MSR-V3-9

Part of it was him acquiescing, but he also saw a potential for PR. Once he made up his mind, this man could tackle things that most would hesitate to attempt. For better or worse, of course.

“H-Hold on! I didn’t say you had to go this far!”

“Then I’ll let you down.”

“D-Don’t! T-Treat me... like a princess!”

“You’re a Holy Maiden, not a princess.”

“I am a Holy Maiden and a princess! And Golden!”

“...You’re an idiot, through and through.”

As they went back and forth like this, they arrived at McBonald’s store. The store had expanded since the last time the Demon Lord was here, showing their booming business. In fact, ever since McBonald had encountered the Demon Lord, his finances had substantially grown.

“First, we settle business with the shopkeeper here.”

“Huh. I didn’t expect you to know an art dealer.”

Meanwhile, McBonald saw the silhouette at the door and immediately knew that it was his good friend from across the sea. The Demon Lord was quite tall by the standards of this world. Combined with the air about him, people couldn’t help but gaze up at his presence. But, this time, it was even worse than ever before.

“My, my, Mister Kuna— aaggghhy!?”

Seeing the girl in the Demon Lord’s arms, McBonald shrieked in astonishment. He had guessed that his friend and the Holy Maiden were quite close, but now he had appeared at his doorstep with her in his arms. McBonald scrambled up to his feet and bowed as low as he could go.

“At ease. I’m just a princess today!”

McBonald couldn’t process what Luna meant by that, but swiftly ordered an employee to prepare their best tea in their best tea set. The Demon Lord leisurely sat down onto the couch and placed Luna next to him.

“What? You’re putting me down already?”

“Of course. Who in their right mind would talk business with a woman in their arms?”

The Demon Lord produced a scroll from his pocket and removed one piece of art after another from it, placing them on the floor and the table. It was an amazing sight, but McBonald was not surprised. He was prepared not to be surprised no matter what his friend did, at this point. Still...

“T-This... is the famous vase of Aden!”

McBonald had his limits. He somehow accepted the method of storage he had never seen before. Some sort of foreign magic or new magical item, he thought. But, when it came to art, when it came to his livelihood, he couldn’t conceal his emotions.

“This was given to me by the Madame. I don’t have a place for it, and I thought you’d make better use of it.”

“Madame...? The younger sister, the famous collector?”

McBonald latched right onto that word. ‘The Madame’ could only mean one of two people in this country. The younger of which was a famous art collector, who also happened to win the previously mentioned music box in an auction.

“No, her sister.”

“I see...”

McBonald sighed in relief. He was sure that Madame Buttersauce would have never let go of the Vase of Aden, of all things. On the other hand, her older sister was less interested in art, and could plausibly give it away.

“In any case, these are all masterpieces... the Portrait of Baroness Doryl, the Golden Spoon of Herun, and this beautiful jade necklace.” “I expect to receive many more like these in the future.” “F-From the Madame...?” McBonald asked, shaking.

The Holy Maiden in front of him and the Madame. These figures guaranteed that none of these were fakes, and he could see that with his own eyes after numerous inspections. Just the art pieces in front of him now were worth twenty gold medallions. The Demon Lord suddenly lit his cigarette, and answered confidently.

“From all corners of the continent.”

McBonald was dumbfounded by the daring declaration. It was already surprising that he had been given art pieces by the Madame, and now he was claiming that he would have his hands on various pieces from around the continent. Luna flashed a surprised expression beside the Demon Lord, but soon, something seemed to click in her mind.

“The hot springs, right? How much money is it going to make?”

“It’s not about the money. The whole continent is going to be remade, with that village at its epicenter.”

“So, since I’m the lady of the village, I’ll be the world’s most important princess!”

“Hm... It seems you will.”

“Yay!”

Clinging onto the Demon Lord’s arm, Luna wore an innocent smile. Listening to this conversation, McBonald’s stomach was churning. What was happening? What was about to happen? All he could tell was that something unimaginable was forming under the surface. His intuition as a businessman was screaming at him to not miss this opportunity.

