My duel with Basteo ended in a complete victory, but it wasn't without problems.

　With my victory, two problems arose.

　The first was Basteo's punishment.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time and energy.

　To be precise, only his head is still alive and well.

　I took pity on them for taking their lives as well, so I left them with only their heads, but even so, they said, "You little bastard! And he's not reduced to slapping his mouth.

　Well, he won't be able to do any more bad things with just his neck.

　Probably, but he would have to spend the rest of his life in the dungeons of the Demon King's Castle, spouting my complaints for the rest of his life.

　It was pathetic, but I didn't feel sorry for him.

　It was rust from my own body, and the one who lost this duel in the first place was supposed to be executed. It's only the mercy of the Demon Lord that he can continue to live even if it's only his head.

　I then send my gaze to the second problem.
　If I look, I see a large hole in the dueling hall of the Demon King's Castle.

''Is this going to be my responsibility?''

　I exhale.

　I wonder how long it will take to repair this.
　And when I think of the cost, my head hurts.
　As expected, I'm not going to be asked to pay for it personally.

　--I don't know.

"You're responsible for the things you break.

　I'm sure the commander of our 7th Legion would say that.
　Now, who's going to pay for it?

　With that thought in mind, I looked up at the dueling hall's noble seat.
　What was unfolding there was an unexpected scene.

　It was an argument between Dairokten-sama, the Commander-in-Chief of the Demon King's Army, and Cephiro of our Seventh Legion.

　Their arguments were as follows.

　First, the Demon King-sama's argument.

''He defeated the 3rd Legion's commander. He should be the commander of the vacant 3rd legion.

　That was the norm in the world of the demon race.
　My competence as a commander in the battle just now.
　It was judged that my individual bravery also surpassed that of Basteo.
　This is the reasoning of the demon race: the one who is stronger and more capable stands at the top.

　However, Cephiro vehemently disagrees.
　But Cephiro is vehemently opposed to this.

Her argument is as follows: "Ike is her subordinate. Ike is her subordinate, and his personnel authority rests with his superior, the mistress.

　This might also be a valid argument.
　Right now, I'm the brigade commander of the 7th Corps.
　I can understand the argument that it would be troublesome if I were to be pulled out without permission.
　The bottom line is that the Demon King and Cephiro are competing for me.


''Ike is my mistress!
Ike is mine!


　Beauty, I didn't feel bad about being sought out by the two of them, but either way, I can't remain a brigade commander.

　Currently, the seat of deputy commander of the 7th Corps is open.

　Considering what they've accomplished so far and what they're going to do in the future, the one to take that position is me.

　This means that you can choose to become the deputy commander of the vacant 7th Corps or the leader of the 3rd Corps.

Which should I choose?

　It's hard to decide.
　I suppose I should choose Cephiro as a righteous man.
　He is the one who has taken care of me since I was a child.
　It would be a shame to leave this man after all this time.
　On the other hand, the option of becoming the commander of an army is not a bad one.
　I'm going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Sephiro and lead the Demon King's army alongside the Demon King.

　Then the world I want to live in.
Demons and Humans
　may be able to grasp the world more quickly in which they coexist.

　It's a toss-up between righteousness and humanity.

　Should I take Cephiro, who has taken care of me since I was a child, or should I take the Demon King who has looked out for me?
　Or should I take the Demon King who gave me a lot of attention?

　The answer I've come up with is--


　†.


　Returning to Ivalice, I sat down in my usual office, my usual chair, and asked Satie for a cup of tea, as usual.

'What brand would you like to be served?'

　Satie asks in a subdued tone.
　Of course, it has to be from Ivalice.

　They say the best stuff is from Jaclott, in the northwest of the continent, but I don't think that's the case.

　Maybe I'm being patronizing because I'm the lord of Ivalice, but I liked the tea that comes from this region.

　I asked Satie for my usual, and she bowed reverently, "Very well," she said.

　A few minutes later, the tea was poured the perfect amount and placed on the table.

　As I was enjoying the aroma of the tea, Satie called out to me as if it was the right time to do so.

"-Congratulations on your promotion. Master.

　She smiles and bows her head again.

　In a manner of speaking, I return the thanks, but where in the world did she get that information from?

　When I ask, it turns out that the source of the information is Jiron.
　That pig, I had nailed him not to tell anyone so much--.
　I cursed that in my mouth, but it can't be helped now that it's been found out.
　And this is a good thing.
　It is not a particular thing to be concealed.

But, master, why couldn't you become the commander of the army?

　I answer, "Well,

　It's not that it's hard to answer, but the Demon King's Army has a lot of things going on.
　You can call it adult affairs or politics.

　First of all, the commander-in-chief of the Demon King's army, the Demon King, recommended that I should be made the commander of the army, but Cephiro vehemently opposed it.

　I'm an important asset. Maybe he felt that it hurt to lose it here, but maybe he still has a sense of guardianship that he has to lead them.

　She's still saying, "I've changed my diaper before".
　She's the neighborhood lady--or rather, her sister.
　He needs to be treated like an adult.

"Was it because Cephiro-sama was opposed to it that you couldn't become the leader?

　Satie asks ruefully.
　'No,' I shake my head.

'That's not all. The other legion leaders disagreed, saying that I'm still too young.

　Come to think of it, not even three years have passed since he became a brigade commander.

　No matter how many achievements he had made, it was probably too soon to suddenly rise from brigade commander to army commander.

　It was also plausible that there would be opposing views.
　Even so, the Demon King still recommended me for the position of Legion Commander, but I declined on my own.
　Just like the incident with Basteo the other day, the Demon King's Army is not a monolithic force.

　It's not necessarily true that they won't give birth to a disruptive element like Basteo if they are forced to do so here.

　I don't want that, and it wouldn't be a good thing for the Demon King's Army either.

　Besides, if I were to become the leader of the army now, I would probably have to leave Ivalice.

　If I become the commander of a corps, it might be difficult to keep Sati close to me as a servant.

　That's not my intention.

　I liked this city called Ivalice for some reason.

　I loved the view of the city looking down from my office as I sipped the tea made by a girl named Satie.

　I didn't know how much longer I could stay in this city, but it seemed like a shame to give it up myself.

　I turned back to Satie and said in the same tone I always used.

'More tea, Satie, please.

　Satie smiled and uttered her usual lines.

'Yes, my lord,'

　Her smile and the scent of another cup of tea was the best thing I've ever smelled.