So these are the pirates who drifted to Helgaia and kidnapped the queen when she escaped from her prison.
''Yes......... My curiosity about what a human being is like overcame me, and when I went to the dungeons, I ran into those men who escaped...

　What can I say about that........
　When I asked Claudia-san, who claimed to be the Queen of Helgaia at Iglet's castle about the situation, it seemed that she was caught up in the escape of the pirates.
　In the country that was the underworld, the demon race (these people call themselves the Majin race, but it's a bother, so we'll call them the demon race) is sometimes feared because of their appearance, which is similar to that of a magical beast.
　To those pirates, it may seem as if they have drifted into the land of the devil.
　Did they think that they would be eaten if they didn't escape? Well, I can't help but think so when I see war tigers, war wolves, and oga, right? They are good-natured guys when I talk to them.

"So, is that ship a pirate ship?
''No, I heard that the ship they were on was in tatters and unusable. That black ship was built by my king and husband, the Majin King, as a hobby. I don't think he ever thought it would be robbed, either.

　A hobby? You don't have time to build warships as a hobby?
　Well, he's a vampire, so he's got all the time in the world.
　Hundreds of years ago, the Demon King who founded Helgaia to save the oppressed demon race and started a protection campaign is probably this person's husband himself.
　When I think about it, the warships may have been necessary to bring out the persecuted demon race from other countries.

''And what will happen to me?
Of course, we'll manage to contact them and bring you back home safely. You are the victim. Until then, you're free to stay.

　When King Iglet, sitting on the sofa, answered Claudia's question, she gave a small bow.

''Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty King Iglet. I did not know that such a kingdom existed not far from Helgaia, but I am sure the people of Helgaia will be grateful for this kindness. With all due respect, I am ashamed to say that I have misjudged the human race a bit...
''Well, the demon race the human race is weak and fragile compared to all of you, the demon race. That's why they try to get by with wisdom and knowledge. This is coupled with fear and prejudice, and that's what makes those pirates so sneaky and cowardly. If only you could understand that not all of us are like that.
I see...

　They both seem to think that the relationship between Yglet and Helgaia doesn't need to suddenly become friendly as long as the other side doesn't want to get involved with other countries. As long as the relationship isn't even hostile, they wouldn't be forced to get to know their neighbors.
　If the other party is a country with such a stance, then we should respect it, is what King Iglet said.
　I'd like to see them interact with other countries, even if only a little, like the Demon King's Xenoas, but I understand that it's not a good idea to force them. I'm sure King Egret has the same intentions, but it's up to them to decide.

"Now, how do we get the princess and her handmaidens and the pirates back to Helgaia?

　King Egret glances at me. Hehehe, I know, I know,'' he says.

"[Teleport] me to Helgaia, and then I'll open the [gate]. It's safer that way.

　I could [teleport] with the queens, but since it's my first time there, if there's a misalignment, it's not necessarily that I won't be on the roof or in a stable or some other ridiculous place.

''Thank God. ''Fuyu-dono.''
Uh... what do you mean...
His Majesty King Brunhild is a master of transmigration magic. He can travel to Helgaia in an instant.
How is that possible?

　Queen Helgaia's gaze is directed at me with a voice of surprise.
　It's not hard to believe that magic is less developed over there. I've heard that Helgaia is an even more closed country among them.

Then let's get right to it....
Your Majesty!

　The door of the reception room was opened and a warrior chief Totora, a close associate of King Iglet, jumped in.
　This warrior chief Totora was a young man who had once come to Brunhild on a giant Rufvian.

''What's all this noise? What a rude thing to do to both of you!
'Ha!　Due to the urgency of the situation, I beg your pardon, Taira!
An emergency?　What happened?
"Four new black ships in the southwest sea!　It's heading straight for us, sir!
What the hell?

　With a clatter, King Iglet stands up. Another black ship?　Fellow pirates.............................. If that's the case........




　When I connect the [Gate] to the shore and stand on the beach with King Iglet and Queen Helgaia, I can certainly see four silhouettes on the horizon.
　It's still far away, but it looks like the same ship as the two black ships floating in the shallows here.