“Mister Kunai, Miss Holy Maiden. It seems that, um, you are orchestrating something huge.”

“I’m just playing in the sandbox,” the Demon Lord grinned, smoke flowing out of his smile. In a sense, this really was like a sandbox game for this man. It wasn’t the type of game that allowed him to build or scrap things with the push of a button, though. All planning and details were handled by Tahara, and the Demon Lord just had to give the green light.

“Now, let’s finish our business. These pieces will be yours for ten gold medallions.”

“T-Ten...? T-That’s hardly enough.”

“With the profit you earn, I want you to start a branch in the village of

Rabbi.”

“Oh, you’re recruiting him.”

McBonald was plenty surprised by what the Demon Lord was saying, but the most surprising thing of all was the Holy Maiden still clinging to the Demon Lord’s arm. Luna was feared as a self-centered woman with a temper, but she looked like an ordinary girl now.

“I will gladly purchase these pieces. But, when it comes to a new branch...

Well... If I could ask you about the contract...”

“Of course. No need for you to pay rent on the land. We would only have you pay 10% of your monthly sales to the village as a tax.”

“J-Just 10%...?”

“Oh, would you feel easier with a higher tax?”

“N-No no no no, sir! I feel completely at ease with 10%! I would love to pay 10%!” McBonald shouted.

It wasn’t that the Demon Lord was teasing him, nor did he have any calculations for the 10% rate. He simply reused the entire adventurer tax system he had learned while dungeon-crawling. Naturally, people were taxed differently based on the ruler of the land or city. Dungeon-crawling taxes could have an astronomical difference in their rates depending on the place, but the Demon Lord was only aware of the tax rate for the Bastille Dungeon.

Yahooo, by the way, as a trading city, had an extremely high tax rate.

(I can make as much money as I want anywhere else... First, I need to gather good stores to gain vitality and trust.)

Just as ubiquitous fast food chains populate train stations in Japan, leading to convenience stores, apartment complexes, then supermarkets... the Demon Lord was hoping for a chain reaction like that. If it clicked, this reaction could go on endlessly.

“Then we have a deal. Tahara, one of my advisors, will confirm the details with you.”

“Y-Yes, sir! I look forward to conducting further business with you!”

“Oh, I did have a special present for you.”

“A present...?”

“I made it on the fly, but it might go for an interesting price.”

The Demon Lord handed him what resembled a name card. He had made it from a simple name card printer in the hot springs resort. It read ‘One Night’s Stay at the Hot Springs Resort’ on it. Without understanding what it was, McBonald took it and thanked the Demon Lord. He didn’t expect this little card to cause one big commotion down the road. This piece of paper would later be put up for auction, where the other butterfly, Buttersauce Butterfly, would win it.

## The Demon Lord Goes Scouting, Part 2

After leaving McBonald’s shop, they headed straight for an apparel store: Fashion Police, run by Bingo, where he had bought Aku some clothes and ordered the Bunnies’ uniforms.

“Uh-huh... So you had these people make those perverted uniforms.”

“It looks like we’ll have them make all sorts of bizarre clothes.”

“Uh-huh. Uh-huh.”

Still clinging to his arm, Luna coldly stared at the Demon Lord... Most likely because she was never asked to wear one of the Bunnies’ uniforms. While Luna didn’t want to wear it, perhaps her pride was hurt when she was never even asked.

“I gave you that Blazer.”

“Sure, that’s a cute one, but... I think some more lady-like... or s-s-s-ssexy ones would suit me better.”

“Ha ha ha. You’re hilarious.”

“What was so funny!? Did I say something funny!? Huh!?”

Luna jumped up on him and choked him by the throat, but the Demon Lord kept walking nonchalantly, letting her be. Anyone around would have only seen him walking down the street with a Holy Maiden embracing him face-to-face.

They did eventually arrive at the shop, maintaining their position.

“Ooh la la... Mister Kuna— argh!”

Seeing Kunai, a super-mega VIP, Bingo strutted over to welcome him, his hips swaying. When he realized the Holy Maiden was the one embracing him, he couldn’t help but let out a hefty grunt. Bingo was more on the feminine side, a complete princess at heart. Letting out such a noise in front of customers was nothing less than humiliating.

