Chapter 287

Chapter 287

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 287: Land War (8)

“Ah, understood… Everything the Saintess has said will be conveyed to the lord.”

The negotiation went exactly as we had hoped. After all, the envoy from the barony couldn’t possibly win an argument against the Saintess.

Just watching her speak sternly, as if scolding, sent a chill down my spine.

In this situation, all the justification was on our side. Baron Helson made the first attack without even declaring war and suffered a crushing defeat.

There was nothing more to say.

With that, the negotiation concluded, and we sent the envoy away.

“Hehehe, Saintess, that was a perfect negotiation. The envoy was completely flustered.”

“Isn’t the justification on our side? Besides, they have no army left now, so it wasn’t much of a negotiation.”

“Wow.”

Look at how smoothly she spoke.

As expected, the Saintess had outstanding political skills.

“Of course, there’s a high chance they’ll request a renegotiation, but that’s only natural. It’s common sense to start with a big offer first, isn’t it? We’ll just devour them bit by bit.”

Ohh!

“There’s so much to learn! I’m really impressed!”

“Hahaha, make sure to learn well.”

“But Saintess, the way you showed no mercy was really impressive. It’s hard to believe you’re a Saintess with how ruthless you seem.”

The Saintess, who usually acted cute and demanded attention from me like a playful succubus, now felt more like a terrifying superior conducting a one-sided negotiation.

When I asked about that, she smiled kindly and replied.

“Even though I am the Saintess, in such situations, I cannot show mercy. Being merciful to a hostile lord in noble society is the same as declaring yourself prey.”

“Yes, I understand that.”

It was only natural.

A ruler must never appear weak. The moment you showed leniency, you’d be taken advantage of.

“Mercy is something you show when you have the upper hand but still have the potential to suffer a loss. It’s best to end such situations on a favorable note. This is wisdom I gained from my experiences at the central court. As a future Demon King, you should observe and learn whenever you can.”

“I will certainly do that. You truly are both capable and adorable, Saintess.”

I immediately stroked her ear.

“Aing, how embarrassing.”

The Saintess then clung to me, acting all cute. At the same time, her hidden horns, wings, and tail emerged.

Really.

She was this kind of woman when she was in my arms.

“When I strip off the shell of a Saintess… haah, I’m nothing but a whore. Please, praise this slutty pussy of mine with filthy compliments…”

“Yes, yes, Saintess, you did well.”

Of course, I had to give her a reward.

“Kyaang!”

Enjoying this woman’s body as a reward for using her abilities…

There was no sweeter deal than this.

After that day, we reorganized the military equipment of our Demon King Castle forces to strengthen their combat power, and we placed orders with various guilds of craftsmen to sign contracts for the production of standardized equipment.

Baron Helson’s territory would eventually pay reparations. It was better to invest in military power during this gap.

On top of that, we had already recruited a large number of new soldiers. Immediate investment was necessary.

“Forward! Grr! Krek!”

The goblin drill instructor shouted.

“One! Krek! Two! Krek!”

“Krekkrekkrek!”

The new soldiers clumsily followed the drill, performing the formations.

“Again! Movement! What is that!? Do you want to be crushed!? Krrrek!”

“Krek! Krrrek!”

Look at him. He was doing a great job, wasn’t he?

That drill instructor barking orders over there was recommended by Buril. He was known among the goblins for being strict with his subordinates, very dedicated to training, and having plenty of battle experience.

Buril assured me that such a guy would train the soldiers well, and from what I had seen, he was doing an excellent job.

“Krek. How does it look, Lord?”

“Buril, you’ve got a good eye! That guy’s got real talent!”

“Krekrurung! Lord! Who do you think I am? I’m Captain Kim Buril, trained in warfare by you, Lord! Selecting this guy was a piece of cake, kerrung!”

“Hahaha! You rascal! I should promote you to major soon!”

“Major…! Kerrung!”

Once the standard equipment was ready, I’d be assigning ranks too. As for the uniforms for my elite guard… I should handle those later.

“I’ll work hard, Lord!”

“You’re already working hard enough, Buril. Just don’t overstrain yourself.”

“Kerrung kerrung, with a magic buff, all fatigue flies away. Ah, Lord, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What? A request? You bastard, if you have a request, just say it. You know I’ll listen to anything you say.”

“Krekkrek! I know, Lord.”

Buril laughed naturally as he said that. Buril really is like my little brother.

“Lord. I want to learn to read human writing.”

