I set my luggage down in a corner of the Demon Lord's room. The backpack, crammed with all manner of potions and writing supplies, thudded softly as it settled onto the bed.
"Today is my day off!"
I dove onto the bed along with my bag and thrashed my arms and legs about as though I were swimming. The bed received my body warmly, like bathwater.
"That's quite uncouth, Lord Dantalion."
Lapis tidied up the backpack in my stead. She sorted through the jumbled contents with practiced ease, then placed each item in its proper spot throughout the Demon Lord's room. She knew exactly where everything belonged.
I performed a freestyle stroke on the bed and spoke.
"Whenever I look at you, Lapis, you really remind me of an older sister~."
"Yes. And Lord Dantalion really reminds me of a high-maintenance little brother."
"In other words, you're saying I'm a fatally charming bundle of adorableness. I knew it."
Lapis let out a sigh. I giggled for no particular reason.
I stretched my arms and legs out on the bed and lay down.
"Ahhh."
A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling. Just a few months ago, such a luxurious item hadn't been there. But with Lapis managing an enormous sum of capital, my finances had grown as dependable as an inexhaustible sea.
Gazing at the faint light emanating from the chandelier, I was overcome with certainty. Everything had finally fallen into place.
Dying in a senseless accident, being dropped into a strange world… I'd been thrust into absurd circumstances, yet somehow I'd clawed my way through. I'd made it this far on my own terms. Honestly, I'd endured remarkably well.
"……."
I lay on the comfortable bed and gently closed my eyes.
A brief dream crept into my consciousness, as if someone were cautiously knocking on a door.
My mother was there. She always wore the worried expression of a mother concerned for her son, but for some reason, today she was smiling. It wasn't just her. Lapis, Laura, Barbatos, Paimon, and even Elizabeth—all sat together in the living room, smiling warmly.
The hazy sunlight, like mist, wrapped around that vision. It was an absurd sight. It was so outrageous that I ended up laughing.
Inside the dream, I was split into two.
One of me was over there, basking in that misty sunlight, chatting and laughing with the others. Laughter became a kind of sacred air, lingering around their edges.
The other was here.
A world completely separated from the mist, where everything was clear and everything was distinct.
I was surrounded on all sides by pure white walls. Even the flow of air seemed dead in this place. It was the kind of space suited for a mental patient.
There were a few people here as well. One by one, they sat in plain wooden chairs. Jack, Leaf, Hawk… They sat in their chairs and simply stared at me in silence.
Quietly.
Just gazing at this place and saying nothing.
This was a dream I had dreamed dozens of times already. The pattern was always the same. At first, I had tried every method under the sun to talk to them, but they never reacted—not even like corpses. So eventually, I gave up and fell silent just like them.
Then I woke up.
"……."
My forehead was cold. Damn it, I felt terrible.
I sat up halfway and frantically rummaged through my clothes. Nothing. There was no drugs. Had I left them in my coat? I scratched my head aggressively with one hand and muttered nervously.
"Damn it. Lapis? Lapis. Sorry, but could you bring me my coat?"
"……It has been less than twenty minutes since you lay down."
Lapis was sitting at a desk nearby.
"Wouldn't it be better to sleep a little longer?"
"I've slept enough. You know. A Demon Lord doesn't need that much sleep. Bring me my coat."
"Dantalion."
Lapis spoke with a blank expression.
"Your searches for drugs are becoming increasingly frequent. You've also been drinking wine far too often. Lately, you've even begun misusing substances like meyak. I heard from Sir Jeremy. He says you commission drug production constantly, at all hours of the day and night."
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry."
I snapped back irritably. My body was trembling with anxiety.
I felt like I might blow up in anger at any moment. But losing my temper at Lapis was the one thing I could never forgive myself for, no matter when or where. Lapis had helped me get to where I was now. Without her, I couldn't have done anything.
