~ Side Hera ~
“What is going on with him?”
I hurriedly made my way to Demon Lord-sama. The maze-like corridors, usually of no concern to me, seemed to stretch endlessly before me, obstructing my path. Frustration welled up within me, and I resorted to flying within the castle.
Perhaps thanks to that, I was able to reach Demon Lord-sama’s room relatively quickly. Holding the title of Demon Lord signified the strongest among the demons, and simultaneously, it was a title that carried the responsibility of guiding others.
Hence, outside Demon Lord-sama’s room, there were no guards or escorts. Most individuals were likely occupied with their assigned tasks during this time. I, too, was one of them.
“Demon Lord-sama, it’s Hera. May I enter?”
“Hera, huh… You may enter.”
Having received permission to enter, I stepped into Demon Lord-sama’s room. The room of Demon Lord-sama was quite ordinary, devoid of any sinister features. It had bookshelves filled with books, much like those of human kings, a sofa and table for receiving guests, and a desk for administrative work.
The image humans often conjure of a Demon Lord probably involved a throne in a grand hall, with the Demon Lord leaning on one elbow, saying something like, “Hasn’t the hero arrived yet? I’ll personally deal with them.” However, in reality, Demon Lords were no different from human kings in many respects and were deeply involved in governing their realms.
“What’s the matter? Has something happened?”
“W-Well, you see… There’s information that Princess Saniya, the Second Princess, is plotting the assassination of Princess Sanya, the First Princess, and Princess Sara, the Third Princess.”
“W-What!? That’s ridiculous! Saniya would never do something so foolish…”
Demon Lord-sama appeared incredulous. It was entirely understandable. The three sisters, including Demon Lord-sama’s daughters, had been close since childhood, and they had never had a single argument.
Yet, despite that, hearing words like “assassination” all of a sudden would naturally be hard to believe. However, it had become apparent to me and the other Seven Demon Generals that changes had been occurring among those sisters recently.
Even we, who were aware of these changes, couldn’t help but wonder if Demon Lord-sama, who should know about it as well, simply didn’t want to believe it rather than not knowing.
In any case, if such a situation were indeed occurring, we needed to take action. I also needed to report what that person had told me to Demon Lord-sama.
“Furthermore, Demon Lord-sama, it seems that Princess Saniya intends to invade the human realm once again.”
“If she does that, doesn’t she realize that the Witch of Disaster will stand in our way once more!?”
“As part of that plan, there’s also talk of neutralizing us, the Seven Demon Generals, and Demon Lord-sama, to ensure we don’t interfere.”
“Haa, if that’s true, we’re being underestimated. Among the demons, the Seven Demon Generals and I, the Demon Lord, represent the pinnacle of our strength. There’s no way we can be so easily neutralized.”
“I agree, but what if Princess Saniya has some plan that makes her believe otherwise?”
Demon Lord-sama’s point was valid, but Princess Saniya couldn’t possibly be unaware of it. There was a high probability that she had acquired some kind of special magic or magical item that could make her believe such a thing.
Even if that something could affect individuals at our level like the Seven Demon Generals, it was undeniable that we should remain cautious.
“In any case, I understand the situation with Saniya. Since we don’t know when Saniya might act, Hera, please be careful as well.”
“Understood.”
I was paying the price for not doing this sort of thing regularly. Until that person informed me, I had no way of knowing that Princess Saniya was plotting such a thing. It was annoying, but I’d begrudgingly thank that person. Only in my heart, though…
“By the way, Hera. Do you always dress like that?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
As I was contemplating such things, Demon Lord-sama suddenly asked with an embarrassed expression, as if hesitating to say something. What could it be?
“Well, you see. I’m not too fond of such provocative attire. You’re still unmarried. Dressing like that might give others the wrong impression, that you’re an easy seductress, you know?”
“What!?”
Demon Lord-sama’s words were so unexpected that I was momentarily speechless. And in my mind, I could hear that person’s nonchalant voice.
“Hey, just thought I’d mention it, but your right breast is overflowing.”
“Oh, you’re the Hera who wore that revealing outfit with barely any fabric that time, right?”
“…Your breast is overflowing again.”
“No way!? … Phew, it’s not overflowing.”
“What’s wrong, Hera?”
“N-Nothing at all! Thank you for your advice. Well, I’ll be going now!”
Thinking for a moment, I glanced down at my chest, fearing the worst, but luckily, nothing was overflowing… Well, it was kind of overflowing, but just a bit.
Pretending to have received Demon Lord-sama’s advice, I hastily left the room. Seriously, they wanted me to reconsider my attire?
