A Letter from the 71st Floor
The news that the weakest Demon King, Seere von Devata, had gained a teacher was of little interest to some, yet intriguing to others. Especially to Demon Kings of similarly low rank, it was news worth paying attention to.
"That kid got a teacher?"
"Yes, my lady."
In a bathroom filled with hazy steam stood a woman with disheveled blonde hair and an alluring figure. Sitting in the bath, receiving a report from her subordinate while trimming her nails, she voiced her curiosity.
"Which good-for-nothing took on that job?"
"His name is Nahen."
"...Nahen?"
She repeated the name, Nahen, Nahen, then spoke shortly.
"Never heard of him."
"We investigated, but nothing came up. He's suspicious."
"Hmm."
Drip. Drop. Water droplets fell. As the woman's voluptuous body hidden beneath the water came into view, the subordinate slightly lowered his head.
"Send a letter."
Splash. The woman stepped out of the bath. Drying her hair lightly with a towel prepared by the attendant, she spoke softly.
"I'll be visiting soon."
In the office assigned to Nahen, who had become the Demon King's teacher, Nahen, Kain, and Seere—holding a white bear—were present.
Seere watched as Nahen wrote in the Training Journal. Kain felt slightly uneasy watching him. It was truly a blessing that this man had become his master's teacher, but to also hand over the financial authority of the Demon King's castle?
'Could he have other intentions...'
It was a situation where such thoughts could easily arise. After all, the power of money becomes formidable authority in any circumstance.
While Kain was lost in thought, Nahen called Seere.
"Seere."
"Y-Yes!"
"Come here and take a look at this."
Nahen handed the Training Journal to Seere. She blinked and examined what he had written.
"Teacher, is all of this for one day?"
"Yeah. Does it seem like a lot?"
"J-Just a little."
"Then shall I remove some?"
Nahen smiled and erased a few items. He had deliberately written many so she could adjust the training volume herself. Still, there was a minimum line he had to maintain in his mind. Based on the optimal route created from experiencing numerous endings, there was a minimum training volume necessary to grow Seere.
"Can you do this?"
Nod nod. As Seere nodded, Nahen smiled and patted her head once.
"If you work hard without missing a day for a week, I'll buy you a big doll."
"Really?"
"Of course, really."
Nahen spoke to Seere again.
"That's enough for today. We'll start classes tomorrow, so you should go to bed early tonight, all right?"
"Yes."
Nod nod. Even the way she nodded while answering was the typical appearance of a young child—hard to think of her as a Demon King.
"Kain and I have something to discuss, so go to your room and rest first."
"Yeees."
Seere, clutching the bear doll, ran to the door. When Kain opened it, she bowed once to Nahen and once to Kain before leaving the room.
"...She's quite cute."
"She's still young, after all. More importantly, Lord Teacher."
"Just call me by name."
"Then Nahen-nim, I have something I'd like to ask."
"What?"
Kain cautiously questioned Nahen.
"When you asked for financial authority, you said you would earn money."
"I did."
"But you haven't told us any plans yet. How do you intend to raise funds?"
"Ah, that."
Nahen wore a meaningful smile. Then he spoke with confidence.
"Just stay still for now."
"Pardon?"
"Trust me and wait."
Nahen chuckled to himself, as if thinking of something.
"A gold nugget will roll in on its own."
Kain was slightly taken aback. He had expected some scheme, yet the plan was simply to wait?
'Is it right to leave it like this...'
Kain slightly regretted handing over the financial authority.
Watching such Kain, Nahen thought to himself.
'As expected, he doesn't believe me.'
Even to himself, it was a statement that could make him look like someone without a plan. But it was true that money would come in just by staying still. As a former user of Evil Queen Maker, Nahen naturally knew all the events that occurred in the early stages.
The reason Nahen said to simply wait was because of one event that happens in the early game.
Knock knock. A cautious knocking sound was heard.
Before Nahen could speak, Kain asked what it was. Then a timid male voice came from beyond the door.
"B-Butler, a letter has arrived."
"A letter?"
At the mention of a letter arriving, Kain looked at Nahen. Since he had said he was waiting for something, the timing was perfect. Kain doubted his eyes upon seeing Nahen's expression.
