The small festival at the academy continued into the afternoon, but the atmosphere shifted. Apparently, the event opened to the public at midday, and a surge of people flooded the grounds with incredible momentum.
Kuro and Yuki as well as the Korin Sweets Shop had prepared a significant number of servings, but they were picked clean in no time. The Maruura stall, however, was still going strong. They had also been on the verge of selling out, but after seeing the morning's turnout, they had wisely called for reinforcements early. Additional curry and staff had already arrived from the Maruura branch in Shashaato City. Even with a Teleportation Gate available, that was an impressively swift response. I made a mental note to tell Marcos and Paula to give their team a well-deserved pat on the back.
Earth’s stall was also drawing quite a crowd. Business was thriving there as well, but… wait. What was going on over there? A group of noble-looking customers gathered at the tables near Earth’s stall were actually weeping.
"I wish our maids would provide normal service like this," one sobbed.
"Yes, this is exactly how it should be," another agreed. "We don't need armed maids."
"Listen to me. I asked for coffee, and coffee actually came out! I've never been so happy in my life."
"I understand completely. Getting exactly what you ordered… it’s truly moving."
It seemed they lived lives of constant hardship. I didn’t want to get involved, so I simply cheered them on in my heart.
As the crowds grew, various performances were being held in different areas: plays, musical recitals, and speeches. Speeches? Was it like a stump speech before an election? No, it seemed more like someone just loudly asserting their personal beliefs.
The content was… let’s see…
"Humans are incapable of unity! They will find any excuse to splinter! And then they fight! Therefore, we must not incorporate them into the Demon Kingdom; we must destroy them! Yes, extermination! I shall line every last one of them up in the ranks of the dead!"
That was some incredibly radical content, especially considering the speaker himself was a human. The demons listening were actually the ones trying to calm him down. I wondered if something terrible had happened back in his home kingdom.
Ah, it turned out he had served as a Minister of Internal Affairs for years, only to be framed for bribery and exiled. The person he had considered his best friend was the one who betrayed him. I hoped he wouldn't start naming names; that would cause all sorts of diplomatic headaches.
Oh, now he was crying. "D-do your best," I whispered, unable to help myself.
The festival had a strong flavor of an inauguration ceremony for Tiselle’s nation-building project, so there were many programs related to it: briefings on the project's purpose, announcements regarding the specific location, and introductions of the key staff. Despite the large space allocated for them, the nation-building events weren't particularly popular. I suppose serious political talk struggled to compete with festival fun.
The "Death God Tag" attraction on the special stage, however, was a massive hit. It was open to anyone who wanted to jump in, and adults and children alike seemed to be having a blast. The person playing the Death God was doing an excellent job of holding back and adjusting their strength to keep it fun. They wore a mask that covered their entire head to fit the role, so I couldn't see their face, but…
Wait. Was that Rigne, Ria’s mother? Interesting.
Another popular attraction was the military exercise held on the massive diorama I had seen earlier. Units were placed on the board and moved around using magic. The presence of a professional like Gratz made a huge difference. The theme was the defense of the Demon Kingdom, and he was giving detailed explanations, such as, "If the enemy attacks like this, we counter by defending like so." Because of the subject matter, a lot of people who looked like nobles or military officers had gathered there.
I noticed a few people who looked like they were from human kingdoms mixed in. Was that really wise? They were even asking what kind of attack would trouble the Demon Kingdom the most.
"A large army led by a brilliant general," Gratz answered honestly.
I wondered if it was okay to be that blunt. Then again, maybe he was just saying, "Try it if you think you can."
A large army led by a brilliant general—it was a textbook strategy for victory. While gathering a massive force was possible, and finding a brilliant general was also possible, doing both simultaneously was the real challenge. This was because no one could ever be sure where the loyalty of a brilliant general at the head of a massive army truly lay. Even if the general had no intention of betraying the crown, the King would always be plagued by anxiety. Therefore, it rarely took that form. Usually, the King would lead the army himself while the general supported him from the side.
But that didn't work. Even if the general made a split-second judgment, it would take too much time for the King to approve it. On the battlefield, that delay was often a fatal wound—even more so with a vast army. Ideally, the King himself would be a brilliant general, but the probability of a military genius being born from a limited royal bloodline was statistically low.
At least, that’s what a man with a knowing look standing next to me said. I was just repeating what I heard; I certainly wasn't qualified to lecture anyone on military theory.
After taking a full tour of the festival, I was resting when Tiselle approached, bringing along several people she wanted to introduce. Since my daughter had made a point of it, I braced myself, but they turned out to be the staff for her new country. That was a relief. The main purpose was just a formal introduction, so it ended quickly with a round of polite greetings.
There were three… no, four people among them who caught my attention.