She was an extra who didn't even appear in Dungeon Attack, yet to me she was the most precious person in the world. I couldn't be angry with her. Damn it! It was true. Getting angry at Lapis was simply impossible.
My voice was on the verge of erupting in fury, but I barely held it back. Then, consciously, I softened my tone into something gentle.
"I'll listen to your nagging anytime, okay? Lapis. Could you bring me my coat?"
"…Dantalion."
"You know how it is. It's only this bad right after waking up… Alright? Just one drag and I'll feel better. One drag and everything will go back to normal… Drugs are medicine too, you know. If you take them in proper doses, it's fine. So please."
Damn it, my skull felt like it was being split open.
I used to think it was bipolar disorder. But after asking the many physicians of the Demon Realm, it turned out to be nothing of the sort. This was a far more malignant mental illness. The doctors threw up their hands in surrender, saying they didn't know the cause either.
The symptoms only grew worse with time.
At first, I dealt with it through drinking. I drank expensive wine frequently. After that came sex. As long as I was tangled up with Laura, my head didn't ache, and my mood didn't swing violently.
Next was smoking. After that, stronger drugs from the realm of narcotics… Lately, I'd even started using substances now and then. That was why I carried thirteen bottles of meyak on me at all times. It really was a hell of a situation.
"I'm sorry, Lapis… Just quickly…"
Sharing meyak and engaging in rough sex would make the headaches disappear for a while. But this was a last resort. If I ever became a drug addict, my life would be over that very day. Besides, I couldn't use something as vile as drugs on Laura…
There was Barbatos, who'd gone all the way. Or some brothel girl who wouldn't ask questions. But neither Barbatos nor any prostitute could always be around. When they weren't, I'd end up in bed with Jeremy…
"Here you go."
Lapis had appeared beside me without my noticing. When I looked up, she was holding out a pipe in both hands. Dried herbs had been carefully packed and pressed into it. She had packed the herbs for me since my head hurt too much to do it myself.
"Thanks."
I hurriedly took the pipe. Lapis used magic to light it for me.
I clamped the pipe tip between my lips and drew in a long, slow pull. Like the tide receding from a coastal beach, the headache gradually dissolved. The pressure that had been constricting my entire body and the anxiety eased as well.
"……."
"……."
I puffed on the pipe in silence without a word.
The problem was especially bad right after waking from sleep, like now. I always had bizarre nightmares, and the dreams left my mood in a foul state. If anyone so much as provoked me at a time like this, I couldn't control myself. Daisy's failed assassination was a perfect case in point.
If anyone messes with little old Dantalion, it's all over.
Hmm — my mind had stabilized enough to crack jokes.
I turned my head and found Lapis staring at me in silence. She wore no particular expression, as was typical of Lapis, but I could easily sense that she was genuinely worried. I spoke brightly.
"Don't worry too much. Pretty much all the troublesome stuff is handled now, right?"
"But……."
"Both the Human Realm and the Demon Lord's army have taken damage. They'll be pouring everything into rebuilding their forces for at least the next ten years. Any faction capable of attacking my Demon Lord's Castle has also been wiped out from the surrounding area. I've secured the support and backing of every faction — the Plains Faction, the Mountain Faction, and the Neutral Faction alike."
Princess Elizabeth had become a bird that lost its wings, and the Hero siblings were bound by my side. Even the worst variables had been eliminated.
"All the threats are gone now, Lapis. This is a remarkable achievement thanks to your help. Sure, I went a little off the deep end in the process, but nothing in this world comes without a price."
"……I see."
Lapis gave a careful nod.
"Everything Lord Dantalion says is true. Indeed, most of the danger has been eliminated."
"That's right?"
I let out a candid laugh.
"Must have piled up a ridiculous amount of money. Now we can just kick back and enjoy life for the next ten, hundred years."
With time, headaches and nightmares alike would fade. Without a doubt. There was nothing time couldn't solve……. I looked up at the chandelier, its light hazy through the smoke of my joint.