“Certainly, it’s true that I’ve been wearing these kinds of clothes for decades. Wait, could it be that the reason I’m still single is because of this!?”
I must say, I think I’m quite beautiful. I had a great figure, including a chest that could overflow from my clothes, and a slim waist. But it was true, there hadn’t been a man who had tried to court me in decades… Could it really be because of these clothes?
“This kind of attire might earn me the title of ‘Oshibori’ as that person said…”
I was reflecting on this, but now was not the time to discuss my love life. Right now, I needed to gather information about Princess Saniya.
Thinking this, I walked while organizing the current situation in my head. Then, I spotted a familiar face approaching from the direction I was heading. It was Gregory, the man with a frivolous face.
According to what that person said, Gregory seemed to be siding with Princess Saniya. Betrayal was certain, but for now, I must treat him as a fellow Seven Demon General.
“Oh, if it isn’t Gregory. What are you doing here? Guard duty again, perhaps?”
I direct sarcastic words at Gregory, forcefully suppressing the overflowing murderous intent. Gregory’s face flushed with humiliation, but he quickly smirked and responded.
“Speaking of which, what are you up to, Hera-san? ‘Hera the Sloth’ doing some work? That’s hard to believe, even as a joke, right?”
“I don’t slack off all the time, you know. I do my work and then I slack off. Anyway, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
“Wait a minute. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while. You might want to reconsider that provocative attire—”
“Shut up!!! My appearance is my business!!!!!”
I intended to exchange a few words with Gregory as a form of deterrence, but I never expected him to comment on my attire. It was inexplicable.
Because so many men have pointed out my clothing recently, I couldn’t help but get really angry at Gregory, the traitor. I ended up shouting at him with a murderous intent mixed in.
Seeing me exuding such an aura, Gregory’s face twitched and he said with a grimace, “Ooh, scary, scary,” and continued to taunt me. It was impressive how he received the title of Seven Demon Generals, even though I’d considered that my position might be taken from me. Of course, not everyone in the demon race thought that way, but there were some who held such twisted thoughts, just as in humanity.
“Enough already! I don’t have time to deal with you. Goodbye!”
“That’s my line… Anyway, you guys are all going to get killed by me.”
Gregory mumbled something at the end, but I didn’t bother to ask. I was in a hurry to gather any information about Princess Saniya.
~ Side Hera ~
“What is going on with him?”
I hurriedly made my way to Demon Lord-sama. The maze-like corridors, usually of no concern to me, seemed to stretch endlessly before me, obstructing my path. Frustration welled up within me, and I resorted to flying within the castle.
Perhaps thanks to that, I was able to reach Demon Lord-sama’s room relatively quickly. Holding the title of Demon Lord signified the strongest among the demons, and simultaneously, it was a title that carried the responsibility of guiding others.
Hence, outside Demon Lord-sama’s room, there were no guards or escorts. Most individuals were likely occupied with their assigned tasks during this time. I, too, was one of them.
“Demon Lord-sama, it’s Hera. May I enter?”
“Hera, huh… You may enter.”
Having received permission to enter, I stepped into Demon Lord-sama’s room. The room of Demon Lord-sama was quite ordinary, devoid of any sinister features. It had bookshelves filled with books, much like those of human kings, a sofa and table for receiving guests, and a desk for administrative work.
The image humans often conjure of a Demon Lord probably involved a throne in a grand hall, with the Demon Lord leaning on one elbow, saying something like, “Hasn’t the hero arrived yet? I’ll personally deal with them.” However, in reality, Demon Lords were no different from human kings in many respects and were deeply involved in governing their realms.
“What’s the matter? Has something happened?”
“W-Well, you see… There’s information that Princess Saniya, the Second Princess, is plotting the assassination of Princess Sanya, the First Princess, and Princess Sara, the Third Princess.”
“W-What!? That’s ridiculous! Saniya would never do something so foolish…”
Demon Lord-sama appeared incredulous. It was entirely understandable. The three sisters, including Demon Lord-sama’s daughters, had been close since childhood, and they had never had a single argument.
Yet, despite that, hearing words like “assassination” all of a sudden would naturally be hard to believe. However, it had become apparent to me and the other Seven Demon Generals that changes had been occurring among those sisters recently.
Even we, who were aware of these changes, couldn’t help but wonder if Demon Lord-sama, who should know about it as well, simply didn’t want to believe it rather than not knowing.
In any case, if such a situation were indeed occurring, we needed to take action. I also needed to report what that person had told me to Demon Lord-sama.
“Furthermore, Demon Lord-sama, it seems that Princess Saniya intends to invade the human realm once again.”