“Long time no see.”

“P-Please excuse me...! Everyone, on my mark!”

“Welcome to Fashion Police!” Bingo and his employees said, in complete unison.

“A-All right...”

The Demon Lord couldn’t help but shuffle backwards, but Luna didn’t see anything amiss with this picture. She enjoyed being worshiped, and held a status that called for worship.

“Shopping with Miss Holy Maiden today? I’ve never seen such a gorgeous couple before!”

As Bingo shook his hips and bit his handkerchief, Luna’s eyes brightened. It’s worth noting that she was still holding onto the Demon Lord’s neck like a koala.

“That’s right, I remember! You told me before we’d go shopping in the

Holy City together!”

“No. You said that.”

“Oh, man up! At times like these, the man just makes the woman look pretty!”

“Oh...? Interesting.”

The Demon Lord cracked a grin. He thought about making Luna try on every single erotic outfit in the store, but somehow restrained himself upon recalling why he was there. This man was outlandish in all sorts of situations, but wasn’t so immature as to forget his goal.

“Good news, Luna. It won’t happen today, but I will host your fashion show. A long, long, fashion show.”

“Huh...?”

“I’m excited now. When that time comes, I’ll be the man and provide you with all sorts of outfits. I recall some like Sumo Wrap and Naked Apron.”

“W-What are those terrifying names!?”

“Ha ha ha!”

“W-What’s so funny! I’m not going to wear any of those!”

“Ha ha ha!”

“Stop laughing!”

As he listened to their conversation, Bingo couldn’t control his cold sweats. He had heard that the youngest of the Holy Maidens had a terrible temper, and that it could be disastrous if she were to become upset. But now, she only seemed like an ordinary girl her age. Bingo was losing sight of how to deal with and treat her as a patron.

“We’ve gotten off track. Bingo, do you want to put up a shop in the village of Rabbi?” the Demon Lord asked bluntly.

Part of it was that he didn’t expect Bingo to turn him down, considering their history. In fact, Bingo had made easy money from him so far.

“Two of them, actually.”

“T-Two stores...?”

Without even waiting for Bingo to answer, the Demon Lord pressed on with brazen disregard.

“One will be a high-end retailer for nobles. Women who have gained their confidence in the hot springs will undoubtedly look for an outfit a step above what they have. Their ultimate aspirations will be to pull off those Bunnie uniforms.”

“T-That uniform will be their aspiration...?”

Bingo couldn’t imagine it. There were countless women in the world, and he would have been hard-pressed to find one who could pull off that revealing outfit. She would have to have a perfectly fit body with immaculate proportions. Considering how much skin the outfit revealed, her skin would have to be very rejuvenated and tight, too.

“The other will be a store with reasonably priced workers’ clothes and undergarments. No taxes on this store since we’ll build it in the commoners’ quarters.”

“N-No taxes, you say...?”

“No rent, either. Any profit you make goes into your profit. I mostly want you to make workers’ and artists’ wear.”

The Demon Lord gave him the quick rundown, including the same conditions he gave McBonald. Most of it was given without time for Bingo to agree to them, but the shopkeeper wasn’t losing anything from this deal. In fact, he had heard so much about the mysterious facility called the Hot Springs Resort from his employees who had visited the village.

“Please, please, please allow us to...! I will make them stores that you will be proud of!”

“Fantastic. You’ll hear the details from Tahara, one of my advisors.”

With a heavy clunk, the Demon Lord threw five gold medallions on the table. The overwhelming shimmer of gold grabbed a hold of Bingo and his employees’ attention. Eventually, it seemed that all of their eyes had turned into gold medallions.

“Here’s for the first round of materials. Don’t skimp on the clothes you sell to the nobles.”

“Absolutely! I swear to it, I will make sure that they will be up to your standards, sir, oh yes, sir!”

“Wonderful... Now, on the double.”

“Everyone, this is war! Run, ladies, run!”

