After a few more issues to attend to, the meeting was adjourned and the Demon Lords were released to begin dispensing their duties.
They—with the exception of Desgarion—would all be extremely busy from this point onwards.
They bowed and left the Grand Hall in silence, refusing to defile such a sacred space with so much as a squeak.
However, once they exited the hall and were now a good distance from the entrance, the silence was instantly broken.
"Haaa! His Majesty is as sublime as always!"
The first to speak was—as usual—Lydia!
Despite her horrifyingly blank and bland face, the bubbly tone she used to speak displayed lots of emotion.
"Indeed. He is the epitome of greatness." Lubick spoke next.
His blue-like face was displaying a satisfied smile as he twisted his mustache.
"I shall not fail to meet up to his expectations of me!"
Of course, the only one who could sound so serious—despite the very casual mood—was none other than their commander-in-chief.
"Hey, Zenkiel, do you always sound that way?"
"What way?!"
Every statement he made contained a great degree of stress and earnestness.
"Pfft."
"Kekeke"
"Hahaha"
This made many of the Demon Lords laugh at his expense. And the best part was that he had no idea what he did that was so funny.
"You're always so nice to talk to, man." Lubick chuckled, tapping the broad and tensed shoulder of his comrade.
Zenkiel, who didn't know any better, felt good about the compliment and flashed an earnest smile.
"You can count on me!"
This brought about even more laughter.
"Ahh, but his Majesty, King Abellion, really is magnificent. I wonder when he will be ready to take a bride. Perhaps I could even offer myse—"
The Demon Lords all froze and stared at the one who spoke.
It was Serci.
"—Ah, I misspoke. I was being too impatient. But, wouldn't it be rude if I made Majesty come for me himself? Would it not be more appropriate for me to approach him instead? Or would that be too forward? Ahh… I can't decide!" The monstrous Demon squealed, drowned in her fairy tale.
It was general knowledge that Demons were grotesques, so they clearly had their definition of beauty and attractiveness in their realm.
For example, someone like Lydia—who had a blank expression as her usual look—was praised as a beauty among the Demons.
In fact, several envied her!
Compared to Blanc, Serci of Jaune was simply monstrous.
Sure, all the members of Serci's tribe all looked like monsters, but even among them, Serci was deemed extremely hideous.
Among her people, that was a good thing. She had many suitors who wanted her disgustingly monstrous body. It was the rage where she came from. Perhaps that was why she could so shamelessly dream of marrying the Demon King,
However, general opinion begged to differ.
Still, no one tried correcting Serci's mistaken assumption. Lydia even found it amusing—except for the desire of marrying Abellion. After all, he and she were…
"Pfft! Good luck dreaming!"
"Hahaha!"
"Man, you just crack me up!"
Lubick, Lydia, and even the uptight Zenkiel were laughing. They simply couldn't see someone as dignified as Abellion settling for her, but no one said anything more.
To Serci, they were simply jealous.
"If you guys have nothing better to do, then move out of the way!" Someone's annoyed voice rang out
The Demon Lords kept quiet the moment they heard the irritated sound. It came from someone behind them.
The owner was shorter than them—younger too.
He had dark hair that swerved as he approached the clique, red skin that properly displayed his muscles, yellow eyes that glared, and sharp teeth that grated as he moved.
It was Desgarion of Rouge.
No Demon Lord spoke to him—no, they didn't dare to. When he was in this state, it was best to answer with silence.
They all parted ways and allowed him to pass by their center before vanishing from the large corridor.
"Sheesh, what's with him…" Lydia murmured in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Shh, what if he hears?"
"Tch, like I care…"
Despite saying that, their voices were hushed. Even as they openly glared at him, none dared to be serious or defiant.
"Excuse me…" Another voice mumbled as he passed the middle of the other Demon Lords as well.
It was Kyron of Noir.
He too had remained silent during the discussions of the Demon Lords, though for a different reason.
"Moody as always, eh?"
"Welp, good luck with your duties."
"Hahaha! Make sure to raise the livestock well!"
It was because he didn't fit in with the rest.
Was it perhaps because he joined the latest? Or was it due to the fact that he was the least ranked among them?
Maybe it was both.
However, Kyron himself didn't mind. He simply walked gently and gave an affirmative nod and sound before also disappearing down the passageway.
"Hm. Weird guy." Lubick mumbled with a shrug.
"You'd think he was the strongest with the way he always acts so high and mighty. Hmph! What a jerk!"
It wasn't a secret that the Whites and Blacks had never really gotten along. Still, everyone knew the reason for Lydia's annoyance was more than tribal discrimination.
"Hm. Well, he must have a lot going on in his mind! Besides, he's diligent with his duties! As we should all be!"
Yep! Once again, Zenkiel ruined the mood by being too earnest.
"Haa, I will dedicate my entire being in service of his Majesty!" The love-struck idiot grinned stupidly.
As they kept conversing while walking down the hallway, one would never guess that these were ruthless beings who were heading out for war.
They would trample upon their enemies and wreak untold tragedies without batting an eye. Such was the extent of their loyalty.
It was all for the Demon Race—all for the Demon King!
**********
"It seems they're very motivated." A voice appeared, and a man surfaced out of nowhere.
"Is that not a good thing? So, how did the first strike go?"
This was the Grand Hall, and Demon King Abellion was speaking with his friend, Legris Damien.
"According to our sources, the Elves are struggling with the surprise assault. They've managed to contain the threat, for now. But…"
Abellion's grin widened once he heard the good news. He was expecting even more concerning the other front.
"As for the humans… the horde was stopped—no, completely obliterated."
This wasn't what Abellion was expecting to hear.
"W—what?!"
