Right in front of her, the demon warrior Flantsu exuded an unusual presence.
Mari, maintaining her composure, began to gauge Flantsu’s strength.
She had never witnessed firsthand the being once called the Waterlull’s Calamity, but the power radiating from the woman before her made it clear—those rumors were no mere exaggeration.
‘This woman… she’s strong. Strong enough to be counted among the most formidable opponents I’ve faced…’
She might not quite reach the level of Demon Lord Kesar, but the gap was minimal—just a fraction.
In other words, even Mari herself couldn’t be certain of victory.
More importantly, they were at the heart of the Demon King’s Castle.
If Flantsu chose to attack her here, Mari’s chances of winning would be even slimmer.
Of course, Mari knew that such a scenario was highly unlikely at the moment.
“If you have something to say, wouldn’t it be best to put aside that hostility? You’re aware of the Demon Lord’s orders, aren’t you?”
“…Yeah, that order was given, no doubt. But before that, there’s something I need to settle with you.”
“…Are you referring to revenge for your subordinates?”
The biggest reason other demons were wary of her.
Mari assumed that Flantsu, too, was radiating killing intent for the same reason.
However…
“No. If it were about the others, maybe. But none of my subordinates died by your hand. What I want to talk about is something else.”
“What…?”
If it wasn’t about her subordinates, then there was no obvious reason for conflict between them.
Mari had never fought Flantsu personally in the past, and the only things she knew about her were from rumors.
As Mari stood puzzled.
“You… have feelings for Lord Kesar, don’t you?”
“! W-Wh-What!?”
Caught completely off guard, Mari’s face instantly flushed red.
Watching her reaction, Flantsu’s gaze grew even sharper.
“Don’t even think about making excuses. You can’t fool my eyes. Do you have any idea how many people I’ve seen like you? There are far more people drawn to Lord Kesar than you realize. He just doesn’t notice it himself.”
“Ugh…”
Mari felt flustered by Flantsu’s words, but at the same time, she couldn’t completely deny them.
Take Poltuga, for instance, with whom she had recently grown close.
Or even Antony, who constantly trailed behind Kesar with her short legs.
One way or another, they all seemed to harbor some peculiar feelings toward Kesar as a man.
And Mari… was no exception.
Lost in the lingering embarrassment, Mari was unable to say anything for a moment.
Then, Flantsu spoke again, her voice chillingly clear.
“Let me make one thing absolutely clear. I don’t care whether you’re human or anything else. The one who will win Lord Kesar’s heart—is me. Engrave that into your mind.”
Her words might have sounded embarrassingly dramatic to some, yet she pressed forward with an unshakable intensity.
Aside from the sheer force behind her declaration, Mari couldn’t help but admire how boldly Flantsu could say such things while delivering a threat at the same time.
As if she had said all she needed to, Flantsu turned on her heels and left the room.
Watching her retreating figure, Mari murmured softly.
“…You must really care for him. The Demon Lord…”
“…Care for him? No. I love him. More than anyone else in this world.”
With those final words, Flantsu slammed the door behind her, leaving the room.
Though their conversation had been brief, Mari had the feeling that this moment would stay with her for a long time.
As she watched Flantsu disappear, a faint, bitter smile formed on Mari’s lips.
‘The Demon Lord… is quite popular, isn’t he? Well… I suppose even among humans, it’s rare to find someone as considerate as he is…’
“…A banquet?”
“Yes! That’s right! To celebrate Lord Kesar’s victory, His Majesty the Great Demon King himself has decided to host a banquet.”
‘Wow… shit…’
Not even a full week had passed since I returned to my domain when a letter arrived.
The moment I read its contents, my expression automatically twisted in irritation.
After months of grueling campaigns, I had just gotten home, thinking I could finally get some rest.
And now, out of nowhere, there was a summons from the Great Demon King himself, ordering me to travel to the capital, Pandemonica, for a banquet?
If I had to compare it to my past life, it was like finishing five days of brutal overtime, only to have my boss call me on Saturday evening and tell me to come over for an impromptu company dinner.
