It was truly terrifying.
I might have been witnessing Evia’s complete berserk mode for the first time. I’d seen her angry before, many times, but never completely pushed to the edge like this.
I could see the President breaking out in a cold sweat, his smile stretched unnaturally.
“Demon Lord, you do understand that this is a crucial time, don’t you?”
She was quietly furious. It was the kind of anger I could imagine, but it was scarier than I had imagined. I really didn’t want to see her like this.
Was this what they meant by a devil’s smile? She was smiling gently and beautifully, but to my eyes, it looked sharp and dangerous, like the blade of a blood-soaked sword.
I learned in this company that a smile can be a threat, but had there ever been one so clearly laced with anger? The dangerous gaze felt like it was resting gently on the President’s throat.
If anything were to happen, that blade would be drawn, and his head would be severed. It felt that real.
“Well, I need some rest too, you know. After all, you need adequate breaks to do your job, don’t you?”
However, the one being subjected to that gaze was our Demon Lord—the top of this organization, and arguably the strongest.
Furthermore, I heard he had known Evia for a long time. This casual remark made me hope he had some counter-measure in mind.
“Oh, is disappearing for three hours considered an adequate break? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Lately, I’ve been forgoing my days off to dedicate myself to work. The time I spend at home is barely enough for sleep and meals. Do you have anything to say to me in this situation?”
But that hope was swiftly and calmly shattered by Evia’s voice, devoid of any inflection. So, there was no counter-measure after all.
The President’s words were merely a desperate plea. They were just words to buy time.
The President was practically signing his own execution order.
“Hey, who’s that scary person? They seem incredibly furious.”
“Shhh! Be quiet, Mom. That’s Evia-san. She’s like the President’s secretary and one of Senpai’s fiancées. Among Senpai’s wives, she holds the highest status, and if you make her angry, she’s terrifying.”
The Kaido parents, watching the scene unfold, were whispering to each other, but I’m sure Evia could hear them even in their hushed tones. I hoped they wouldn’t say anything reckless. But I wasn’t that worried.
However, Evia was clearly too enraged to pay attention to Kaido’s words. Knowing that she had abandoned her work and been resting on the way here, I couldn’t sympathize with the President. If that happened to me, I’d be furious too.
So, even as the President sent me SOS signals…
“…Haa, this is good tea. I should have Himik pack some up for her as a souvenir later.”
I chose to ignore the scene playing out before me. Even if I glared at the President with my eyes, telling him he had betrayed me, he wouldn’t react. My job was to introduce Amili-san and the Twin Angels to Meguri-san, so appeasing Evia was outside my duties. I would offer Evia my apologies later, on a personal level.
“My, you’ve been working hard, as always.”
Right now, please deal with Evia and reflect on your actions. Still, Evia’s true power was amazing. Making the President break out in a cold sweat like that.
The hierarchy was clear, and in a real fight, the President would likely win. However, in this situation, Evia had the overwhelming advantage. A subordinate who found their slacking boss. In a way, that was the strongest card to play.
The President’s likely strategy was to buy time until the instructor returned, hoping to sweep the issue under the rug and postpone the work until tomorrow. Otherwise, he would be dragged away by Evia and forced into labor. But it seemed Evia saw through the President’s attempt to stall.
“Your words of appreciation are fine. If you finish your work properly and let me go home on time, I won’t complain.”
She sent back a chilling gaze, as if to say, “If you want to appreciate me, do your job.”
“Uh, there are only about three hours left until closing time.”
The President’s smile froze. From what we’d all been doing, I knew that some time had passed, and when Kaido briefly checked his smartphone, I saw the digital clock showing past 2 PM. As the President said, there wasn’t much time left.
“That’s sufficient. If the Demon Lord uses his unique magic to its full extent, it can be finished.”
Realistically, work that required presidential approval couldn’t be completed in just three hours.
“That… I won’t come out of that unscathed.”
However, it seemed Evia knew of a unique ability the Demon Lord possessed, and if he used it, they might make it in time. Did he have a means similar to Valse-san? But the nuance of the President’s words suggested he wouldn’t emerge unscathed.
“There will be no problem. Your durability and recovery abilities are unmatched in the Demon Lord’s Army. You can complete the work, and it won’t have much impact the next day. If it does, we can prepare an Elixir from the royal palace.”
But Evia didn’t care about those circumstances. And the current Evia had no patience for such considerations. Wasn’t Elixir a top-tier potion made by a national treasure alchemist over months? I knew because I had once asked Memoria its price, and it was something I would hesitate to buy, even with my dungeon. I’d even planned to grow the ingredients for that Elixir in my dungeon.
“No, I cannot permit that, considering what might happen later.”
The President knew how precious it was. Therefore, as the person in charge, he adamantly refused.
“In that case, I will have no choice but to open the ‘Storage’ immediately and prepare for a full-scale resistance.”
