A small coffee shop in the capital of the Archlesian Empire. In that shop, run by a young dwarven girl, Ozma, a regular customer, was still there today.
　Ozma had placed her shabby trench coat on the chair next to her and was eating a late breakfast while sipping her favorite coffee.

'Uncle?　You came in later than usual today, didn't you?　Besides, you seem kind of tired?
'Ahhh, it's a bit of a work thing. Well, the busiest day was yesterday, so I'm good to go.
To be honest, the fact that the word 'work' came out of my uncle's mouth never ceases to amaze me.
Young kids nowadays are so outspoken, it hurts a little bit.

　After finishing a few slices of sandwiches, the owner makes you another cup of coffee without saying a word.
　The warm atmosphere inside the wooden shop and the pleasant aroma of coffee. Ozma loved the time she spent drinking coffee here. It had gotten to the point where she came here every day without fail to get a cup of coffee...

　Of course, he's known the owner, a dwarven girl, for a long time. The owner has a firm grasp on Ozma's tastes, and lately she has come to know when it's time for another cup of coffee.
　Because they are kindred spirits, time is flowing slowly as they talk lightly with the gentle air of a kindred spirit.

''........Speaking of which, do you know?　I heard there's a big festival going on in the demon world right now.
Oh, you mean the Sixth King Festival. Indeed, it's a festival as big as the Festival of Heroes.
''That sounds great.......I'd like to go there too, but I hear you have to get an invitation from the Sixth King, so there's nothing I can do about it.
Yeah?　Would you like to go to the Sixth King Festival?
Well, I'd like to go to the... oh, did you know that?　The Warlord's subordinate, the Warlord Five Generals, has 'the same name as your uncle'!
Oh, yeah...

　At the words of the shop owner who tells her with a cute smile, Ozma has an unusually confused expression on her face.
　On the contrary, she even recognizes him as 'a different person with the same name'.

''I only saw her from a distance during the heroic festival, but she's a cool person who wears a formal dress in a crisp manner, is it called adult s*xiness?　It was different from the vibe I was wearing.
Yeah, well...
'I think Uncle should take a lesson from Ozma-sama with the same name and dress a little more nicely. Uncle, you have a nice face, and if you keep up appearances, you'll look great.
Ummmmm ... well, well, I'll think about it.

　One of the biggest reasons why the girl doesn't realize who Ozma is is that the Ozma she sees is so far removed from her current appearance.
　Ozma usually doesn't even shave his beard, and he wears a disheveled outfit with his shaggy hair and a shabby trench coat.
　However, for the heroic festival, he dressed tightly in formal attire, shaved his beard, and wore his hair all back.

　To a shopkeeper who was only a commoner, the Warlord Five Generals were on a cloud, and it was all he could do to see them from a distance. If that's the case, it might be inevitable, in a sense, that she, who only knows the current Ozma, sees the Ozma she saw at the Festival of Heroes as a different person.
　However, as for the actual Ozma, she was in a very troubled state. It was hard to tell the truth when telling the truth might destroy her dreams of glorifying the imaginary Ozma.

　Ozma swallowed a light sigh with her coffee and suggested to the shopkeeper with a bitter smile.

''Well if you want to go to the Six Kings Festival, shall my uncle take you there?''
...What?
'Looks like this, my uncle has a few connections. Maybe I can get you an invitation, you know?
Oh, really?　So, but you're going to get your uncle in trouble...
'Don't worry about it. Yeah, well, how about this as a thank you for always giving me a good cup of coffee?

　Hearing Ozma's words of gentle suggestion while lighting a cigarette taken out of his pocket, the shopkeeper nodded after thinking for a while.

''........Then, can I spoil you then?''
'Yeah, that's fine. It's just that it's going to take a bit of time I think it's going to be day six or seven before I can join you, is that okay?
'Yes!　Thank you, Uncle!
Well, I'll pay for it I'll come back.
So, please don't pat me on the head!

