Chapter 22 — The Princess Can't Sleep (1)
Chapter 22 — The Princess Can't Sleep (1)
When what they had known implicitly was put into writing, the demons within the Demon King's castle were all thrown into shock.
— From now on, within the castle, no one shall eat humans or any species weaker than themselves.
Nor shall they kill them meaninglessly.
To find the use of the weak and employ them is the will of the great Iron-Blooded Emperor.
A straightforward yet grim notice containing the above as its gist was posted throughout the castle.
In truth, even before the announcement appeared before the eyes of demon servants and officials, they already knew that humans were receiving training to become servants.
The ballroom was at the castle's heart. That large space had been bustling with countless humans and demons coming and going for weeks now.
It had been a long while since materials began flowing in to build quarters on the vacant lot behind the castle—no, not for slaves, but housing for humans now.
There were those who raged, fearing their livelihoods might be taken. There were those who recoiled, calling humans inferior and filthy. Yet within the castle, none dared voice it openly.
It was an imperial decree, abstract as could be.
Furthermore, word had spread that the chancellor and the other ministers of the Small Council also showed a favorable attitude toward humans.
Even the highest-ranking noble in the castle after the Demon King displayed such an attitude. The officials, nobles, and servants who watched them followed suit, mimicking a tolerant reception of humans.
"There's a strange rumor going around. Are you okay with that?"
"Huh?"
"That His Majesty said not to eat humans...."
"Ah, that. Has the rumor spread this far already?"
"The aunt next door said Sena told her a few days ago."
The vampire handmaiden returning home sighed at her younger sister's words. She had just been waylaid the moment she arrived at her house outside the castle, having finished her shift at the palace and taken three days' leave.
The neighbor, Sena, worked as a laundry maid in the royal castle.
"So, is it true?"
"Yeah. It's true."
"Whoa!"
The vampire frowned at the strange exclamation. Where had she learned such unrefined speech? No doubt it was those children around the neighborhood.
Looking back, it was strange that someone of her background had been able to rise to handmaiden. Normally, a handmaiden required at least a trace of noble blood. But until now, working in the Demon King's castle had meant risking one's life, so being a handmaiden was a more shunned occupation than being a maid.
Whether or not the younger sister understood her sister's thoughts, she chattered on excitedly.
"But why aren't we allowed to eat humans? It's basically a feast day when slaves are released from the castle."
"They say His Majesty will find a use for humans and employ them."
"What use do humans have? They're pathetically weak, so they're just meat. And you can drink some blood too."
The younger sister's fang poked out from her lips as she smacked her mouth. The older sister gave her a sidelong glance and replied while taking out-of-season spring clothes from her luggage.
"We all thought that at first, too—what use could slaves be? But His Majesty seems to have a sharper eye than we expected."
"Why?"
"Look at this."
She carefully unwrapped something she had packed away in a corner of her luggage.
"...Whoa!"
It was a small metal craft.
It wasn't adorned with expensive gems, but the polished metal had been intricately bent, reflecting sunlight at various angles. Thanks to that, the simple ornament glittered brightly.
Although vampires disliked looking directly at the sun, sparkly ornaments were attractive to them too.
"Whoa, where did you get this? Isn't it really expensive?"
"This was made by a human. An apprentice human in the castle made it, so I bought it for a really cheap price."
"Really?!"
The younger sister reached for the craft in her sister's hand but was stopped. Only after she meekly held out both hands with an expression promising to be careful did the older sister place the small brooch onto her palm.
To buy such an ornament in the streets of Basel, one would have to pay more than ten times the price. Shops run by artisans with delicate hands were rare.
The handmaiden watched her sister turning the ornament this way and that, and smiled faintly.
"Besides, this year they say grain will be handed out instead of humans."
"...What?!"
The younger sister yelled and nearly threw the ornament. In the end, the brooch was retrieved by her sighing older sister. But the younger sister's interest had already shifted to food.
Meanwhile, seeing her sister's startled reaction, the older sister thought, If she ever finds out that His Majesty has taken a human concubine, she'll really freak out.
It was a fact they had been ordered to keep silent about by the Correction Officer.
"Awesome! So instead of the regularly released human slaves, they'll be distributing grain at that time?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'll be able to get wheat and corn... all that kind of stuff!"
"That's right."
Just because they were vampires didn't mean they lived on blood alone. They weren't mere undead; they were demonkind.
They seemed to consist of various races, but they blended together, formed families, and ate food like humans.
Thus, securing grain-based food was a critical matter for them as well. Meat was, after all, a luxury food they couldn't eat much of. Human flesh was tasteless and merely a means to fill the belly. But food like bread made from grain flour filled their stomachs sufficiently, and it tasted good.
"Ahh, what a relief!"
Her sister exhaled a big sigh.
While the older sister was away at work, securing food was the younger sister's responsibility. She looked relieved.
Even though the servant's salary her sister sent was high, she herself was a physically weak demon woman.
Navigating the war-like struggle to buy food in the market during times of shortage was no easy task.
The younger sister held her older sister's hand and spoke. Her tone, unlike before, was quite serious.
"Still, whatever else, I'm glad you came back safely this time too, Sis."
Hearing that, the older sister suddenly burst out laughing. The younger sister was bewildered.
It was the first time there had been no obituaries among the servants granted leave.
*
"So, I'm telling you, His Majesty clearly likes you, Your Highness."
"How can you know that?"
"You saw it at the dinner the other day. He smiled at you like that—how can you not see it?"
"...He smiles easily by nature."
Grünent's handmaiden, Peggy, was so dumbfounded she lost her words. Good grief, she had completely fallen for him.
