"D-don't look!"
Ozma, flustered, covered her exposed chest with both arms and crouched down. Vanessa, who had been holding her, quickly placed her helmet-wearing head, which resembled a tin can, atop her neck, and took off her cloak, handing it to Ozma.
Meanwhile, I couldn't figure out how to react to the farce unfolding before my eyes.
So, as I stood there awkwardly staring at the two of them, Ozma, having barely regained her composure, pushed herself up from Vanessa's embrace and said.
"…I'm heading back for today, Vanessa."
"Yes! Ozma-nim!"
Ozma, covering the broken chest of her armor with the cloak, was about to leave the training grounds but suddenly stopped.
Then, she turned towards me and said.
"…Today's sparring match was excellent. If there's a chance next time, I'd like to have a cup of tea and talk things over properly."
Then, she just said what she had to say and left abruptly.
Left alone in the training grounds out of the blue, I had sufficiently warmed up, and there was nothing more to see, so I decided I should head back to my room.
Just as I made up my mind and was about to speak to the Maid waiting behind me.
"Kaldraash-nim, the Demon King summons you."
I couldn't help but marvel at the truly impeccable timing of the summons.
"He's like a damn ghost."
"Hm?"
"No. I didn't say anything."
I vaguely brushed it off like that and asked the Maid to guide me.
After all, it's just a meeting between men, so he probably won't complain if I smell a bit sweaty.
Since I didn't know the structure of the Demon King's Castle well and was just walking along following the personal Maid, the place I arrived at wasn't yesterday's audience chamber, but a room I'd never seen before.
When I asked the Maid where this was, she politely replied, "This is the Demon King-nim's office where he handles matters arising from all over the territory."
"…Oh."
So the Demon King does paperwork too.
The more I see, except for the animal ears and horns on their heads, it feels no different from a human kingdom.
Then again, considering that demons are creatures with human-level intelligence, it's only natural that their basic lifestyles wouldn't differ much.
One way or another, the two races must have influenced each other's cultures through long-term interaction.
Knock-knock-
As the Maid took the initiative and knocked, a deep voice came from inside.
"Enter."
The Maid then stepped slightly aside and opened the door herself.
"I will wait outside."
Passing her and entering the office, a room decorated with antique solid wood furniture, about 30 pyeong (approx. 99 sq meters) in size, unfolded before my eyes.
Whether it was because the Demon King usually had a neat personality, or because the servants cleaned that thoroughly, it was hard to find even a speck of dust on the floor.
As I looked around the office with curiosity, the Demon King stood up from his desk and said.
"Take a seat wherever you're comfortable."
As he said, I sat on the guest sofa placed in the middle of the room.
The Demon King seemed to be in the middle of his work, holding a thick bundle of papers in his hand.
He sat down on the sofa opposite me and started speaking.
"I heard you met my daughter in the training grounds?"
I nodded.
"Yes. Out of the blue, she said she wanted to see my skills and requested a 1-on-1 sparring match."
The Demon King then opened his mouth with a wry smile.
"Please understand. She's been boasting since she was young that she'd become the Demon King after me. She must want to increase her strength by any means necessary."
Hearing his words, I unintentionally expressed my doubt.
"The position of Demon King isn't hereditary, is it?"
The Demon King nodded and sank deeper into the plush sofa.
"As you say, the Demon King is chosen from among the First Bloodline, the strongest young individual of the current generation. This rule has been maintained without ever being broken since a thousand years ago until now."
"The First Bloodline?"
"The 72 demons directly created and sent down to earth by the Goddess of Strength. That's what I mean by the First Bloodline. Even the first Demon King Octavius and the second Demon King Tiberius were second-generation, born from their interbreeding, and those who became Demon King afterwards were all their descendants."
This is the first time I've heard this.
It seems like such an old story that it might already be a forgotten history among humans.
After all, the current kingdom was only founded 300 years ago.
"It feels quite different from the Hero, who doesn't really consider bloodline."
The Demon King retorted with a slightly indignant expression.
