The Head Maid sighed deeply when Marius consulted her.
“Your Majesty, you’ve been skipping your intellectual labor too much lately.”
“S-Sorry.”
I apologized politely before I could help myself.
To Marius, the Head Maid was a familiar presence who reminded him of his deceased mother.
That’s why he reacted with a certain degree of politeness.
If it were a friend he’d left in his previous world, they would have teased him, “Are you a mama’s boy?”
“One maid per day for a whole cow is clearly too much.”
“Ah, really?”
Having survival experience, Marius had a rough idea.
He just needed to think about how long it took him to eat a whole deer’s worth of meat.
Marius’s negligence could be said to be that he thought up to that point but no further.
“Your Majesty.”
Marius averted his gaze when the Head Maid glared at him for catching a murmur.
“However, the idea might not be so bad.”
“Eh?”
Marius’s eyes widened at the unexpected remark.
“If it were a centaur, even Your Majesty…”
Marius averted his eyes again.
This time, with a cold sweat.
While it could be taken as a rude remark, it was true and expressed a sense of fatigue rather than malice or sarcasm.
As someone who was aware of causing them trouble, he couldn’t get angry.
“Very well. I shall speak to the consorts myself.”
“Eh? You will?”
It was extremely reassuring to have the Head Maid say that.
She was a figure whom not only Marius but also his wives and maids looked up to.
“Yes. Excuse me for saying so, but it would probably be difficult for Your Majesty to persuade them.”
Was it the politeness of a vassal not to state it as impossible, or was it the Head Maid’s own kindness?
“Both, probably.”
For Marius, it was the ideal development.
He could ask El, but if a Scheming Succubus were involved, everyone would be on maximum alert.
“Eeeh~?”
Lovisa and Barra exclaimed in unison, and the startled baby started to cry.
The wet nurses hurriedly carried the baby out of the room.
“A centaur maid, seriously?” Barra said, and Lovisa continued,
“Don’t say things like Marius or El would.”
The two then turned to Marius with meaningful looks.
One could say they were truly wives to think that Marius or El might say such a thing.
Marius shrugged.
Seeing this, his wives adopted expressions that seemed to say, “As expected, it’s this man.”
“Did you get the idea from El or someone?”
Lovisa’s remark made Marius realize the terrifying power of a woman’s intuition.
“That’s probably about right,” the Head Maid asserted.
It seemed she had no intention of covering for Marius.
“However, as El suggested it, it’s not a bad idea. The only difficulty is that it’s a bit too expensive.”
“Then shouldn’t we just reject it?” Barra asked, looking displeased, but Lovisa appeared to be contemplating.
“So it has that many advantages?”
“Yes,” the Head Maid stated decisively.
“First, we can expect to move from the current state of mere non-aggression to true coexistence. Second, we can reduce the labor and cost of finding, hiring, and training new maids. And if we hire a warrior race, it can also strengthen our defensive capabilities.”
Marius was impressed by the many advantages.
It seemed El’s claim that she thought of it for Marius wasn’t a lie.
Lovisa murmured, “I see.”
“If coexistence between humans and demons truly begins, military spending can be curbed, the working population will increase, and economic development can be pursued. Those who lose their jobs can pioneer demon habitats or develop new products needed for interaction with demons. If we are to interact with demons, we will likely need to deliver goods, which would increase the demand for transportation and its escort services. In the worst-case scenario, they could be utilized to improve public safety in various regions. Of course, there will be several problems, but it seems worth trying.”
“Ooooooh!”
Hearing Lovisa’s words, Marius cheered inwardly.
He hadn’t understood any of it.
At least for now, everything was going well, and he was impressed by El’s brilliance.
There was no way that Scheming Succubus wouldn’t have realized this.
He did voice one concern.
“Problems?”
“Yes.”
Lovisa’s gaze turned to Marius.
“Living with a race that has been our enemy, with completely different appearances, lifespans, and values, can itself be a spark. It won’t be easy to change professions. Some kind of vocational training will likely be necessary. And there’s no guarantee that interaction with demons will produce anything. If it fails, the necessary compensation will be immense, and it’s certain we’ll suffer a major blow.”
“…Perhaps we should stop.”
Marius suddenly wanted to change his policy 180 degrees.
Seeing her timid husband’s attitude, Lovisa clicked her tongue.
“Even so, it’s worth doing. You’ll have to work too.”
“That’s fine, but…”
Marius had done almost nothing so far.
If he left Auraniess unchecked, it could lead to a crisis of world survival. And human-demon coexistence was possible precisely because Marius was here. Yet, he himself didn’t really feel it.
So, being given work was greatly appreciated.
“What do I need to do?”
He looked at her with expectant eyes, and she returned a smile.
“For starters, please have El submit a proposal for promoting human-demon interaction. I only understand human values and sentiments, and so do the others. It won’t be helpful to ask the Auraniess, will it?”
