I'm Going to Meet You Now
The seemingly endless war between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm had finally reached its end.
That meant the era of procuring slaves through warfare was over.
That meant the days when orcs were overflowing with sex slaves were done.
"Damn it."
In other words, it meant I, reincarnated as an orc, couldn't enjoy my slaves anymore.
"How did I even build that collection, though…"
But the prisoners had to be exchanged, and the orcs' sex slaves had to be returned to their original places.
"So we're handing over all those sex slaves? No, I should secretly keep a few."
"Who wouldn't want to keep some?"
"Then just keep them."
"You stupid bastard…"
The idiotic subordinate spouted words without a care, completely oblivious to my anguish.
But of course there was no way anyone in this world could match the standards of my eyes, detached as they were from this realm.
"Who were my sex slaves again?"
"Well, Lord Gornakh's sex slaves were famous throughout the entire Demon Realm, not just among orcs! Beautiful knights, royalty, and clergy!"
Thinking back, all I felt was regret.
That collection I'd painstakingly assembled had vanished in an instant the moment the ceasefire came and I was told to release all prisoners.
"You literally collected only the highest-ranking, most beautiful ones, like a treasure chest of jewels, didn't you?"
"It's a well-known story that even the Demon King himself came to question your slaves for information or consider a truce during the latter half of the war."
"Right, but if I tried to keep even one of those bastards, do you think their country would just sit still?"
During the war, the sex slaves I'd collected had actually boosted my reputation.
But now that the war was over, I had to return all those women because of where they came from.
"I suppose even if they go back, who knows if they'll be able to resume their original lives."
"Still, Lord Gornakh treated his slaves well, didn't he?"
"Well, in a way…"
Since the Flower Garden was a collection of women of a completely different caliber, I hadn't treated them like ordinary slaves.
And I hadn't broken them in the usual way either.
"Whatever. It's all old news now."
What good was being a war hero of the Demon Realm when it no longer meant anything?
"Even if you call it old news, the slaves aren't coming back. Let's stop and get up."
"Where are we going?"
"Father's calling."
I paused mid-step.
"Come to think of it, you were the one who told me."
"Ah, right."
"Stupid bastard…"
****
It's not something to boast about, but my father is a clan chief.
Of course, as the second son, I had nothing to do with succeeding as clan chief, so my position was ambiguous at best.
But that was the least of my concerns right now…
"What did you just say?"
"What I heard."
"Now that the Demon King has changed and the war is over, we'll need envoys to establish diplomatic relations, won't we?"
The clan chief pointed at me.
"And for that, someone who already knows the other side would be best, wouldn't they?"
"I'd rather send someone who's never met them before."
I wasn't speaking idly — I meant it sincerely.
Even an enemy of your parents isn't a stranger, so claiming familiarity as a bonus was no different from believing in nonsense.
It was no different from blindly trusting ignorance.
"It's the Demon King's order, so go."
"Has the Demon King's head been fried too…"
I genuinely wondered if every race in this Demon Realm capable of sustained thought had long since fled to the Human Realm.
"Still, you could meet with the Demon King and ask for what you want, right?"
"Understood, for now."
Come to think of it, I'd never actually met the current Demon King.
The one who had overthrown the previous Demon King who started the war and taken the throne.
I'd heard that one had been overthrown from within, and the Demon King had changed again, but I'd never seen their face.
'I guess I'll have to see what empty-headed bastard took that seat.'
And when I saw…
"You've worked so hard!"
'Not an empty-headed bastard.'
An empty-headed bitch.
But her beauty was enough to forgive her stupidity.
The blue skin characteristic of demons, her voluptuous breasts, and her beautiful face were a pleasure to look at.
"Mmm! Even so, you still look the best to me."
…Though she was the kind of beauty who lost points if she didn't stay still.
If only I could shut that mouth and use those enormous horns as handles—
'I'm going crazy.'
I'd gotten too used to the orc lifestyle.
And the war was over, so it was time to start living like a proper person again.
Bringing myself back to my senses, I looked at the Demon King, who wore clothes with a high degree of exposure, clearly aware of how attractive she was.
"You know the high-ranking people better than anyone, right?"
Ultimately, a diplomat was someone who conveyed or handled a nation's affairs in a foreign country.