That blunt, grim-faced Demon King, smiling easily? He was handsome, but still.
Rauka, who had been attending the princess since yesterday, made a fierce expression all alone upon hearing that, but fortunately no one saw it.
Perhaps embarrassed by her own words, Princess Grünent curled up again and hugged her knees. Carol, who normally would have scolded her for such an unladylike posture, smiled as she looked at her.
At twenty years old, the princess looked her age, and Carol felt a pang seeing her innocent appearance.
'If only she could have shown this side while still in the kingdom.'
But this was fine too. Even if she had remained in the kingdom, the princess's fate would not have been much better.
Not unless she had overthrown the king and committed treason.
And the princess would not have been able to do that. When the critical moment came, she had ultimately been unable to make a ruthless decision.
That one weakness had ultimately driven her from Merde.
Setting aside her musings, Carol suggested to Grünent.
"Then, Your Highness, why don't you suggest a date yourself first?"
"A, a date?! How could I... to His Majesty, who is so busy."
The princess's face turned bright red.
"You could observe His Majesty's attitude, couldn't you? Even if, hypothetically, his affection is low now, if you spend more time together, he might come to care more for you?"
"Hmm...."
Grünent nodded and quietly agreed.
And so, she was now heading to the library with Roan. She had worried because she had been staying only in the tower, but Roan had surprisingly and willingly granted permission.
"You do like books. You should have suggested we go together sooner."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. I am grateful that you are accompanying me like this."
Roan entered the library with Grünent and Rauka. The two women marveled at the library's grandeur, and the Owlbear librarian bowed his head in surprise at the royal visit once again.
But his gaze grew sharp when it fell upon the forest fairy and the human. It was a look he would never dare show in the Demon King's presence.
News of the human had spread even to the library, deep within the royal castle.
Yet the librarian still half-doubted the human's abilities or nature.
Just as humans rarely encountered demons in their lives, demons too rarely saw humans in any form other than meat.
For the Owlbear, whose fear of the unknown was far stronger than that of a human, it manifested as wariness.
Passing by the librarian, Roan guided the princess to a desk in the center of the library.
"When you have finished selecting the books you wish to borrow, tell the librarian. Librarian."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Assist her should she wish to check out any books."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
The Owlbear answered in a noticeably more relaxed manner than before.
At some point, the librarian had learned through rumors that the emperor no longer killed his subordinates. Roan's deliberate practice in maintaining the 'Overwhelm' skill at a faint, constant level now also played a large part.
Meanwhile, Roan, who had made time to visit the library after a long while, hurried toward the hidden artifact. As he quietly gripped the sword's hilt, Fiora whispered.
[...It's over there. Eleven meters ahead, one o'clock.]
"I understand why I would, but why are you whispering?"
[What are you saying? This is a library.]
'....'
Now that he had started to get serious about it, life as the Demon King was busier than expected.
The Small Council now sought the emperor's permission and assistance without hesitation. He also had to persistently practice swordsmanship and skills, and was setting aside extra time to grasp the state of the nation.
But this was a jackpot item that raised every skill level by one! Fiora had been urging him to visit the library, saying that if such a thing existed, he should use it right away. However, the library was originally meant for building affection with intelligence-focused characters.
But surprisingly, Grünent had asked for a date first. In the original game, there was a library event, so he had suspected it might happen, but he hadn't expected her to initiate it like this.
Of course, in the game, that event was Adults Only. He wasn't confident he could just pull that off here and now.
Even if he somehow avoided the librarian's eyes, Rauka was here. Would there ever be a day for a threesome....
Roan, who had been happily floundering in the swamp of desire for a moment, muttered quietly, complaining to Fiora.
"But I need to be with the princess to raise her affection...."
[That's shortsighted. There are many women, but only one item. If your skills get stronger, you might find it easier to earn her affection, you know?]
"...Yeah, yeah."
Fiora didn't know about the Affection System, but she seemed to assume Roan was just an ordinary man wanting to attract a woman's attention.
Roan, who had either conceded or given up at the demon sword's scolding, headed toward the bookshelf Fiora had indicated. As he approached, something faint with power was detected even by the Demon King's 'Detection.' After checking the presence of the princess, Rauka, and the librarian once more, he whispered.
"Now I see it too. I think it's that white book."
[That's the one. That thing that doesn't match this gloomy library at all.]
"If I touch this, it won't suddenly explode with light or cause a commotion, right...?"
[Ah, wait!]
At Fiora's cry, Roan flinched and barely pulled his fingers away from the book he had been about to grab.
"...Why?!"
[Okay, it's fine~ I was just joking.]
"...."
Gritting his teeth, Roan checked 'Detection' again and carefully reached for the book.
That moment.
[Message: Four of your skills have leveled up!]
[Message: The skills that changed are listed below.
— Overwhelm Lv. 1
— Mihon Lv. 1
— Detection Lv. 1
— Mirror (Degraded) Lv. 1]
[Message: The skills that did not change are listed below.
Reason — Cannot grow because it was acquired from another person
— Will]
It was the first message to appear before the Demon King’s eyes in weeks, aside from the “First Quest” permanently fixed in the upper-right corner and subtly obstructing his vision.
Fiora had once explained that a skill without a level was like an unpolished gem and difficult to use properly. The moment the levels finally appeared, Roan felt the skills he was using grow sharper and stronger.
Growing stronger....
"Ughh!"
"Ugh... *sob*...."
"Haaahh...."
[So powerful! As expected of Roan!]
...This was a mess, a real mess.
I felt like I had seen this not long ago.