Luthrara, Commander of the 4th Legion of the Demon King's Army.

　She was the daughter who became the commander of the 4th Legion of the Demon King's Army at the same time that the current Demon King, Lord Dylockten, was crowned Demon King.

　Although she is a daughter, she has been alive for several hundred years, so she must be considered old in the eyes of the humans, but in the eyes of the evil serpent (lamia) tribe, she is still considered a little girl.

　In fact, her grandmother, who has been serving her since the Dvorberg era, still calls her "young lady".

　It is rude to call the commander of the Demon King's army, Luthrara, who is known as the Ice Princess of the Strangled Serpent, a young lady, but she says

'You are a young lady, my dear. Even if you were to marry me, I would still call you that.

　And that was that.

　I had recently given up on the idea that this was unlikely to take that designation unless I had a baby.

　But she would not talk about it.

　If she uttered such a joke, she would bring a portrait she couldn't hold in both hands and put together a story of an arranged marriage.

　It was a fool's errand within a fool's errand, and a bad one within a bad one.

　Luthrara was not a fool and would not make such a screw-up, but he had slipped up unusually that day.

'Grandma, can a Lamia and an immortal have children?'

　Grandma, the old Lamia woman looked at Luthrara with a strange look on her face.

'Well, young lady, you grandmother, have you become deaf or have you finally lost your hearing? Or has she finally lost her hearing?　Now, it sounds like your daughter wants to have a baby, as you said.

'I have not spoken of such things. Just, can you have a child with the Immortals? That was all I asked. I was just asking that too. It's a joke. Forget it.

　Luthrara said, but she would not miss the grandmother, she would continue.

The young lady is in a good mood. The future of our family is at stake. I can't miss what she said.

　It's about to roll up the sleeves of its clothes.
　And the tail of the Lamia, or snake tail, is upside down.
　Normally, when you get old, your tail doesn't stand up.
　That's probably how excited they are.
　This could be a bad thing. Luthrara apologized honestly and said.

'I have no intention of getting married. At the very least, until the fight against the humans is over. If you want your sisters to give birth to eggs, you can count on them.

But isn't the head of House LaWest a young lady?

There's no law in the Demon King's Army that says the head of the family has to have a child. If my sister gives birth to a child, she can adopt him or her to succeed him or her.

But she does not want to see her sisters' children, but Luthrala's. Otherwise, when she goes to the other side, she will leave this world unattended and wander the world as a ghost.

　If that happens, I'll have her become a Buddha with the magic of the 《exorcism (Turn Undead)》, she replied in her mind, but she didn't seem to care and continued with her earlier story.

''The LaWest family is a prominent family of the demon race. In order to maintain their military prowess and authority, they need a strong head of the family. And for that, we need the child of the young lady who is said to be the genius child since the establishment of the La West family.

My strength is not necessarily genetic.

But if your daughter has her eyes on your children, I'm sure they'll give birth to strong men. Good luck with that, and lay as many eggs as you can.

That's easy for you to say.

　Why does the old woman stick out when it comes to this kind of story?
　There are many lamia daughters who never marry and never produce eggs in their lifetime, aren't there?
　I thought so, but I decided not to speak of it because it would be too much trouble, and I decided to go along with her.

'Well, let's get back to the subject. Let's say I take a son-in-law. In that case, would the fact that my partner is an immortal be an obstacle?

　The Lamia, without exception, are born only female. Hence, all previous heads of the tribe have been female.

　When a Lamia girl reaches the right age to spawn, she either takes in a son-in-law or has a one-night stand with a man of another race, which results in the birth of a child.

　That was the way the Lamia daughters were descended.
　Normally, it was preferred that the person from whom the genes were obtained should be a man of the demon race.
　It is preferable for a demon to be united with a demon.
　Besides, the Lamia desire a strong daughter. There is nothing wrong with strength if the partner is a demon male.
　However, the Lamia can breed with males who have reproductive organs.

　There are Lamia daughters who have had children with humans, and I've heard that some of them have had children with goblins.

　But Luthrara had never heard of a Lamia daughter having children with an immortal.

　Wouldn't a grandmother who had lived for many years be familiar with that situation?　I couldn't help but say it, but the answer the grandmother brought was surprising.

''I have heard that when this grandmother was a child, there was a Lamia daughter who had a child with an immortal demon tribe.

Are you sure?

　Luthrara couldn't help but lean back.

　The tablecloth on the table had slipped off a little, and she was lightly coughed up and even chided by her grandmother.

'It's just a rumor, though.

''But the immortals are just dead people, aren't they? How in the world would such people be able to reproduce?

Well, I don't know all the details. I don't suppose I could ask you how you had the baby.

Indeed.

　No one who hears such a rupture will be allowed to serve this House of La West and will not be chosen to be Luthrara's nanny.

　--But.

　Luthrara put her hand to her chin and blurted out, "There is a precedent for this?

'There is a precedent, is that what you mean?

　Probably, though, they used some mystical method to procreate.
　If the immortals also become a higher level, a being called a rich, wraith or wight, they can control powerful magic. If that happened, they could at least impregnate the females of multiple races.

