MC POV
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A month had already passed since the announcement event of the Seven Kings' establishment.
The large-scale massacre carried out by Abernyu and me had become known throughout every corner of the Demon Realm. The news spread rapidly… and of course, it was Shalltear who made sure of that.
According to her, the demons had begun to calm down after that incident.
Shalltear seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood because of it. Well, I was also glad for her… she had worked hard, after all…
I glanced at the woman who was currently immersed in playing a video game.
"Arthur-san, this game is really interesting~ You can play as a criminal and do whatever you want~" (Shalltear)
Shalltear was happily playing GTA V in my room. At first, I was the one playing, but after she came… she started whining when I refused to take turns… Sigh…
"Good for you…" (Arthur)
I replied flatly with slight irritation.
"So, why did you come here?" (Arthur)
I asked while looking at the screen. She was currently being chased by the police after trying to rob a convenience store… how cliché.
"Come on~ can't I just visit to play~" (Shalltear)
Shalltear answered with a playful grin.
"… Do whatever you want." (Arthur)
I let out a helpless sigh as I grabbed a can of beer from the table and took a sip.
"Hehe~ thank you, Arthur-san~" (Shalltear)
Shalltear chuckled in satisfaction as she began waging war against the police.
"By the way, Arthur-san, I've already established an official company for you… a company specialized in the entertainment industry. I've also taken care of all the copyrights." (Shalltear)
"You work pretty fast, don't you…" (Arthur)
I couldn't help but be impressed by Shalltear's efficiency.
"Fufufu~ there's nothing a transcendent, beautiful girl like me can't do~" (Shalltear)
Shalltear laughed proudly as she elegantly brushed back her long hair.
"Hmm… I suppose you're right~ you really are beautiful… it makes me want to make you my lover~" (Arthur)
I smiled slightly as I teased her.
"…!! Wh–wha—what are you saying, Arthur-san!!!" (Shalltear)
Shalltear froze and immediately panicked when she heard that. Her face turned bright red all the way to her ears, and it almost looked like steam was rising from her head.
Heh~ how cute… she always acts shameless, but the moment I play along… she immediately becomes extremely embarrassed.
"O kawaii koto~" (Arthur)
I mimicked Kaguya's tone as I said it.
"Arthur-san!!! How dare you tease me!!" (Shalltear)
Shalltear lunged at me, but I stopped her by grabbing both of her wrists.
"Pffft~ Hahahaha~ sorry, sorry~" (Arthur)
Shalltear struggled to break free, her face still red—whether from anger or embarrassment… or both.
"Damn you!! How dare you toy with an innocent girl like me!!!" (Shalltear)
We joked around for a while before Shalltear finally gave up trying to pounce on me and instead vented her frustration by eating the cakes prepared by Grayfia.
"Still upset, Shalltear? I already apologized, didn't I~" (Arthur)
I shook my head lightly as I watched her eat as if she was trying to bankrupt me.
"… Hmph! Grayfia-san, please refill the cakes!" (Shalltear)
"Of course, Shalltear-sama." (Grayfia)
Shalltear puffed out her cheeks… she was pouting.
After that, Shalltear continued eating an excessive amount of cake until she gradually calmed down.
I had already asked Shalltear to let her subordinates handle my company.
I would remain a hands-off owner… and let others work to make money for me…
Just thinking about it made me happy.
"Stop that stupid grin, Arthur-san… it's creepy." (Shalltear)
Shalltear's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Her flat expression looked slightly annoyed.
"Ah— sorry. So, do you want to play another game? As an apology, I'll let you enjoy my game console for today." (Arthur)
Sigh… it's better to give in. This way, her mood should improve.
"Eh… really!?~ In that case~ I'll forgive you this time~" (Shalltear)
Shalltear happily grabbed the controller and started choosing another game.
I shook my head as I watched her cheerful smile.
Truly cute…
"Right, I almost forgot… Shalltear, if you have time later, take a look at this…" (Arthur)
I materialized a thick envelope filled with documents.
"What is this…?" (Shalltear)
Shalltear accepted it while tilting her head.
"Just a small proposal for this place… you can read it later." (Arthur)
I replied briefly with a shrug.
"Well… whatever…" (Shalltear)
Shalltear continued playing various games until she eventually invited me to play Mario Kart together.
…
The next day…
Shalltear had already left… she went off right at dawn… that woman really made me stay up all night just to keep her company playing games…
"Fuuuhhh~" (Arthur)
I took a drag from my cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke.
