From the fact that both Kazuma Satō and Kyōya Mitsurugi had appeared in this otherworld, it was clear that people summoned from modern society were far more numerous than just those two.
This wasn't a video game.
If you died here, you were truly dead.
Before arriving in this world, most of these powerless modern humans were granted what could only be described as cheat-level divine artifacts. Even so, unlucky cases like Kazuma were hardly rare. At least Kazuma was still alive, however miserable his life had become.
Others weren't so fortunate.
Some transmigrators, upon arriving in this world, lost their lives almost immediately for one reason or another.
As a beginner city, Akuseru naturally became a gathering point for newly arrived people from modern Earth. When those people died, the powerful artifacts they carried were inevitably left behind in this region.
And as the ruler of Akuseru, it went without saying that those artifacts would ultimately fall into the hands of the local lord—Arudapu.
Some artifacts were bound by user restrictions, making them unusable by Arudapu. But not all divine items worked that way.
For example, the artifact he currently possessed—"Random Monster Summoning"—had been left behind by a deceased adventurer.
Through this artifact, Arudapu had successfully summoned one of Hell's most powerful beings—
The Demon Duke Makusuweru.
Although Arudapu was not the artifact's original owner and therefore should have paid a price, Makusuweru was completely incapable of remembering whether a price had already been collected. As a result, since Makusuweru firmly believed that Arudapu had already paid the cost, he continued to act in accordance with the contract.
As one of the seven great Demon Dukes of Hell, Makusuweru's power was beyond question—if anything, he was stronger than the former Demon King general, Berudia.
He possessed the terrifying ability to manipulate causality itself, to twist reality and overwrite truth. Whether in level or racial hierarchy, he far surpassed the headless knight Berudia.
There were only seven Demon Dukes in all of Hell. Though they did not belong to the Demon King's army, some of them were powerful enough to rival the Demon King himself.
Makusuweru appeared as a handsome young man and was kept hidden by Arudapu in the underground chambers of his estate, treated as an absolute secret.
Ever since obtaining Makusuweru's assistance, Arudapu's rise had been unstoppable. With Makusuweru's reality-warping power, countless achievements that never belonged to him were effortlessly redirected into his name.
This time was no exception.
Even the feat of slaying a Demon King general—originally accomplished by Ren Kuroda—could have been stolen outright by Arudapu by distorting the memories of witnesses and rewriting reality itself.
The only thing Arudapu hadn't anticipated was this:
Despite his current status, a mere adventurer had dared to reject his summons—and with such blatant arrogance.
On another level, Arudapu was also uneasy. The more he relied on Makusuweru's power, the greater the risk that the demon might remember something… and demand payment.
Everyone knew that forming a contract with a demon required a price.
That price could be one's life.
One's soul.
Even something belonging to one's direct bloodline.
In short, demons did not work cheaply—especially powerful ones.
Yet strangely enough, whether due to his innate personality or the artifact's influence, Makusuweru—one of Hell's seven great Demon Dukes—was astonishingly innocent and simple-minded.
Perhaps that was why he believed Arudapu's lie so completely—that the price had already been paid—and proceeded to commit countless atrocities on his behalf.
"Yo, Arudapu. What brings you here today?"
Makusuweru smiled faintly, his voice light.
"There's a delicious scent clinging to you. Anger, isn't it? Such intense negative emotions are our favorite nourishment."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Judging by how furious you are… who is it this time that you want me to deal with using my power?"
Demons fed on human negativity, and Arudapu's rage over Ren Kuroda burned so brightly that Makusuweru understood the situation without needing an explanation.
In truth, every time Arudapu came here, it was to make use of him.
"That's right, Makusuweru," Arudapu said coldly."I want you to use your power to alter the memories of everyone in Akuseru who witnessed the Demon King general's death. Replace the person who defeated the headless knight with me—Arudapu."
"And while you're at it, add something else."
He smiled cruelly.
"Make them believe that the Demon King army attacked Akuseru because of an adventurer named Ren Kuroda. Brand him as a spy—an agent of the Demon King."
He wanted the credit.
And he had no intention of sparing the adventurer who dared to offend him.
To fall from "Hero of Akuseru" to "Demon King collaborator"—surely that would be a delightful experience for Ren Kuroda.
Meanwhile, Arudapu himself would take the hero's mantle, earn royal commendation, and ascend to a higher noble rank.
"Berudia was really killed, huh?" Makusuweru muttered."Well, whatever. Still… that's a lot of memories to rewrite."
He frowned slightly.
"Are you sure the price you paid me before was enough? I don't really remember you giving me anything particularly valuable."
For the first time, doubt surfaced on Makusuweru's expression.
"Of course it was!" Arudapu snapped."You insatiable demon—are you trying to violate our contract?"
"The price I paid was for you to help me become the most powerful noble in this kingdom! What I'm asking now is merely a necessary step toward that goal!"
Inside, Arudapu was panicking—but his outward demeanor remained forceful and unyielding.
This was exactly why he had hesitated to rely on Makusuweru again. The demon had begun to question whether the price had ever truly been paid.
After all, Arudapu wasn't the artifact's original owner.
He had formed a contract… yet paid nothing.
Fortunately for him, Makusuweru's mind was far duller than his power was terrifying. Upon hearing Arudapu's confident declaration, he simply accepted it.
A demon—yet hopelessly foolish.
Still, foolish or not, Arudapu had absolute faith in Makusuweru's strength.
After all…
This was the very power that had carried him to where he stood today.