We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Alcohol is a given at any banquet.
The scene shifted, and we were relaxing in a guest room at the Demon Lord’s castle.
…Or rather, it was only my wives and I who were relaxing; the members of the Father Alliance, Sefina, and Madrine, our new family, still had tense expressions.
Despite knowing the Demon Lord and Ruilala, everyone in the Father Alliance was completely stiff when we were first greeted.
Well, when surrounded by a large number of burly demons, even Ascres would get nervous.
So, to ease their tension a little before the banquet in the evening, which also served as a welcome party, we were given this consideration uncommon for demons and moved here.
“Alright everyone. To relieve your tension, let’s start with some deep breaths. Okay, *hi hi fu*! *Hi hi fu*!”
“Elnea, that’s the breathing technique for childbirth.”
“Is it!?”
“Elnea-kun, it looks like the baby is about to be born soon.”
“Elnea-kun, it looks like the child is about to be born soon.”
“No, no, Yufi and Nina, don’t tell lies!”
Setting aside Yufilia and Nina, who were acting as if they were at home, saying silly things as usual.
Still, the members of the Father Alliance seemed unable to relax, barely moving at all.
At that moment, Ruiseine and Laira came around distributing water.
“Father, please calm down and drink some water.”
“Your Majesty, here is water.”
“Ah, ah… I’m sorry.”
As the members of the Father Alliance took sips of water, their complexions gradually began to return to normal.
However, it was then that the King, having regained his composure, cornered me.
“Elnea, you tricked us!”
“Elnea, how dare you deceive us!”
“Gyaaa!”
The two kings, with their bold spirits, seemed to have adapted flexibly to the environment once they calmed down.
And then, in unison like some twin princesses, they attacked me.
Though they were middle-aged, I screamed as I was squeezed by their muscular, thick arms.
“Well, I had a premonition, you know? Around the time we crossed Dragon Peak, I kind of felt it?”
Ascres, with a dry laugh, stared at me as I was held.
However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of helping.
“You probably planned this for your own amusement, but an ordinary human might have lost consciousness or even died of fear. You should reflect on yourself. Your Majesty, please, give him more!”
Sighing with my father, “What a nuisance.”
Even though his beloved son was suffering, he not only tolerated it but stirred them on!
What a terrible father.
But there was someone scarier than my father.
“Ah, Goddess. Please bestow divine punishment upon Elnea-kun.”
Stop it. I’m scared because a divine punishment from the Goddess might actually fall upon us right now!
Ruiseine’s father, praying before a small goddess statue he had produced from somewhere, was not joking.
Ruiseine, stop your father!
I was being manhandled by these rough old men and screaming.
But as expected, no one came to save me.
And then.
Sefina and Madrine, who regained their composure later, found themselves further entangled with me, as needless to say.
“M-M-M-Demon Lord. This is a souvenir from us.”
“Oh, sake brewed with Spirit Tree dew? As expected of the Dragon King’s father. You understand well.”
Thanks to the Father Alliance having vented their frustrations on me sufficiently during the short time before the evening banquet, they were somewhat more relaxed at the welcome reception.
Nevertheless, in front of the assembled high-ranking demons, their movements became stiff again.
In the large hall, prepared for the banquet, there were about a hundred demons.
Despite the fact that these demons and we were about to start a banquet with food and drinks, we were inexplicably made to sit directly on the carpet.
In other words, there were no dining tables or chairs.
Are we really going to start the banquet here? Am I the only one wondering if this is some kind of prelude? The kings also looked confused as they were led to sit near the Demon Lord.
Then, my father, representing the Father Alliance, handed a souvenir to the Demon Lord first.
We were the ones who prepared that Spirit Tree sake, you know!
It’s the perfect item to appease the Demon Lord, isn’t it?
They should be grateful.
By the way, the reason my father is representing the Father Alliance to greet the Demon Lord is…
Because Father has the most immunity to the Demon Lord!
They’re drinking buddies.
It was Father’s strange mental fortitude, thinking that while the demons in the main hall were scary just to look at, the Demon Lord would be fine, that the entire Father Alliance relied on.
Not only the two kings but even Ascres, the Dragon-person, was tense. Yet, Father, with a slightly strained smile, handed the souvenir to the Demon Lord. I, his son, thought he might actually be quite remarkable.
The Demon Lord, pleased with the Spirit Tree sake as a souvenir, sat my father next to him.
Isn’t that the seat reserved for Charlotte, his closest aide?
Father, don’t just sit there normally!