W-What?!

“Buril, you want to read?!”

“Kerrung. Don’t humans store knowledge in books?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right!”

How could something so surprising happen!

Buril wanting to study!

“Now that we’ve entered the human world, we need to know more about humans, kerrung. So we must learn to read. We need to absorb human knowledge and figure out their weaknesses to conquer them, krek.”

In Buril’s eyes, I saw an intense determination.

“Of course…!”

Buril had grown so much! He was no longer just a wild jungle monkey! He was an ambitious commander and a scholar with a thirst for knowledge!

“Of course! Buril! I’ll do everything in my power to help you learn to read!”

“Kerrung! Thank you, Lord!”

“I should be the one thanking you, you rascal! You want to study now!”

“Krek, I’ll be promoted to general soon anyway. I need to get smarter.”

Buril’s cheeky statement about being a general already was adorable.

“Hahaha, you rascal. Well, to be a general, you’ve got to be smart. You’re right!”

Whatever happened, from today onward, I should assign a teacher to help Buril learn to read as well as possible.

“Ah.”

Looking at Buril again, I was amazed.

When I first met him, he was a frail goblin no taller than my waist, but he had grown alongside me… Now, Buril was as tall and muscular as a human youth.

If someone saw him now, they’d think he was an orc.

“You’ve become so impressive… Sniff!”

Tears welled up in my eyes. Honestly, I didn’t think Imsoong or Gyuil were ready to be generals yet. Imsoong and Gyuil were more suited to be lively quartermasters or senior officers, not generals.

But Buril really seemed like general material.

Yes.

Once Buril grew a bit more, he’d be truly reliable. Just imagining that future made me feel incredibly happy.

And a few days later.

“Kyuse oppa! Kyuse oppa! Kyuse oppaaaaah!”

Karuti, full of excitement, called out to me while jumping up and down. Though it was actually her Evil Eye bouncing around, to me, it looked like Karuti herself was jumping. It was so vivid in my mind that it played automatically.

“Finally! The reward has arrived! You have no idea how hard I worked to get this approved!”

“Wow, seriously, you went through a lot! Thank you, Karuti! And please thank Mother as well!”

“What are you saying?! We’re about to have a communication soon! You can thank her yourself! Mother, the Duchess, will be overjoyed!”

Oh. Wait. Did I have to speak with her directly?

That was a bit nerve-wracking… but still, since she sent such a donation, I should express my gratitude properly. That was the right thing to do.

“Hahaha, alright, I’ll do that. Anyway, Karuti? Where’s the reward?”

“It’s on its way right now! It’ll arrive soon! In the meantime, why don’t you look out the window?”

So I looked out the window.

“Huh?”

Something was flying toward us. I immediately focused my magic on my eyes, zooming in to concentrate.

“Wha-what?”

What… was that?

It looked like a heap of flesh in the shape of a box… no, wait. Was it really a box? From what I could tell, it resembled a box-shaped, nightmare-like creature.

There were random shell-like protrusions scattered across its flesh, along with small tentacles and eyes stuck in disorder.

And that was not all.

–Flap, flap.

It even had wings.

The thing was flapping its wings, flying toward us.

“That’s it, Brother Kyuse! Our Mr. Chest has arrived!”

“Mr. Chest… Is that like a living transport box or something, Karuti?”

“Yup! You got it right!”

–Guwooo!

And so, Mr. Chest arrived.

Look at that grotesque appearance… Was this what demon aesthetics were all about? Seriously, demons were too much. I was getting the feeling we shouldn’t associate with them. Of course, this was just the outer shell. The reward was inside.

“The window’s too small! Kyuse oppa! Let’s go to the rooftop!”

“Sure…”

So we immediately went up to the rooftop.

“Wow.”

Upon reaching the rooftop, it was like seeing a helicopter parked neatly in place. Mr. Chest had settled there nicely.

As we approached it.

–Chwak!

“Eek!”

It opened its mouth wide like a mimic!

“Here you go, Kyuse oppa! Everything inside is the reward! Check it all out!”

“R-right!”

Inside Mr. Chest were various things, but wait, what?!

“This is!”

There were several swords with cross guards adorned with purple gems, some accessories, a crystal ball, and even some strange ornaments…!

I could feel the aura of magic!

“Karuti! Quick! Explain these rewards! I don’t know what any of this is!”

“Okay! I’ll explain everything! I picked out most of them myself!”

She sounded so confident!

I was sure of it!

This would help in the war!