Chapter 51

And so, the day finally arrived.

It was the day of the Investiture Ceremony for the Crown Prince.

Starting from the previous day, I had been staying at the castle with Angelica and Lateia. There were numerous preparations to attend to since early morning.

I had Angelica and Lateia change into their ceremonial attire first thing in the morning.

“How do I look, Demon King? Does this suit me?”

Angelica had actually equipped a headband with attached horns on her head.

The rest of her outfit was also designed closely to the demon style. From a distance, she would likely look like a demon rather than a human.

“I don’t particularly mind, but are you sure you’re okay with that? It gives the impression that you’re fully immersed in demon culture.”

“You’re the one who told me to be the Crown Prince, aren’t you? What do you want from me?”

“That’s true. Do as you please. There’s no precedent for this anyway, so you can do whatever you want.”

“Yes, Angelica looks so cute like this too~♪”

Lateia seemed happy as well, so I supposed it was fine.

If I thought of it as a sort of coming-of-age ceremony, it wasn’t that strange.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Based on the sound, it was undoubtedly Torualina.

Immediately after I said, “You may enter,” the door opened.

As usual, Torualina looked somewhat listless, as if she were suffering from low blood pressure.

“Lord Demon King, your relatives have arrived.”

Ah, the bunch who, until recently, had clung to the slight hope that they might become the Demon King themselves.

I could have made them come to greet me, but if I went to them personally, they might find it harder to take a defiant stance.

“Understood. I will go to them. Lead the way.”

Leaving Angelica and Lateia behind, I headed toward the distant relatives with Torualina.

“I bet they’ve all got faces full of dissatisfaction.”

I spoke with Torualina as we walked down the hallway.

“Yes. On the surface, they said it was a joyous occasion that a Crown Prince has been decided, but not a single one of them was smiling.”

“Hmph. They nurtured their own hopes, and now that those hopes are gone, they’re holding a grudge.”

“Better an unrelated stranger than a relative you don’t get along with.”

“Perhaps I should grant them some land as a sign of favoritism. They might be satisfied if there’s something in it for them.”

“That plan isn’t bad in itself, but it would be difficult because there are too many relatives with nearly identical ranks in the line of succession. If you favor one, the others will be furious asking why only that person received special treatment.”

I let out a sigh.

They really were as persistent as Hellhounds.

“Could we just manipulate the family tree and make it so we have no blood relation at all?”

“If you’re going to go that far, it would be faster to just attack and destroy them.”

“I can’t do that. Solving things with military force only ends up creating different troubles in the end.”

Entering the relatives’ waiting room, all eyes turned toward me at once.

Every one of them held a high title like Duke or Marquis, but they were people with virtually no real power. The demon world was rooted in the logic of the survival of the fittest; those without strength couldn’t afford to be arrogant, much less become the Demon King.

“Members of the Ryuzen clan, thank you for coming today. It is an honor as the head of the family.”

The group offered formal platitudes, saying things like, “Congratulations on your remarriage.”

These people likely thought they had a better chance because I hadn’t chosen a second wife for so long. The truth was simply that the grief of losing my first wife, Sasaya, had made it impossible to choose a partner, but if that had given them foolish ideas, it was my own blunder.

None of you could even beat Angelica. Since I started personally training her, the hesitation in her swordplay has vanished. Although, lately, she seems to be losing her mind thinking she can become a professional singer.

Now then, I wasn’t so foolish as to double their anger here. I was a Demon King who knew how to be considerate.

“I have caused you all a great deal of trouble this time.”

I apologized courteously in front of them. Their faces twisted in confusion; they probably hadn’t expected me to apologize for anything. Doing this was far more efficient than wiping them out.

“I can reveal it now, but the reason I delayed choosing a partner for so long was because there were so many excellent candidates within the Ryuzen family.”

As if. I couldn’t have cared less about any of them.

“However, in terms of bloodline, everyone is roughly at the same distance. No matter who I chose, it would have only sown the seeds of further conflict.”

That part was true.

“If that friction were exploited by wicked outsiders, it could lead to the ruin of the entire Ryuzen house. Therefore, I deliberately chose a wife with no connection to the Ryuzen bloodline. I ask for your understanding of this decision.”

The relatives suddenly broke into a flood of flattery, saying things like, “No, no, it was a brilliant decision,” or “A most wise policy.” The fact remained that I was the current Demon King. Since that wasn’t changing, they figured they might as well suck up to me.

“I appreciate your understanding. Since the new Crown Prince is my daughter, she is essentially a member of the Ryuzen house. I hope you will all support her.”

Alright. I did what needed to be done. I handled it like a gentleman, giving them no openings to exploit.

“Lord Demon King, I will remain here to confirm the seating arrangements for the relatives.”

Torualina spoke up. Good; I’d leave her to handle the details just enough so they wouldn’t feel slighted.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

Perfect. I’d head back to my room and relax until the next scheduled event. Besides, if I didn’t keep an eye on them, there was a chance Angelica and Lateia would wander off on their own.

Heroes were naturally full of curiosity. I’d heard stories of past Heroes who ransacked every dresser and pot they found. Honestly, wasn’t that just a crime?

But as I was walking, someone suddenly leaped out from behind a pillar.

“Hey! Just what is the meaning of this!?”

It was a woman, quite tall for a demon.