''Come to think of it, his man was also a Rich...''

　Suddenly, I recall the face of the commander of the Demon King's Eighth Army Corps.


　The young man of the immortal tribe who wore a skeleton mask and the robe of the immortal king--the young man of the immortal tribe who wore the robe of the immortal king.


　Because he wears a mask, his true form cannot be seen, but he has a figure that is worthy of being called a deformity among the demon race. I don't know if he can be classified as handsome among the immortals, though, since the races called the Immortal King all have similar or different appearances.

　However, it seemed certain that he had a talent worthy of inheriting the 'Staff of the Circular Serpent' left by his grandfather, Ronberg, who was called the Guardian of the Abyss.

　To be honest, Luthrara hadn't had an eye on Ike until just the other day.

　She had only heard of a rumor in the wind that a young man, the grandson of Ronberg, had joined the 7th Legion.

　When I heard that he was immediately promoted to brigade commander, I even believed the rumors around me that he was probably promoted by his grandfather's influence anyway.

　However, when I actually met him and saw his accomplishments and got to know his character, I realized how stupid and incompetent I was.

　I was ashamed of myself for believing the rumors without seeing them with my own eyes.

　This man, Ike, had not risen through the prestige of his grandfather, nor had he risen through the backing of Cephiro.

　He reminded me once again that it was through his ability and brilliance that he had stripped away his current position.

　I've only seen Ike once on the battlefield, and the way he works is nothing short of tremendous.

　His calm and collected leadership is comparable to the great generals of the famous Demon King's Army in the past, and his magic power is so powerful that he ranks among the five most powerful of the Demon Clan.

　Moreover, his intelligence is also valuable enough to rival an army.


　The relocation of the Demon King's Castle--.


　That itself was the Demon King's idea, but the first person who realized the value of the plan, agreed with it, and came up with a way to implement it was not the Demon King, but a young man named Ike.

　If it wasn't for Ike, the Demon King's army might have been torn between whether or not to make the transition or not by now.

　Ike would have taken advantage of the gap between the two, and the enemy might have taken away the Leesus that he had dropped.

　Or there was also a great possibility that one of the legion leaders, who had gotten into trouble, had betrayed them and a civil war had broken out under these circumstances.

''Well, in that case, who would have been the second traitor?

　A soliloquy escaped him.

　It was an extremely low voice, so it didn't reach Baya's ears, but the words were disturbing and ominous.

　In fact, the Demon King's Army is not a monolithic force.

　The creatures of the demon race are bloated with self-esteem, and they severely dislike the fact that someone is above them.

　Of course, they are convinced of the superiority of a superior person, and they will obey, but it is the nature of the demon race with its own power that if they have a chance, they will become the king of demons.

　Even Luthrara has this tendency.
　If the current me is more powerful than the Demon King, then...
　If only I had more charisma than the Demon King now.
　It would be a lie to say that there have never been nights when I have thought about it and my blood has been flowing.

　In fact, whenever I have an audience with the Demon King, I am always watching his words and actions to see if there is any opportunity for him to take advantage of her.

　However, I've never put this into practice just because I thought about it.
　This is because there is no room for the current Demon King, Dylokuten-sama to take advantage of her.
　The magic and resourcefulness of our current Demon Lord was one of the best among the Demon Lord of all time.

　He was bold and fearless, cool and calm, and even the rebellious Gelmoor had a glance at his leadership and strategic vision.

　So far, there is only one legion leader who has the courage and grit to rebel against such a charismatic demon king.

　Luthrara recalls the face and name of the legion leader who revolted against the Demon King last year and was successfully defeated in return.

　The Commander of the 3rd Legion Legion, the bloody Duke Basteo.
　He was a headless knight who served the Demon King for many years.
　He was even more of a warrior than Gelmoor, and he hated humans even more than Gelmoor.

　He disliked the policy of reconciliation with the humans advocated and practiced by the Demon King, so he revolted against the Demon King.

　It was a reckless gamble - but that's not to say.
　Basteo was one of the most powerful people in the Demon King's army, and there must have been demon tribes who were in sympathy with him.
　However, his rebellion was quickly put down.
　The one who put down the rebellion was also a young man named Ike.

　He took Basteo, one of the foremost knights in the Demon King's army, as his hand and changed him from a head 'no' knight to a head 'only' knight.

　If it weren't for the young man Ike, Basteo's rebellion would have succeeded and the demon king's army would have been split in two.

''In other words, if it wasn't for this man named Ike, I wouldn't be staying in Arsenum now,''

　It wasn't just one case of Basteo.

　Ike is also responsible for signing a trade agreement with the Southern Trade Federation and bringing foodstuffs to them from the South.

　The weapon known as the "flamethrower" that is currently in circulation in the Demon King's army is also a product of his efforts.

　And that's not all.

　Not only in domestic and diplomatic affairs, but also on the battlefield, Ike was a brave young man.

