My name was Hou.
I was the sixth daughter of the House of Leg and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Kingdom. As for my age… I had long since stopped counting.
Regrettably, I had not yet been blessed with a partner. It was strange, really. There shouldn’t have been any issues with my beauty. My bust and hips were decent—average or better, I’d say. The red wings on my back weren't gaudy; they had a refined quality to them. I might have been biased, but I thought they were quite lovely.
In terms of assets, to put it modestly, I was wealthy. Quite apart from the House of Leg, I held my own personal territory. As for my personality, people occasionally told me I was a bit sharp, but that was no cause for concern. I was more than willing to adapt for the right man. If he wanted someone cute, I would be cute. If he preferred someone cool and composed, I would be that instead.
Was my status as one of the Four Heavenly Kings an obstacle? If someone would actually marry me, I was prepared to throw that position away in a heartbeat.
So, why? Why did no one approach me, not even those motivated by status, honor, or gold? Was someone interfering? Did someone hold such a deep grudge against me? If so, they should have stepped forward and identified themselves. If it were a man, I would have made him my husband. He could have enjoyed all the "revenge play" he wanted. Truly, it would have been fine. I was prepared to work hard for it.
Hehehe…
Ahem. I needed to stop this line of thought. It only served to increase the amount of sake I drank.
Now, regarding the past few years. There had been one matter of paramount importance within the Demon Kingdom: the Village of the Great Tree.
It was a village established within the Forest of Death, right in the heart of the Demon Kingdom's territory. When I first heard the reports, I laughed them off, assuming it was a joke. After all, it was the Forest of Death—the place designated as "do not touch, do not approach." How could a village possibly exist there? The monsters and magic beasts inhabiting those woods were creatures that even the elites of the Demon Kingdom’s army couldn't defeat. I would have found it more believable if someone told me a dragon had built a nest there—though even then, with the Gate Guardian Dragon nearby, I would have dismissed it as impossible.
But reality was no joke. A village truly did exist, and it was confirmed to house Lu, the Vampire Princess, and Tia, the Annihilation Angel—both of whom were at the top of the Demon Kingdom’s list of dangerous individuals. Furthermore, Lastismoon, the daughter of the Gate Guardian Dragon, was there as well. Calling her "dangerous" was an understatement; she was a walking calamity, no different from a localized natural disaster. To top it all off, higher species of the Forest of Death, such as Demon Spiders and Inferno Wolves, lived there in packs.
Reality seemed more far-fetched than any prank. How or why they were all there remained a mystery. However, since Count Chrome had taken charge of the matter, I had pushed it out of my mind. I believed it was best not to get involved.
That was a blunder. I should have involved myself much sooner. I had no idea that village possessed such incredibly delicious sake!
And that Count Chrome… to think he withheld that sake from me while sharing it only with the Demon King and the other Heavenly Kings. In my fury, I seriously calculated how to launch a military campaign against the Count’s territory. I figured that if we fought ten times, I would win seven of them.
But it was fine now. He had apologized properly. It turned out the Demon King had been complicit as well, but he didn't need to bow his head so low. I wasn't that angry—provided they handed over every drop of sake they had on hand. And, of course, they promised to ensure I received my fair share from then on.
Wait. I realized too late that instead of sake, I should have demanded they introduce me to a man. I was such an idiot.
Eventually, it was decided that I would go to the Village of the Great Tree to handle sake transactions directly. I certainly wasn't going just to see the festival. That would have been a bad dream.
How strange. I’d only had a few glasses, and yet… fufufu. For me, there was only sake. As long as I had sake, life was good. The brew there was the absolute best, and the variety was staggering. We brewed sake in my own territory, but we couldn't achieve a flavor even half as good. It was frustrating, but undeniably delicious.
The Dwarves there were a good sort. Without me saying a word, they would bring out all kinds of varieties. If only they weren't Dwarves… well, I wouldn't have minded, but they insisted that a partner had to have a beard. A beard really wouldn't have suited me. What a pity.
