My name is Ifuls.
I was a man born into a minor noble family of the Demon Kingdom.
Since my eldest brother was set to inherit the house, I had to find a way to earn my own livelihood.
Fortunately, my talents as a civil official were recognized, and I was hired by the Demon Kingdom.
I have been in service for forty years now.
During that time, I took a wife and we were blessed with a son.
That son turned twenty this year.
Unlike me, he was gifted with great strength and magic power; he was even being scouted as a potential future general for the Demon Kingdom’s army.
It was a blessing, truly.
However, until recently, that son of mine had been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the Demon Kingdom’s current administration, and he had been secretly dabbling in underground activism.
I had been agonizing over whether I should report his behavior to the Demon King, but he suddenly washed his hands of those activities.
I wondered what had happened.
He started smiling more brightly than he ever had before, so perhaps it was for the best.
Maybe things had finally progressed with the baker’s daughter he had a crush on?
If that were the case, I would be happy for him.
At any rate, I was simply glad he stopped his suspicious activities.
Now, as for me.
About five years ago, I was appointed as the Magistrate of Shashato City.
Shashato City was a territory under the direct control of the Demon Kingdom and stood as one of the most prominent commercial hubs in the realm.
Its recent growth had been nothing short of remarkable.
When I was appointed Magistrate of such a city, I was half-filled with joy that my years of service had been recognized, and half-filled with anxiety over the weight of such an important position.
I did not want to fail.
I wanted to play it safe.
With that mindset, I had carried out my duties until now.
I lived by a single principle.
Whenever I was troubled by a decision, I followed precedent.
I did my utmost to avoid doing anything that lacked a prior example.
When I absolutely had to do something unprecedented, I would always seek formal guidance from the royal castle first.
It might sound pathetic, but I made sure that responsibility would never fall squarely on my shoulders.
I wasn't looking for a promotion.
I kept my work safe and moderate—and while my income was similarly moderate, I wasn't greedy.
I knew my own caliber well enough.
The position of Magistrate of Shashato City was, in truth, more than I deserved.
Perhaps that cautious mindset was the key to my success.
Up until now, I had faced no real problems to speak of.
So, why was this happening?
Right now, standing before my very eyes, was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Kingdom, Lord Leg.
Lord Leg was the one in charge of financial affairs.
What could it be?
I hadn't done anything dishonest regarding money—or anything else, for that matter.
Had one of my subordinates done something dangerous?
Please, give me a break.
Or was it simply my own failure as a manager?
But my subordinates...
What could they have possibly done?
I didn't think any of them were struggling for money, but...
"Do you have a moment?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
No, no.
Rather than imagining the worst, I had to listen closely to what he had to say first.
I could figure out how to handle the situation afterward.
The next day.
Standing before me was another of the Four Heavenly Kings, General Gratz.
Why?
How?
Was there anything I was involved in that required a general?
Could it be that the flames of war were reaching Shashato City?!
I had to gather the troops immediately.
No, before that, I had to secure evacuation sites.
Shashato City had grown crowded due to its recent development.
An evacuation would take time, but we had a large number of ships.
Perhaps we could manage somehow.
"Is this alright?"
"Ah, y-yes.
We have about twenty ships that can be mobilized immediately.
How much time do we have to spare?"
"Eh?"
After General Gratz came Lord Randan.
Lord Randan, who oversaw the internal affairs of the Demon Kingdom, was my superior’s superior.
I had only exchanged words with him a handful of times in my life.
The last time we spoke was...
It was when he came for an audience during the martial arts tournament in Shashato City.
"Welcome."
"Good work with your duties."
The exchange had ended in about two seconds.
I remembered it vividly.
No, I wasn't angry about it.
I considered him a gracious man for sparing me from tedious, unnecessary conversation.
Why was that Lord Randan here now?
Could it be... dismissal?
Please, reconsider!
Since I had met with Lord Leg, General Gratz, and Lord Randan of the Four Heavenly Kings, I figured Count Chrome, the last of the four, would be coming next.
I didn't think my reception of the previous three had been a failure, though it wasn't exactly a grand success either.
Everything had been so sudden.
He might not come, but I decided to prepare just in case.
Since it might end up being a wasted effort, I found it hard to order my subordinates to do the work.
I cleaned the room myself.
The position of the table... about here should be fine.
There was no dust on the curtains.
I felt a surge of gratitude for the maids' usual diligence.
It was a good thing I prepared.
Because the one standing before me now was the Demon King himself.
Actually, since I was bowing my head so low, he wasn't exactly before my eyes.
I was mostly staring at the floor.
...
Why?
How?
We had almost never even met before, had we?
Eh?
It was alright to raise my head?
No, no, please let me keep it lowered like this.
A direct reply?
He wanted me to speak to him directly?
Impossible, impossible, impossible.
