Published: September 10, 2025
Correction made on 2016/9/1.
Partial revision made on 2016/8/21.
This is Satou. I've occasionally seen debates across various media asking, "Do villains need human rights?" Opinions on this vary, but I believe it's necessary to have warnings that make people realize "crime isn't worth it."
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"Ah man, is this it for us?"
The Weasel Demon King froze his expression for just a moment, but quickly returned to his playful tone.
Now's the time to mark the Weasel Demon King.
"Nezuta, looks like we're about done here."
――ZHWUU.
At the Weasel Demon King's words, the Mouse Demon King in the corner weakly responded.
He kept his snout pressed against the corner and showed no movement.
His stamina was nearly depleted, and if left like this, he'd soon die.
"Sorry, but try to kill me with as little pain as possible, okay?"
He tapped his own neck and turned a pathetic face toward me.
Strange. He’s surprisingly clean about it――.
I saw the Weasel Demon King lamenting in front of the dungeon core, but behind his back, his other hand was busily moving.
――Yeah, that’s right.
"Operation of the dungeon core is prohibited."
The Weasel Demon's fingers, moving over the control panel between him and the dungeon core, stopped.
"This is a real problem."
Purple light flowed over the Weasel Demon King's body――.
"Unique skill usage is prohibited."
"That was a bit late, wasn’t it?"
――Something missile-like appeared between me and the Weasel Demon King.
Sensing the intense danger, I used earth shrinking to touch the missile and stored it in my storage.
For a moment as it vanished, the AR display showed "USA-made ICBM."
So the modern weapon summoning the Mouse Demon King used was powered by this.
"Nezuta!"
――ZHWUUUUUUUWN.
The Mouse Demon King, who should have been near death, roared.
Wearing a creature-like hero suit with a medal on his forehead, the Mouse Demon King tore his own chest apart from left to right.
――What the hell?
"Mouse Demon King! Unique skill usage is prohibited."
I brought out my flexible shield in front and used compulsion (geass) on the Mouse Demon King.
The next instant, a cone-shaped beam of heat like a breath, radiating from the Mouse Demon King’s chest, scorched the Labyrinth Master's Room.
It was equal to or even stronger than Arisa’s forbidden spell of flame, the white inferno of purgatory.
After the attack, the Mouse Demon King collapsed heavily on the spot, trembling in convulsions.
Apparently, that was his final desperate blow.
"As expected of Nezuta! Even that monstrous one couldn’t just take that kind of attack lightly――no corpse?"
"Action prohibited."
Before the Weasel Demon King could respond, I bound his actions.
"H-How did you—"
"You don’t need to know."
I then bound the Mouse Demon King's actions as well, healing him just enough not to die.
"What’s your intention?"
"If you’re going to stop the Demon Kings and the Labyrinth Master, I might as well spare your lives."
As mere humans, they’d spend the rest of their days in atonement.
"Seriously?"
The Weasel Demon King looked surprised at my answer.
"Yeah, I promise."
After saying that, the Weasel Demon King began to laugh loudly.
After some hearty laughter, he suddenly went serious――.
"What a softie, huh? You disgust me."
――He spat out those words.
"Did you maybe hear about our situation from the Emperor?"
Situation?
"Huh? That you and Nezuta were forced into Demon Kings by the Emperor’s geass, and made to play bait for the hero deep in the labyrinth?"
I see—the mastermind was the Weasel Emperor.
"So you were saying you’d spare us without knowing that?"
I nodded at the Weasel Demon King’s question.
"Wow, that’s way too naive, I don’t get it."
He cocked his chin up with a look that said “I give up,” glaring down at me with dark eyes.
"Let me tell you, I’m a villain, okay?"
I know that.
"I liked being the Dungeon Master, you know. Dungeon Master is great—cruelly, brutally playing with human lives, erotically and mercilessly stripping away human dignity, viciously and persistently crushing human reason for fun (...)"