I was a woman of the Demon Race, born as the daughter of a Baron.
After I graduated from the Noble Academy, the plan was for me to return to our family territory and marry. However, misfortune struck my partner, and the engagement was dissolved. Since the match had been arranged by my parents and I had never even seen the man’s face, my only reaction to the news was a detached, "Oh, I see."
While I wanted to find a new husband, seeking a replacement so soon after such a misfortune would have been considered a lapse in etiquette. A proper interval had to be observed. That said, spending my days idling away at my parents’ home didn't sit right with me. I returned to the Royal Capital in search of work to pass the time until my next marriage prospect was decided.
My timing was impeccable. I caught the eye of a high-ranking official, was scouted, and eventually found myself working in Village Five. Currently, I held the prestigious title of one of the Civil Official Girls.
Initially, I was intimidated by my seniors. They were all famous figures from the Noble Academy. However, I soon grew accustomed to them—mostly because there were far more terrifying beings around. And quite a few of them, at that. Perhaps it wasn't so much that I grew used to them, but rather that I became desensitized to terror. Regardless, I worked as a Civil Official Girl and had no complaints.
I learned of the sequestered Village of the Great Tree and was eventually allowed to visit. I even reached a point where I could speak directly with the Village Head. I want to state this clearly: I considered myself fortunate to be one of the Civil Official Girls. Every day was full of excitement. I even reached a point where I could link arms with the members of the Four Heavenly Kings to tackle crises—men so far above my station that I once wouldn't have even dreamed of speaking to them. You simply couldn't survive in this job if you were constantly paralyzed by reserve. Truly, I was glad to be a Civil Official Girl.
And so, I watched over the start of the parade in Village Five. I was deeply moved seeing Lord Aegis the Phoenix flying so majestically. I knew exactly how much effort he had put into this. Ever since the parade in the Village of the Great Tree concluded, Lord Aegis had come here every single night to time the sunrise. He meticulously measured his flight speed and performed complex arithmetic to calculate his trajectory. He worked his hardest with the limited time he had.
That dedication clearly paid off. When Lord Aegis—who was usually a small, round bird—transformed into a massive phoenix, I was just as shocked as the Eagle-san who had been monitoring him. Granted, his speed calculations were immediately rendered useless by the transformation, but that was just part of his charm.
The procession, which began with Lord Aegis’s flight, was led by two knights. These were Swan-san and Black Swan-san in their human forms. They had refrained from participating in the village-internal parade, so they requested to take the lead in this one. Since the Village Head authorized it, there was no issue there.
The problem lay with the swords they carried. Originally, they were meant to hold a Red-glowing Sword and a Blue-glowing Sword. However, they voiced their dissatisfaction with the colors, insisting they should carry a White-glowing Sword and a Black-glowing Sword instead.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't care either way. I wanted to tell them to just pick whatever color they liked, but a colleague with a passion for the classics put up a fierce resistance, leading to a significant dispute. We eventually settled on white and black, but the complications didn't end there. We had prepared the red and blue swords in advance, but we had nothing in white or black.
We bowed our heads to Lady Lu, provided the materials, and enlisted the help of the blacksmith Gatto-san to rush their production. And they were certainly rushed. While the White-glowing Sword and Black-glowing Sword shone brightly, they were unstable and carried a distinct risk of exploding.
"It’s fine! As long as you don't actually try to cut anything with them, they won’t go off!" Those were the words of the Production Director, Lady Lu.
As expected, we questioned the wisdom of giving them such dangerous items. But Swan-san and Black Swan-san were adamant that they wouldn't accept anything else. Consequently, for safety’s sake, they were forced to wear full-body armor. Their faces were hidden, which Swan-san particularly lamented, but her desire to carry the White-glowing Sword won out. I suppose she had her own inexplicable obsessions.
I would have liked to see them in their knightly attire without the helmets, but the Village Head’s emphasis on safety could not be ignored. Furthermore, I felt a twinge of guilt for the Royal Guards marching behind them. We had ordered them to carry shields and be ready for an explosion at a moment’s notice. This wasn't to protect the guards themselves, but to shield the spectators.
"There’s a slight delay between the impact and the blast. You should have enough time to toss the sword away and surround it with shields. Oh, and the angle of the shields is crucial. Try to deflect the shockwave upward as much as possible." Those were the instructions from Lady Lu, based on her explosion experiments with the prototype swords.
If the blast radius had been truly catastrophic, the Village Head never would have allowed them to carry the swords. Still, the tension at the front of the parade was palpable. I suppose a little tension was better than none at all. Yes, it was fine.
Following the band, the next person to appear was the very high-ranking individual who had piled unreasonable request upon unreasonable request on us. He wore a radiant, ear-to-ear smile. Hehehe. Looking at him made me want to smile as well. I had no ulterior motives, of course. None at all.
In truth, I had heard that several political schemes were being carried out under the cover of this parade. I was only informed of them yesterday, however. I wasn't angry. Truly.
Following the members of the Four Heavenly Kings—who were my comrades in suffering—it was time for Gol-san, Sil-san, and Bron-san. There had been a minor disagreement regarding the order for those three. The boys themselves wanted to stay close to the Village Head, but Lady Tiselle insisted they be positioned further forward. The three of them had their own reputations to maintain within the Demon Kingdom. Thinking of their futures, she likely wanted them in a spot where they could build their public recognition. No matter how hard they tried, they would never stand out if they stayed near the Village Head. It couldn't be helped.
Following the three from the Beastman Race were the representatives of the various towns and villages between the Royal Capital and Shashato City. But wait—they looked completely bewildered. Some even seemed terrified. Had no one properly explained why they were here? It would be a disaster if trouble broke out. I checked with a colleague.
The cause was quickly identified. Apparently, shortly before the parade began, they had caught sight of the other participants. Almost all of them had fainted on the spot. They had been shaken awake just as their turn came around and shoved into the procession. That was understandable. Also, I reflected that we really should have secured carriages for them. Carriages were in such short supply that they were practically being fought over, and we hadn't found any suitable for their group.
I had assumed it would be fine since they were only walking, but looking at them now, I realized my mistake. I made arrangements to redirect some of the carriages secured by Village Five so they could board them later. Given their state, walking the entire course through Village Five would likely be too much for them. I just hoped they could endure until the carriages arrived.
Trailing behind the bewildered representatives were the members of the proud Regular Army of the Demon Kingdom. Almost every single one of them was of the commander class. Was that truly wise? It felt as though they were being far too lax just because there hadn't been any major conflicts recently. Well, it wasn't my place to worry.
The soldiers of the Regular Army were carrying agricultural tools instead of weapons. While an axe could serve as a weapon, its intended use was for felling trees. This was a symbolic display intended to show that the Demon Kingdom followed the Village of the Great Tree. It was a strategy born of necessity because they hadn't been allowed to borrow the Flag of the Village of the Great Tree. We hadn't informed the Village Head of this, of course. How he chose to interpret it was entirely up to him. I wouldn't say a word more than necessary. After all, I was a Civil Official Girl—a capable woman.