Chapter 1: Acedia, Part 3: It’s not like I’m a NEET or Anything
I don’t mean to brag, but it’s not like the only thing I do is sleep.
When I get hungry, I eat, and when it’s time for cleaning, I do get off of the bed.
Right, I just don’t work. It’s not like I’m a NEET or anything.
“… You really are the worst. That’s what society calls a NEET.”
“I’m on unearned income.” (TL: Google it)
“No, it’s not like you’re living like this for free or anything, right!?”
No to me, it kinda feels free.
I’m not really worried about it, but if possible, I prefer my bed to be soft. And so, when they come to clean, I do get off of it. For a change of pace, I did think of changing my room every now and then, but I don’t want to walk in the hallway, so the idea was rejected. I’m not that desperate for a fluffy bed.
The greatest reason I’m grateful for having been reborn a devil, is that no matter how much I sleep, I never get a headache.
I take a big stretch after I get off the bed, and lower myself into a sturdy chair made of wood.
It’s my favorite. Apparently it has quite a history behind it, and it’s quite valuable, but I’m none too knowledgeable. When I lean back and let it swing back and forth, it’s as if I’m a baby being rocked to sleep in a cradle. It makes me sleepy.
“Oy, wrap that around me.”
“Yes. As you wish, my liege.”
The maid who had come to clean has a bright smile on her face as she brings the blanket over.
It’s this. This is how you’re supposed to be treating the existence called the Demon Lord.
Demon Lord isn’t just some random title. I have my own retainers, and some land.
It’s all what I was granted by the Great Demon King, but I don’t really care. What’s essential is that the people I’ve been granted all take good care of me.
I don’t mean to brag, but I can’t clean, cook or do laundry. The only thing I can do is sleep.
I say my thanks, as she wraps it around the armchair.
And as I was relaxing like that, the Great Demon Lord’s subordinate sent me flying.
She thrust at the chair with an incredible amount of power. My body floats in the air for a while before I crash head-first into the wall.
What power. Every time she hits me, I start to remember my past life as a human, and confirm the fact that this is, indeed, another world.
Is it just my imagination, or is this woman’s treatment of me getting worse, and worse?
“Ah… my liege!? A-are you alright!?”
“Yeah.”
“Quit screwing around!”
The woman stamps her foot in frustration. With just that action, the floor that’s supposed to be protected with a barrier of the highest class begins to creak.
Her expression is like that of a devil. Um, when did she get here again?
The maid lifts me by the armpits, and sets me back on the chair.
She thrusts her finger at the Great Demon King’s follower.
As she’s my subject, of course, the maid is also a devil. I don’t know her attribute. IF I may add, I also don’t know her name.
I’m bad at remembering people’s names. Most of the time, I just don’t have any interest.
“The one who should quit is you, Lize Bloodcross! Even if you’re a supervisor sent directly from Kanon-sama, your attitude towards our Demon Lord goes beyond what could be called rude!”
I see. So this woman had a name like Lize.
Now that you mention it, I get the feeling that she introduced herself when she was first stationed here.
“The hell are you saying!? It’s because you guys are like this, that that Demon Lord over there never has any intentions of working!”
Even I couldn’t stay silent at such a remark.
“No, even if they weren’t here, I have no intention of working, you know.”
“As expected of Leigie-sama!”
The maid is looking at me with sparkling eyes of admiration. I wonder if she realizes that I don’t know her name.
And I wonder just what part of me she’s admiring.
Well, all of it doesn’t really matter.
With feelings of resignation, I closed my eyes.
“Wait… Don’t sleep! Didn’t you just get up!?”
“Lize, the Demon Lord is sleeping! Please be quiet!”
“Haaaaa!? Why are all you people so soft on this Demon Lord!? And wait, why is this thing a Demon Lord anyways!? All he does is sleep!”
Ah, she’s loud.
Ah, all of this is a pain.
There are plenty of demons, but very few Demon Lords.
The method for determining a Demon Lord is simple.
Class: 『Demon Lord』
The ones who have that are the Demon Lords.
Classes are a concept that didn’t exist in my previous world, but to put it simply, it’s like your occupation.
By rising in Class, humans are able to access various incomprehensible superpowers… various forms of something called Skills. I don’t know the details, and I don’t know on what system they work. I don’t even know if there’s a set system. What’s important is that by dabbling in your class, you can get to use some convenient powers, and that’s all. Even without any effort.
What’s more, reincarnators usually end up with some special classes. Like Hero, or Savior or Sage.
In my case, I was born with 『Demon』 as my class.
After a few years of living a depraved life, it became 『Demon Lord』 before I even noticed it. Having Classes change is apparently something that happens all the time. I get the feeling that there was some criterion on who would advance Classes, but I don’t really remember.
Anyways, in the end, I became a Demon Lord without putting in any effort, and I was suddenly able to use some strange powers freely.
In that sense, giving an answer to this woman’s question would be easy.
I became a Demon Lord by doing nothing but sleeping. It wasn’t by my will.
That’s all I can say, and I don’t have any answers besides that.
But it’ll be a pain, so I won’t speak up.
