A few days later, a letter arrived from Ivar Lodbrok.
"Next Monday. I wish to receive Your Grace's instructions at the Niflheim Kunkuska Trading Company headquarters."
Only a brief sentence or two had been written. In a very refined script.
If anyone else had peeked at it, they'd have wondered what on earth this was about. It meant that Ivar Lodbrok was finally going to reveal his true body. I chuckled.
"Nice handwriting."
Since printing technology hadn't been developed, penmanship was incredibly important across both the continent and the Demon Realm. It not only revealed how cultured the person was, but also served as a way to announce, "This is the kind of person I am."
But the vast majority of Demon Lords had terrible handwriting.
No, to be precise... they were overly calligraphic.
When brush calligraphy is too fancy, it actually becomes hard to make out what the characters say. Same problem. For instance, Sitri's handwriting flies around like a figure skater gliding across the ice at full speed. Who knows whether it's writing or a piece of artwork.
I once received a love letter from Sitri.
"Lately, I think about Dantalion before bed every single night."
"Meeting only once every two weeks is so hard. Can't we see each other more often?"
"Of course, if you're busy, that's fine. I'm sorry. Dantalion is always so busy..."
Doesn't it sound just as fresh and innocent as something a middle school girl would write?
The problem was that it took over an hour to decode the handwriting. I struggled so hard to read it that all the freshness of the letter's contents had evaporated! All that was left for me was a throbbing headache. Good grief...
Ivar Lodbrok's writing, on the other hand, was as straight as if a printer had stamped it out.
You could see their personalities reflected in things like this. First, you could tell he had a practical mindset. He tried to hide his true personality from others as much as possible and was extremely averse to showing off.
It was handwriting so quintessentially Ivar Lodbrok.
"Daisy. What does my schedule look like around next Monday?"
"Your Grace has an appointment to meet Lord Paimon this Friday."
Daisy stood beside my throne and answered demurely.
"On Saturday, you will travel to Niflheim to attend a ball with the Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm, and on Sunday you will spend the day in Niflheim with Lord Gamigin as planned. You are scheduled to return on Monday and conduct a secret tour of your domain."
"Mm."
I nodded with satisfaction.
Daisy had just rattled off the schedule without a single moment's hesitation. She was now over thirteen and had grown quite experienced as a maid. She was always ready to answer whatever I asked.
"And Tuesday?"
"You have a visit to Manheim scheduled to meet with Lord Paimon and Lady Sitri."
"Ah, right. I have to go see Barbatos over the weekend…"
A feeble groan slipped out before I could stop myself. This schedule was horrific enough to make you sick.
"How did things get this tangled up? Curse the world."
"I believe the phrase is 'you reaped what you sowed,' Your Grace. This is exactly why I told you — if you keep putting people off saying 'later, later,' eventually you'll have no choice but to meet everyone all at once."
Daisy smirked.
"You postponed your appointment with Lady Sitri twice — once twenty-one days ago and again twelve days ago. You already broke your promise with Lord Paimon sixteen days ago. That's how you ended up with next week like this."
Daisy's tone was perfectly polite throughout. Only the tone was polite. It was like calling customer service and hearing the agent cheerfully ask, "Yes, sir! How can we help you today?" in the sweetest voice imaginable, except what followed was absolute poison.
"…You've got a uselessly sharp memory, you brat."
"Thank you. I have someone at my side who tortures me every night if I don't remember things properly."
Daisy gave a small bow. Damn that girl.
"Sigh. You used to be this cute little thing that would tremble at the sight of a single slime… How did you grow up to be such an insufferable brat?"
A lament escaped my lips all on its own.
"Well, coming from someone who shoved two slimes inside me, that's rich."
"Hmm. Luke hasn't been masturbating much lately, has he?"
"My brother seems to have finally escaped his solo lifestyle and found real women."
Daisy replied without so much as batting an eye.
"Lately, he's been switching lovers about once a month. Apparently, he's hit on every virgin across six villages. He doesn't exactly have time to play with slimes."
"Damn it…! Has that little brat forgotten that his little sister is the best?!"
I grabbed my head and groaned.
I'd been wondering why my training sessions with Daisy weren't yielding level-ups lately. I'd raised the sensitivity of all her erogenous zones — breasts, backdoor, everything — to level five, yet not a single shame imprint had appeared. Now I knew why: Luke had been screwing things up.
So his sister finally showed him what a woman feels like, and this is the thanks he gives her! He gets a little experience under his belt and abandons his sister to go chasing every skirt in sight! This is exactly why the human race is so ungrateful.
The girl flashed a grin.
"Maybe it's time you started giving up."
"Shut it. It'll be another hundred years before you earn the right to gloat."
I growled. My strategy of implanting endless shame and humiliation into Daisy to force her into a psychologically weaker position than mine was still viable.
For the record, Daisy was still a virgin, naturally. Whether because of me or not, she'd apparently developed a hatred of men.
Recently, she'd been subtly clinging to Laura and throwing flirtatious glances her way, which was quite amusing. If the hero and the prime minister — bitter rivals in Dungeon Attack — ended up becoming lovers, that would be quite the spectacle.
Personally, I was infinitely generous with my subordinates when it came to sex.
I had zero desire to restrict my partners sexually. They could do as they pleased. That said, it seemed Laura was more interested in Barbatos than in Daisy — and surprisingly, truly surprisingly, Laura had actually become one of Barbatos's lovers!
"Cancel the patrol that was scheduled for next Monday. On Monday, we'll depart from Gamigin's villa and head straight for Niflheim headquarters."
"Understood. I'll let Sir Jeremy know. He was supposed to be escorting the patrol."
Civil war still raged across the continent, but in Niflheim — the city the demonkin had built from gold — war was nothing but a far-off tale.
The Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm lobbied repeatedly to make sure that not even a spark of war would reach them. Lavish banquets were held once every fortnight. The most expensive courtesans and entertainers in Niflheim were mobilized. Wines worth a drop of gold apiece were served up without restraint.
"Ha ha. Lady Gamigin is truly the most beautiful in all the Demon Lord's forces."
Gamigin, the fourth-ranked Demon Lord, was naturally on the lobbying list.
"Other Demonkin may say that Lord Barbatos and Lord Paimon are more beautiful, but frankly speaking, I believe those assessments are tinged with a bit of subjective adoration. As you know, those two lords are also immensely popular in an entirely different regard, aren't they?"
One of the Grand Dukes said with a polite, smiling gaze.
"That does rather undermine their objectivity. I've thought for some time now that Lady Gamigin is the most beautiful flower of them all."
"Hehe. Thanks."
Gamigin raised her wine glass in her right hand and smiled brightly.
"But I do feel a little shy around Barbatos and Paimon, too. They both have this truly mystical charm, if you know what I mean."
"Perhaps so. But purely in terms of physical beauty..."
The Grand Dukes gathered around Gamigin, chatting in a cheerful atmosphere.
Beneath her bright smile, Gamigin was privately bored out of her mind.
'They'd tell Barbatos that Barbatos is the most beautiful when Barbatos is around, and Paimon that Paimon is the most beautiful when Paimon is around. Even empty flattery has its limits.'
Gamigin deftly played along while sipping her wine.
She could feel several of the Grand Dukes stealing glances at her cleavage from the corner of their eyes. She loved wearing revealing silk garments, and it was driving the Grand Dukes' base desires wild. For some reason, she found it amusing.
'You fools — no matter how well you control your emotions, a Demon Lord of my caliber can see right through all of it.'
Gamigin chose not to call them out. Instead, if she happened to catch a Grand Duke's gaze, she would send a playful wink — a suggestive gesture that left the Grand Dukes both scandalized and unable to contain their excitement.
To lay the most powerful female Demon Lord in bed. That must have been something of a dream for these Hell Grand Dukes.
'Yes, keep looking. Go ahead and stare all you want. Come on.'
The Grand Dukes hadn't noticed, but Gamigin was subtly scattering charms of enchantment, weaving them into her masterful hold over the Grand Dukes.
The attendant waiting at the main entrance of the banquet hall announced in a loud voice.
"Rank 71, the Hidden Demon Lord! His Grace Dantalion has arrived——!"
The banquet hall fell silent for an instant.
The Grand Dukes, who had been busy stealing glances at Gamigin's chest, all turned their heads at once. It was quite a rude reaction, but since Gamigin herself had turned away first before anyone else, there was nothing they could be reproached for.
There was a man. He stopped near the door. He looked to the left and to the right, then stood still for a moment as if trying to feel the light filtering down from the chandelier. Then he walked again.
The man greeted the people of the banquet hall as he slowly made his approach.
He was lanky and thin. He had a pitifully meager amount of flesh on him. His face was beaming with a smile, and while Gamigin couldn't speak for how it struck others, it nagged at her nerves in a peculiar way. He was certainly not the type anyone would call handsome.
"What a distinguished gathering we have here. Lady Gamigin, it has been too long."
Only his voice was special.
Even though it wasn't particularly high-pitched, it came through with striking clarity. It felt as though the voice knew how to seek out people's ears of its own accord. Gamigin privately acknowledged that this voice, at least, deserved high marks.
"Yes, Dantalion. It's been a while."
"I had intended to visit sooner, but my body was dreadfully lazy. It is entirely my body's fault, so please do not scold me—discipline my body instead."
"Everyone already knows that Dantalion is lazy. I'll be generous and overlook it."
Gamigin smiled.
*'Cheeky bastard.'*
Dantalion had just indirectly made a sexual advance. He had effectively announced to everyone around them that he and Gamigin were physically involved. It was exceedingly unpleasant, but from Gamigin's position, there was nothing she could deny about it.
"Oh, by the way, Your Grace Dantalion is close with Lady Gamigin, isn't he!"
Sure enough. One of the Grand Dukes took the bait.
Dantalion picked up a wine glass brought over by an attendant and replied.
"Mm. She is someone I personally hold in very high regard."
"And, I hope you won't think me rude for asking, but… I've heard you're on good terms with Lord Barbatos, Lord Paimon, and even Lord Sitri."
Dantalion smiled.
"What could possibly be rude about that? You've spoken correctly."
"Then… which of the Demon Lord ladies do you consider particularly beautiful, Lord Dantalion?"
The Archdukes gazed at Dantalion with keen interest.
Of course, they already knew the answer. As long as Gamigin was present, basic decorum dictated that he had to name Gamigin. That was simply the polite thing to do and the way conversations worked. But the fact that Dantalion socialized freely with the female Demon Lords made it impossible not to be curious.
Dantalion answered without hesitation.
"Ah, well. Lady Barbatos is the most beautiful, naturally."
"……."
The Archdukes froze.
They stared at Dantalion with expressions as though they had seen a ghost. The man in question, meanwhile, was sipping his wine as if nothing had happened whatsoever.
"Oh. This wine is quite exquisite."
He truly seemed to have no ulterior motive whatsoever.
The atmosphere grew even colder.
The Archdukes didn't know what to do with this unexpected turn of events. If it were a fellow Demonkin, they could at least complain, but the other party was a Demon Lord. Not a single Archduke had the nerve to say anything to Dantalion. Slowly, carefully, the Archdukes glanced at Gamigin to gauge her reaction.
With all eyes focused on her, Gamigin thought to herself.
'Serious bastard.'
Even in a situation like this, she had no choice but to smile.