Thanks to the Demon King’s persistent grandstanding along the way, we arrived at Yoko’s Mansion without further incident. Yuri and Frau were already waiting for us, and I felt a pang of guilt for keeping them. The noble daughters who had been accompanying Yuri were also joining the party.
I wondered for a moment if everything would be alright. Would they actually recognize the Demon King for who he was? My concerns proved groundless, however, as they greeted both him and Beezel with the utmost politeness. It made sense; they were Yuri’s friends, after all. There was no way they wouldn't know the sovereign of their own nation. The Demon King seemed to preen under their attention, clearly satisfied.
Ria and Ann had already returned to the Village of the Great Tree as planned. I had tried to invite them to stay for the meal before they left, but they claimed to have urgent business to attend to. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was no sense in forcing them. I would be heading back myself once the dinner concluded.
As the Demon King had mentioned, the food was a delivery from Sake & Meat Niz. I had envisioned a formal sit-down dinner at a long table, but it turned out to be a buffet-style affair. Apparently, trying to arrange a formal seating chart would have been a logistical nightmare. While this was Village Five, it was also part of the Demon King’s Territory. Deciding who sat at the head of the table and the subsequent order of precedence was, evidently, incredibly complicated.
I wasn't sure if it was really worth agonizing over. To me, it seemed simple enough to put the Demon King at the head and go from there, but I suppose there were cultural rules I didn't fully grasp. The buffet was a clever way to sidestep the issue entirely. As a guest, I wasn't about to complain; I was happy to leave the details to them.
I was led to a table meant for a small group. Joining me were the Demon King, Yoko, and Yuri. Ordinarily, my wives Lu and Tia would have sat with me, but since Yoko was the Acting Village Head, she technically held a higher rank than them within the context of Village Five.
Tiselle had finally been released from her leash and was currently clinging to Tia. It seemed the leash was only removed for meals, using the outhouse, or taking a bath. That was only natural, of course. For the hundredth time, I wondered why she was wearing a lost-child leash in the first place. When I asked, the answer was "Ask Alfred." Fine. I decided I would write him a letter about it later.
Lu, Tia, Tiselle, Beezel, and Frau were at the next table over, close enough for us to talk. The noble daughters had a table of their own a bit further away; they had been placed there so they could relax and enjoy their meal without being stifled by our presence.
Galf and Daga declined to eat, choosing instead to stand guard. I thought they should join us, but apparently, that wasn't how things were done. They stood by the walls, keeping a sharp eye on the serving staff. It was true that leaving the Demon King unguarded would be a lapse in security, but I couldn't help but feel that the Demon King was stronger than both of them combined. He was the man who could hold his own against the likes of Dos and Giral. Then again, perhaps the personal strength of the person being guarded wasn't the point. Regardless, I told them not to overexert themselves and made a mental note to have separate meals prepared for them later.
The food was brought out and arranged on a large table. While it was a buffet, we were told we could simply point out what we wanted to the servers and they would bring it to us. Personally, I found it more relaxing to just get up and get it myself, but since no one else was moving, I felt awkward being the first.
"I'll leave the selection to you," the Demon King told his server. I decided to follow his lead. It was certainly easy, and more importantly, the food was delicious.
"Since we are dining here in the village, we must have this," Yoko said, pouring Village Five Sake into my cup. I thanked her, though I suggested she should probably serve the Demon King first. It turned out Yuri was already taking care of him. He looked quite bashful as she poured his drink.
The meal proceeded with pleasant conversation. Whenever the topic veered toward something difficult or political, I left it to Yoko. I was content to play the role of the listener for the casual banter.
At one point, the conversation turned to the tradition of whole roasted meats. Apparently, the roast is first presented to the guests in its entirety before being carved. The duty of carving falls to the highest-ranking person present. This tradition exists to prevent guests from complaining about the size of their portions; if the most important person cut it, you simply accepted what you were given. However, this had evolved into a social minefield where the size of the portion served became a measure of the carver's trust in the recipient. The carver required significant skill to distribute the meat without causing offense.
Being an "important person" sounded like a lot of work. And the idea of someone starting a rebellion over the size of a piece of meat struck me as utterly ridiculous. The world was a strange place.
We had several visitors throughout the meal. First was Michael-san. He came to apologize and check on us after the attempted ambush outside the auction venue. I assured him he had nothing to apologize for. He ended up joining the meal, and Tiselle immediately began grilling him about something. I didn't catch the details, but Michael-san looked incredibly serious as he answered her.
The next guests were the Silver Knight, the Bronze Knight, and the Iron Knight, accompanied by the Iron Knight's attendant. They claimed they had come to help with the service, but their real goal was clearly to catch a glimpse of the Demon King. I braced myself for a potential confrontation, but they greeted him with impeccable knightly etiquette. It was the first time I had seen them act so formally, and I was actually quite impressed. The Demon King returned the greeting with just the right amount of regality before returning to his meal. Watching him, the four of them looked deeply moved, whispering about how he was every bit the sovereign they imagined. That was all well and good, but I still made them help with the serving. By the way, those four were scheduled to play for the Village Five team in tomorrow's baseball match. They were going to be a real problem for the Demon King’s team.
Next came the Security Team Unit Captain. He had business with Yoko. He reported that they had apprehended a merchant suspected of inciting the bandit gang to attack the Demon King, even if he hadn't participated directly. The merchant was currently under house arrest, and the captain was seeking instructions. He also provided a report on the interrogation of the captured bandits.
After a moment of thought, Yoko consulted the Demon King. "Village Five will handle the sentencing for those who attacked. You have no objections, I assume?"
I didn't think that really counted as a "consultation," Yoko. And I wondered if the Demon King should be so quick to agree. He mentioned that normally the organization the perpetrator belongs to handles the punishment, but there were plenty of exceptions. Yoko gave a few more orders, and the captain left.
I had begun to wonder why there were so many guests during a private dinner, but it turned out there was a reason. The parents of the noble daughters were expected to visit, so orders had been given to let guests through even during the meal.
Sure enough, the fathers arrived—five in total, consisting of one Viscount and four Barons. They offered very formal greetings, but they seemed to have mistaken their targets. For some reason, they bypassed the Demon King entirely to greet Yuri and Yoko.
After acknowledging them, Yoko introduced me. I gave a standard greeting as the Village Head of Village Five and then introduced the man sitting right next to me.
They hadn't even realized the Demon King was there. They were absolutely stunned. It turned out they had only come to pay their respects to Yuri and Yoko. I had assumed the Demon King organized this dinner, but it was actually Yuri’s idea.
The Demon King looked a bit dejected. I tried to console him, pointing out that these were provincial nobles who rarely visited the Royal Capital. It wasn't surprising they didn't recognize him. He argued that he had gathered all the nobles when he was crowned, so they should know his face, but they insisted they had only been able to see him from a great distance back then. Yuri, meanwhile, ignored her father’s plight and continued enjoying her food. I had to signal Beezel to step in and help smooth things over.
Despite the minor awkwardness, we eventually made it to dessert. It was a beautiful fruit platter featuring expertly sliced watermelon, melon, and pineapple, topped with scoops of ice cream. As the parfaits were being served, our final guest arrived.
It was Gucci, Draim’s butler. He looked deeply troubled as he arrived, leading a bound woman of the Devil Race dressed as a maid.