Volume 4
The journey to the demon realm began with a swirl of black and purple energy. General Gorvath slammed his axe into the ground, opening a spiraling portal that hummed like a monstrous vacuum cleaner.
Aria squeezed my hand. "Stay close. Demon portals can be… unpredictable."
Before I could respond, the portal sucked us in like a hungry whirlpool.
The world twisted. My stomach flipped. I briefly questioned every life decision I'd ever made.
Then—thud—we landed on something soft.
I blinked. We were sitting on what looked like a gigantic, fluffy red carpet stretching across a castle hall bigger than any cathedral. Floating torches lit the obsidian walls, and dozens of demons of all shapes stared at us in stunned silence.
A tiny demon with bird wings gasped. "The new Demon Lord has arrived!"
Another demon dropped to his knees. "All hail!"
Aria flinched. "N-No! Don't hail me! I'm not—"
But her words were drowned out by a booming cheer that shook the castle.
Gorvath stepped forward proudly. "Behold! The strongest being in existence! Our rightful ruler!"
Aria slapped her forehead. "Please stop introducing me like that…"
The tiny demon girl from before tugged on Aria's dress. "My Lady, the coronation preparations are nearly complete. Also, we selected your throne! It's made of enchanted magma and fifty percent dragon fang."
"I don't want a magma throne!" Aria wailed.
Meanwhile, I looked around nervously. Dozens of intimidating demons were staring at… me.
One whispered, "Is that her consort?"
Another muttered, "He looks fragile. Should we protect him? Feed him something? Humans break easily."
A third demon scribbled notes. "He must be her power source! Amazing!"
I raised my hands. "No, I'm just… her boyfriend. Please don't feed me anything."
Aria quickly stepped in front of me. "No one touches Eren, understood?"
The demons immediately bowed. "YES, MY LADY!"
She sighed. "Great. Now they listen."
Then the castle doors opened with a thundering boom. A towering demon priest entered, holding a ceremonial staff.
"Battle Goddess Aria," he announced, "it is time to begin the coronation ritual—unless you intend to refuse destiny."
Aria's shoulders tensed. She looked at me.
"Eren… I might really have to become Demon Lord."
I took her hand.
"Then I'll be the boyfriend of the Demon Lord. We'll figure it out together."
Her cheeks turned pink.
"Okay," she whispered. "Let's face this… side by side."