Chapter 51: Napping Feels So Nice

“…Mmm, there’s nothing to do.”

Suddenly, I found myself with a lot of free time.

My breakup with Prince Sirot was—at least officially—classified as a top-secret matter within the Sugarcreek Kingdom’s royal court. But as the old saying goes, you can’t keep people’s mouths shut. Before long, the news had spread throughout the entire palace—and from there, across the country.

Scandals like this always spread fast.

And so, I was granted an extended leave of absence.
In other words, they’re letting me lie low until things cool off.

Officially, it’s out of concern for my “broken heart.”

Though honestly, I’m not heartbroken in the slightest.

There’s another reason as well: with the peace treaty between our kingdom and the Demon Lord’s army successfully concluded, Father—the King—has returned to the royal capital of Torte. As a result, my workload has all but vanished.

Still, there’s nothing wrong with a little vacation. I’m more than happy to take one.

Since there was nothing to do in my room, I came here instead—to the Demon Lord’s room at the Shirasagi Inn.
He’s not back yet.

The room is simple: just two beds and a desk, nothing else of note.
None of the Demon Lord’s personal belongings are here.

“I wonder where he went…”

Muttering that to myself, I flopped down on one of the beds and stared absently at the ceiling.

The innkeeper knows me, so when I asked for the spare key to the Demon Lord’s room, he handed it over without the slightest suspicion.

“Did you two have a lovers’ quarrel or something?”

“Huh? He’s not my husband!”

I snapped back before I could stop myself.
What an outrageous thing to say—honestly, that innkeeper!

Still… where has the Demon Lord wandered off to?

A gentle breeze brushed against my cheek.
Lately, the days have been getting cooler.

Some afternoons are still stubbornly hot, but today the wind drifting through the window feels especially pleasant.

Ah… I’m getting sleepy…

Lying there alone, lost in thought, I soon drifted off.

………

When I suddenly woke up, I sat up in a start.

Apparently, I’d dozed off for a while.

Ugh… well, no wonder. Things have been hectic lately—I must’ve just nodded off.

As I turned my head, I noticed him—the Demon Lord—seated at the desk, quietly reading a book.
Noticing me stir, he looked up.

Still half-asleep, I realized with horror that a little drool had gathered at the corner of my mouth.
I wiped it away in a panic.

Ugh… how embarrassing!

“Wh-when did you get here?”

“Hmm? I returned just a short while ago.”

“W-wasn’t it a shock, seeing me here?”

“The innkeeper mentioned something about you and your husband having a fight when I came in. So, I figured you might be waiting here.”

“O-oh, well… that’s fine then.”

“I tried to stay quiet so as not to wake you, but I may have made some noise after all. My apologies.”

He smiled softly as he said it.

Unable to meet his eyes, I turned away.
After a few deep breaths to calm myself, I faced him again.

“Welcome back, Lord Maor.”

“Mm. I’m home.”

“By the way, where have you been?”

“I went back to my homeland for a bit.”

“Your homeland?”

“Ah. There were a few things that needed attending to, so I went to give some instructions. And, well, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to show my face once in a while. I may not look it, but I’ve got quite a few obligations to juggle.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

I rose from the bed and took a seat across from him at the desk.

“...By the way, I haven’t received any letters for Princess Sonia recently. Should I not be expecting another? It’s been quite some time since I last carried one to the Kingdom of Liner.”

I’d been a little curious, so I decided to ask.

“Hm? Well, I would like to meet with her in person and have a proper talk at least once… but lately, I’ve had a few second thoughts about that.”

Hmm.
So the Demon Lord’s interest in me—Princess Sonia—might be fading?

Though now that I think about it, he did once speak quite highly of Princess Sonia, didn’t he?

Well, maybe that’s thanks to my steady effort and charm. Heh heh heh.

…But I wonder why. Even though things seem to be heading in a good direction, it somehow feels… a little unfulfilling.
What is this feeling?

While I was pondering that, there came a sudden knock at the door.

“Enter.”

When Maor called out, the door opened and the innkeeper poked his head in, carrying a tea set.

“I’ve brought what you ordered.”

“Appreciated.”

“Wait—this place does room service now?”

What kind of VIP treatment is this?

“Lord Maor is a special guest, you see! Heh heh heh… well then, enjoy your time together.”

Grinning mischievously, the innkeeper closed the door behind him.
That face—he was definitely thinking something weird.

Hey—wait!
Don’t go spreading strange ideas!

…Phew. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

I took a sip of tea and gazed out the window.

The sunset was beautiful.
And I couldn’t help but think—

I hope peaceful days like this last forever.

“…What’s the situation in the Kingdom of Paptes?”

A striking young woman with blazing red hair sat upon her throne, her gaze sharp as fire as she addressed the retainers assembled before her.

One of them—a large, burly man clad in black, intricately plated armor—stepped forward and bowed deeply before answering.

“Your Majesty! I shall report at once. The eldest son and heir apparent of the Sugarcreek faction, Prince Sirot, has been officially disinherited. As a result, relations with Sugarcreek have entered a temporary freeze. Additionally, the faction supporting the younger royal brother has regained its footing, and control over the border forces along our frontier is now complete.”

“I see. Very well… Is Manal present?”

“At your service.”

An elderly man with a magnificent white beard stepped forward.
Though bald, his beard alone was truly splendid.

