Chapter 1: Let’s Resolve the Stampede!
A few months ago, I’d grown sick of the fact that no matter what evil deeds I committed, my reputation only seemed to rise. Concluding that my absurdly high luck parameter was to blame, I decided to lower it through an outrageous act: killing the guardian deity worshipped in this land. But as it turned out, the being there wasn’t some sacred protector—it was an evil god sealed away long ago for terrorizing the region. By mistakenly breaking its seal and slaying it, the magic that had been used to confine it flooded the entire territory, causing crop yields to skyrocket and my popularity among the townsfolk to explode. A truly despair-inducing outcome.
So, the moment I heard the word “evil god,” I reflexively unleashed 【Hellfire】 to drive off the intruder. I figured this was my chance to start anew and pursue my goal of becoming the Charisma of Evil. But—
“Gyaahhh! What’s with the sudden attack?!”
—somehow, the little girl (evil god?) calling herself Milikator came bursting out of the roaring flames. I’d held back on the magic’s power since we were indoors, and apparently, that was my mistake—it lacked the punch to finish her off.
“No choice, then. One more shot—”
“Wait! I bear no hostility anymore! We should talk first!”
“…Hmph.”
I wasn’t exactly persuaded by Milikator’s words, but she had a point—I could kill her anytime if I wanted. So, I decided to hear her out, if only as a parting gift before sending her to the afterlife. (Not that I’d listen to any quips about how that’s backward.)
After a long-winded explanation, Milikator’s story boiled down to this:
“So, let me get this straight… After eating my magic, you scraped together the leftover scraps of mana and managed to revive yourself?”
“Precisely. Because of that, I’ve lost most of my power, and my nature’s changed quite a bit from before.”
“I see. Now that you mention it, it’s not just your appearance—your speech is a bit different too.”
“Aye. Evil gods are, by nature, thought aggregates born from the collective hatred and resentment of many. With most of that gone, the deepest, dormant personality within me has surfaced.”
So, this ‘noja-loli form’ was her true self, huh? What the hell’s a ‘noja-loli form’?
“Fine, I get the situation. But why’s someone like you here?”
“Well, you see…”
After a brief preamble, Milikator began explaining. Apparently, her first thought upon reviving was to take revenge on me. Hearing that, I nearly fired off another 【Hellfire】, but being the calm and composed guy I am, I urged her to continue.
She’d followed traces of my magic to the capital of the territory, only to find I’d already left for the royal capital. To make matters worse, she hadn’t realized her revived body now required not just mana but regular food. After days of searching without eating, she collapsed on the roadside from hunger. That’s when Rain, passing by, gave her a doughnut. The doughnut was so delicious that she decided to put her revenge on hold—for now. That was the gist of how things led to today.
Listening to the end, I understood why Rain was here but couldn’t help clutching my head with one hand.
“What kind of ridiculous reason is that…?”
“What’re you saying?! It’s crucial! To think that during my imprisonment, humanity created something this delicious…”
Milikator’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the doughnut in her hand. Annoyed and tempted to blast her with magic again, I was interrupted by Rain.
“About what happened next—she gave me some intriguing information as thanks for the doughnut. I thought you should judge its validity, my lord.”
“Intriguing information?”
“Aye, that’s right…” Gulp. “More, please!”
“Understood,” Marie replied, having somehow appeared in the parlor. After downing the tea she handed her, Milikator continued.
“You know how my unsealing caused mana to flood this entire region, right?”
“…Yeah, obviously.”
How could I forget the misery that caused? The mana saturating the fields and seas led to an explosion in crop and fish yields, ending the famine—and, infuriatingly, boosting my reputation. Even now, recalling that disaster brought tears to my eyes…
But then—
“It seems there was too much mana. A massive monster stampede is about to hit, and it’s headed straight for Renford territory.”
“A monster stampede?!”
Her words made me leap to my feet.
