Chapter 435: Threatened
Kouhei fell silent for a moment, his eyes remaining on Yuka as he tried to sort through the thoughts running around in his head. Her question sounded simple enough on the surface, but the more he thought about it, the harder it became to come up with an answer that actually satisfied even himself.
It was a perfectly reasonable question for someone like Yuka to ask, especially considering the rather strange position Kouhei had found himself in. He had never originally planned to participate in the demon world’s struggle over who would eventually become the next Demon Lord. The entire competition had been something he had become involved with almost by circumstance, rather than something he had actively pursued from the beginning.
Kouhei had never woken up one morning thinking that becoming the Demon Lord sounded like a fantastic career choice. Considering the amount of bloodshed, political nonsense, assassination attempts, and general headaches that apparently came attached to the position, he honestly couldn’t imagine anyone looking at it and thinking, "That sounds relaxing."
So, if becoming the Demon Lord had never really been his goal, why was he still allowing himself to remain one of the candidates?
"I honestly have no idea myself," Kouhei finally said, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. "I’ve thought about it before, but I still can’t give you a completely clear answer. I think part of the reason is that I want to keep the people I love safe. Having a title like that obviously doesn’t guarantee that I’ll be able to protect them, but I still feel like becoming the Demon Lord would at least give me a better chance of doing something about the dangers surrounding them."
His answer seemed to amuse Yuka somewhat, and she let out a soft laugh while looking at him.
"Hehehe~ Well, I can understand that way of thinking," Yuka said. "Having a title like that would certainly be useful if your main objective is protecting someone, particularly when the people you’re trying to protect are your loved ones. You would gain plenty of privileges and benefits from holding such a position, after all. As the Demon Lord, you would effectively stand at the very top of the demon world’s hierarchy."
She paused briefly and took another sip of her tea, seemingly giving Kouhei a moment to think about what she had just said.
"You would have authority that very few others could challenge," Yuka continued. "You would have access to resources that ordinary demons could never hope to obtain, and you would naturally have considerably more influence when dealing with other powerful figures. If you’re thinking about protecting the people important to you, then I can understand why such a position might look attractive."
Yuka slowly lowered her teacup after finishing her sip, and her expression gradually became more serious.
"However, that position isn’t exactly a guarantee of anything," she said. "It’s just like you said yourself. Becoming the Demon Lord wouldn’t automatically mean that you could protect everyone you care about. In fact, you might be able to prevent some of the dangers that originally motivated you to enter this competition, but what about the dangers that appear specifically because you’ve become the Demon Lord?"
Kouhei remained quiet as he listened.
That was a fair point.
If there were dangers that existed outside the position itself, then there would naturally be dangers created by the position as well. Power could solve certain problems, but power also tended to attract people who wanted to take it away. Becoming the strongest person in the room didn’t mean everyone else would suddenly become friendly. If anything, it could make some people considerably more interested in seeing you removed from that room entirely.
"You didn’t really think this through, did you?" Yuka asked, her tone remaining calm but becoming slightly more pointed. "Or perhaps you’re simply looking at the situation by counting the advantages and convincing yourself that there are more pros than cons."
"You can certainly look at it that way," Kouhei replied. "I won’t deny that I haven’t thought about everything as carefully as I probably should have. I do think it might be pointless to put myself through all of this when there’s a chance that everything could eventually turn out completely differently from what I’m imagining right now."
Kouhei leaned back slightly, his expression becoming thoughtful.
"Still, I suppose I’ve already come this far."
"But you’re still willing to put yourself in that position even though you understand that there are dangers attached to it?" Yuka asked.
Her voice had lost some of its earlier playfulness.
"You might not know this because you’ve only been a demon for a relatively short period of time, but I understand this world considerably better than you probably realize. My father was a former Demon Lord, and I was born a demon myself, so I’ve been around this kind of political struggle for practically my entire life."
Yuka placed her teacup down carefully before continuing.
"I’ve seen the assassinations, the betrayals, and all the schemes that tend to appear whenever someone gains enough authority to threaten another person’s interests. Enemies can come from practically anywhere, and sometimes you won’t even realize someone has turned against you until they’ve already made their move."
She looked directly at Kouhei.
"You’re the Child of Anti-Prophecy, someone who is destined to save Hell from destruction, and I’m not denying that you possess abilities that make you different from ordinary demons. Even so, I don’t believe being the Child of Anti-Prophecy means you can simply escape all of those dangers. Becoming the Demon Lord might give you greater authority, but it would also make you an even more obvious target."
