Conquering the Barony #7
Once I finished my conversation with Carti, I immediately convened a meeting with my officers. News from the Demon Realm needed to be shared right away. As a rule, I share all information with my subordinates.
"Well, that’s the situation."
I relayed the information Carti had provided and the fact that I would be meeting with Duchess Kerasis.
But the reaction from these women was absurd.
"You... had a mother?"
"What was that?"
It started with Reika.
"You actually had one?"
"You had a mother?"
From Irene to Vanessa, they all chimed in.
"It’s clearly a lie."
Lea joined in on the skepticism as well.
"Hey. Is it for real? You really had a mother?"
"No, then what, do you think I was born out of thin air?"
Did I never mention that I had a mother?
"Since you're a demon, you could have just emerged from the darkness."
"Don't say such ridiculous things. Where is there a person without a mother? I have a mother, too, in a conceptual sense."
I don't think of her as a "mother" in the traditional sense, but since she’s the one who produced me, the concept holds.
"Hmm."
But they all looked unconvinced.
They were staring at my face, deep in thought.
"But if you have a mother... how can you treat women so roughly?"
"That’s... certainly strange. To think that a guy who has a mother enjoys raping women. I can't understand it."
"There must be something wrong with you! Rape? You wouldn't even be able to do such a thing if you thought of your mother's face! There's no way a shameless bastard who engages in rape-sex until a woman's pussy is shredded has a mother!"
Reika, Vanessa, and Irene began to grill me in earnest. These women, seriously. Have they not had enough of the "sweet" treatment yet? Should I rotate them through some tentacle torture?
They’d probably enjoy it immensely, but punishment is punishment.
"No, what on earth are you all talking about? What does that have to do with my mother... And Lady Irene, what’s with the 'mother-insulting'..."
"How were you even raised by your mother to be like this! You shameless rape-sex criminal!"
"Raised? I haven't even seen her face except for when I came here."
"Excuse me?"
A brief silence fell over the room.
"What does that mean?"
"Did I not tell you this story? It’s simple. Demon families are very different from what humans imagine."
I had to explain it once and for all. First, that I was born from an egg. Therefore, I had never seen my mother's face while growing up.
I did see her once right before I came here, but that was just the last time I saw her before she effectively abandoned me to the Middle Realm.
Ah, I embellished that part a little. I wasn't abandoned; I was dispatched under orders from the Demon Realm.
"There is no such thing as human-like love in a demon family. Even if we are children, we are just tools. I was treated as a tool and dispatched to the Middle Realm. I have been alone since I was young."
As I finished my story.
"..."
"..."
"..."
They all turned their heads, avoiding my gaze. They had been teasing me about my mother just a moment ago, but now that they knew the details, they must have felt sorry.
"Why are you turning your heads? Lift them up so we can start the meeting. This isn't that big of a deal. Anyway, until Carti sends new information, we will focus on increasing our weight class. I intend to head out to recruit new soldiers for voluntary enlistment immediately, so get ready—"
"Kuh!"
"Wait, Saintess?"
Suddenly, the Saintess jumped up, approached me, and pulled me into a tight embrace!
"To think you had such a difficult past...! *Sob!*"
"Saintess? What on earth?"
"If you need a mother, tell me anytime! Although I am a body like a whore who cannot live without sex, I can offer you the warmth of this body whenever you wish! Now, call me Mother starting today! This mother will accept everything! From today on, I will consider you my child!"
"No, wait! Who said you could be my mother!"
"Don't cry...!"
I told her I was fine!
But honestly, wouldn't having a Saintess as a mother be a huge win?
The meeting ended.
"That bastard."
Reika felt a sense of unease as she stepped outside the dungeon.
She wanted to get some air.
"His family situation was really bad."
It was deeply unfortunate. She wasn't the only one who felt that way. Everyone was feeling quite sorry for him inside.
It might have started as rape, but now the sex had become quite enjoyable, and they had developed real feelings. The monsters, too, were creepy at first, but now they were reliable comrades.
Reika thought of them all as family.
"Phew."
A broken home.
The Demon King had spoken as if it were no big deal, but that was clearly a defense mechanism.
A miserable childhood.
She knew well that just because he was a demon didn't mean he was a monster without any common sense.
He possessed sensitivity just like a normal human.
If a guy like that had lived in such a harsh environment, he was bound to be scarred and go astray in many ways. But... he was on the side of those who hadn't gone too far astray for a demon.
"If he had a normal family."
He probably would have lived a good life.
Even though he was born a demon and lived that way, he was a guy who cherished his family above all else. At his core, he was a good guy. Probably.
