On the 17th day of the Month of Wind, a gathering of the Six Kings was underway within the Forbidden Land at the heart of the Demon Realm. These meetings had become a frequent occurrence of late.
The agenda focused on the finer details of the upcoming Six Kings Festival. As it was a first-of-its-kind event, they needed to align their visions on even the most basic elements.
Naturally, only five of them were truly participating in the discussion. The War King, Megiddo, was drinking as usual, content to stick to his stance: "I'll do whatever Kuromueina decides."
"Anyway," Kuro began, "I’m thinking we should make it a seven-day event. Each of us will produce one day of the festival for the first six days, and then we'll cap it off on the seventh with a massive banquet for everyone."
"I see. I have no objections to that," Shaltier replied. "However, there’s one thing that’s been bothering me since we first started talking about this... where exactly are we holding it? Even setting the rest of us aside, if Magnawell-san is coming, we’re going to need an incredibly vast space, right?"
"Indeed," Magnawell rumbled. "My subordinates are also quite substantial in stature."
"...Is here... no good?" Isis asked softly.
"It would be difficult," Lilliwood explained. "The people of the Demon Realm fear this place as a forbidden land. Moreover, this is our battlefield. The residual magic power is far too dense; species sensitive to such things would be paralyzed with terror."
They were stuck. With Magnawell involved, no ordinary location would suffice, and with the Month of Light drawing to a close, they were running out of time. They needed a place ready for immediate use, close to teleportation gates, and expansive enough for the largest dragon species. Even for the Six Kings, who knew the Demon Realm better than anyone, no such place came to mind.
Yet, as Shaltier, Magnawell, Isis, and Lilliwood discussed their plight with troubled expressions, Kuromueina—the architect of the whole affair—spoke up with a look of absolute confidence.
"Don't worry about the location. I’ve already handled it."
"...You have, Kuromueina?"
"Yeah. Although, adding that 'seventh day' was actually the condition for securing the spot."
"Now that you mention it, the original plan was for six days..."
Rather than explain, Kuro decided to show them. She manifested a teleportation magic circle large enough to encompass even Magnawell and transported the group to their destination.
"...Kuro-san, can I ask you something?" Shaltier asked as they arrived.
"Sure, what is it?"
"...What on earth is this place? Since when was there an island in the Demon Realm this ridiculously huge, with such a great view, and even pre-equipped with multiple gates!?"
"Hmm. This certainly meets every requirement, but even I have no idea where we are," Magnawell admitted.
They stood upon a colossal island. Grasslands stretched toward the horizon without a single obstacle. Curiously, several teleportation gates were already standing—gates that none of the other Kings recognized.
"This island is located further east than the far edge of the Eastern Demon Realm," Kuro explained.
"If my memory serves, that area should be nothing but ocean," Lilliwood noted. "There was no island there."
"You’re right. It didn't exist until yesterday."
"...What do you... mean?"
"We got a sponsor."
"Oh boy... is it just me, or am I getting a terrible feeling about this?" Shaltier muttered. "Specifically, the kind of feeling that suggests the head of a certain realm—someone who usually has zero business with this—is involved..."
An island created overnight, perfect for the Kings' needs, complete with infrastructure. And the word "sponsor." The Six Kings knew only one being capable of such reality-bending absurdity.
"By sponsor, do you mean..."
"Yep! It's Shiro!"
"...What are you doing, supreme deity of the God Realm?"
As suspected, Shallow Vernal was the one who had brought the island into existence. With the exception of Kuro and Megiddo, the Kings stood in stunned silence. While creating an island was child's play for the Creator God, she was notoriously aloof when it came to Demon Realm affairs.
"How did you ever convince the Creator God to cooperate?" Magnawell asked. "I thought she avoided these sorts of things entirely."
"Oh, well... she agreed to help on the condition that we hold it for seven days, so she could spend the final day touring the festival with Kaito-kun."
"...As expected... of Kaito... incredible."
"No, Isis... I know you adore him, but you’re accepting this far too quickly."
Kaito hadn't actually done anything this time, but in Isis's mind, the logic was sound: "Shallow Vernal is helping because of Kaito." In a way, she wasn't wrong. She nodded with a blissful smile, clearly lost in thoughts of him.
"Anyway, if we run into any more trouble with the festival, Shiro said she'd help out!"
"...At this rate, couldn't Shallow Vernal-sama just handle the whole thing?"
"Only if we're stuck. We should do the heavy lifting ourselves."
"...Fair enough."
Shaltier eventually pushed past her surprise, and the meeting resumed.
"Next, about the invitations... has everyone decided how many they're sending?"
"...I'll send one... to Kaito."
"More or less..."
"Indeed."
"I have a list ready too. How about you, Megiddo-san?"
"Huh? Oh, I left all that to Bacchus."
"...Probably for the best."
They had decided that the inaugural Six Kings Festival would be an invitation-only affair. Everyone seemed to have their lists in order, and even Megiddo, who loathed administrative tasks, had properly delegated his portion.
"Alright. We'll aim for them to arrive on the 1st of the Month of Light. Shaltier, can I leave the production of the invitations to you?"
"Yeah, not a problem."
"Thanks. Lilliwood, you're in charge of facility and venue construction."
"Leave it to me."
"Magnawell, you'll manage the transportation logistics. Set up a system to shuttle guests who live far from the gates."
"Umu. It shall be done."
"Megiddo, you're responsible for the security detail during the event. Pick guards who are strong and disciplined."
"Got it!"
Kuro went down the list until she reached the last of them. Looking at Isis, her expression softened into one of slight concern. Isis was far better at destruction than creation, and her aura of death made diplomacy a non-starter. However, excluding her would surely hurt her feelings.
After a moment of thought, Kuro glanced at Lilliwood with an apologetic wince.
"Isis... well, Isis... could you please help Lilliwood?"
"Wait—Kuromueina!?"
"...Yes... I understand... I'll help."
"..."
Lilliwood immediately grasped Kuro’s intent and looked utterly devastated. But seeing Isis clenching her small fists, brimming with motivation, Lilliwood couldn't bring herself to say a word. She simply hung her head in silent resignation.
The first-ever festival hosted by all of the Six Kings... 36 days remain until the grand opening.