"What, what, you were called that?

　I've always thought of you as a curious guy. ......

I'm embarrassed. That's what they used to call me when I was younger.

　A hand on the cheek, a little embarrassed, smiles Leila.

　You're younger than me, I think ...... you're younger than me, right?

　...... Well, Leila is older than me in this life. I'm less than a year old.

　If that's what you mean, then yeah. I'm younger than Iruna.
　Maybe I'll call you "missy" or something. She'll be happy.

You went to human-controlled territory to gather herbs that cannot be found in the demon realm and have not been heard from since. ...... Why did you, of all people, imitate a wench? ...?

　Ah ...... I see.

　After that, Leila was captured by slave hunters and held captive in that city, and then I attacked there and here we are.

　But still, by the looks of it, Leila must have been quite famous.

　Hood, a covert soldier, looks a little deflated in front of Leila.

Well, a lot of things happened.

"Yeah, no, but--

There's a lot going on!

"...... Oh, really?

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the next few days.

　...... I'm a bit curious to know what happened before we met, but I'm afraid to ask because of the way things are going.

It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about it.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect. I'm sorry. --First, let me introduce myself. I am Harolia-Leyrath. I am the demon king who governs the demon world. ...... Right, like you said, think of me as a messenger.

Oh, nice to meet you. Well, you know already, I'm Yuki.

　Then, Hood seemed to think about the order of what to say first, and after a few moments of contemplation, she gradually opened her mouth.

...... So, let's talk about the current situation in the 'demon world', the area governed by our demon race--


　　　* * *


And just as I was able to get a whiff of this place, the old guard will also get a whiff of you. They're sure to interfere in some way, since they've been completely destroyed by you.

"......, so

　Hood's words, I slowly counterpoint them.

　--As a story, it's not that difficult.

　To put it simply, in the realm of demons, the demon world, two powerful factions are clashing and vying for each other every day.

　First of all, the current king of demonology--it's hard to understand, so let's not abbreviate it. The faction of the king of the demon world.

　They are an innovative faction among the demon tribe.
　That's because they have felt the crisis of the demon tribe's supremacy of power and started planning to use other means than power.
　They do not appreciate the current situation where humans are winning alone, and try to control the demon tribe by cooperating with other races and trying to survive with a harmonious policy.

　There is a conservative faction with the Demon tribe at the top. Also known as the brainiac faction.

　They are easy to understand, believing that all their enemies should be crushed by overwhelming force.
　In fact, the demons have strong physical abilities and high magical power, so they can overwhelm others with their power.

　The purpose of this is unfathomable, but it is this group that I encountered while messing with the royal capital, Arsil.
　When I asked if they weren't a group of brainiacs, I was told that there is a clan within the enemy that is bound by a value system with power at the top, and yet is good at such subterfuge.

　In terms of power in the demon world, the faction of brainiacs who "endorse" the existing values is still stronger, while the faction of the king of the demon world is inferior.
　However, except for the demons, the beastmen and sub-humans would rather be allies than enemies of the demons, so they support the king's faction of the demon world, and it seems that the balance is being maintained for now.

　...... That's it, it's going to start a big war sooner or later.

　It's not a bad idea, but it's not a bad idea to have a good time.

　It's going to explode soon, it's obvious. It's just like the Balkans in the prehistoric age.

　And if this becomes an all-out war inside the demon world, the disadvantage will be ...... of course the king's faction, which is the inferior force within the demon world.

　It's not a good idea to do so, so they took the trouble to come to my place to increase their allies.

...... Leila, what do you think?

　Leila, who was standing nearby, opens her mouth, showing some signs of thinking.

It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a lot of information from ...... that I used to get when I was in the demon world. I didn't know that the conflict had become so serious, but it's certainly possible for that demon tribe to do something like that.

"Well, ......

　Lost in thought for a while. I don't care which faction wins.

　...... For me, it doesn't really matter which faction wins, frankly.

　It's not a matter of what values are good and what is right, it doesn't matter a shitload, and even if a war breaks out, it's just a matter of doing what you want.

　But - if you believe what this guy says, then the demon tribe is absolutely incompatible with me as well.

　They have a record of trying to use Leffi as a tool of slaughter, and that's something I can't allow.
　Otherwise, if there's a good chance that they'll try to mess with me in the future to retaliate against me for being humiliated, then it's perfectly acceptable to destroy them for the sake of future peace of mind.

　It's an enemy that deserves to be killed.

　--If you believe the words of this hooded girl, that is.

