The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

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In the audience room, late at night, sitting on the throne, I gazed at the crystal placed beside me.

Sealed inside it were her remains.

Although I touched the surface of the crystal, I felt nothing from it.

It was strange for my power to not work.

"Hero, you are…"

I closed my mouth, leaving the rest of my thought unsaid.

After many invasions, my strength was much greater.

Despite that, she still could not be resurrected.

Was it because I wasn't prepared to welcome her?

I'd like to believe that I will meet her again once I have put the foundations of world peace in place.

I'll establish the world that she dreamed of.

Only I could make it happen.

"—Demon Lord? Demon Lord! "

Someone was calling me.

I immediately snapped back to my senses.

In front of me was the skull of an ox with flames in his eyes.

"…Why, it's you, Grom. Is it already time?"

"Yes. That's why I came to call you immediately…but are you not feeling well? "

"My apologies. I was a little lost in thoughts.

When I apologised, Grom exaggeratedly waved his hands.

"Forgive me! For me to disturb the Demon Lord's thoughts is inexcusable!"

"It's not such a big thing. Don't mind it."

I got up from the throne.

Moving my legs, I walked towards the balcony.

From there, I looked down at the ground outside.

Under the moonlight, I gazed at the demons standing in rows.

This was the rebirth of the Demon Lord's army, ten years later.

Some loved conflict.

Some sought vengeance against humans.

Some wanted to repay their debt of gratitude to me.

The ones gathered here had various motives.

Of course, I didn't care what they were.

What I wanted them to do was all the same.

"It's a magnificent view."

"Everyone is awaiting the Demon Lord's words."

"I see."

I stiffened at Grom's words.

This was an important event.

This would greatly influence my reign as the Demon Lord.

Beside me, Grom turned to face the demon troops and shouted.

"—Silence. The Demon Lord is to speak. Listen carefully."

Silence fell upon the place.

I could only hear a few hundred hold their breaths in anticipation.

Their gazes observed me with quiet enthusiasm.

I confidently took them in.

"There used to be a man called the Sage. He was a man who survived numerous battles to the death with the hero by his side. And in the end, he defeated the Demon Lord."

"…"

I felt Grom gasp beside me.

I ignored him and continued my tale.

"It doesn't matter what the end of the Sage was. However, the truth he discovered is worth a thought."

I opened my arms wide.

The demons' response was poor.

They did not seem to grasp the direction the story was going in, and had indescribable expressions on their faces.

After giving them enough time, I resumed my talk.

"Evil runs rampant in the world now. Everyone pulls others down, blames them unfairly, and are all complacent. That is clear."

I could sense simmering anger and bloodthirst from the demons.

Those who heard my words seemed to remember something.

They were all no doubt bitter memories.

"We are all victims. We are those abandoned by the era."

There was no reply.

However, a strong sense of camaraderie filled the place.

It was not at all a bad turn of events.

I clenched my fists and spoke to them.

"As the abandoned ones, do we have no means to fight back? The answer is— No!"

Miasma escaped from my body.

A jet black that one could clearly see, even at night, swayed constantly like flames.

The demons roared.

"We shall rise. If the world rejects us, we will trample it."

Tapping the railings of my balcony, I awaited the demons' response.

As if agreeing to it, their gazes towards me held a burning desire.

This was proof that the emotions inside them had been stirred up.

Even now, they were overflowing with exaltation that would snap at any moment.

Hearing my crisp tone, I laid bare my words one by one.

"The time to trample it down is here. Dye your mind and body with evil. Become an agent of upheaval. This is the new manifestation of the Demon Lord."

Someone from the troops groaned in delirium.

It was by no means out of pain.

It was out of unbearable delight.

With that as the trigger, the silence began to crack.

Impulses grew and reached a critical point.

Sensing that, I took the opportunity and asked.

"We shall become the one absolute evil. Do you have the resolve?"

The next moment, a roar resounded like thunder.

The emotions of the demons had finally reached a tipping point.

The ground shook, the uproar seemed like it would pierce through the skies.

After witnessing the enthusiasm for some time, I raised one hand up in the air.

The demons grew silent.

They focused so as not to miss any of my words.

I stopped letting my miasma escape and spoke.

"Alright. You are the apostles of the current Demon Lord. Use your brutal strength freely as you wish. We are evil. We need no restraint. Abandon your worthless justice and run wild with your instincts.

The troops were once again in an uproar.

Cheers, screams and other indiscernible sounds enveloped the place.

In the end, they all unified in a single voice, praising the Demon Lord, and unceasing cheers filled the capital at night.

Listening to them, I returned from the balcony to the dimly lit room.

Grom politely praised me.

"Wow, it was a wonderful speech. As expected of the Demon Lord."

"This was just the trigger. They do not know my real motive."

As I said so, Grom's mood soured.

He showed some hesitation, and asked in a whisper.

"…Is it fine not to tell them? "

"We won't know if the information might be leaked from somewhere. Even if we are allies, we cannot let them know."

Taking the present situation into consideration, I decided to not talk about true world peace.

In the occasion that this be revealed to the humans, my position as the Demon Lord would crumble.

Because I would not be able to give humans a true sense of terror and destruction.

Therefore, I could not tell the truth to my subordinates.

The plan was to let limited people, like Grom and Luciana be in the know.

The demons would rejoice at tonight's speech, leading to slaughter.

Tightening the reins was my job.

"You have chosen a harsh path…"

"Do you think I am a fool? "

Hearing me speak self-deprecatingly, Grom quietly shook his head.

"I couldn't possibly. No one is as kind as you are."

"Me, kind? That's an interesting joke."

"……"

Grom was silent.

My reply ended up sounding too mean.

Even if I apologised, he would feel ashamed on the contrary. I paced towards the exit.

"I'll be resting for a bit. Call me if you need me for anything."

"Yes! Understood!"

At my excellent subordinate's words, I left the room.

One of the editors in our team, GracelessLiar, just finished the first volume of a book they're writing, The Time Eater. Grace is also holding a super cool contest for it with some nice prizes. The story is real good dark fantasy, so do go check it out and don't forget to participate in the contest!