Chapter 107
A Discussion in a Private Room
"Now now, Iryll . I'm sure you would love to continue being in his company, but this isn't quite the time for it . " The king, who'd spent a good bit of time happily smiling as he watched me interact with his daughter, spoke in an admonishing tone . "The two of us have business to attend to . Could you please wait in another room?"
"Of course, father . " Iryll responded in a polite manner one would expect of a princess before turning back towards me and completely dropping it . "I guess that means I gotta go! See you later, Mr . Demon Lord!"
She continued to rapidly alternate between her more polite and casual modes . Iryll performed a polite curtsy, pitter-pattered over to the door, waved energetically, and closed it behind her .
As could be grasped from her words, the nickname she had ultimately decided on giving me was "Mr . Demon Lord . " There were a number of other contenders, many of which included the word heroic, but she had ultimately dropped it and just called me by what I was .
"I am overjoyed to see her in such high spirits," the king spoke in a low tone of voice as he watched her go .
"Yeah . Honestly, I'm surprised she's like that," I said . "Acting like that takes guts with all she's been through . "
The princess had been subject to torture at the hands of a perverted sadist . I highly doubted that any normal child would ever be able to smile again after suffering at the aforementioned pedophile's hands . And yet, despite her experiences, Iryll had almost seemed like a ball of joy . Talk about mental fortitude .
"I must express my gratitude to you once more," said the king, his voice filled with emotion . "You are the sole reason that my daughter was not robbed of her smile . And for that, I thank you . "
"Don't mention it . Like I said, I wasn't there 'cause I wanted to help or anything . " I shrugged . "I was just taking care of business . "
"That does not change my stance on the matter . " The king shrugged off my indifference . "You have saved my country . I suppose that I must offer you something akin to a token of my gratitude . Is there anything you wish for? I will endeavour to accommodate your desires so long as I find myself capable . "
"Hmmm . I dunno . "
I hadn't saved the king because I had wanted anything in particular . My goal, murdering the prince, was complete . And that was honestly all I really cared for . The king owes me big time . It's probably safe to say that I won't be bothered by any more of this country's men so long as he stays in power . Not like there's any reason for them to hit up the Wicked Forest anyway . They're afraid of Lefi, and they know that place is her nest . We should be able to enjoy a good bit of peace so long as there aren’t any more conspiracies . Y'know what though? I might as well get me some insurance .
"Alright . Well, all I want is for intruders to stay the hell out of my territory . So how about you tell people that the deeper part of the Wicked Forest is off limits? I don't mind if they enter it, but only if they don't wander too far in"
Adventurers had explored the area near the forest's edge on several occasions . And I was fine with that . The only people I had a problem with were the people that ignored the invisible boundaries set by adventurers and dove straight into the Wicked Forest's depths .
"Consider it done," said the king . "Truth be told, your request merits little change . The Wicked Forest has always been considered a place far outside the reach of human hands . To accommodate your request, however, I will see to the creation of documents stating that none should intrude upon it and violate your domain unless they wish to forfeit their lives . "
"I mean, works for me, but you sure you want to make it official? Can't say I think it's the best idea . " I asked the king for confirmation while raising an eyebrow .
Putting it into writing meant that the king and I would have created a formal contract, a fact that would likely prove problematic . Of course, it wasn't as if either of us intended on violating the contract's terms . It was just that I was a demon lord, a breed of creatures known for being hostile not only to humans, but most other races as well . His decision would likely result in others calling his character into question should it ever become known to the public .
"That is not an issue . The document will remain highly classified and only accessible by those with royal blood," said the king . "If anything, I suppose I should be the one asking you whether or not you are certain . I believe that a large portion of the Wicked Forest falls under the Supreme Dragon's jurisdiction . I understand that you are a force to be reckoned with, but I suspect it may very well eliminate you should you intrude upon its nest . "
"Nah, it'll be fine . Me and the Supreme Dragon know each other . We've already talked about it and figured things out . "
'Cause, you know, she kinda lazes around my place all day . I had actually spoken to Lefi about the topic in the past, and she'd told me that she did in fact have a nest at one point in time, but that she had effectively abandoned it and given me the whole area . With the king's new policy in place, the Wicked Forest's inner sanctum truly became mine, both in name and otherwise .