　He drove away the hordes of the League of Lords, drove the main knights of Rosalia to destruction, and devised a strange plan to capture Rosalia.

　Looking at the military aspect alone, Ike's performance could be said to be the best in the Demon King's Army.
　If it weren't for this young man named Ike, the Demon King's army would have left Rosalia long ago.

　They would have been cruelly defeated by the humans, and would probably be fighting the humans to the death in the Demon King's Army territory now.

　In fact, in the past, the Demon King's Army had been attacked many times by the humans, and they were forced to lick their teeth.
　There was a great possibility that they would make the same mistake this time as well. If it weren't for this young man Ike.

''But when I think about it, I can see it this way...''

　Luthrara rested a hand lightly on her chin and let her fearless thoughts run through her mind.

''The reason why the Demon King's army exists today is because of Ike. ........Conversely, if Ike hadn't been under the Demon King, we would have lost.

　In other words, what I'm trying to say is that if Ike becomes Luthrara's man, it's not impossible for him to become the next Demon King.

　I can't help but have such a delusion.

''Will there be a Demon King from the La West family.......''

　The LaWest family was touted as the most prestigious family since the opening of the Demon King's Army, but unfortunately, no Demon King had ever emerged from that bloodline.

　I thought that they would never be able to produce a Demon King in my generation at least in the future, but perhaps I was greatly mistaken.

''If it is possible to cage Ike, it will be possible for this me to become the next Demon King.

　Right now, the young man named Ike is an indispensable resource for the Demon King's Army, or rather, the very backbone of the Demon King's Army.

　If only he could be brought into the allies, his strength would be the greatest in the Demon King's army.
　No, he might be able to surpass the Demon King-sama.

''--No, we can certainly take the kingdom of heaven.

　Luthrara shook her head.

　The achievements that Ike had made so far, the bizarre strategy he had used to persuade the army leaders who opposed the relocation of the capital, all of these examples proved the extraordinary nature of the young man Ike.

''If Ike, the Immortal King, is on my side, I can become the next Demon King.

　It was a seductive word when uttered by himself.
　--but it was also true that when you actually put them into words, they suddenly lost their sense of reality.

''.........Huh, is that ridiculous?''

　Luthrara let out a breath.
　If you think about it calmly, Luthrara's ambition was the kind of nonsense that could be called delusional.
　From the end, the bond between the Demon King and Ike is strong.

　That bond would be about the same as that between a squire and a married couple. There isn't the slightest chance for Luthrara to get in on it now.

''No, even if there was, there's another problem.''

　Suppose there was a crack between the Demon King-sama and Ike, and an opening was created to take advantage of it.

　However, the first person to come in between them would not be Luthrara, but the head of the 7th Legion, Sephiro.

　She would be like Ike's sister.

　There was no need to imagine which side of the line he would follow, Sephiro or Luthrara. The answer was obvious.

'I knew it was a puzzling idea.

　Being born into a warrior family, once he took up the sword, he was tempted to aim and see himself as the Demon King, but it was better to leave that dream as a dream.

　Luthrara was now only a head in the basement of the Demon King's castle and reminded him of his former colleague who should be wearing a grudge.

'Now, what happens if I rebel and fail?

　I hear snakes are used as a skin material.

　In Luthrara's case, he might be able to get them to keep him alive from the top half of his body, not just his neck, but it still wasn't a nice future vision.

''If the lower half of the body is gone, there will be no more descendants left of the LaWest family.

　Even if it was impossible to produce a Demon King in my generation, I wanted to leave open the possibility of producing one in my children's generation.

　For that reason, she should give birth to a strong baby boy as recommended by her grandmother.
　After realizing this, Luthrara asked her again.

'You mentioned that there were cases of children between Lamia and the immortals, but can you tell me a little more about it?

　When asked that question, Baya rolled her eyes, but she gladly answered the question.
　But at the end, he gave me this advice.

'I'm glad your daughter is thinking about an heir, but there's just one problem.

What's the matter...?

　Luthrara returns with her usual tone, her usual expression.

　When Grandma came to Luthrara with a sigh, she loosened her mouth and grabbed Luthrara's cheek.

'No lord will come near you if you have that kind of expression on your face like a Noh mask. It's a smile, a smile. A man has guts, a woman has charm.

　As she says this, she forces Luthrara's cheeks to contort and make her smile.

'Hohohito hiya no ka (is that what it is?)'

　Luthrara replied and decided to be careful from now on.
　However, the way he spoke and the expression on his face was innate.
　This is an innate trait, but it cannot be remedied by taking care of it.

　In order to carry a young man named Ike in your womb, you may need a different kind of weapon than just charm.

　Luthrara didn't know what that was now, but she crawled to the front of the dressing table anyway.

　The lower half of her body was a snake, but at least the upper half of her body was in human form.

　As long as she wore makeup, she would look good. This was still good enough to make him look good enough to be used by a demon man to make him look s*xy.

　For the first time in her life, Luthrara had voluntarily and actively learned how to apply makeup from her baayya maidservants.

　Learning how to apply makeup was more difficult than learning how to swing a sword.