“Exactly. The surge in mana temporarily boosted crop yields and the like, didn’t it? But humans aren’t the only ones who benefit from mana—monsters do too.”
“And those powered-up monsters are now coming for food, attacking humans in droves, huh?”
“Aye, precisely.”
Oliver, Rain, and Marie wore grave expressions at Milikator’s words. Me, though? I was struggling to contain my glee.
This could be a massive opportunity.
The monster stampede Milikator described was caused by me—the one who broke her seal and flooded the territory with mana. If this stampede wreaked havoc, the townsfolk’s anger and hatred would surely turn on me. Kuh, kuhahaha! What a delightful miscalculation! When this so-called evil god showed up, I braced for the worst, but to think she’d bring such great news! Maybe Milikator was my personal god of fortune—eh, that could wait. For now, I had to figure out how to maximize the damage from this stampede—
“—Wait a sec.”
A chill ran down my spine. I might’ve overlooked something crucial.
(That’s right, think. Every time I’ve tried to spread infamy, it’s always backfired with praise. I never dug into why… but what if I’m under some kind of ‘curse of reversal’?)
Looking back, my unique magic, 【Magic Reflection】, was like a literal embodiment of reversed causality. That’s it—it had to be!
The reason I couldn’t spread infamy was because I was trying to spread infamy!
If I aimed to boost my reputation instead, this ‘curse of reversal’ would ensure infamy spread instead! I’d stumbled upon the truth!
“In other words, I recommend ordering the knights to fortify defenses and buy time to evacuate the townsfolk. If they’re wiped out, I won’t get any more doughnuts, and that’d be a problem!”
“No need for that.”
“What?! You’re saying you won’t give me more doughnuts?!”
“That’s not it—well, maybe, but that’s beside the point. As long as I’m here, the townsfolk were never in danger to begin with.”
“…What do you mean?”
Milikator tilted her head, puzzled. In contrast, Marie, Oliver, and Rain’s faces lit up.
“Master, you mean—!”
“That’s right, Klaus-sama!”
“To witness your valor once again!”
I met their expectant gazes with a serious expression.
“Yeah. Dealing with a monster stampede? I can handle it alone. Make sure the townsfolk know—tell them the first glory of ‘Earl Renford’ is about to be born.”
With unwavering confidence, I declared it boldly.
◇◆◇
The next morning, at the Frendil Plains near the capital of the territory, I stood alongside Milikator and the usual crew—plus, for some reason, the entire knight order and a crowd of townsfolk.
“Oi, what’s with this situation?”
Grumbling, I got a sharp salute from Rain and Laura.
“Ha! As per your orders, we informed the townsfolk, and many insisted on seeing your feats firsthand!”
“The knight order felt the same, so we brought everyone to witness it!”
I didn’t quite follow, but apparently, they all wanted to watch my battle with the monsters. Being so close could put them in danger, yet their curiosity was relentless. Maybe it was proof of how much they trusted me…
“Kuk, to think this trust is about to come crashing down—it’s almost enough to make me laugh.”
“What’re you chuckling about? More importantly, are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding at Milikator’s question, she turned forward and began muttering a chant. She was the linchpin of our strategy for this stampede. Despite shamelessly calling herself the Wise Emperor Evil God, it wasn’t an exaggeration. Existing for over a millennium, she was a master of magical knowledge (though clueless about modern affairs due to her imprisonment) and a top-tier mage. She knew spells I couldn’t even dream of using.
For this, she was using a spell to manipulate the land’s mana, luring strengthened monsters to the plains by spreading mana they craved. Minutes later, the effect kicked in.
“Grrrr!”
“Rawr!”
“Kshaaa!”
Beast, humanoid, and avian—thousands of monsters of all kinds swarmed the plains. Thanks to the preparations we’d made since last night, the results were spectacular. All that was left was to unleash a massive spell to wipe them out—but I decided to aim higher this time.
