A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss

And they couldn't act without extreme caution.

The plan was effective, but it would only ever be able to buy so much time.
Those that opposed Prince Dickwad would soon find an excuse to rally, but they would not be able to touch him so long as he put together a functional administration prior to their arrival.

There were many that didn't want the prince on the throne.

And I was among them.

The prince had already prodded at me twice.
I had no doubt that he would send an even larger force right to my doorstep should he gain full control over the country's military.
I doubted that I would be able to handle the entire thing myself.

There was a chance I would have to ask Lefi to lend me a hand. Yeah no.
Fuck that.

You'd think this idiot would learn his lesson after having his plans to move on me bite him in the ass twice in a row, so he probably won't come again, but I'm just going to go ahead and assume the worst.
Not thinking about something isn't going to stop him from actually doing that something.
God damn it.
There go my days of kicking back with my feet on the sofa.

Though I mentioned having to think up something, the truth was that I already had a little something up my sleeve. Y'know.
Just going to give him a bit of irreversible brain damage and casually turn him into a comatose potato for the rest of his life.
Nothing too special.

I had already identified the exact tool that I would need to do it, a golem called the puppet of possession.
As implied by its name, it was an inanimate creature that was capable of allowing my consciousness to possess it.
It was the perfect assassin.
I could use it to eliminate the prince from a safe distance.
Or at least a relatively safe distance.

The puppet would only function so long as it remained within a hundred meters of me so I couldn't go too far.
Still, it was useful.
Like other golems, I could use additional DP in order to provide it with a specific set of skills. Heh.
Oh, the possibilities.

In truth, it would be much faster for me to descend upon the castle and remove the prince myself, but that didn't quite seem like as good an idea as it seemed.
The castle was home to the royal family and was, as one would expect, situated within the capital.
It was obviously fortified with all sorts of defences.
And as I wasn't exactly all that keen on tying a metaphorical noose around my own neck, I figured it would be a much better idea to send something else in my stead.

Unlike me, the golem was disposable.
The only thing I'd lose from its death was a bit of DP.
Farming up said DP was, in fact, one of the two reasons that Rir and I had been going hunting so often lately, with the other being the need to grow more accustomed to Zaien.

“So what does the church think of the prince?”
“We've got our fair share of misgivings about him coming into power,” said Nell.
“He's the stubborn type, so he'll most likely put a lot of pressure on the church and try to force it to bend to his will.”
“I see..
So are you guys planning to do anything about him then?”
“We're planning to rescue the king.”
“Even though he's missing?”
“Yeah.
I think we're going to go through with it either way.”

I see.
So the church is taking a bit of a firmer stance.
Hmm, actually that'd probably work out in my favour if it went well.

“Sounds good.
How about I lend you guys a bit of a hand?”
“Huh…!? Well uhm, I’d really appreciate it since you’re real strong and it’d be reassuring to have you but…” Nell gave me a dubious, probing look, as if to ask me why I would bother.
“The prince has been a real thorn in my side, so I'm not exactly liking the prospect of having him in total control.
Chances are, he'll probably shove his entire army right onto my doorstep,” I said.
“So I'd much rather have the guy who was king before get back onto the throne.
Doesn't really matter if he turns out dead either, so long as the faction that opposes the prince gets back in power, seeing as how most of them were against invading the Wicked Forest and all that.”

While I didn't lie to Nell, I hadn't told her everything on my mind either.

There was a chance that they would use some sort of weird method I didn't know about in order to track me down if I assassinated the prince.
And if that happened, the whole country would likely be out for my blood even if the old king was reinstated.
Going after the fiend that murdered a member of the royal family was only natural, especially given the fact that it was the god damned prince.

And if that happened, there was a chance I'd end up with a huge army on my doorstep either way.
I wouldn't be able to continue living in peace.
Hence, working with the anti-prince faction was a much better choice, as the faction as a whole would take my place as the culprit responsible for his demise.

“Uhm… I don't think anyone will trust you since you're a demon lord.
I know you're a weirdo, but everyone else will probably assume you're just like all the others,” said Nell. God damn, woman.
Talk about throwing shade.
“No worries.
I wasn't planning on exposing my identity.
Just tell them that I'm someone you happened to meet along the road and that I decided to serve you or something.
I'll even wear a mask, just in case.”
“I'm pretty sure that won't work.
We do have magical tools that appraise people, so…”
“Oh come on, don't worry.
It's fine.
I've got something in mind that'll keep everything right under control.
Trust me.”

The hero put on an expression of unease, to which I responded with nothing but a playful grin.

***

Editor's note (Joker): Hey, guys! Joker here.
Boy, talk about a shift in power.
Looks like Prince Deadasfuck hasn't learned his lesson, so Yuki needs to go over there and show him Daddy's belt.
Seems like Nell is just a tool to get there too.
Wonder what she'll do when she finds out.
Should be fun to see, aye? All right, let's take a look at the letter bag.
*he reaches into the bag, feels around for a while, then pauses and puts his whole head into it.
After a few seconds, he turns it over and shakes it.
Bits of dust and lint fall out as he looks crestfallen* Oh.
I see… No letters this time.
Oh well.
I guess I can go though and thank the ones from chapter 84 that I didn't get to since Boss Young'un gave us 85 so fast.
So thanks Zehd Cashew and zrxr for your questions.
Remember, if you've got a question you'd like answered by me, leave it in the comments below and I'll reply.
Get noticed by your senpai today! All right, everyone.
See y'all in the next chapter! *he goes to pick up the sack, but notices a weight in it.
Excited, he turns it over and shakes it, only for the Demon Lord of all moths to come flying out and straight at him, the wingspan larger than his head.
He lets out a high pitched shriek and runs off*

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