"I understand you came here for a rest to soothe your troubled mind, but at least maintain some semblance of propriety."
"But look—I made quite a bit of money, and…"
"That's nothing to boast about."
Lapis glared at me. I flinched and snapped to attention before I even realized what I was doing.
"For the Demon Lord to be fraternizing with mere gamblers and snatching their money away—no matter who ends up bearing the fallout, this can only tarnish Your Grace's reputation. There is absolutely no benefit to be had."
There was no room for argument here. Lapis wasn't criticizing me on the grounds that gambling was immoral; she was simply warning me that it would reflect poorly on my name. She had a point.
"Suppose, Your Grace, that you find yourself in an unfavorable position someday. Some people will blame your downfall on your gambling habit. And the reverse is true as well—if you succeed, people will whisper that even someone so accomplished has a gambler's streak and sneer behind your back."
"Ugh."
Every word was painfully, undeniably right.
"How much did you make in total?"
"A-a-about four thousand gold."
"……Quite the haul, I see."
A faint look of distaste crossed Lapis's face.
She advised me to donate three thousand gold to the citizens. What else could I do? I followed her counsel and dumped three thousand gold into an orphanage. Surprisingly, I didn't regret it. I supposed it was because using the Psychological Status Window to fleece the gamblers out of every last coin left even me feeling a bit slimy about how unfair it was. Thanks to the donation, the citizens of Niflheim grew even fonder of me.
I escaped the casino and went wandering through Niflheim once more. Bupue showed me around and even took me to the demons' red-light district.
All manner of species stood on their terraces beckoning passersby, but when a goblin prostitute called out to me in her whining, nasal voice—"'Oh my, Demon Lord, Your Grace! Why not stop by for a rest!'—and winked, I truly… I'll spare you the details. I did, however, pick up some new intel: some of the Demon Lords are absolute deviants who'll bed anything regardless of species. Apparently, Sitri, ranked twelfth among the Demon Lords, is famous for his peculiar sexual tastes and enjoys hosting orgies with multiple species at once—or so I hear.
And so my time of rest slipped away. The day of the Demon Lords' assembly was drawing near.
"Not today. I absolutely cannot concede on this. You must wear this outfit."
"No. Absolutely not. You want me to wear that? I'd rather bite off my own tongue and die."
"It's a color that's been trending in the Demon Realm lately. Honestly, Lord Dantalion, you're far too indifferent to clothing. Not caring about appearances is admirable, but for an event like this, there's a minimum level of etiquette expected."
The wardrobe. I stood among countless garments on display, with Lapis beside me. Of all the clothes stacked in abundance, the one Lapis had picked out was, of all things, an ivory coat. And she wanted me to layer it over a pink vest.
An ivory coat, and a pink vest on top of that! I was beginning to seriously question Lapis's aesthetic sensibility. She claimed this was what passed for fashion in the current era, and I couldn't wrap my head around it. It was the kind of absurd aristocratic attire you'd only see in Rococo-era paintings.
"I'd rather just wear a clean, solid-color suit like you do."
"The black suit I normally wear is meant for commoners. It is not something the Demon Lord would wear."
Lapis said this firmly. It was the first time I'd seen her so stubborn. Coming from a world where I favored hippie styles myself, I had no fondness for flashy, overly colorful outfits. They made my skin crawl just looking at them.
"Put bluntly, Lord Dantalion, your eye for clothing is absolutely terrible."
"......"
No way! The one with the weird fashion sense isn't me — it's this entire era!
"Regardless, please leave the styling to me. First, I'll select the outfit's colors and send a note to the woman you'll be choosing as your partner. Conventionally, the man is supposed to adjust his outfit to match the woman, but the Demon Lord is an exception."
"Huh? Partner?"
"There's a ball on the first day of the assembly. Naturally, you'll need to escort a lady, Lord Dantalion."
This was the first I'd heard of it.
"W-wait. I'm completely hopeless at dancing. And a partner — where am I supposed to find someone like that?"
"There's no need to worry. The ball is merely a formality; it's really just a banquet. Dancing is entirely voluntary. As for a partner, please don't concern yourself. The Kunkuska Trading Company has already scouted suitable candidates."
