#1118 A Worried Minister

I am Armiga. 

I serve as one of the vassals under the Demon Kingdom. 

Although I’m not from the line that inherits the Holy Sword, my family has proudly been at the very center of the Demon Kingdom’s government for generations upon generations.

As one of their descendants, I hold a prominent position within the kingdom’s administration, just like my ancestors before me. 

Of course, there were other families like mine, but their numbers shrank considerably at one point. 

That was due to a political shake-up. 

Lord Zedan, our current Demon King, is a heroic figure who ended a long-standing war, and he also carried out a vigorous restructuring of our nation. 

As a result, all those once-powerful noble families who only used their influence to line their own pockets were stripped of their titles and purged. Any trace of their corruption was completely squeezed out. 

Those who were caught for corruption, along with their families, were exiled to the countryside, where they’re apparently working toward rehabilitation under strict supervision. 

Even so, giving criminals a chance to start over reflects the Demon King’s strict yet compassionate nature. 

Anyway, that’s why the people who remain at the core of the Demon Kingdom today are all stalwart souls who resisted the temptations of the rampant corruption in past eras. 

I happen to be one of them... Huh? 

You read that right. 

From my father’s generation to my grandfather’s, we stood firm and refused all bribes, and we never once asked for any ourselves! 

Even when people around us said things like, “You should take what you can get,” “Don’t be stupid,” or “Stop being so uptight,” we never bent our moral code, and that resolve is why we’re still here today! 

We only got our chance to shine thanks to Lord Zedan’s wise rulership! 

Lord Zedan is the greatest Demon King in history! 

I’m honestly grateful to be living in the same era as him, and I pledge to serve him with all I’ve got! 

… 

Phew…  

So that’s how loyal I am. Then one day... 

I was summoned along with many other high-ranking officials to gather in one place. 

Well, more precisely, lots of high officials got summoned, and I just happened to be included among them. 

It was completely unexpected with no prior notice, so many of us, myself included, were caught off guard. 

We all had no clue why we were called, and we quietly mulled over the possibilities, still confused. 

“His Majesty the Demon King summoned us all of a sudden… What could he possibly want?” 

“Beats me. Things have been pretty peaceful lately, with nothing big going on.” 

When you can’t think of a reason, your mind tends to conjure up the worst possibilities. 

The only remote possibility I could think of was the new land-development project that kicked off recently. 

There was a bit of skirmishing before it started, after all. 

As a way to handle the eventual population boom, two proposals were put forward, and debates raged over which one to adopt. 

One proposal was relocating the capital; the other was expanding territory. 

Those who favored relocating the capital made a strong push, but in the end, it was Prime Minister Lucif Focale who sided with the expansion plan. And more than anything, Lord Zedan supported him, so that sealed the debate. 

“By the way, did you hear? Danpaar, the most zealous supporter of relocating the capital, resigned his post.” 

“Huh? Why?” 

“Not sure on the details, but he stepped down and left the capital entirely, pulling out of politics altogether. Thanks to that, the relocation plan, which was already as good as dead, is now officially toast.” 

“So there was some behind-the-scenes power struggle we didn’t know about?” 

Well, even if that’s true, the clash between relocating the capital and expanding territory was settled by Danpaar’s downfall. 

Why would the Demon King gather his top officials to discuss a done deal? 

Or is this meeting for some totally different reason? 

Hmm, the more I think about it, the more puzzling it gets. 

I can’t stop worrying that maybe our own positions are on the chopping block. 

Could they just get on with the announcement already…? I was getting all jittery, and then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. 

“…Hey.” 

“Yes?” 

“Who’s that person sitting over there?” 

We’re gathered in the grand conference hall of the Demon King’s castle—plenty of space, filled with fancy chairs and tables for everyone. 

In one corner of that hall sits a figure who stands out like a sore thumb. 

Wait a minute… Is that a human? 

One glance at his skin tone tells me he’s a different race. We demons tend to have darker skin.

