The Demon King struck an unusual pose and held it.
Samael the kitten scurried over, climbed up him, and struck a sharp pose of her own.
Once she climbed down, the Demon King moved again, eventually freezing in another strange position.
This time, four kittens—Samael included—clambered up his body and struck simultaneous, perfectly timed poses.
...
Hoping for a similar result, I tried striking a strange pose myself.
Samael didn't come.
The other kittens ignored me too.
Instead, a swarm of Zabuton’s children and Kuro’s children descended upon me.
It was incredibly heavy.
What was I doing, you ask? Engaging in a little escapism.
The reality I was trying to avoid was the surrender of the Elf Empire. I wouldn't say I was entirely uninvolved, but the root cause of the whole mess was Raimeiren. Therefore, I felt that if anyone had business to discuss, they should be taking it up with her.
However, Beezel was the one who arrived at my door, arms laden with paperwork.
"About twenty daughters of the Elf Empire’s former ruling class have been sent our way," he informed me. "I’ve directed them toward Village Five. Please sign this receipt once they arrive."
"Wait a second. The Elf Empire was absorbed into the Demon Kingdom, wasn't it? Why are you sending them to Village Five?"
"Because that was the empire’s specific request."
"Even if they come here, they won't receive any special treatment, you know?"
I honestly thought they would be better off in one of the Demon Kingdom’s major cities, but apparently, the elves felt differently. Regardless, I had little choice but to take them in.
From the perspective of the Demon Kingdom, the Elf Empire’s surrender was a sudden, unwelcome event. The reason was simple: it was a massive administrative headache.
Initially, the Elf Empire had tried to surrender to Raimeiren, but she had flatly ignored them. With no other choice, they had designated the Demon Kingdom as their destination for surrender. The Demon Kingdom had been blindsided and was reluctant to accept, but since Dos had acted as a mediator, they were forced to comply.
As far as Dos was concerned, he didn't care whether the Elf Empire rose or fell. His involvement was a preventative measure to ensure Hiichiro wouldn't be burdened with guilt over the empire's collapse when he grew older. It also seemed he wanted to prevent Raimeiren’s reputation for ruthlessness from growing any further.
In any case, having accepted the surrender through Dos’s mediation, the Demon Kingdom was now incredibly busy. It seemed I wasn't going to be allowed to sit idly by while everyone else worked.
Oh, that reminded me. Several Human Kingdoms had voiced complaints regarding the Elf Empire’s surrender.
In response, Beezel had sent back a biting retort: "In that case, would your nations be willing to take them in? Geographically, they are close to the Demon Kingdom, but this is a prime opportunity to acquire a high-quality port and the advanced technology of the Elf Empire."
Beezel had actually been somewhat serious about the offer, but the Human Kingdoms had fallen silent immediately. It seemed they had no desire to get involved with an empire that had been systematically dismantled by a flight of dragons.
"If they weren't going to help, they should have just stayed quiet from the beginning! They shouldn't have gotten my hopes up!"
Beezel’s soul-weary cry echoed throughout our drinking session. I could only nod; sometimes, you just have to drink and let it all out.
Roughly five thousand elves had lived on the island that comprised the empire. All but a few hundred had since departed. They were being integrated into various cities across the Demon Kingdom in small groups. Since the imperial elves possessed significant technical skills and personal assets, they weren't expected to struggle with making a living. That, at least, was a relief.
The few hundred who remained on the island were those whose livelihoods depended on port management and fishing. I found the idea of "fishing elves" a bit unusual, but since they lived on an island, it made sense that they would adapt to the sea.
Normally, that would have been the end of the matter, but the imperial elves were still plagued by anxiety. They had come up with the idea of "offering" twenty daughters of the ruling class to the dragons as a peace offering.
Raimeiren ignored the gesture entirely.
Dos declined as well, noting that he couldn't accept them since Raimeiren found the idea distasteful. He added that even if he did take them, elves lacked the necessary status to rank among his other subordinates; they would likely be treated as less than livestock, so it was better for everyone if they just gave up.
If they had taken that advice, there wouldn't have been an issue. However, their actions were driven by a desperate need to escape their paralyzing fear of the dragons. It was a matter of self-preservation—a belief that if they sacrificed enough, the dragons would surely forgive them. They refused to give up.
After several rounds of negotiation, Village Five became their target, simply because the empire believed the village was closely connected to the dragons.
Never mind the fact that I was the one who had actually been talking to Dos and Raimeiren.
Well, adding twenty or so people to Village Five wouldn't change much in the grand scheme of things. I decided to give Yoko a heads-up.
"Village Head," Beezel said, "my apologies, but there is one more matter. It concerns the Elf Empire’s flagship."
"The ship? Oh, the one they handed over when they surrendered?"
"Indeed. It is the pinnacle of their technology and a symbol of their empire."
"So I’ve heard."
"They have sent an inquiry asking what sort of punishment it is to attach those 'useless sails' to such a vessel."
"I wasn't the one who did that, though."
"But you know the reason, don't you?"
Since I did, I told him the truth. A deep furrow formed between Beezel’s brows.
"Relaying that reason to them would be far too pitiful. I shall tell them it is a symbolic lesson in humility regarding their past arrogance."
I figured that was probably for the best.
A few days later, twenty-two elf girls arrived at Village Five. I intended to go and greet them, but Yoko turned me away.
"If we were welcoming proper surrenderers, it would be one thing, but that isn't the case here," she said.
I realized she was right—there was a chance they might harbor resentment toward me. That would be a hassle.
"No need to worry," Yoko added. "Those feelings will vanish soon enough."
All twenty-two girls were between one hundred and two hundred years old—young by elven standards—and were said to be highly accomplished in both academics and martial arts. On the very day they arrived, they were sent to Pirika.
They were there to undergo her training.
The following day, every single one of them attempted to escape. They were promptly caught and subjected to even more grueling drills.
"Keep your bodies moving! Don't worry, your mind is just trying to trick you. Your physical limits are still far beyond what you're feeling right now!"
"It’s fine! The real workout doesn't even start until you think you're going to die!"
"You can do it! You're young, you’ve got plenty of energy. Let's go for one more lap!"
These were the "passionate" cheers from the local elves who were also training under Pirika.
"We plan to keep them in training for about six months," Pirika's disciple explained to me as I watched from the sidelines. "After that, we'll have them start helping out the civil officials."
"Won't this just make them hate me more?" I asked.
"Not at all. After a month of this, they won't have enough energy left to think about something as unproductive as resentment."
I-I see.
"Just make sure you don't overdo it," I muttered.
I really, truly hoped they wouldn't overdo it.