I was the Demon King.
The ruler of the Galgard Demon Kingdom.
When I heard my daughter was heading out with Beezel, I forced my way along—only to be struck with pure shock upon our arrival.
A Dragon was there.
He wore a human guise, but there was no concealing that magic power.
Worse yet, it was none other than the Dragon King, Dos.
There were other Dragons in his vicinity as well, and none of them were weak.
I’ll be honest: I thought I was going to piss myself.
But I held it together. My lower half—truly impressive strength.
Well, it had been a surprise attack. If I were prepared, I could at least manage a proper greeting.
“Dragon King Dos, I presume? I believe this is our first meeting.”
“The current Demon King, hm? Well, I have no interest in a scrap, so just see to it that you don’t cause any trouble.”
“Hmph. I, too, would prefer to avoid conflict.”
Yes! Good, good, good. I was incredible.
Yuri, were you watching? Did you see your father’s gallant display?!
“Pfft!”
I scanned the area for Yuri, only to nearly spit out my drink.
There was someone there who had absolutely no business being there.
Dos, standing near me, seemed to have noticed as well. But as expected of the Dragon King, he merely offered a wry smile, unlike my own panicked reaction. I felt a pang of depression at the gap in our status, but I couldn't dwell on it—the person who shouldn't be there was approaching.
“S-Sovereign Valgryfe!”
The head of the Korin religion, the largest power in the human lands! An ageless, never-aging living god. His true identity was a top-secret matter known only to a select few: the Progenitor of the Vampires. It was one of the classified pieces of information handed down to each Demon King upon their inauguration.
“Hey there, Demon King. Keeping well, I hope?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Hahaha. You’re so stiff! Oh, right, is this our first meeting? My bad, my bad.”
“Yes, it is... but, um, how do you know of me?”
“You’re famous, you know. Portraits of you are in circulation, so I just happened to think of you as an acquaintance.”
“I see. That is... an honor.”
“Hahaha. What are you saying? The honor is all mine. Man, I’m lucky to get to meet the Demon King. Don’t you think so, Dos-kun?”
“Indeed.”
He called the Dragon King “Dos-kun”? Were the two of them acquaintances? No, it wouldn't be strange if they were. After all, he was the Progenitor. Incredible. I wondered if any other Demon King had ever met him directly.
No, I couldn't just stand here being surprised. I was, for better or worse, the Demon King. I was the one entrusted with a nation. I had to assert what needed to be asserted.
“By the way, Sovereign-dono. What are your thoughts on the recent barbaric acts of the Hero from the Fullhart Kingdom?”
“Hahaha. You’ve struck a rather painful spot. I’d like to say it’s none of my business, but I end up being involved anyway. Well, I’ll tell you: that was the Fullhart branch going rogue. We’re actually quite annoyed about it ourselves. For now, the Galbart branch is preparing a suppression force. By the way, aren't the names Fullhart Kingdom, Galbart Kingdom, and Galgard Demon Kingdom a bit too similar? Put a little more thought into them.”
“M-My apologies. They are derived from local place names... More importantly, a suppression force? Is that acceptable? Disclosing such information to me?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I told you, didn't I? We’re troubled by it, too. Selling miracles for cheap doesn't benefit anyone. Oh, and you can rest easy knowing that the church headquarters won't move even if you defeat the Hero. Since we have a public standing to maintain, we’ll send a letter of protest or something, but you can just ignore it.”
“...Thank you for the information.”
“You too, Dos-kun. If they come your way, don’t hold back.”
“A pair has already come. They were disrespectful, so I chased them away.”
“You just chased them away? You’re soft, Dos-kun. You should have just crushed them.”
“Being the target of a grudge is a nuisance.”
“Ahahaha. True. Well, I’ll do something about it soon.”
He was going to take care of it? That was a massive relief. Heroes were truly a bother, and the damage they caused had reached a level that could no longer be ignored. I hoped he would handle it quickly.
And yet...
Did this mean I would have to stay by Dos and the Sovereign’s side for the rest of the event?
...
Beezel, save me!
Beezel was enjoying a conversation with the villagers alongside Yuri. Looking closer at the villagers, I realized they were actually of the Demon Race. Wait... that girl looked familiar. Wasn't she the daughter of a Count or a Marquess? My memory must have been failing me. Either that, or she was a dead ringer.
The real one wouldn't be dressed as a commoner and helping with the cooking.
Ah, I recognized that one. It was Beezel’s daughter, Fraurem. She was the Magistrate of this village. She seemed to be doing her job well, which was good.
...No, this was no good. Because Fraurem was dressed as a village girl, all the surrounding demons were starting to look like the daughters of my various noble acquaintances. Get a grip, man.
As expected, a seat was prepared for me near Dos and the Sovereign. The only saving grace was that Beezel and Yuri were nearby. Yuri was lightheartedly talking to the Dragon next to Dos. Did she even understand who she was talking to?
Ah... my stomach ached.
And Beezel. Why were you looking at me with such a compassionate face? It was as if you were saying, “I have walked the path you now tread.”
“I am Raimeiren.”
“Ah, yes. I am Demon King Galgard.”
I finally realized who Yuri had been chatting with. The South Typhoon Dragon. Dos’s wife. I’d seen reports about her recently.
So it was Raimeiren-san.
...
Wasn't she the Dragon rumored to be even more ferocious than the Dragon King himself?!
I wanted to go home.
And Beezel. Stop looking at me with those kind eyes.