It would be convenient to know about the important people, but…
"All those high-ranking people will hate me, you know."
"What human doesn't hate demons?"
That was surprisingly on point.
But I wasn't talking about a "just dislike" level — they might harbor deep-seated grudges.
"If they're telling me to go, I go. What choice do I have?"
"That's not something a normal boss would say, you know?"
"Ugh, why are you being so un-orcishly smart? Just go. I'll give you lots of money."
Right. In the Demon Realm, who defied the Demon King's orders?
If it bothered me that much, I could just become Demon King myself.
Unfortunately, I wasn't yet powerful enough to usurp the throne.
"Understood."
In the end, I couldn't protest.
Well, I had protested, but it wouldn't have worked on people who covered their ears and refused to listen.
****
"Damn it."
In the end, I was dragged into that damn diplomatic procession.
"What's wrong? Is it the foreign country that's making you nervous—"
"No, it's not that."
It was a different problem.
"You don't know what kind of slaves I had, do you?"
"Well, you were famous for picking only royalty, nobles, and high-ranking, powerful people to devour."
"Then who will be in the foreign country I'm going to?"
"Ah…"
Now even this guy seemed to realize I was in for trouble.
I had to go as a diplomat to a place ruled by people who would absolutely despise me.
I worried that assassins of incredible skill might slit my throat in the blink of an eye.
But then again, it was my second life — if I died again, I'd just go somewhere else.
"If anything happens to me or Father while I'm gone, send me a letter."
"Yes, have a safe trip."
Outside the door I exited, a procession of carriages waited.
The procession of carriages stretched out on a far larger scale than I'd expected, truly signifying that the Demon King intended to establish diplomatic relations with humans.
'Surprising.'
They'd given me a nameplate for the diplomatic department, and the carriage I was assigned was decent.
Among those walking, there were a few orcs like me.
"Hello~"
And among them was a succubus.
"What are you here for?"
"Same kind of work. Though you're the overall supervisor, of course."
"I see. Wait a minute — why am I the overall supervisor?"
"Want me to go ask the Demon King?"
"Never mind. Rather than going to that stupid bitch, I'll just pin on my own nameplate."
The carriage ride was smooth.
It was like a guillotine with stairs installed for easy boarding.
****
"It's an honor to meet a war hero and strategist of the Demon Realm like this."
It was awkward to introduce myself, but I was somewhat famous in the Demon Realm.
I was known as an orc who had provided strategic command to a once-ignorant race, not just for my martial strength.
"I actually visited Lord Gornakh's Flower Garden before. It was truly amazing."
"Now all those bastards will be trying to kill me…"
I didn't want to think about the headache-inducing future.
I decided to cover my forehead with a towel and try to sleep.
"No, they might actually be more friendly than you think."
"Why?"
"When orcs take someone as a sex slave, they usually break or ruin them, right? That's standard."
That wasn't entirely wrong, I had to admit.
Compared to what orcs normally did, I had indeed treated them extremely gently.
"And you trained all those slaves, didn't you? Among the succubi, they call Lord Gornakh 'Master of the Nobility.'"
That gave me a bit of hope for a more optimistic future, but then—
"Ah, but there'll be people who hate me even more, on the flip side."
"Why?"
"Once someone's been with Lord Gornakh, they'll never be satisfied with any other pleasure. They might harbor an incredibly deep grudge… Unfulfilled desire is more frustrating than you'd think."
If I was inadvertently building up resentment, my head was going to ache.
My mind, which had been starting to clear, felt like it had plunged into a muddy puddle.
"Don't worry. That's why I'm here. I'm good at handling already-tamed females, too."
"Right…"
I didn't know anymore.
"Wait… where are we heading first?"
"The City-State Alliance. There's the sea, so it'll be nice."
'Over there…'
"Oh, the current Martial Guild's Guild Master was one of Lord Gornakh's slaves."
Let's say I didn't hear that.
There was no way to know how quickly the situation I'd been worrying about would come to pass.
"A slave I'm meeting for the first time. Let's collect her."
"Collect her?"
"I told you. They'll never forget what you used to give them."
I couldn't tell if that was true, but if it was, the story would be different.
"If that's possible, I'd really appreciate it."
"Of course!"
And so began the adventure of an orc warrior collecting slaves once more.