Setting that aside, I asked them if they would eventually brew sake using a method I’d devised. I had been thinking about it for a long time, but I couldn't do it in my own territory. People seem to think a Lord can do whatever they want, but it’s actually quite restrictive. A Lord works for their people. There was very little I could do purely for my own whims. My coffers kept growing because things were going well, but my freedom was limited. I told them I would pay well for the service.
They told me they would do it if the Village Head permitted it. I made a note to send a formal proposal to the Village Head later.
Later, news reached me that the Village of the Great Tree was opening a shop in Shashato City. This was a positive development, though I worried about potential trouble. I wanted to pull some strings to smooth things over, but the Magistrate of Shashato City was a capable man, so I figured there would be no issues. I sent him a courtesy greeting and decided to dispatch some escorts. I didn't want any deaths or injuries to sour our relationship with the village. It wasn't just about the sake; I was thinking of the welfare of the entire Demon Kingdom. And, of course, I wanted information. I told them to contact me the moment the shop started serving sake.
I soon received a report from the escorts in Shashato City. The opening had gone smoothly. It was a shop that sold curry, and curiously, they didn't serve sake. How disappointing. To compensate for a rice shortage, they were buying bread from the local bakeries. I had eaten the village's curry before, so I knew it would sell even with bread. It seemed they were maintaining good relations with the local businesses, which was a relief.
However, I wondered if the reported scale of the shop was a typo. The employee count seemed impossible as well. Still, the business appeared to be thriving. The Mini Bowling in the play corner was a massive hit—it was the same game I'd seen at the village. Offering it for free was a clever way to draw in customers. I already knew the curry was delicious, so I told the escorts I didn't need flavor reports, yet for some reason, they started including detailed updates on the Mini Bowling lanes. Their fixation on Lane 7 was bizarre; I didn't need to know the technicalities of picking up a split. I began to worry if they were actually doing their jobs.
Eventually, trouble did break out. Calling it a "riot" might have been an exaggeration, but it was a significant disturbance caused by the shop running out of curry. I could relate; that flavor was addictive. I even dreamed about it sometimes. I considered going to eat some myself, but first, I finished the report.
Apparently, the man known as the Village Head arrived and settled the situation.
Wait. The Village Head? As in, the Village Head of the Village of the Great Tree? Was he actually in Shashato City?
No, no. Escapism was a bad habit. I couldn't just run away to my sake. I forced myself to keep reading.
After the chaos, they settled things by offering free curry, which turned the whole event into a small festival. The Goroun Company had provided their full support. According to the report, the Village Head had used the Goroun Company as if they were his personal servants. Surely that couldn't be right.
The Goroun Company was a titan based in Shashato City. That city alone accounted for roughly three percent of the Demon Kingdom's economy. While three percent might sound small, for comparison, the Royal Capital accounted for five percent, and most other cities were less than one percent. Shashato was massive, and its influence, especially given its proximity to the capital, was immense. The Goroun Company essentially controlled that city. To think someone could treat their Chairman like an aide and order the Next Chairman around…
I recalled seeing the Chairman at the village.
I needed a drink. A maid arrived just in time. I asked for a glass—not a small one, but a large one. I needed courage to read the rest.
There was more trouble after that. Neighboring restaurants had complained. They were already losing customers to the curry’s popularity, and the free service had been the final blow. It was a natural consequence. I wondered if the Village Head was an amateur when it came to business.
But the report said the Village Head had anticipated the complaints. He had systematically incorporated the complainers into his operation, essentially building a "town" within the shop. And that had solved everything.
I had no idea what that even meant. It was beyond my comprehension. Perhaps I really did need to go see it for myself.
I read on. The Mini Bowling had been scaled up into full-sized Bowling. Apparently, the new Lane 7 was quite the formidable opponent. It was a useless detail, yet strangely calming. Then, a Bowling Tournament was held, and my escorts had won. What were they even doing? Were they actually guarding anything? They noted they were "extremely pleased" to receive sake as a victory prize.
Wait.
They were selling sake now?
That settled it. I was going to Shashato City.