Chapter 125
Chapter 125. First Meeting
Here I am, Zilbagias, the Demon Lord’s Prince No. 7, wide-eyed at the welcome banner as soon as I arrive at the main estate of the Reiju tribe.
In the garden of the estate, apart from a trio of young folks who launched a banner attack, there were several demon kin clad in noble-looking attire (tribal-styled) just hanging around.
“Whoa, that’s the young one they were talking about.”
“Quite the magical power, isn’t it?”
“Bigger than I heard!”
“Seriously, is he really five years old…?”
They whisper to each other, observing me with keen interest, while the trio seems completely unconcerned about their surroundings.
“Hey, Young Master!”
One lad, after handing off the banner support to the other two, knelt before me, his gray hair slicked back.
In each of his hands were fans, and they had written on them—
“Take us to the front lines!” “Take us with you♡”
“Please let us be your followers!”
With their fans still raised, the gray-haired one bowed his head dramatically. The other two joined in with enthusiastic pleas.
What the heck are these guys!?
They’ve thrown all pride aside in front of a five-year-old! Are they even demon kin!?
But they’ve definitely got horns and blue skin, and their magical power seems fairly decent… Comparing them to me? Antende.
“Each of them is just a bit stronger than two-thirds of your power…” Antende informs me, confusion seeping into his voice. Huh, so they’re like between a Baron and a Viscount…
“Lately, we haven’t had many chances to go into battle!”
“We’ll definitely be of help!”
“Please, we beg of you!”
The trio begs me eagerly, ignoring my lack of response.
“Who the heck are you guys?”
I throw out a perfectly reasonable question.
“Oops! Sorry, we’re—”
As the gray-haired one clumsily folded his fan, embarrassed, ready to introduce themselves—
“Gaaargh!!”
But from behind them, near the entrance of the estate, a voice that was more roar than shout echoed.
“How gutsy of you to greet me while ignoring the tribe leader, huh!?”
A large, elderly demon kin man appeared, kicking open the lavish front door. He had silver hair mixed with white, and though deep wrinkles marked his face, it hinted at a time when he was quite the handsome guy. He walked towards us with strong strides, shoulders stiff, with others sharing a similar look behind him—likely relatives.
“Whoa!”
“Run, run!”
“Young Master! We’ll come back to greet you later!!”
The trio quickly folded their banner with a magnificent team effort and waved goodbye as they bolted off with lightning speed. Man, those legs are fast… I can totally see them running away like that on the battlefield too…
“Honestly, those guys…”
The elderly demon kin sighed while watching the trio run away with a wry look on his face.
But his sharp gaze, like that of a bird of prey, suddenly turned toward me.
“I am Jijiivart Reiju, Duke of the Demon Lord’s Kingdom and leader of the Reiju tribe.”
The elderly demon kin—Jijiivart introduced himself with a commanding presence.
So he’s the leader of the Reiju tribe…!
According to Platy, he’s 220 years old this year. But he doesn’t seem old at all, maintaining a magical power worthy of a duke and a rock-solid presence. Each move he makes clearly shows he’s a formidable warrior. And impressive that he bears no visible scars of age—it’s just like the Reiju tribe!
“I’m glad to see this day come, Platy. Finally, I get to meet your proud son.”
With a wild grin, Jijiivart spoke to Platy.
“Good day to you, Uncle. Yes, I have also been looking forward to this,” Platy replied cheerily, with a bit of a joking tone.
Respectfully regarding the tribe leader while maintaining a friendly atmosphere—she’s striking a perfect balance.
I’ve also been instructed about the language beforehand. Although I’m a future demon king candidate, I’m a viscount at this stage. Being overly grand or too humble is not good. I must show appropriate respect to the current tribe leader while keeping a strong demeanor without being rude.
All eyes in the room turned toward me, urging me to speak.
Alright. I’ll open my mouth for a greeting, wetting my lips—
“Oh…”
—only for the surrounding crowd to gasp.
“Woof!”
Wondering what was going on, I saw family members getting down from the following carriage. Specifically, Garunya holding Liliana and Leila, looking a bit uneasy.
“Is that… the rumored…”
“The high elf… pet…”
“Strange obsession… Diagias…”
Whispers once again filled the air, eyes filled with curiosity—
“Over there… humans…?”
“No… They have horns…”
“Could it be a dragon…?”
Leila fidgeted, looking uncomfortable.
“The alleged… capture…”
“Dark dragon… offered…”
“Poor maid… so envious…”
Whisper, whisper, whisper…
While Platy smiles, Jijiivart and his entourage seem somewhat taken aback.
What’s this… I should be returning home, yet I feel so out of place…
“Mmm!”