“How are the preparations for my Armored Doll Corps?”

“We have completed adjustments on two Armored Doll divisions—totaling four hundred units.”

“Good. It seems the stage is nearly set. After all the groundwork I laid, that last conference ended up collapsing. In that case, it appears we’ll have to start the dance ourselves.”

Her fiery eyes swept over her gathered subordinates.

Each one was a veteran of countless battles—a dependable face hardened by war.

“Begin the civil war in the Kingdom of Paptes. We shall accept the younger prince’s request for aid and intervene under the guise of volunteer forces. Hermes, you will serve as supreme commander.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The same burly man stepped forward again, bowing once more.

“Our deployed force will consist of four divisions—seventy thousand troops. Commit two Armored Doll divisions as well.”

“That seems… a bit excessive for a civil conflict, does it not?”
Manal stroked his beard thoughtfully as he spoke.

“Do you understand? Once the civil war is suppressed, we’ll launch a lightning strike on Sugarcreek itself. After securing a foothold—a bridgehead—into the Demon Lord’s territory, we march straight on from there.”

“Y-Y-Your Majesty! That—that would violate the Accord Protocols! Such action—!”

The Chief Legal Officer, Honja, who had been prostrated in silence until now, suddenly scrambled to his feet, mopping sweat from his brow as he shouted in panic.
Even a self-preserving man like him remembered his duty in the face of such grave implications.

“It is your job to invent the legal justification for that, is it not? Then do so—and make it convincing.”

“…Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

Honja bowed his head weakly, almost collapsing under the weight of the command.

“Heh heh heh. It’s been a while since I’ve seen real battle. I’m looking forward to it. Naturally, I’ll be joining as a simple soldier myself. You—don’t hold me back.”

“Understood, Your Majesty. None of us, your loyal subjects, would dare spoil your enjoyment. Doing so would invite accusations of rebellion.”

Ha ha ha!

The gathered warriors, led by Hermes, let out a hearty laugh.

“…However, I will allow only my attendants to accompany me.”

“I know. I know… Now, let the performance begin. No one is to stand idly by, fingers in their mouths, watching from the sidelines. Everyone here is a performer in this show. Now, each of you—dance well! Heh heh heh!”

The voice of the young emperor echoed throughout the grand hall.

Dulai Tokazuma Empire, 52nd Emperor: Naren Girinades Rune Theodore Tokazuma.
He stood at the pinnacle of the empire, ruling over sixty million subjects.

“My father’s long-cherished wish: we shall embark on the unification of the Western Territories! First, march upon the Kingdom of Paptes in the west!”

““Yes, Your Majesty!””

Emperor Girinades’ decree was final.
One could almost hear the colossal bureaucratic machinery of the empire beginning to turn.

“…Good grief. She’s already moving, isn’t she?”

“Zexis-sama, what shall we do? If you wish, I can have the units forward-deployed in Paptes withdrawn.”

In the Sugarcreek Kingdom capital of Torte, inside the Commerce and Trade Guild’s office, the Special Land Forces commander—a kemonomimi girl named Lieutenant Colonel Sylphy—stood at attention, reporting directly to her superior, Zexis.

Currently, in the Kingdom of Paptes, four squads of Zexis’ Special Land Forces—roughly forty elite operatives—were active.
Small in number, but each one a formidable warrior capable of handling any mission.

“What is their objective?”

“At present, it’s expected that they will intervene in Paptes’ civil war and support the faction aligned with the younger royal brother—that’s the overt reason.”

“And the covert objective?”

“To push onward into Sugarcreek itself, undermining the Accord from within.”

“Hmm. She still hasn’t given up on her dream, has she? Even though her father paid such a heavy price…”

“Perhaps she sees this as a sort of ‘rematch,’ Your Excellency,” Sylphy said sharply, analyzing the situation.

“Very well. That works in our favor. If they push their army all the way into Sugarcreek, that would be troublesome. We’ll arrange for Sugarcreek to send reinforcements as well—aiming to create a stalemate within Paptes itself.”

“But, Zexis-sama… are you sure? I hear they’ve even deployed their Armored Doll divisions.”

“…Indeed. In a straightforward battle, neither the Kingdom of Paptes nor Sugarcreek’s regular forces could stand against them,” Zexis murmured, falling into thought.

“If the regular army cannot respond effectively, our options are limited. It’s unfortunate, but… we’ll have to make use of the ‘princess.’”

“What do you mean, Zexis-sama? How could bringing her possibly help?”

Sylphy’s ears twitched, her tone sharp and defensive.

“Well, if she acts, everyone else will move as well. And if we lend our support, the Armored Dolls can likely be managed.”

Zexis smiled gently, reaching out to pat Sylphy’s head.

“Z-Zexis-sama, you’re far too optimistic,” Sylphy muttered, her expression softening into a pout—though her eyes betrayed a hint of warmth.

“…Still, creating that many semi-automatic Iron Golems—there’s no way the empire’s technology alone could achieve that. There must be some hidden factor at play.”

“My apologies, Zexis-sama. The empire’s intelligence network is weak; we don’t have information that detailed.”

“I see. Still… in all likelihood, it’s tied to her family’s resources. Heh heh heh.”

Zexis chuckled softly—but his eyes held no amusement.