With that, Lapis produced a scroll from inside her coat as though she'd been waiting for me to ask. It contained detailed profiles of various women. She pointed to each one in turn and began to explain.
"I would recommend this lady. She's the daughter of the Grand Duke of the Poison Hell. In truth, Lord Dantalion's standing may be slightly beneath what's expected for the daughter of a Grand Duke, but for some reason, the higher-ups at the Kunkuska Trading Company were eager to arrange this. It would be an opportunity to build connections."
"Uh, um."
"Or this lady would also be a fine choice. She's the daughter of a border marquis under the Grand Duke of the Dark Hell — not only is her beauty exceptional, but she also wields considerable influence in high society. If you were to take this woman as a concubine, I'm certain it would greatly benefit Lord Dantalion's future."
I was utterly appalled.
"What did you say, concubine?"
"A Demon Lord keeping multiple concubines is not a scandal. On the contrary, it is something to be proud of. As another candidate, there is..."
The introductions of the various women went on and on. My mind was spinning. A sudden ball, of all things — my life had absolutely no connections with anyone, not even the bit of food residue stuck under a fly's nail. And on top of that, I was supposed to partner up with a woman I'd never met before and spend the whole day wandering around with her? Concubine? What the hell was that?
"Hold on. Hold on! Lapis, stop talking for a second. I can't breathe. Concubines and all that other nonsense — forget it. Fine, let's say I attend the ball. I can even understand that I need to pick a partner. But why is the Kunkuska Trading Company deciding who my partner will be?"
Lapis opened her lips to say something, but I waved her off. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. It seemed the higher-ups at Kunkuska had found out I'd threatened them with the Andromalius affair. The offer was basically: we'll connect you with someone influential, so please turn a blind eye to this incident.
It seemed like they thought they were offering some kind of compensation, but unfortunately, I wanted absolutely no part of it. These daughters of influential people or whatever they were — they were all clearly allies of the Kunkuska Trading Company. They would use the concubine to try and control me in some way. In short, they were poisonous apples that just happened to look plump and inviting.
"...But Lord Dantalion."
Even after hearing my reasoning, Lapis still urged me to choose a partner.
"This is also true — you could make not only the influential figure, but practically the entire Kunkuska Trading Company, into Lord Dantalion's allies. Even though you've earned a fortune with Black Herb, Lord Dantalion's power is still weak. If you obtain the tacit protection of an influential figure at this time, no one will dare look down on Lord Dantalion."
"Hmm."
There was logic to her argument as well. I fell into deep thought.
My primary objective was survival. My secondary objective was to "clear" this world — in other words, according to Venus Pant's hint, to conquer the world. When I weighed both goals, it did seem wise to secure someone's powerful backing.
Take the daughter of an influential figure as a concubine, use her, and then in the end betray even her to amass an even greater power base... That approach certainly wasn't bad, either. After all, they'd approached me because they saw something they could exploit in me. I couldn't exactly complain about a relationship built on mutual exploitation.
But.
"Lapis. I'm going to tell you what I really feel from now on."
"I'm listening."
"Honestly, I don't think I'm up for it."
Lapis tilted her head.
"Pardon?"
"You've watched me more closely than anyone, so you should know this — I'm fundamentally an unstable person. I wasn't always like this. What did they call it? Demon Lord Syndrome? That's right. As a Demon Lord, feeling the emotions of others as well... it changed me. Inside me, the emotions of my own anger and the other person's enjoyment all pile up in the same place. It's a complete mess."
Lapis's expressionless face darkened slightly.
"But... hasn't it been more stable since you came to Niflheim?"
"It's a stopgap measure. From what I can tell, the mood swings are just the beginning. I have no idea how long my sense of self can endure these emotions that are practically indistinguishable from chaos."
I confessed with a heavy heart. Even as I spoke, I could feel Lapis's worry washing over me. Heaviness and concern — how different could two emotions like that really be? They were practically the same thing. The gap between them was negligible. It was hard to tell where my emotions ended and Lapis's began.
