“By the way, Demon King.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you push me away when Bathesia attacked me? You could have been seriously injured if something went wrong.”

There was a quiet intensity in Lillis’s words as she spoke slowly, as if lecturing.

“A secretary is supposed to protect the Demon King. I am your shield. Why did you doubt me?”

Karos looked at her with a puzzled expression, and her eyes were trembling with unease.

After a moment, Karos spoke.

“No, I didn’t think about it much.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I just acted on instinct. What else was I supposed to do?”

Karos, on the contrary, seemed a bit annoyed by her question.

“Of course, I’m reflecting on it now. It was a foolish thing to do. Throwing myself instead of you was useless, something I shouldn’t have done. But I did it with confidence.”

Although what he did, throwing himself in place of Lillis, was utterly pointless and something he shouldn’t have done, he was unapologetic.

“But what could I have done differently? In the end, it worked out well. You’re alive, and I’m alive. It’s the best outcome, isn’t it?”

Lillis stared blankly at Karos. With a strange expression in her eyes, Karos turned his head away.

“By the way, what’s she doing? She went into the room earlier, and I haven’t heard anything from her since.”

Karos asked as he realized something about Bathesia during their conversation.

She had been here for a week now, but she hadn’t come out of her room since the first day. Lillis regained her composure and shook her head.

“I went to check earlier, and the slimes were rolling around in there.”

“…Seems like the slimes that used to come in all the time have stopped.”

Come to think of it, they hadn’t seen any slimes in the past week.

Lillis nodded with a dubious look.

“Yes. I wonder if she put up some soundproofing.”

“And the succubus?”

“She’s with Bathesia. Surprisingly, they seem to get along well.”

“They have some similarities, in various ways.”

In terms of height, age, and words. Lillis pretended not to hear what he said.

“Yes.”

“…Anyway, from now on.”

Karos cleared his throat and then put on a serious expression. Lillis also straightened up. Karos spoke slowly.

“Tell me about the monster colonies nearby that we can conquer.”

Monsters followed the Demon King. The Demon King ruled over the monsters. That was the common perception among humans.

But in reality, it was quite different. Many times, monsters followed the Demon King, and the Demon King ruled over them. However, there was a thorough logic of power at play.

Only the Demon King who could defeat us, overpower us with overwhelming strength, could rule over us. That was the logic of monsters. In fact, there were quite a few Demon Kings who lost their lives while trying to control monsters.

It was quite dangerous, but it was a necessary step to build power.

Karos grumbled.

“I didn’t make a fuss for no reason. How am I supposed to conquer a goblin colony with just nine slimes and one succubus? It’s a miracle if we don’t get beaten to death by the goblins.”

“Yes. Let me tell you. There are a total of four monster colonies in our vicinity.”

Lillis replied, brushing aside Karos’s words. She was also gradually learning how to deal with Karos.

“First of all, there’s a goblin colony, not a very large one. The estimated number is less than three digits. It’s the closest one to us. And the other one is an orc colony. It doesn’t seem to get along well with the goblins. The estimated number is roughly around fifty.”

She took a breath and continued.

“The last one is an ogre cave. It seems there’s only one residing there, and it’s currently in hibernation. It probably won’t wake up for a while. As for the last one, I’m not quite sure. The fact that the other three colonies are not encroaching on its territory suggests that there’s something there, but we can’t see it. It’s best not to disturb it for now.”

She finished speaking. Karos stared at her with a dazed look and then spoke.

“You found them so quickly in just a week?”

“This is my job.”

Lillis replied calmly, but finding monster colonies was not an easy task. Messing with sensitive monsters in each territory could result in death. Finding them in just a week was not something ordinary.

“As expected of a prestigious family. Well done.”

“…So, what will you do, Demon King?”

Lillis’s complexion hardened at Karos’s words. But she quickly loosened up and asked. Karos didn’t press her, although he seemed puzzled by her reaction.

“Well, do we have any other options? We’ll start with the goblins.”

Karos replied. Since Bathesia was with them, they could have gone for the ogres first, but it was better to take it slow. Rushing ahead with only their intentions could lead to a quick downfall. Lillis started writing documents.

“Then I will proceed accordingly. Oh, there’s also a mission. Successfully conquer the goblin colony. You’ll get two Gacha boxes.”

“Oh, really? I hope there’s something different this time.”

Karos anticipated with excitement. At least let it be ogres this time. Lillis continued writing documents and said.

“Then I will process it for tomorrow, along with Bathesia.”

“…What?”

Karos was taken aback by her words.

*** ***

“Then, please go, Demon King. I will guard the Demon King’s castle. And Bathesia, please take care.”

“Farewellllll!”

Lillis bowed her head. Succubus waved her hand energetically. Bathesia and Karos replied with sullen faces.

“Well…”

They looked at each other’s faces. Going with her…their relationship was not good enough for that. They acknowledged each other’s necessity, but it didn’t mean their relationship had improved. If they saw an opportunity, they would not hesitate to attack each other.

“I have to go with you…”

“Can’t be helped. You need to protect the Demon King’s castle, and as the Demon King, you can’t just send others to rule over different races. I also need to go to protect your weak body.”

Karos and Bathesia walked through the dense forest. It was a forest with thick bushes.

“Anyway, that child is pitiful. She has to live with someone like you.”

Bathesia said, waving her hand. With that simple gesture, the bushes blocking their path opened on their own. It was magic. Karos grumbled.

“What nonsense. It’s…”

“What nonsense are you talking about, idiot? You don’t have any special abilities, nor do you have the charisma to attract followers, and your bloodline isn’t anything great either. That girl is more valuable than you.”

“Oh, here we go again.”

Hyung_Otaku

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!