"Probably the Helgaia ship that's been chasing the pirates.
'I suppose. Do I no longer have to jump to Helgaia?

　As King Iglet and I spoke this, Queen Helgaia, who was beside me, happily placed her hands on her chest.
　Else, Hilda and Yae, who were on the shore, walked towards us.

''We're in the same situation as before, are you going to give us stop orders again?
Well, we'll see. You've got to tell them you're in a foreign country. It's an uninhabited country.

　While answering Hilda, I lightly sigh. So that means I have to go again.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the beach.

"It would be nice to have someone on board who knows what they're talking about, that it would be nice to have someone who knows what they're talking about.
Absolutely. Just don't say no questions asked.

　I used [Fly] again and flew to the four black ships. He took a little more distance than before and deployed the [Speaker].

''I announce to the crew of the black ships. From here onwards, the waters of the Kingdom of Egret are in the waters of the Kingdom of Egret. Stop the ship immediately. If you are from the Majestic Kingdom of Helgaia, I hope you will obey me meekly. Your Highness will want you to do the same.

　Now let's see what happens....
　For a while, all four ships were sailing, but then one of the lead ships stopped the outer ring and began to slow down. The other three ships followed suit and gently stopped. You obeyed, right?
　This one was also slowly drifting through the sky, approaching the black ship.
　On the deck of the black ship in the lead, a pale skinned, silver haired man was staring at us with his black cape flapping. That guy, he's a vampire, right? Don't tell me........is that the Demon King?
　When I landed quietly on the deck, the demons on the ship surrounded me with an air of caution. I'm not drawing any weapons, so I'm not taking a fighting stance here either.

Identify yourself. I am Alford Cura Helgaia, King of the Fiendish Kingdom of Helgaia, and I am the proud Vampire Lord of Helgaia. I am the proud Vampire Lord.

　I knew it. A vampire lord.
　Well, if I recall, His Majesty the Demon King of Xenoas had a subordinate called the Four Heavenly Kings, and one of them was a Vampire Lord. He looks like he's in his twenties, but I wonder how many hundreds of years old he is.

''It's a pleasure to meet you, Demon King. I'm King of the Duchy of Brunhild, Fuyao Mochizuki. You may be pleased to meet me.

　The galleries around me buzz with excitement at my words.

'The king?'
"This child is the king of the island?
No, you said the Kingdom of Egret earlier. What do you mean?
"Nonsense, the king wouldn't have bothered to ride into a place like this...

　No, no, no. I'm sure your father's father came to this house too.

The King of Brunhild, my wife is safe, isn't she?

　Hmm?　I'm being stared at...?　Doesn't he radiate a sense of intimidation, this Demon King?
　Oh, don't you think you've been misunderstood? Do you think the pirates kidnapped the queen on our orders?

Wait a minute. First of all, we have nothing to do with those who took your daughter, Your Highness, as you may have misunderstood. Secondly, Her Highness and her maidservants have been rescued and are being treated well at the royal castle in Egret. The reason I am here is to return the princess to you, right?

　When I state that, the Demon King's eyes, which had been staring at me, open as if surprised.

''........Is that so?　When they drifted ashore, they told us that the human nation would not remain silent if we messed with them, so I thought the human nation was behind their escape from the dungeons and the abduction of the queen...

　There's a difference. The reason I escaped from the dungeon is because the pirates did well, and the Queen-sama just went to the dungeon out of curiosity and got involved.
　For now, I thought it would be quicker to talk if I quickly let them meet the queen-sama, so I opened the [Gate] and connected the ship's deck to the coast of Egret.

''Claudia!
You!

　The King of Helgaia, who has passed through the [Gate], runs towards the queen standing on the sandy beach and hugs her body tightly. ''Oooh, by the hot thing.

''Are you okay?　Are you hurt anywhere?
Yes, Your Majesty. His Majesty King Brunhild there has saved us from the pirates, and he has been graciously treated by His Majesty King Iglet here.

　The wife replied with a smile to her husband who peered at her with concern. With those words, the Majestic King's gaze finally turned to King Egret.