I was exhausted.
I had become utterly drained over these past few days.
I felt as though I had aged years in a single week.
However, what was the meaning of all this?
The Demon King, Lord Leg, General Gratz, and Lord Randan had all come for the same reason, even if their wording differed slightly.
"Guests are coming to the Goroun Company.
See to it that you are not disrespectful to them."
Just who was coming?
A king from another country?
I hadn't heard of any such state visit.
In the first place, if it were a king, they would be at the Royal Capital, not here.
Was it a prince from another country visiting incognito?
Ah, I see.
That would make sense.
After all, I was told to guard them from the shadows, to facilitate their needs as much as possible, and above all, not to get in their way.
...
Wait.
Were they planning to do something?
If they were just here for a vacation, there wouldn't be a need to "facilitate" anything or "not get in the way."
...
I maintained constant contact with the Goroun Company.
They were also rushing around frantically to welcome the guests.
Were they really that influential?
The President himself was personally taking command of the preparations.
He promised to contact me the moment they arrived.
All I intended to do was give the initial greeting.
I didn't plan on doing anything more than that.
The shadow guards had already been prepared by Lord Leg.
Supposedly they were under my command, but... the idea of giving them instructions was absurd.
I would just let them do as they pleased.
The best I could do was stay out of their hair.
I might be criticized for being uncooperative, but that was better than trying too hard and becoming a hindrance.
As I approached the kettle to pour some tea, there was a violent knock at my door.
"A message from the Goroun Company!
The guests have arrived!"
"I see."
The shadow guards Lord Leg provided had already vanished.
I couldn't afford to be late either.
I headed for the Goroun Company in the carriage I had prepared.
This carriage was a gift from the Goroun Company, and it was exceptionally comfortable.
If I offered it to the visitors, would they be pleased?
No, no, I shouldn't force things on them.
I would simply make it known that it was available for loan if they desired it.
"I am Marcos."
"And I am his wife, Paula."
The guests of the Goroun Company were two people.
A young couple of the human race.
...
A couple of farmers?
No, no, no!
Fool!
I told myself to look closer at their clothing.
At first glance, they appeared to be wearing ordinary clothes, but there was an unmistakable sense of style to them.
Furthermore, the fabric was of the highest quality.
Had they gone so far as to have luxury fabric tailored into common clothes?
How eccentric.
They had to be incredibly wealthy.
Or perhaps they wished to hide their status?
If that were the case, they were calling themselves a married couple, but... there was a possibility they were actually a master and a servant.
Regardless, I had to treat them firmly as a married couple.
I couldn't afford to be disrespectful.
...
Wait?
There was such grace in the wife's movements.
Was it the other way around?
Was the wife the master and the husband the servant?
No, no, no.
I had to eliminate all preconceptions!
I had to stop overthinking!
The two people before me were a married couple.
They were the guests of the Goroun Company.
"I am Ifuls, the Magistrate of Shashato City.
I welcome you to our city."
Good.
A perfect greeting!
Now, I would use my conversational skills to tactfully discover their objective so I wouldn't get in their way!
Just then, the President of the Goroun Company stepped in front of the pair... what was he doing?
"These two intend to start a business in this city."
Business?
...Business?
Was that some kind of code?
I hadn't heard anything about this.
"We may cause you some trouble, but we ask for your full cooperation."
...
It was no use.
I didn't understand.
"Specifically, what should I do to assist?"
When you don't understand, the best thing to do is ask.
Pretending to know what was going on was the most dangerous path.
Please, President, give me an answer!
"One of the four corners of the South Commercial District... there's a plot of land currently being used as the city's material storage area, right?
Could you do something about that location?"
Wonderful.
Now that was clear.
"Leave it to me.
I shall have the materials moved immediately and the land handed over to you."
"Thank you.
We will bring the payment by later."
He said "later," but he was the type where you never knew if that meant years in the future.
"Understood."
"Michael-san.
When you open a shop in Shashato City, does the Magistrate always come to give a greeting?"
"Hahaha.
No, that's quite rare.
More importantly, are you sure about the shop?"
"We've practiced many things with the Village Head.
Leave it to us."
"Good luck.
That said, it will take some time for the shop to be built, so please enjoy some sightseeing until then."
"We'll limit sightseeing to tomorrow.
After that, I want to devote our time to preparing for the opening.
I'm sorry, but since we're unfamiliar with the area..."
"I have prepared subordinates for you.
Please, work them to the bone.
After all, this shop is something we requested ourselves."
Marcos and Paula, residents of Village One, had arrived in Shashato City on their business trip.
The next day.
"What is this massive sum of money?"
"It's the payment for the land brought by the Goroun Company."
"Eh?
Wait, what?"
"It's surprising, isn't it?
It's more than double the market value.
The Goroun Company certainly is flush with cash."