Marius, unaware of El’s jealousy towards him, was surprised and troubled.
Normally, he would consult El about such matters, but El was the problem.
(Knowing El, she might be sticking out her tongue behind my back, thinking it’s all going according to plan…?)
He couldn’t believe that her flushed face and trembling voice, as she confessed her jealousy, were a lie. If it had been an act, he was confident he would never be able to trust her again.
(Now, what should I do?)
He couldn’t use his trump card, “Eriemon.” Emma had also been acting strange lately. He suspected he or El was the cause, but somehow matters had only worsened. As the King, unable to rely on the wisdom of El and Emma, he was left to ponder alone.
“Marius!”
“Later.”
“I haven’t said anything yet!”
Ignoring Auraniess, who pouted in protest, Marius floated into the sky alone. It was an application of his levitation magic. So that wicked children wouldn’t imitate him, he used illusion magic to hide from sight.
(Sofia and the others as maids, huh?)
He reconsidered El’s suggestion. Even if it came from a place of jealousy, he didn’t think it was a terrible idea. It would be an effective move to advance human-demon coexistence. Auraniess and her kind had an aura of intimidation that prevented anyone from daring to voice an opinion. Whether that could be called coexistence was a significant issue. However, whether Sofia and the others would accept it was another matter.
(No, maybe it doesn’t have to be Sofia and them specifically…?)
From the perspective of human-demon coexistence, there was no need to be fixated on specific individuals. It would be better to have individuals who wouldn’t be feared by humans. And they would need the ability to handle unforeseen circumstances.
(Demons, perhaps?)
Marius had forgotten that demons were also a presence feared by humans. For now, the direction of adding new faces was decided. If he were to employ demons, relying on Auraniess would likely be the most optimal approach. Just as he was about to use magic to return,
“Found yooooou.”
A voice, like it was echoing from the depths of the earth, was heard. Auraniess had chased after him.
“You came at a good time.”
“Hm?”
When Marius patted his shoulder with a smile, Auraniess looked bewildered. It was natural, given that the man who had been fleeing moments ago had drastically changed his demeanor.
“I want to make friends with some demons. Do you know any good ones?”
Asked with the casualness of discussing the weather, Auraniess reflexively considered and replied,
“There are a few. What kind are you looking for?”
“Someone not feared by humans. Female demons, preferably. Ones that are obedient to me, if possible.”
Since they would be placed by his wives’ sides, they had to be female. Upon hearing Marius’s opinion, Auraniess said,
“Shall I ask Sofia first?”
(This guy, he doesn’t match faces and names.)
Marius saw through Auraniess’s reason for going to Sofia’s. Although he couldn’t complain, as he was the one who had asked the question. Sofia, who was pestered by two individuals, greeted them with her usual cool demeanor. After hearing the situation, she tilted her head.
“There is a suitable candidate, but wouldn’t humans react negatively?”
At that opening remark, Auraniess looked at Marius.
“Come to think of it, wouldn’t humans be scared if there were more demons?”
“…I was careless.”
Marius finally realized and clutched his head. Since it was a typical mistake of his, no one blamed him. Iris voiced her question.
“Why did you suddenly start talking about something like that again?”
Marius explained the situation. At this point, the Demon Lords understood the concept of maids for the first time. More accurately, two of them, excluding Sofia.
“While it’s true that frequently changing caretakers should be avoided,” Sofia said coolly. “Wouldn’t it be fine if you just didn’t get involved with them?”
Marius flinched, recalling absolute zero.
“If I may offer an excuse, even if I didn’t get involved, they would be replaced within a few years.”
This was because, in principle, only unmarried women took on the role of maid. There were exceptions, but such women were almost always appointed to important positions like Head Maid.
(It’s a system designed with marriage retirement in mind, so it’s not solely my fault.) Marius grumbled inwardly. He knew the term “marriage retirement” wouldn’t be understood.
“Then why not change the system?” Auraniess said dismissively, looking bored.
“Hm?”
Something snagged Marius’s attention. After a few seconds, he clapped his hands.
“That’s right. Let’s go with Auraniess’s idea.”
“Hoh. You finally understand my value, do you?” Auraniess said gleefully.
“No, no, Auraniess, you’re always valuable.” Marius, having received a good hint, praised her in high spirits. Seeing and hearing this, Auraniess frowned and stepped back.
“What’s with the sudden praise? That’s creepy.”
“Eh~?” Marius looked displeased at being called creepy after being praised, but in this instance, Marius was in the wrong. In his daily life, he often treated them dismissively. However, Auraniess was not the type to hold grudges.
“Oh well. If you understand my value, then worship me to your heart’s content.” He even crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. Marius genuinely bowed and chanted an incantation.
“Oh, great Auraniess, please tell me of someone good to newly appoint as my subordinate.”
As he requested with a solemn expression, Auraniess, perhaps pleased, nodded magnanimously.
“Very well. I shall tell you. Sofia.”
Sofia, who had been watching the two fools with a resigned expression, sighed and replied,
“Rather than demons, individuals with little power would be preferable. How about Centaurs?”
