Just before winter.
Beezel arrived to collect the taxes.
He looked rather haggard for some reason. I wondered if he was doing all right. For the time being, I led him to the storehouse where I had set aside the crops for his payment.
"Is this the full amount?" he asked.
Our agreement was for ten percent, but since we harvested several times a year, I didn't know the exact yield. I had every intention of paying properly, but it wasn't as if I could harvest everything in a single day, and keeping a precise count of everything was a massive headache... or, to put it bluntly, I’d been a bit lazy.
Therefore, I had decided to set aside roughly twenty to thirty percent of a single harvest for each crop and gathered it all together.
"I’ve kept the apples in a separate location," I explained. "If you store them with the other fruit, they'll make everything else spoil."
"Apples... those are the fruits you gave me before, correct? Is that really how they work?"
"Yeah, just the apples. You should be careful with them after you take them back. But... did you come alone? Can you even carry all this?"
Even though it was only a fraction of my total annual yield, the volume was quite significant now that I had expanded the fields. While the storehouse—roughly the size of eight tatami mats—wasn't packed to the rafters, it was still reasonably full. It certainly wasn't an amount a single person could haul away.
"Please, do not worry," Beezel said. "I have a carpet."
"A carpet?"
Beezel clapped his hands, and a massive carpet materialized out of thin air.
"It is a Flying Carpet. If you place the goods on here, I can transport them back easily."
"I see."
I couldn't very well make him do all the heavy lifting himself, so Daga and the others helped load the goods. In the meantime, I sat down for a light meal with Beezel. This was based on instructions from Tia and the others, who insisted I should try to gather information from our visitors.
"So, how have things been lately?" I asked.
Of course, I didn't actually have any information-gathering skills, so I could only manage the most mundane small talk.
"Our war with the human race remains at a stalemate, as usual," Beezel replied. "However, the Hero and his party have been rampaging across various regions. It is troublesome beyond belief."
I had intended to ask something harmless, but I got a pretty heavy response back. So the Demon King really was at war with the human race. Well, I suppose that made sense, given his title. And apparently, there was a Hero out there, too. Who knew?
...
"Speaking of which, you seem quite exhausted..."
"Hahaha. A bit of a problem occurred just before I came here."
A problem... It was probably best not to dig any deeper into that. I tried to think of another topic, but nothing came to mind. Perhaps sensing my struggle, Beezel took the lead.
"Oh, that reminds me. Once we have confirmed the taxes we've received today, we are considering purchasing some of your crops with currency."
"With currency?"
"Yes. The reputation of the apples you provided previously was excellent, and I am certain we can expect great things from your other crops as well. After all, even the food I am eating right now is delicious."
It might have just been a social nicety, but no one dislikes being praised for their hard work. I couldn't stop a grin from spreading across my face.
"Hey! More sake for Beezel-san!"
"Eh? Ah, no, I—"
"Don't be modest! Drink up! Hahahaha!"
Call me an easy mark if you must. We dove straight into a banquet, and Beezel didn't end up leaving until the following day.
The Demon King's Castle.
"Beezel, you're back. Well? How was it?"
"...Remind me, who are you again? Ah, I remember now. You're Randan-kun, the head of the Four Heavenly Kings who canceled his trip to the village at the very last second."
"T-That was... look, something urgent came up! A Hero appeared in the west! I'm not lying; I even have the formal report right here."
"Hmph."
"Don't look at me like that! I said I was sorry. So, how was the village? Was the Great Demon Spider there?"
"Hahahaha. I confirmed it. There were no Great Demon Spiders to be found."
"Oh! Is that so? I knew it. They aren't exactly the kind of creature you find just anywhere."
"A Great Demon Spider," Beezel continued, "is a massive spider with a total length exceeding twenty meters."
"Hmm? I know that."
"Do you know what happens when a Great Demon Spider grows even further?"
"...Eh? Further? Isn't that their final form?"
"When a Great Demon Spider grows beyond that point, it becomes an Illegal Demon Spider."
"Illegal?"
"Yes. When they reach that stage, their massive size suddenly shrinks."
"..."
"I would say they are roughly two to three meters in size."
"No way..."
"Oh, there were certainly those."
"..."
"And it had quite a large brood."
"I-I see... I suppose it's built a very happy family then? Hahahaha."
"Hahahaha."
"I'm resigning," Randan said. "It's been an honor serving with you."
"Oh, you aren't going anywhere," Beezel hissed. "I'm absolutely not letting you escape!"