Right now, I was having breakfast with my family in the dining room, chatting lightly.
Even though it was called breakfast, I was only enjoying a cup of coffee and a sandwich made by Grayfia. After finishing my meal, I continued to enjoy my cigarette and coffee.
"…It's starting to feel a little more peaceful here…" (Abernyu)
Abernyu said softly while lifting her cup of tea.
"Yeah… the residents of this world must already understand what will happen if they act too arrogantly…" (Alfia)
Alfia added in a flat tone.
"…I just hope this calm will last for quite some time…" (Grayfia)
Grayfia spoke with a bitter smile.
I placed my coffee cup down after taking a small sip.
"Sigh… whether demons or humans… they're both extremely complex beings. No matter how modern things become, no matter what social norms exist… people can still be that foolish… doing things based on emotions rather than logic…" (Arthur)
Just like what Tanya from Youjo Senki said; 'Humans are foolish creatures.'
"Hm… that's a quote from Youjo Senki, right?" (Setsuna)
Setsuna asked me.
"Exactly~" (Arthur)
I nodded with a smile.
"There's no point in expecting anything from beings like them. It will only disappoint you." (Altair)
Altair said coldly.
"By the way, Shalltear has established a company for me… I've entrusted everything to her subordinates. Grayfia, Alfia, check on my company from time to time." (Arthur)
Even though I could trust Shalltear's subordinates, there was no telling if some idiot would try to cause trouble for my company. It could also serve as a side task for my family.
"Leave it to me, Arthur-sama." (Grayfia)
"I understand." (Alfia)
Grayfia and Alfia nodded.
After breakfast with my family, I headed to my private cinema. When I opened the door, there was already a white-haired woman sitting on the sofa inside.
"…Sigh… you're already here, Shiro?" (Arthur)
I let out a sigh at the sight before walking in and sitting beside her.
"Yes. I saw that you were free and alone, Arthur-san." (Shiro)
Shiro replied in her usual flat tone.
"Yeah, you're right…" (Arthur)
I then browsed through the anime list and chose One Piece.
"How's the situation in the God Realm right now, Shiro?" (Arthur)
I asked while picking up a chocolate parfait from the table and taking a bite.
Mm… it tastes good.
"Mm… the gods have calmed down now. I told them to stay composed." (Shiro)
Shiro also began enjoying her strawberry parfait.
Because of what Abernyu and I did, the God Realm had fallen into great panic. Shiro told me that the gods became anxious when they felt Abernyu's power… combined with my existence. The Supreme Gods had even asked Shiro for permission to investigate the Demon Realm, but she refused. After all, the God Realm and Demon Realm had an unspoken agreement not to interfere with each other.
"Hmm… I appreciate it. Thanks, Shiro." (Arthur)
"With this, Arthur-san owes me one, correct?" (Shiro)
Shiro looked at me as she asked.
"…I suppose so…?" (Arthur)
I answered uncertainly.
As I was about to take another bite, Shiro suddenly spoke.
"I wonder how Arthur-san's parfait tastes." (Shiro)
My hand froze as I looked at Shiro staring at me.
"…Eh?" (Arthur)
"I wonder how Arthur-san's parfait tastes." (Shiro)
She said it again.
Sigh… I can already see where this is going.
"I wonder how Arthur-san's parfait tastes." (Shiro)
I gave a wry smile as I faced Shiro's loop.
"Do you want to try tasting each other's parfait, Shiro?" (Arthur)
"If Arthur-san insists, I might consider it." (Shiro)
You really enjoy playing around, don't you…
"…I want to taste your parfait, Shiro…" (Arthur)
Ugh… I can't believe I just said that!
I covered my face with one hand out of embarrassment.
"Since Arthur-san wants it so badly, I have no choice but to comply." (Shiro)
Shiro offered me a spoonful.
"Aaa…" (Shiro)
Fed by an incredibly beautiful goddess—literally.
Looking at her face up close, I don't know why, but it felt like… my heart was beating faster.
"Aa…" (Shiro)
I calmed my heart, then leaned forward and opened my mouth.
"Nom~" (Arthur)
Mm… the deliciousness feels multiplied several times over!
"Your turn, Arthur-san." (Shiro)
Shiro looked at me, seemingly radiating impatience.
I took a deep breath and exhaled to calm myself again.
"Here. Aaa…" (Arthur)
"Nom~" (Shiro)
Shiro ate it calmly.
