I Became a Demon Queen

The Grotesque Demon King (1)

Demon King. The pinnacle of demons, the incarnation of evil.
A terrible villain who appears as the strongest, most vicious final boss in numerous creative works. But at the same time, it’s good material that can become a very attractive character.
However, to become an attractive demon king, one thing was necessary.
That would be appearance. A dignified handsome middle-aged man, a tall handsome youth, or if not those, then a well-proportioned beauty or at least a cute girl.
If not, they would just be a villain to be slaughtered. But what if that demon king doesn’t even have a human form?
I don’t want to imagine it, but reality is truly cruel. Lookism, no, human-centrism has already taken deep roots in the world.
Anything ugly by human standards is villainous. Therefore, they must all be slaughtered.
“My Lord. The envoys sent from the Human Empire have arrived.”
[Good]
Even so, after going through the trouble of possessing this body, I didn’t want to live as a villain just to make heroes look good. I moved my steps after hearing the words of Robert, the vampire butler who serves as my steward.
This is the result of my efforts over the past 100 years. I walked a path completely opposite to what was predetermined for the demon king. I united the demon races that were scattered into various tribes and mended their conflicts.
And with that gathered strength, instead of invasion, I focused on internal development, economic growth, and social stability.
“The Demon King has arrived!”
At Robert’s announcement, everyone lined up neatly.
On the top floor of a modern reinforced concrete building. Amidst various races of subjects in uniform standing on both sides, several nervous-looking humans bowed their heads respectfully.
[It’s been a while, Count Kruger]
“Indeed it has, Your Majesty.”
Edward von Kruger, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Human Empire and a great noble who owns his territory in the northern part of the empire. At the same time, he was an imperial noble with pro-demon tendencies who maintained close relations with our demon realm.
“Our Emperor has sent the annual diplomatic letter, and once again confirmed his strong support for the marriage alliance being pursued between both sides.”
[…Very well]
Kruger spoke of his business while completing the formal courtesies. To be honest, I had little to say about this matter.
After joining hands with us once, the Empire continued to try to strengthen this alliance. They had no choice – according to this work’s settings, our demon realm was strong enough to lead the entire world to destruction single-handedly.
However, even I clicked my tongue at the young emperor’s actions. No matter how drunk on power he was, to try to forcefully marry off his sister to the demon king.
[As always, just enjoy your stay]
This wasn’t the first time, and there really wasn’t much to discuss. I roughly sent the humans to the banquet hall and returned to my room.
To be honest, I wasn’t feeling very good. Lately, it had been getting particularly worse. It was a periodic depression that kept visiting.
“Your Majesty…”
[For the sake of our demon realm’s face, I couldn’t refuse, but honestly, it’s a bit much. If they were sending her to someone attractive by human standards like the Arch Devil or Count Succubus, I might understand]
“Please don’t say such things. You are the pinnacle of demons, the strongest Demon King.”
[…Right]
I nodded but sighed inside. In the end, Robert, being a demon, doesn’t understand.
For demons, the only standard is power, that is, strength. The strong are beautiful, noble, and right.
Probably even the Succubus Queen or the Fox Spirit General, who possess supreme beauty even to my eyes, would humbly beg for my seed if I were to propose.
However, even after 100 years, I who still retained human values from before the possession found it extremely difficult to accept such notions.
[Tsk…]
Left alone, I briefly picked up the hand mirror on the table, then put it down in disgust.
I felt pathetic. Even when I was an ordinary person before the possession, I didn’t have such an inferiority complex about my appearance, but somehow after departing from humanity, such feelings only grew stronger.
Even knowing this was wrong, it got worse. I looked in the mirror again and squeezed my eyes shut.
No matter what, isn’t a tentacle monster with one large eyeball too much?
“The human side says they will send the princess as soon as possible.”
[I’d prefer if it were delayed. Anyway, I understand, so everyone focus on state affairs. There are still many areas where national development projects are incomplete. Pay special attention to those places]
“”We shall obey your command.””
Now the administration runs smoothly even without my direct oversight of everything.
The demons are already strong. Given their nature of absolute loyalty to the strong, our Demon King Kingdom only had the task of expanding and stabilizing our influence in this demon realm left.
[Just in case, make sure to prepare well so that the princess won’t have any discomfort living here…]
“Your Majesty.”
[Whatever else, I don’t want to do anything harsh to someone who’s essentially being sold off]
After the meeting was dismissed, I gave separate instructions to Robert. Imperial Princess Seria Rene Laose who is to be married to me.
