The Demon Lord’s Meeting. It is an important gathering where the rulers of the Demon World come together to discuss the policies of the Demon World and how to respond to the human world.
Although Rupia sat at the back, being summoned to the Demon Lord’s Meeting meant that her reputation had spread to some extent.
“Lord, since this is a formal occasion, you must never lose the dignity of the Demon Lord.”
“Of, of course. Don’t worry, General…!”
“I am worried. You were warned in the human world too, but you ended up causing trouble, didn’t you?”
“…!”
Rupia flinched at the mention of the past.
It seemed she was recalling the day when things were truly dangerous if she hadn’t summoned the dragon.
“Th, that was… when I think about how you were put in danger because of me, it was definitely my fault…”
Rupia clenched her small fists as she spoke.
“I, I will definitely keep the promise you made this time, so please trust me…!”
Rupia seemed to understand how important this summoning was.
The meeting was to be held at the Sky Island. As the name suggests, it was a small, mysterious island floating in the sky.
Inside the Sky Island was a peculiar space where magic couldn’t be used. The entire island floated in the sky due to a strange principle where all magic drained downward.
Because of this, summoned Demon Lords often brought physically strong monsters or beastmen as escorts.
However, according to Sky Island regulations, only a maximum of three escorts could enter with a Demon Lord.
I had already decided on three, including myself.
“Rain, you will accompany me as an escort this time.”
“Ah, yes! Understood..!”
Rain nodded, her ears perked up as if she was tense.
Compared to when I first met her, Rain’s swordsmanship had grown beyond my expectations. She now resembled a completely different wolf.
Of course, it was thanks to Lauro’s guidance, but her talent was also undeniable.
This journey would be a great opportunity for Rain as well. By meeting many Demon Lords and monsters, she would surely recognize her own shortcomings.
‘The other one will be meeting us on the airship, so let’s set off first.’
As Rupia and Rain were about to board the carriage to the airship dock, a black cat merchant intervened.
“Wait, please! Take me with you!”
The black cat rubbed its paws together, putting on the most pitiful expression it could muster.
“I’m not asking to come as an escort, I just want to ride the airship to Sky Island. Please, I beg you..!”
It seems that the cat had a plan to do business on the airship, which was going to be full of Demon Lords and noble monsters.
It looked like the cat had come under the pretense of delivering letters as a postal clerk.
I sighed and said,
“Do as you wish. Pay for the expenses yourself.”
“Hehe, thank you…!”
Not long after the carriage started moving, we arrived at the dock, shrouded in thick fog.
The grand and magnificent airship, like a palace, seemed like a fortress floating in the sky.
“Wow.”
“Whoaa…!”
Overwhelmed by the grandeur, Rain wagged her tail in excitement. Rupia, who had been asked to maintain the dignity of the Demon Lord, kept her mouth shut and only blinked her eyes.
“Rupia, your confirmation has been received. Please board through Gate 2.”
The inside of the airship was decorated with marble and gold, like a floating small city.
In the high ceiling, a chandelier shone brightly, and the hall, with its red carpets, was filled with numerous noble monsters and Demon Lords.
They exuded their unique grandeur as they conversed in low voices.
Among them, Rupia wandered around awkwardly like a lost child.
“U, Ugh…”
At that moment, her eyes caught a familiar skull-patterned robe.
“Aha, finally a familiar face…!”
Rupia brightened up and hurried toward Lauro.
Now that I think about it, I had heard that noble monsters were usually allowed into the Demon Lord’s Meeting. They couldn’t voice their opinions, but they could observe.
Lauro, the heir of the Reaper family, was leisurely leading the group of high-ranking monsters at the center.
After a brief hesitation, Rupia coughed lightly and inserted herself into their conversation.
“Long time no see, Lauro. How have you been…?”
Lauro and the monsters stopped talking and looked at the smaller Demon Lord.
Other monsters lowered their heads, showing respect for the Demon Lord, though it was half-hearted. Lauro, however, was an exception.
Lauro turned her head and ignored Rupia without even acknowledging her.
After a moment, sensing something was wrong, Rupia muttered to herself.
“Wait a minute… now that I think about it, there’s no way a lowly Demon Lord would board the airship alone…?”
“How long has it been, and already your neck is stiff.”
I appeared a step behind her.
“Gah! Death Knight, Kan…!”
In an instant, the reactions of the monsters changed. Just a moment ago, they were standing firm, but upon seeing me, they startled and quickly lowered their heads.
Among the monsters, stories had already spread like legends about how I summoned a dragon and caused a ruckus in the center of the human world.
In the midst of this, Lauro trembled as if she had seen a ghost.
