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Chapter 201. Growing Presence

――After the triumphant return, my schedule was spinning out of control from the busyness.

I changed into formal noble attire and once again faced the Demon Lord in the audience chamber.

Immediately, I was granted the title of earl. Platiphia’s proud expression, and the hollow congratulations from the other Demon Lords and their mothers lingered in my mind.

Later, I heard from Platiphia that, given some time, I would become a marquis. My magical power and achievements in battle were more than sufficient for it. If it were just magic, I could even qualify for duke, but skipping two ranks was apparently quite difficult.

――Not that I had died in battle.

Afterward, there were rounds of greetings. I exchanged words with both Aiogias and Rubyphia.

“Is it truly you, Zilbagias? There’s no chance someone has posed as you, right?”

With a friendly smile yet somewhat frosty gaze, the First Prince Aiogias spoke.

“Oh dear, I apologize if I have offended you. I’m just astonished at how incredibly strong you’ve become in such a short span—consider this the highest form of praise.”

Aiogias praised me in a twisted tone, but behind him, my mother, Razriel, watched silently, her gaze was chilling and made me laugh.

Really, it’s laughable.

Facing them, I realized my magical power had either matched or surpassed Razriel’s now. No one felt threatened by him—there was a mere child, barely five or six years old, surpassing a high-ranking member of the Demon Race who was to become a Demon Lord’s wife. It was enough to raise eyebrows all around.

“It’s undeniable that you possess extraordinary talent.”

With crossed arms and a haughty posture, the Second Prince Rubyphia looked me up and down.

“To gain so much power from just one campaign, I can’t even imagine what kind of demon you made a contract with. Truly astonishing and threatening.”

Despite her words, she maintained a defiant smile. The fiery red-haired heroine leaned closer to inspect my face.

“――If you become my subordinate, I can give you more opportunities for great deeds. Together, shall we aim for greater heights?”

…Aiogias was like that too.

Rubyphia was a “Grand Duchess”—the highest rank in the Demon Lord Kingdom. In other words, the only rank above “Grand Duchess” was “Demon Lord,” and even among Grand Duchesses, the gap would widen depending on whether they could continue to train their magical power.

These guys… are seriously strong.

There was an obvious difference in caliber between Grand Duchess Rubyphia and Grand Duchess Platiphia. The density of their magical power was astounding. Considering this, with the further enhancements from their “nobility,” it made sense that Aiogias and Rubyphia were viewed as the next candidates for Demon Lord.

That’s precisely why—both of these formidable figures were watching my every move.

Aiogias was being indirect, while Rubyphia was more straightforward in their attempts to draw me into their factions.――Perhaps both were somewhat aware that I intended to establish a third faction of my own.

However, if by some chance I was poached by either faction, the power balance would be immediately upset, and thus they couldn’t just leave me alone. What a pain.

From their perspective, I was a rather bothersome presence.

…This recruitment might actually be pressure, like, “Hurry up and clarify your stance; it’ll be easier for us to deal with you if you do.”

Both of them clearly exuded oppressive magical power.

Well, I’ve grown used to that level of pressure, so I could just calmly brush it aside.

“What a lovely proposal. Did my brother Diagias recruit you in such a way as well?”

When I responded to Rubyphia, who had been rather pushy in her recruitment attempts, her confident demeanor faltered and she winced a bit as if I had poked a sore spot.

“…It’s not like that. He just follows along without saying anything…”

Rubyphia, losing her bravado, seemed utterly deflated as she walked away. I couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to have a lustful brother targeting your chastity. I shuddered at the thought…

Next, a group of Night Elves came to visit me.

“Congratulations on your swift return surpassing expectations, as well as your victory in battle.”

The one who bowed politely was Sidarl, the shadow ruler of the Night Elf Demon Lord Castle Community.

Given that my subordinates were wiped out, those I had previously met had only made veiled comments. So a straightforward congratulation felt almost refreshing.

…Perhaps it was relayed by Viene that I hadn’t been too down about it.

“Thank you. Everyone from the Night Elves contributed greatly, both on the battlefield and from the rear. I appreciate it, both as a prince and personally.”

I responded graciously, and both Sidarl and I smiled awkwardly in silence for a moment.

“…I hear there were few injuries this time.”

“Yes.”

In response to my words, Sidarl nodded solemnly.

Since it was an army predominantly from the Reiju Tribe, the number of injuries was surprisingly low. All were treated on the spot.

