125-124 Grief
Thus, the report to the Underworld God Hades is over, and it's safe to say that Demon King Zedan-san's conquest of the earth has gained completion.
''The hard part starts here.
However, the Demon King wasn't even a hair's breadth away from being caught off guard.
''You can only say auspicious things, you Demon King.
''Conquest is only the beginning. Conquering is only the beginning. That's where the true value of a ruler will be tested. The real work of a demon king starts here.
A seamless demon king is probably the best cheat in a way.
Even against a level one heroic person, he seems to never lick it.
''In fact, it seems like this is where things get really tough.
Astares-san, who was standing by her right side as the Demon Queen, said.
''More than anything else, the new race we will be ruling from now on is the human race. Since they are a different species from the demon race we've ruled until now, we can expect all sorts of difficulties with that alone.''
The old system, the human nation, has not yet completely collapsed. There are a number of smoldering problems that cannot be left unattended, no matter how small.
Grashara-san, who was also standing by her left side as the Demon Queen, said.
''Hey........don't talk too much about political orientations in front of the Saint's Hall......!
Although the Demon King chides me.
''But since the king surrendered, isn't the human kingdom completely gone?
I've been bitten and there's nothing I can do about it.
'It won't be so. Since there is another important factor in the human nation, besides the royal family, that supports the state apparatus.''
Faith.
The cult is a cult that worships one of the three world gods, Tenjin Zeus, as its main god, and it is said to be the first sect of the human race, so to speak.
In this world, each race strongly worships the god that created them, so the religious groups that serve that god also naturally have a strong influence.
The churches of the human race in particular have a reality that can be called a cult with its own organizational body.
It is said that they built their headquarters far away from the royal capital, where they prospered and became the second capital, and were heavily involved in the national government, passing their own intentions and gaining huge profits.
''The existence of the Order is important because the people of the Order seem to have a monopoly on the legal magic given to them by the Heavenly Zeus and their benefits as well. In a sense, they were no less than the royal family.
'Unless we completely crush not only the royal family, but also the cult, human oppression will never truly be complete.
Astares said.
'We asked the heads of the Order to surrender as well as the royal family. As a result, the king's side went down with an open mind, but the big guys in the Order - the head of the Church and the cardinals - they were....
And Grashara.
No way.....
'He escaped, at a glance.
Since then, the whereabouts of the Order's top leader remains unknown.
We're doing everything we can, but it's still an unfamiliar territory and we're having trouble finding him.
'We threatened to kill all of the human race, including the civilians, if they don't obey,' but without a moment's hesitation. We couldn't really slaughter them, and the threats turned out to be threats.
It's really kind around not killing........
''That's why the occupation regime of the former human country still has some uneasy elements left. I can't relax yet, and I can't visit the Saint's Hall so casually, but...''
No, no, no, no, don't worry about it.
When work is hard, make your work a priority.
That's the most important thing.
As a matter of fact..., that's not the only problem that remains...!
?
The conversation was going in a strange direction.
And it started to smell vaguely strange.
'It was the royal side that surrendered, I should say, of course, but it wasn't just the head of the state, the king, who captured it.
Leaving the Demon King, who seemed to have some difficulty in saying something, Astares-san continued.
''The king's brothers and children, all of them are royalty in a nutshell. If we don't capture all of them, it won't matter.
It's true that...
Especially a prince, because he's the rightful heir to the king.
Even if you kill the king, for example, if the escaped prince somewhere declares "I'll be the king this time! I'll be king this time!" then we're screwed.
"Fortunately, we were able to capture all of the king's relatives as quickly as possible. But we've been forced to deal with the problem of how to handle it.
Problem?
"In the upper echelons of the Demon King's army, the majority of them are calling for the execution of the entire royal family.
'Oh...'
That would be, well, deserved....
Even if it's not natural.
But the important thing is that the Demon Lord seems unwilling to do so....
"I wish to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. Above all, I do not want to cause his country any more pain after the King of the People has decided to do so gracefully.
And I was pressed into service at the meeting. In the end, the king's father and the previous king, who is 90 years old and still hale and hearty, will be exiled to the demon kingdom, along with the king's younger siblings and their wives and children. The king's younger brothers and sisters and their wives and children will be dispatched to the Demon Kingdom territory.
It'll be safer if you keep it out of reach.
But there's one person I still don't feel comfortable with...
It's finally getting really kinaesthetic.
I know it's going to lead to trouble, but I can't help but urge you to continue...!
...who is this person?
A princess.
'You're a princess?'
Ms. Astares continued matter-of-factly.
─ As of now, the only child of the king is Princess Lettuce Slate, who is 17 years old. Since the human kingdom is male and women don't have the right to succeed to the throne, her husband was supposed to be the next king.
That plan has become a big deal in this situation...!
The Demon King says in a weak voice.
''Among the human race, if an ambitious person tries to take the country away from the demon race, the princess would be a good excuse.
"I'll take the princess and marry her, and anyone can claim to be the rightful king...!
The majority of them thought that she was the most dangerous member of the royal family, and that the princess should be dealt with even if the others were spared.
It seems that Astares-san and Grashara-san, as the Demon Queen, agreed with the Demon King about the royal aid, but as expected, they couldn't sympathize with the princess as well.
''That's how dangerous the human race princess is to the demon race.
I know the Demon Lord is kind to you, but the safety of the demon tribe should never be a higher priority.
The two Demon Queens' arguments are really straightforward, and the Demon King is probably weak because he can't argue with them.
''I made a promise to the king of the human race...!
Blotting out bitterness, the Demon King said.
''In exchange for his life, he said he would guarantee the safety of his entire human race. That includes his family. What could be more painful than that for a parent, especially if his own daughter is killed...?
''No, still...!
It's more of a fate to be born into a king's family........
''Astares........!
?
She's already carrying her own child. She's expecting a baby in the summer or fall.
Oh!
Well, congratulations!
'I know even more because I too will be a parent...! The pain of a parent being hurt by a child! I can't whip the king, who has shown great resolve, and I don't want to do that myself. I was looking for a way to do something about it...!
...........
It can't be helped.
I understand what you want to do, Demon Lord. Or rather, what you want to ask.
He's too shy to say anything about it, so I'll start talking to him.
''I understand.''
I said.
"That's it, princess. I'll take her to my farm.