"It’s as if he has no mother."
He didn't receive the education he should have gotten from a mother. The Demon King was a lonely guy. The fact that he cherished his family proved it. Because he had never received love since he was young, he was obsessed with the family he had created himself.
Reika thought to herself, judging this to be a very sound analysis. She felt better knowing she understood him better.
"If he has no mother."
Someone had to become his mother.
She knew it was a funny thought, but he still needed a mother-like figure.
Perhaps his obsession with sex, rape, and women was a mixture of longing for a mother and a desire for revenge against the mother who abandoned him.
He was obsessed with women, but he also tried to inflict pain through rape. The former was an expression of longing for a mother, and the latter was an expression of resentment toward the mother who abandoned him. He was trying to vent his resentment toward his mother by raping women.
Reika thought this, judging once again that she was very skilled at psychological analysis.
"The more I know, the more pitiful he is..."
His heart, which cherished his family. Thinking of that, her chest began to ache. Because he wasn't loved by his mother, he was obsessed with the family he made himself.
"..."
The Saintess had said it earlier.
To think of her as his mother. Well, it seemed the Saintess had had a similar thought. But she couldn't concede this. If there was anyone who could be his mother, it was only herself.
Sharan? Lumika? Serineu?
They were all good kids, but they were a bit far from maternal love. Even if they were affectionate, they were fairies who didn't know a mother's love.
What about the other women? It was true that they felt sorry for the Demon King, but she was the only one who truly cared for him.
She needed to keep the Saintess in check.
She was the only one who could be his mother. The only place suitable for the Saintess was the second spot, like a stepmother.
"Let's go! To collect new recruits!"
"Keruuuuk!"
"Grrrrrrr!"
We advanced without hesitation!
"Force every recruit you see to enlist voluntarily! We are building our army's strength before advancing into the human world!"
The Baron's army was already crushed, and the Dark Elves in the vicinity had all been absorbed by me. Now that the most dangerous forces were gone, I was practically the ruler of this region.
The farmland was already complete. Then, it was time to advance into the jungle. I would make every monster I saw my subordinate!
"Go, Culs Demon King Army!!!"
"Keruk! Keruk! Keruk!"
"Kerururung!"
And so, we advanced into the jungle.
Goblins. Kobolds. Imps. The manpower resources were abundant. They would appear as soon as we went outside our range of operation. And the Pixie village... Julia had said in the past that she had seen Pixies while coming here.
Capturing new Pixies was also an attractive prospect.
"Lady Julia. I'll be counting on you to guide the way."
"Fufufu, please trust me. There will be many monsters."
"That’s good."
Very good.
"Serineu. If you find the Pixie village, you can go and talk to them, right?"
"Yeah! Are we getting more friends now?"
"If we find them. Anyway, if you find the Pixie village, Serineu, go and talk to them well. If we make those Pixies part of our team, our air power will be strengthened."
"Trust me! I'm confident I can become friends with all the Pixies!"
"You cute thing."
She looked so full of confidence. In fact, it couldn't be helped, because the Pixies had become dramatically stronger after coming under me.
If she showed them that and reached out her hand, all the Pixies would surely take Serineu's hand.
"If I gather a lot of friends, make me a Pixie Company Commander!"
"Hehehe, of course I should."
"Ah, Demon King! Now that I think about it, when do I become a Company Commander!"
"I'll promote you as soon as we harvest the Goblin recruits this time!"
"Kerururururung!!! I'll catch them all! Keruk!"
It was about time Buril became a Company Commander too!
"Ah, should I also reorganize the rank system?"
As the unit size grew, I would have no choice but to reorganize the ranks properly. I'd have to discuss this with the smart ones.
As I was thinking that.
—*Swish.*
The Saintess approached my side. And then, she suddenly started wiping my forehead with a handkerchief.
"Are you hot? Here, I have brought water."
Her voice was as gentle as a mother's.
"No... Saintess. Didn't I tell you that I don't need a mother?"
"It is because this mother wants to do it for you. Come, come. Hydration is essential. It is hot, so you might get dehydrated, so you must take care of yourself."
"Kuh... Lady Lea."
Looking at Lea.
"Haa."
She was sighing with a very fierce expression.
"Being the Saintess's son. I can't acknowledge that."
"I don't think I can acknowledge it either!"
Who was I supposed to ask for help with this!
"Ah, Lady Reika! Come and pull the Saintess away from me!"
I tried calling Reika first.
But.
"...You."
"Lady Reika?"
"Do you have any intention of calling me Mother?"
"Why is this woman like this too!!!"