　Enjoying the reaction of the shopkeeper, who hated being treated like a child, Ozma left the shop with a smile on his face.









　After returning to the city where the Sixth King Festival was held, Ozma was looking for a certain person on the floor assigned to the Warlord's subordinates in the central tower.
　However, the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found, and Ozma scratched his head, looking a little troubled.

''........Oh?　Master Ozma?
Yeah?　Oh, Epsilon, just in the nick of time do you know where Mr. Bacchus is?
Is that you, Master Bacchus?　No, I wasn't at the training grounds but is it an urgent matter?
Oh, no, we're not in that much of a hurry. I'd like you to prepare an additional invitation for one of us... and I'm wondering if you're in charge of our invitations, Mr. Backus.

　Ozma scratched and explained the situation to Epsilon, one of the Five Warlords who happened to be passing by. Then Epsilon's expression changed to a thinking look, and then he opened his mouth.

In that case, I think we need to talk to the Phantom King's staff.
"Oh, I knew it..... Our children and the Phantom King's men don't get along well with each other.........
"Our leader, Agni-dono, and Pandora-dono, the leader under the Phantom King, dislike each other. There are a lot of hot-blooded people in our family, so it can't be helped.
Huh, it can't be helped but I'll ask Miyama-kun to help me out.

　The Warlord's and the Phantom King's subordinates don't get along with each other very well, partly because the two groups are dogs and monkeys. Ozma personally wishes that he could get along with the Phantom King, but it's not easy.
　Even if Ozma, who is under the Warlord's command, went to ask for help directly, it is unlikely that he would receive a favorable response... Then, the most effective way to do so was to ask Kaito, who can move the top brass of the other side.

　For Ozma, it was awkward to bother a kaijin who was old enough to be called a young child, but he wanted to take the surest way for the sake of the girl he was familiar with.
　At any rate, I'll bring some food and ask for it, and as Ozma was about to walk away with that thought, Epsilon opened his mouth at that moment.

''Speaking of which, I don't know how the War King's commander and the Phantom King's commander......or rather, how Agni-dono and Pandora-dono became acrimonious?
'Oh, no, it's not a big deal... "Who's stronger, your husband or the Phantom King? I guess we had a big fight and then we just fell out...
''I see ... but I'm curious about that as well. Who do you think is stronger, Ozma-sama, Megide-sama or Phantom King-sama?
Yeah?　''If it were to compare with 'Master Now,' the Phantom King is by far the strongest. Or rather, the current master is probably the weakest among the six kings. Well, even so, he's still an order of magnitude different compared to an ordinary title class...''
...What?

　In response to the question that Epsilon told him, Ozma assertively told him that Megiddo was weaker than the Phantom King.
　Then Ozma, seeing his reaction, puts one hand to his face, as if to say that he has failed.

''I'm sorry, it was a gaffe. Forget what I just said, my husband is going to kill me.
'What?　What do you mean by that?　What do you know, Ozma-sama?
I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. But I'm the one who misspoke, and I'll give you a hint.
...a hint?
"...if you're serious about 'Megiddo Argettes Borgnes', even 'I' can win, if you're serious about 'Megiddo-sama'. But if you fight 'Megide-sama', you will never win. He can't even inflict a scratch on me and I'll be killed.
"...What?　What?
Argetes Borgnes it's an ancient language of the magical world. You can look in the dictionary. But don't say anything else unless you want to offend your husband.

　After telling him that much, Ozma sucked on his cigarette and left. Leaving behind a stunned Epsilon........

　 Those who know its true meaning can only be counted on one hand.
　Ozma, who once raged in the demon world.......the power he forged, the confidence he built up, the pride of being the strongest, the incarnation of tyranny that shattered all of it, and that Ozma admired so much that he pledged his absolute loyalty to it. The Red Beast that had once turned a third of the Demon World into scorched earth was now still sleeping.