothing closer to the truth than these words.
“Anyway, the only one I’ve taught swordsmanship to is Ferma over there. That guy is willing to do anything to ‘win’, so he learned from me.”
“That swordsmanship was useless though. It didn’t work on the hero.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that that hero was a monster?”
While I was watching the argument between Leon and Ferma that started like this with interest.
Bang─
The sound of a hammer resonated clearly through the Manmajeon conference hall.
When I reflexively turned my head towards the source of the sound, I saw the main manager striking down the gavel.
[We will accept the claim of delegate number 714. I announce that this agenda has been passed and resolved. Now for the next agenda.]
Perhaps because I was too focused on the conversation. An agenda that I hadn’t properly heard had already been passed and was moving on to the next one.
“Oh no….”
Only then could I come to my senses. My main purpose was to listen to the meeting agendas and contents, but I had forgotten about it, distracted by swordsmanship.
I was feeling so doubtful about myself lately, wondering where on earth I was leaving my mind.
“Ah, don’t worry. I’m recording this entire meeting.
But fortunately, in this neutral Demon Lords’ rest area, there were other normal Demon Lords.
‘Fallout’, that is, Edward, who was writing down the meeting contents in an old paper notebook with a pencil while holding a cigar in his mouth, how should I put it?
He was exuding a heavy gravitas and at the same time an antique charm.
‘That person must have some story too.’
Just looking at his posture while writing, his attire and tools, his serious tone and expression, it was clear that this Demon Lord had some kind of story.
If I had to classify it a bit more, I should say he seems to have a story similar to mine.
“Thank you”
“It’s nothing, if you need it after the meeting, just say so. I’ll show you anytime. Now pay close attention to the agenda that’s about to start.”
While listening to Edward’s kind but subtly reproachful answer telling me to focus on the meeting from now on, I turned my gaze back to the conference hall.
*
How much time had passed since I started concentrating on the meeting?
Punishment for Demon Lords who violated gallery rules, retirement of Manmajeon elders and selection of new ones, status report on the God-Demon War, and so on.
After what felt like dozens of hours had passed, the meeting finally reached its conclusion.
At last, the last remaining agenda flowed from the main manager’s mouth.
However, this agenda was somewhat special, if anything.
It was an agenda that would surprise the majority of Demon Lords.
[The final agenda is about changes in policies/responses regarding Heroes and the Hero Gallery.]
[We plan to add and revise related laws, and the contents of those laws are as follows:]
[Revising Article 12 of the Ars Goetia, 1 stage relaxation of inter-dimensional movement and resource/knowledge trade.]
[Revising Article 6 of the Ars Goetia, 1 stage strengthening of Demon Lord Gallery entry conditions and 1 stage strengthening of information restrictions.]
[Adding and revising Clause 2 of Article 4 of the Ars Goetia, making sharing of information related to Hero subjugation mandatory.]
While the mentions of certain articles of the Ars Goetia were just incomprehensible information to me, the content of the revisions that followed allowed for various inferences.
Relaxation of inter-dimensional information, knowledge, and resource trade restrictions, strengthening of entry conditions, mandatory sharing of Hero subjugation information.
Combining these revised bills with a few things I had heard from Odin recently, and the bait circulating within the gallery, I could draw one conclusion.
That Demon Lords are starting to officially counter Heroes, and that they are beginning to counterattack Heroes on a dimensional scale.
Even just hearing this was shocking enough content, but it didn’t seem so for Leon.
“What? The Viscount’s words were true.”
“I told you I heard it directly from the Viscount.”
“No, we can’t blindly believe the words of the Succubus Queen, can we?”
“…How many times do I have to say this is succubus discrimination?”
Perhaps they had heard something in advance? Unlike the other Demon Lords inside the conference hall who were already starting to buzz and stir, the neutral Demon Lords were incredibly calm.
“Did you all hear something in advance?”
“That’s right. Well, it wouldn’t have mattered even if we hadn’t known… but if the Viscount’s words are true, what comes next will have an even bigger impact.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing my clueless expression, Moses chuckled and raised his staff to point at the conference hall.
“Watch. The main manager’s final words will come soon.”
The moment Moses pointed his staff at the center of the conference hall. The final revision flowed from the main manager’s mouth.
Words befitting a spark that would burn all the piled-up firewood.
[Lastly, revision of Clause 2 of Article 1 of the Ars Goetia.]
[Some of the affiliation benefits for Demon Lords from Manmajeon will be abolished.]
[From now on, even if a Demon Lord from Manmajeon is killed by ‘someone’, we will not conduct dimensional tracking or punishment for it.]
Abolition of Manmajeon-affiliated Demon Lord benefits.
The moment the backing of Manmajeon-affiliated Demon Lords disappears, and implicitly allowing ‘killing’ among Demon Lords.
It was a revision that was nothing short of permitting ‘Demon Lord killing’.