A truly bullshit situation that made me want to quit on the spot.
Of course, as much as I wanted to throw this whole Demon Lord position away, that wasn’t exactly a realistic option.
“Hmm~♥ This is just… too much. His Majesty is being so inconsiderate. Our dear Lord Kesar hasn’t even fully recovered from his exhaustion, and now he’s being dragged to a banquet at a time like this….”
“…Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now can you please back off a little? You’re distracting me during a meeting.”
“Heeeng…”
Flantsu, who had been pressing her considerable chest against my cheek while speaking, let out a small whine as I pushed her away.
Then, I turned my attention to the rest of my demon warriors.
To put it bluntly, every single one of them had the exact same expression on their face.
‘Fuck this… I really don’t want to go.’
Of course, I didn’t have to drag everyone with me. But for the sake of maintaining proper etiquette, I needed to take a few of them along.
So, their reactions were completely understandable.
‘Well, no helping it. I’ll just pick the ones who’ll suffer the least from attending…’
Feeling a little guilty as a middle manager forcing my subordinates into this, I carefully scanned the room to choose my unlucky companions.
First up.
“Flantsu.”
“Yes! If Lord Kesar is going, I’ll gladly come along~!”
‘…That was fast.’
Without even a second of hesitation, Flantsu answered in a voice positively dripping with happiness.
Well, I appreciated the enthusiasm, but her energy was honestly a little overwhelming.
“Antony, you can sit this one out. Instead, I’m entrusting you with managing internal affairs while I’m gone.”
“Yes, got it.”
After selecting a couple more demon warriors to serve as escorts, my gaze landed on one particular person who had been staring at me intently for a while now.
Mari.
There was an odd sense of expectation in her eyes.
And because of that, I found myself hesitating.
Unlike the others, bringing her along had clear pros and cons.
‘Leaving her here is a bit risky…’
While she had formed a few connections, there were still plenty among my subordinates—especially the demon warriors—who were less than pleased with her presence.
I could issue warnings, but there was no guarantee that something wouldn’t happen while I was away.
And more importantly, there was another factor directly tied to whether or not I should take her along.
If I left her here in my domain… there was a very real chance this could cause problems later—from above.
After all, there were plenty of high-ranking demons who didn’t like me.
A lowborn demon, born in another land, rising to the rank of a Demon Lord?
That alone was enough for them to grumble about my “impure” bloodline and questionable loyalty.
Figures like Adolf Gearmann, one of the Four Great Demon Lords and essentially the senior among them, were prime examples of such people.
If those kinds of people ever found out that I had secretly been keeping a human woman—no, the Great Witch herself, an infamous figure even among demons—hidden in my domain… they would definitely use it as an excuse to tear me down.
To prevent that from happening, the best course of action was clear—
Rather than trying to keep her hidden, it would be better to reveal her presence to the Great Demon King myself and lock down any possible objections before they could even start.
‘It’s a bit risky… but this is the better choice.’
After making my decision, I turned to Mari and spoke in a calm voice.
“Mari, you’ll be coming along as well.”
“!… Thank you, Demon Lord.”
She seemed momentarily surprised but quickly accepted with a smile.
However, as I sensed the underlying joy in her reaction, I couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of unease.
‘She wouldn’t actually try something reckless like… attempting to assassinate the Great Demon King once we get to the Demon King’s Castle… right?’
I trusted her more than before, but I still couldn’t completely erase my doubts.
If, by some miracle, she actually succeeded in killing the Demon King, that would essentially end the war.
From my perspective, there was no way I wouldn’t be concerned.
Hoping she wouldn’t do anything reckless, but keeping my guard up nonetheless, I began preparations to depart for Pandemonica with my chosen companions.
Meanwhile, as Mari’s eyes sparkled with excitement, I couldn’t help but worry even more about what was going through her mind.
‘Pandemonica! I never thought I’d get a legal chance to visit the legendary sanctuary of dark magic!’