In a small, quiet cafe tucked away in the capital of the Arclesia Empire, a regular customer named Ozma sat at his usual spot. The shop was managed by a young Dwarf girl, and Ozma had long since become a fixture of the establishment.
He draped his tattered trench coat over the adjacent chair and began a late breakfast, savoring a cup of his favorite coffee.
"Uncle? You’re here later than usual today. You look a bit exhausted, too."
"Ah... work stuff, mostly. Yesterday was the busiest stretch, so I’m over the hump now."
"To be honest, I’m just surprised to hear the word 'work' come out of your mouth, Uncle."
"Young people these days are so blunt. That actually stings a little."
As he finished the last few bites of his sandwich, the owner poured him a refill without being asked. Between the warm atmosphere of the wooden interior and the rich aroma of the coffee, this was Ozma’s favorite time of day. He loved it enough to make an appearance every single morning without fail.
He and the young Dwarf girl had known each other for a long time. She had a firm grasp of his preferences and had recently mastered the perfect timing for his refills. They spent the morning trading lighthearted banter, the air between them comfortable and familiar.
"...Come to think of it, have you heard? They say there’s a massive festival happening in the Demon Realm right now."
"Ah, the Six Kings Festival. It’s certainly a spectacle on par with the Hero Festival."
"Must be nice... I’d love to go myself, but apparently, you can’t get in without an invitation from one of the Six Kings. I guess there’s no hope for someone like me."
"Hmm? You want to go to the festival?"
"Of course I do! Oh, but wait—did you know? One of the War King’s Five War Generals has the exact same name as you, Uncle!"
"Is that so..."
Ozma wore an uncharacteristically troubled expression as the girl spoke with a bright, innocent smile. The truth was that despite their long acquaintance, the girl had never once suspected that the man sitting before her was indeed one of the Five War Generals. She had simply concluded he was a different person who happened to share the name.
"I only saw him from a distance during the Hero Festival, but he was so cool! He wore a formal suit perfectly... he had this sort of adult charm, you know? Even the atmosphere around him felt different."
"H-Heh... I see."
"I think you should follow his example, Uncle. You should try dressing a bit more neatly. You actually have a good face, so if you just groomed yourself, I’m sure you’d be handsome."
"U-Uhh... well, I’ll keep that in mind."
The primary reason she failed to connect the dots was the sheer contrast in his appearance. Normally, Ozma didn't bother to shave; his hair was a mess, and he favored a slovenly, tattered trench coat. However, for an event as prestigious as the Hero Festival, he had dressed in full formal attire, shaved his beard, and slicked his hair back.
To a commoner like the shop owner, the Five War Generals were existences far above the clouds. Seeing one from a distance was the most she could hope for, so it was perhaps inevitable that she viewed the two versions of Ozma as entirely different people.
Ozma, however, found himself in a predicament. If he told her the truth now, he might shatter the girl’s idealized image of "General Ozma," and that was a difficult thing to do. He swallowed a sigh along with a gulp of coffee and offered her a wry smile.
"...If you really want to go to the Six Kings Festival, how about I take you?"
"...Huh?"
"I might not look it, but I have a few connections. I think I can manage an invitation for you."
"R-Really? But... wouldn't that be a huge bother for you, Uncle?"
"Don't worry about it. Think of it as a thank-you for always serving me such delicious coffee. What do you say?"
Ozma pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, his expression gentle. After a moment of thought, the girl nodded.
"...Then, would it be okay if I accepted your kindness?"
"Sure. It might take a little time to arrange, though, so you probably won't be able to go until the sixth or seventh day. Is that alright?"
"Yes! Thank you so much, Uncle!"
"Well then, here’s the payment... I’ll see you tomorrow."
"I’ve told you—don't pet my head!"
Amused by the reaction of the girl, who hated being treated like a child, Ozma left the shop with a small smile.
Returning to the city hosting the Six Kings Festival, Ozma headed to the floor assigned to the War King’s faction in the Central Tower. He was looking for someone, but the person in question was nowhere to be found. He scratched his head, looking slightly annoyed.
"...Oh? Ozma-sama?"
"Hmm? Ah, Epsilon-chan. Just the person I was looking for. You wouldn't happen to know where Bacchus-kun is, would you?"
"Bacchus-dono? No, he wasn't at the training grounds... Is it urgent?"
