In the Demon Realm during Ellie’s leave of absence.
A high-rise building existed along the main street of the town.
If you sneaked in, avoiding surveillance, you would encounter a stern-looking security guard. After verifying your identity and entering a secret room, you could reach the hideout of either the moderate or the dove faction of the demon race.
This place was different from the radicals living in poverty under the empire’s scrutiny. While the members were generally hidden, the hideout boasted luxurious sofas and tables, with gentle sounds of a music box filling the air.
Ellie moved her hand and turned off the music box.
Then she walked over to a table where two demons in suits were engaged in a game of chess.
The one touching the white knight turned his head.
“Welcome, Princess. Did you have any success?”
“None.”
The elderly man sitting opposite narrowed his eyes.
“Was there not a potential future Demon King among the transfer students for the second semester? It would be faster to search in the Demon Realm.”
“If there are other places to look.”
She had already checked thoroughly.
The birth year of the next Demon King was already prophesied. It had been over a decade since checking for that age group among those born in the Demon Realm. At this point, it was reasonable to conclude that there was none in the Demon Realm.
“Are they ultimately not from the Demon Realm? The brokers will be furious.”
Ellie scoffed.
“When did the throne of the Demon King start considering lineage?”
The knight knocked the chessboard lightly.
“Surely they haven’t already passed on?”
A silence fell. It felt rationally difficult to firmly deny it.
The empire also knew the birth year of the next Demon King. No, since it was a prophecy from the Royal Palace, they knew before the Demon Realm did.
The former emperor, a tyrant, acted decisively after first hearing the prophecy.
The deaths of every child born in that year.
The measures taken, regardless of whether the child was from the empire or the demon realm, were executed exceptionally cleanly, thanks to the tyrant’s meddlesome competence. Nobles from the empire were not spared either.
The outcome was so neat that there wasn’t even a second-year student of that birth year enrolled in the academy now.
At this point, one would suspect that the next Demon King had already perished then. The empire had even implemented a conciliatory policy towards demon-born individuals based on optimistic projections.
The tyrant faced the furious wrath of the empire’s nobility in return for this, resulting in his dethronement, yet the deceased Demon King would not return.
“Surely, they must be born in December or January.”
If born around a similar year and period, there was a possibility they had fabricated their birth year, claiming to be born in December or January.
The excessively competent tyrant was well aware of this. He had declared his intent to slay even those nobles born in December of the preceding year and January of the following year.
By respecting the royal family and maintaining neutrality, the Craft clan, which had barely given birth to a successor, was firmly opposed and ultimately deposed.
Ironically, the Craft clan leader, who had risked their deteriorating health post-birth, died, and the crown prince, who collaborated in the deposition as a friend, ascended the throne and used the supposed justification for humiliating the royal family to betray the now-struggling Craft clan, thus strengthening the imperial power; nevertheless, it left a gap in the tyrant’s measures.
So, it was that Ellie herself, born in January, secretly enrolled, even adopting a subordinate identity to do so.
Perhaps due to luck, she was able to join the student council from the start of her enrollment, reaching the power center of Sky Island.
“Oh my.”
The elderly man moved the bishop on the chessboard. A pawn was captured, and the opponent’s king was under attack.
“Checkmate in five moves, double attack.”
“Oh, my rook. I lost focus while concentrating on the princess.”
“The young friend seems to be making lengthy excuses.”
Gazes shifted towards Ellie.
“If you said there were no results, then even after a thorough search, there were none?”
“There were no suitable candidates.”
She had checked thoroughly using the authority of the student council, but there was no one to consider as the next Demon King.
“Still, there must have been someone noteworthy, right? Given the school environment, all grades would be available. Wouldn’t anyone born in December or January have stood out as the next Demon King?”
“There was one, but…”
“There was one!”
With a look of anticipation, Ellie’s expression turned ambiguous.
“There’s someone born on January 1st. Exceptionally bright, ranking first in written tests, casually hiding their abilities, and has no hostility towards demons.”
If nothing else, they should at least be someone worthy of detailed support as a potential ally.
The demons who had heard about her student council life during the break also wore similar ambiguous expressions.
“Are you talking about Craft?”
“That Craft? Surely not.”
“Exactly.”
Ellie gestured for the almost defeated demon to come forward with both hands. Once a seat opened, she sat in front of the old man and rearranged the chess pieces.
“Still, when my leave ends, I plan to check on Craft. Given the mixed-race frame they’ve set up, I’ll see how they’ve coped and decide whether to support them as an ally.”
It seemed that she would likely go through with it.
Although it would be hard to fathom the true intentions hidden behind their innocent exterior, they appeared genuinely non-hostile towards demons.
