News of the lowest-ranking Demon Lord, Seere von Devata, acquiring a teacher was dismissed by some, yet piqued the interest of others.
For low-ranking Demon Lords, especially those like Seere, the information was particularly compelling.
"That little kid got a teacher?"
"Yes."
In a bathroom thick with fluffy steam, a woman with tousled blonde hair and a curvaceous figure relaxed. Sitting in the bathtub, she received a report from her subordinate while tending to her nails, her curiosity evident.
"What kind of unemployed fool would take on such a job?"
"A person named Nahen."
"...Nahen?"
She considered the name, Nahen, for a moment.
"Never heard of him."
"Our investigation turned up nothing. He's quite suspicious."
"Hmm."
Drip, drip. Water droplets fell. As her voluptuous body, previously concealed beneath the water, emerged, the subordinate subtly lowered their head.
"Send a letter."
Splash. The woman rose from the bath. Lightly drying her hair with a towel offered by a servant, she spoke softly.
"Tell her I'll be paying a visit soon."
#
Nahen, now the Demon Lord's teacher, was in his assigned office with Cain and Seere. Seere held White Gomi and watched as Nahen wrote in the Training Journal.
Cain felt a flicker of unease observing Nahen. He was grateful for Nahen becoming his lord's teacher, but the added responsibility of the Demon Lord's Castle's finances seemed excessive.
'Could he have ulterior motives...?'
The power of money was a potent influence, making such thoughts understandable.
As Cain wrestled with these concerns, Nahen called out to Seere.
"Seere."
"Y-Yes!"
"Come here and look at this."
Nahen passed the Training Journal to Seere. Blinking, Seere read it and said,
"Teacher, is this all for one day?"
"Yes. Does it seem excessive?"
"A, a little."
"Then should we reduce it?"
Nahen smiled and erased a few entries. He'd intentionally overloaded it, allowing Seere to customize the training load. However, he had a minimum threshold in mind, the baseline required to develop Seere according to the optimal strategy he'd derived from countless previous experiences.
"You can do this, right?"
Nod, nod.
Seere nodded, and Nahen smiled, stroking her head once.
"If you do well without missing a single day for a week, I'll buy you a big doll."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Nahen told Seere.
"That's enough for today. We'll start classes tomorrow, so you should go to bed early today, okay?"
"Yes."
Nod, nod.
Even her nodding and answering was the typical appearance of a child. It was hard to think of her as a Demon Lord.
"Cain and I have something to talk about, so go to your room and rest first."
"Yes."
Seere hugged the stuffed bear and scurried to the door. When Cain opened the door, she bowed once to Nahen and once to Cain, then left the room.
"...Quite cute."
"She's still young. More importantly, Royal Tutor."
"Just call me by my name."
"Then, Nahen, I have something I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
Cain carefully asked Nahen.
"When you asked for financial authority, you said you would make money."
"That's right."
"But you haven't told us your plan yet. How do you plan to raise funds?"
"Ah, that."
Nahen gave a meaningful smile and confidently said.
"For now, just stay put."
"Excuse me?"
"Trust me and wait."
Nahen chuckled to himself, thinking of something.
"A gold nugget will roll in."[TL]Figurative term for wealth or fortune It means that something good will happen or that a good opportunity will show itself[/TL]
Cain was slightly taken aback. He had thought there would be some kind of plan, but waiting idly was the plan?
'Is it right to leave it to him like this?'
Cain was slightly regretting handing over the financial authority to him. Seeing Cain's expression, Nahen thought to himself.
'As expected, he doesn't believe me.'
Even he thought it was a remark that would make him look like a rather reckless guy. But it's true that a money source will come in even if you just stay put.
It was natural for Nahen, a player, to know all the events that happen in the early stages. The reason Nahen said to wait now was because of one event that occurs in the early game.
Knock, knock.
A cautious knocking sound was heard. Before Nahen could say anything, Cain asked what was going on. Then, a timid male voice was heard from beyond the door.
"B-Butler. A letter has arrived."
