Comfort Of The Banquet.

A network of fractures ran continuously across the expanse of the sky.
“What is your status assessment, Juda?”
“ ……The spatial barrier has sustained significant structural integrity failure.“
Following our absolute victory over the Lord of Light, Juda, Feria, and the rest of the vanguard had re-entered our sector. Now, Juda and I were running a join-diagnostic audit to trace the parameters of the Demon World’s perimeter shielding.
The catastrophic mana payloads loosed by the Lord of Light—which had explicitly rewritten the literal geography of the map below—had systematically inflicted damage ticks straight onto the barrier itself. Tracing a perfectly straight vector across the upper airspace, a cluster of seven massive fissures verified active within this immediate sector alone.
Marooned deep within those rifts was a heavy, drifting void of absolute pitch-blackness. The structural shielding safeguarding the Demon World had fractured, leaving the underlying raw sub-space exposed to our tracking sensors.
…According to our long-term projections, a mere two months remain before the Hero’s Vanguard executes a total breach of the barrier to launch their invasion.
However, given that the structural parameters of the shield have drastically degraded, that chronological timeline stands a non-zero probability of accelerating.
“The coordinates that absorbed the direct brunt of the Lord of Light’s artillery feature exceptionally colossal fractures,” Juda explained, providing her analytical telemetry. “That unique execution doesn’t strictly log physical destruction metrics; it explicitly injects structural damage into space itself.”
“Talk about leaving behind an exceptionally tedious parting gift,” I sighed beneath the cover of my mask.
As a administrative note, this specific mask was a brand-new asset Stella had meticulously engineered for my profile. My previous model had hit its absolute durability threshold and shattered when I forced my systems to compress the Lord of Light’s maximum self-destruction payload. Furthermore, while my pitch-black robes had been reduced to absolute tatters during that engagement, my schedule lacked the necessary runtime to check off a wardrobe refitting, forcing me to launch my flight transit straight to these coordinates in my ruined gear.
“Regardless, driving your anxiety parameters into panic will yield zero optimization metrics. Whichever vector the equation takes, the human forces launching a massive invasion remains a hard-coded certainty.”
“The smartest calculation is to prioritize our defensive readiness, then.”
I shall enforce a rigid administrative directive to heavily deploy our elite defense garrisons across these coordinates. As for tactical command of this sector, reassigning the parameter to Regal’s profile seems like a highly optimal choice.
“Just remember to avoid locking your mindset into an un-ending loop of severe tension all by yourself,” Juda purred, her features softening into a warm smile. “The Demon King and his Supreme Commanders combined their combat metrics to flawlessly repel the ultimate weapon of the gods. Why not coordinate a magnificent victory banquet to mark the milestone?”
“A banquet… is it.”
During our recent campaign, a non-zero volume of our civilian assets had hit absolute deletion under the Lord of Light’s onslaught. My internal data loops were still venting a heavy trace of regret for failing to safeguard their survival metrics.
“I can calculate that your internal programming is grieving the deletion of our assets,” Juda noted, reading my sub-routines with exceptional precision. “However, your systems must maintain a forward-facing vector, Fried. So that your loyal vassals can smoothly restore their lifestyle algorithms to happiness—and to properly archive a memorial sequence for the fallen. Marking a definitive boundary by unlocking a banquet is a highly validated strategy.”
“Marking a boundary, huh.”
“Furthermore, reinforcing your units’ morale parameters and rewarding their loyalty matrices falls squarely within a sovereign’s core mandatory duties. Handing out rewards and penalties is the absolute baseline of state governance, correct?”
“A valid point…”
“Besides, my profile spent an extensive chronological timeline marooned inside a strict, monastic lifestyle loop during my retirement phase. My appetite metrics are highly eager to run a luxury consumption routine on premium cuisine after such a long hiatus.”
“ ……Juda. You spun an exceptionally brilliant, logical narrative just now, but your true underlying intent is strictly that your system wants to gorge on top-tier delicious food, isn’t it?“
“Heh-heh.”