"Nah, not exactly. I just wanted to get one more invitation issued. I thought Bacchus-kun was the one managing our guest list."
Ozma gave a brief summary of the situation to Epsilon, another of the Five War Generals who happened to be passing by. Epsilon’s expression turned thoughtful.
"...An additional invitation? It’s true that Bacchus-dono handles the invitations we send out, but the actual management of guests falls under the Phantasm King-sama’s jurisdiction. You’ll likely need to speak with the Phantasm King’s subordinates."
"Ah, I figured as much... This is a pain. Our guys and the Phantasm King’s people don't exactly get along. That’s going to be a tough conversation."
"Agni-dono, our head general, and Pandora-dono, the head of the Phantasm King’s subordinates, detest one another. Many of our subordinates are hot-blooded, so conflict is somewhat inevitable."
"Sigh... all right. It’s a bit of a bother, but I’ll try asking Miyama-kun."
The relationship between the War King and Phantasm King factions was notoriously poor, largely due to the "cats and dogs" rivalry of their respective leaders. Ozma personally wished they could all just get along, but reality was never that simple.
If Ozma went to ask for a favor directly, he doubted he would receive a warm welcome. The most reliable route was to ask Kaito, who had the influence to move the person at the very top of the other faction. Ozma felt a bit guilty about troubling Kaito—who was still just a young man in his eyes—but for the sake of the girl at the cafe, he wanted to take the most certain path.
As Ozma turned to leave, planning to bring a souvenir to Kaito as a bribe, Epsilon spoke up again.
"...By the way, I never actually learned the reason why our faction and the Phantasm King’s became so hostile. Or rather, why Agni-dono and Pandora-dono started their feud?"
"Oh, that? It wasn't anything major... They just had a massive shouting match over whether the Boss or the Phantasm King-sama was stronger. It’s been bad blood ever since."
"I see... actually, that is an interesting topic. Ozma-sama, between Megiddo-sama and the Phantasm King-sama, who do you believe is the stronger of the two?"
"Hmm? If you’re comparing her to the 'current Boss,' the Phantasm King-sama is overwhelmingly stronger. In fact, the current Boss is probably the weakest among the Six Kings-sama. Though, of course, he’s still leagues beyond any ordinary Peerage-class..."
"...What?"
Ozma had answered casually, but his words left Epsilon frozen in shock. Megiddo was weaker than the Phantasm King? The weakest of the Six Kings? The answer was so far beyond her expectations that she could only stare in disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Ozma slapped a hand over his face, realizing he had said too much.
"...Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue. Forget I said anything, or the Boss will have my head."
"Wait! W-What do you mean by that? Ozma-sama, what exactly do you know?"
"...I can't tell you. But since I’m the one who slipped up, I’ll give you a hint."
"...A hint?"
"If I were fighting 'Megiddo Argetes Borgness,' I might actually win if I went all out. But if I fought 'Megiddo-sama,' I wouldn't stand a chance. I’d be killed without so much as leaving a scratch on him."
"...Huh? What are you...?"
"Argetes Borgness... it’s the ancient language of the Demon Realm. You should look it up in a dictionary sometime. But keep this to yourself... unless you want to trigger the Boss’s reverse scale."
Leaving Epsilon standing there in a daze, Ozma walked away with a cigarette between his lips.
Argetes Borgness—in the ancient tongue, it meant "Armor of Restraint." The individuals who knew its true meaning could be counted on one hand.
Ozma had once been a figure of sheer violence in the Demon Realm. He had been a man with absolute confidence in his strength and the pride of being the strongest—until his pride was pulverized by the avatar of carnage he now served. The absolute loyalty Ozma felt was born from his awe of that monster. The "Crimson Beast," the one who had once reduced a third of the Demon Realm to scorched earth, remained in his slumber... for now.
Serious-senpai (Land-battle Type): "..."
???: "Hey? How are you feeling? Right now, what’s going through your head? You geared up and came out all stylishly because you thought the 'sugar' was coming, only to get blindsided by some serious foreshadowing. How are you feeling?"
Serious-senpai (Land-battle Type): "Sh-Shut up! Th-This is actually exactly the kind of development I wanted, okay?!"
???: " 'This isn't anything special... it’s just my everyday life' (so cool)... You’re right, getting your expectations betrayed is definitely par for the course for you!"
Serious-senpai (Land-battle Type): "Stop iiiiitt!"