''Is it you, King Egret?''
Indeed. I am Lefan Retra, King of the Kingdom of Egret. You are welcome in my kingdom, my neighboring king.
Greetings, my dear friends. I cannot thank you enough for saving the queen's life. I would like to thank you again.
"Those words go to my friend, His Majesty King Brunhild. For he has single-handedly saved Her Royal Highness Princess Claudia from those pirates.

　Once again, a surprised gaze is directed at me from the Demon King. Well, not exactly one, but two Kraken and a bunch of merfolk.

''King Iglet I have one question for you...''
Be my guest.
'I've never heard of an island like this in these waters before. What kind of country is this Igrette...?
Ha, ha. It would be better if His Majesty the King would tell you about this as well. He is a sorcerer of the universe, an expert in the affairs of the world and a mediator of friendship between nations. He can answer any question the Majestic King may have.

　Well, now you're throwing it all away...⁉︎ I probably know what's going on in the world better than anyone else, but...
　Well, I'll explain it to you. I don't know if you'll believe me.
　I take out my phone and project the map into the air.

'This is the current map of the world. Since the meteor rain day that happened the other day, two different worlds have become one. The left hand side will be His Majesty the Demon King's and the right hand side will be me and His Majesty the King of Iglet's original world.
Oh my...!　It's almost the same shape, only flipped left and right!　So, then, if this island is Hellgaia, then this inverted island is...
This is the Kingdom of Egret.

　Then I told the Majin King about what is currently happening in the world.
　Fortunately, it seems that no mutants have appeared on Helgaia yet, and they wouldn't be able to understand the threat even if I explained it to them.
　So I showed them the video of our battle with the mutant. Then I showed them the video of our battle with the mutants, and they seemed to understand that this horrible monster actually exists and could appear in Helgaia at any time.

''...I see. So you are trying to create a place where the kings of the world can talk about it, right?
'It's not that big of a deal. We're just trying to help them get to know each other and get to know each other better.

　I told him about the Two Worlds Conference, but something about it made the Demon King think about it.

''I would like to ask you one question. What is the treatment of us.......demonkind in your world?
'Well..... Unfortunately, there are still many people who are prejudiced because of their appearance. However, most countries forbid them to be treated unfairly, and there are countries that welcome them warmly. The Demon Kingdom of Xenoas here is a country of the demon race, just like your Helgaia.
'Oh..... Then you're not going to be treated as a slave....
'If you're a criminal, you can be sent to the mines as a criminal slave, because most countries have banned slavery.
Well....

　The only two countries in the surface world that recognized slaves as personal property were the Heavenly Empire of Euron and the Kingdom of Sandra. Some other countries recognized only criminal slaves and put them to work as a labor force, while others did not even recognize them.
　Now that Euron and Sandra have disappeared, slaves are illegal, but even so, bad customs remain, and there are some slave sales and purchases in the black market. Well, I'm crushing them all as soon as I find them.

"Helgaia was originally a country made up of people who were oppressed by humans. There are many people who can't accept being told to join forces with humans so easily.

　I suppose. Xenoas was similar, so I know how you feel. We've dropped the isolation, but we still trade in a very small way.

'But that's no future for Helgaia. What lies beyond being left behind in the outside world is the gradual destruction of Helgaia. As a king, I have to do something about that.
In that case, I suggest that you first establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Egret. I think it would be helpful for the development of both countries if our goodwill ambassadors could visit each other's countries and deepen our understanding.

　As I spoke, King Egret took a step toward the Demon King.

'Hmm. Iglet would like to entertain our new neighbors. What do you think?
"...All right. I'll start by getting to know our neighboring country. I look forward to working with you.

　The Majestic King firmly grasps the hand that King Iglet held out to him. I'm sure things will turn out well.
　Of course, I'm going to help the two countries build a friendship as much as possible. When I told him that, the Majestic King looked at the queen and gave a small smile.

''That's very helpful. The fishermen have been troubled by the appearance of a giant tattler in the waters around our country and have been unable to fish. What do you think?

　King Iglet and I crossed our gazes involuntarily and looked at each other's indescribable expressions.
　So that giant squid is running rampant in the sea over there too........