Chapter 204: Minor Setback, No Real Harm

Aletea Deserte was second in line to the throne, right after the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Heir apparent training was a given, and swordsmanship was naturally part of that curriculum.

“If he had remembered my actions when Brother declared his ascension to the throne and been suspicious, he wouldn’t be so surprised now.”

Just how much had he underestimated me to be making such wide eyes?

No, a Duke would have seen through it. This wasn’t about underestimation; it was about capability.

“…Truly, only the incompetent remain.”

Her smile vanished as she slammed her sheathed sword onto the floor. *Thoom!* The loud sound echoed in the silent space.

“Either way, the Empire can’t face the Demon King’s army alone right now. Alliances with other nations are essential.”

“But Your Highness, why does the alliance *have* to be with Sanguo?”

“Then tell me, which country *should* we ally with? Esperance is a kingdom we can barely even contact, and Rweche suffered greatly after our previous alliance, souring our relations. Besides those two, the only ones left are Sanguo and its vassals. Do you have some brilliant alternative, perhaps?”

……

Silence descended.

Aletea spoke softly, addressing the power-hungry pigs trying to consolidate their influence even amidst the chaos of the capital relocation and the change of emperors.

“Don’t try any funny business.”

How dare they try to undermine the spirit of the newly enthroned Emperor? It’s no wonder we have to respond in kind.

My family, the only one I have left in this world. With a will to protect them burning within, she bared her teeth.

***

Having concluded her audience with the Demon King and returned, Aletea barely had time to glance over the documents Develania had sent before an unwelcome guest arrived.

Normally, they were someone she barely knew, someone who’d bolt at the mere sight of her from afar, making any real conversation impossible. She’d hoped they’d just state their business and leave quickly. But no, they showed up trembling, bearing bizarre snacks, and requested a tea time. Feeling a flicker of pity, she indulged their whim and played along.

And so began a tea time of awkward, heavy silence.

‘…Why even come, if this is how it’s going to be?’

Deon frowned at the figure across from him. The demon hadn’t touched the snacks he’d brought, instead holding a teacup up to shield half his face. His hand trembled visibly, a nervous tic.

Deon waited in silence, hoping the other man would finally speak, but the silence stretched on, feeling endless. He eventually sighed.

“Tea’s meant for drinking, not hiding your face.”

…!

Good grief, what next?

Startling like that while holding a teacup to his face—what did he expect to happen? The demon, now splashed with tea, blinked in embarrassment. His soaked bangs clung to his forehead, dripping onto the table.

Having been told that, he couldn’t very well keep holding an empty cup. *Clatter-clack.* His trembling hand set the teacup down with a shaky clatter, and finally, his full face was revealed.

Deon, who had been watching his fidgeting with detached eyes, reached out, picked up one of the snacks the other demon had brought, and spoke.

“So, Myers, why are you here?”

*Crunch.*

Ugh, awful. Hoped for a surprise, but it’s as bad as it looks.

“W-Well…”

“Going to summon your adjutant again, are you?”

…!

Myers, the 12th Legion Commander, practically leaped out of his seat, waving his hands frantically as sweat beaded on his forehead.

“That’s…! I got a major dressing down from the adjutant last time… I won’t do that again!”

Yeah, you’re still better off keeping quiet. How is he supposed to maintain any dignity as a legion commander acting like this?

Thinking about it again, it’s still a wonder how he maintains this silent image. Silent? Hardly. He’s just timid and clueless.

Deon set the half-eaten, bizarre snack back on the table and flicked the crumbs from his fingers.

“Just kidding. Aren’t you going to eat any? You brought them, after all.”

“Ah, well, I don’t eat them myself, they’re not really to my taste…”

I don’t like them either, you bastard.

If that’s the kind of answer you’re going to give, you’d have been better off saying nothing.

‘Or maybe it’s poisoned?’

He glanced down at the half-eaten snack with a suspicious look, then quickly shook his head.

Who’d bother poisoning something that looks this ominous and unappetizing? Even if it was, his Hero’s body would probably just detoxify it anyway.

……

……

Myers, fidgeting in the awkward silence, seemed bothered by the bangs plastered to his forehead and swept them back with a hand. In doing so, he inadvertently revealed a third eye hidden beneath his fringe.

Deon, who’d been lounging casually in his chair, sat up straighter at this unexpected sight.