'He's smiling?'
As if he had expected it, Nahen was smiling meaningfully. He spoke to Kain.
"Let's receive it quickly."
"You were waiting for this?"
"Well... I don't know if my prediction is correct."
Leaving the humble Nahen behind, Kain opened the door. Eldin, one of the few remaining attendants in the mansion, stood holding a luxurious envelope.
"Where did it come from?"
"Ah, it came from below."
At the word "below," Kain's expression hardened. He asked urgently.
"From which floor!"
"W-Well... the 71st floor."
The 71st floor. Upon hearing those words, Kain's mouth fell open.
"N-Nahen-nim..."
"Yeah, Kain."
"Don't tell me... you were waiting for this?"
Nahen met Kain's eyes and slowly nodded.
"Good grief..."
It was rare to hear profanity from Kain, who was polite to everyone. Kain grabbed the back of his neck as if about to faint.
"Why are you so worried?"
"How could I not worry? It says it came from the 71st floor!"
The domains of the 72 Demon Kings ruling the Demon Realm are divided into 'floors' because the Demon Realm takes the form of a massive tower. Ranks are distinguished by attaching the ranking in front of the floor. For example, the lowest-ranked Demon King Seere is the Demon King of the 72nd floor.
Therefore, a letter coming from the 71st floor meant it was from a Demon King one rank above Seere. One might wonder what the fuss is about just one rank difference, but one had to consider that a Demon King's rank isn't determined solely by individual martial prowess. While personal strength is important, the size and influence of the forces following the Demon King are very crucial.
Thus, the 72nd and 71st floors had a gap that couldn't be bridged by the mere difference of one floor. There was a difference in the scale of forces, so the economic scale was different, and the quality of the armies they commanded was vastly superior.
Moreover, the 72nd floor was the topmost floor of the Demon Realm and the closest to the Human Realm, which had maintained a hostile relationship with the demon race for a long time. From the perspective of demonkind, the 72nd floor was the highest, but from the Human Realm's perspective above the Demon Realm, the 72nd floor was the closest. Therefore, it was the floor most frequently invaded by humans. As a result, armies were constantly depleted, and it was said that Demon Kings stationed on the 72nd floor were in an environment where they couldn't expand their forces at all, making their forces weak.
That's why Kain was shocked that a letter had come from the 71st floor. Not only were their forces incomparable, but the young Seere couldn't match them in individual strength either. Just imagining what they might demand was terrifying.
Kain removed the hand from the back of his neck and, calming down for now, handed the envelope to Nahen and asked.
"This letter, it wasn't requested by you, was it, Nahen-nim?"
"It wasn't. I just expected it would come."
"How did you expect that?"
"Easy."
Nahen answered very simply.
"Seere got a teacher she never had before, right? Naturally, the one in the rank right above would want to keep Seere in check. They can't help but take interest."
"Then does that mean this letter only contains stories about you, Nahen-nim?"
"Not quite. They'll probably try to get something out of it while they're at it."
He shrugged as if asking why he was stating the obvious. Kain, unable to understand Nahen's attitude, said.
"Then I don't understand what you mean by waiting for the letter. Do you wish for us to pay tribute to another Demon King?"
"You don't have to worry that much, Kain."
Kain was slightly flustered. Nahen was showing a confident smile without basis, just like when the letter arrived earlier.
"Shall we check the contents first."
Nahen tore open the envelope he received from Kain. After checking the contents, he chuckled.
"She says she'll visit in a few days."
"Ah... what!? Who does?"
"Who do you think."
Nahen looked at Kain as if telling him not to ask the obvious. Kain, unable to hide his shock at that gaze, said.
"D-Don't tell me... please say it's not."
"What you're thinking is probably correct. Are you thinking of something else?"
Nahen folded the letter and handed it to him as if to say 'see for yourself.' Kain received the letter with slightly trembling hands and unfolded it. His expression hardened stiffly after confirming the contents, and his hands trembled.
"Ah... Aaaah!!"
"Calm down, Kain."
"How can I calm down!?"
Kain shouted, pointing at the letter.
"Sitri is coming personally!?"