Yuka sounded completely certain about what she was saying.
Kouhei didn’t get the impression that she was bluffing, either.
Her words sounded less like an attempt to scare him and more like someone giving him a warning based on experience. She genuinely seemed to believe that he was underestimating the consequences of becoming the Demon Lord.
Kouhei couldn’t completely dismiss her argument.
Hierarchy had always been connected to power, and whenever power was involved, betrayal was never far behind. Someone standing at the top would inevitably attract people who wanted that position for themselves. Some might try to challenge them openly, while others would probably prefer to manipulate things from the shadows.
The demon world wasn’t exactly known for having the healthiest workplace environment.
Kouhei lowered his gaze and slowly clenched one hand.
What was he supposed to do, then?
If becoming the Demon Lord could put the people he loved in even greater danger, then perhaps pursuing the position wasn’t as straightforward as he had originally imagined. He had entered the competition partly because he believed the authority would allow him to protect them, but now Yuka was pointing out the possibility that the same authority could make them targets.
"If you’re thinking about this in such a simple way and you’re honestly still unsure about whether you want the position, then I’d advise you to withdraw from the competition," Yuka said. "You still have the opportunity to step away before things become even more complicated."
She paused for a moment.
"Although, considering everything that’s already happened, I don’t think withdrawing would be quite as simple as it sounds."
Kouhei raised his head and looked directly at her.
"Why are you threatened by this?"
"Huh?"
Yuka’s expression immediately changed, and genuine surprise appeared on her face.
She clearly hadn’t expected him to ask such a direct question.
"Why would you ask me something like that?" she replied.
"I don’t think you’d be telling me all of this if you weren’t at least somewhat threatened by my involvement," Kouhei said. His voice remained calm, but there was a noticeable firmness behind his words. "I think you’re saying all of this because you’re worried that your chances of becoming the Demon Lord are being reduced now that I’m one of the candidates."
Yuka continued smiling, although the expression looked slightly less natural than it had before.
A small bead of sweat appeared along her cheek.
"I don’t know why you’re thinking about it that way," Yuka answered. "I assure you that I’m only telling you this because you’re pursuing something that could potentially become detrimental to you. If you’re seeking power because you believe it will allow you to protect the people you care about, then I think you should also consider whether that same power could eventually put them in greater danger."
She briefly paused before continuing.
"If you believe I’m saying all of this because I feel threatened by your presence and because your involvement has affected my chances of becoming the Demon Lord, then you’re free to think that. I’m not going to force you to believe my intentions are completely selfless."
Her smile remained, although Kouhei could tell that she was choosing her words more carefully now.
"Even so, I still believe you’re making the wrong decision if you continue down this path without properly considering the consequences. I’m not saying that you are incapable of becoming the Demon Lord, Kouhei-sama. I’m saying that you should understand what you’re getting yourself into before deciding that the position is worth the risks."
Kouhei stared at her for several seconds.
He couldn’t tell whether she was genuinely concerned about him or whether she was simply trying to remove a competitor from the race. Perhaps the answer was somewhere in between. Yuka could genuinely believe that the position was dangerous while also being perfectly aware that Kouhei’s withdrawal would benefit her.
People could have more than one reason for doing something.
That was something Kouhei had learned quite well over the years.
After another quiet moment, Yuka finally stood from her seat.
"I’m sorry, Kouhei-sama, but I suppose this is where we’ll have to end things for today," she said. "The joint training will officially begin tomorrow, so you should probably get some rest while you have the opportunity. For now, I hope you enjoy your stay here at the Sano mansion."
She gave him a polite smile before turning around.
Kouhei watched as she walked away, eventually disappearing from his view and leaving him alone with his thoughts.
For several moments, he simply remained where he was.
He couldn’t help feeling as though he had somehow offended her.
Perhaps accusing her of feeling threatened had been a little too direct. Most people probably wouldn’t appreciate being told to their face that they were trying to eliminate a rival from a competition. At the same time, Kouhei couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been deliberately trying to push him toward withdrawing from the Demon Lord race.
Her reasoning wasn’t completely wrong.
That was what made the situation so irritating.
She had given him legitimate concerns to think about. Becoming the Demon Lord could absolutely make him more powerful, but it could also make him a bigger target. The position could give him greater authority and resources, but it could also attract enemies who would otherwise have had little reason to care about him.
Perhaps Yuka was genuinely warning him because she didn’t want him to make a decision that could eventually cost him something important.
Perhaps she was simply protecting her own interests.
Kouhei couldn’t tell yet.