Chapter 2
9
Joshua had barely managed to work out his plan of shooting a film in this world before a water elemental servant rushed over to him.
The water elemental servant was in the form of a human female, but its skin had a translucent, liquid texture to it.
“Your Highness, Master has summoned you to the Watcher’s Chamber.” Her voice did not seem to carry any emotion.
“Alright.”
There was only one master in the castle, and it was the demon prince’s father.
Joshua never thought that he would meet the ruler of the realm so soon…
Using the path in his memory, Joshua took a good ten minutes to navigate through the castle’s labyrinthine layout before he finally arrived at a large door that teemed with ominous aura.
Right then, Joshua had that brooding feeling of the “lucky young son”.
With his siblings gone from the chamber, only Joshua and Nordlein remained.
“Relax, you do not have to be so tense,” Nordlein said.
Only then did Joshua get a good look of the Lord of the Demonic Realm. He was old… with a slightly unkempt beard, and wrinkles lined his face.
That was the first impression he gave Joshua. He was a lot older than Joshua had expected, and compared with the image of a ruler, he looked more like an old father who had struggled to raise his four children.
“Joshua, what do you think of the relationship between men and demons?”
The Lord of the Demonic Realm went straight to the point and asked the sharpest possible question to a demon.
“They may be enemies now, but I think it can be changed.”
Joshua demurred for a moment before he answered.
“It can be changed? Mankind sees us as the embodiment of evil and hates our race to the bone. The ongoing war, which has lasted for hundreds of years is evidence of that fact. Yey, you… you still think that can change?”
6
“Of course. Opinions and points of view can be changed. All we need is time.”
Joshua provided a firm answer to the Demon Lord’s question.
“Change… using mind magic? If that spell is uncovered, it will exacerbate the hatred of men toward us demonkind. This hundred-year-long war has already ravaged our people, and if we were to fight a new war, it will be the end of us.”
The Demon Lord did not seem to be keen on another war with mankind.
Demonkind was not as strong as Joshua thought they would be, and the humans in this world were not as weak as well.
“So, Joshua, when the next war breaks out, I hope you can bring our people to seek new shelter. Knox and Cecily, they will definitely take to the frontline…”
Had he already made plans for a defeat? But Joshua had no plans to run away.
“There’s no need for mind magic. I have a way that can make humans actively seek out, or fanatically accept our demonic… culture.”
6
Joshua already had a template for his plan in mind, and he used that as the basis for his confidence as he responded to Nordlein.
What was the image mankind had of demons? Fear? Terror? Revulsion? Wrong, wrong, all wrong!
3
Only those who had followed the trends would understand the most basic impression of demons was that they were cool!
4
The images of demons had been portrayed in various games and movies such as Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hellboy, and the like. As villains from the middle-ages to the heroes people swoon over today, the coolness factor may have been a little overrated, but it was spot on for demons.
4
When the titular villain of Diablo appeared and proclaimed that “Not even death can save you from me!” [1], or when Mal’ganis of the Burning Legion in World of Warcraft introduced himself, “I am Mal’ganis, I am eternal!”, it got everyone excited, instead of striking fear into their hearts.
7
If Joshua wanted to grow the entertainment industry in this world, he could use movies and games to change the impression that the denizens of this world had of demons.
5
“Accept… our demonic culture?”
“A totally brand new technique of diplomacy. I can’t tell you the details yet but give me a few years and I’ll let you see the changes it brings,” Joshua said.
“Using those oddities you created?”
Nordlein stared at Joshua, not knowing where his confidence came from. The only thing his third child was capable of was the creation of those weird devices.
“Yes.”
It was those items, which the demon prince left behind that allowed Joshua to be able to start his plan of shooting a film in this world.
Plus, creation was a part of culture in itself. After all, all cultures originated from creation and propagation.
“Interesting. I shall look on in anticipation, what changes will the culture you speak of bring to the relationship between mankind and demonkind,” Nordlein said.