Original subtitles

The magician's name was Ike.

He served in the Demon Lord's army, and was the grandson of Romberg, the master magician.

Ike-sama, I think we can break through the castle gates.

That was faster than I thought.

Indeed! I gave the orcs a battering ram, as you ordered.

Ike, Commander of the Undying Brigade

I guess I don't need to ask who you are, do I?

I assume you're the Demon Lord's army commander.

I am Ike, commander of the Demon Lord's army's seventh corps undying brigade.

You have three options left to you.

First, surrender and turn your territories over to us.

Second, die by your own hand, like a man of honor.

Third, flee while I take a moment to admire the scenery outside the window.

Oh? You're a demon, but you're showing mercy?

But none of those options work for me.

Well, I knew that was coming.

Ike-sama, you're safe...

See to his wounds.

Huh?

To the soldiers who surrendered, as well.

A single brigade was all it took to capture Arsenam.

And in a single week, too.

I knew he had potential.

Barrier magic.

The battle's over.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty about hurting so many people.

And I'll never get used to the blood and gore of war.

Because...

I'm a human. Not a demon.

My teacher, Romberg, was a great mage.

He also knew all there was to know about

the advanced civilization that once lived in this world.

Romberg took me in and raised me on a whim, even though I was human.

Romberg taught me all his knowledge and magic.

But in his last moments, he told me never to speak of

the lost civilization, as it would someday bring disaster.

There was one more thing he said...

Listen well, Ike.

You must never take off that robe and mask.

If your identity is revealed, the Demon Lord will never forgive you.

Yes, sir.

This room is surrounded by a powerful barrier.

Without my permission, no one can enter.

Right?

What?

How long have you been there?

Don't kill me!

I saw nothing!

Please don't kill me!

Hey...

Fuhnyan...

I'm the one who wants to cry.

I kept my identity a secret for 20 years, and this is how it gets found out?

Ike-sama!

We managed to take the castle, fortunately,

but don't you think you're letting too many humans live?

Don't worry.

The new Demon Lord isn't like the last one and cares only about results.

The other leaders are saying we could slaughter all the people and burn the town.

And if we kill them all, who is going to pay taxes?

Arsenam is a trading city.

If nobody lives in the town, who's going to do the trading?

That's true, but...

A word if I may, Ike-sama.

Hey! No mere human may speak to Ike-sama!

Speak.

How much are we supposed to pay the Demon Lord's army in taxes?

The same amount you've always been paying!

However...

anyone who resists the Demon Lord's army, no matter who they are, will be punished.

Understand?

Ike-sama?

Not again...

You promised not to just summon me out of nowhere, Commander!

Come forth! Slash!

The little boy who used to hide behind his grandfather, master magician Romberg,

has grown up to be so strong.

I was pretty confident in the golem I made.

This is the Demon Lord's army seventh corps commander, Cefiro.

She's my direct superior, and the only demon who knows my secret.

Commander, please just send a messenger or something.

That wouldn't be any fun at all.

So, it's been a while.

Is this about Arsenam?

I was just thinking I had to make my report.

My familiars have already told me everything.

How you took the city, and what you did after.

It's all fine.

Then why did you summon me?

Dairokuten-sama wishes to see you in person, it seems.

You may be the first brigade commander to receive such an honor.

Why me?

You probably impressed them by taking Arsenam in a single week.

So I'm taking you to the Demon Lord's castle.

Now?

Put your hand on my shoulder.

Aw, I thought you might try to put a hand on my breasts, instead.

I would never.

Eat this and stay put.

I wonder what it says...

D-Delicious!

Oh? Is the miasma around the castle affecting you?

That doesn't surprise me. You are human, after all.

Commander, does that magician check everyone who enters the castle?

Of course.

Did you think you could meet the Demon Lord without going through any checks?

This is bad, Commander.

Won't they find me out?

They look like they'll remove my mask and robe.

Don't worry. I'll take care of it.

Such splendid magic.

Just what I'd expect from Romberg's grandson.

You knew my grandfather?

Every demon knows the name of the master magician.

I guess even after his death, he's still famous.

What are you talking about?

The Demon Lord awaits.

The Demon Lord's castle, Doberberg, is extremely large.

It was built to display the Demon Lord's vast power and magical might.

So the hallways are extremely long.

And now I'm walking down one of them.

Commander, how long until we reach the audience chamber?

We're almost there.

You're thinking that it's not fair I can float, aren't you?

I am not.

I was, actually.

That magic of hers, flight, is one I've always wanted.

