NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
Chapter 2. Zilbagias
Well, it’s me, Hero Alexander, now reincarnated as Zilbagias, the Demon Lord’s Prince.
It’s been a while since I was reborn.
At first, I was quite aware of myself as “me,” but after that, I suddenly got sleepy, my emotions became uncontrollable, and it was all quite a hassle.
The scariest part was when I found myself spaced out and gradually started to lose track of who I was.
—Huh? Who am I again?
Once I started thinking like that, I felt my memories slipping away, and I was on the verge of forgetting everything. Right after I woke up in the morning, I could clearly recall the dreams I had, but before I knew it, I couldn’t remember at all—kind of like that.
I am Hero Alexander.
No matter what anyone says, I am Hero Alexander…!
Saying that to myself while drinking from the breast.
Well, I won’t go into my baby life too much, so let me summarize what I’ve realized while living in the Demon Lord Castle.
– It’s been about two years since the assault on the Demon Lord’s Castle.
In other words, I was killed by the Demon Lord two years ago. The assault team was completely wiped out, and the Demon Lord is—well, you know, still perfectly fine. The operation was a total failure.
– The Pan-Humanity Alliance is still losing.
Since the Demon Lord is doing great, the Demon Lord Army is as strong as ever. The allied nations are gradually having their borders chipped away, and during my time as a baby, a small country in the central part of the continent has disappeared.
Damn it.
– Apparently, I am the seventh prince.
The Demon Lord has seven heirs, including me. The eldest son is around 70 years old, and the eldest daughter is around 50. Then, there’s a bunch of brothers and sisters about ten years apart from each other.
The Demon Race can live quite a long time, around 300 years, and while they’re not as difficult as elves to have children, having one every ten years isn’t bad for a Demon.
However, as the seventh child, I seem to be quite unimportant. Since the day I was born, I haven’t even met the Demon Lord. The phrase “the more heirs, the better” and that indifferent attitude pretty much sums it up.
—So, well, that’s about all the information I’ve gathered. Not much, huh? Can’t be helped; I’m just a baby. All I do is eat and sleep all day, so there’s a limit to how much information I can collect.
“Goo goo… ga ga (What’s wrong… huh?)”
Thinking to myself in the cradle.
Why did I get reborn as a Demon? —I don’t know the reason, but I can’t ignore this situation. While my body is that of a demon, my heart is still that of a hero.
—What can I do?
“…Bubu (Bubu)”
Damn it, I’m not good at thinking.
I’m a hero, you know? When the Pope said, “Go and kill!” I’d shout “Yes, sir!” and charge into battle, slaughtering humanity’s enemies! That’s all I could do!
Since I can’t help it, I start shaking the cradle. The frame seems to be made of bones. A lot of parts look like a humanoid skull or thigh bone, but I’ve decided not to think too much about the materials.
I mean… humans do stuff like taxidermy from hunting, right? But even with all the hatred toward demons, I doubt anyone would make furniture out of demon bones… let alone a baby cradle…
Or could it be that in the demon way, it’s no different from the spoils of a hunt? They look down on other races so much. Alright, took down a strong human. Oh, let’s make a cradle for the baby out of this guy’s bones! Like that.
Which means this cradle might have originally belonged to a renowned warrior…
Damn those demons! They must be wiped out!
“I am the hero!”
I lift my hands toward the ceiling.
With my bluish skin and chubby arms.
Right now, they’re all squishy and soft—but with training, I could transform them into arms of steel. It’s infuriating, but demons are far stronger than humans. Their physical strength goes without saying, and their magical power rivals that of elves.
And on top of that, this body carries the blood of the Demon Lord.
Just how much potential must it have hidden inside—
“Alright!”
I’ve made up my mind.
I will kill the Demon Lord!
There’s only so much a muscle-headed hero can think of.
What I can do is fight. Train my body and sharpen my skills, that’s the only way I can succeed in the Demon Lord assassination plan.
I’ll show you, rising to the top!
I grip my chubby little hand tightly.
“…Hoozoo”
Now that I’ve made up my mind, I feel all pumped up.
In fact, tears are starting to flow.
“…Hoozoo! Hoozoo!”
Ah, this is it.
I’m getting hungry!
Feed me! Feed me!
Unable to control my emotions, I start crying, and soon a demon nurse rushes over.
“Yes, yes, young master, it’s milk time now!”
“Bubu…”
And so, with my stomach full, I drift off to sleep, swearing to defeat the Demon Lord…