With a familiar conclusion, the store erupted in chaos, and the employees sprinted out. It couldn’t be helped when the Demon Lord always threw gold at them any time he came. Naturally, the gold traveled far beyond Bingo and his store. Money trickled down to the materials shops, the silk growers, needle makers, accessory stores, and many more. The dead money and the frozen economy of this country were being forced into turmoil by this man. The wheel was big enough to crunch through any pebbles in its course, and to knock off any enemies that stood in its way. With it, the Demon Lord would not slow down... He couldn’t help it. He was the Demon Lord.

“Luna, now we’ll head to the Holy City... You’re still clinging on to me!?”

“W-What do you mean... Aren’t you happy a gorgeous girl like me is hanging on you!?”

“Ha ha ha.”

“Nothing about that was funny! Be happy! Say you’re happy!”

Laughing along, the Demon Lord flew to the Holy City using Quick Travel, popping off one miracle after another. If White were to see, she would have been stricken with a massive headache... for two separate reasons.

## Before the Storm, Part 1

At the Holy City, their destination, people were dismayed, shocked, and confused at a variety of rumors circulating the city. One was a rumor that the Demon Lord had appeared, another was that a miraculous doctor who could heal any ailment had appeared, and yet another was that White, the leader of the Holy Maidens, was given an Angel’s Halo. Still, the hottest rumor of them all... was about the silver Dragonborn. Because White usually spent her days in the Holy Castle, the people had few opportunities to see her halo. However, the one-on-one between Zero and Allit, the Duke of Darkness, was witnessed by tens of thousands, making for rapid, sensational rumors.

“The Dragonborn protected the Holy Castle.”

“Apparently the Demon Lord is Lady Luna’s backer.”

“I heard there are jobs in the village of Rabbi.”

“I wish I could dye my hair silver...”

“Lady White is an angel now!”

“Lady Queen and the silver Dragonborn are lovers.”

“The Dragonborn must have appeared to her to protect Lady Queen.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“I bet it’s going to be one big ceremony...!”

With no newspapers or news shows in this world, information traveled through word of mouth and dictated public consciousness. Some information was accurate, while much was way off of the mark. Without anything like the internet, it was incredibly difficult for anyone to fact check anything. In the midst of the storm, yet another event occurred worthy of gossip: the Demon Lord in his pitch-black coat, and Luna walking along happily with the end of that coat in her hand. The crowd around them grew with time, and they clamored away. Seeing the reaction of the crowd, the Demon Lord brushed his hair back with his hand as if to suppress a migraine.

“I guess this is what happens when the Demon Lord and a Holy Maiden walk together. Why can’t you turn invisible with one of your Holy Maiden powers, or something?”

“Turn... In what world can people turn themselves invisible!? I need you to understand that you are the extreme exception.”

The grass was always greener on the other side. For the Demon Lord, the magic users of this world were the truly exceptional ones, but the people of this world saw the Demon Lord and his advisors as the ones who utilized magic on an impossible and grand scale.

“So, where are we going next?”

“I remember a place with good food. I’m going to ask the owner there.”

“Come to think of it, we don’t have a real restaurant in the village, do we...? Then I’ll speak to the manager at Artemis.”

“Ah... Great. Good thinking.”

With newfound respect, the Demon Lord patted Luna on her head. This wasn’t an act, either. He only saw Luna as a child, and nowhere near a woman... yet. Throughout history in any world, women matured much faster than men. There would come a day when the Demon Lord would lose his smile and be tormented by Luna in return.

“H-Hmph! Finally, you give me some credit. I’m a Holy Maiden, remember!?”

“Mm. You’re great.”

The Demon Lord complimented her again, with no minced words. He simply liked anyone that could do something he couldn’t or think of something that he didn’t. This characteristic, on its own, could make him sound like either a good leader or a child.

“Maybe I’ll have Artemis use the dining hall in the resort, instead of a restaurant. No, wait... What if we let the restaurant with the best sales or reviews for a month use the dining hall for the next month? Oh, that’s good.”

“Huh... Competition, then. Good. That’s exactly what the Wise Angel teaches us. No growth without competition.”

