One day, Lu invited me to go on a trip.
Our destination was the Royal Capital of the Demon Kingdom—the same city where the academy Alfred and the others attended was located. However, we weren't headed to the academy; we were going to the Royal Castle.
I was led into a massive hall, perhaps prepared for some sort of event, and shown to a seat on a small dais. Lu sat beside me. Across the table from us sat the Demon King, Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle.
The children looked healthy and energetic, but they seemed a bit tense. Their smiles were stiff and forced.
Below the stage, hundreds of civil and military officials were gathered in a grand assembly. The Four Heavenly Kings—Beezel, Randan, Gratz, and Hou—were all present. There was also a group of people off to the side, frozen in a deep dogeza posture. They didn't move an inch. I wondered what that was all about.
As it turned out, it was a formal apology. Apparently, Alfred and the others had been caught up in some trouble at the academy.
"I am truly sorry," the Demon King said, bowing his head to me.
I didn't think the Demon King was to blame; he hadn't officially become my children’s guardian, and as the king of this nation, he couldn't be expected to watch over them every second of the day. I wanted to tell him there was no need to apologize, but since my children were involved, I couldn't just brush it off lightly.
I asked for the full story, and they gave it to me.
To put it simply, a faction seeking to sow discord within the Demon Kingdom had instigated that group of merchants currently prostrated on the floor to attack Alfred and his siblings. The reason they were targeted was that they were Lu’s children. Even though Alfred was the only one related to her by blood, the world viewed them all as her children.
But why target Lu’s children to cause chaos in the kingdom? Lu answered that question for me.
"The people down there were just the tools used to inflict direct harm. They belong to a company that supports the Demon Kingdom. The logic was that if anything happened to Alfred and the others, I would retaliate against the company or the kingdom itself."
I see. The faction wanting to cause chaos was hiding in the shadows, assuming they would be safe from Lu’s wrath while the kingdom took the brunt of it.
"That seems to have been their plan," she added.
I nodded slowly.
"Also... it looks like I was the source of the information that they were my children."
Well, it wasn't exactly a secret, was it? It was a fact. I didn't think we were hiding anything.
"We weren't hiding it, but we weren't exactly broadcasting it to the world either. I have to worry about being targeted by people who hold grudges against me, after all."
That was true. Lu had lived a very long time; she had plenty of allies, but she had her share of enemies too. She had been cautious, but apparently, she’d had a slip of the tongue.
"Remember that Prince of a Certain Country I treated a while back?" she asked.
I remembered. She had been specifically requested for his treatment and had traveled there.
"When he asked me to marry him, I bragged that I already had a husband and children."
"Did the prince leak that info?"
"One of his attendants did."
Once it was known that Lu had children, anyone gathering information in Village Five would easily be able to track down Alfred and the others. I understood the situation now. Or rather, I understood most of it. There were still a few details that didn't quite add up, but I decided to ask Lu about those later. Right now, I needed to focus on settling things here.
The attack had taken place outside the Royal Capital. The Demon King wasn't at fault for that. However, the attackers had also managed to infiltrate the academy. That wasn't necessarily the Demon King's fault either, but it did suggest a serious flaw in the academy's security. I made a formal request to have their security tightened.
As for the attackers themselves, Lu had apparently already dealt out their punishments. If that was the case, I had nothing more to say.
Wait, what? Those people were Urza’s friends? Was it that "we're friends because we fought" kind of logic? No? Well, fine. I promised to go greet them later. Tiselle apparently had new friends too, so I'd have to pay my respects to them as well.
So, that was it? The Demon King wasn't the villain here. The real culprits were the ones who instigated the merchants. What was the status of that faction?
Apparently, they were from the country of the prince Lu had treated. That same prince was currently in the middle of a coup d'état to seize control of the government. Malbit and her group were even helping him out. Was that really how it was?
So the prince was an ally. The king and the minister who had actually ordered the attack on Alfred and the others had already been captured. No, I didn't want their heads. I told them to let that country's laws handle the punishment. And they didn't need to apologize to me—they should apologize to the Demon Kingdom. That was enough for me.
Afterward, I went to a private room with Lu. It looked like a suite in a five-star hotel, which made it hard to relax.
Still, I had to say what needed to be said.
"Lu, I'm only letting you get away with this once."
"What do you mean, 'get away with this'?"
"Don't play innocent."
If the children were in this much trouble, there was no way the information wouldn't have reached me sooner. Yet, I hadn't heard a word. If the Demon King wanted to apologize, he could have just come to the village. Instead, I was summoned here. And then there was that massive assembly of officials in the hall.
"You turned this apology into a grand spectacle just to make sure I wouldn't get angry, didn't you?"
"......I'm sorry."
"How could I not be angry? My children were targeted."
I regretted letting them leave the village. Anger simmered deep in my chest. What were Asa, Earth, and Mettora doing? How could they let the children be put in such danger? No, that wasn't fair. Those three were caretakers, not bodyguards. It would be wrong to restrict them too much. I was just taking my frustration out on them.
I looked over the documents detailing the incident. Gratz, Gol, and the others had clearly worked hard. The problem was simply the scale of the attacking force. That couldn't be helped. But the fact that such a group had been left to their own devices...
Ah, I see. My anger naturally would have been directed at the Demon Kingdom. Lu had manipulated the situation to prevent that. Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle had even sat on the Demon King’s side of the table to show their support for him.
"Anyway, like I said, I'm only letting you deceive me this once."
"Right. I'm sorry."
"Now then, you'd better do something to soothe my anger."
"I know. Look, the children are here."
Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle entered the room. I was just glad they were safe. I told them they shouldn't have been so reckless and that they mustn't push themselves too hard. I knew they were strong, but they couldn't afford to be careless. I pulled my children into a hug, my eyes welling up with relief.
"By the way, Lu."
"Yes?"
"Have you told Tia, Hakuren, and Zabuton about this yet?"
"I told Tia, but as for Hakuren and Zabuton... I’ll leave that to you."
"That’s a tall order."
The Demon King was supposed to take us to the shop Earth was running after this. I decided I would try to come up with a plan there.