A sunlit prairie in the afternoon.
I was gazing at the grassland being cleared and developed.
Around me, laborers of various races were engaged in construction work.
Site supervisors, scattered about, issued their directions.
If one looked a bit further into the distance, a familiar town could be seen.
The Demon Lord's domain's stronghold—the Royal Capital.
This was the outer perimeter of the Royal Capital, where a new town was being built.
Half a year had passed since the war against the demigod.
Changes, large and small, were occurring everywhere.
The Royal Capital, the central hub, was one such place.
With development following upon development, the population had exploded.
The main causes were refugees from various regions, groups abandoning their villages, and demi-human tribes secretly fleeing from beyond the borders.
They had heard rumors that in the Royal Capital, a prosperous life could be had regardless of race, gender, or social standing.
In truth, this perception was not wrong.
By entrusting simple labor to the undead, large-scale farming operations had begun.
This further stabilized an already secure food situation and made prices affordable.
Workers were also constantly being recruited.
The construction work happening before my eyes was a prime example.
Due to these overlapping factors, the Royal Capital was achieving ceaseless growth.
Of course, bad rumors must have been circulating as well.
This is a city ruled by a demon king who seeks to dominate the world.
I am history's most notorious slaughterer, turning the living into undead to serve me.
For common folk to immigrate, the conditions are far too perilous.
I myself have taken action to spread precisely that impression.
And yet, the people still flow in.
The population of the Royal Capital continues to grow, and the economy thrives all the more.
As for this matter, the cause is already clear.
It all comes down to human psychology.
For commoners or those of even lower status, world affairs hold no interest.
Their priority above all else is surviving tomorrow.
So they are the first to come seeking refuge in the demon king's domain, the supposed source of destruction.
Of course, not everyone in the world thinks this way.
It was only a small fraction.
Even so, that fraction was enough to continually develop the Royal Capital.
In the future, more people will reach the same conclusion.
To say I don't feel exasperated would be a lie.
In the end, people did not care about the world's fate.
To put it bluntly, it didn't matter to them.
What was important was the pursuit of their own self-interest.
That is the essence of humanity, unchanged since ages past.
That person and I were effectively executed by this very trend.
While it's certainly nothing to be celebrated, rejecting it wouldn't change a thing.
Achieving that would probably be harder than bringing about eternal world peace, even.
It's the element that makes humans human.
Now, as the Demon Lord, I utilize these aspects.
As a result, the Royal Capital reached its golden age.
I'm hardly in a position to complain.
Just as I intended, conflicts between humans are steadily decreasing.
My methods aren't wrong.
There's nothing to hesitate about.
As I continued to watch the people working, a spy appeared behind me.
Perhaps a professional habit, the spy was suppressing their presence entirely.
It was masterful skill.
Those around me probably wouldn't notice at all.
Without turning, I ask.
"What is it?"
"Lady Luciana says she has something to discuss."
"Understood. I'll head over immediately."
The fact she's calling me suggests it's a matter of considerable importance.
Using detection magic to locate Luciana, I immediately teleported to her.