Ever since we’ve opened up more to other nations, we see non-demons around now and then. But for someone like him to appear in the middle of high-level policy talks is unthinkable. 

Maybe he’s here to observe on behalf of some foreign delegation… but I haven’t heard of such a thing. 

Then what’s that random outsider doing here? 

He’s got this vacant, dopey look on his face. This place is a battlefield, where sharp tongues collide behind the scenes. 

He seems like he lacks both brains and backbone, so how did he waltz in? 

Could this just be some mistake...? 

Don’t tell me security’s asleep at the job? 

There’s a total stranger here, guards. Shouldn’t they kick him out immediately? 

“Well… seems it’s not that simple.” 

“Why not?” 

“Look… check out who’s sitting beside him.” 

Beside him…? 

…D’oh! 

Sitting next to that clueless human is none other than our Demon Kingdom’s own Prime Minister Lucif Focale! 

Why is he looking all buddy-buddy with that baffled fellow?

And not just sitting there, the dopey guy is casually chatting him up! 

Chatting, or more like happily joking around with him?! 

“From the look of it, the Prime Minister’s kind of smiling wryly rather than laughing outright…” 

“But if he were a complete outsider, they wouldn’t even be talking, right?” 

“Which means that weirdo is at least here with the Prime Minister’s blessing?!”

That means we can’t just boot him out. 

On the other hand, walking up to him and demanding “Who the heck are you?” is pretty rude… 

What are we supposed to do?! 

No heads-up about the reason for this urgent meeting… 

And here’s this total misfit hanging around like he owns the place… 

Have we ever been summoned under such baffling circumstances?! 

Ugh, the longer we wait, the more my mind spins in circles, and the more I freak out! 

I’m starting to panic! 

Right as I was agonizing in silence, things finally moved forward. 

The giant doors of the hall swing open, and in walks our lord in stately fashion. 

The Demon King! 

We all rise from our seats and present ourselves properly. 

We welcome our liege with the respect he deserves. 

“Be at ease,” His Majesty says. 

Then we sit again. 

And during that whole lord-and-vassal exchange, that clueless fellow never even stood up. 

What’s with him? 

He shows no respect to His Majesty? 

Who does he think he is?! 

“Well, actually, it looked like he tried to stand, but the Prime Minister stopped him, didn’t he?” 

“Yeah, like he was ready to copy everyone else, but got waved back down...” 

So the Prime Minister told him it wasn’t necessary for him to stand? And he alone performed the vassal’s courtesy? 

The Prime Minister is supposed to be the ultimate authority on demon protocol. If he says that guy doesn’t need to show respect, what does that mean?

Now I’m even more confused. 

Just who is this clueless-looking human? 

While I was still trying to figure that out, the Demon King spoke...

“Sorry to keep you all waiting. I know I dragged you here on short notice, disrupted your schedules, then turned around and made you sit around even longer, wasting your precious time.” 

No, no, Your Majesty!  

We’d gladly abandon even a parent’s funeral if it meant heeding the Demon King’s call.

At that point, Lord Lucif Focale spoke up... 

“Still, Your Majesty, considering how long it took, I can’t help but notice you arrived alone…” 
“Indeed. The military folks are running late. They seem to be struggling to yank Belphgamilia out of bed. I got tired of waiting, so I came by myself.” 
“That sloth truly tests our patience, doesn’t he?” 

Ah, so the Demon King was delayed because he was waiting for the Heavenly Four. 

And now he’s bringing the top brass into the very heart of our civil council?  

It must mean whatever comes next is crucial. I’m more confused than ever! 

“In any case, I imagine you’re all baffled by this sudden summons. You must be thinking what’s going on. I don’t want my loyal subjects to fret, so let’s cut to the chase.” 

Oh! 

As expected of our Demon King, he’s always so considerate of our feelings! 

So, the matter at hand is...?! 

“I bestow upon you all the honor of an audience with Lord Saint!” 

Huh?  

The saint…? 

==========

we are slowly getting back!