"In turn, let me properly introduce myself."
Sinensis finally takes his feet off the table and stands up. He's wearing a perfectly-tailored Victorian noble outfit. I almost believe that he's been parading around as lord of this manor.
"Kagami Nakamatsu, nineteen, Demon Lord." He laughs bitterly.
“Nakamatsu? Like The Flowering Tea Emporium’s—”
“He’s my father.”
I suddenly remember a cold case from three years ago. A teenage boy had gone missing. He left for school one day and never made it there. Although the police suspected the grieving father, they could never make any accusations stick. Mr. Nakamatsu’s ex-wife wasn’t even on their radar, already out of the picture for years by this point.
"I was sixteen when I was summoned here by the famous mages of Camellia. I never had the chance to graduate high school or go to college. Instead, I was thrown into the peoples' war against the former Demon Lord."
How much of this bullshit does he believe and how much is a perfectly-crafted eighth-grade delusion?
"I was the fifth hero. All of the others had died. Nobody had high hopes for me. But they gave me a magic sword and some basic training, and I surprised all of them by taking him down. The royal mages were forced to admit they thought the Demon King would have a portal home to our world. The King acted like it would be my honor to rule some backwater duchy as a titled noble for the rest of my life."
Kagami paces across the room. He's getting agitated like a common crook about to be busted. I can probably use this attitude to my advantage.
"I found out that the Demon Lord was getting his power from a magic stone and took it for myself. It turns out, if you have it, lesser demons don't question your authority. That, coupled with what I knew from living in a modern world, gave me the leverage I needed to start reforming the country. Nobody was happy about that, so they started calling me the new Demon Lord."
"So," I found myself asking, "Why hasn’t anyone been summoned to defeat you?”
"Oh, they have. But I'm not into guys. I send them away after I defeat them."
"So you summon girls. For blind dates over tea."
"Precisely." He takes a seat again. "The girls from this world are all terrified of me, and even if I found one who wasn't, it's not like she'd have the same upbringing. How do I relate to someone who's never used a smartphone or been stuck on a crowded train?"
"I'm sure you'd figure something out. Now, where do you send the boys? To the same place as the girls?"
"I give them all a small sum of gold and send them off to town. Nice and simple. They rarely come back for more."
"You're surprisingly honest for a kidnapper. If you set them free, how come they've never returned home?"
"The summoning spell only works one way," Kagami repeats, losing his cool. "You're not going to trip me up or catch me in some kind of lie. It's real. You saw Lavender. They're a bonafide demon. You've seen me use magic twice already, and I'll use it as many times as it takes to convince you that you're not dreaming or hallucinating."
He holds up a finger to his lips like he's telling a secret, then blows on it, producing a blue flame that dances at its tip. He flings it across the room, where it hovers over my teacup, illuminating the liquid inside. When he snaps, it disappears.
I'm about ready to accept that this could be another world, but like hell I'm going to let him know that. I refuse to believe that the spell was a one-way door. There has to be something that someone isn't seeing. Lost in thought, I barely notice when he starts speaking again.
"Now, would you like to get to know each other a little better, Chiba?"
"I know you about as well as I'll ever want to," I answer stubbornly.
"At least don't let your tea get cold. I can't stand to see it go to waste." Kagami sighs. "I had hoped this time would be different, but I'm starting to lose faith. Nobody from our world has any ambition."
"I have plenty of ambition. To become a cop and haul your ass off to jail."
"Cool it with that justice boner. You're worse than the NEET I summoned. She was a total babe, but a nerd through and through."
"Don't talk about girls like they're pieces of meat."
"Whatever."
"Don't you whatever me. Apologize."
He waves a hand in front of his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Now, will you drink up already?"
"How do I know you haven’t poisoned it?”
"And ruin a perfectly good cup of tea? Come now, you have to expect better of someone in my position. If I wanted to drug you or keep you here by force, I could have cast any number of spells while you were unconscious and recovering from the summoning." He leers. "I could have had Lavender bring you here in restraints."
"Gross." I frown into the cup, but grudgingly pick it up.
It has an amazing aroma that reminds me of freshly-baked cookies. It burns my tongue but I slowly sip it anyway.
My vision goes white. I hear a whirring noise, like a computer booting up.
Suddenly, the world has an overlay to it, as if it’s part of a computer game or virtual reality simulation. As my eyes focus on each aspect of the room, my... mental processor also focuses on it. Everything looks a little sharper, more real.
Kagami shoots me a concerned look. Text unfolds above his head:
Demon Lord Sinensis (level unknown)
It’s apparent that I am, in fact, hallucinating. I need to flush this crap out of my system and fast. The teacup slips from my fingers and clatters against the table. A bit of liquid sloshes over the side, staining the white tablecloth.
I forcefully kick my chair backwards, away from the table. “I have to use the bathroom.”
“I’ll have someone escort you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
Without waiting another moment, I head straight out the door. He lets me leave. Does he expect me to get lost? Worse, does he expect me to come back?
As I spin around, trying to remember the way back to the room that has my clothes, I notice a compass in the corner of my vision. This is weird. This is really weird. I don’t know how I’m imagining this with any degree of accuracy. You see, the embarrassing fact of the matter is, I don’t actually have a sense of direction.
“How about east?” I mumble, setting off in the arrow’s helpful direction.
I refuse to go back inside. I may not be sneaking off, but I’ve definitely bought myself a little bit of time alone to investigate. A castle like this probably has dozens of rooms that could be holding the other girls — and even the guys. What were the odds that there was even a dungeon where they were all locked up? I clench a fist and scowl. I’ll make sure Nakamatsu is the one put behind bars for this.
If I was a dungeon, where would I be...?
The basement is an obvious guess, but I have no idea where this hallway leads, let alone where I’m going to find a staircase. I have no choice. I’ll have to find a demon and strong-arm them into leading me there. There’s bound to be someone with a grudge against the Demon Lord, even among his own men and women.
I take my chances on the next door, opening it a crack and peering inside. It’s another tea room. Several people are sitting around a table, pinkies raised and legs crossed, engaging in conversation that I can barely make out. The longer I watch, the more it becomes evident that these, too, are demons.
More specifically, each one is a Demon (level 6). I don’t know too much about level ups and that sort of thing, but I know danger when I see it. I’m able to close the door without being noticed, but the hallway extends ever farther and I don’t know where to go.
The next room I gamble on is a huge library that almost takes my breath away. I don’t expect to find any of my favorites here, but I can’t deny my fondness for hardboiled detective fiction. With more curiosity than I should have in a situation like this, I pull one large, leatherbound tome from the first shelf. Its spine is blank, giving no indication of what’s inside. The title on the cover is written in a scrawling, gibberish script.
Damn it! They’re really thorough with their props. Then again, what was I expecting, a map of the hideout? It’s not like this is a video game.
I hear the door open.