Staring at her coordinates through my mask with a deadpan expression, Juda flatly omitted a confirmation or denial loop, offering nothing but her signature playful smirk.
“Well… your strategy carries a valid fraction of truth,” I murmured, a tired, self-deprecating chuckle escaping my lips.
The following evening, we officially initialized a grand victory banquet to celebrate our successful neutralization of the Divine Gear. True to her flawless performance specs, Stella had managed one hundred percent of the logistical arrangements completely independent of my intervention. Her utility metrics remained comprehensively elite.
Gathering a massive demographic that bridged our top-tier Supreme Commanders and elite cabinet down to standard citadel sentries and civil mages, the grand celebration entered its active phase.
“Come, My Lord, let’s max out your consumption metrics~”
Lyrim, the Guard Captain, stepped into my personal space, masterfully pouring a fresh chalice of premium wine for my profile.
“My gratitude, Lyrim. Your coordination loops alongside Stella during our defense deployment were exceptionally high-caliber.”
“Aw, please~! My profile was strictly locked into managing the background logistics support matrix this time around~”
“Negative. Managing background logistics is a mission-critical labor cycle. Your system delivered immense utility to our network, assisting with troops-coordination support, optimizing civilian evacuation vectors, and handling emergency recovery protocols for our injured assets.”
Stella anchored her gaze onto Lyrim’s coordinates, her sharp features locking into an expression of absolute sincerity.
“I shall vocalize my formal appreciation as well.”
Venting the praise, Stella tilted her carafe to pour a matching allocation of wine for the Guard Captain.
“Ehe-he, you’re making my embarrassment stats spike~! Ah, cheers to your health, Stella-sama!”
“Cheers.”
The two female units smoothly drained their cups down to absolute zero simultaneously.
“Whoa, Stella-sama, your drinking velocity is incredibly elite!”
“Indulging in a premium vintage following an absolute victory vents an exceptionally comfortable sensory profile.”
“It tastes comprehensively magnificent, doesn’t it~!”
Watching their highly synchronized, harmonious banter was an exceptionally heartwarming panoramic view. Deep within their internal metrics, every unit present undoubtedly harbored unresolved anxieties regarding the recent conflict. Yet, they were masterfully partitioning those data loops to fully immerse themselves in the joy of the banquet.
All to ensure their systems can smoothly progress along a forward-facing vector, huh.
Juda’s philosophical data stream re-emerged across my thoughts.
“Heh-heh… a Demon King locked deep within a silent thinking loop is an exceptionally captivating visual layout as well, My Lord.”
Feria slinked into my immediate coordinates, contorting her frame into a sequence of hyper-seductive, alluring poses as she pressed herself right against my shoulder.
“Lord Demon King. Would your system kindly process a vintage poured directly from my own profile?”
This time, she initialized a pouring loop for my cup, before leaning close to vent her warm breath directly against my auditory sensors.
“Don’t restrict your attendance loops strictly to those two; your system should permanently integrate my profile into your inner circle as well. If your parameters desire, we can easily continue this coordination loop later, deep inside the master bed—”
“Mgh. What exact classification of unprovoked, natural seduction array are you deploying against My Lord, Feria?”
Stella snapped her neck around, locking her scanning sensors onto our coordinates.
“Oh, please, don’t drop your temper parameters like that. Your jealousy metrics are totally breaking the scale, you know~?”
“W-W-W-Who exactly is running a jealousy routine, you provocative freak?!”
Stella protested, her cheek parameters instantly spiking into a deep, burning crimson.
“I mean, it’s a completely validated calculation, Stella-sama. Evaluating your data loops tracking Fried-sama… come to think of it, didn’t our reconnaissance arrays log your frame locked in a high-intensity embrace with the Demon King the exact fraction of a second the battle verified complete?” Lyrim teased, a massive, mischievous smirk spreading across her face.
“っ…!? W-W-W-What exact heresy is your vocal array venting?! That interaction was strictly… I mean, it was… wait…っ?! Did your tracking sensors genuinely log that frame?!”