“Growth, huh...?”

The Demon Lord couldn’t help but glance down at Luna’s bosom, the lawless wasteland. A vertical cliff that forbade anyone from entering, much less nurture any competition. No growth would be had here.

“W-W-W-W-What are you looking at!? Just because I’m beautiful, it doesn’t give you the right to look at me with those perverted looks!”

“Ha ha ha.”

“What’s so funny!?”

With a dry chuckle, the Demon Lord headed to Kanpai. The bar was bustling with adventurers as always. Sammie (the owner)’s cooking must have played a part in it, but the regulars had grown attached to the bar that saw them through their rookie days. When the Demon Lord opened the bar doors, all eyes turned to them.

“Hey, welcome... M-Miss Holy Maiden!? And the gentleman in black!”

“It’s been a while, Mama.”

“W-Why are you calling me Mama?”

“Why did you call me the gentleman in black?”

With her healthy stature and attitude, Sammie seemed like an Italian Mama to the Demon Lord. She acted that way, too.

“S-So, are you going to have something to eat, or...” Sammie asked, glancing at Luna.

Even she seemed nervous to see a Holy Maiden in her bar. A modern-day equivalent would be the head of the FBI casually dropping by. Even if they did nothing wrong, anyone would be a little uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry. I’m here to recruit you.”

“R-Recruit me...?”

As the Demon Lord began his spiel, Luna began to look around the bar. Her glances were rather sharp, inspecting the atmosphere and build of the bar. There wasn’t much discussion to be had between the Demon Lord and Sammie, as they quickly came to an agreement. Most importantly, putting up a location in the commoners’ quarters would be tax-free. On top of that, there was a huge customer base with all of the workers gathered there. No businessperson would pass up an opportunity like this. For the time being, Sammie’s apprentice would run the branch in the village of Rabbi, while she would drop in now and again to check on the place.

“Here’s something to get you started. I’m looking forward to having good food in the village.”

“Wha...? H-Hey! These are gold medallions!”

“It seems only fair in exchange to have your best apprentice.”

The Demon Lord placed two gold medallions on the table. For a small business owner like Sammie, every bronze coin counted. Even with her bar doing this well, she had seldom held a gold medallion before.

“The village doesn’t expect revenue from the quarter you’ll be in. We just want high-quality establishments. I’ll put in a word with my advisor about you, Mama. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“A-All right...”

After the Demon Lord and the Holy Maiden came and went like a

tornado, the shimmering reflection of the gold medallions illuminated Sammie’s face. Since many of her patrons kept a tab, this big chunk of money gave her a breath of relief. While the Holy City brought in more patrons, it also came with more expensive ingredients. With two gold medallions, she had a lot of legroom.

“Maybe he’s... really the Demon Lord.”

What came to her mind was what she imagined the Demon Lord to be, and the legend of a hero who only appeared in trying times. Those figures always seemed to come with tragic endings, while this Demon Lord made it seem like any tragedy would beg for his forgiveness.

After leaving Kanpai, the Demon Lord and Luna toured the rest of their destinations from Artemis to the Adventurers’ Guild, taking care of business. For these locations, Luna’s title made the job very easy. At Artemis, the manager practically agreed just to not upset Luna, and the Guild agreed to a large scale recruitment of their staff, considering the offer to be like a public project.

(Now, maybe we should head back to the village.)

Since they couldn’t very well vanish from the middle of a crowd, the Demon Lord turned into an alleyway when he realized that Luna was acting a bit strange. Luna had lost her usual clamoring nature since they had entered Kanpai.

“What’s the matter? Something you don’t like about that bar?”

“It’s not that... I just feel a little nostalgic.”

While he couldn’t read the expression on Luna, who was looking down at the ground, her tone was not a cheery one.

“Oh, you’ve been to that bar before?”

“No, I just remember looking at it from the street.”

“I remember you looking around the place without even talking. Different from your usual high society?”

“...It’s not that. Back then, I couldn’t even go into any restaurants.”

That rang a bell in the Demon Lord. He remembered that Aku had mentioned something before.

