#1129 Worldwide Parade 

It’s me again. 
Phew… I’m completely wiped out. 

Standing in front of a crowd really does a number on my nerves.  
It’s so much more exhausting than swinging a hoe all day on the farm. 
This is the kind of fatigue that hits you right in the spirit, not just the body. 

First things first, I want to rip off these clunky accessories weighing me down and get out of this stiff outfit.  
Then it’s time to wipe off all this makeup!  
Where did I put that cleanser again?! 

“Lord Saint! You’ve done a splendid job today!” 

Just when I’m dying to clean up and get comfortable, Demon King Zedan makes his grand entrance into the backstage room. 

“All the citizens of the Demon Capital were utterly moved by your display...! This is truly the sort of miracle only you can bring about! I, Demon King Zedan, am in awe!” 

Well, as long as it lived up to your expectations, I’m relieved.  
I’ve never seen him this giddy before. 

“With this, your presence has become fully ingrained in the hearts of our people. I can’t imagine anyone voicing objections when you begin governing this new state of yours.” 

That was the whole point of today’s pageantry, so if it worked out, fantastic. 

While shaking hands with the Demon King, I can only manage a weak, tired grin. 
Ahh, I just want to go home and take a long soak in the bath… 

“Haha, you look tired on the inside and out, Master. You must’ve used up a ton of stamina, too. I mean, you went way overboard with all that fan service!” chimes in Veil, who slips into the room. 
 

She helps herself to the complimentary tea with a big sigh of relief. 

“Firing off ten bursts of that holy-sword light in a row...don’t you think that was a bit much?” 

Hey, I shot them into the sky, so no harm done.  
Besides, the people in the Demon Capital went wild with applause each time. How could I resist giving them something to cheer about? 

And come on, didn’t you step out halfway to steal the spotlight yourself? 

“That’s only because I had to stop you when you started babbling about that weird story again! What was that, anyway?! Who cares if an arrow is one or three?! It hardly matters!” 

Hey, that was the legendary lesson from Mori Motonari...! 

And you, Miss Dragon, got so carried away that you started spamming your dragon breath to scare the spectators. 
Also blasting it into the sky, might I add. 

“Th-That was just a little reminder to those lower creatures about how fearsome we dragons can be! Plus, it shows how amazing you are to have me under your command!” 
“Indeed, indeed! ‘The Saint commands a dragon!’ is the catchiest symbol to get the people talking! Your presence, Lady Veil, practically doubled the impact!” 

He’s awfully excited about all this. 

Speaking of which, where’s Platy?  
She’s apparently off chatting away with her mom friends, Mrs. Astres and Mrs. Glasya, in another room with the kids in tow. 

“On top of all that, you decided that ‘fan interaction is important’ and personally shook hands with dozens of people, hosted a Q&A session, and basically went insane with crowd service! Especially that one person who came prepared with five hundred questions. That was over the top! You didn’t have to humor them so seriously!” 

Yeah, I know you’re right. But if someone works that hard to prepare, I couldn’t just shut them down, you know?  
They asked about all sorts of stuff, too; itturns out a lot of people have been digging around for info on me. Some of them even asked about things you and our buddy Letasreit have done. 

“Well, everyone in this world is curious about your every move. They only catch bits and pieces, which makes it even more mysterious and intriguing. Of course they’re dying to find out more.” 

I see. 
I guess I can relate.  
It’s like when a show says, ‘Stay tuned after the commercial for the answer!’ You know you’re gonna wait it out, just to see what it is. 

That last woman’s questions were intense, though.  
She asked how I factored into ending the Human-Demon War, how long I’ve been associated with the Demon King, whether I had a hand in founding the New Human Kingdom…  

She kept me on my toes. 

Who on earth was she? 

“Back in the day, Ryugomytes was a high-ranking officer in my army, nicknamed ‘Ryugomytes the Glittering Dust.’ Before the peace treaty even took effect, she retired voluntarily and stepped away from service.” 