That said, the dungeon had yet to absorb the entirety of Lefi's territory . There were still a few pieces of it here and there that lay outside the realm of my control . I guess me and Rir can go around adding more area to the dungeon for the first time in a long while once we get back . Er, after I grind a few levels, that is .
"You are acquainted with the Supreme Dragon…?" The king cocked an eyebrow . "I would think that claim to be one spoken in jest if it had come from anyone but you . But given your place of residence, I suppose I find it believable enough . Very well, if you have no qualms or complaints, then I see no reason for me to have any either . I will have all the documents in order shortly . Is that all?"
“Uhhhh let’s see… you guys got like travel authorizations or anything? I like to go sightseeing, so I would like some sort of document that can allow me to go around the country and visit wherever . You know, for vacation and stuff," I said . Like a free pass or something . That'd be nice .
It wasn't like I didn't have an ID card . I'd gotten something back when I registered as an adventurer, but I figured that whatever the king would give me would likely prove far more convenient in the long run . It would be much easier for me to take the dungeon's residents into town if I happened to have something with a royal seal on it .
"That is quite the interesting request," said the king . "I would not mind providing you with one, but I cannot say that it will necessarily function the way you hope . Humans and demons have been at war for a long, long time . A mutual dislike is all but ingrained in our upbringings, and though I am this country's king, I cannot guarantee that you will not be attacked if you reveal your identity . "
"Yeah, I figured . It should be fine though . I've got my methods," I said . "I won't be causing any trouble . "
I wasn't making an empty claim . Case in point, the church . The church had yet to realize that I was a demon despite the fact that I had spent a decent amount of time in the company of its members . My methods worked . I could disguise myself as a human with ease . However, the same couldn't be said for Illuna, Shii, or the maids . My experiences indicated that people would actively employ enchanted items in order to check the races of those around them . I guess I'll need to think of some kind of workaround .
The goal was to bring everyone so that we could all enjoy our vacation together . Especially Illuna and Shii . I want to give the two of them a chance to see the world . Though uhhhh… I'm not exactly sure if I can do all that much to help Shii out though . She's kinda, you know, blue . Oh well, whatever . I'll figure something out eventually .
"If you say so," said the king . "I suppose I will have that prepared for you shortly as well . "
"Sweet . Thanks . How long do you think it'll take?"
"I will have it ready in approximately an hour . " The king paused for a moment and regarded me with evident disappointment . "Were you planning to leave immediately? I would have liked for you to stay for dinner, at the very least . "
"I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but truth be told, I've got someone waiting for me outside the city's walls, and I probably shouldn't just leave him there . "
"I see no reason why I shouldn't extend that companion of yours an invitation as well . "
"Well uhhh… you see, about that… It's kinda my pet wolf," I said . "Well, kinda . He's not really a wolf . He's a fenrir, and I'm pretty sure that you'd probably not want a fenrir in the castle . You know . Just sounds like that'd be pushing things a bit far . "
"Well… putting the fact that you so casually mentioned keeping a legendary beast as a pet aside, I believe it shouldn't cause any issues . Many adventurers are monster tamers and they are allowed to bring their beasts into cities so long as they register them beforehand . "
“Huhhh… fair enough . ”
I wanted to hurry back to the dungeon, but truth be told, I was kind of interested in taking a peek or two at the food . I mean, whoever's responsible is literally going to be making stuff fit for a king, right? Can you really blame a guy for wondering what that stuff's like?
The king immediately caught onto the fact that I was entertaining the thought and followed up his assault by playing a card he'd held onto just to put the nail in the coffin .
"I suspect that some may begin to call my dignity into question should I send the country's saviour home without any sort of formal celebration . And that may in turn lead them to question my right to rule . I am sure you would prefer for that not to occur," said the king . "And more importantly, Iryll has been looking forward to it . I am sure that she would be rather saddened if you chose not to attend . "
"Did you seriously just call me the country's saviour? Talk about an over exaggeration…" I sighed . "Let me guess… you're totally just trying to keep me here for your daughter's sake, right?"
"I'm surprised you didn't notice sooner," chuckled the king . "Don't worry . While it will be a feast, I will keep it on the smaller side and only invite a select few . "
"Alright . Fine . I guess I'll stay for dinner . " I flashed a wry smile as I gave in and responded with a nod .
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