CH 104

Chapter 104 – The Demon King Decides to Go on a Business Trip

In a corner of the kitchen of the casino ‘Arch Qi’, women who were not part of the cooking team were happily working on their assigned tasks.

The excellent-looking women were eating their food while conversing with each other in an adorable manner.

“Ummm…. its good, isn’t it?”

“It’s delicious!”

“….Yes, it is. I think the seasoning is not too bad.“

Even the most discerning former noblewoman gave the prototype of the new signature product her seal of approval.

“……”

“Wow, it was my idea, wasn’t it? Don’t try to take it without telling me, okay?”

These were the women Marco had prepared for the Demon Lord.

“Hey, you can’t do that…! I’ll hold her down, you take it to the boss.“

“Okay, okay.”

A girl named Chris put a plate of the prototype on a wooden serving cart and left the kitchen.

“Oh, you’ve already made the next one?”

“Yes, sir.”

As she hurried down the first floor corridor with a buoyant heart, she met Marco on his way to the manager’s office.

Marco was usually a strong-looking man who tended to be intimidating, and he didn’t seem to be bothered by Chris’s attitude that still remained timid.

“….You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry….“

“Ah, no….”

Even Marco was hurt that she was scared just by the way he talked to her.

“….Well, it’s just… I’m just saying I’m seeing some positive changes in the store. I heard the boss can do anything. I’m getting a little carried away at my age.”

“Um…. why did you make us the boss’s chaperones?”

A question that all the girls wanted to ask, but were too scared to ask Marco.

She took the chance to ask now, when he seemed to be in a good mood.

“…I don’t know…Because the boss had a similar atmosphere to the predecessor (1). We couldn’t send you to the whorehouse right away because of the circumstances. They don’t like girls who can’t make an immediate impact over there. But that doesn’t mean we could give you special treatment and waive your debt. The others would be watching, after all.“

The women who became the Demon King’s consort in Arch Qi were those who had been sold by their parents to fulfill their debt, or those whose family had run away overnight and left them behind, and generally, people who had no control over their own affairs.

If they were sent to a brothel, a harsh future as a prostitute awaited them.

In the brothels run by [Kronos], which targeted the classy clientele, there would not be much to worry about. But in general… prostitutes would suffer violence from rough people, the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, and ended up becoming connected to underworld organizations…. Some of them suddenly disappeared or were even found dead.

Some of their dead bodies were found here in the royal capital, while others’ dead bodies were found in other cities.

It was quite the dangerous job.

“The boss wouldn’t do anything bad, would he?”

“He wouldn’t…”

Or so they believed.

Just a few days, a few conversations.

But many of them, including the other employees, had forgiven the Demon Lord.

It’s as if the Demon King’s abilities had enchanted their souls.

“That’s why. If you were offered as offerings to the boss, no one would complain, and you could work in peace.”

“Thank you very much….”

“Yep.”

Facing each other with an awkward atmosphere that was difficult to put into words, the two silent employees entered the manager’s office.

Inside was the Demon King, dressed in a fine, luxurious black military uniform.

“….went down a bit?”

“That’s what I said. Marco seemed to be a bit uncharacteristically cheerful earlier.”

The Demon Lord, working at his large desk, and Gerald, a hulking man lying on the sofa as usual, were conversing, perhaps about their work.

And…..

(….pretty…)

Celestia in a slightly revealing maid’s uniform and Marie in plain clothes were serving the Demon Lord.

Her beauty was a few steps beyond theirs, and they had been told their whole lives that they were pretty.

Marco had lightly informed us and told us not to say anything, but they were amazed that Princess Celestia, the symbol of the kingdom, was really a servant of the Demon King.

The kingdom in which they had been living. A resolute kingdom that was ready to fight against the recently emerged [Black Demon King].

The inviolable Kingdom of Light had been invaded from within by the Demon King.

And not surprisingly, Celestia Light, the symbol of the Light Kingdom and the treasure of the continent, had been entangled by the Demon King and corrupted by evil.

“….Marco, did it really go down?”

“A little, a little.”

“Slightly….. down?”

“Yes, it went down a little bit.”

Celestia neatly held out a teacup to the Demon King who confirmed with Marco again and again.

(amazing….. I had heard that the sales were steadily declining, but to see them pick up slightly in just a day or two….)

Even Chris, a merchant’s daughter, was amazed at the Demon Lord’s skill.

The Demon Lord’s gentle demeanor and the way he wielded the businesses did not at all suggest that he was the heavenly transcendent being who broke down the outer wall.

“……!“

Chris felt an otherworldly pressure as she stepped into the room with Marco.

It was nothing but because of the majesty that the Demon Lord displayed in meetings and at work.

“….hmmm…”

“Crono-sama, is something bothering you? Please tell this Celestia about any complaints you may have.“

Smiling bewitchingly, she leant back and looked into the face of the Demon Lord, who was looking up at the ceiling.

His expression was one that looked awe-struck, but also filled with friendliness and affection.

“No, not at all? I’m not complaining. You guys don’t have to worry about it. It’s just a little misunderstanding. There’s nothing wrong. It’s just that, you know… we’re going in the right direction. It’s just a difference in musical taste. We’re all band members at heart. You get what I mean?“

“Yes, of course…”

The Demon King spoke quickly with a smile on his face. He seemed to be sweating a little due to the mischievous behavior of Celestia who had a smile that captivated him undeniably on her face.

This time, Celestia blushed as she seemed to have been beaten back by Chrono’s smile.

“Marco, can you give me the details of the new store you are opening in another town later?“

“Yes, I’ll have the information prepared for you immediately.“

Without the slightest hesitation, Marco bowed and left the manager’s office busily.

“….Well, Chris.”

“Yes!”