Normally, the Reiju Tribe tends to be stingy with their teleportation spells, but not on the battlefield. There were plenty of “targets” for spells, and if during combat, they just had to “transfer” an ally’s injury onto an enemy, it turned into a powerful attack spell.

――It was good that the Demon Race was filled with brutish types.

If it were the Night Elves, known for their sadistic yet rational traits…

There’s a chance they could’ve been carrying half-dead humans while fighting, transferring injuries as needed, and then cutting off limbs again when another human grew back.

Eventually, they might die from shock due to blood loss, but they could just replace them with another human or beastman…

But, if that were to happen, they’d undoubtedly be bombarded with cries of “Weaklings!” from all sides. While they might resort to such actions when cornered, they definitely wouldn’t do it systematically and overtly.

I was really relieved. The Demon Race was full of muscular idiots.

In any case, I was able to avoid treating any Night Elf soldiers this time.

“…I’ve heard that there were many strong enemies on the battlefield.”

Sidarl continued in a serious tone.

“Apparently, the herbivores allocated quite a bit of their fighting strength.”

“Ah, the barrier of the Holy Great Tree was a nuisance.”

I nodded sagely in agreement.

“I’ve heard you encountered the enemy’s elite unit—my condolences to your subordinates.”

…Ah, I see. So he touched on that here. His straightforwardness was refreshing compared to those who tread lightly around the topic. I preferred this approach.

“Indeed… And for you as well, it seemed to be quite the rough battlefield.”

“…Yes. Regrettably, some of my kin did not return.”

Yes. While there were few injuries in the Evaroti campaign…

The death toll was disturbingly high.

Especially among the Demon Race and Night Elves, the losses were noteworthy—had the Reiju Tribe not captured the royal capital in an unusually swift manner, they would’ve faced ridicule from other tribes by now.

“However, I want to once again extend my heartfelt congratulations on your safe return and your remarkable achievements in battle.”

Sidarl placed a hand on his chest, directing a sincere gaze at me.

“Your Highness is the hope of our tribe. Thanks to your generosity, countless lives have been saved—! We will once more pledge our loyalty to you and sincerely pray for your continued success.”

――He doesn’t know.

How many Night Elves who perished on the battlefield…

Were eliminated by my hand.

A dark emotion began to swell within me—

“Thank you, Sidarl.”

However, I didn’t let any of that show on my face as I smiled arrogantly like a prince and merely expressed my gratitude.

“I’m happy for your loyalty. I look forward to working together in the future.”

However, this is what revenge looks like.

That day, at the moment I saved Liliana, you specifically said that.

――So it cannot be helped, right?

“Ha!”

With exaggerated gestures, Sidarl knelt and bowed.

In that moment, he seemed less like a renowned actor and more like the world’s greatest jester.

†††

After greeting Sidarl, Enma also visited, but I’ll skip that bit.

Why, you ask? Well, she burst in with, “Zilkuuuuun, I missed you sooooo much!!” and tackled me, leaving me breathless and nearly breaking my ribs, it was quite the ordeal.

I managed to pretend to be angry and quickly escaped, which was good.

I’m sure she’ll come back soon, crying and apologizing (after adding in the feature to shed tears), and when she does, I’ll be gentle with her.

That way, she’ll probably teach me more advanced undead creation techniques without hesitation.

After the greetings, I had a meal with Platiphia.

She bombarded me with questions about the battlefield. To be honest, my appetite nearly vanished, but the exquisite food served more than made up for it, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Being able to taste the food properly was a good thing. It even served as a barometer for my mental state.

Just then, I could hear echoes of thoughts from Barbara’s helm in the room, “Hah!? The Demon Race is eating such fine food? Seriously, cut the nonsense!!” which was quite something.

Sorry about that.

“I should be elevated to marquis soon. I honestly think I could even be made a duke.”

Platiphia elegantly lifted her wine glass to her lips. Bathed in the light of the table candle, her profile was stunningly beautiful, filled with maternal warmth.

“Well, considering your age, it’s more than sufficient.”

I replied while tilting my grape juice cup as well. …Though I had been guzzling watered-down wine on the battlefield, this tasted better. Guess I have a childish palate.

“You’ll soon be six years old…”

Platiphia said thoughtfully, staring at me before bursting into laughter.

“You’re going to be made a marquis at not even six years old! It’s just unprecedented and utterly hilarious…”

There had been a theory that she had forgotten my age, but it seemed she remembered perfectly. Wait, how could she have forgotten by now…

“Don’t send a toddler under six to the battlefield—!!”

