I let Diera drag me from the castle.
We headed straight for the Stall District on the outskirts of the Royal Capital. This self-governed district grew more impressive with each passing day as the residents expanded it to suit their needs.
Occasionally, a resident would catch sight of me and immediately blanch. Some went as far as to drop into a prostrate bow. My presence was clearly a disturbance, so I tried to move through the area as quickly as possible. Diera, meanwhile, basked in their reactions. Perhaps her old instincts from her days as a Demon King were resurfacing. It was an embarrassing display, and I wished she would behave herself.
"Unfamiliar buildings have lined the path," Grom observed from beside me, sounding genuinely impressed. "The population seems to be swelling. This area is becoming indistinguishable from the city proper, my Lord."
"Indeed," I replied. "It surprised me as well."
The Stall District had flourished naturally. Compared to the heart of the capital under my direct governance, this area functioned more like an autonomous zone.
"They seem to be enjoying a great deal of freedom," Grom noted. "Do you have any plans to intervene?"
"None. This place contributes to the capital's economic growth. There is no reason to interfere with its progress."
Though it was a pseudo-autonomous district, its proximity to the capital meant I kept a loose eye on it. The merchants operated with my permission, and I occasionally sent spies to ensure no illegal contraband was changing hands. While a few suspicious items turned up now and then, I had found no dangerous drugs or illicit Magic Tools. For the time being, there was no need for regulation.
Grom murmured with a sense of deep reverence. "As expected of the Lord Demon King. You possess a heart as vast as the great ocean."
His praise was exaggerated as usual. While it sounded like mere flattery, I knew this was his genuine opinion. I wondered if he ever grew tired of maintaining such a high-strung, theatrical tone. He seemed to be in high spirits, however, so I decided it wasn't my concern.
"This way! Now is no time for woolgathering!" Diera called out, beckoning us energetically from ahead.
She was remarkably high-spirited. I knew she was eager for the banquet, but her excitement bordered on the manic. Come to think of it, she was a legendary lush. Complaints had been flooding in regarding her frequenting the capital's taverns despite being penniless. Luciana provided her with a regular allowance, but Diera apparently squandered it instantly. Luciana often grumbled about how the woman begged for money at every opportunity.
Her behavior was such a nuisance that I found myself questioning if she had ever truly been a Demon King at all. For a woman like her, an opportunity to drink her fill without worrying about the bill was likely the highlight of her year. That certainly explained why she was so jubilant.
Diera led us to the railway. Completed within the last six months, two sets of tracks had been laid for round-trip travel. A train sat waiting on one side. Currently, the railway was not open to the public; it served primarily as a transit system for the elves moving between the capital and their village. Access was strictly limited to those with explicit permission.
"Why have we come here?" I asked.
"To use it, of course!" Diera replied. "The banquet is being held in the Elven Village. The train is the perfect way to get there."
"Teleportation Magic would take us there in a heartbeat," I countered. "That would be far more efficient."
Diera clicked her tongue and shook her head, letting out a heavy, theatrical sigh. It was the gesture of a teacher disappointed by a particularly dim-witted student. She placed her hands on her hips and looked me in the eye.
"How naive thou art. Or perhaps 'boorish' is the better term. To take the train specifically to enjoy the passing scenery... that is where the poetic charm lies."
"Poetic charm...?" I repeated.
It was an answer I hadn't expected. She was arguing that the journey itself held more value than the destination. Truthfully, aesthetics and sentiment were realms I had yet to fully grasp.
Diera laughed at my confusion. "Kuhaha! It seems thou art not yet ready for such refinement. Even Grom understands the appeal."
"Is that so?" I turned my gaze toward the general.
Grom looked a bit sheepish. "Well... yes. I have always found a certain joy in the experience of a long expedition, my Lord."
His words sparked a memory of my life as a human—of the days I spent traveling the world with her. Amidst the hardships of the road, we had found moments of pure joy in local delicacies and the breathtaking vistas of hidden lands. It had been a wonderful, precious experience.
After becoming an undead and being consumed by vengeance and the heavy crown of the Demon King, I had forgotten how to appreciate such things.
"Thou shouldst take this chance to learn of such charms," Diera said. "They are not so bad, art they?"
"...I will make an effort," I conceded.
Losing too much of one's humanity was a dangerous path. While I couldn't allow myself to be ruled by emotion, I needed to maintain an understanding of the human heart. I had no desire to become a mindless monster.
We boarded the train and activated the engines, which ran on canisters of refined Magic Power.
"And we're off!" Diera shouted, leaning her head out of the window as the train began to roll.
The ride was smooth. The initial prototypes had rattled so violently that the elves had demanded immediate refinements, but after much trial and error, we had succeeded in making the journey comfortable.
Diera squinted at the passing landscape. "It is as fast as ever. A convenient age we live in, indeed."
Something about her phrasing caught my attention. "Have you used the train before?"
Diera jumped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "I—I might have grown curious once and taken it for a spin. But I didn't break anything!"
She grew flustered and quickly looked away. Not long ago, we had found evidence that the train had been used without authorization, but the culprit had remained a mystery. I hadn't expected the perpetrator to reveal herself so easily.
I leaned over and whispered to Grom. "Tighten the security on the railway. Feel free to install Clairvoyance Magic Tools if necessary."
"As you wish, my Lord." Grom looked at Diera with undisguised exasperation. Diera, sweating profusely, kept her eyes glued to the window, refusing to acknowledge us.
I decided not to press the issue. It was in the past, and as long as she reflected on her actions, it wasn't a grave sin.
The train accelerated, eventually emerging into an expansive clearing. Fields of crops stretched toward the horizon, where farmers were busy swinging their hoes in the distance.
"Oho! So this is an Agricultural Zone. What art thou growing here?"
"A bit of everything," I replied.
To sustain the capital's growing population, food self-sufficiency was paramount. While we received tributes from the territories under our control, I wanted to establish a robust internal production system while we had the resources. If this nation was to grow, we needed a surplus of food. No progress could be made if the people were starving.
"It would be a much better view if not for the skeletons standing everywhere," Diera grumbled under her breath.
As she noted, undead sentries were stationed throughout the fields. They stood motionless, staring out into the distance.
"A necessary precaution," I explained. "Without them, there are those who would attempt something foolish."
The tracks were made of valuable metal, and the crops themselves were vital resources. Without guards, thieves were an inevitability. It had happened several times in the early days. Incidentally, those would-be thieves had since joined the ranks of the undead guarding the fields. After making their fate public, the problem of theft had vanished entirely.
We sat in silence for a time, lulled by the rhythm of the train. Eventually, Diera turned to me.
"Well? Does this way of travel not have a certain flair to it?"
"...It isn't bad," I admitted.
Perhaps, when the world finally found peace, I would travel the lands in disguise. My position made long-term absences impossible, but a short excursion now and then might be just the thing to clear my head.
Eventually, the train reached the end of the line. We disembarked at the edge of the Forest of the World Tree—a unique ecosystem I had forcibly relocated using Forbidden Magic.
"We walk from here!" Diera announced, stepping onto the forest path with a triumphant stride.
"Wait," I called after her. "Did you actually get permission from the elves for this?"
"Of course! Logan secured the consent of the villagers himself. Now, come! I shall lead the way!"
Diera marched forward with a light step, oozing confidence. Grom glared at her back, his voice a low, subterranean rumble.
"She addresses the Lord Demon King with such insolence... What is your will, my Lord? If you command it, I shall execute her on the spot."
"Don't bother. She's always like this."
"Ugh... as you wish." Grom groaned with frustration and offered a respectful bow before following after us.