Around noon the next day, I made my way through the castle.
An executive meeting was scheduled to begin shortly. Along the way, I happened to cross paths with Henry, who was clutching a bottle of liquor. Staggering slightly, he offered me a cheerful greeting.
"Yo, Boss. You’re looking well. Your expression’s gotten quite sharp."
"……Can a face of bone look sharp?"
"That’s not what I mean. It’s about your state of mind. It’s a good sign, so I’m relieved."
Henry laughed, slapping me on the shoulder and back. I nearly stumbled forward from the force of it. The impact felt like it might actually shatter my bones; in his drunken state, he wasn't holding back his strength.
Despite being a pure human with absolutely no magical aptitude, Henry possessed combat capabilities that defied all common sense. He was the preeminent powerhouse of the Demon King’s Army. Even now, he continued his rigorous training, further refining a strength that already far exceeded the limits of humanity. My body could easily be snapped like a dry twig by his hands.
At any rate, it seemed Henry had sensed my psychological shift. He hadn’t been present the previous night, so he must have realized it through sheer intuition. Despite appearing to be a simple battle-crazed maniac, I knew he was surprisingly perceptive and possessed a sensitive side.
Henry and I walked together toward the conference room. Having emptied his bottle along the way, he broached a new topic.
"So, we were called in this morning, but what’s the plan for today?"
"We’re going to discuss the future invasion strategy. It’s time we started moving again."
When I said that, Henry snapped his fingers in delight. He clapped his hands together, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.
"That’s what I like to hear! I’ve been waiting for this. If we just stick to training, some of the boys start getting soft."
Henry’s eagerness for battle was palpable. Lately, we had been focusing our efforts on reconstruction and development, keeping combat with other nations to a minimum. For a man like Henry, who had joined my ranks specifically to fight, it must have been a dreadfully boring period.
We soon arrived at the conference room. When I pushed the door open, I found Grom and Luciana already waiting.
"Demon King! Good morning. How are you faring today?"
"I’m fine. I apologize for making you worry."
"No, no! Think nothing of it! The physical and mental well-being of the Demon King is my ultimate happiness!"
Grom gesticulated wildly with all eight of his arms to express his joy. It was an exaggerated display, but I knew those were his honest feelings. He was a paragon of loyalty who seemed to worship me from the bottom of his heart.
Luciana rose from her seat and approached me. She peered up into my face, scrutinizing my expression. Before I could ask what she was doing, she nodded with a satisfied smile.
"……Mhm, you look like you’re doing okay. That’s a relief."
She, too, had been trying to gauge my state of mind. After the events of last night, it would have been more difficult to ask them not to worry.
"I’ve managed to sort out my feelings in my own way," I told her. "I won’t cause any more trouble."
"Oh, please. We’re supposed to lean on each other, aren't we?"
Luciana poked my forehead with her finger. She was feigning a bit of annoyance, though her performance was transparent. I could only nod in response.
"……I see."
With our greetings finished, we took our places around the table. I opened the meeting.
"The Demon King's Domain is steadily expanding its occupied territory. We are now the undisputed strongest power on the continent."
This was an objective fact. We had been consistently victorious against every nation we faced, and our military strength had grown exponentially. We had reached the point where the invasion of the entire continent was possible even without my direct intervention. As long as the Will of the World did not interfere, success was guaranteed.
Having laid the groundwork, I moved on to the declaration I had prepared.
"Regarding our future policy—first, we will abandon the Republic."
"Wh-Wh-What did you say?!"
Grom was the first to react. He stood up so abruptly his chair toppled over, and he slammed his hands onto the round table in shock.
"After all the effort we put into conquering it, you’re saying we should just give it up?!"
I nodded calmly. "That’s right. Luciana, if you would."
"Sure thing~"
At my prompting, Luciana slid a set of documents toward Grom. As he began to scan them, she offered a concise explanation.
"For the Demon King's Domain as it stands, the Republic's territory is more than we can handle. We’re overextending ourselves just to maintain administrative control. To be honest, there’s no real advantage to holding this much land right now."
This was a concern I had harbored for some time. The Demon King's Domain had developed too quickly, and our territory had expanded faster than our infrastructure. It had reached a point where problems were cropping up in areas beyond our immediate oversight. While my spies reported every incident, it was becoming impossible to prevent issues before they escalated.
We hadn't faced a fatal crisis yet because we had dispatched capable personnel to manage each region, but the system was under immense strain. By ceding territory, we could eliminate these vulnerabilities and stabilize the core of the Demon King's Domain.
(Besides, our primary objectives there have been met. This is a sufficient result.)
We had occupied the Republic specifically because demons and magical beasts were running rampant there. We had since relocated them to the Demon King's Domain and begun reconstruction on the damaged cities. We had nothing left to lose by giving it back.
"The various nations are launching a plan for the Demon King Subjugation," Luciana continued. "That plan includes the recapture of the Republic. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to step back."
"Ngh, I see the logic, but still..."
Grom looked up from the documents, still clearly struggling with the idea. He understood the strategic merit, but his pride made the concept of defeat difficult to swallow. I stepped in to persuade him.
"It is also the duty of a Demon King to grant humanity a victory now and then. If we continue to win relentlessly, we will drive them to total despair. It isn't wise to completely crush their will to fight back."
The key was to lose effectively. This was a strategic retreat viewed from a much larger perspective. If a loss yielded long-term benefits, it was an outcome we had to embrace. In fact, we should engineer such situations ourselves. If pushed too far, humans tend to resort to forbidden taboos—and that creates an opening for the Will of the World to interfere. That was a scenario I wanted to avoid at all costs.
Grom struck the table again, causing cracks to spiderweb across the surface. Despite his agitation, he voiced a valid concern.
"Then, do you intend to abandon our subordinates currently stationed in the Republic...?"
"Of course not. We will teleport them back to the Royal Capital as the invading army approaches."
By using the undead as decoys, we could surrender the unnecessary territory without suffering any actual casualties. Faking a defensive failure would be simple; with my magic, we could orchestrate the charade perfectly.
Grom seemed somewhat mollified and finally sat back down. He cleared his throat while straightening his papers.
"I see…… So, for the time being, we will be maintaining a facade of repeated defeats?"
"Only within the Republic. In other regions, we will continue our invasions as before."
Naturally, I would ensure we didn't seize more land than we could handle. Having a repeat of the Republic situation would be a pointless headache. I also wanted to use this as an opportunity to tighten our grip on our current occupied regions. Once the Republic was 'liberated,' other cities would undoubtedly try to follow suit. We would use those instances to set an example and discourage further rebellion.
"I’ll leave the specific adjustments to the three of you. Draft the plans as you see fit. If you require my specific abilities for the execution, don’t hesitate to ask."
Having given my orders, I brought the meeting to a close. As I prepared to leave the room, I turned to Luciana.
"By the way, do you know where Diera is?"
"Do you have business with her?"
"I want to consult with her on a few things."
I wanted her perspective. Despite her current state, she was a legendary figure who had served as the previous Demon King. Even if she wasn't officially part of the army, her insight was valuable. She might see an angle we had missed.
Henry spoke up, a wry smile crossing his face as he recalled something.
"If you're looking for the old Boss lady, she’s been at the training ground since this morning. She was half-crying while maintaining weapons."
"…………"
The punishment for breaking the tank. I had completely forgotten that I’d assigned that task to her. It seemed she wasn't finished yet.
Feeling a sudden, awkward pang of guilt, I teleported myself to the training ground.