Accompanied by Barbara’s logical outburst, I couldn’t help but laugh, sharing a hearty laugh with Platiphia.

“Ahh. There’s a bounty, a nobility promotion celebration, and various other rewards. Feel free to use them however you like. …But not everything is cheerful news.”

Setting her glass down and gazing at the candlelight, Platiphia continued.

“…You have the duty to extend condolences and send condolence funds to the families of the fallen members of the Kuvirtar Tribe as their superior.”

A weight settled heavily in my stomach.

…Grape juice filled my mouth. I’m fine. I can still taste it.

“If you’re exceedingly busy, a letter would suffice, but considering they were your direct subordinates, visiting in person would be the more respectable route.”

“…That’s true.”

It’s an unavoidable issue.

… I have the duty to see this through to the end.

“I’ll visit the Reiju Territory at an appropriate time.”

“Good idea. If it’s just you, you can ride with Leila, and it’ll be a quick trip.”

She had already fully accepted Leila’s existence, and I couldn’t help but laugh. …Honestly, I just can’t help but laugh.

“Mother. About my future subordinates…”

“…Yes?”

“I realized in actual combat that I prefer being alone.”

――Platiphia’s expression clouded.

“So that is it.”

“In the end, I constantly had to be mindful not to drag my surrounding subordinates into danger. When the Sword Saint’s surprise attack obliterated them… Only then could I fight seriously. To be honest, their presence was…”

――A hindrance.

That was both a lie and the truth.

It was also a fact that I was saved by Albar during my tough times.

Well, had I not tried to manage with “half” and instead returned everything entrusted by Ante as “all,” it probably would’ve been over quickly.

After all, it would be strange to grow to duke level in just a single battle.

I was saved by Albar…

“So…”

Platiphia seemed like she wanted to say something, but she choked down her words along with her wine.

“Well… if someone of your caliber says so.”

――From then on, it was decided that I wouldn’t have any subordinates.

†††

The following day.

I headed to the Dwarf workshop to procure a top-notch thrusting sword to make Barbara’s “main body” the top priority.

“Wow, I can’t wait! A Dwarf masterpiece! I never thought it would become a part of my own body!!”

In the camouflage act, Leila accompanied me, and the helmet from Barbara was bubbling with excitement in the bag I left with her.

By the way, I planned to order it as a sword for Leila’s self-defense. Regardless, while in human form, I wouldn’t be using any spells that felt particularly magical, so I might as well pretend to aim for becoming a Sword Saint like Virosa.

Leila’s athleticism in her human form wasn’t great, so others might be confused, but aiming for something is free, and…

“Welcome!”

“Your Highness!”

As usual, upon entering the workshop, the heat of the forge blew over me as the Dwarf guard opened the door.

It was as hot as ever. It’s still early spring, so it’s bearable, but what will it be like in the summer? The captured Dwarves, devoid of any semblance of sadness typical of captives, were focused on their smithing work.

“Call Fisero.”

“Yes, right away!”

I spoke to a young smith and asked him to fetch the workshop chief.

…By the way, I already dropped Fisero’s name in the Dwarf Blacksmith Warriors group back when I was the other me.

Should I talk to him about it? …Hmm, they said the Blacksmith Warriors couldn’t really do anything about it, but for Fisero personally, it would probably be quite an honor to be forced to work for the Demon Race.

However, he might also be happy to realize he could inform his kin of his survival, so the decision is difficult.

Maybe I’ll try to probe a bit… That said, why do Dwarves keep giving me sidelong glances today? …Did something happen?

“――Ah, Zilbagias. Welcome back.”

As I pondered, a voice suddenly came from behind me.

That slightly languid yet clear voice belonged to—

“Ah, Brother Diagias. It’s been a while.”

I casually turned around.

――And I was struck by a shock akin to being hit in the head.

“……Brother!?”

Astonishment. My jaw nearly dropped.

“Hiee.”

Leila let out a strange sound.

“Hoho?”

Ante exhaled with great interest.

“Ha—?”

Barbara piped up with a bewildered expression.

Behind me, Diagias posed dramatically, seemingly bursting into my field of vision—

“Ah, Brother!? What kind of outfit is that…?!”

He was wearing an incredibly revealing leather outfit that showcased his honed physique.

No—he was clearly donning a creation by Kusemon!!

Diagias, flipping his platinum-blonde hair with flair, said one thing.

“I wore it♡”

 

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