The busy Demon Lord called out her name.

This tremendous Demon King remembered her name before anyone else did.

They, who were sold, were usually called “Hey” or “You”.

Many of her friends came to love him for that reason alone.

“Well, that’s a good reply filled with enthusiasm. I’m tired. Is that a prototype? Can you bring it to me? I’ll try it right away.”

“Yes, of course! I’ll prepare it right away!”

♢♢♢♢

Oh no….. Celestia put me in charge of this, but I lost sales right away.

I was scared for a moment that she might get mad at me.

Why did you go to the trouble of telling that right in front of her, Gerald?

Celestia also peeked at me as if to say ‘look at me’! I gave her a broad smile.

My whole plan was under attack. The whole thing was getting too out of my control! (2)

Don’t transmigrators usually make a lot of money when they use their advanced knowledge? It’s all going wrong!

“……”

…Well, I guess that’s right. I’m not an expert, so dominating this world with my knowledge will not be easy. My knowledge was at the level of an ordinary person, after all.

“….Um, how is it?”

Chris, looking anxious, asked me after I took a bite of her stewed meat dish and remained silent.

“Yes? …Well, it’s very tasty. What I’m wondering is… if it’s as fancy and tasty as this, maybe we should just use better meat and raise the price.”

After saying something like that, which could be corrected later, I looked at Celestia with a sideways glance.

“I think so too. We should also consider something less expensive than this. Some of the guests may want something lighter in addition to a full meal.“

She went on and on with additional explanations. Are there no downsides….?

“You may also try the hamburgers and omelettes that Chrono-sama mentioned before. Just hearing him talk about it has whetted my appetite, and there’s no harm in trying it.”

“Is that the one I told you about…..?”

“Yes. I was playing shogi (3) with Chrono-sama when he told me a story to divert my attention. It was…. a very cute interference.”

“Yes, I see.”

She said, ‘The one you told me about,’ with a great deal of mischievousness mixed in.

She was trying to make fun of him, but not to take credit for his ideas.

“You should try it, Gerald. This one tastes especially good.“

“……”

He looked at me as if I was a pain in the ass, but walked over to me….. and directly grabbed the meat dish with his fingers and ate it in one bite.

“Who told you to eat it all? Can’t you see the emptiness of my knife and fork…?!”

“I didn’t tell you to not… eat it.”

Then he turned away, stirred the wine, and laid back down on the couch.

“……”

“……..”

“…………”

“…….What are you looking at?”

Nothing……

“….Are you not going to say anything? I didn’t offer you a snack, I’m waiting to see what you think of the prototype. I’m not kidding.“

“It’s not enough. I can’t stand such less portions.“

“I’m the one who can’t stand you. Now shut up and go to sleep.”

He gulped down the cup of Sencha Tea (4) that Celestia gently poured for him, and after swallowing down the lecture that was about to fly out of his mouth, he turned to Chris again.

“Phew….. So, I’m going to come to the kitchen later to teach you some recipes.“

“Yes, yes, of course!”

She bowed, and then bowed again at the door, and then bowed again before closing the door.

It’s like she was giving me a three-way thank-you.

Chris was a good kid.

What about Celestia, who had been giving Gerald the death glare for a while now?

“Celestia-sama, why don’t you report that incident with Erika while you’re at it?”

“….yes.”

Marie read the situation and suggested to Celestia.

Recently, Mob and Marie had been a little too distant, but I think their relationship had improved to the point where it’s normal again.

“Chrono-sama, Erika and her friends have decided to go on a trip. They are going to a town famous for its hot springs in order to recover from all that they have endured recently.“

“…I would tell them to shut up and go to bed if they intended to ‘recover’….. but is it an academy event?”

“No, it’s just a retreat. But it looks like they’re going to go see a famous annual event.”

“Hmmm~ Isn’t that nice?”

They’re students, aren’t they? I think it’d good to make memories like that. It’s good if it helps heal their minds.

But a hot spring…..

“Also, there is a request for the [Sword Saint]. The contents are the same as usual–”

I’ll have to visit a new casino in another city while Princess Erika, Hakuto and the others enjoy themselves, and I envied them.

“—That’s it for the report.”

“Thank you. I’ll let Lilia know about the request. I’d like to check on Molly soon.”

“Yes.”

As usual, I asked her about things vaguely and replied in a solemn tone.

Celestia bowed in a ladylike fashion, and just as she raised her head, Marie began speaking.

“….Speaking of hot springs, I have heard that there is a natural hot spring near the town where the other store will be built. If you have time, I felt you might want to stop by.”

“You are always so helpful, Marie-san.”

“What….? Ah, thank you so much for the praise, it makes me feel immense happiness….”

The bewildered Marie had given me a very attractive news.

I’ve been involved with a strange string of incidents lately.

I’m going on a business trip while training to be a sword master. Even a Demon King needs holidays. Let me forget about the money problem for once.

“….Hey, if you’re going to that town… don’t get involved with the [Obscure Ghosts]…”

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s an organization that’s a cesspool of lunatics. It’s a large organization that has a lot of skilled and talented members. It’s not like we’re going to be stationed there, so we shouldn’t get involved.”

“Ummm…. yeah, I guess so. I understand.”

〜・〜・〜・〜・〜・〜

Author’s Note:

Chapter 6, Let’s get started!

Thank you for your support.

〜・〜・〜・〜・〜・〜

Translator’s Note:

(1) The predecessor refers to Bernardo, here.

(2) The author was referencing to some song called ‘Demon Army’ here, but it didn’t make much sense so I switched it with something more suitable. The general meaning of what I switched and what the author had written is the same.

(3) Shogi is Japanese chess. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi

(4) Sencha is a type of Japanese green tea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sencha