Advance Preparations
Whether Sitri had been physically exhausted or not, she said she would rest for a day and return tomorrow before departing. Nahen returned to his office and sank into his chair. He replayed the recent events in his mind, turning them over carefully.
If Sitri’s words were true, then how did he know such magic? The answer came easily once he considered it. ‘Considering the identity of the character I possessed, Nahen, it’s hardly surprising.’
According to the memories that had flowed into him upon possession, Nahen was not merely a demon but an Archdemon—an existence that might even surpass the Demon Kings themselves. In Evil Queen Maker, Archdemons were secretive beings who rarely appeared. They were described only as ancient, great, mysterious, and overwhelmingly powerful entities who had lived since time immemorial.
Setting aside why an Archdemon had been chosen as a playable character, Nahen had been wary of his own kind even though he was one. In the game, there was only one instance where an Archdemon directly revealed itself. It appeared before the player’s carefully raised Seere and offered the branching choice that decided the ending: the “Soul Contract.”
Accepting the contract turned Seere into the Archdemon’s servant. She would offer the Demon Realm she had conquered to it and spend her life as its loyal subordinate. It was, in essence, a bad ending.
‘I have to prevent that ending from happening.’
Though it was technically an ending where one conquered the Demon Realm, Nahen disliked the idea of doing so under an Archdemon’s command. His favorite endings were those in which Seere acted for her own sake. In particular, the “King of the Demon Realm” ending—where she overcame every trial through her own strength, aided by the player—had always been his most beloved.
‘If I have to see an ending to return, then I’ll finish the story with the best possible one.’
That was Nahen’s resolve. To achieve it, he had recruited Sitri and brought her into an alliance. He would follow the original game’s flow as much as possible while laying the groundwork for the King of the Demon Realm ending.
Of course, reality was not as simple as pressing a choice in a game. Matters that could be resolved with a single selection now required Nahen to run around personally, persuading others with words.
“This is going to be a long road.”
With a self-deprecating laugh, Nahen turned his attention to the documents piled on his desk. These were tasks Kain had originally handled in Seere’s stead, but Nahen had taken on some of them this time. Since he had brought Sitri into the alliance, he judged it better to involve himself in the Demon King Castle’s internal affairs. That way, he could respond quickly to any future moves Sitri might make.
Unlike when he had received financial authority, Kain had not shown much wariness. Perhaps it was because Nahen had already proven his worth through the matter involving Sitri.
“Well then…”
Nahen examined the documents. The tasks he had received from Kain concerned military management and some aspects of governance policy for the 72nd Floor. The military duties had naturally been transferred so he could oversee the soldiers who had been integrated from Sitri’s forces. Though they had an outstanding talent like Rin El Laza, she alone might not be able to maintain complete control.
‘Of course, Sitri already spoke to the integrated soldiers…’
The real problem lay with the existing troops. There were bound to be those who would not welcome the sudden transformation of former enemies into allies.
‘Convincing them will be my job.’
Fortunately, Rin’s report contained no such complaints yet. It was strange that no major discontent had erupted even though the integrated soldiers had likely caused some trouble before Sitri spoke with them yesterday.
‘Does that mean control is still holding for now?’
It made sense. The 4th Legion was the only surviving legion from the army of the previous Seir von Devata. It was the sole properly equipped force under Seere, and its officers were far stronger than one would expect from subordinates of a 72nd-ranked Demon King. The previous Demon King had ranked second, and the legion commander and vice-commander had been active since that era. It was only natural they were this capable. The soldiers would follow such veterans without question.
Since the number of troops had not grown so large that Rin and Baruna could no longer manage them together, there likely would not be any problems for a while.
“That’s a relief. Now then…”
Next came the reports from the villages across the 72nd Floor. Many mentioned a shortage of arable land and pasture for livestock. Because higher-ranked Demon Kings ruled the upper floors, the 72nd Floor—being the highest and closest to the Human Realm, and therefore dangerous—had a small population. If the first floor ruled by the top-ranked Demon King was like Russia, then the 72nd Floor was like Switzerland. The difference in scale between layers was that extreme.
Of course, a large territory did not guarantee prosperity, but for Demon Kings whose power came from the size of their forces, controlling more land was always advantageous. A vast territory could support more demons, and problems like the current land shortage on the 72nd Floor would never arise.
‘As expected, territorial expansion is the issue.’
Remaining on the 72nd Floor was also dangerous. It was the closest layer to the Human Realm. In Evil Queen Maker, the Heavenly Realm, Human Realm, and Demon Realm were organically connected. Ascending from the Human Realm led to Heaven; descending led to the Demon Realm. Because gates between the two worlds existed throughout the Human Realm, human invasions of the Demon Realm were surprisingly common. Of course, there were also many gates from the 72nd Floor into the Human Realm…
‘We have no reason to go there.’
The Demon King of the 72nd Floor was the lowest-ranked, and their forces were correspondingly small. A reckless invasion of the Human Realm could easily result in a devastating counterattack.
‘If we’re taking the first step toward expansion…’
The most suitable target was naturally the 71st Floor. But since they had formed an alliance with Sitri, that was impossible. The next best option was the floor right below.
‘The 70th Floor.’
The 70th Floor, ruled by the Demon King Andromalius. It was the weakest force among the nearby layers, yet it could not be underestimated.
‘Their forces are far stronger than ours right now.’
Even combining Sitri’s strength with their own might not be enough. The gap between single layers was that severe.
‘Is there no clever solution?’
Nahen closed his eyes briefly in thought. When he opened them again, a single report caught his attention. He stared at it for a moment before his eyes widened. He snatched up the document.
“This is…”
The solution he had been searching for flashed through his mind.