“Long time no see, Lauro.”
“…!”
Instead of greeting or responding, Lauro hurriedly left the area.
She was still holding onto his pride.
The incident with the crystal orb came to mind, but since I had received help from her, I decided to let it go this time. There were too many eyes around.
Rain, who had been sticking close to me, whispered.
“By the way… I guess the other escort the General mentioned hasn’t arrived yet? You said you’d meet them on the airship…”
“Hmm, they should have boarded earlier, but I can’t see them.”
It didn’t take long for my eyes to spot a familiar demon as I scanned the cabin.
I spoke to Rain, asking her to look after Rupia.
“I found her. I’ll bring her over, so make sure to protect our Lord well.”
I walked briskly towards the charming demon king surrounded by other Demon Lords at the bar.
“Excuse me.”
I lightly bowed to a few Demon Lords surrounding Damon.
Upon checking the status window, they didn’t seem like particularly high-ranking Demon Lords.
They flinched when they saw me and glanced at Damon, then tried to maintain an air of dignity, acting calm as if nothing happened.
“…Death Knight, Kan. But what is a monster doing in a conversation between Demon Lords?”
He particularly emphasized the word “monster” when speaking to me.
“It seems someone who doesn’t belong in a conversation between Demon Lords has mixed in, so I’m going to take him away.”
“What do you mean…”
“Damon, come here.”
I called Damon without hesitation, and the other Demon Lords were startled, raising their voices.
“How dare a monster speak the name of a Demon Lord…!”
“You seem to have misunderstood, I’m not a Demon Lord, I’m the commander of the Balotus Demon Lord Army.”
“What?”
Ignoring the stunned looks from the other Demon Lords, I grabbed Damon’s arm and led him away.
Damon’s expression turned to one of confusion. He hadn’t expected me to act so recklessly.
“Wait a minute…!”
I quickly led Damon away from the others, toward a quiet corner of the deck outside the cabin.
Normally, I would have joined Rupia immediately, but before that, I needed to make sure Damon understood his position once again.
“You didn’t even come to swear your allegiance to our Lord, even though you signed the contract and stamped it.”
“Th, that’s…”
“To me, your superior.”
“…!”
I still had some sense of mercy, so I didn’t plan on humiliating Damon in front of the other Demon Lords.
However, if he was still forgetting his place, I had to correct him as his superior.
Anyway, he would be entering Sky Island today as part of Rupia’s escort.
I cracked my knuckles and spoke in a forceful tone.
“It seems you need some education before you meet our Lord.”
As I took a step closer in an intimidating manner, Damon’s expression began to redden.
I didn’t need to check what was triggering his characteristics to know what was happening.
“Huff, ha!”
Lauro, who had run away from the cabin to avoid Death Knight Kan, let out a heavy breath as she adjusted her robe.
The memory of Evil Eye was completely erased, but the shock she had experienced still weighed heavily on her chest.
More than anything, the majestic appearance of the dragon, the King of Monsters, when it returned to the dungeon.
The memory of facing a monster with a higher dignity than the Demon Lord she had desired was still vivid in her mind.
“No, no. I can’t let this happen…”
Lauro shook her head vigorously, as if trying to calm herself.
Someday, she would stand at the peak of monsters and become a being even higher than a Demon Lord. Not that Death Knight.
“Kan-sama, you’re saying the same thing. What about you…!”
She gritted her teeth and muttered. Except when she was threatened by Evil Eye, she had never used an honorific after a Demon Lord’s name.
She simply referred to them as “Your Majesty,” showing minimal respect to the rulers.
“I won’t bow to some monster. I’ll become something higher than a Dragon, a being greater than a Demon Lord.”
She took a deep breath and steeled her resolve.
Just as she was about to go back inside, she felt something strange.
“…!”
In the blind spot leading from the cabin to the deck, Lauro spotted a skull stepping on someone’s head.
She immediately hid her body and listened closely.
“…Who’s your superior?”
“Ka, Kan-sama. I’m sorry. I won’t forget my position again. Hh…!”
The one bowing their head in disgrace was undoubtedly Damon, the Demon Lord.
Just recently, she had boldly thrown away 10,000 gold per hour, revealing her ambitions, but now she was calling Kan a superior.
Lauro’s mind went blank.
A monster beneath a Demon Lord.
The fact that such a being already existed in the Demon World was an unimaginable shock that weighed heavily on her heart.
Without realizing it, Lauro muttered a short phrase.
“Crazy.”
“…?”
The skull, having caught Lauro’s mutter, turned its head toward the direction she was hiding, making a creaking sound.