“You have a third eye?”

Ah…!

*Snap-snap-snap.*

…It wasn’t like I was trying to hide it.

Ah…!

“But…” Myers mumbled, glancing nervously at Deon.

“The adjutant said to be careful, that it might be unsettling to human eyes, to *your* eyes, Sir Deon…”

“The adjutant told you that, did she?”

“Yes.”

Like Lirinel’s… tentacle-scarf thing she wears around her neck?

Deon studied the third eye with fleeting curiosity, then, losing interest, slumped back in his chair and waved a dismissive hand.

“Doesn’t bother me. So, when are you planning on getting to the point?”

“W-Well…”

Watching him hem and haw again was starting to grate on his nerves.

At this rate, they’d be here all day. Deon, who had been patiently observing Myers, finally spoke first.

“It’s because I’ve been completely neglecting my duties, isn’t it?”

…!

Bingo.

He’d figured as much. He’d heard that support personnel tasked with monster cleanup had been redeployed to the front lines because he’d been shirking his duties. It was understandable why the 12th Legion Commander in charge of monster cleanup would be in a bind.

“I was planning on getting back to work soon anyway, so you can head back.”

He would have started working again eventually, even without these bizarre, tasteless bribes. Even if the Demon King hadn’t summoned him for an audience.

Because he hadn’t yet achieved his goal.

So, he couldn’t remain idle forever. He gave a casual confirmation, effectively dismissing Myers.

“Oh, and take these tasteless things with you.”

“Yes… Yes?”

Myers, absentmindedly gathering up the snacks he’d brought, started in surprise and turned back, but Deon didn’t wait. He simply called for Ed and Dan to usher Myers out.

Ed closed the door. Meanwhile, Dan, who had been clearing the table, noticed the half-eaten snack and picked it up. A dark aura seemed to emanate from it, and his expression turned peculiar.

“Biscuits? …Though they look more like… dried monster meat? Or… were they trying to poison you, Master?”

“Poison? …Oh, those things… They’re a popular snack in the Demon Realm. Pretty popular, even if opinions are a bit divided. No, not poison.”

Typical ignorant human, disrespecting cultural diversity. As expected of Sir Deon… why does he even bother with that guy…

Ed’s familiar, predictable rant was ignored as usual. Dan turned to Deon, a look of bewildered surprise on his face.

“They look awful just to look at… You’ve got guts, Master.”

“Hoped for a surprise twist. Anyway, Ed…”

The unplanned, unwelcome tea time was over, but instead of crawling under the blankets as usual, Deon sat on the edge of the bed and snapped his fingers. A slight smile curved his lips as he spoke in a pleasant tone.

“Tell Lirinel I want to have tea with her.”

“Now… you mean right now?”

“Yes.”

“But you just had tea time…”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Understood.”

Ed excused himself to make contact.

If it was Lirinel, the 11th Legion Commander he knew, she’d come running the moment she heard. Dan, having finished clearing the table, discreetly set out fresh tea leaves and a kettle, then spoke with a playful tone.

“So, have you finally come to your senses?”

He’d realized Deon was finally planning to do something.

Deon chuckled at the blatant jest.

“Senses? Please. I’ve been…”

Glancing down.

His crimson eyes settled on the puddle at his feet, a dark stain mirroring the color of his gaze.

His voice, calm as ever, continued,

…perfectly sane.”

***

Despite the sudden tea invitation, Lirinel arrived like a whirlwind.

Deon, anticipating her reaction, greeted her arrival—practically instantaneous—with a relaxed smile and no hint of surprise. He took her hand and pulled her towards the table. Lirinel, who had mentally prepared herself to remain composed, crumbled at this single gesture, collapsing into a chair in a near daze.

‘Okay… calm down, Lirinel.’

She took a sip of tea, then reached for a cookie. Strangely, she couldn’t tear her gaze from Sir Deon, but managing to eat wasn’t a problem.

Lirinel’s unwavering gaze, fixed on him as she sipped her tea and nibbled a cookie, might have been unnerving, but Deon simply maintained his smile, betraying nothing. He patiently waited until she’d swallowed every bite before speaking.

In the not-unpleasant silence, Lirinel was the first to speak.

“S-Sir, what did you call me here for…?”

“Because I missed you.”

*Gasp.*

Oh, you sly… thing! Lirinel clapped a hand over her mouth.

