It's Not a Matter of Difficulty
1231 Words
“How about pretending nothing ever happened?
As if those children had never rebelled.”
Ira spoke calmly under everyone's gaze before continuing, “I don't know what the monsters think, but only this way will it be justified. Of course... the opinion that matters most is yours, Demon King.”
Vera nodded in agreement with Ira’s words…
Yet, she did not express any opinion of her own. It was something humans inherently understood—how such situations should be handled.
What was she thinking?
Was she holding back?
“Let’s proceed as Ira suggests…” With Satania’s approval, the vampire girl nodded and replied,
“Understood. Then, as the Demon King decrees, I will act as if nothing happened.”
“……”
After a period of silence, when no one else had anything to report, the ghostly girl with glasses adjusted them slightly and announced, “I have unfortunate news. The Demon King's treasury is barely enough to sustain us until the merchants arrive.”
This was indeed terrible news.
“So…” Lem couldn't help but ask.
“In other words…” Shirina furrowed her brows.
“Could it be…” Vera sensed something ominous.
The silent, bespectacled ghost, seemingly in charge of the Demon Castle’s finances, pushed her glasses up and spoke calmly, “This means that all expenditures—whether for food supplies, castle maintenance, or magical experiments—must be further reduced.”
“Salaries, including my own, must be cut, and military expenses must also be reduced.”
She looked at the insectoid, the black knight, the headless knight, and the constructs, who showed subtle reactions, and continued, “Fortunately, with the Empire's withdrawal, the size of our forces can be reduced accordingly.”
“……”
“Fortunately, by the end of this quarter, our financial situation should improve significantly. With the war over, trade routes with the dwarves, beastmen, and elves can be reopened, and we will no longer have to endure the exorbitant prices of wartime merchants.”
She then turned to the five little fairies and said, “Fortunately, we have our own crops like blue qing mushrooms, and we’re raising livestock. However, our variety of food has been almost entirely consumed.”
Hearing this, Lem looked visibly dejected…
Even though his gelatinous green body lacked facial features, everyone could feel his disappointment.
“Um…
Lately…” one of the fairies spoke in a soft, childlike voice, as if hesitant to say something.
“Our harvest…” another fairy continued.
“Has been mediocre.”
The fairies took turns speaking in their unique voices, piecing together a full sentence. It was clear they were delivering more bad news—things in the Demon Castle were worse than Ira had expected.
If the Empire had continued the war for a few more years, the demons might have been completely wiped out.
Should he do something about this?
As he pondered, Ira realized it had nothing to do with him. There was no need to concern himself with it. His sole duty was to shape Satania into a competent ruler…
No, his teaching had been flawed.
His only responsibility was to make Satania a powerful king.
Beyond that, the survival of the monsters and the quality of life in the Demon Castle were not his concerns. There was no need for him to interfere…
There was no reason for him to improve production.
“……”
It seemed no one else had anything left to report. As Satania nodded, the various leaders returned to their territories or residences—still within the Demon King’s domain, but outside the castle.
However, Lem, Shirina, the ghost girl, Vera, and a few others who did not have strict "troops" of their own…
Or rather, those who had delegated their squads to combat-oriented generals, continued residing within the Demon Castle.
Ira silently observed as Satania leaned back on the Demon King’s throne and sighed.
“Uwooo~ Nooo!
Can’t my research funding be just a little more generous? Boo hoo hoo~” Vera pretended to cry, pleading with the ghost girl. But the latter shook her head decisively and replied, “Unless you provide the necessary funds, I can’t make any exceptions to buy your materials.”
“But I don’t have any money…”
“Then don’t bother me.”
“……”
“Ahhh, my research…
It's going to be forced to a halt!”
Listening to Vera’s lament, Ira reminded her, “Vera, you're being far too undignified in front of the Demon King…
Though, I suppose that doesn’t really matter in the Demon Castle.”
“It really doesn’t.”
Vera glanced at Satania, who wore a conflicted expression, then turned her gaze to Ira and asked, “Ira, do you have any money?
How much do you think I’m worth for a night?”
…That was quite an outrageous remark.
But Vera was always like this—if anyone took her seriously, she would immediately retreat and act as if nothing had happened.
“You should keep your money…
But, I do need your help with something.”
As Ira spoke, he unfastened the buttons on his coat, taking it off while saying, “I need you to use magic to mend my clothes.
Hmm…
What kind of attitude is that?”
Vera, who had been looking bold just a moment ago, was now hiding behind Shirina, cautiously peeking out.
“Oh, mending clothes? I thought you actually took me seriously just now~”
That sounded even more ridiculous. Even if he had taken her seriously, stripping here and now was out of the question.
“Please, you know how precious this coat is to me.”
Ira placed the coat in Vera’s hands and added, “In return, I’ll help you go over your haphazard, luck-dependent experiments.”
At first, Vera had been sulking about being ordered around, but upon hearing this, she immediately perked up. She remembered when Ira had reviewed her experiments before, constantly talking about "controlled variables" and "blank controls."
Excitedly, she asked, “Really?”
“Heh.”
Ira let out a cold chuckle, then turned to Satania and said, “Satania, during the meeting, you made several mistakes. Now, listen carefully.”
“Eh?
Huh…
Ah, yes!!”
As Satania flustered and tried to compose herself, Ira nodded and prepared to address the issues step by step. He began, “When you are unsure of what to do, do not show such a helpless expression. Political affairs are not always urgent…”
Before Ira could even finish his first point, Vera interrupted with a sigh, “Oh, Ira, stop lecturing her. Isn’t the Demon King’s cluelessness kind of adorable?”
To be fair, it was indeed quite adorable. If Ira continued teaching, she would soon lose that charm. But was it really okay to say that out loud?
“Miss Vera, please don’t say that…
If Ira is willing to teach me, no matter how difficult it is, I am willing to learn.”
Seeing Satania speak so seriously and earnestly, Ira and Vera exchanged glances—then, at the same time, they laughed.
It seemed the little Demon King still hadn’t grasped the real issue.
But in the end, that hardly mattered—
The real problem was never about whether it was difficult or not…
- Writer