Stella’s face was comprehensively flushed a brilliant scarlet.
Well, analyzing that specific historical event, designating it under the nomenclature of a romantic embrace was a total analytical error; her system had strictly deployed a physical shield vector to block the gathering demon cohorts from processing my true facial features when my mask hit its failure threshold.
“How incredibly innocent~,” Feria purred, her eyes narrowing in pure amusement. “Though I calculate that launching an aggressive romantic approach is an excellent strategy. Perhaps the hour has finally initialized for Stella to permanently step past her data lock as an eternal virgin—”
“W-What exact penalty code dictates that being a virgin is a non-serving status metric?!”
“My Lady, allowing a high-born maiden who hasn’t completed her marriage requirements to vent such unrefined language is slightly unbefitting of your station, is it not?”
Irene, her personal maid, smoothly glided into the perimeter, a gentle, self-deprecating chuckle escaping her lips as she took her position beside Stella’s flank. She had been securely anchored to Stella’s household long before the girl’s profile was rewritten into a Supreme Army Commander, meaning their internal affinity metrics were exceptionally deep.
“Irene, enforce proper protocol and address my profile under the title of Supreme Commander.”
“We are currently logged inside a completely relaxed banquet layout, so what harm can it possibly inflict on our code? Besides, the Lord Demon King possesses zero inclination to unthinkingly flag a casual interaction like this under a disciplinary penalty.”
“This is strictly a mandatory issue concerning structural decorum.”
“Your settings are far too rigid, My Lady,” Irene smiled, her features softening.
The exact fraction of a second a cluster of female demons consolidates at a single coordinate, their acoustic output turns comprehensively boisterous.
“I am going to redirect my vector to run a quick circuit across the other quadrants of the hall,” I informed them, officially bowing out of their conversation to clear the perimeter.
As the sovereign King, the smartest calculation was to manually navigate the floor to personally reward the loyalty matrices of my subordinates. Or wait, does standard royal protocol dictate that my profile remain anchored to the high throne, waiting for the vassals to manually initiate a greeting sequence? Well, a demonic banquet is entirely devoid of rigid, tedious surface constraints anyway; drifting along with the organic flow of the room was a perfectly functional strategy.
“ …Come to think of it, what coordinates are Juda and Regal currently occupying?“
I ran a quick visual sweep across the surrounding real estate. Juda’s signature was completely missing from the immediate tracking grid, likely stationed in a separate lounge quadrant entirely. Conversely, Regal was sitting at an absolute corner table, meticulously sipping from a small chalice.
…Does a model logged under the undead archetype even possess the necessary biological architecture to process liquid alcohol?
A purely innocent, fascinating query sparked within my mind. Then again, putting that data check aside, that man had pushed his parameters to the absolute limit to hold the line during my absence. My system owed him a definitive, formal message of appreciation.
Right as I adjusted my stride to close the distance toward Regal’s coordinates—
“Eeek…っ!?…”
My frame violently collided with an incoming entity who had spontaneously rocketed out from a blind spot.
Slamming flat onto the stone floor directly before my boots was a small, petite female unit.
“M-My Lord Demon King! I am comprehensively sorry! A catastrophic navigation blunder on my part!”
“No, my parameters sustained zero damage ticks. Are your own structural integrity metrics stable?”
“Y-Yes, sir! My chassis is perfectly intact!”
Perhaps because her anxiety stats had spiked to maximum, her vocal output was heavily trembling. Evaluating her biological layout, she was verified as a beast-kin sub-type. Her golden hair intersected beautifully with a pair of vibrant crimson eyes, framed by a set of pointed fox ears that aligned perfectly with her adorable facial specifications. Extending from her lower spine was a network of nine fluffy tails, cutely twitching and bobbing around in a hyper-active state.
“Oh my gosh, what an absolute catastrophe… will my profile face an immediate execution protocol now?… Or worse, what if my frame is subjected to this horrifying penalty or that unspeakable ritual, systematically tormented through a barrage of explicit acts that my vocal array cannot even legalistically formulate… waah-waah-waah…”
The young girl scrambled back onto her feet, continuously muttering a chaotic stream of bizarre system jargon under her breath.