Huh.  
Come to think of it, her vibe reminded me a little of Mrs. Astres… 

“Afterward, she started investigating you of her own accord, gathering her findings into a book. Now, she’s basically the leading authority on all things Saint-related in the Demon Kingdom. She was the spark that lit everyone’s curiosity about you. No one’s really sure why she’s so obsessed, especially since you two had zero direct contact...” 
“Her questions showed promise, I’ll give her that.” 

I can’t imagine what satisfaction she gets from researching me so thoroughly.  
Honestly, it’s a bit puzzling... 

“The moment the ceremony ended, I received a formal request from her: ‘Please let me work on the frontier you’re building. Any position will do!’ Specifically, she wants to work under your supervision.” 

Wow, so we might score a talented recruit out of the blue.  

Her sharp questions confirmed how capable she must be.  
We’ll need plenty of people to build our Farm Nation, so having someone with initiative is definitely a plus. 

“Apparently, she also plans on bringing a few extra people along. Says they’re doing nothing of use here in the capital anyway.” 
“Ah, you mean those weirdos who kept asking nonsense in that Q&A? I’m 99% sure they’ve never done a day of real work in their lives. I hope you know what you’re doing.” 

… 
Well, I guess we’ll take all the help we can get.  

Still, Demon King. 
You aren’t just trying to dump your slackers on us, right? 

“But hey, at least that means your big ‘Saint Show’ job here is finally done. This was no walk in the park for us, either. I’m exhausted. Let’s get back to our normal routine.” 

I totally get Veil’s sentiment.  

Honestly, I’d love nothing more than to head straight back to the farm and throw myself into working the soil with everything I’ve got. 
And, to tell the truth, I wouldn’t mind never leaving that farm again. 

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure if this is the right way to go. 
It’s like something’s missing… 
But what could it be? 

...Right. Because there’s more to the world than just the Demon Kingdom. 

This world has three major nations. 
The Demon Kingdom, the Human Kingdom, and the Mermaid Kingdom.  

If I only do my big coming-out party in the Demon Kingdom and not in the other two… well, that’d be awkward.  
I need to spread the word about who I am in both the Mermaid Kingdom and the Human Kingdom, too. 

“Indeed! Only by making your presence known in all three nations can we hope for true cooperation. It makes perfect sense!” 
“Ugh… so we’re doing two more of these big dog-and-pony shows? I’m already exhausted just thinking about it…”  

Sorry, Veil. I know it’s a pain, but I promise we won’t do them back-to-back.  
Let’s catch our breath before we tackle the next round. 

“In the meantime, I’ll reach out to each kingdom and work out the schedule. I won’t heap all the burdens onto you, my friend. My people will assist in every way we can.” 

I appreciate the help, Demon King.  

We started this, so we’ll see it through.  
…Although, do I really have to wear this outfit that makes me look like some third-rate knockoff of His Excellency Demon K*kka? 

*** 

So, our next stop is the Mermaid Kingdom.  

Why there first? No real reason, other than it seems the easiest place to handle.  

The reigning king, after all, is my wife’s brother, so we can fast-track a ton of official stuff. 

“Welcome! As the husband of my beloved sister, we’re overjoyed to receive you, Lord Saint!” says Arowana, positively beaming.  

He’s so glad to see us that he plans a huge parade in our honor at his palace in the Mermaid Capital. 

We end up sailing right down the main canal on a massive sightseeing boat, while crowds of merfolk cheer from both banks. 

“Princess Platy!!!” 
“Platy’s husband!!!” 

It feels like déjà vu. Then I remember we did a big celebratory parade here once before.  

Between that, there was also the Martial Swimming Tournament and Arowana’s wedding to Puffer. Come to think of it, I’ve ended up in front of their crowds a lot. 
By now, the merfolk are pretty familiar with me. 

And that was pretty much it for the Mermaid Kingdom. We did a parade, I was given the usual warm reception, and then we came home. 

It’s clear they think of me less as “the Saint” and more as “Princess Platy’s husband.”  
But it’s also obvious just how beloved Platy is among her people. 

Anyway, that wrapped up surprisingly smoothly.  

Now there’s just one stop left. 
The Human Kingdom awaits.