But it wouldn’t help to just freeze in place, so I cleared my throat to break the awkward atmosphere.
“I’m Zilbagias, the Demon Lord’s Prince No. 7. Nice to meet you!”
I gave a proper bow, executing my etiquette with precision.
“Hmm, yes!”
Jijiivart nodded, seemingly snapping back to reality.
“I’m pleased to meet you! You’re surprisingly dignified, just as the rumors suggested—”
Hey old man, don’t steal glances at Liliana like that!!
“—Indeed, quite the bold presence, just as the rumors said! Gwahhahaha…!!”
Don’t laugh it off like that!! At least tone down the confusion in your voice!!
“Well now, I’d love to proceed straight to the welcome feast, but first, I must introduce my family!”
Gradually regaining his composure, Jijiivart gestured toward the demons behind him.
“This is my son, Zikvart.”
“Yo, long time no see, Platy. And nice to meet you, Zilbagias!”
A handsome silver-haired demon with a ruggedly attractive face flashed a wild smile.
I’ve heard of him—Zikvart Reiju, 120 years old. A marquess, he’s Platy’s cousin and viewed as the next tribe leader.
He seems pretty buff too. His stance is incredibly stable. While his smile is friendly, his eyes aren’t letting up, as if he’s observing my every move. There’s a dangerous edge to that smile like he might strike at any moment. Could he be one of the few who would win in a spar with Platy?
“Nice to meet you, Lord Zikvart,”
I respond calmly, holding his reddish-brown eyes directly.
“And over here are my son and daughter. They’re around the same age—well, not really, but hey, they look similar enough, so you kids, get along!”
Beside Zikvart are a demon youth and a young girl. They look about 20 and 16-17 years in human terms, but demons complete their growth at 15, so they’re likely a bit younger than they appear.
“Hi there, Zilbagias. I’m Eijivart Reiju. Our ranks are the same: viscount.”
The youth smiled and extended a hand. Eijivart Reiju—if things go well, he’ll be the next tribe head after next. He’s 17, if I recall correctly.
“Nice to meet you, Eijivart. I’m Zilbagias.”
I shook his hand casually—shaking hands isn’t very common among demons. Of course, he squeezed just a bit to test my strength.
“Ha-ha! Likewise, nice to meet you, future Demon King?!”
Eijivart offered a light bow. Whoa—though he whispered, he sure brought that up in front of everyone, huh? He laughed, but his eyes, like his father’s, weren’t particularly amused.
When I looked to Duke Jijiivart as if asking, “Is that okay?”—
“Hey, don’t casually say reckless things!”
Duke Jijiivart responded in a somewhat stern tone. Platy, however, still remained silent, just smiling.
“Reckless? He’s the young genius of our clan! It wouldn’t be odd for a bit of expectation, right, Grandfather?”
Eijivart let go of my hand suddenly, acting silly as he laughed.
Though no one present mentioned it, I’m pretty young (five years old).
Despite that—Eijivart treats me, though younger, almost as an equal given our ranks.
He’s showing respect for my future potential. But for a prideful demon kin, navigating this subtlety isn’t going to be easy—
“Though I’m still quite inexperienced,”
I cautiously began, intentionally shifting my focus from Eijivart to Duke Jijiivart, choosing my words carefully.
“I wish to train hard as a proud warrior of the Reiju tribe going forward.”
“…Hmm! That spirit is commendable!!”
Duke Jijiivart and Zikvart nodded in appreciation. My stance must’ve been the right call; while tossing aside Eijivart’s comment, I neither confirmed nor denied it, only stating my intention to improve.
“Ahaha,”
Eijivart chuckled as if hearing it all as a side story. This brat…!
“Zilbagias, you are truly the shining hope of our clan! Lastly, let me introduce my granddaughter, Lumiafia!”
Duke Jijiivart’s expression brightened, and he gently tapped the back of the young girl at the end. The old man seems smitten, likely because she’s his cute granddaughter.
The girl being ushered forward wore a displeased look…
“…Nice to meet you.”
She mumbled brusquely, glancing away.
Lumiafia Reiju, if I recall correctly, would be 13 this year.
“Nice to meet you, Lumiafia.”
I returned her greeting with a social smile, but Lumiafia shot me a glare.
“…I’m going back to my room.”
With that, she turned on her heels and strode off quickly.
Uh… everyone was left speechless.
That was kind of rude.
Did I do something to get on her bad side?
“Isn’t she just an age-appropriate girl? Just take a look at yourself. Behind you!”
Antende’s words made me turn, locking eyes with Leila.
At her feet sat Liliana in a cute sitting position.
“Oh…”
Right, I guess I’d done something to be disliked…
