The Demon King Has Been Summoned
After the Demon King’s summoning, I came to the market for the first time in a while. In the port city of Marenost where I live, a large market opens once every five days. Because it only happens at five-day intervals, you could buy goods cheaper than at the usual stalls. I had come to pick up ingredients for the teahouse, but—
“What is this? Why is the quality of this flour so terrible? Mister. Be honest—how many years has this been sitting around?”
Charlene, who had plunged her hand straight into the sack to feel the flour, shot the words like a dagger. The merchant selling it gave an awkward laugh.
“T-that’s not possible. Such harsh words from such a pretty young lady. If you’re not buying, please leave. Don’t interfere with my business. Shoo, shoo.”
The merchant answered that way, but his face was drenched in cold sweat. ……There was no doubt he was trying to sell flour that had been stored for years.
Charlene, dressed in comfortable outing clothes for the first time in a while, touched the flour once more before springing to her feet.
“Let’s go, Master. We’ll buy it somewhere else.”
“Huh? Uh… sure……”
How many times was this now? While shopping at the market, Charlene was being far pickier than necessary.
“Um… Charlene. Wouldn’t it be fine to just pick something roughly and buy it?”
“No. Absolutely not. Everything is going to be turned into snacks for sale. If we cook with low-grade flour, customers will drop off. Why don’t you understand something so obvious? Hm, Master?”
Ugh…… There was nothing I could say to Charlene, whose head now contained the full knowledge of an elite maid.
Even in a crowded market like this, Charlene’s appearance stood out dramatically. Most of the men passing by stole at least one glance at her.
Heh heh… Wait a second. If I’m walking around with Charlene, won’t people assume I’m her boyfriend? Might as well enjoy these jealous stares while I can.
Of course Charlene wasn’t actually my girlfriend, but still.
I was busy savoring the envious glares pouring onto me from beside her when—
Suddenly Charlene stopped dead in her tracks.
She stood motionless, staring up at a distant mountain with an expression I had never seen on her before. It was completely serious.
What? What’s going on? Charlene had never looked this grave in front of me.
After staring hard at the faraway mountain peak for a long moment, she spoke.
“Master?”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Where is the highest spot nearby right now?”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you later. Hurry.”
Her voice was dead serious. The highest place around here would be…?
I turned and pointed in the opposite direction.
“There’s a tall hill that way. Wandering painters go there often to paint……”
“Take me there.”
Without warning Charlene grabbed my hand and strode briskly toward the place I had indicated.
W-wait, what? What the hell is happening?
A high hill that offered a sweeping view of all of Marenost. There, Charlene stood with one hand shading her eyes, staring intently at something far in the distance. When the wind blew, her long black hair danced wildly.
“What’s going on, Charlene?”
When I asked in a serious tone, she swept her hair back, closed both eyes, let out a small sigh, and answered.
“The worst possible thing has happened.”
“Huh?”
“Apocryon has been summoned into the human realm.”
……What?
“How do you even know that?”
Charlene looked down at me.
“I can feel the demonic energy from the Demon Realm. All the way here. It’s no ordinary power. Anyone would recognize it as Demon King level.”
So it had finally come to this.
I stood up and gazed in the same direction as Charlene. Now what?
“What do you think will happen from here?”
“I sense a faint but unmistakably evil magic. They will probably try to wipe out humanity.”
Wipe out humanity? Damn it. Why do Demon Kings always go straight for that option? What kind of grudge does that bastard Sephirot hold against the world that he would summon a Demon King?
Charlene placed her hand on her forehead again, still staring into the distance, and continued.
“Don’t worry, Master. I will protect both you and this neighborhood teahouse.”
Huh?
That same afternoon. The capital of the Arcadia Empire—Aurelium.
Inside the Saint Clear Imperial Palace, a meeting steeped in heavy tension was underway.
“I-is that truly the case?”
When the frail and indecisive Emperor Valderic spoke with a terrified face, Duke Lucas Eisenvelt, head bowed, answered coldly.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is certain. The court mages have detected the magic power of Demon King Apocryon coming from the northernmost mountain range.”
“Who would do such a thing? Who could commit an act so monstrous……”
“It is undoubtedly Sephirot’s work. There were multiple eyewitness reports of him in that vicinity.”
Emperor Valderic’s face twisted with rage.
“So that bastard finally…… that bastard has caused an incident. That damned fool!”
It was unlike the emperor to show such open fury; his face flushed crimson and pale by turns. Eisenvelt ignored the emperor’s reaction, arrogantly tilting his head as he spoke.
“Your Majesty, do not worry. I will mobilize the imperial knight order and my own private forces to repel the Demon King.”
“N-no, the knight order will receive separate orders from me to—”
“I shall take my leave.”
The de facto ruler of the Arcadia Empire, Lucas Eisenvelt, completely disregarded the emperor and led the other nobles out of the office.
Shortly after Eisenvelt withdrew, the empire’s prince and princess strode in. Prince Cassian and his younger sister, Princess Mage. Both of their faces burned with clear anger.
“How long will you continue to tolerate the tyranny of that arrogant Lucas Eisenvelt? Take the real power back from him at once, Father. Please. I’m begging you.”
When Princess Mage opened with such a plea, Prince Cassian nodded as well.
“Father, how long must the Saint Clear Imperial Family endure humiliation at the hands of a rootless noble like him?”
Unlike their father, the sharp-witted children made their request (which was hardly a request at all). Emperor Valderic, head still bowed, answered in a voice that barely carried.
“……What can I do when I possess no power? It has already been ten years since Duke Lucas Eisenvelt seized control of this nation……”
“Father!”
