Fujino sat under a tree, staring at the bright blue sky, the fluffy clouds lazily drifting by. He had no army. No castle. No responsibilities. No dignity.
And yet… he still wasn't happy.
"Why... why is this my life?" he groaned, flopping onto his back with an exaggerated sigh.
For years, he had dreamed of an isekai adventure. A new world, magical powers, an overpowered protagonist life where he would crush his enemies and woo an endless harem of beautiful women. Instead?
"Three years of humiliating defeats, an army that sucked harder than a cheap magic vacuum, and a hero party that somehow made me feel like I was the side character in their dumb anime!" He kicked at the dirt. "And now that I'm finally free, I'm—"
His stomach growled.
"Broke."
Yeah, turns out quitting being the Demon Lord meant losing his entire income. No treasure vaults, no demon taxes, nothing. He didn't even get severance pay. What kind of company—er, demon empire—didn't have an exit package?!
And worst of all, his magic system still sucked.
He flexed his fingers, trying to summon a tiny flame just to test. Nothing. His own powers refused to obey unless he performed the "activation conditions."
"So, what, I need to strip again just to light a campfire?!" he shouted at the sky. "Is there a way to PATCH this system?! Is there an update?! WHERE'S CUSTOMER SUPPORT?!"
A squirrel in the tree chattered at him before scurrying away. Even the wildlife thought he was pathetic.
Fujino groaned, pressing his hands to his face. "No. I refuse. I will live a normal life. I will be a regular citizen. No more fighting. No more magic. No more weird poses. I can do this."
With that resolution in mind, he picked himself up and began his new life.
Part 1: Fujino's Attempts at a Peaceful Life (Failing Miserably)
After walking for three days, surviving off wild berries and sheer stubbornness, Fujino arrived at a countryside village near the capital of the [Empire Name Here]. It was a peaceful little place with rolling green fields, cozy homes, and friendly people. It was, in short, the perfect place to start fresh.
Or so he thought.
With the last of his money, Fujino purchased a house. Well, he thought he purchased a house. The old man who sold it to him—a chibi-sized gentleman with a long white beard and an unnervingly wide grin—promised him "the perfect countryside home with a picturesque view."
It wasn't until Fujino actually arrived at his new "home" that he realized he had been scammed.
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The "picturesque view" was just an overgrown field of weeds. The "perfect home" was a half-collapsed house that looked like it had been abandoned since the last Demon Lord got fired. The front door creaked open ominously by itself, and there were mysterious stains on the walls.
It even came with free haunted house vibes!
Fujino's eye twitched. "This… this is the isekai real estate scam. I didn't even think that was a thing!"
Still, he had no choice. He was broke. He had nowhere else to go. And so, he resolved to make it work.
That was his second mistake.
As it turned out, blending into normal society was much harder than expected.
Job Hunting Disaster #1: The Bakery
Needing money, Fujino started job hunting. He was rejected from nearly every place he applied. Apparently, people found his aura unsettling.
"Sorry, kid," one shopkeeper told him, nervously adjusting his apron. "You just… uh… you give off an ominous vibe. Like, a villain protagonist kinda vibe."
"But I'm not a villain anymore!" Fujino insisted.
The shopkeeper gave him a deadpan look. "Your shadow just stretched across my entire store while you said that."
Fujino turned. Sure enough, his demonic presence had caused his shadow to grow absurdly long, swallowing half the shop in unnatural darkness.
"...Right. I'll see myself out."
After several more rejections, he finally landed a job at a bakery. Baking bread seemed easy enough, right? No fighting, no magic, just simple work.
Wrong.
First, his "demonic presence" caused weird issues.
The dough kept expanding too much, growing to ridiculous sizes and developing unnatural eyes that blinked at him.
The milk for the pastries turned black the moment he touched it.
The ovens? Exploded.
His co-workers freaked out every time he tried to "calmly" explain what happened, mainly because he accidentally sounded like a final boss giving a monologue.
"I-It's not cursed!" he tried to reassure the bakery owner after the latest mishap. "The milk is just… uh… selectively enchanted!"
The bakery owner paled. "Get out."
And so, Fujino was fired.
Job Hunting Disaster #2: The Farm
After his failure at the bakery, Fujino tried farm work. Surely farming was simple! Just planting, watering, and harvesting! No way he could screw that up!
He was wrong.
Again.
The moment he set foot in the fields, the crops mutated. Carrots turned into writhing tentacle creatures. Pumpkins grew sharp teeth and hissed at people. The wheat started whispering.
And don't even get him started on the cows.
He just touched one, and the poor animal immediately started glowing bright red with ominous symbols appearing on its hide. The moment it was milked, the milk came out black and bubbling.
The farmer looked at him, horrified.
"Son," he said in a grave tone, "what in the seven hells have ya done to me livestock?!"
Fujino threw up his hands in exasperation. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IT WOULD TURN INTO DEMON COWS?!"
And so, Fujino was fired. Again.
Job Hunting Disaster #3: The Adventurer's Guild (Nope.)
Desperate, Fujino thought about becoming an adventurer. Maybe he could at least fight things for money?
Then he remembered he still couldn't use magic without fulfilling those conditions.
He could already see the scene now:
"Before I slay you, great dragon, I must first—"
[Strips down naked, strikes a ridiculous pose, recites a love confession]
Yeah.
No.
Absolutely not.
At least not now......
Fujino collapsed onto his rickety bed back in his haunted house. He was broke. Jobless. And completely failing at being an ordinary citizen.
"Why is living a normal life harder than being a Demon Lord?!" he shouted at the ceiling.
And then, in the distance, he heard a faint sound. A voice, carried on the wind.
It was…
"LORAINE LIONHEART DEMANDS YOUR PRESENCE, DEMON LORD!"
Fujino's eye twitched.
Of course. Of course they hadn't given up on him yet.
And just like that, his peaceful life was already in jeopardy.
To be continued...