Demon Lord Dantalion, also Court Count of the Habsburg Empire.
Those were the titles I had been officially given up to now. And now, one more was being added to the list: Duke of the Teuton Kingdom. It was the reward I received for ceding my territory to the Teuton Kingdom in the last diplomatic struggle.
The moment I arrived at the Demon Lord's Castle, the royal decree arrived with it. An envoy sporting a magnificently curled brown beard read the decree in a resonant voice.
"In recognition of Dantalion's tireless efforts toward peace between the races and the well-being of the continent, I, Georg Wilhelm Albert Alexander, Sovereign of the Teuton Kingdom, hereby grant his territory the status of a duchy and shall call his name Custos, meaning 'Guardian of the Continent.'"
The fact that it was a duchy caught me slightly off guard.
I had thought a county would be generous enough—more than sufficient, even. But the Teuton royal family apparently saw things differently. Even if they named me a count in the kingdom, it would still fall short of an Imperial Court Count. In diplomacy, I would lead with the Imperial title over the kingdom one regardless.
But a duchy was different. Even if it was purely honorary, in this day and age, that kind of prestige put food on the table. It was no wonder Barbatos had snatched up the flashy title of Duke of Austerlitz.
Since I had secretly pledged not to interfere in the kingdom's politics, the Teutons probably figured that if they were going to grant a title anyway, they might as well make it a dazzling one.
"Three privileges are hereby bestowed upon Custos Duke Dantalion. First, he need not state his name when granted an audience. Second, he need not salute the royal banner upon entering the assembly. Third, he is permitted to enter the royal palace bearing any and all weapons without being required to surrender them."
Whew—Jeremy let out a low whistle.
By diplomatic standards, it was a staggering breach of etiquette, yet no one raised a single objection. Even the envoy seemed unfazed. Everyone gathered here fully understood that it was all just empty formalities.
I managed a wry smile and descended from the seat of honor. I knelt respectfully before the envoy.
"I, Custos Dantalion, humbly accept this decree. I shall devote myself to the duties bestowed upon me by the gods without the slightest negligence—above, serving the Goddess, and below, caring for her people. Yet this honor originates solely from my Sovereign, His Highness. May the Goddess's blessing and the people's praise be upon His Highness for all eternity!"
The envoy handed the decree over to me.
Normally, this was the part where the onlookers would throw their hands up and chant "Long live the Duke!" three times. But only Lapis and the other executives offered perfunctory applause, since I hadn't invited any of the territory's citizens.
Think about it. It was the dead of late winter. They were already freezing and didn't want to move a muscle—telling them all to gather for their lord's ceremony? There was no greater nuisance than that.
Just let them stay warm indoors and cozy up with their significant others. If they really wanted to congratulate me, they could offer a prayer in their hearts. I'm quite the generous ruler toward my citizens.
"Yeah, right. Then why did you drag me all the way here?"
"...Parsi the bear grumbled after hearing my little self-congratulatory speech."
After the commendation ceremony, we held a festival in the Archduke's Hall. We slaughtered and cooked heaps of pigs and chickens, and before long, the scent attracted villagers, orphans, and poor adventurers, who began piling in.
"Are you just a simple resident? You're my lackey."
"Oh my, what sins did this humble servant commit in a past life that the Goddess treats him so stingily?"
"A hunter getting ahead as a Lord Regent should be enough. What more could you ask for?"
Incidentally, Parsi's face was increasingly bearing a dignified air. He was only twenty years old, yet he effectively managed the territory. That wasn't a task just anyone could handle.
Parsi suddenly shot me a fierce look. He had the air of a bear that had just discovered a honeycomb.
"That reminds me! Demon Lord!"
"Wipe the chicken soup off your beard before you speak."
You're truly foul in a very human way.
"Sure, I'll grant you gave this humble servant the fancy title of Lord Regent or whatever. But why hasn't a single matchmaker come to see me?"
"Could it be... you're still not engaged?"
"Engaged? There isn't even a maiden throwing herself at me!"
The wild bear roared.
"This humble servant, despite appearances, has the strength of a giant, hmm? A hunter who always brings back a deer or a rabbit from the forest, the chief of a village, and now a Lord Regent. Yet there's not a single woman! How did this happen?!"
It was actually a bit surprising. For a guy who looked a bit... rough, he was quite capable.
For being only twenty, his face did resemble a man in his forties or fifties.
His whole body was so fluffy with hair he looked less like a human and more like an orc wandering some mountain valley.
He didn't know the first thing about etiquette and would slurp chicken soup, letting his beard enjoy a veritable swim in the broth.
...Huh. I could only see factors that prevented marriage.
"Look. Even so, Parsi, you're quite the decent groom."
"This is all because of that brat Luke."
Luke? Why was Luke coming up here?
"That fellow's been rounding up every unmarried woman in sight, hasn't he! I hear every single virgin in the village has either already been with him or is about to be—why in the world haven't the goddesses just burned him to ash already?!"
"Oh."
I'd heard rumors that Luke had become quite the womanizer. Apparently, for someone only fourteen or fifteen years old, he'd become an incarnation of lust, hunting down women.
I glanced over towards the far end of the assembly hall, where Luke was surrounded by a crowd of women, laughing heartily.
Luke was originally the game's male protagonist. Naturally, he was exceptionally handsome—so much so it was hard to believe he came from a farming hamlet.
He was beautiful, like a Greek statue come to life. Soft, curly hair, a smooth forehead, a straight nose. Cheerful eyes that could turn serious at a moment's notice.
A faint, special energy seemed to linger at the corners of his mouth, as if promising you a wonderful time from here on out, and his voice, having passed through puberty, produced a pleasant baritone.
