Early the next morning, inside the tent set up next to the planned site for my new home in the forest, I explained the situation to Aurene and Sylph baa-san.
I’m supposed to keep a secret, yet I’m not keeping it?
After being treated so disrespectfully, there’s no reason for us to honour our obligations.
“Alright, now is the time to overthrow the king and let Bastet-sama take the throne!”
“Oh~, are we finally going on the offensive~? I’ll help~”
[Stop it.]
Aurene and Sylph baa-san concluded: they wouldn’t submit to the king at all—they’d just seize the capital by force instead.
Which demon king are they?
Wait, Sylph baa-san was a demon king herself, come to think of it.
Hmm… Tomorrow, I’ll ask Yotsuba for her opinion.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The next day. At the inn.
Nancy-san and Mac-kun were talking about something at a table in the dining room.
Mac-kun apparently uses honorific speech when talking to Nancy-san.
“I was told this at the place where I’m learning alchemy.
They said women my age should have a man by now, and that I’m behind schedule.”
“Oh my. By the way, how old is Nico-san?”
“Nineteen.”
“…”
“Why are you silent?!”
It probably isn’t good to eavesdrop on women’s private talk any longer.
I quietly slipped away and headed for the administrator’s office.
Nell welcomed me inside.
Yotsuba had been writing something, but she put it away and turned to face me.
“Wow! Neko-san, let’s play!”
“Hello.”
I wrote, [Alright, let’s draw.]
I approached Yotsuba and showed her what I’d written in Japanese to ask for her opinion.
To Nell, it must have looked like I was writing something completely incomprehensible.
“Neko-san, is that writing from some foreign country?”
…Even Nell could figure that much out, I suppose.
“How would you like to live in this world, Neko-san?
The answer will differ depending on that.”
Yotsuba answers in Japanese.
Come to think of it, the languages in this world aren’t Japanese, but they sound like Japanese.
Well, Nell probably wouldn’t understand anyway.
“Yotsuba started speaking a foreign language!”
…Nell might actually have sharp intuition.
“Receiving a title and territory is the taming route.
Your freedom will likely decrease.
I wouldn’t recommend it if you want to be active in different places.
If you don’t accept them, you’ll have more freedom.
However, you might have to watch out for merchants and nobles if you plan to start a business.
If you intend to stay in one place forever, becoming a noble might make life more comfortable.”
Hmm, I see.
[By the way, what about taking over a country?] I write.
How would Yotsuba feel about Aurene and the others’ plan?
“Are you planning to become the Demon King or something?”
Yeah, this plan is out of the question.
Running a country? I don’t think I could handle that.
Incidentally, I haven’t told Yotsuba I’m the Demon King.
If I spill the beans and she says she’ll hunt me down, that’d be sad.
Hmm, if I take Yotsuba’s advice, I’d get a title and a territory.
But managing a territory sounds way too much hassle.
And taking charge of national defence? That kind of rough work doesn’t seem like my thing.
Yeah, I’ve decided.
I’ll write: [I won’t take anything. I won’t do anything. Maintain the status quo.]
“National defense… I feel like modern knowledge could handle that somehow.”
[Don’t underestimate the military.] I write.
There is tons of know-how only someone who’s been on the front lines would understand.
If an amateur like me suddenly joined in, I’d probably just be a hindrance.
So, I’ve decided to decline the king’s offer.
I’ll have Mac-kun deliver the letter later.