As expected of Father, the representative of the common people. He completely ignored the seating order. Or rather, he probably had no idea about the customs of high society where seats are determined by status or power dynamics.
I’ve only heard about such customs, and I don’t know the details.
“You are guests. Come closer to my side.”
At the Demon Lord’s prompting, the kings moved closer with deference.
The demons who were already positioned near the Demon Lord silently made space for them.
Hmm. Just watching makes me nervous!
If we displease the demons even a little, we don’t know what might happen. That’s both scary and fun.
“You are the only one here who is not tense and is amusingly observing your parents. I’m starting to wonder if you are truly human.”
“No, no, I am a proper human!”
When I replied with a smile, a murmur went through the assembled demons in the main hall.
“To be able to speak so casually to His Majesty.”
“I see, so he is a favorite.”
“The Master is as unusual as ever.”
There seem to be no narrow-minded aides around the magnanimous Demon Lord. Everyone was looking at my wives and the members of the Father Alliance, not at me, and saying with favorable impressions, “What interesting humans.”
It was then that I finally realized that not only the Father Alliance, but we too, were being regarded as unusual.
“Huh? Speaking of which, I don’t see Charlotte or the Four-Armed Demon General, do you?”
“What is it, Elnea-kun? You’re only noticing now?”
While my wives were engaged in a subtle struggle for seats, Ruilala, who had sat next to me as if it were the most natural thing in the world, laughed.
“Yeah. I only just realized. Because it’s hard to distinguish the faces of demons, you know?”
“You’re quite harsh towards demons, Elnea-kun. It’s like you’re distinguishing them like dogs or cats.”
Well, perhaps that was an exaggeration. But it’s true that some demons are distinguishable at first glance, while others are difficult to recognize as individuals.
However, looking again at the demons seated in the main hall, they were surprisingly diverse. And I realized that this diversity was the reason why everyone was sitting on the carpet in the main hall, without tables or chairs.
Among demons, there are ordinary “people” like us.
But there are also many who are not ordinary.
Some demons have bird wings for arms, some have the lower bodies of spiders or insects, and some have those of beasts.
However, these are still somewhat human-like in parts of their bodies.
Honestly, this is what you call a menagerie.
There were those with eerie appearances and those with indescribable forms.
Finally, there were even ghost-like demons without physical bodies.
And among these异形的(monstrous/abnormal) demons, there were those who could not sit on chairs, those who could not eat with cutlery, and those who found it difficult because human-sized furniture was too big or too small.
I see.
Everyone can gather, eat, and make noise comfortably regardless of their appearance, so they removed tables and chairs and are sitting directly on the floor in a wide space.
My conclusion seemed to be correct, and as it was decided who would sit around the Demon Lord, human servants brought food and drinks and, as a matter of course, began placing them on the floor.
The demons sitting on the floor did not complain about the plates and cups placed on the floor.
“Well then, rare guests. The demons shall entertain you with sincerity, who have traveled a long distance to be here.”
“The sincerity of demons sounds scary!”
As I quipped at the Demon Lord’s greeting, the banquet began.
“Here, here, please.”
Father poured the Spirit Tree sake into the Demon Lord’s cup.
Suddenly, the main hall began to shake violently!
Thinking something must have happened, demons of all sorts, from scary-faced ones to handsome and beautiful ones, and even those without faces, lined up in front of Father.
What’s more, they were jostling to get ahead of each other.
A commotion, typical of demons, erupted at the very start of the banquet.
Demons were hitting and kicking each other to get to the front of the line. The stunned Father Alliance members, their eyes rolling back, were astonished around the Demon Lord.
“You want the Spirit Tree sake, don’t you? Pour it for them in the order they lined up. It’s all gone when it runs out.”
They probably don’t know anything about the Spirit Tree itself or its dew. However, the demons knew how expensive and precious the sake Father poured for the Demon Lord was.
So, knowing they could get it by lining up in front of Father, the demons scrambled to get it at all costs.
The Demon Lord laughed at his vassals causing a commotion from the start of the banquet.
However, Father and the others looked like they were about to pass out from the sheer pressure of the demons.
“Sake, sake.”
At this point, Ares-chan manifested.
Priscilla-chan is not accompanying the summer male journey.
She is working hard with the mothers in the Forbidden Territory forest. … No, she herself wanted to come, but her mother stopped her.
Ares-chan produced more Spirit Tree sake from a mysterious space and handed it to me.
“Oh, we have some here too!”