As we'd agreed last time, new laws had been enacted across my domain.
The problem was that they were still unfamiliar to the residents. Until now, disputes had been settled through customary law alone, and when laws applicable to every village were announced all at once, people couldn't readily accept them. It seemed hard for them to adjust.
"Do you think the residents might be rebelling against the new legal system?"
"No, Your Majesty. It's simply a matter of whether or not they get used to it."
Parsi said.
Parsi had begun working in earnest as my domain administrator. He'd constructed a rough but sturdy stone-walled office on Palatine Hill, right in the heart of the domain, which essentially served as the administrative center. Of course, by "administrator" we really only meant Parsi.
"A lifetime of habits—those don't change easily, you know."
"Tsk. Still too naive, Parsi. That's how reforms end up fizzling out—when people can't be bothered to change the way they've always lived. When it's time for change, you have to push it through decisively."
Parsi gave a shrug.
"What would you have me do? For those who simply forgot to comply with the new laws—should I levy fines?"
"Coercing the people into following new laws is the worst approach. No matter how good a law may be, the moment you force it on them, they'll resist first and ask questions later. You have to make them want to follow it voluntarily."
I turned my head and looked at Daisy. The girl had been quietly listening to our conversation.
"Daisy. Haven't you come up with a good idea?"
Daisy had been following Parsi around, observing the ins and outs of the villages. It was to broaden her horizons as my handmaiden. She was far too young to learn the domain's administration, but when it came to Daisy, I had no intention of going easy on her.
A lion cub had to be pushed off a cliff to appreciate it, as the saying went. Daisy wasn't even a lion cub—she was a dinosaur cub. Once you pushed her off the cliff, you ought to roll a boulder after her for good measure.
Daisy spoke calmly.
"I would suggest waiting, for the time being."
"Waiting? For what?"
"Wait until one of the territory subjects makes a serious mistake. When one person has violated the law gravely, execute them as a public example. It will serve to punish one and warn a hundred."
It was a textbook answer.
As it had always been, there was no method more effective than setting an example. Parsi seemed to find it plausible too, stroking his beard with a thoughtful hum. But I snorted derisively.
"You fool. The only thing you've ever studied is books, and the 'solutions' you come up with are just as stupid. What, execute them? You've been following Parsi around for days — what have you actually learned? Do the lives of your territory subjects look as insignificant as flies to you?"
Daisy flinched.
"What happened to the girl who stood before me, begging me to spare the lives of her own villagers? I suppose as long as they're not from your village, you don't care whether they live or die. You hypocrite — aren't you ashamed to show your face to your older brother?"
"...I believed Father would favor the most efficient method above all else."
"Kuh. At least your delusions are impressively self-contained."
I scoffed.
"I specifically told you not to use coercive methods. I thought you'd lost the slime in your body, but it seems you've transplanted it into your ears instead. So to you, executing your own subjects to punish one and warn a hundred doesn't feel particularly coercive, does it."
"......"
"What a remarkable wise ruler we have! It is truly an honor beyond measure to have such a brilliant young woman as my adopted daughter."
The girl bit her lip hard.
Parsi spoke up with a bewildered expression.
"Now, now, aren't you being a bit harsh on the child? She's still just a kid, isn't she?"
"Parsi. The method by which I raise my adopted daughter is my decision alone."
"Well now. That's not exactly my responsibility to weigh in on, I suppose..."
Parsi smacked his lips awkwardly. Beyond that, he didn't meddle any further. Despite appearances, he was someone who knew where to draw the line.
"So then, Demon Lord, what brilliant stratagem do you have in mind?"
"It's simple. Just prepare three large boulders."
"What kind of boulders? What do you need them for?"
Parsi tilted his head in confusion.
I gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Just sit back and watch. You might be the senior when it comes to farming, but this is my area of expertise. I'll show you what politics truly is."