#
While Nahen was working, the firmly closed office door opened slightly.
“Hm?”
“Teacher!”
“Seere?”
The one who entered was Seere. She clutched a white rabbit tightly in one hand and ran straight toward Nahen. Then she stretched out her other hand toward him.
“Want to get up?”
“Yes!”
Nahen had no choice but to lift Seere onto his lap. She smiled contentedly, clearly pleased. But Seere was not alone. Behind her stood a woman with perked cat ears and wavy, flowing hair. Though her small frame seemed far removed from martial prowess, she was the strongest swordsman under Seere’s command.
“I apologize, Royal Tutor. Her Majesty insisted we enter together…”
“It’s fine, Commander El Laza.”
It was Rin El Laza, commander of the 4th Legion. Nahen had told her to call him by name instead of “Royal Tutor,” but the somewhat rigid woman continued to use the formal title.
Nahen asked her, “What brings the commander here?”
“I came because I have something to report.”
Rin answered, then added, “Also, please speak casually with me, Royal Tutor. There is no reason for the Royal Tutor of my liege to use honorifics toward me.”
“Then you should stop using stiff titles like ‘Royal Tutor’ and just call me by name. I’ve said this before—I don’t particularly like formality.”
“…Understood, Lord Nahen.”
Satisfied with the address, Nahen nodded and asked what she wanted to discuss. Rin spoke carefully.
“It concerns the soldiers who were recently integrated.”
“More trouble?”
“No, it is not that. I have a suggestion regarding their affiliation.”
Nahen gestured for her to continue.
“Rather than placing them under the 4th Legion, why not create a separate legion?”
“You want me to establish a new legion?”
“That would be best.”
Nahen’s brow furrowed slightly as he considered the reason. Misinterpreting his expression, Rin answered before he could ask.
“As you know, minor conflicts and complaints continue to arise between the integrated soldiers and the existing troops. To prevent that, and to ensure the integrated soldiers feel greater loyalty toward Her Majesty Seere, it would be better to form a separate legion.”
“And the latter reason—how would that work?”
“If they hear that a new legion was created specifically for them, how do you think the soldiers will view Her Majesty?”
Nahen nodded in understanding. Hearing that a new place had been made just for them would make the soldiers think far more positively of Seere. He had no reason to reject Rin’s proposal. It would require some additional funds to operate the legion, but that was easily solved.
‘I can just squeeze it out of Sitri.’
He had a convenient wallet, after all.
Still thinking Nahen had not fully accepted the idea, Rin continued.
“In any case, the number of integrated soldiers is too large to fit comfortably under a single legion. Separating them entirely will make management easier as well.”
“Very well. It’s a good suggestion. I accept the commander’s proposal.”
“Thank you.”
Nahen smiled with satisfaction. He was genuinely pleased that someone could offer him such a useful idea.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask the commander as well.”
“Me?”
Nahen brought up the issue he had been pondering earlier—territorial expansion.
“You’re aware that securing more territory is urgent for us.”
“Lord Nahen, what do you mean by that…?”
“But the nearest floor, the 71st, is currently allied with us.”
Rin seemed to have already guessed where the conversation was heading. Nahen spoke with the clear expectation of an honest answer.
“So I’d like to hear your opinion. Commander El Laza, can we conquer the 70th Floor?”
“It is impossible.”
The answer was swift and decisive. Nahen pressed further.
“Even with you here, it’s impossible?”
“Even I cannot fight tens of thousands of troops alone. Since the previous lord’s sudden death, our forces have weakened considerably. With our current strength, even the 71st Floor would be a struggle. The 70th Floor is naturally out of the question.”
The 71st Floor was an ally, and Sitri would continue to be an essential supporter for Seere. They could not afford to discard that card so soon. Nahen asked another question.
“What if we combined our forces with those of Her Majesty Sitri?”
“Our chances would improve, but I must still say it would be difficult. Andromalius’s army on the 70th Floor numbers nearly 150,000 by my knowledge alone. Even if we scrape together every soldier we have, we would barely reach 10,000. Her Majesty Sitri’s forces are larger than ours, but they would not exceed five times that number.”
Rin looked Nahen straight in the eye and declared firmly, “We are overwhelmingly outnumbered. Launching an all-out war would be foolish.”
“…Am I mistaken, or does that sound like you’re saying it would be possible if we didn’t fight head-on?”
“If we could win without clashing directly with 150,000 troops, then yes. But if not through direct confrontation, how do you intend to conquer the floor?”
Nahen chuckled at Rin’s question.
“We’ll need some scheming.”
“…Scheming?”
“Peacocks are pretty!”
Seere, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up. She had apparently confused “scheming” (工作) with “peacock” (孔雀) and thought the conversation had turned to something she knew.
Nahen laughed softly and patted Seere’s head.
“Not that kind of peacock.”
“It’s not?”
Seere tilted her head, and Nahen answered with a smile. Then he continued speaking to Rin.
“I happened to come across some news while reading the reports.”
Nahen handed Rin a sheet of paper. She accepted it, scanned the contents, and her eyes widened. She jerked her head up to stare at Nahen.
“Lord Nahen, this is…”
“With this, we should be able to make use of it, don’t you think?”
As a veteran who had served since the previous lord’s era, Rin was highly capable. She immediately grasped Nahen’s intent and replied.
“…I will select personnel specialized in infiltration.”
“Ask Lord Epsilon as well.”
At the mention of Epsilon, Rin gave Nahen a slightly surprised look.
“We cannot afford any complications during the contact process.”
“It’ll be fine.”
Nahen smiled confidently in response to Rin’s worried tone, as if to say the problems she feared would never occur.
“He’ll listen well from now on.”