I had been considering this for some time. Even if it was impossible to thank everyone who had lent me their strength during my contest with Shiro-san, I wanted to personally express my gratitude to the executives who served as the primary representatives for each of the Six Kings' camps.
A fair amount of time had already slipped by, but I had been preparing little by little, purchasing souvenirs and gifts. I had already finished making my rounds to the people I knew personally.
That just left those I had never met before. For them, I would need to ask either a King or a familiar executive to arrange an introduction.
Kuro’s side was a bit complicated since they didn't really use a title like "executive," but I had heard that among the members I didn’t know, an old-timer named Funf-san had been quite active during the battle with the God Realm. Sieg-san and I had already planned to go see her together during her next holiday, so I intended to thank her then.
As for the War King’s executives—the Five War Generals—I had already seen them all, so my greetings there were complete. On Isis-san’s side, I had already thanked Iris-san, and their newest addition, Polaris-san, hadn't participated in the battle against the God Realm.
This meant I didn't need to return to the War King or Death King factions.
The remaining groups belonged to the Dragon King, the World King, and the Phantasmal King. Among the Dragon King’s Four Great Magic Dragons, I was already acquainted with Fafnir-san and Flare-san, leaving two I hadn't met.
Regarding the World King’s Seven Princesses, I had only met Camellia-san, so there were six left.
Finally, for the Phantasmal King’s Ten Demons, I had only met Pandora-san and Catastro-san. That left eight people... In the end, it seemed better to start with the group that had the most members to get through. I decided to start by thanking the Ten Demons.
Besides, Alice was always by my side, which made her the easiest person to ask for an introduction.
Or so I thought. When I told Alice that I wanted to meet the executives in person to thank them, she wore a look of profound, subtle conflict.
Wait, why that reaction?
"I see. I understand your feelings perfectly, Kaito-san. That said, I have one suggestion."
"Yeah?"
"Why don't we just skip the Ten Demons—my lot? Honestly, I don't think those idiots deserve any thanks."
"I can’t really do that. They helped out in a fight that was basically for my benefit..."
"Is that so? Well, I suppose that’s exactly what you’d say, Kaito-san. Sigh."
I really had to wonder why she was acting like this. She wasn't exactly agreeing or refusing, but there was a distinct air of resignation in her voice.
As I tilted my head, puzzled by her response, Alice pulled out a magic tool and spoke into it.
"Pandora, come here immediately."
The moment she spoke, Pandora-san materialized in the room in a matter of seconds. She glanced at me and gave a shallow bow.
Wait... didn't Pandora-san seem a bit different than usual? She looked remarkably crisp and composed.
As if sensing my confusion, Alice glanced my way and explained.
"Ah, I can guess what you're thinking, Kaito-san, so let me clarify. This girl is actually quite competent. She usually leaves a strong impression because of her eccentric personality, but that's just because she senses a relaxed atmosphere and lets her true colors show. When it’s time to be serious, she acts the part. She doesn’t even need me to tell her to be professional; she can read the tone of my voice or the mood when I call for her. In terms of capability—setting aside combat power—she’s basically on par with Ein-san."
"That's impressive..."
It was indeed impressive, though Alice was casually using Ein-san’s name as a universal metric for "absolute perfection." Still, the fact that I understood exactly what she meant was a testament to how incredible Ein-san was.
And for Alice to go this far in her praise meant Pandora-san truly was a capable individual. Her perversion was so intense that it tended to be the only thing people remembered, but there was no doubt she was talented if she was at the top of the Phantasmal King’s subordinates, who supposedly numbered over a billion.
Alice had even grumbled once that if only her kinks were normal, she’d be beyond reproach. She really must be a genius.
But wait—did that mean the competent Pandora-san had heard Alice’s voice and decided she needed to be serious? Wasn't that a bit strange?
"Shaltier-sama, what is the nature of the situation?"
"Kaito-san wants to meet the executives to thank them for the previous incident, so he’s asking for introductions."
Pandora’s expression twitched for a fraction of a second.
Right. I just wanted to be introduced to the Ten Demons. That was all. It wasn't some kind of emergency... so why did Pandora-san look so somber?
"I see, Shaltier-sama. If I may be so bold, I have a proposal."
"Let’s hear it."
"I shall head out immediately, seal roughly half of them, and sink them to the bottom of the ocean. While they are indisposed, shall we arrange for 'stand-ins' to meet Miyama-sama instead?"
"That is a very tempting offer."
Wait, hold on! Why were they both discussing such a horrifying plan with such deadpan expressions? I was starting to get really worried... Were the Ten Demons really that bad?
I remembered Alice telling me their loyalty was "bugged" and all that, but... were they really at the level where meeting them was a bad idea?
Serious-senpai: "Choosing the pervert squad first? It’s basically the climax of the story right from the opening act..."
???: "Seriously, I wonder if I can just temporarily isolate some of those freaks..."