However, Evia wouldn’t let him take a day off for such a reason. She stared at the President with eyes so wide they seemed to have lost their pupils. If the President chose his words carelessly, she looked ready to draw her magic sword on the spot.
“Ah, Evia.”
Realizing this was escalating, I decided to intervene. I wasn’t acting to save the President, so I wouldn’t welcome any expectant gazes from him.
“…”
As the President’s face brightened, Evia’s expression darkened ominously and sharply, making me worry she was about to do something extreme.
“Okay, I get it, I really understand that you don’t want me to interfere.”
This could lead to a major disaster. Ignoring the President’s relieved expression, I switched my awareness to combat mode, anticipating the possibility—no, given Evia’s state, perhaps a one-in-a-hundred chance—that she might attack. I maintained a posture that would allow me to evade instantly, even from a half-crouch. Evia’s primary combat style was slashes using a magic sword. I spoke after carefully assessing where to position myself.
“I have no intention of interfering with Evia’s work. The President, you can lead him away by the scruff of his neck if you have to.”
I ignored the President’s lament of betrayal. I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender and moved for the sake of those I needed to protect. Honestly, I just want to be a mediator, so why do I have to deal with a furious Evia? It would be best to keep Amili-san away from the current Evia, especially since she was pregnant. It would be out of place for the Twin Angels to get involved in this conversation. Even though I’m suppressing my magic power, it could still negatively affect Meguri-san, so I need to be careful not to leave Kaido’s side.
“I’m also on duty. I just want to finish this one task.”
“Work… Ah, the matter I contacted you about earlier.”
Understanding and agreement. These factors seemed to restore Evia’s reason. There was room for negotiation. Or rather, if the President had just done his work, none of this would have happened. Evia glanced at Amili-san and Meguri-san, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. The aura she emanated dissipated.
“My apologies for intruding on a celebration.”
Then, Evia bowed her head to Amili-san.
“It’s alright. It is a fact that the Demon Lord’s actions were improper. Abandoning work is an unforgivable offense. Demon Lord, I urge you to resume your work.”
“Eh? Kiō, you’re on their side too? With this turn of events, wouldn’t you think it would be a banquet for your pregnancy celebration and the work could be postponed until tomorrow?”
“Alas, this body carries Tadashi’s child. While I acknowledge it is a celebratory occasion, drinking is strictly prohibited. Regarding meals, from now on, I will prioritize nutrition and create an environment where the fetus can grow safely. Therefore, the banquet will be interrupted for health management. It becomes clear that the Demon Lord lingering in a banquet where the main guest is absent would be for personal reasons. I do not believe Evia can overlook this.”
I don’t know how hard the President has been working. However, from what I usually hear, he doesn’t seem to do no work at all. I can guess he’s tired of being overloaded with work. Judging by Evia’s workload, I suspect today is his tenth consecutive day of work, possibly more. Is the conflict with Isal about to break out? On top of that, there are negotiations with Japan. Even with my inclusion, there are still vacant General positions. The absence of Instructor Fushio left a significant gap. If that person were here, Evia would still have some leeway.
“I will overlook Raidou’s matter. He also takes days off after completing his work diligently. However, Demon Lord, you are different. I have increased your workload considerably, so let’s return together. If you refuse, you understand what will happen, don’t you?”
“Hahaha, OK. I get it. Let’s go back. So, could you wait with that magic?”
As I thought this, the President returned to work, either by Evia or Amili-san’s escort. Even if one is physically robust and stronger than anyone else, do they sometimes want to escape from work? It says on the command prompt that Heroes cannot escape from the Demon Lord, but can the Demon Lord escape from work? I’m learning about the true circumstances of the Demon Lord for the first time. My wry smile turned into slight amusement, but if I let out a laugh here, I’d be in a worse situation. I suppressed it firmly.
“I apologize for the interruption.”
“No, you work hard too.”
“I am working hard.”
“Well, of course.”
I offered words of encouragement to Evia, who was dragging the President away, but with a wry smile, thinking she might need to relax, I wondered if I should bring her some cake next time, and watched as the two disappeared via teleportation.
“Haa, I really meet all sorts of people since coming to this company. Tadashi, are you sure you’re doing your work properly?”
“No, more importantly, Mom. Isn’t it more surprising that we have Spirit blood in us? Why are you still so relaxed?”
“Hmm? No matter what blood I might have, I am still me. That hasn’t changed. Besides, what even are Spirits?”
“Right, Mom’s knowledge in that area is zero.”
And finally, it felt like the atmosphere was right for me to get started on my actual work. I need to tell the shop owner that the President has returned, and I also need to explain various things to Meguri-san over a meal. Finally, I felt a sense of relief that I had reached this point.
Today’s word: It’s alright to take a detour, as long as you return to the original path.
As always, thank you for your reviews and error corrections. If you found it interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc. I am also currently serializing another work: “Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, but We’re Fighting Back with Various Things in a Secret Base!!” Please check that out as well!!