First was a man called "The Fixer." He was a former leader of an anti-Demon King faction who had declared his cooperation with Tiselle’s project, bringing his entire group along with him. Even if they were "former," an anti-Demon King faction sounded dangerous. I asked if it was truly safe. Apparently, they had already submitted to the Demon King, so it was fine.
But why "The Fixer"? Didn't he have a name? I asked one of Tiselle's subordinates.
"He said he discarded his name. He told us to call him whatever we liked, so we tried 'Chief Executive Officer,' but for some reason, he started crying and begged us to stop. Eventually, we settled on 'The Fixer.'"
I see.
Next was the former human duke’s daughter, Erika-teze. I remembered seeing her in the parade. She was the woman who had performed that magnificent martial demonstration. So she was a high-ranking noble. She had also joined Tiselle’s project with her subordinates in tow. Apparently, most of her staff had been hired away from Miyo’s operations in Shashaato City, and Tiselle was currently receiving a barrage of complaints from Miyo. I’d have to remember to apologize to her later.
Still, it was impressive that she had agreed to cooperate.
"It seems she was looking for a husband among the influential figures of the Demon Kingdom, but she couldn't find anyone suitable. She refuses to marry anyone who isn't stronger than her."
And how did that lead to her joining the project?
"You know Instructor Sil, don't you?"
Yes, he's my son.
"It seems Erika-teze caught wind of the fact that Instructor Sil is Tiselle’s brother."
Wait, was she helping Tiselle just to get closer to Sil?
"I believe so. Actually, I heard the information about their sibling relationship was leaked by Tiselle herself."
Did she really use Sil as bait to pull in a powerful collaborator?
"The other party is just getting their hopes up on their own," the subordinate explained. "No promises were made, and no one was deceived. At least, not by Tiselle."
I… I see. Well, I hoped she wouldn't place too much of a burden on Sil. It might have been meddling, but I wondered if I could arrange for a reasonably good partner for her at some point. Not a promised marriage, of course—whether people get together is ultimately down to their own chemistry and effort. I decided I would ask Beezel, Randan, and Gratz for their help with that later.
Then there was the third person: the man who had been crying during his speech earlier. Since he had served as a Minister of Internal Affairs, Tiselle had snatched him up the moment she saw him, deciding he was the perfect person to build the country’s administrative structure. He seemed like quite the radical, but was that really okay? If he was the type to keep his personal grievances separate from his work, then I suppose it might be fine.
Finally, there was the subordinate who had been answering my questions: Eric. He was assisting Tiselle on Alfred's recommendation. He aspired to become a butler for a noble house one day, and despite his youth, he was remarkably composed. Even from our brief conversation, I could tell he was highly competent. Torain apparently viewed him as the ideal butler and was learning a lot from him. As a parent, I felt I should thank him for looking after my children.
However, as a father, something else bothered me: his relationship with Tiselle. Weren't they a bit too close? I was very concerned. But I couldn't exactly ask Eric himself. Even if I were overthinking things, to him, I was his boss’s father—someone he had to be extremely careful with. A romantic inquiry from a parent like me would be impossible for him to answer honestly, whether it was "I'm interested" or "I have no such feelings."
Asking Tiselle was also a bad idea. If she didn't have feelings for him yet, me pointing it out might cause her to start becoming conscious of him. That was a classic romance trope, and I didn't want to go poking a hornet's nest.
I thought about asking Alfred or Urza, but then the Demon King wandered over. He had been spending quite a bit of time at the academy, so he likely knew the situation. I decided to ask him quietly.
"Hahaha," the Demon King laughed. "As a father myself, I understand exactly how you feel. But you can rest easy. Lady Tiselle and young Eric aren't in that kind of relationship at all."
"Is that so?"
"Umu. I was curious about it myself, so I asked young Eric casually. I asked him when he planned to marry Lady Tiselle."
"Wh-what on earth were you thinking, asking something like that?!"
"And do you know what he said? He told me that even for the Demon King, there are things you can say and things you can't. He grabbed me by the collar and roared at me. It was terrifying…"
Was he simply the type who took marriage very seriously and hated it being used as a joke?
"I… I suppose that must be it."
I see. Could I really rest easy then?
"I believe so."
As a father, it left me with a rather complex state of mind.
Demon King: "For the record, I am the Demon King." Eric: "I lost my temper and spoke rudely. I apologize." Belbark: "Stay away from the Angel Race. (Opposition Faction)" Eric: "I shall treasure that golden advice. Thank you." Sil: "She’s not a bad girl, but… if you ever need to run away, come talk to me. (Neutral Faction)" Eric: "Instructor…" Alfred: "I sense a powerful force of destiny here. (Neutral Faction)" Eric: "Stop with the strange prophecies!" Torain: "May I call you 'Brother-in-law'? (Supporting Faction)" Eric: "Stop it!"