It was resolved more easily than I thought.
In fact, all I knew through the game was that an event where Sitri would visit would occur.
This was because even in Evil Queen Maker, Sitri becomes an ally after her visit and helps solve the economic issues, but it was never clearly described how she was persuaded.
So, after receiving the letter yesterday, Nahin pondered how to persuade Sitri.
Sitri was certainly someone who had to be brought in as an ally early on, as shown in the game, for both economic and military support.
To achieve that, Nahin had to convince her during this visit, and the first thing that came to mind was his own power.
Based on the memories he recalled after possessing this body, Nahin assessed his strength and became certain.
With this, he could persuade Sitri.
He could offer Sitri, who was desperate to conquer the upper ranks, a sweet temptation.
Fortunately, Nahin had financial authority, so the conditions for a private meeting with Sitri were met.
He then took action.
The result was the current situation, where Sitri was writing something on a piece of paper, using her own blood.
“The contract is written.”
“Let me check.”
The paper detailed the contract between Sitri and Nahin.
Clause 1: Demon King Sitri transfers all troops stationed in the territory of Demon King Seere von Devata to Seere von Devata.
Clause 2: Demon King Sitri will support Seere von Devata with military operating funds.
Clause 3: Nahin promises to provide all possible support to Demon King Sitri, without limitation to any specific field.
Clause 4: Demon King Sitri shall never be hostile to the forces of Seere von Devata. Similarly, Seere von Devata shall never be hostile to the forces of Sitri.
Clause 5: If any of the above clauses are violated, the consequences of non-performance of the contract will be paid with the lives of the contracting parties.
It was a short contract with only five clauses, but it contained everything Nahin wanted.
First, Clauses 1 and 2 would fill the empty coffers of the Demon King’s castle.
While Clause 1 might seem to increase expenses by adding more personnel to manage, that wasn’t the case.
One had to consider the elimination of the costs and compensations that were being extracted under the pretext of supporting Seere with Sitri’s surplus forces.
And according to Clause 1, those surplus forces would now be absorbed into the regular army of the 72nd floor, meaning that taxes could now be collected from those who had become residents of the 72nd floor.
It was a gain in the end.
Moreover, the operating expenses for these forces would be covered by the support provided through Clause 2, leaving only profit.
This was enough to meet the immediate needs of the impoverished Demon King’s castle.
In addition, Clause 4 guaranteed safety from the most immediate and dangerous nearby enemy.
Could there be a better contract than this?
Nahin thought it was a perfect contract, one that secured only gains without any losses.
Sitri wasn’t unaware of this.
Yet, the only reason she accepted this offer was because of Clause 3.
It was about Nahin providing both physical and material support to Sitri.
That power just now…
Sitri, who had once ranked 12th, knew even better.
If what Nahin showed was only a part of his power, it wouldn’t pale in comparison to Sitri back in her prime.
In fact, Nahin might even overwhelm her.
Because Sitri had no way of knowing how much of his power Nahin had shown—whether it was half, a quarter…
Or maybe just a tenth or a hundredth of his original strength.
It was a gamble worth taking.
Sitri demanded from Nahin:
“You need to mark it with blood, too.”
“Of course.”
Nahin took a dagger and lightly cut his thumb, then stamped it on the contract with a confident thud.
When both Sitri and Nahin’s blood marks were placed, the seemingly ordinary paper began to shine.
The glowing paper split into two, each part wrapping around their wrists like a bracelet.
This was the proof of their contract.
Nahin smiled.
He was initially worried that things might get tangled, but since everything had gone smoothly, he was satisfied enough to smile brightly.
“Well then, I look forward to working with you, Your Majesty Sitri.”
“So, how do you plan to fulfill the contract? You know the contract will be nullified immediately if you don’t help me, right?”
“I’m aware. I’ve thought of a brilliant way.”
Sitri perked up her ears.
“What is it?”
“Your Majesty Sitri will become my disciple.”
There was a brief moment of silence.
Sitri looked at Nahin with disbelief, while Nahin looked back at her as if nothing was strange.
Sitri slammed her hand on the table and shouted:
“What kind of nonsense is that…?”
Screeeech.
At that moment, the door to the reception room opened.
Both Nahin and Sitri turned their heads at the same time, and they saw a charming child.
Nahin’s expression melted in response.
“Teacher.”
“Ah, Seere, you’re here.”
Pitter-patter.
Seere, who came in holding her white plush toy as always, ran up to Nahin.
She glanced warily at Sitri.
“Seere, you need to greet her. As you know, this is Her Majesty Sitri, the ruler of the 71st floor.”
Nahin whispered to the hesitant Seere.
“If you greet her properly, I’ll give you a pudding.”
“…Pudding?”