“Milikator, move to the next phase.”
“Are you sure? They’re already powerful—doing this will make it exponentially harder…”
“Don’t care. Do it.”
“…Fine, but don’t blame me when things go south!”
With that, Milikator funneled even more mana into the gathered monsters. Absorbing it, every single one evolved, jumping one or two ranks in strength. From at least C-rank to as high as S-rank, this horde could overwhelm even the royal capital. Gazing at the scene, I nodded in satisfaction.
(Good. This should consume most of the excess mana in the land. Another stampede would be a pain, so I’ll settle this in one go.)
For a moment, I thought, ‘If I walk away now, the townsfolk behind me would suffer, and they’d hate me for it, right?’ But I quickly shook my head. That’s how I’d failed every time before. No doubt some inexplicable reason would lead to the monsters’ annihilation, and I’d end up praised again.
“Alright, time to get started.”
Muttering, I drew the 【Rusted Sword】—now the 【Shiny Sword】—from my waist. During the Ortram battle, I’d realized its value as a magical catalyst. This time, I was taking it a step further. Pouring pre-activated spells my body couldn’t handle into the 【Shiny Sword】, I prepared. Once ready, I unleashed them with a flourish.
“Take this—【Infinite Magic Chain】!*”
In an instant, a torrent of diverse mana erupted from the 【Shiny Sword】. Scorching flames burned the air, absolute-zero ice froze the ground, and lightning-fast bolts tore through the sky. A barrage of large-scale spells, each powerful enough to one-shot an S-rank monster, rained relentlessly on the plains.
“Gyauuuun?!”
“Gobooo!”
“Kshaaaa!”
The massive horde was swallowed by the magical onslaught, vanishing in moments. The twenty-minute battle ended in a one-sided slaughter. As I surveyed the scorched wasteland left behind, Milikator gaped, dumbfounded.
“T-To think you’d single-handedly wipe out a stampede of this scale… Wait! You’re the Demon King, aren’t you?!”
“Obviously not.”
“Gah! Don’t just punch me out of nowhere!”
Ignoring Milikator’s complaints, I scoffed. My goal was the Charisma of Evil, surpassing even the Demon King. Being mistaken for one was unacceptable.
Glancing back, I saw the townsfolk already in a frenzy.
“Woooaah! The lord defeated the monster horde!”
“Such strength! And to face them alone to protect us… I’m moved to tears!”
“I’ve witnessed a legend with my own eyes!”
Their enthusiasm was a bit unsettling, but I smirked. For now, it was all praise—no problem. Based on past patterns, the reversal from praise to scorn took time—hours or days. Soon, these cheers would turn to screams.
As I savored the thought, Marie approached, a blue bird perched on her hand, likely a transmission spell.
“Well done, Master.”
“Thanks. That a transmission spell?”
“Yes. A message from the royal capital—they’ve finalized arrangements for that matter and have sent the necessary people.”
“I see.”
Looks like things were proceeding smoothly on that front. If the message just arrived, the delegation would probably reach Renford territory in about a week. That left me with one task: rest at the mansion and wait for the moment my reputation flipped—
(—Or so I thought?)
As if I’d settle for something so mundane. I’d finally found a path to becoming the final boss—I wasn’t about to waste it on rest. The stampede might be dealt with, but the excess mana likely left other problems. I’d solve every single issue in the territory. By doing good for the townsfolk, I’d ensure a tidal wave of infamy came crashing back later.
“Alright, now that the plan’s set, time to get moving… Oliver!”
“Yes, Klaus-sama!”
“List every problem currently plaguing the territory. Every single one. In the week before the delegation arrives, I’ll solve them all!”
“Understood, Klaus-sama!”
Seeing Oliver’s elation, I surveyed the townsfolk with a confident grin.
For the next week, I’ll pile up good deeds to spread infamy to the max!
With that, I made my silent, resolute vow.
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