"Mm… delicious." (Shiro)
What kind of embarrassing game is this… I'm the only one feeling embarrassed…
Shiro didn't feel embarrassed at all. She could casually do things that would normally cause overwhelming embarrassment and still act completely normal… I truly respect that.
"I'm glad you like it…" (Arthur)
I gently shook my head while watching her in a good mood.
The two of us continued watching anime.
Shiro occasionally asked about things in the anime, as usual.
"Arthur-san, is being a pirate fun?" (Shiro)
Shiro tilted her head as she asked.
"No, it's not something admirable. To people, pirates are still criminals. There's nothing good about being a criminal… most people judge based on outward appearances, which is why it's better to be seen as a good person… even some criminals wear suits to give a better impression… so they can commit crimes more comfortably~" (Arthur)
I let out a dry chuckle as I answered.
"…How complicated." (Shiro)
Shiro said while looking at the screen.
"That's right…" (Arthur)
…
I decided to visit Kuro's territory.
Since arriving in Trinia, I had always stayed at home… I thought it wouldn't hurt to go out once in a while.
This time, I was accompanied by Alfia, because Abernyu insisted that I bring at least one guard. According to her, a King should at least be mindful of appearances.
Well… I could only accept it…
I looked around as I walked together with Alfia.
This place truly felt like the medieval era… the fantasy atmosphere was incredibly strong.
"What do you think about this world, Alfia?" (Arthur)
I asked Alfia, who was walking beside me.
"Nn… more or less, the atmosphere is similar to Orario. This place also has too many people… it's too noisy." (Alfia)
Alfia replied with a neutral expression.
"Hahaha… you're right." (Arthur)
I let out a wry laugh upon hearing that.
"But… at the very least, this world doesn't have any abnormal threats that could endanger us… so we can live peacefully here." (Alfia)
Alfia added with a faint smile.
Well, this world was filled with incredibly powerful beings… and on top of that, it was fundamentally a peaceful world. So… there was no— there would never be… any threat capable of endangering it.
That was also the reason why I liked its original story… it was purely slice-of-life. There were never any enemies… just some character development.
"Hey, Arthur-kun~" (Kuro)
When I turned to the side, I saw Kuro waving at me.
"Yo~ Kuro. I came to hang out~" (Arthur)
I raised one hand and greeted her.
"Nn~ I'm happy you came to visit me~" (Kuro)
Kuro smiled as she walked toward me.
"Alfia too, it's good to see you~" (Kuro)
"Good to see you as well, Kuro-sama." (Alfia)
Alfia gave a small nod to Kuro.
We then walked around with Kuro acting as our guide.
"Kuro, your city is starting to take shape…" (Arthur)
As we walked, we occasionally saw several places still under construction.
"That's right~ I asked the children from my family to develop this city. Shalltear also helped design the layout, so everything is well organized." (Kuro)
Kuro nodded in satisfaction as she looked around.
"… I'm planning to build a magic tool industry… I hope it will help the development of civilization later. I'm also thinking of making this city a center of trade." (Kuro)
"That's impressive. Your city could become the center of the Demon Realm…" (Arthur)
After all, there were no countries in the Demon Realm—only a few cities and villages scattered across this realm.
After walking around for a while, we then headed to Kuro's residence.
Along the way, a large palace could be seen in the distance.
"That's quite a striking building…" (Alfia)
Alfia commented lightly as she looked at it.
"Well… Ein and the others insisted on building it…" (Kuro)
Kuro scratched her cheek awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed.
We walked through the main gate, and Kuro led us to the courtyard of the palace. I saw Ein standing there, along with a table and chairs, with food and drinks already prepared.
"Hey, Ein, how have you been~" (Arthur)
"Arthur-sama, it's good to see you." (Ein)
Ein slightly bowed to me.
"Alfia, the last time we met was during the Seven Kings announcement event." (Ein)
"Yes, it's good to see you, Ein." (Alfia)
We then sat down and had a light conversation.
"… Arthur-kun, I heard from Shalltear that your comics will be published soon~" (Kuro)
Kuro asked excitedly.
"Yeah, Shalltear has established a company for me… I suppose it won't be long before the books are released." (Arthur)
I nodded with a smile.
"That's great!~ With this, the Demon Realm can enjoy entertainment." (Kuro)
Kuro nodded several times.
"… This world is slowly heading in a better direction…" (Kuro)
Kuro muttered softly as she looked up at the sky.
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