"We hope that we can build friendships with our enemy and assist you in a small way in the event of a crisis. That's why I'm here.

...... You guys have a point, I get it. All right, but let's be honest, we don't trust you yet. If I were to cooperate with you guys, what's in it for us? I don't see any particular benefit to me now that you're talking about it?

What we can offer you is, again, information. We're monitoring their every move. ...... I'm sorry, but, frankly, we're not that big of a force to be reckoned with. We don't have much to offer.



　Cupped lips, blotting out her inner feelings, Hoodie said.

...... Well, I guess so.

"We would like you to meet the king immediately to discuss this matter. So, this is a very polite request, but we would like to ask you to visit the demon world if you can. I'm very aware that the king should come here to visit you, but I can't leave the country now that things are in turmoil. ......

　Well, we're in the middle of nowhere.
　It's not hard to imagine that it will take a long time to come here, and more importantly, it's dangerous and full of demons, and you can't take the top brass to a place like that.

"You're very accommodating to a collaborator, aren't you?

　The king, who is the current ruler of the demon world, is willing to go out of his way to meet with you for one person's sake.

"No, we're not saying this for all our partners either. It's only because of you.

"...... Heh?

"Demon King Yuki, I've heard of your abilities. You have the ability to crush the schemes of the demon tribe in the land of humans with your single body and survive in the forest of demons, the harsh land ruled by the dragon. Furthermore, you are able to establish a friendship with the dragon and build a dungeon within his legendary domain.

　...... When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a really good guy.

　It's just that it all happened.
　The only thing I did when I met Reffi was to feed her with chocolates.

　...... But seriously, you know us so well. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

If you're that strong, he thought that the king would be willing to meet with you in person. Perhaps he can offer you some advantages if you talk to him in person. That's how much we want you to be on our side.

"...... I see,

　Magical World, or .......

"...... magical world, nice.

"Huh?

No, I'm talking about this one.

　...... It's called the demon world, and there might be something strange that you've never seen before.

　It sounds quite fun, and it would be nice to go on a trip with you guys.

　...... No, no, no, no, wait.

　The situation in the demon world is unstable right now, that's why I've been asked to help.

　This is just a few seconds before a civil war broke out! You can't take the children to a dangerous place like that. So, the other girls, except for En, will be staying behind.

　As for the others, if you are going to leave the children behind, Leila and Liu will need to stay behind as well.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the marketplace and what's going on in the world.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the marketplace.

　In fact, I always wanted to take Leffy on a honeymoon with me.

　We'll need to talk to you to decide this area, but she's been getting more and more deliberate lately, and she won't give you a bad answer.

　...... honeymoon. Sounds good to me.

　We've been working on defending the dungeon, setting traps and summoning new recruits for times like these, and we've been working on strengthening our defenses.

　There is a possibility that the demon tribe will come to attack, but with Ril, as long as the demon-like ones at the far end of the western area don't appear, most of the enemies should be repelled.

　Although it's hard to tell if someone really bad comes out, the demon tribe is in tension with the king of the demon world right now.
　You can't afford to send such a strong man to such a remote place, even if he is ruined.

...... Well, never mind. Let me talk to your wife first and then decide. Then we'll decide what to do.

"Huh? ...... dungeon demon king has a wife?

Oh, I'm so proud of you. --What are you going to do about it? Maybe tomorrow we'll decide what we're going to do, and it won't be too much trouble to come back home once, so if you want to stay the night, I'll rent this place for you.

...... May I take you up on your offer? As a matter of fact, I was attacked by a demon several times before I came here ......

　With an apologetic look on your face, you say that, Hoodie.

　Yeah, the demons here are indiscriminate. I'm sure the chase was chased, and they finally arrived in my dungeon area. Good work.

　...... No, demons are originally called demons because they are violent and reckless.

All right, that's how it is. Leila, I need you to make arrangements for our guest to stay the night.

"Yes, yes, sir!　

Oh, no, no, no, I'm sorry, I just need the space--

No, Yuki-sama's orders.

　You should not be sorry to make Leila, who seems to be a celebrity, do such a maid's job, she says so hurriedly, but she is smilingly rejected by the dependable and caring woman of our family.



　--And so the day's discussion was over.

　...... But that's still a thing.

　It's not just a simple matter of how much you want to know, but also how much you want to know. I asked him about it: .......

　When you think about it, in this day and age of entertainment and resources, but in our world of rogue information, there is no way that an ordinary person would know about the position of "kinsmen of the Kingsguard": .......

　--The only thing you need to know is that you're not the only one.

　It's another mystery: .......