After Kuro left, the frantic atmosphere that had gripped the estate finally subsided. We all took a moment to catch our breath over tea before dinner.
“Still, Kaito-san, you never cease to amaze me. I never dreamed I would end up hosting one of the Six Kings in my own home.”
“Ahaha, well, we really did just meet by chance…”
“You are far too modest. Kaito-sama is a truly magnificent individual. I, Lunamaria, thank the gods for the sheer luck of having met you.”
“……”
Lilia-san spoke with a weary, wry smile, and I tried to return it with one of my own—but one person in the room was acting very strange.
Her way of addressing me had changed, and she was staring at me with these shimmering, wide eyes... It was actually terrifying.
“Um, Lilia-san… Lunamaria-san is acting weird. Actually, she’s kind of scaring me…”
“…She must be overjoyed at having met Chrome-sama. I’m sure she’ll return to her senses eventually, but for now…”
It seemed a strange switch had been flipped inside Lunamaria-san. Ever since Kuro’s departure, she had been praising me to the heavens without pause. It was, to put it mildly, throwing me off my rhythm.
I decided to ignore her until she calmed down and shifted my focus back to the conversation with Lilia-san and the others.
“But Chrome-sama was such a fun person,” Kusunoki-san remarked. “Are all the Six Kings that approachable?”
“No,” Lilia-san explained. “Chrome-sama—the Underworld King—is said to be the most mild-mannered among the Six Kings, alongside the World King. To be honest, that was my first time speaking with her, but she was every bit as kind as the rumors suggested.”
It seemed that even among the Six Kings, personalities varied wildly. Then again, if everyone had a personality like Kuro’s, I doubted the Demon Realm would be able to function at all.
“As for the others—and I’ve only heard rumors myself—the World King is said to be extremely gentle and will overlook minor discourtesies. Conversely, it’s said that you’ll lose your life if you so much as irritate the War King or the Death King. As for the Dragon King and the Phantasm King, very few rumors about them exist, so I really can’t say.”
To summarize: Kuro and the World King were gentle, the War King and Death King were volatile, and the Dragon King and Phantasm King were total enigmas.
The War King and the Death King, though… even their titles sounded dangerous. The idea that you could be killed just for being annoying was terrifying.
Perhaps sensing my growing unease, Lilia-san gave me a small, reassuring smile.
“W-Well, under normal circumstances, a person would never have the chance to speak directly with the Six Kings anyway. Yes, really, this situation was just an extreme exception…”
“…But if it’s Miyama-senpai, maybe he’ll end up befriending the other Six Kings too?” Yuzuki-san whispered.
“…Kaito-san, are you trying to kill me with stress?” Lilia-san asked, her face turning pale as she stared at me.
“No, no, that definitely won't happen…” I replied, shaking my head vigorously.
Surely there wouldn’t be any more chances to get involved with the Six Kings. It might be different if Kuro introduced them to me, but now that I knew she was the Underworld King, I could just ask her beforehand.
Besides, even if she was Kuro, she couldn't just casually introduce me to her peers, right? It should be fine.
“Is that a promise?! You aren't hiding any more outrageous connections from me, are you? You don't have any other friends among the Six Kings? I’m serious—if you do, I’m going to cry!”
“No, really. The only other demons I know are the ones Kuro introduced as her family. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I-I see… In that case, I’m relieved.”
Lilia-san looked like she was at the end of her rope, her face etched with genuine desperation. As far as other demon acquaintances went, the only ones Lilia-san didn't know were Ein-san and Zex-san.
Of those two, Ein-san seemed incredibly impressive, but since she served Kuro, she obviously wasn't one of the Six Kings. Everything was under control.
Lilia-san let out a long, heavy sigh and relaxed.
“At any rate, while the audience with the Goddess of Time still looms over us, I feel like a weight has been lifted. I think I’ll finally be able to sleep peacefully tonight.”
“…What are you saying, Milady?”
“Eh?”
Lunamaria-san, who had returned to her professional persona before I even realized it, cut Lilia-san off just as she was leaning back in her chair.
“Surely you don’t think you’ll be allowed to rest today, Milady?”
“Wait… what?”
Ignoring Lilia-san’s sudden anxiety, Lunamaria-san stepped out of the room. She returned a moment later carrying a literal mountain of envelopes in both arms.
She dropped the massive stack of paper onto the table in front of Lilia-san with a heavy thud.
“These arrived today. They are from the Royal Palace, various nobles, merchant guilds, and the temples.”
“…Wh… why…?”
“I’m sure you didn’t forget—or rather, you were desperately trying to ignore the reality—but you are now a noble who has received an unprecedented blessing from the Goddess of Time and a personal visit from the Underworld King. At the moment, the news is limited to the Royal Capital, but soon the entire region and even neighboring countries will be buzzing with the rumors.”
“……”
As Lunamaria-san spoke in her flat, businesslike tone, the color drained from Lilia-san’s face.
She was right. Lilia-san was the woman of the hour. Having experienced two "impossible" events in such a short time, the world now viewed her as a duke with direct, powerful pipelines to both the God Realm and the Demon Realm.
“…B-But Chrome-sama is Kaito-san’s friend, not mine…”
“The facts don't matter to the public. You are a Duke with connections to the pinnacle of both worlds. People will be crawling out of the woodwork to form associations with you. This is only the beginning; I expect dozens of times this many letters to arrive in the coming days.”
“……”
“Therefore, please review and process all of these by the end of the day.”
“……”
Lilia-san’s expression was the definition of absolute despair.
Looking at that mountain of mail, I realized it would be a struggle just to read them all, let alone respond to them. She really wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.
“…I can't do this… Kaito-san… I hate you…”
Lilia-san stared at me with tear-filled, resentful eyes. I quickly looked away and took a sip of my tea. I’m so sorry, Lilia-san. But there’s really nothing I can do.
Dear Mother, Father—I have the feeling about half of this is my fault. I really think Lilia-san is someone who suffers many hardships.
I don't have any more powerful demon friends... Someone on the same level as Kuromueina (the Underworld King)... Shallow Vernal (a God)... Wait.