"I don't know what's going to happen to me either. All I know for certain is that I need to find some balance."
"Balance, sir?"
"I need rest. Out there, I have to actively read other people's emotions while fighting battles and navigating political maneuvering — all of it. That's fine. But inside my quarters, I need to be able to rest without worrying about other people's feelings. It's about cooling down an emotionally exhausted vessel as much as possible."
In that sense, the casino had been quite nice. When I won, I felt happy, and my opponent felt miserable. Depending on the outcome of the game, my emotions and the other person's were clearly separated. I didn't have to make a conscious effort to distinguish between self and other. Of course, the ideal thing would be to lock myself alone in my room, but that was far too boring.
"But taking in a concubine whose true feelings I can't read? I have no way of knowing whether she cares about her own family or about Kunkuska. So I'd have to pour my attention into reading her emotions all over again."
"Dantalion."
Lapis suddenly cut me off. She almost never did this.
"Hm?"
"When you're with me... is it like that too?"
Anxiety. I could feel it.
I had known for quite some time that beneath Lapis's trademark expressionlessness lay countless different emotions. Most of the time she was composed and cool-headed, but every now and then she showed her human side.
She was always so calm that being around her was comfortable. No intense emotions bled through. But she wasn't so completely blank as to be like a doll — which meant that from time to time, we truly connected. She stood at just the right distance from me, and just the right closeness.
I gave a faint smile.
"No. Stay by my side."
"Understood."
Lapis answered calmly. Hmm — though I could clearly see the relief she was hiding inside. No need to point it out and embarrass her. Despite what people might think, I was actually a very considerate man. They just never seemed to realize it.
She spoke with an air of difficulty.
"Then it will be problematic to determine a partner for tomorrow's ball."
"Right. That is an issue too... Hmm, well. How about this — Lapis, you can just be my partner."
"..."
A brief silence followed.
"Excuse me...?"
"There, problem solved. This matter is closed now."
It had been a spur-of-the-moment thought, but looking back, it was a perfectly fine solution. Either way, the Kunkuska Trading Company wanted me as an ally. Flat-out refusing to have a partner would be unwise. If I chose Lapis — an employee of the Company — as my partner, it would send the message: 'I have no intention of making enemies of you.'
Moreover, I could make it clear that I had no intention whatsoever of letting them dictate my movements. The Company would be pleased to know I was willing to cooperate, I wouldn't compromise my own standing, and I wouldn't have to wander around with some strange woman, which was good for my mental health too. Truly perfect.
"You said it's customary for the man to match the woman's outfit, right? Hurry up and pick out a dress. I'll personally match it with my clothes."
"Your Grace. I am a half-Succubus. Bringing even a pure-blooded Succubus along would already raise concerns about a Demon Lord's reputation — to say nothing of someone like me..."
"Oh, come on. That pure-blood, mixed-blood nonsense again — if you bring it up even one more time, I'm going to lose it. I have my reasons, so just shut up and follow along."
I crossed through the fitting room, scanning for a dress that might suit Lapis. She scurried after me in a fluster, still carrying on about preserving the Demon Lord's dignity or whatever. I ignored her entirely.
"How about this one? Pure white dress. It's elegant and pristine — perfect."
"...It's too formal for a gala. No — more importantly, Lord Dantalion, I haven't actually agreed to this."
"Then how about this black one? The embellishments give it a glamorous yet dignified look. Perfect for a Demon Lord's partner to wear."
"Your Grace."
Lapis's tone had grown quite urgent. I pretended not to hear.
After three hours of back-and-forth, Lapis finally raised the white flag. I threatened that if she kept resisting, I'd just go without a partner, and she surrendered. In the end, I more or less forced the black dress into her hands, then donned a perfectly understated and plain black coat and black vest under the pretense of matching my partner's outfit.
"Aaah... An important gathering, and it comes to this..."
Lapis muttered with a sigh. Whether she grumbled about it or not, I was simply delighted that I wouldn't have to wear the most absurd outfit imaginable. Not rubbing a client the wrong way is an important duty for a merchant too, isn't it, Lapis?