“If she does that, doesn’t she realize that the Witch of Disaster will stand in our way once more!?”
“As part of that plan, there’s also talk of neutralizing us, the Seven Demon Generals, and Demon Lord-sama, to ensure we don’t interfere.”
“Haa, if that’s true, we’re being underestimated. Among the demons, the Seven Demon Generals and I, the Demon Lord, represent the pinnacle of our strength. There’s no way we can be so easily neutralized.”
“I agree, but what if Princess Saniya has some plan that makes her believe otherwise?”
Demon Lord-sama’s point was valid, but Princess Saniya couldn’t possibly be unaware of it. There was a high probability that she had acquired some kind of special magic or magical item that could make her believe such a thing.
Even if that something could affect individuals at our level like the Seven Demon Generals, it was undeniable that we should remain cautious.
“In any case, I understand the situation with Saniya. Since we don’t know when Saniya might act, Hera, please be careful as well.”
“Understood.”
I was paying the price for not doing this sort of thing regularly. Until that person informed me, I had no way of knowing that Princess Saniya was plotting such a thing. It was annoying, but I’d begrudgingly thank that person. Only in my heart, though…
“By the way, Hera. Do you always dress like that?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
As I was contemplating such things, Demon Lord-sama suddenly asked with an embarrassed expression, as if hesitating to say something. What could it be?
“Well, you see. I’m not too fond of such provocative attire. You’re still unmarried. Dressing like that might give others the wrong impression, that you’re an easy seductress, you know?”
“What!?”
Demon Lord-sama’s words were so unexpected that I was momentarily speechless. And in my mind, I could hear that person’s nonchalant voice.
“Hey, just thought I’d mention it, but your right breast is overflowing.”
“Oh, you’re the Hera who wore that revealing outfit with barely any fabric that time, right?”
“…Your breast is overflowing again.”
“No way!? … Phew, it’s not overflowing.”
“What’s wrong, Hera?”
“N-Nothing at all! Thank you for your advice. Well, I’ll be going now!”
Thinking for a moment, I glanced down at my chest, fearing the worst, but luckily, nothing was overflowing… Well, it was kind of overflowing, but just a bit.
Pretending to have received Demon Lord-sama’s advice, I hastily left the room. Seriously, they wanted me to reconsider my attire?
“Certainly, it’s true that I’ve been wearing these kinds of clothes for decades. Wait, could it be that the reason I’m still single is because of this!?”
I must say, I think I’m quite beautiful. I had a great figure, including a chest that could overflow from my clothes, and a slim waist. But it was true, there hadn’t been a man who had tried to court me in decades… Could it really be because of these clothes?
“This kind of attire might earn me the title of ‘Oshibori’ as that person said…”
I was reflecting on this, but now was not the time to discuss my love life. Right now, I needed to gather information about Princess Saniya.
Thinking this, I walked while organizing the current situation in my head. Then, I spotted a familiar face approaching from the direction I was heading. It was Gregory, the man with a frivolous face.
According to what that person said, Gregory seemed to be siding with Princess Saniya. Betrayal was certain, but for now, I must treat him as a fellow Seven Demon General.
“Oh, if it isn’t Gregory. What are you doing here? Guard duty again, perhaps?”
I direct sarcastic words at Gregory, forcefully suppressing the overflowing murderous intent. Gregory’s face flushed with humiliation, but he quickly smirked and responded.
“Speaking of which, what are you up to, Hera-san? ‘Hera the Sloth’ doing some work? That’s hard to believe, even as a joke, right?”
“I don’t slack off all the time, you know. I do my work and then I slack off. Anyway, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
“Wait a minute. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while. You might want to reconsider that provocative attire—”
“Shut up!!! My appearance is my business!!!!!”
I intended to exchange a few words with Gregory as a form of deterrence, but I never expected him to comment on my attire. It was inexplicable.
Because so many men have pointed out my clothing recently, I couldn’t help but get really angry at Gregory, the traitor. I ended up shouting at him with a murderous intent mixed in.
Seeing me exuding such an aura, Gregory’s face twitched and he said with a grimace, “Ooh, scary, scary,” and continued to taunt me. It was impressive how he received the title of Seven Demon Generals, even though I’d considered that my position might be taken from me. Of course, not everyone in the demon race thought that way, but there were some who held such twisted thoughts, just as in humanity.
“Enough already! I don’t have time to deal with you. Goodbye!”
“That’s my line… Anyway, you guys are all going to get killed by me.”
Gregory mumbled something at the end, but I didn’t bother to ask. I was in a hurry to gather any information about Princess Saniya.