With Nahin’s encouragement, Seere gathered her courage, shuffled over to Sitri, and tightly hugged her plush toy before bowing deeply.
“Hello, Lady Sitri.”
“…Yes, it’s been a while, little one. You’ve grown, knowing how to greet people now.”
Nahin shot a sharp glance at Sitri.
“What’s with that look?”
“Calling the Demon King you’re now allied with ‘little one’? It seems Your Majesty Sitri needs to relearn her manners.”
“Ugh, fine. It’s been a while, Lord Seere.”
Nahin smiled with satisfaction, while Seere looked confused.
Sitri, on the other hand, was left thinking:
‘What am I even doing…If only he hadn’t mentioned regaining my true power, I wouldn’t be mixed up with these people.’
Sitri lamented her situation internally.
Nahin turned to Seere, who had sidled up to him again.
“Seere, from now on, Her Majesty Sitri will be helping us.”
“Really?”
“Wait, what do you mean ‘help’? It’s just financial support…”
“Isn’t that helping?”
At Nahin’s words, Sitri rolled her eyes.
The word ‘support’ inherently implied assistance.
As Sitri couldn’t argue back, Seere once again bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Lady Sitri.”
“N-No, it’s nothing…”
Scratching her head, Sitri sighed and sat back down.
“So, how exactly are you planning to help me? Let’s hear it again.”
Sitri, who added, “make it clear,” received a calm response from Nahin.
“I told you already.”
“You were serious about that?”
“What else would I mean? You were once a powerful Demon King, Your Majesty, but now you are not, are you? You’re just…”
Nahin deliberately spoke slowly and clearly, pausing between his words.
“…a Demon King, ranked at the bottom.”
“T-That’s…”
“With weak power and forces.”
“Ugh.”
“You’re just a common, insignificant Demon King now.”
“T-There’s no need to say it like that!”
In the end, Sitri exploded into tears.
However, even at the sight of her breaking down, Nahin coldly continued stating the facts.
“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“……”
“So, since you can’t regain your true power right now, wouldn’t it be better to strengthen what power you have left?”
“And how is that even possible?”
Sitri sighed.
“I’ve already reached my limit in growth. My power is only sealed temporarily, not completely lost.”
What Sitri meant was that while she could currently only use the strength of a bottom-ranked Demon King, her original power belonged to the highest ranks.
So for Sitri to become stronger, she would need to exceed her peak.
“It feels weird to say this about myself, but I was pretty strong.”
“That’s right.”
“You’re agreeing too easily. So, as I said, it’s difficult for me to become stronger.”
“That’s not true.”
“What?”
Nahin spoke confidently.
“Your Majesty can become stronger.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Sitri dismissed it as nonsense.
But as she stared at Nahinfor a moment, she was startled.
She expected him to be joking, but Nahin still had a serious look in his eyes.
“…You’re lying.”
“If you think it’s a lie, there’s nothing I can do, but I’m being serious.”
Sitri couldn’t believe it, but at the same time, recalling the power Nahin had shown earlier made her think that there might be some truth to his words.
Nahin was confident because Sitri, after her early event, becomes a reliable ally of the protagonist’s faction throughout the game.
Though there is a route where she dies suddenly, in most routes, she remains by the protagonist’s side, helping Seere and the player.
As she continues to grow stronger, she also regains her sealed power—that’s the character Sitri was.
Knowing this, Nahin brimmed with confidence.
She’ll get stronger no matter what.
With that in mind, Nahintold Sitri:
“For now, you need to carry out the contract, so you should return to the 71st floor today. Please follow the contract carefully, and visit again when you have time.”
“What? You want me to come to you?”
“Would you rather I come to you?”
This was absurd. Who was he to order a Demon King to come and go as he pleased?
Annoyed, Sitri raised her voice and shouted:
“Of course you should come to me!”
“If I had nothing to do, I would, but I’m Seere’s teacher.”
Nahin smiled and asked Seere:
“Seere, would it be okay if I left you and went to visit Her Majesty Sitri?”
“No.”
Seere, who was finally receiving proper guidance from her teacher, wanted Nahin to stay by her side.
Moreover, Nahin was incredibly kind, often treating her to pudding and gifting her toys.
With the stubbornness typical of a child, Seere didn’t want to give up Nahin at all.
She held his hand tightly with her small hands.
“No, Teacher is my teacher.”
Seere shook her head firmly, her cheeks puffed out in defiance.
Her cute tantrum made Nahin chuckle as he looked back at Sitri.
“It seems that’s how it is. There’s no other option.”
“…Fine. I’ll come once a week.”
“If that satisfies you, then let’s do that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Sitri let out a huff of laughter.
“Are you suggesting that I’ll be dying to see you or something?”
“Who knows.”
Nahin reached out and gently patted Seere’s head, his signature confident smile appearing.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”