If Alice had been so inclined, she likely could have finished the entire setup in the blink of an eye, just like Ein-san would have. Instead, she chose to take her time, lingering over the prep work while chatting idly with Anima and me.
There was something about the atmosphere—a sense that the preparation itself was something to be savored—that I quite liked. Conversation always seemed to flow more easily during moments like these.
"By the way, I'm actually thinking about overhauling part of the Peerage-class system soon," Alice remarked.
"Revising it? You mean the criteria or something?"
"I'm planning to adjust several details, but the main goal is to promote a handful of the top-tier Counts to the rank of Duke."
Alice spoke casually as she prepped the vegetables, but her words described a significant shift. Given that Ein-san had been the sole occupant of the Duke-class until now, it was easy to see how this would be a massive reform for the Demon Realm as a whole.
"Simply put, the Count-class has become too crowded," Alice continued. "The gap between the strongest and weakest in that rank is widening, so I need to balance things out."
"I have always wondered, though..." Anima spoke up. "Why is there no 'Marquis-class' among the Peerage-class demons?"
"Oh, that? I just forgot about it when I was setting everything up," Alice replied airily. "The Peerage system was just something I slapped together to make managing the Demon Realm's data easier. The naming was fairly arbitrary. I realized I’d missed it later on, but since the system was working fine, I didn't see the point in changing it. Rebranding something once it's already common knowledge is such a hassle, so I just left it as it was."
"I see."
Anima nodded, satisfied with the answer, but Alice had actually given me a much more detailed explanation in private. In the world she originally came from, a group of nobles known as the Five Great Marquises had been the first to summon the Great Evil God of Despair. The ensuing catastrophe was so horrific that the title "Marquis" became synonymous with disaster. Over the centuries, the rank was abolished and scrubbed from history. Since Alice only knew the term from dusty history books, she’d completely overlooked it when she was designing the new hierarchy.
"So you aren't planning to add a Marquis rank now?" I asked.
"I thought about it, but decided against it," Alice said. "A lot of Counts work themselves to the bone with the singular goal of becoming a Duke. It wouldn't sit right to suddenly announce a new middle-management rank that was still 'less than a Duke.' Besides, since this is the first real expansion, I have to be careful about the power dynamics between factions. My current plan is to elevate about two members from each Six Kings' camp to the rank of Duke."
Managing the entire realm clearly came with its own set of headaches. Alice had to ensure that the promotion didn't spark friction between the different factions. She had mentioned doing this "soon" rather than immediately, so she was likely still weighing the various adjustments.
"Alice-dono, why two per faction?" Anima asked. "Wouldn't it be wiser to start with one from each to gauge the reaction?"
Alice shook her head. "It's complicated, but the short version is that in some camps, the 'Head' isn't actually the 'Strongest.' Take the War King's subordinates, for example. The strongest fighter is Ozma-san, but the Head is Agni-san. Being a 'Head' requires administrative skills and leadership—things that don't always overlap with raw combat power."
"A matter of appearances... I see," Anima mused. "Officially, that makes sense, but many people assume the leader of a faction is its strongest member. This would prevent that kind of confusion."
"Exactly. Most ordinary demons can't even begin to fathom the strength of a Count-class, so they rely on titles to judge who's on top. If I only promoted Ozma-san to Duke, it would undermine Agni-san's authority as the leader. I want to avoid that kind of chaos. Of course, there are places like my own camp where the Head and the Strongest are one and the same."
Alice's logic was sound. She clearly wanted to avoid any unnecessary upheaval among the subordinates.
"So, that's why I'll promote the Head and one other person," Alice concluded.
"Wait, Alice," I interrupted. "What about Ein-san? She’s already a Duke."
Alice let out a heavy sigh. "To be honest, Ein-san is in a league of her own. If I leave her where she is, the gap within the Duke-class will be astronomical. She’s strong enough to stand near the top even when compared to the Six Kings themselves. It's actually strange for her to even be in that rank... so, I’m going to have her move up to a new rank above Duke."
In other words, she was creating a title between the Duke-class and the Six Kings just for Ein-san. Since Ein-san was reportedly strong enough to be a seventh King in her own right, it was a necessary move. But one major hurdle remained.
"Is she going to agree to that?" I asked.
"That's exactly what's been giving me a headache," Alice groaned.
I knew exactly what she meant. Ein-san hated noble titles; she took far more pride in being a maid.
"I had to plead with her just to get her to accept 'Duke-class'—and even then, she only agreed not to correct people who used it. If I try to give her another noble title, she'll definitely reject it."
"So, what's the solution?"
"I’ve had a solution in mind for a while now, but I've been hesitating to pull the trigger because... well..."
I had a sudden, sinking realization. "Ein-san would accept a rank higher than Duke... wait, you don't mean—"
"Don't say it. I hate it as much as you do. But there isn't another name in existence that she'd actually agree to."
Alice stared off into the distance, looking like a woman who had fought a long, losing battle with common sense. It was a massive overhaul for the Demon Realm, and yet the most shocking part was the impending birth of the "Maid-class High-ranking Demon."
A rank higher than a Duke, yet named after a domestic servant... it defied all logic. And yet, when I thought about Ein-san, I found myself thinking, "Well, that makes sense." I might have been in this world a little too long.
—Bonus: Heads and Strongest of each Faction—
[Underworld King Faction] *Not strictly categorized as subordinates, but: Head & Strongest: "Maid" Ein
[Death King's Subordinates] Head & Strongest: "Black Tyrant Star" Iris Illuminas
[War King's Subordinates] Head: "Hellfire" Agni Strongest: "Silent Sky" Ozma
[World King's Subordinates] Head: "Demon Flower Princess" Lilie Strongest: "Floral Princess" Camilia
[Dragon King's Subordinates] Head: "Black Dragon" Tornedia Fafnir Strongest: "Heavenly Dragon" Flarebell Nizbel
[Phantasm King's Subordinates] Head & Strongest: "Insane Ogre" Pandora
Serious-senpai: "I wonder why? Usually, when you hear 'maid,' you imagine someone devoted to domestic chores, but in this series, 'maid' is basically a synonym for 'god-tier combat power.' Just look at the roster: Ein, Lunamaria, Illness, Eta, Theta... yeah, their stats are through the roof."