I can use the spell itself, but I can't control it as well as her.

The most I can do is jump very high.

Ike, wait here.

I'll talk to them first.

The current Demon Lord, Dairokuten, turned around the war against humanity

and gave the demons the upper hand in a single battle.

The leader of the demons and the strongest man.

The rumors speak of him as cruel and cold.

He'll kill anyone he deems incompetent, friend or foe.

But if he finds something of value in them,

he'll put them to good use, even if they lack magic or physical strength.

He judges based only on ability,

and so he revolutionized the Demon Lord's army.

Demons are born unwilling to work with others.

They were constantly fighting among themselves.

It was Dairokuten-sama, the current Demon Lord, who changed all that.

So it's time for me to meet the highest commander of the Demon Lord's army.

It's fine, Ike.

Enter.

So you're Ike, who serves under Cefiro.

Yes, sir.

Raise your head.

Yes, sir.

Welcome to the Demon Lord's castle.

This girl is the Demon Lord?

I've heard you brought down the impregnable fortress city of Arsenam in a mere week.

Yes. But I simply did as I was ordered.

Cefiro-sama deserves full credit.

How humble. You seem almost human.

Crap! My own humility hurt me!

This is the grandson of Romberg, the man they called the Guardian of Hell.

I see. So he's Romberg's grandson.

That explains his humility.

He's likely a man of deep thoughts.

And thus he didn't kill the people, or execute the leader.

He was able to bring down Arsenam with almost no loss of life.

Maybe I should've listened to Jiron

and acted like a demon would and executed the leader in public.

No, I'm a human. I can't do that.

If I screw this up...

If I may speak, Demon Lord...

Go ahead.

Thank you. Humans may fear terror, but they will not obey it.

Past history proves that.

When you compare the productivity of towns where the leaders were executed by demons

with that of those where the leaders were left in power,

it becomes clear which of the two is better for our army.

Was that Romberg's opinion?

Yes.

Demon Lord Dairokuten.

I've only talked to her for a few minutes,

but I'm almost certain about something...

She knows about the ancient civilization, just like Romberg.

She used that knowledge to revolutionize the Demon Lord's army.

You really are different from the other demons.

Next time, I want to see your real face, behind the mask.

I expect to see more of the same results from you.

Work hard.

I thought I was done for.

What, Ike, you got nervous for once?

I might wear a scary mask, but I'm a wimp!

And more importantly, she knew this was a mask!

Shouldn't you be grateful she didn't realize you were human?

Anyway, she gave you a reward.

A reward?

If you can call it a reward, of course.

It seems closer to a punishment, in my view.

Hey.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Please don't hurt me!

I'll do anything! Please just don't kill me!

I don't want to die!

Calm down. I'm not going to kill you.

What's your name?

T-Thirteen.

Thirteen?

That's a strange name.

Slaves are always referred to by number.

My mother called me Satie.

But I can't just let you go now that you know I'm human.

Don't worry! I've seen nothing!

I'll keep it a secret forever!

Fine.

I'll believe you.

But in exchange...

From now on, you're my maid.

You have no right to refuse. If you don't like it—

Thanks for having me!

Then it's a deal...

Ike-sama! Congratulations on becoming ruler of Ivalias.

Ruler? Me?

It shouldn't be that much of a surprise.

But why Ivalias?

It's further to the south than Arsenam.

It will be on the front lines of the war from now on.

B-But...

It's a small town, but one critical to our army.

Your mission will be to protect it and bring in double its tax revenue.

Double?!

In the middle of a war?

I can increase that to three times, if you like...

C-Commander!

This will be the front lines of the battle against humanity.

They could attack at any time.

Hmph! She doesn't think about what comes after the battle at all!

First, we'll repair the walls.

I'll find laborers and engineers from among the populace.

How long will it take to repair the walls?

Six months, given the shape they're in.

That's too long.

Should I give up on them?

No, if we're attacked, we won't last a minute.

We need to repair the walls.

There must be a way.

One month!

We'll do it in a month.

That's impossible!

Can we really do it in a month?

Of course. We won't use only human power.

Humans and demons working together.

I've never seen such a thing!

Ike-sama is always full of surprises!

He's split them into eight-hour shifts so they can work 24 hours a day.

And he's even paying them to increase their morale!

I can tell... this man's a genius!

Now I see why they say he's the Demon Lord's Army's most brilliant leader!

Step away from there.

I just need to follow him and everything will work out!

It'd be a mistake to leave him!

Ike-sama will surely...

...become the next Demon Lord!