He'd received "private tutoring" from Jeremy for years and was even skilled in... nighttime activities. He'd even earned the favor of me, the Demon Lord, and was appointed vice-commander of the territory's self-defense squad. At fifteen, no less.
Hmm. He was the picture-perfect, overpowered protagonist.
The girls in our territory had grown up watching this Luke since they were children. It was no wonder they found ordinary men unimpressive.
I turned my gaze back to what was in front of me. On the other hand, Parsi, who could be considered Luke's polar opposite, was...
"What is it? Why are you looking at me with such strange eyes?"
A veritable bear of a man, covered in hair so thick it was almost oppressive.
...Even I, the Demon Lord, who rarely shed tears, felt them welling up.
"My Lord. If things stay like this, I'm going to die a bachelor!"
Parsi pleaded desperately.
"When I kick the bucket, I want to at least have held a daughter as sweet as a rabbit in my arms before I head down the Yellow Springs road! Please, just find my soulmate somewhere far away!"
"Parsi. I'll give you some advice as a man, not as your lord."
I placed a hand on Parsi's shoulder.
"Giving up makes things easier. You know, haven't they erected some lavish brothels up on Viminales Hill? You could take a couple of lovers there and..."
"Aaaaaargh!"
Parsi finally exploded into a frenzy. It was the fury of a virgin. That's right — a virgin. Despite looking the way he did, Parsi held surprisingly firm beliefs about chastity and stubbornly insisted that his first experience had to be with the woman who would become his wife... Poor fellow. He was asking for trouble.
Just then, a mocking voice came from beside us.
"A sovereign who openly recommends brothels to his subjects. Morality has truly hit rock bottom."
It was Jacqueline Longwy, the Saint. She was wearing a pristine white priest's robe. I'd been enjoying a lively conversation with a friend for once, only to be interrupted, so I answered with a sour expression.
"...Are you enjoying the feast?"
"Yes. Compared to the character of its lord, the people of this domain are remarkably pleasant and deeply devout. I was surprised."
Why was this lady acting like this right in front of Parsi?
Publicly, the Saint and I were known to be bound by a strong alliance. No matter that Parsi was a vassal, it would be dangerous to let him see signs of discord between us. I sent her a furious look.
Lady Longwy ignored me entirely and flashed Parsi a warm smile.
"You must be Parsi? I am Jacqueline Longwy, servant of the Goddess Athena. I've heard that despite your youth, you mediate all matters — great and small — across the entire domain. I've long admired your renowned reputation."
"V-V-Admired?"
Parsi was startled. His cheeks flushed red.
...Virgin fool. One word of praise from a pretty lady and he's completely falling apart.
"Not at all! I am merely a humble servant of Lord Dantalion. Please, lower your address, Your Holiness."
"Hohoho. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation Your Majesty was having."
The Saint covered her mouth with one hand and giggled. Parsi stared at her blankly, utterly mesmerized. Oh dear. He's got it bad.
"I, too, believe that one should naturally preserve one's purity before marriage. Lord Parsi not only fulfills your worldly obligations admirably but also remains faithful to the duties the gods have bestowed upon us — I couldn't help but be impressed."
"Um. I mean, that is to say…"
Parsi's cheeks flushed so red that his entire face looked like an apple. Rolling his eyes this way and that, he finally blurted out, "Ah."
"I-I have a message for the village elders! I'll be going now!"
Parsi dashed off at a frantic pace. Good grief. Parsi, was that really the best excuse you could come up with? Couldn't your brain produce something slightly more convincing? As your liege, I am thoroughly ashamed…
I sighed.
"Are you enjoying tormenting an innocent young man?"
"It's far more enjoyable than dealing with a Demon Lord like you."
"Tsk. Leave Parsi alone."
Saint Longwy turned her gaze squarely toward us. Was she pretending not to know?
"I'm telling you not to even think about turning Parsi into Bretagne's lackey. Even if Parsi looks like a pushover, he is a man I, Dantalion, appointed as my acting lord. Do you understand what that implies?"
"…He's not as harmless as he appears."
I lifted the corner of my mouth.
"Do you really think Parsi is acting this way because he can't get married? He is acutely aware of his position. If Parsi were to marry into a prominent family in the village, that village's power would risk becoming excessive. That is why he continues to preserve his purity."
"But he was complaining to you…"
"It was a petition to find him a partner from somewhere else."
Find a wife from a place with no existing ties. Parsi had grumbled about it half-jokingly, but that was simply his nature.
He didn't want to marry into a prominent family. He wanted to marry an ordinary villager, but all the maidens from such families were completely smitten with Luke. It wasn't fair. What was wrong with him… That was the gist of his argument.
"He asked to find a soulmate 'from somewhere far away.' The words he blurted out weren't just random."
The Saint fell silent.
Saint Longwy had come to my territory following me, but there was a political motive hidden behind it. Rather than being manipulated by me at will, she intended to stay close by my side to keep me under surveillance. Queen Henrietta must have ordered it.
Officially, it had been arranged that a temple to the goddess Athena would be built in my territory, and the Saint would be posted there. As for me, when a religious and political symbol of her caliber came walking right into my hands, I welcomed her with open arms.
She had already made subtle overtures toward Parsi earlier, and she would want to probe the weak points in my territory. I wished she wouldn't underestimate me. I don't take just anyone on as a vassal.
"Well, we welcome the Saint. Today, at least, forget about scheming and enjoy yourself. And bless the people of this territory. That is your role."
"……Fine."
I held out my wine glass. With a bright clink, the Saint gently touched her glass against mine.
"To the goddess's radiance."
"To the well-being of the people."
I sipped the wine and looked around the banquet hall. I suddenly realized one of the executives was missing. It was only because I had spotted Luke that I noticed.
Come to think of it, Daisy hasn't been around for a while now.