“Right. You were scouted out of an orphanage, right?”

“Yeah.”

After Luna’s short answer, the Demon Lord produced a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He figured that this meant Luna had lost her parents when she was young, was abandoned by them, or didn’t even know who her birth parents were. Not even the Demon Lord would jest about anything like that.

(Nostalgic, huh...?)

He tried to imagine what Luna’s situation was. Naturally, she must not have had any money, or perhaps looked too unkempt for any restaurant. He couldn’t help but make a connection with how Aku looked when they first met.

“...You earned your position through hard work, huh? It’s respectable.

Nothing to be ashamed of, in the very least.”

“You think I don’t know that...?”

“Then be proud. You achieved something that most people can’t. I lived my life crawling through dirt at times, doing embarrassing things.”

“You? I can’t even imagine that... I think you were mightier-than-thou since the moment you were born.”

“Ha ha! Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not that exceptional.”

“T-Then... Ah!”

The Demon Lord pulled Luna by her waist, and prepared for Quick Travel. Luna wrapped her arms around him in return, but her pink eyes shone curiously.

“O-One of these days... You better tell me about your past.”

“Let’s see. Maybe when you’re a grown woman.”

They vanished from the alley and immediately arrived at the village of

Rabbi. The sky was already darkening, on the brink of dusk. The Demon Lord immediately sent a Communication and reported the day’s work to Tahara.

*Making work as quick as you always do. Helps us out a bunch, sir.*

*And there’s something I need to speak to you about. Let’s take a dip in the hot springs.*

*Hot springs...? W-With you, Mister Secretary!?*

*What’s the matter? I know you prefer the public bath, but there are too many eyes there.*

Tahara did prefer the public bath, and the Demon Lord was the one who wrote that backstory in the first place. Back when he wasn’t rich, Tahara would take his sister to the public bath, and wait for her to come out in the freezing cold. This short story had led to Tahara still preferring the public bath, without paying any mind to the lavish hot springs resort under his nose.

*I’ll see you at the hot springs. F-For real!?*

## Before the Storm, Part 2

Shortly before the Demon Lord and Luna returned to the village, Tahara had been staring at a map in his office at the resort. With each thought he had, he scribbled on the map, made lists on notepaper, or circled a line of text he had already written. If the Demon Lord were to see this document, he would have been astounded. Of course, Tahara only considered himself faithful to the Demon Lord’s intentions by executing the project at this scale, and that he could do much more.

“Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, huh?”

While this genius had his mind set on their final base being the Sleepless Castle, his ideal was to create a massive capital and have the castle overlook it. Controlling the world with force and fear was the way of the Empire, after all. Tahara was sure that such an approach would cause something somewhere to crack, making an opening for devastating retaliation. When Tahara reached to write something on a piece of paper once more, the door opened without a knock.

“...Oh, it’s just you, Tahara.”

“The Secretary isn’t back yet.”

Watching Tahara, who was scribbling something without even looking up, Yu gave him a look like she was seeing an endangered animal.

“You’ve certainly changed. You’ve never shown initiative before.”

“Hm...? Yeah, guess so.”

“It looks like you’re enjoying yourself, though. At work, nonetheless.” Tahara finally looked up at this and wore a dumbfounded expression. Then he moved the red pencil from his ear to the space between his upper lip and nose. After pondering like this for a while, he remarked, “Work, huh...?

Oh, my bad. I didn’t think of all this as work. Wow.”

“Huh? Did you hit your head or something?”

Yu snarled, but Tahara lit a cigarette, unbothered, and savored the puff of smoke he exhaled.

“How do I put this... Everyone’s having fun, right? Before we got here, work just meant a bunch of people dying. Darkness. All I got from it was this powerful emptiness.”

“Emptiness, you say...?”

“But what we’re doing here is different. At least we’re making something.

Leaving something behind. That’s a luxury we didn’t have in the old world.”

“Who knows how long that will last? There will always be opposition, and the secretary will not tolerate them. He will strike them down with merciless force.”

