It was the night of the parade.
"That's our Demon King for you!"
I was just a low-ranking soldier stationed at the Royal Capital. A guy like me could never hope to join the Royal Guards. But even I could see how incredible the Demon King was. Those Inferno Wolves, who boasted such overwhelming strength, left the Royal Capital simply because the Demon King waved his arm at them.
It was amazing. Simply too amazing. What's more, the Demon King didn't even bring his subordinates; he stood his ground all alone.
Wait, someone said he had servants? Well, maybe he did, but it wasn't like they were out there on the front lines fighting, right? They were just people standing behind him. Or maybe to his side. There was no need to count them. Therefore, as far as I was concerned, the Demon King faced them alone.
I boasted of this in high spirits at a tavern on the outskirts of the Royal Capital that served cheap sake. The staff looked annoyed, but they let it slide, figuring there was no helping it on a day like today. After all, I wasn't the only one making a scene. I could hear similar sentiments echoing from every other table.
The Demon King was truly incredible. Of course, his greatness wasn't limited to how he handled the Inferno Wolves. Even those detestable Angels fled without so much as leveling a spear once they saw him.
Now, I didn't actually have any personal grudge against the Angel Race. I was young, you see. It was the older crowd—the veterans—who really hated them. Those guys tried to teach us things like "Anti-Angel Defense" every chance they got. It didn't apply to anything other than the Angel Race, so it wasn't particularly useful in our day-to-day duties.
As for Anti-Harpy Countermeasures? Oh, those were bundled into the Anti-Angel Defense because the Harpy Race always showed up alongside the Angels. It was exactly like that today, wasn't it? The Harpies did the groundwork, and then the Angels charged in. That was how they divided their roles. From my perspective as a low-ranking soldier, the Harpy Race was actually more of a headache than the Angels.
Why? Because low-ranking soldiers weren't worth an Angel's time. They essentially only targeted the commanders. It was obvious who the commanders were just by looking at them; they were the ones wearing expensive clothes or polished armor. I heard that even if a commander tried to hide by wearing common gear, the Angels could pick them out just by watching the troop movements from high above. I wasn't an Angel, so I didn't know the specifics, but that was the rumor.
I was drifting off-topic, though. The point was that the Demon King was magnificent. At the end of the parade, a sudden combat broke out and everyone panicked, but we later learned it was actually a surprise military exercise. Things had been peaceful lately, so apparently, the exercise was staged to keep everyone sharp. Certainly, if that had been a real enemy attack, we would have been in a lot of trouble.
But the most amazing thing the Demon King did while keeping us on our toes was his message to the world: the Declaration of Victory in the War Against Human Nations.
Had some people not heard it? Well, I suppose things were hectic with the exercise. But I heard it loud and clear. The Demon King stood before the Royal Castle and unilaterally declared victory over the human nations. Would the enemy accept it? Probably not. But what did that matter? The message was: "If you have a complaint, come and try us."
And did anyone think they would actually come? They wouldn't. If they were going to attack, they would have done it long ago. No matter what we said now, the other side just had to sit there and take it.
Someone asked what would actually change because of this declaration. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure. The Demon King said quite a lot, but the cheering was so deafening that I only caught bits and pieces. I did hear that he intended to remain the Demon King for at least another thousand years. Or was it five hundred? Either way, it was something to celebrate. Having our reliable Demon King's reign continue was a blessing.
I also heard something about establishing a new country between the Demon Kingdom and the human nations, but I didn't really get the logic behind it. Why bother building a new country? It seemed like it would just lead to more paperwork and headaches.
As I was pondering this, a man I didn't recognize in the seat next to me spoke up.
"The Demon King decided that being directly adjacent to the human nations was more trouble than it was worth. He's decided to create a neutral country in between them. Basically, a buffer zone."
A buffer zone? Was that like the area they created by pushing back the front lines against the humans?
"Exactly," the man said. "He's putting physical distance between us and the vast territories of the human nations—specifically the Fullhart Kingdom and the Galbart Kingdom in this case. We've been fighting just to maintain that distance for years."
"Right, that makes sense," I agreed.
"Since maintaining that distance is such a hassle, the plan is to just turn it into its own country."
"I see. But even if he declares it a country, won't the human nations just attack it?"
"He's already thought of that. The newly created country will act as a proxy for negotiations with the Demon Kingdom."
I tilted my head. "A proxy for negotiations?"
"That's right. Existing diplomatic relations will stay as they are, but all new diplomacy will be handled by the new nation. For example, if a human kingdom wanted to negotiate the return of prisoners or stolen treasures, the Demon Kingdom wouldn't handle it directly anymore. They'd have to go through the new country."
"And that stops them from attacking?" I asked. "Wouldn't a country that doesn't want to talk just attack anyway?"
"Some might," the man admitted. "But the countries that do want to negotiate will stop them. Since it's the only window for communication, attacking it would be the same as declaring they have no interest in ever negotiating with the Demon Kingdom again. Even during a war, there are things that have to be discussed. Human nations need those prisoners and treasures back just as much as we do. They won't throw that window away so easily."
"I guess that makes sense."
"Besides, even though they call it a country, the territory is huge but they're only building one major city. Even if an army destroyed a place like that, there would be very little to gain. It's much more profitable to keep it around as a diplomatic gateway. They won't bother attacking it."
"I see. The Demon King really has thought of everything."
"He certainly has," the man nodded. "So, now that you understand there's no real danger of being attacked there, I have a little tip for you."
"A tip? Hey now, if this is some suspicious scam, I'm not interested."
"It's not suspicious at all. They're starting to recruit soldiers to garrison that new country."
"Recruiting? But I'm already in the Demon Kingdom Army."
"It's no problem. The new country isn't officially the Demon Kingdom, but in practice, it is. The funds are coming from the Demon King, and the leadership is appointed by him. That means the soldiers will be drawn from our army."
"So it's not a matter of quitting the service?"
"Exactly. They're looking for volunteers to transfer. Since it's technically the 'front line,' the pay is significantly higher, even though there's very little chance of actual combat."
"The pay is higher? Well, that does sound tempting..."
"At the start, the Royal Guards will be handling the defense, so you'd be safe even if the absolute worst happened. The Demon King can't afford to let his new project fail right away, so he'll be putting all his weight behind it."
"That's true," I muttered. When he put it that way, it sounded like a golden opportunity.
"It's a profitable deal, right? I expect the military bulletins will announce it tomorrow, so you can check for yourself then."
"Oh, I will. Thanks for the heads-up."
"Don't mention it. Actually, if you want to show your thanks, could you mention this to your colleagues and friends? They want to have a full complement of soldiers ready right at the start. It's a matter of prestige."
"Ah, I get it. I'll spread the word."
"Sorry for talking your ear off. Tell you what—let's have another round. This one's on me! A toast! To the Demon King and his majestic performance today!"
"Wait, you're really paying? That's great! Waiter, another round! And cheers to the Demon King!"
I laughed. It really was a good day.