“Has a hazardous anomaly triggered across your coordinates, Fried-sama?”
Stella closed the distance to join my position, her eyes tracking the newcomer.
“Oh, if it isn’t Olivier,” she noted, her scanning arrays locking onto the fox-girl.
“Your database contains a pre-existing profile for this unit?”
“Yes, My Lord. Her taxonomic registry logs her as Olivier Keel. She exists as a direct vassal of the ‘Nine-Tailed Fox’ beast-kin demonic lineage,” Stella explained, answering my query.
“Ah, to think I launched an interaction without even initializing a formal self-introduction loop! I am comprehensively sorry, Lord Demon King! My internal processors were completely backed up running a massive wave of delusions, so I blundered,” the girl—Olivier—stated, locking her posture into a formal bow.
Wait… what exact data classification did her vocal array just designate under the nomenclature of ‘delusions’? I thought, a cold sweat breaking across my skin.
“My profile is logged under the nomenclature of Olivier Keel! I highly desire that your system registers my presence moving forward!”
“I am Fried. Let’s optimize our future cooperation.”
“The ‘Nine-Tailed Fox’ lineage represents a high-tier clan blessed with exceptional proficiency stats across both offensive and defensive magic matrices. However, her specific character build is heavily specialized in high-caliber defensive barriers and top-tier restoration arrays. Within her clan’s internal registries, she is widely celebrated as an absolute prodigy,” Stella explained.
Ah, that specific taxonomic string matches an entry within my memory banks.
“My database has successfully re-established the link. I recall processing her data sheet within the candidate master list engineered to fill the vacant Supreme Priest seat.”
“Correct. I manually whittled down the parameters to list her as a top-priority candidate for your review. The Supreme Priest profile is an administrative role engineered to command the entire military wing specialized in absolute defense and healing logistics. Integrating a master healer of her caliber into our elite cabinet represents an exceptionally high-utility strategy for our long-term projections,” Stella validated. “However, her underlying psychological traits suffer from a minor behavioral bottleneck—”
“Ah~! To think that your system had actually integrated my profile into the candidate listing, Stella-sama~!”
Olivier stared at the Supreme Commander, her crimson eyes completely melting into a dreamy, starry-eyed gaze.
“I am profoundly honored—my internal affinity metrics have been locked at absolute maximization for your profile since our very first historical encounter!”
“Is that so.”
“Your cold, peerless facial layout is an absolute masterpiece, and the supple, magnificent curves of your physical frame are comprehensively elite. I am deeply captivated. The raw data provides an infinite payload to fuel my daily delusion loops!”
“ …I-I see.“
Stella awkwardly cleared a few inches of physical space, her posture visibly stiffening. The sharp, elegant beauty that defined her usual facial layout looked slightly frozen under the pressure.
“Ah, as a secondary metric, my system harbors a matching obsession loop for Guard Captain Lyrim-sama and the Succubus Princess, Feria-sama, too! As a personal hobby project, I routinely manufacture hand-drawn artistic renderings of you three… Oh! Among my absolute masterpiece yields is a hyper-realistic illustration depicting Stella-sama and Lyrim-sama completely devoid of a single stitch of raiment, locked in a deeply wicked, intimate play session—”
“Halt your vocal array immediately. Precisely what classification of heresy has your profile been manufacturing?!”
“From a personal shipping standpoint, my system heavily prioritizes the Stella-sama $\times$ Lyrim-sama tactical pairing, but running the inverse configuration yields an equally elite aesthetic, doesn’t it? Oh, but then again, a Feria-sama $\times$ Stella-sama layout stands a non-zero probability of being exceptionally enticing as well. A seductive, predatory beauty aggressively closing the distance against a pure, serious maiden… her pristine code systematically overwritten until she awakens to the absolute ecstasy of corruption—”
“HALT, HALT, HALT, HALT YOUR LOOPS!!”
Stella’s face froze into an absolute block of pure, unmitigated horror.