The Tribute Arrives
1114 Words
Two days before winter ended, the tributes from various territories arrived—cartloads of silver coins, collected as tax and delivered to the Demon King's domain. The amount was consistent with the records previously provided by the vampire leader, Senata.
"The tributes have arrived, sourced from forty territories," Senata reported during the morning assembly. However, her expression was grim. She wasn’t the only one.
Aside from those who had accompanied Ira to meet the harpies the previous day, everyone's face was dark with anger. Even the expressionless constructs and the Black Knights exuded a heavy, oppressive aura.
With her eyes burning with fury, Senata looked at Satania, who was still unaware of the situation, and gritted her teeth as she reported, "However, many territories have failed to pay the required amount! Over twenty of them!"
Even the normally mild-mannered ghostly accountant looked furious. As the one responsible for managing the Demon King's treasury, she rarely lost her temper, but at this moment, she looked as if she wanted to punch the ground. She added, "Seven of these territories only paid half of what they owed!"
It was an infuriating situation.
Though the Demon King's domain had grown weak, it was not due to the Demon King’s own failings. More importantly, it was not so weak that it could be openly humiliated in such a way. Did these territories truly believe the Demon King’s army would not march upon their lands?
The insectoid leader, Rainbow Shell, whose small, black pearl-like eyes rarely revealed emotion, spoke in a voice heavy with suppressed rage, "The gnoll territory… they sent us an empty cart!"
As he spoke, he threw a severed head onto the great hall’s floor—the head of the gnoll coachman who had driven the empty cart. The fresh blood pooled into a crimson stain on the ground, filling the air with the stench of iron.
"……"
"Additionally, the gnoll territory’s inhabitants and ruling family have issued a joint declaration," the Black Knight—who was usually the most gentle among them—spoke in an eerily cold tone. "Its contents are not worth the Demon King’s time."
Sending an empty cart was not just an act of passive defiance. It was not merely betrayal. It was a provocation—an outright invitation to war. And to top it off, they had the audacity to issue a formal declaration.
"……"
Everyone was furious. Even Vera, who had joined them only recently, looked absolutely livid.
Ira, however, remained calm.
He felt no anger—partly because his sense of belonging to the Demon King's domain was only so deep, but also because he was a governor.
A governor could not afford to let anger rule them. Otherwise, they would risk dangerous distortions in judgment. He had long since mastered the art of restraint.
Nobles had acted like utter fools in the past, and he had still been able to work alongside them with a calm facade. That alone spoke to his ability to keep his composure.
More importantly, as a governor, his emotions were inherently subdued. It wasn’t about self-control—he simply did not feel anger in the same way others did.
"So, shall we adjust our priorities?" Ira suggested. "Should we begin by completely eradicating the lizardmen—leaving none alive except for the young who are still too ignorant to understand?"
Shirina forced a smile, suppressing her bloodlust with great effort. Apologetically, she said, "Forgive us for this display, Ira. But this is simply too much…"
Ira understood. He nodded in agreement.
"That’s why I ask—should we adjust the order of our targets?"
Among everyone present, Ira was undoubtedly the most composed. He gazed at Satania, who sat there in silence, fists clenched tightly, and said in an indifferent tone, "Although, truly, there is no need to be concerned with the barking of stray dogs."
His words, cold and detached, doused the room like a bucket of ice water. Almost instantly, everyone seemed to regain their senses.
Ira had never been one for politeness. Just as he had referred to the lizardmen, centaurs, and gorgons as "reptiles," he now dismissed the gnolls as nothing more than "wild dogs."
It was a statement of utter contempt.
And yet, no one could deny that he had the right to be contemptuous. By extension, so did the Demon King’s domain.
"Truly, Ira, you never disappoint…" Vera murmured in admiration before turning to Satania, awaiting her decision.
"As Ira said, the order in which we handle them does not truly matter," the slime creature, Laim, stated. The green liquid that made up his body had turned pink with anger. Standing before the fidgeting lesser demons, he continued, "The Demon King shall decide."
No one else spoke. They simply waited for Satania’s command.
"……"
Satania exhaled a breath laced with sulfur. She closed her crimson, dragon-like eyes, and her agitated tail gradually calmed. Then, she spoke:
"We proceed as planned."
That meant launching an attack on the lizardmen’s territory on the first day of spring. If there were no significant losses, they would immediately continue their campaign against the centaurs and gorgons.
Originally, Ira had said, "If we can secure victory without casualties." However, the other leaders had automatically reinterpreted it as, "If we do not suffer too many losses."
To them, the former was simply unrealistic.
Satania knew she did not need to justify herself, but she still wanted to explain. Looking at the gathered leaders, she said, "If we exterminate the gnolls first, the lizardmen may be frightened into surrendering. That would mean we cannot kill them all."
"But if we eliminate the lizardmen first, then even if the gnoll leaders surrender—even if they beg for mercy—we will still slaughter them all. Not a single one shall be left alive."
"……"
"Slaughter them. Reclaim what is ours."
"Though… gnoll souls are unworthy of becoming headless knights."
The headless knight’s tone was heavy with disdain. She would never acknowledge that any among the gnolls possessed the warrior spirit required to become one of her kind. Perhaps a few might qualify—but they would be exceedingly rare.
"They will do well enough as raw material for Black Knights, though," the Black Knight commented.
"As for the division of spoils… let’s leave that discussion until after the slaughter, shall we~?" Shirina chuckled, her earlier fury seemingly dissipated.
"……"
The atmosphere felt lighthearted. But the bloodlust in the room had reached a boiling point.
On the battlefield to come, the lizardmen would likely suffer for the sins of the gnolls.
But that was of no consequence.
"Do as you please," Ira replied indifferently.
- Writer