The demons glared at me and Ares-chan with murderous intent.
No, I understand if it’s pleading, but what’s with the killing intent!?
“Here you go, Your Majesty. Oh, do Ascres-san and the others want some too?”
I evaded the charge of the demons, who seemed like they wanted to kill me, with a spatial jump. Then, I appeared in front of the Father Alliance and handed them all flasks of Spirit Tree sake.
Now, the Father Alliance was targeted by the demons.
“Hey, you over there. Pour that for me!”
“Uwoooooo!”
“You, hand that over to me.”
“Gunuwah!”
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty is physically impaired. So please, do not be rough with them.”
“Gyaaa!”
Demons swarmed the two kings who were holding the sake flasks.
The King of the Armēdo Kingdom was brutally knocked down by a demon stronger than himself.
The King of the Yorttenitos Kingdom was also approached by a demon, but Laira intervened and managed to keep him safe.
“His Majesty is in trouble.”
“His Majesty is in trouble.”
“Yufi, Nina. If you think so, why don’t you help them?”
In contrast to the diligent Laira, Yufilia and Nina watched their father king die while drinking sake. Of course, Madrine was also by their side.
Yes. The sake you’re drinking is also from the Spirit Tree dew, isn’t it?
By the way, some members of the clergy are also participating in this grand banquet. Upon confirmation, they were told that it was acceptable to participate as it was a welcoming banquet and not an official ceremony or event.
Ruiseine’s father also breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the go-ahead from Madrine, the Head Miko.
Speaking of which, Mistral admonished Yufilia and Nina. Is her father okay?
Looking at him, he was tossing demons around like twigs.
“Kts, these Dragon-people.”
This is where they show their true strength, I guess. I handed Ascres a sake bottle as well, but he easily kicked away the approaching demons.
Well, even though they’re being rowdy, weapons are forbidden, and magic is not being used, so they’re probably going easy on each other.
Still, the demons were amazed at Ascres, who seemed unfazed by their attacks.
Indeed. A very lively banquet.
I was also getting excited from the start by this unprecedented pandemonium.
However, amidst the noisy main hall, there was one area where a neat line was formed.
“Yes, everyone. Please line up properly. Those who disturb the harmony will not have their turn for sake.”
The demons lined up waited for their turn with the quietness of a borrowed cat, without causing any fuss.
It seems that among the demons, there were those with a refined air who did not approve of reckless commotion.
And it was Ruiseine’s father who was pouring sake for these polite demons.
What a surprise!
Even in the Demon Race’s country, clergy members of the Temple Religion are granted protection, but to think they would be treated so courteously even to a priest from another country.
“Those slaves work within the Demon Lord’s castle. They will be among the servers, so we cannot afford to be rude to a priest in front of them,” said the Demon Lord. I understood the Demon Lord’s words.
And you there, Demon Lord!
Don’t hog the Spirit Tree sake by having Ares-chan sit on your lap.
As expected, there are no reckless demons who would try to snatch the sake from the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord, sitting next to my father and pouring him sake, happily watched his vassals’ commotion.
My father, his sake flask empty, also began to enjoy a drink with the Demon Lord.
“I think I’ll eat some food.”
“Elnea-kun, shall I feed you?”
“Sefina, you’ve secured a good spot, haven’t you?”
“Fufufu.”
Sefina, who had taken over my side by now, and I reached for the food together.
Looking around, the food that the servers had carefully arranged was all messed up due to the demons’ commotion.
The expensive-looking carpet was stained.
But, I’ll force myself to accept that this is perhaps the demons’ “no holds barred” revelry.
Because some demons, those without hands as dexterous as humans, or those with bestial features, don’t hesitate to eat food that has fallen on the carpet.
And some demons, who prefer food over sake, had already taken refuge to protect their food from being disturbed.
The members of the Father Alliance, though stunned by the overwhelming banquet, seemed to be enjoying the welcome offered by the demons, or so I interpret it.
“Well now, I wonder how many of them will maintain their sanity until tomorrow.”
“As for Father and the others, I’ll leave them to the Demon Lord and Ruilala!”
“Well, leave it to us. We’ll entertain them thoroughly.”
The Demon Lord chuckled in his throat, making the two kings’ hearts sink.
However, Father, fueled by sake, laughed cheerfully along with the Demon Lord.
In any case, the real part of the male journey starts now!
I enjoyed the banquet, thinking about the Father Alliance’s future.
…By the way, what exactly happened to Charlotte and the Four-Armed Demon General in the end?
