The King"s Triumphant Return
A king"s job is not just to wage war and strategize.
If anything, the main job of ruling involves dealing with the aftermath and governing.
And so I was very busy after the battle.
As for rewards, it was clear that Tos.h.i.+zou Hijikata and Jeanne d"Arc had done the most.
But I could not choose one over the other, and so I chose both for the ultimate honor.
They were to be rewarded with gold, a letter of grat.i.tude and land, but they said that they did not want land.
"Being granted lands means turning into a n.o.ble, does it not? I do not want to become a n.o.ble."
Jeanne said with a shake of her head.
"I was thinking about giving one of you what was once Eligos"s lands…"
"I do not want that. I will stay in this land. I have no intention of leaving your side, Demon King."
She held onto a castle pillar.
It was almost childish, but Tos.h.i.+zou was no different.
"I too shall stay in this castle. Why should I want to go to some country town when there is a brothel here? And I do not want to be a lord of any castle."
He said with a stubborn expression.
I looked to Eve for help, but she just said, "It is no use."
"Not even you master, can change the way that they feel about this."
"…Perhaps."
There were famous words about "impossible" only being in the dictionary of fools.
But I doubted even a philosopher could change their minds now.
Thinking this, I decided to choose the man I could trust the most out of the demons to be acting lord of Eligos"s castle.
He said,
"I humbly accept."
And went straight to the castle.
He was the most brilliant out of the werewolves, and had done great work since the inception of the Ashtaroth army.
And he was equal to Tos.h.i.+zou and Jeanne when it came to loyalty.
I wasn"t sure if he would be good at governing, but he would be fine as long as I sent orders on all the small details on how to run the place.
It was most difficult to rule two castles by yourself, but this was no time to complain.
What was important now was the raising of a general who was accomplished in both the literary and military arts. Someone I could confidently rely on to hold my castle.
According to Eve, it was only natural that they would want to stay close to me. And even if I had more generals in the future, the same thing would happen. It was her little prophecy.
It wasn"t a very welcome one, but in any case, I wanted to focus on domestic administration for now.
"Master. You killed Demon King Sabnac and took his materials and fortune. And you then built this town."
"Now that I think back on it, it was like doing a backflip on a tightrope. One mistake and I would have been destroyed."
"But you won, master. And it wasn"t by luck, but your intelligence that led you to victory. You didn"t stop thinking until the last moment."
"Indeed. If I have one talent, it is that. I like to move slyly and think ahead of the enemy. That"s how I survived up until now."
"It was the same during our journey to the dwarven homelands. It was your thinking that allowed us to be victorious against the Necromancer, Sharltar."
"That was no accident. Until the very end you planned and led us to victory."
Eve nodded seriously.
"And in the last battle as well. You defeated Eligos in the same way."
"But," she said as she continued.
"The others may see you for that, but I do not believe it is your greatest strength, master. I think your greatest strength is in your heart."
"Heart?"
I asked. Eve nodded.
"That heart that lies deep in your chest. …Yes. It is your kindness that has built up your character and results in your subordinates and people supporting you."
"You took Demon King Sabnac"s soldiers under your wing instead of killing them.
His people became your people instead of your slaves.
You saved the dwarves who you did not know and befriended their chief.
You have two difficult Heroes as subordinates but have earned their trust."
Eve said.
It was getting a little embarra.s.sing.
"You exaggerate."
I said, but she shook her head in denial.
Then she took my hand and pulled me towards the window.
Then she opened the curtains.
There were many people there.
The people of the town.
And when they saw me, they shouted.
"It"s the king! The kind has appeared!"
"Our king! The Demon King!"
"The merciful, the compa.s.sionate, the wise king."
"A king who is both practical and moral!"
"Demon King Ashtaroth!!"
I could hear their shouting from where I stood.
I was bewildered and turned to Eve for an explanation. Her advice was clear and magnificent.
"Master. Your people wish to see you smile and shake your hand. You cannot shake their hands from this distance, so you should at least wave to them."
I followed her advice, and the people cheered and shouted with much emotion.
I waved until they could shout no more, and then I made a promise to them.
As long as I, Demon King Ashtaroth was here, I would protect this castle. And protect them.
In order to keep this promise, I started to think of new plans.