“Well, yeah. What I’m trying to say is that, even if we make a thousand suffer, as long we can make a hundred thousand happy, we’re much better off than before,” Tahara explained as he tapped cigarette ashes into his ashtray, but Yu still wore the puzzled expression. Tahara was feeling rather fulfilled by his work now, especially considering his previous blood-soaked line of work. Yu, on the other hand, had no interest in the lives of others. Her conclusion was cut and dry.

“Oh, so it’s just about the numbers.”

“Agh! Don’t you have a shred of a heart, or even a gram of empathy in there?”

“I don’t need either of those things to research the human body. If the Secretary wished it, of course, I would happily extend my research to those things, as well.”

“Research? It ain’t something you can measure with beakers and test tubes.”

Although they shared their love of their absolute leader, their ideals could not have been more different. Tahara would kill a hundred thousand if need be, but Yu would do the same purely for massacre’s sake.

“Anyway. You got the thing I asked you for?”

“Yes. I can attest to its effectiveness.”

Yu produced a small vial from her pocket that contained a clear liquid. It was a toner that used the water from the carbonated springs. In this hot climate, both men and women had damaged skin. With this, those who never made it to the hot springs could still care for their skin, too.

“Carrots can’t be our only specialty... I’ve got ideas, like this toner and boiled eggs, but we’ll definitely need the Sleepless Castle at some point.”

“Yes. With our castle rebuilt, we can squash anyone that opposes us.”

“Hold your horses. We don’t even need to use it for blunt force. I’m talking about the productivity of the Sleepless Castle. Food plants, factory lines... We can run those to the max, and have it sitting in the center of the country.”

“I understand the need for the food line. What about the factories?”

“We can make electronics, or something.”

“Electronics!?”

Yu was speechless at the idea. It seemed so foreign to this fantasy world. But, even when they had no source of electricity, the hot springs resort operated as intended. The lights on the ceiling turned on, and the automatic doors worked just fine. With that in mind, production of electronics suddenly seemed possible.

“If we really need electricity, there’s Area Modification.”

“Area Modification...!”

The Demon Lord did have such a power. Simply put, the ability allowed him to modify the arena to keep things interesting. Most video games did have an array of fields to host their gameplay in, but performing that in this world would be a display of unimaginable power, akin to the creation of a world. It wasn’t something any mortal should have had the power to do.

“In the old arenas, there were power plants. Stuff like mines, food storage, factories, and hospitals, too. Even ridiculous facilities like a pool or forest.”

“You’re...”

Yu couldn’t help but consider the implications of what Tahara had just rapidly proposed. Of all things, he was planning to turn this fantasy world into one with electronic technology, and even creating parts of the world anew.

“Is that really what the Secretary...”

“You really think the Secretary’s thought of every little idea I’ve had?”

Tahara put out his cigarette with a sigh. Of course, the Demon Lord himself had not thought of any of these things. He would have tumbled out of his chair if he had been sitting here listening to the conversation. After the two fell silent for a few moments, a reserved knock came from the door. Aku appeared, holding drinks in her hands.

“I’ve brought you two some coffee!”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, little Aku.”

“Thanks, little girl.”

Both Yu and Tahara treated Aku well. In fact, they treated her with great care. They were sure that there was something important about her, judging from how well their precious Secretary was treating her. They both saw Aku as a rare example of a guest of the Secretary’s.

“So, little girl. Did the Secretary tell you anything?”

“U-Um, I didn’t really understand most of it...”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Um, like he wants to make a p-pool...?”

“...Yeah?”

Tahara grinned, as Yu only stared intently as she sipped on her coffee.

Even after Aku left the room, it was filled with ominous silence. Yu was the one who broke it.

“It does look like he’s thought of everything.”

“No duh. I can’t even throw anything over his head.”

Tahara threw up his hands in the air. Their conversation continued, but eventually came to an end when Tahara received a Communication. As his expression flip flopped throughout the conversation, Yu watched with a curious expression.

“Sorry ’bout that. I’m hopping over to the hot springs for a bit.”

“Now wait a minute...”

When Tahara stood up as he scratched his head, Yu grabbed his hand.