“…Yes.”
Marius left the room with a somewhat pathetic feeling.
He had kind of hoped for a bit more work, but he resigned himself to the fact that it was beyond his capabilities.
It was unusual for the King himself to be considered useless, but there were several individuals who only listened to him.
As for Iris and Sophia, it was less that they were “listening to Marius” and more that they were “indulging someone friendly with Auraniess.”
Marius wasn’t conceited, nor was he mistaken.
“Call El.”
Marius summoned El.
Familiars could be summoned anytime, anywhere.
In fact, this was his first time actually “summoning” her.
Did you call, Master?
To the Succubus, who looked surprised rather than surprised, Marius explained the situation.
After hearing everything, El sighed.
“Centaur is out of the question. I think Lamia would be better.”
“…Eh?”
Marius couldn’t believe his ears.
He then asked,
“Don’t Lamia mainly eat human children?”
At least, that was how it was in game settings, and they were monstrous beings with the upper bodies of beautiful girls.
“They do, but they eat all kinds of animal meat.”
Marius felt irritated by El’s nonchalant demeanor.
“No, but wouldn’t that put my children in extreme danger?”
“That’s precisely why coexistence between humans and demons will be persuasive. Centaurs, while monsters, possess intellect and reason, and understand human language. They are beings with whom humans can communicate, and therefore not terrifying opponents.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
This was probably why the Head Maid and Lovisa hadn’t objected.
“That’s why we must yield to others. It’s human nature to follow what the Master has started.”
“…Is that so?”
He thought of them being susceptible to trends like Japanese people, but it wouldn’t make sense, so he only thought it in his heart.
“Yes. Some fools might even cause a commotion, calling it rebellion against the Master if they don’t follow.”
“That kind of thing is annoying.”
This was something he could imagine, so he sighed.
“Besides, if the Master makes them Familiars, the problems of food expenses and danger will be solved.”
Marius was slightly confused by her words.
“No, no, wouldn’t that mean it’s not coexistence between humans and demons? Isn’t coexistence precisely without that kind of thing?”
“Wouldn’t the difficulty and danger of interaction change drastically depending on whether the Master and Auraniess are present?”
El looked genuinely perplexed, leaving Marius speechless.
Seeing her master like this, El sighed.
“Human-demon coexistence is only possible because the Master desires it and Auraniess doesn’t oppose it. At this point, we can only force it forward.”
That’s how they reform consciousness little by little and overcome the problems that arise.
That’s what’s important, El said.
“In the first place, human-demon coexistence is bound to have problems, isn’t it? The reason they aren’t surfacing is simply that all the monsters are refraining from doing so, not wanting to attract Auraniess’s attention.”
Marius’s shoulders slumped at the blunt statement.
He realized his own perception had been far too naive.
While neither Auraniess nor the Succubi had any reason to attack humans, there were species like Lamia, who had previously made humans their main food source.
They had to teach them to subsist on something other than humans, and furthermore, to be satisfied with it.
“So you’re saying we should force human-demon coexistence for now?”
“Yes. Monsters can survive without attacking humans, and they need to understand that they can live alongside humans. Especially the monsters. Wouldn’t humans also be inclined to get along with beings who don’t attack them and can live peacefully?”
“That’s true. Probably.”
This was a situation where he should have spoken with conviction, but Marius wasn’t from this world.
He couldn’t perfectly grasp the sentiments of this world’s humans.
“We should capture a Lamia, make her a Familiar, and have her as a maid. Then, we should work with her to find food that suits her palate besides humans, and if we find it, have her spread it among her kin. Let’s start with that approach, how about it?”
“Ah, yes. I suppose we’ll go with that.”
Marius nodded.
“From what I’ve heard, it’s more surprising that our dissatisfaction hasn’t exploded until now?”
When he tilted his head, El answered immediately.
“It’s not surprising, you know. Especially if Auraniess is on your side, and you possess strength equal to that of Auraniess.”
It was turning into a situation where he should be grateful to Auraniess.
That’s how immense the Demon Lord must have been to the monsters.
Judging from her usual demeanor, he couldn’t imagine her being that way at all.
“Then let’s look for a Lamia.”
“I know where there are Lamia. We can use teleportation magic by looking into my memories.”
El immediately demonstrated her thoroughness.
Marius wryly smiled, read El’s memories, and used teleportation magic.
And before them lay a Lamia settlement.
“Who are you?”
The two Lamia standing at the entrance, seemingly guards, demanded.
“I am Marius. I’ve come to recruit. May we enter?”
The two opened their eyes wide, their mouths opening and closing like fish suffering from lack of oxygen, and their bodies trembled.
“Y-Yes. Please wait a moment.”
Finally managing to speak, they dashed into the settlement at full speed.
“Chief! Chief! Lord Marius is here! Lord Marius is here!”
And then, a shriek-like voice echoed.
It seemed a major incident was about to unfold.