Centaurs are monsters with the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a human, and some individuals possess high intelligence. This tendency is particularly strong in females, and they often have serious personalities. Marius recalled information about Centaurs and nodded.
“Indeed, Centaurs might be good. They should be able to speak human languages, and Barra could easily defeat them, so they probably wouldn’t be too feared. As expected of Sofia, that’s a great idea.”
Praising her like that, Sofia sighed, showing signs of exhaustion.
“Sofia-san, thank you for your hard work.”
When Marius spoke to her, she shot him a sharp glance.
“This is also your fault, you know?”
“Yes.”
His refined features added to his intimidating presence, and Marius instinctively used polite language.
“Hey, what about me?”
“Auraniess, try to read the room.”
“Rooms are meant to be breathed in and out. If you’re going to read something, it should be the atmosphere or a presence.”
Perhaps he disliked the human idiom, Auraniess roared like a beast. Marius ignored him and spoke to Sofia.
“I want a female Centaur. Do you know anyone good?”
“Yes. Shall we go now?”
When Marius nodded, Sofia used Teleport. Auraniess and Iris were left behind,
“Hey, you bastards!”
He shouted. The fact that he didn’t try to follow showed that some reason remained within him.
Marius was brought to a certain forest by Sofia. Wondering what kind of person would be there, he walked behind Sofia. There was a monster settlement, but they observed the two from a distance. As Sofia began to walk, many creatures retreated.
“Huh? Sofia, are they afraid of you?” Marius said, looking puzzled. He found it surprising that Sofia, with her gentle and rational personality, would be feared. For Auraniess, it would be entirely unsurprising.
“They probably sense my power instinctively. I should have hidden it properly, though.”
“In that regard, they’re superior to humans.” Unfortunately, few humans could sense the power Sofia concealed. Only those of the strongest human class, like Barra and August III.
“Well, perhaps being dense is more conducive to prosperity. If they ran away or fainted every time we passed by, it wouldn’t be conducive to procreation, would it?” Marius paused involuntarily, having heard something terrifying casually mentioned.
“Hey? Wait, do you guys pass through human kingdoms that often?”
“Not that often,” Sofia replied calmly. Marius remembered he still didn’t know when Auraniess had been revived. However, he was also afraid to ask.
“I heard Auraniess was sealed, but you guys weren’t, right?” He tried to steer the conversation, thinking it would be too unnatural and cowardly to suddenly change the subject.
“Yes.” Sofia readily nodded.
“Why didn’t you break it immediately?”
“Sealing magic isn’t something that can be undone right away.” Marius received a wry smile in response to his question.
“More precisely, Melinda’s sealing magic isn’t. Regular seals wouldn’t work on Lord Auraniess in the first place.”
“Wrecking, huh…”
“Yes.” Auraniess’s “Wrecking” has the effect of negating all effects, but it can also be used for defense. The reason the annihilating effect of Annihilation didn’t work was due to Wrecking.
“Wait? Then why did Melinda’s sealing magic work?”
“…Because it wasn’t being used.” An awkward silence fell. However, Sofia continued, as if gathering her resolve.
“The fact that it wasn’t broken immediately is Melinda’s accomplishment.”
“I suppose so.” Marius found himself in a situation where he could only agree.
“Ah, there they are.” Sofia spotted a Centaur and called out. Though it was slightly contrived, Marius played along without pointing it out.
“Hm? Which one?” In the direction of her gaze, there was a group of Centaurs, and several of them appeared to be female. Female Centaurs cover their chests with seashells, but their forms are discernible. Albeit with only a discernible extent of their size.
“Tina.” When Iris called out, a Centaur nervously stepped forward.
“Y-yes. Did you call for me, Sofia-sama?”
“I’m looking for someone to work in the human kingdom. How about you?”
“Eh, eh, um, ah…” Seeing the woman fumbling with a tearful expression, Marius perceived it as Sofia bullying her. Of course, it was merely an illusion.
“What about the compensation? I have younger siblings, so I have to work hard to find food…”
“You should negotiate that with Marius.” Saying that, she shifted her gaze. The Centaurs, understanding the implication, let out a cry-like murmur.
“Ah, is that Marius-sama?”
“Marius-sama, who won’t die even fighting Auraniess-sama?”
“Marius-sama, who can live with Auraniess-sama?”
Marius felt like a rare specimen in a zoo.
“A-ah, Marius-sama. How much can I expect to receive per day?” Tina asked, trembling like a young rabbit encountering a hungry beast.
“How much do you want?” Marius retorted with a question. Tina desperately took deep breaths. Finally, she answered.
“Um, if possible, I’d like about one bull’s worth. Vegetables or fish would be fine too.”
“I think that amount is acceptable, but you’ll have to discuss the details with the Head Maid.” The Head Maid is the one who hires, trains, supervises, and pays maids. As the King, he could get most things done by issuing an order, but he still couldn’t ignore her.
(Huh? I need to persuade the Head Maid, don’t I?) Marius finally realized. His thoughtlessness was extreme.