"A letter?"
At the word "letter," Cain looked at Nahen. It was a letter that arrived at a good time, now that he had said he was waiting for something. Cain doubted his eyes when he saw Nahen's expression.
'He's smiling?'
As if he had expected it, Nahen smiled meaningfully and said to Cain.
"Let's receive it."
"Were you waiting for this?"
"Well... I don't know if my guess is correct."
Leaving Nahen behind, Cain opened the door. Eldin, one of the few remaining servants in the mansion, was holding a luxurious envelope.
"Where did it come from?"
"Ah, it came from the lower floor."
At the words "lower floor," Cain's expression hardened. He urgently asked.
"Which floor did it come from!"
"Well, it's..., the 71st floor."
The 71st floor. Hearing those words, Cain's mouth dropped open.
"N-Nahen..."
"Yes, Cain."
"Surely... you were waiting for this?"
Nahen met Cain's eyes. Then he slowly nodded.
"Oh, my god..."
It's rare to see Cain, who is polite to everyone, curse. Cain grabbed the back of his neck as if he was about to faint.
"Why are you so worried?"
"How can I not be worried? You said it came from the 71st floor!"
The Demon World is structured as a massive tower, with the territories of its 72 ruling Demon Lords divided into 'floors'. Each Demon Lord's rank corresponds to their floor number. Seere, for example, being the lowest-ranked, rules the 72nd floor. Therefore, a letter from the 71st floor originates from the Demon Lord immediately superior to Seere.
While one might dismiss this as a minor difference, a Demon Lord's rank isn't solely based on individual power. While personal strength is a factor, the size and influence of their forces are paramount. The disparity between the 72nd and 71st floors is thus significant, extending beyond a simple numerical difference.
The 71st floor boasts a larger military, a stronger economy, and a far superior army.
Furthermore, the 72nd floor, being the highest in the Demon World tower, is also the closest to the Human World, with whom the Demons have long been at odds.
From the Demons' perspective, it's the top floor; but from the Humans' perspective, it's the most vulnerable, making it the target of frequent invasions.
Because of this, the army was constantly being consumed, and it was said that the Demon Lord stuck on the 72nd floor was in an environment where they could not increase their power.
That's why Cain flipped out when he heard that the letter came from the 71st floor. Not only was their power incomparable, but even the young Seere couldn't match them in individual strength, and just imagining what they might demand was terrifying.
Cain took his hand off the back of his neck, calmed down for now, and handed the envelope to Nahen, asking.
"This letter, surely it wasn't requested by you, was it?"
"It wasn't. I was just expecting it to come."
"How can you expect that?"
"It's simple."
Nahen answered simply.
"Seere has a new teacher, right? Naturally, those in immediately higher ranks must be wary of Seere. They can't help but be interested."
"So, this letter will only contain information about Teacher Nahen?"
"That's not it. They'll probably try to take something from us."
He shrugged as if asking why he was stating the obvious. Cain, not understanding Nahen's attitude, said.
"Then I don't understand what you mean by waiting for the letter. Do you want us to offer something to another Demon Lord as tribute?"
"You don't have to worry so much, Cain."
Cain was slightly taken aback. Nahen showed a confident smile, the basis of which was unknown, just as it was when the letter arrived earlier.
"Let's check the contents."
Nahen tore open the envelope he received from Cain. After checking the contents, he chuckled.
"She's coming in a few days."
"Ah... Really? Who?"
"Who else?"
Nahen gave Cain a look that implied the answer was obvious. Cain, still struggling to process what he was hearing, stammered.
"D-Don't tell me... Please tell me it's not true."
"It's probably exactly what you're thinking, Cain. Were you imagining something different?"
Nahen folded the letter and offered it to him. Cain, hands trembling slightly, accepted it and unfolded it. His expression hardened as he read the contents, his hands shaking even more.
"Ah... Ahh!!"
"Cain, calm down."
"How can I possibly calm down!?"
Cain shouted, pointing at the letter.
"Lady Sitri is coming here herself!?"