“Demon Lord Leigie of the Slaughter Dolls! As a member of the Great Demon King’s personal 『Order of Black』, I command you in the name of Great Demon King 『Kanon』! Lead your Legion, and head to the Prison of Flames. Bring ruin to the Demon Lord who hath gone against us, Granzer Esther!”
“Don’t want to.”
Why? For what reason would I have to go to some random place for some guy I don’t know?
“Huh? You plan to refuse a direct order under the Great Demon King’s name? Do you truly understand the meaning of such an act?”
“…”
I truly did not care, so I was going to answer, ‘No Idea’, but I felt that would make things complicated, so I stayed silent.
It’s a problem of personality. I don’t think I’m ever going to come to an understanding with this woman. I hate pointless things, and I hate troublesome things even more. What I love is sleep and spare time, and I care not for anything else.
I call over the maid watching over us, and say a single word.
“Iyo.”
“… Understood.”
The maid respectfully bows her head.
She made quiet steps as she departed from the room. I finally closed my eyes once more, only to feel my head get smacked again.
It was an amazing display of strength. My favorite chair was smashed to pieces beneath me, and cracks spread across the ground as I crashed into it.
The woman’s arms were slender. About as thick as a weakling like mine’s.
But this is but a fantasy world, so appearance and power are disproportional.
She pants heavily as she raises her eyes. I take a glance at her, and since my chair had been smashed, I laid on the ground where I was.
I can’t go back to the bed yet. It has to air. And climbing up to the top of the bed is a pain.
The woman stared at me with a dumbfound expression as I spread myself on the groud.
“… Wh-what!? Y…you’re… t-that bad!? H-how about you try saying something at least?”
She’s an exceedingly troublesome woman.
Especially the part where she immediately resorts to violence. Let me add that as this woman is a direct follower of Kanon, she’s much stronger than an average devil. Devils have various ranks, and between a normal Demon and Demon Lord, there are numerous positions. Within that, the position one lower than a Demon Lord… I guess she has as much power as a General. This world is definitely a Fantasy, but because of the separation by rank, and the glass ceiling, I guess there’s not really a difference between this world and that one. Well, I guess her skill level is deserving of it, but…
This is a pain.
“I’m against violence.”
She grabs me by the cuff of my shirt, and shakes me back and forth.
Therein is the form of a small woman threatening a man much larger than her. But in the end, with something like this, disrupting my sleep is… impossible.
“What? You’re going to close your eyes in a situation like this!? Impossible, irrational, what the hell is up with this Demon Lord!!?”
She slaps my face left and right, and gets in a few well-placed body blows.
She uses an uppercut on my chin to get me airborne, and continues with a beautiful combo of kicks. Her flowing movements have been heavily polished, giving me the idea that this woman is quite used to beating up humans.
This one… even after transferring jobs, she isn’t showing any mercy.
The shockwaves emanating from each blow rip apart the cover, and feathers fly everywhere in a flashy display.
That Kanon guy’s going to be getting an invoice for this… of course, I won’t be the one sending it.
But in the end, trying to disrupt my sleep with this much is… impossible.
It’s not like I’m strong against pain or anything. I’m not taking any damage.
A difference between here and Japan is that a few things from that world have been systematically placed under something called HP, and as long as that doesn’t decrease, my body won’t get any wounds, and I won’t feel any pain.
Normal kicks and skills would drop my HP, but here, by the judgement of a stat called Vitality… the higher your VIT is, the lower the damage.
This entire world is built off of parameters, and using them, you can make a clear calculative comparison. It’s quite a pain.
And despite everything, me being a Demon Lord makes my VIT needlessly high. Every time the woman hits me, my VIT gets in the way, and my body is taking less damage than if I was being beaten up by a baby.
This is making me sleepy.
But she sure is an annoying woman. Just what is her attribute supposed to be?
My curiosity has been peaked ever so slightly.
“Hey, you. What’s your…”
And there, I breathed in a deep sigh. I flopped onto the floor, and rolled over as I averted my gaze.
“Don’t. Stop. In. The. Middle. Of. Your. Sentence!!!!!”
She really is a noisy woman. I really don’t have that much interest in you, you know.
I opened my mouth because I felt like it, but along the way, I realized I didn’t care.
The sole of her foot comes down on the defenseless me numerous times. My head is being kicked around like a soccer ball, and finally, she presses her sword against my face.
Don’t be bringing out a blade here. Not that I plan on saying anything, but…
A few minutes later, after overexerting herself, all that was left was the Great Demon King’s underling who had used all her energy, and me, who hadn’t taken any damage.
“Hah… hah… This man… I’d heard about it, but… H-he’s hard…”
Of course. As long as my VIT is high, I can sleep without paying heed to my environment.
With my bountiful VIT, high temperature, low temperature, poison, and even paralysis, and all other status ailments, as well as abnormalities don’t work against me.
It’s not like I was born this way, it’s a skill held by those of Demon Lord Class.
But the details are a pain to explain, so I’ll omit them.
The woman opened her hand, and stared at her own palm in amazement.
“So this is… the Demon Lord of 『Acedia』…”
Watch closely, and bear witness. Now kneel before my power.
And if I may beseech you, please quiet down. I assure you that’s the only path that will make everyone happy.