Princess Mage cried out, tears welling in her eyes. Prince Cassian bit his lip hard before forcibly changing the subject.
“Father, from what Mage and I overheard outside earlier, Eisenvelt was speaking of the Demon King…… Is it true?”
“Yes. It appears Apocryon has been resurrected in the northern mountains. That bastard Sephirot is behind it.”
Princess Mage, wiping her tears, replied.
“So he finally…… Why does he want to destroy this empire so badly? What should we do now, Father?”
“There are matters you must not know about.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Emperor Valderic briefly recalled the past that bound him to Sephirot, then quickly returned to the present. Prince Cassian jumped in immediately.
“Father, it seems we have no path left but forward. This is both crisis and opportunity. If the imperial family defeats Apocryon, the people will look to us with reverence. Grant me permission. I will repel Apocryon myself.”
“Don’t speak such nonsense! Do you think the Demon King Apocryon is some neighborhood puppy?”
When the emperor lightly scolded his son, Prince Cassian shut his mouth with an embarrassed look.
“……The best outcome would be for Duke Lucas Eisenvelt to fight Apocryon and die in the process. Afterward, we can find a way to defeat the Demon King ourselves.”
At those words Princess Mage shook her head.
“Father, the day Lucas Eisenvelt defeats Apocryon, our Saint Clear Imperial Family will be finished. He will win the hearts of the people and may very well try to seize the throne for himself.”
“I-I am aware of that as well.”
Emperor Valderic sighed and rose, gazing out the window.
“The thousand-year empire of Arcadia has become a candle flickering in the wind……”
Noticing their father wished to be alone, Prince Cassian and Princess Mage bowed politely and withdrew from the office.
“Brother, what will we do now?”
The moment they left, Princess Mage asked. Prince Cassian swept his hair back and answered.
“I told you earlier, Mage. This is our chance. We must capture Apocryon ourselves no matter what.”
“Is that even possible? Didn’t you hear what Father said?”
“We cannot simply sit still. First, prepare your armor and sword, Mage. A war to defeat the Demon King is about to begin.”
Tears shimmered in Princess Mage’s large eyes as she spoke.
“Even dealing with that Lucas Eisenvelt is already too much, and now a Demon King has been summoned…… Why would Sephirot do such a thing? Brother, do you know anything?”
“Would an A-rank fugitive try to ruin the empire without reason? He simply enjoys destruction. Well then, I’ll head off first.”
Cassian stroked his sister’s head, then hurried toward his own quarters. Princess Mage turned her gaze out the window.
“Please… let a miracle occur……”
The beautiful princess’s voice was filled with desperation.
Roughly three days had passed since Apocryon appeared on this land. My teahouse was enjoying an ordinary day, until—
“Hey, pretty maid lady over there. Come here. Come sit on my lap. Hehehe…… Let me touch that pale skin of yours.”
The drunk customer who had been acting sketchy finally caused a scene. Drunkards are a nuisance no matter where you go.
Charlene, who had just set down tea and snacks at another table, glared at the man with icy eyes. Ever since Charlene started working here, customer numbers had risen—and so had the number of bastards who tried sleazy moves on her.
Charlene let out a long sigh and stared the drunk down.
“Oh my~ What are you glaring at? Hey. Aren’t you coming over? Don’t you know the customer is king? Huh?”
Charlene calmly walked over and stood before him.
“Customer, what do you require?”
“What do I require? You. Aren’t you going to sit?”
The drunk reached out to forcibly pull her down beside him. Charlene slapped his hand away.
“I am a maid, not a tavern prostitute……”
“What? This, this insolent bitch—!”
The moment the drunk raised his hand, Charlene’s crimson eyes flashed with a razor-sharp light.
Whoa. The killing intent was overwhelming. Even I, watching from a distance, felt my legs nearly give out. The drunk must have sensed the same thing; he lowered his hand and swallowed hard.
“Y-you… what the hell are you staring at? Who are you?”
Apparently the drunk had sobered up from fear. Charlene blinked her red eyes once and answered in a voice that strained to remain polite.
“Stop making a scene and return home. Before you cause a real accident.”
Her tone was as freezing as the gaze she had shown earlier. The drunk’s leg trembled violently. Then he slammed both palms on the table and shot up.
“D-damn it! You ruined my whole mood!”
He threw some coins on the table, staggered, and fled the teahouse.
Whew…… Thank goodness. It ended without incident.
Charlene really was a natural-born maid. She handled even drunk customers perfectly.
While I was thinking that and sliding another tray of snacks into the oven, armored soldiers suddenly poured in from outside. They were the city guards.
“Do you…… have anything cold to drink?”
A dignified-looking blond man asked. I hurried over.
“We’re a teahouse, so…… the only cold drink we have is ice water.”
“Ice water is fine. I’ll pay.”
Oh. A customer with actual manners. After running this teahouse for over five years, I could tell the difference between troublemakers and polite guests at a glance.
The man who ordered ice water was wearing distinctive armor…… Perhaps the captain of the city guard? I decided to fish for information.
“They say the Demon King appeared in the northern mountain range…… What’s the current situation?”
He gulped down the ice water, wiped his mouth, and answered.
“The imperial army is being pushed back at an alarming rate. Marenost is the southernmost port city, so we’re still safe for now, but……”
“Is the Demon King single-handedly crushing the imperial forces?”
“No. They say he has an army. I haven’t encountered the Demon King’s forces yet, so I don’t know what kind of creatures they are.”
Hmm. The situation really was bad.
I glanced sideways at Charlene. She simply shrugged and whispered from across the room.
-I don’t know.
What? Why was she acting like that? She said she would protect me?
Sigh. The future looked like nothing but trouble. If only I had power…… Damn it.