I had already figured out what kind of person she was. I didn’t want to shock a young woman in her prime with my appearance when she comes here.
This was indeed an inferiority complex. But since it was also a fact, I could only suffer internally. No one could understand my struggles.
[I’m going to sleep…]
“Shall I send in the concubines?”
[…No, I’ll sleep alone tonight]
Until now, I’ve frequently spent passionate nights with beautiful and sexy demon women who genuinely loved me, using my tentacles, but today I really wasn’t in the mood.
I slipped onto a bed larger than my past one-room apartment, lying down and using my tentacles to pull the blanket to cover my body completely.
I want to go back, no, I want to become human again.
Though so much has happened, somehow rather than getting used to it, I felt like I was still stuck at the time when I was possessed.
As anguish and emptiness that visited periodically came again, a tear rolled down from my closed eyes.
“…Lord!”
[?]
“Please listen to my story, being from another world!”
However, at that moment, I instinctively opened my eyes wide.
[Who dares?]
“Ah…aaaaah!”
I immediately pulled down the blanket and extended dozens of tentacles to subdue the intruder in an instant.
A strike with demon energy surrounding each tentacle that even a Sword Master’s blade energy couldn’t cut. I guarantee that at this point even a hero couldn’t escape from this.
“Kheuk… p-please spare…”
[A fairy? But somewhat different]
I opened my eyes and examined her carefully.
She had pink hair flowing down and wore a pure white dress. Her ears were pointed, but she wasn’t an elf. On her back were wings like those of a butterfly.
I searched through my memories.
I had no memory of such a race living in this demon realm, nor in the human territories, nor in the realms of elves and celestials.
[How laughable. Did you come knowing who I am, fairy?]
“Heuuk..”
My eye curved. Well, at least an interesting incident had occurred after a while.
“Bus…”
[What?]
“Bu…siness card…”
With trembling hands, she searched her pocket and pulled something out. I extended a tentacle to snatch it.
Or rather, business card? It was a word both familiar yet strange.
“Lana Land Corporation Scout, Department Head Yuria?”
What is this terrible hybrid? Surprised, I gently loosened my grip on her neck.
In this space sealed with my energy anyway, she couldn’t escape, nor could other demons find us.
*
[Now, tell me]
‘I picked the wrong target.’
Fairy Yuria sat demurely but was dripping with cold sweat. Until now, no matter who she met, she had only bowed her head to other fairies, and among them only to a handful of superiors.
But at this moment, she was feeling genuine terror.
“I… well…”
[You said you’re a scout. Why would a scout come here?]
‘If I speak, I die.’
Yuria, turned pale, desperately racked her brains.
But there was no answer. She couldn’t dare tell a lie to that large eye staring down at her.
“To… arrange… a contract…”
[What kind of contract?]
“Ma…gi…cal…”
[Speak up louder. Should I break and crush your limbs one by one to make your voice louder?]
“Hiiieek!”
As the tentacles wrapping around her crept closer, she panicked and shook her head vigorously.
“Magical girl! I came to arrange a magical girl contract!”
Finally, when a tentacle wrapped around her ankle, she burst out screaming.
[What nonsense is that?]
“W-well, Demon King of another world. Of course you wouldn’t know what a magical girl is. But let me explain…”
[No, I think I know what a magical girl is. What I’m asking is why you came here]
“That’s…”
Yuria, slightly surprised, looked around carefully before gradually starting to reveal information.
That recently her fairy company Lana Land was falling behind in competition with other companies and business wasn’t going well.
That because of this, Yuria, eager for business, crossed the walls between worlds alone despite knowing it was illegal, seeking stronger and more beautiful magical girls for promotion and incentives.
That she had searched only by talent detection, but whether it malfunctioned or not, she ended up here.
“I’m really sorry, Great Demon King. No, Your Majesty. I really had no ill intentions, I just cast it on automatic and… I’m sorry for the discourtesy. I’ll do anything, please spare me and let me go. I truly regret it. At home, though I may not look like it, I have rabbit… well anyway, I have siblings depending on me alone, and if I die here, our company will go bankrupt, and then Earth where we’re currently doing business will surely…”
[Wait. Did you just say Earth?]
Yuria, who had been rattling off words at machine-gun speed while pressing her forehead to the floor, abruptly stopped speaking.
Before her eyes, a large curved eye had approached right up to her face and was staring at her.