Read The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King

160 - - Earl of Ismaria

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　When we entered the Count's castle, we were told to hand over our weapons. This was outrageously rude to a guest!

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　Toshizo was furious, but it was only an act.

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　He knew that he would be captured. It was surprising that they did not take away his weapons.

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　The reason for his anger was to avoid the Count's suspicion.

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　It was foolish to act like this, but both Toshizo and I knew that the world needed foolishness, so we played the fool all the time, and finally handed over our weapons.

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　I only use an unmarked longsword and a shortsword, which is fine, but Toshizo usually uses a kyomono Japanese sword, the Izumimori Kanetada. It was Izumimamori Kanetada. He would never have given such a fine sword to me, and he left the real one to Jeanne, who now had a namakura on her waist. Even so, Japanese swords are rare in this world.

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　The guard who had the sword looked at it with curiosity and was about to take it to the guard station.

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　I stopped him.

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"Oh, and while you're at it, why don't you take this with you?

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"What is it?"

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　The guard looks at the object in the bag suspiciously. I explain.

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"Actually, my longsword is cursed. It's alive."

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　The guard's face turns blue.

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"Once a day I will belch, and then you will feed me the food in the sack.

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　The sack he handed over wriggled. The guard's face turns pale.

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"...... what happens if I don't feed him?"

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　He asks fearfully, but answers indirectly.

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"The man who used to take care of him was a fat little orc. He was a nice guy, but now he's assigned to the skeleton squad. Do you know what this means?"

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"............"

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　The guard seemed to understand and shook his head vigorously, "I will definitely feed him.

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"Thank you."

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　I thanked him and we went straight to the audience room where the Count was.

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　The audience hall of this castle was grander and larger than that of the Ashtaroth Castle.

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　Toshizo said,

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"I think a count is the middle of duke, marquis, count, viscount, and baron, right?

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　He asked me.

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"That's right. A duke, a marquis, a count, a viscount, and a baron.

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"It's quite magnificent for that. It's nothing compared to your husband's castle.

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"But I'm still a demon king!"

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　He says self-mockingly.

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　Well, there are various noblemen in this world, and it is common for a count's wealth to surpass that of a king. In the first place, demon kings are called only for the sake of convenience, and on average, many of their territories are at the level of a count. There are 72 of them, after all, and not all of them can hold large territories.

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　When I explained this to Toshizo, he agreed, but there were some things he did not agree with.

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"You have a great chair, but you don't seem to have the Count," he said. Or is he invisible?

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"I guess he's coming."

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　and "I guess he is coming," and the predictions come true immediately.

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　The squire with the most lung capacity shouts loudly.

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Count Ismariah!

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　His voice was a sound that filled my lungs with emotion. I wanted to invite him to join our caucus, but that would have to wait for a later time. For now, I should focus on the Count.

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　Count Ismailia was a man of great age. He was a dull man who did not look like an aristocrat unless he was dressed in aristocratic clothes. He was a poor man who looked like a peasant.

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　The knight messenger beside him looked more aristocratic than he did.

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　But Ismariah must have been a nobleman for more than 40 years. His words were powerful.

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"You are the demon king Ashtaroth?

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"Yes, my lord."

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　He never got down on one knee. I must emphasize that I am the equal of the Demon King, Count Ismariah.

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　The Count doesn't look pleased. He seems to be aware of diplomatic protocol.

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　Count Ismaria rose from his seat, took my hand, and said

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"You are the demon king Ashtaroth, aren't you?

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"He was just born a few days ago.

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"But you seem to have the skill of a sorcerer of a thousand lords of the sea. He's played me for a fool, too.

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I'm sorry I was so clever that time.

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Don't worry about it. It's a lord's business to plot.

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I'm glad to hear you say so.

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　I bow my head.

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Yes. Don't worry too much. We're allies now.

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"I'm not sure that's quite right, sir. I'm sure many of the Count's men will not agree.

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　I look at the man with the great mustache. He looked at me with a scowl.

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"Of course, not everyone in the territory is fond of you. But it's the same for everyone.

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　That's true. Usually, we do not get along with our neighbors.

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"So you are saying that politics and feelings are two different things.

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That's what I mean. As the Lord of Ismaria I'd like to be on good terms with you.

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So do I. I want to make a non-war alliance with you.

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　I said to him, and he let out a light smile,

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"It's a coincidence of our intentions, isn't it?

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　He continues.

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"Yes. I would like to sign the contract immediately, but first I would like to invite you to dinner. I would like to entertain you tonight.

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"By all means."

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And there's someone I'd like you to meet. And I'd like you to meet him at the dinner table.

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　Someone you want me to meet?　He didn't say. We would see him at dinner anyway. There was no need to hurry.

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"Then, I will ask you to stay in your room until dinner.

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　He glanced at Hijikata Toshizo, who jokingly whispered, "A woman. As expected, he could not ask for such a thing, so he said, "Don't mind me," and was led by his attendant to his room.

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　There I would be separated from Toshizo, but I would see him again at dinner.

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　Sitting down on the bed in the guest room, he sighs, "Oh, .......

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　I was prepared to be cut down as soon as I arrived, which is a bit of a letdown, but I'm not ready to let up yet. Count Ismaria was surprisingly friendly, and I thought things could go any way from here.

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　However, I was indeed tired from the long trip, so I lay down on my bed. He said he would have dinner as soon as the sun went down, so I would be able to sleep for at least two more hours. A human being should have slept when he could.

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　Even a demon king's judgment is dulled when he is tired, and his physical abilities are also impaired.

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　I made up my own proverb and went back to sleep.

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