It was just a lighthearted tease, but it seemed to have landed harder than he’d anticipated. She’d gone rigid, practically holding her breath. As silence descended once more, Deon chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Just kidding.”

“Y-Yes, of course! Just a joke! Ha-ha!”

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask…”

He traced the rim of his teacup with a slender finger. His voice, soft as a murmur, drifted out slowly.

“The Demon King said he used up ninety percent of his magic power to revive me, didn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“And he must have used magic quite a bit since then too…”

His gaze lifted, eyes that had been half-lidded now fixed intently on Lirinel.

“So, how much does he have left now?”

…!

“Is that too sensitive a question? But you’re the only demon who’d know the answer.”

Only… me?!

“You, with the most magic power of any demon besides the Demon King, you’d be the one to know, wouldn’t you?”

“O-Of course…!”

Oops, caught out. Lirinel clapped a hand over her mouth again, belatedly.

Gauging someone’s magic power is only possible when the amounts are roughly comparable. If the difference is too vast, all you can sense is ‘overwhelmingly strong’ or ‘pathetically weak.’ In that sense, Lirinel, second only to the Demon King in magic power, had a rough idea of his current reserves, which had become comparable to her own after he’d used ninety percent of it to revive Deon.

But it was too late to clamp her mouth shut now. Deon’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head. His eyes crinkled at the corners, revealing ruby-like pupils within.

“Care to tell me?”

“W-Well, but… it’s classified information…”

“Classified even from *me*? Considering my position, I think I have a right to know.”

“Still… I really should get Lord Demon King’s permission…”

His hand closed over hers.

Lirinel fell silent, lowering her gaze. Deon’s fingers and palm cradled her hand, his thumb stroking the back of it slowly. Startled, she reflexively looked up, and a dazzling smile met her eyes, as if he’d been waiting for just that.

“Of course, it’ll be just between us. Just whisper it to me?”

…! …!!

Y-You… you fiend! This… this seductive man!

She frantically pinched her nose, but her mouth, betraying her, opened anyway. Her resistance was utterly futile, but… well, what could she do?

Sir Deon had bestowed his grace upon her, hadn’t he? As the head of the Demon Church, it was only right to repay it. This was… unavoidable.

“A-A-Almost… almost the same as mine!”

“Really?”

“Still a little more than mine, though…”

Not as much as I’d expected, actually.

Well, it’ll keep dwindling, so it should be fine. Just maintaining those flowers in the central garden must take a considerable amount of magic power.

The puddle at his feet grew larger. It now stretched out in a two-meter radius around him. He glanced at it with a detached expression, then, still holding Lirinel’s hand, Deon smiled brightly.

“Thanks for telling me.”

…!!

To calm Lirinel, who was clearly drowning in a tidal wave of emotions, the best course of action was to do nothing. From past experience, Deon knew not to panic. He simply moved his face away from hers.

Normal conversation resumed around the time Deon’s teacup was nearly empty.

Lirinel, as if belatedly regaining her composure, shifted her gaze around with a flustered expression. Then, as if struck by a thought, she exclaimed.

“Did you hear, Sir Deon? The Salvation Church in the Human Realm has completely collapsed!”

“Really?”

“Yes! With our rivals gone, the Demon Church is set to grow even bigger!”

“Good news. But is demon summoning still proving difficult?”

The Demon Church has been constantly attempting to summon demons into the Human Realm. It’s the standard method for demons to cross into the Human Realm.

The restrictions are less severe than crossing through the border. If they could properly summon and contract with even one of the twelve legion commanders, it would be a major coup.

But of course, it was easier said than done.

Lirinel visibly deflated, confirming things weren’t going well.

“I’m sorry… we can summon common demons occasionally, but…”

“Nah. Succeeding just makes things a little easier, but even if we fail, it won’t affect the task at all.”

From the start, it was just one of the excuses and deceptions to advance into the Human Realm.

“The summoned small fries, you sent them back through the established routes, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s fine. Relax.”

“Yes…”

Again, the topic of conversation vanished.

He’d barely made up for his disgraceful behavior a moment ago, and now he’d made another mistake. Lirinel nervously darted his eyes around, feeling like he was about to be kicked out. It was by chance that the magically enchanted wooden box caught his eye in the process.

To be precise, it was a wooden box where ‘the magic was almost completely gone’.