"Instead, isn't the Hero always chosen for having exceptional talent and intellect, almost like a mutation?"
"That's true."
I've lived my life hearing I was a genius since I was young, but that damn Hero could easily mimic swordsmanship he saw for the first time after just one look, and master it completely after two.
If perhaps he had indulged in womanizing a little less during his travels, he might have reached the realm of Sword Master long before arriving at the Demon King's Castle.
The Demon King, who had been passionately ranting about the Hero's profound deceitfulness, perhaps realizing the conversation had strayed off-topic, cleared his throat and returned to the original subject.
"Anyway, for that reason, my daughter is diligently striving every day with the goal of becoming the Demon King. As a father, and as a demon, if a father and daughter could become Demon King for two generations, there would be no greater glory, but it seems the direction she's taking is a bit off."
"In what way?"
"I don't know where she heard that women can't become Demon King, but after puberty, she started hating being treated like a woman immensely. Perhaps because of that, she's over twenty years old now, and hasn't even held a man's hand yet."
"That is rather unfortunate."
Basically, demons live about 1.5 times longer than humans.
Considering that, it's not too late for her to get married, but seeing a marriageable virgin showing no interest in the opposite sex, he must be very worried as a father.
He probably wants to see his grandchildren soon, too.
The Demon King sighed deeply and said.
"With things like this, I don't know who will teach that tomboyish girl about a woman's happiness. Except for one or two individuals, demons of her age are no match for her anymore, so I don't know how to handle marriage proposals."
"Don't worry. Even worn-out straw shoes find their pair, they say, so surely there must be a man somewhere who will make your daughter happy?"
The Demon King laughed heartily and praised me.
"Thank you just for saying that. I couldn't confide these worries to the people around me or my subordinates, so I'd been suffering alone, and it's fortunate that you betrayed the Hero just in time."
"Haha, you truly are the Demon King. If it weren't for your magnanimous nature, how could I have betrayed the Hero and joined the Demon King's army? It's all due to your virtue, Demon King-nim."
We were building camaraderie, man to man, as I actively wagged my tail.
The Demon King suddenly exclaimed, "Ah," and placed the bundle of papers he was holding onto the table.
"Look at me. I called a busy person like you here, and ended up just rambling on about my daughter."
"It's alright. Between you and me, Demon King-nim, it's perfectly understandable."
Then, the Demon King, with a serious expression, clasped his hands together in front of his face, exuding an aura like the boss of an evil organization, started speaking.
"After I sent you away yesterday, I stayed alone in the audience chamber and thought."
"Yes. About how you plan to use me from now on?"
The Demon King nodded and explained the details.
"First off, as I mentioned yesterday, I've made you the leader of my personal Foreign Unit. Ah, of course, you're the only one belonging to it. Creating the unit was purely for formality's sake."
"I see."
"And for the time being, it seems we need to hide the fact that you defected to the Demon King's army from the outside. It's awkward for me to say this, but there are quite a few people within the Demon King's army who hold personal grudges against you, and if I try to protect you from them, I'll face public outcry."
Hearing that, I tilted my head.
"Aren't there people who already know I'm inside the castle?"
"All those who know are my people, so you don't need to worry. We just need to make sure the information doesn't leak externally."
Impressed by the Demon King's meticulous handling of affairs, I nodded and said.
"Well, if that's the reason, I can't help it. I guess I'll just have to wear a mask or something for the time being."
"I would be truly grateful if you would."
Finally unclenching his hands as if relieved, the Demon King gulped down the cold water placed on the table, and wiped his mouth with his forearm, saying.
"Now, I have one request for you right away."
Is it finally time?
I straightened my back and asked with a tense expression.
"Who should I kill?"
The Demon King waved his hands in panic.
"No, no, it's nothing that grim."
"Huh?"
"We need to harvest the grain in the town below the castle right now, but all the young people have been drafted into the army, so we're short on labor. Can you perhaps help with that using your magic?"
"Huh?"
To the Demon King's earnest request, which was completely different from what I expected, I could only repeat the same words like a parrot.