Chapter 35

Wait, this reaction is different from what I planned!?

“Well, my position is to manage the bureaucrats, after all… It’s not surprising if I look like a bureaucrat myself. Umu, Angelica, you understand quite well, don’t you? You truly are a Hero.”

“No, I mean, isn’t there any work that’s more… Demon King-like? You know, the kind where guts go flying?”

“There is no such thing.”

What even is that? How terrifying.

“Look, the whole thing is just so plain… or rather, it’s too sensible… Even the subordinates who come in here don’t exactly slam their foreheads against the floor and grovel before the Demon King. They just stand there and talk naturally.”

If they acted like that, it would be impossibly difficult to have a conversation.

“Miss Hero, you’ve clearly been reading too many storybooks. It’s true that Demon Kings from a long time ago used to maintain that kind of attitude. Nowadays, the bureaucrats hold more power, and we are influenced by the parliament as well.”

“Hmm. I mean, you actually have a parliament…?”

“We do. It’s a bicameral system consisting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. I can bring you the documentation if you require it.”

“No, I don’t need it. I’m not interested in those kinds of systems.”

“I suppose not. Heroes usually look like they have absolutely no interest in politics, after all.”

Torualina, she is technically a guest, so ease up on the sharp tongue you usually reserve for me.

By the way, Lateia was busy asking for seconds, saying, “The sweets here are delicious~.” The sweets are fine, but I’d like her to watch me work a bit more.

“I mean, Demon King, this place is totally different from the castle I went to before. What’s the deal?”

Angelica stood up and walked over to my desk.

“The castle I broke into before had rooms with torture devices, pitfalls, poison arrow switches, traps… there were even boiling lava pits set up indoors! I haven’t seen a single thing like that here!”

Ah, I see.

“Listen, that was—”

“Miss Hero, you are referring to the ‘Back Entrance,’” Torualina said while sipping her tea.

I suppose I’ll just leave the explaining to Torualina. She’s more of a pro when it comes to explanations anyway.

“The back entrance…?”

“Yes, the back entrance. Tell me, Miss Hero. Since ancient times, castles have largely served two main functions. Do you know what they are?”

“A castle is just a castle, right?”

“As I thought, you aren’t particularly bright, are you?”

Hey, that’s my stepdaughter. Isn’t there any other way to phrase that?

“A castle is a defensive stronghold to fend off enemy attacks.”

Torualina held up her index finger.

“Yeah, exactly. That’s what a castle where the Demon King lives is supposed to be, right?”

Torualina raised a second finger.

“However, that is not all. A castle houses a ruler like the Lord Demon King. Consequently, it naturally becomes the center of government. Thus, the castle takes on the role of a government office. Don’t the castles in human nations function the same way?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, they do!”

“Torualina, you are very clever, aren’t you~”

Lateia praised everyone equally.

“I am highly educated, after all,” Torualina said quietly. She didn’t bother with humility.

“Now then, for the side that adventurers and the like attack, the castle is built to function as a defensive stronghold. On the other hand, this side is the government office. The defensive stronghold is a temporary facility used only when people like the Hero show up; this office is our main base of operations.”

I placed my hand on the door behind me.

“Angelica, look at this.”

When I opened the door, it connected to the very space where I had previously fought Angelica and her party.

“Ah! I’ve been here before!”

“Well, of course. You and your entourage came through here, after all. It was a day with few guards on duty, so you likely had an easy time advancing.”

“The Lord Demon King said he didn’t really feel like going, but I told him he had to show his face, otherwise the Hero and her friends would be disappointed.”

Yes, Torualina had told me it would be bad form if the Demon King wasn’t sitting on his throne.

“So, I wrapped up my administrative work here and moved over to that room. I was looking over documents until three minutes before you arrived.”

“Garto, you really are such a hard worker~. And you’re so diligent, too. I knew that the moment we first met~”

“Thank you, Lateia. I’m honored.”

“No, no, no! Mama, this isn’t the time for praise! There are so many things to call out here! Is the ‘Demon King-like’ part of being the Demon King really just an extra like that!?”

Angelica didn’t seem convinced at all.

“Rather than an extra, think of it as an attraction for humans. By the way, I believe there was a room with torture devices, but those are all replicas. They haven’t actually been used. Cruel punishments are prohibited by law, as is torture.”

“They’re replicas!? Zenkei, our martial artist, was pretty terrified, you know!?”

“They were made to be terrifying, so that’s only natural. The pitfalls are also designed so that you slide down a slope to avoid injury. Falling straight down from a great height would result in death, after all.”

“So much care was put into safety…”

Angelica looked aghast.

“In recent years, it’s become rare for a Hero to actually aim for the castle and attack with conviction. It had reached a point where the demons and humans were just existing in a lingering state of war. However, because we were technically at war, we couldn’t just abolish it, so the ‘back side’ of the castle was maintained.”

“That sounds like a lot of hard work~. Just the cleaning alone must be a hassle.”

Lateia’s focus seemed off again, but in reality, the cleaning costs are no joke. We sign a contract with the Silver Ape Personnel Center every year.

“So, as you can see, the vast majority of my work is administrative. Since I am a King, performing government duties is perfectly normal.”

“It’s not Demon King-like at all! I’m actually starting to feel embarrassed that I called myself a Hero…”

“Maybe you should change your title to Magic Swordsman or something similar then?”

Angelica clutched her head.

Hmm. It doesn’t seem like I’m being particularly respected as a father yet, does it?