Hmm, well... So, the origin of the demons is pretty much as I expected—or rather, looking back at the source, you could call it a trivial matter. In any case, it's so trivial and so "normal" that it's not exactly something you can easily fix at this late stage.
Well, none of that really matters right now.
If making peace with a Demon King leading a race of demons were as easy as all that, someone else would have succeeded by now.
"Alright, Zargis. Can we get to the main point?"
"Yes, of course."
When I prompted Zargis to move on, everyone else around the table practically face-planted.
Calling it "face-planted" might be inaccurate — some scattered the documents on the table, while others banged their heads against the desk where they had been resting them.
As a reaction to a dumb joke, maybe "toppling over" is more accurate.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?! We just learned something absolutely outrageous from Zargis, and you're just moving on like nothing happened!?"
Seraria starts barking at me like she used to when we first met.
It's only been a few months, but it feels strangely nostalgic.
That tsundere phase really was a golden age.
"Even if you say that, it's not something we can change now. Our meeting is about how the Demon King is going to move. What we just heard was just Zargis providing background info, right?"
"T-That's true, but..."
Rurua also seemed unable to shake off the impact of what she had just heard.
Yeah, it's shocking—but honestly, in modern times, that's a common story: false accusations, or the cause being something incredibly petty. Besides, we don't even know how much of that story is true.
"Now that we've covered the origin of the demons, the next thing is the current structure of the Demon King's rule."
"Structure?"
Sheila tilted her head and voiced her question.
Her rabbit ears drooped slightly with gravity—a sight I found quite adorable. Like Ratz, her rabbit ears have a fair amount of muscle and are used for emotional expression. Sheila's ears are currently twitching as if asking "Huh? Huh? What do you mean?"
"Right, the structure. The political system. From that, we can see how they're likely to move."
"I see. Since they're called the 'Demon King,' should we assume it's a monarchy, Zargis?"
"Yes, that's correct. It is a monarchy. However, unlike the human nations, it's a meritocracy—or rather, while raw strength is required, the person who becomes the Demon King is someone the demons want to follow. How should I put it... it's somewhat similar to Weed's elections?"
"Elections?"
"Yes. Well, not everyone has the right to vote like in Weed, but the personnel working at the Demon King's Castle—which is like the General Headquarters or the Government Office here—conduct the selection of the King. They call for candidates and gather votes."
"I see. So while there are differences, the fundamental system isn't that different from ours."
"Correct. Only the selection of the King is unique. Everything else is quite similar since they were originally human; the political structure and culture are much the same."
"So, things change depending on the King's policy?"
"Yes. Well, they need the approval of the council, but usually, it passes."
Hmm... In that case, I should ask about the current Demon King's policy and personality. From there, we should be able to predict their actions to some extent.
"Can we hear about the current Demon King?"
"Of course. You can't get anywhere without asking that. The current Demon King is a woman named Liliana Reston. She's got quite the figure—buweh?!"
The moment Zargis's story started to veer off, he was sent flying again.
"You idiot!! I told you not to look at the gracious Liliana-sama with such insolent eyes!!"
"Gah?! This brush stinks!?"
"It's for washing cows, after all."
"Don't throw stuff like that! You'll damage my 'genius' brain!!"
"Just rot and fall off."
Zargis and Leia started bickering right then and there.
"Alright, alright. Anyway, Leia, is the cow birth over?"
"Yeah, finished without a hitch. It's a healthy calf."
"Glad to hear it. Anyway, sorry, but we're talking about the current Demon King right now. As you can see, Zargis keeps getting sidetracked, so can you explain?"
"I see. No wonder Zargis is acting like a fool. Leave it to me; I know Liliana-sama very well."
Leia puffed out her large chest.
Well, they do say she's got the biggest in Weed...
--PINCH.
"Ow!?"
"Is my chest not enough for you?"
"You're free to massage them and make them bigger anytime, you know?"
Seraria and Rurua, on either side of me, spoke casually, but for some reason, they looked angry.
"What's wrong? Shall I continue?"
"Yeah, go ahead..."
I desperately endured the pain of being pinched. It feels totally unreasonable, but I guess that's the price of having a harem...
"Liliana-sama is famous for being a pacifist. she focuses on protecting the current lands and the welfare of the demons. she possesses plenty of strength as a Demon King, too—even I can't beat her. But well, even so, communication with humans is basically non-existent."
"Hmm, a pacifist. What do you think would happen if she thought you guys were being held prisoner here?"
"She'd come to rescue us, of course."
"Ah right—Leia, you weren't here earlier, so you might not know, but do you think she would use underhanded methods to attack Weed? For example, declaring that Weed has joined hands with the demonkin in order to isolate us?"
"That won't happen. No matter how much of a peace advocate she is, she wouldn't go that far. Even if we are in Weed, she wouldn't divert demonkin military forces for that, and there's no benefit in damaging Weed."
I summarized the previous conversation for Leia, and she answered without a moment's hesitation.
"I see. Zargis, what do you think?"
"No concern for me, then? But I agree with Leia. We left on our own, so I don't think she'd risk everything to stage a rescue mission."
"Even as a pacifist?"
"Precisely because she's a pacifist. We left of our own accord; she wouldn't stir up trouble with humans just to save us."
"Ah, so that's the direction it takes."
"Even if she were a warmonger, she probably wouldn't. Weed is inside a dungeon. I don't know how much the demons would believe, but you've built a city inside a dungeon and people are living here. If they can think logically, they'd realize it's much easier to take other lands than to try and attack this place."
Well, that makes sense. I don't know about other dungeons, but I won't let anyone do as they please in my backyard.
"So, as far as policy goes, we should probably just strengthen the monitoring of the entrances and exits to make sure no demonkin scouts or spies are coming in?"
"Yes."
"I think that's about it. If you happen to catch a spy, please let me talk to them. I won't do anything to cause trouble for Weed. I promise."
"I want information too, so I'd appreciate the cooperation."
Hmm. It seems the Demon King's movements will be slower than I thought. I guess that's just how it goes when you have a whole country to run.
Now then, what should we talk about next?
Since it was decided the Demon King likely won't move because they have a nation to manage, where should we focus our discussion next?
