'Wounded Beast'
When HP drops below half, all stats increase by 30%.
'Ground Dash'
Uses magic to move quickly. Cost: 15.
I checked the ogre's strange skills. 'Wounded Beast' seemed passive, like my own 'Spring of Magic Power' or 'Divine Protection,' while 'Ground Dash' was active. Of course, the names were my own pick.
I was checking because I was walking from the great bath back to my first room. Summoning someone into an empty bath would hardly make a dignified entrance.
Did other Demon Lords live their lives with such considerations? If a hero showed up while I was in the middle of lunch, that would be a real hassle.
But it took time—moving from the great bath alone took several minutes. I'd gotten carried away and made everything too big...
Finally reaching the room, I immediately performed the summoning. Well, it was just a few taps on my smartphone.
Suddenly, a blinding light filled my vision. I instinctively threw my arm up to shield my eyes.
"Who's there!?"
The sudden voice told me the summoning had worked. But this was embarrassing. I'd come all this way for looks, and there I was, hunched over with my arm covering my face like a coward. Dignity went right out the window.
"Hey, sorry for summoning you so suddenly. I'm a Demon Lord. The name's Amduskias." I smiled at the ogre, glossing over my mistake.
"A Demon Lord!?" the ogre exclaimed, eyes going wide.
"Yeah. Though I was just born a little while ago."
The ogre's eyes went wide when I first called myself a Demon Lord, but he calmed down quickly. She had a massive ash-gray body and a single jet-black horn. I'd expected a huge, muscular frame, but she was surprisingly lean. Her chest still looked solid, though. Her short ash-gray hair framed golden eyes that gleamed beneath it. Her face was unexpectedly good-looking. She had a powerful presence—a magnificent black ogre. A circle of light glowed at her feet, likely a summoning circle. No complex magic diagrams or geometric patterns—just a simple glowing ring. So much for the fantasy look.
"...Why did you summon me?" The ogre asked in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, still wary.
"One, to let you know I have no intention of harming you. I've integrated this area into my dungeon, and I know it's put you on edge. And two, to recruit you. As I said earlier, I was just born. I have no allies yet, and I know very little about this world. I'd really appreciate it if you could teach me some things."
I smiled again. A smile is essential for smooth communication. They say first impressions matter for humans, after all.
"......"
The ogre remained silent, still wary. She kept her hand on the club at her waist, ready to draw it at any moment.
"You don't need to be so cautious. Of course, I understand you can't just trust me right away after being summoned so suddenly. But I genuinely mean it—I have no intention of harming you."
"......"
Still silence. I couldn't help but smile wryly, but I kept the smile on my face.
"...Why me?" The ogre finally spoke, still not letting down her guard.
"What do you mean, why?"
"Among ogres, I'm not especially strong. You can tell by looking at this horn, can't you?"
No, I couldn't. A single massive horn like that actually made me more worried—it looked incredibly threatening.
"Look, like I said, I don't know much about this world yet. What's wrong with your horn?"
"...I see, you did say you were just born." The ogre's voice softened slightly. "For ogres, horns are symbols of power. Normally, we grow two horns, but for some reason, I only have one. I didn't get along with my clan, so I've been a wanderer, drifting from place to place."
So there was a prejudice that ogres with only one horn were weak. And that meant ogres with two horns were stronger than this guy?
"......"
"...I suppose you wouldn't want someone like me in the service of a Demon Lord?" The ogre said with a sad laugh, probably thinking I was about to say "I don't need a weak ogre!"
"No, I've already gotten valuable information about this world. If you've been traveling, that's all the more reason I want you as my comrade."
I put on a serious expression. An appeal that I wasn't the type to judge based on prejudice.
"Of course, if you want to continue your wandering, I won't force you. Even if you'd rather not become my subordinate, I won't blame you or harm you in any way. In that case, I'd simply summon someone else. But if you'll join me, I'll welcome you with open arms. I'll never discriminate against you or treat you poorly. I want you with me."
I pushed as hard as I could. Without money or resources, this was the only card I could play.
"...Are you really... sure you want me?" The ogre asked, almost timidly—no, as if she was bracing for rejection.
I nodded with a beaming smile.
My very first comrade—my first ever—was a weeping black ogre.
Oni on the inside, you know.
Summary:
The newly-born Demon Lord Amduskias summoned an ogre from the great bath to a proper room, only to embarrass himself by cowering behind his arm when the summoning light blinded him. The ogre, wary and self-deprecating about his single horn, questioned why he was chosen, leading Amduskias to deliver a sincere recruitment pitch that emphasized equality and respect over hierarchy. After a moment of vulnerable hesitation, the ogre accepted, becoming Amduskias's first comrade—a weeping black ogre whose tears marked the beginning of their bond.
Trivia:
Amduskias was summoned into an empty bath, which he considered undignified, so he moved to a proper room before summoning the ogre.
The skill names 'Wounded Beast' and 'Ground Dash' were arbitrarily assigned by Amduskias, not official system names.
Ogre horns symbolize power; two horns are standard, but this ogre only has one, making him an outcast.
The ogre has been wandering from place to place due to not fitting in with his clan.
Amduskias deliberately uses 'comrade' (仲間) instead of 'subordinate' (配下) to signal equality.
The summoning circle is described as a simple glowing ring—not the complex geometric patterns typical in fantasy.
Amduskias's 'Spring of Magic Power' and 'Divine Protection' are passive skills analogous to the ogre's 'Wounded Beast.'
The chapter title plays on the Japanese Setsubun tradition, where beans are thrown to drive out oni, but here the demon 'loves' beans instead.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ The Japanese tradition of throwing roasted soybeans to drive away evil spirits, accompanied by the chant "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Oni out! Fortune in!). Here the chapter title "The Demon of Another World Loves Beans!?" inverts this tradition humorously.
Notes:
• Amduskias - A frail-looking Demon Lord and Dungeon Master appearing in a pure white room. He wears a gakuran and sneakers, wielding the Mana Spring, Divine Protection, and summoning abilities. Pragmatic, self-aware, and easily distracted, this modern isekai figure values sincerity over tradition. Formerly guided by God, he is now newly reborn, seeking allies and warmly welcoming the protagonist.