If it had been an act, they wouldn’t have shown any signs while repeatedly engaging in tiresome duties in the same space.
“Considering supporting Craft? There will be many who will be upset.”
“When did the Demon Realm start to care about lineage?”
“Are you planning to support them as a talent, given that there are no living retainers from the Craft clan? It sounds quite interesting.”
“No. After all, Grace, the guild master, is a merchant with ties to the demon clan, so we need not interfere unnecessarily.”
Even though they were retainers of the Craft clan, someone who had run away due to their mixed heritage resentfulness.
Ellie moved the pawn in front of her queen two spaces forward.
“Pastel, no, Craft has a penchant for expanding their guild by borrowing money….”
As the opponent made a move, she moved the bishop, then lifted the knight in advance.
“They can simply ignore matters of credit and lend. They’d surely handle business well enough. That settles this matter.”
She placed the knight on the chessboard.
“Now, tell me the recent news. Start with the bad news.”
“The guild on Sky Island that was laying tracks along the docks has gone bankrupt.”
The demon spoke with a glum expression.
“While the Skywhale terror of the brokers ended as a mere incident, the Imperial Bank lowered the credit rating of the Sky Island guilds and enforced loan recoveries, resulting in their bankruptcy without any means to respond.”
“That’s too bad….”
*
“Ah! Why! Demon Lord!”
Pastel jumped around in her pajamas.
Her hands nearly touched the portraits of her engagement that the demon had lifted high.
“Show me! Show me!”
『No need to see.』
The portraits were lifted even higher.
“Uwaaa!”
Now they were out of reach!
“This is a portrait made for me to see!”
The desperate efforts of the prospective fiancés to please the great Craft Lord…!
『The portraits sent for engagement are heavily retouched drawings. If you get swept up in them, you might end up exchanging frivolous love letters and marry only to suffer later.』
It was merely a matter of looking at the portraits; what were you imagining!
“Demon Lord suffers…?!”
『Hmm.』
The demon did not outright deny it.
Ugh!
Pastel trembled and shouted.
“That doesn’t matter!”
Just show me the engagement portraits!
『What did you say?』
The demon was taken aback.
Seizing the moment, Pastel jumped.
“Serious jump!”
Her light body soared in an instant. She landed while holding the portrait frames. The sound of clinking filled the air.
“Whew!”
In truth, they were at a height she could have easily taken them from, but she had endured to satisfy the demon’s whims!
Leaving the frozen demon behind, she skipped over, stacking the thin portraits on the bed to a height taller than herself.
“Ah~!”
Such is the fate of the popular.
Having simply hoarded the engagement portraits that the demon had casually discarded throughout the period, they ended up piled this high.
Sometimes, my popularity is burdensome~!
She collapsed on the bed, grabbing a pillow. Setting it up like a chair, she patted the adjacent spot.
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! I’ll grant you the honor of watching together!”
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Only for the Demon Lord!
『Sigh.』
The demon walked over with a shuffle. After checking for any dust on his suit pants, he sat next to her on the bed.
『What you see is false. The portraits only display the wealth and reputation necessary to hire a good painter.』
“Yes, yes!”
Pastel adjusted the backrest pillow to lean against the demon comfortably. She stretched her legs out.
“Clap! Clap! It’s portrait time!”
Clap clap! Clap clap!
“Demon Lord! You clap too!”
『Sigh.』
The demon tidied his tousled pink hair and raised a hand. A lackluster clap followed.
Clap clap, clap clap.
“Alright! The first portrait!”
Pastel grabbed a portrait.
A resplendent figure of a person came into view.
“Hooah.”
A peerless handsome man!
“While the appearance evaluation might not be favorable, he is incredibly handsome!”
By this measure, he seems to be 1.1 times better than the Demon Lord!
An appearance so perfect it doesn’t belong to reality!
When gauging popularity levels, perhaps around 0.8 times that of Pastel!
The demon frowned.
『This is a retouch taken too far. It’s best not to even glance at such a person. There’s no truth in such a relationship.』
Is that so?
It’s just that if one wishes for romance, it’s courteous to put in some level of effort into skincare, just as it would be customary to touch up a portrait, right?
Then again, I don’t know the conventions here!
“Well then, I’ll pass on this one!”
She picked up another portrait.
“Whoa! This one is also a peerless handsome man…!”
His popularity level seems to be about 0.9 times that of Pastel!
And with that, a new personal record!
『There’s nothing to see here. Not a grain of truth. It’s better to skip this one too.』
“Pass! Pass!”
Pastel waved her arms happily.
Enjoying the portrait viewing with the Demon Lord.
Hehe.
