Chapter 112: Chapter 38
Up until reaching Tempest, Carrion was not the ideal person to be seen as someone with great restraint. That being the case, when compared to the Three Beastketeers, who have sworn allegiance to him, he may have been a saint.
Albis could be considered the calmer one out of the beastmen trio, and Carrion could at least share his sentiments with Suphia and Phobio who were more prone to being riled up.
Still, the demon lord was no fool. He had long since predicted an inevitable clash between them and Tempest, but not in the way that would attract so much attention.
For the most part, the citizens and leaders in Tempest alike were not trying to tick off Eurazania's entourage. The outcome of Suphia's fight with Lupus may have been grim, but Phobio was dealing with a different kind of war that Carrion would prefer to stay away from.
The leopardman lycanthrope was constantly being swayed by Tempest's beautiful women, and he had made several attempts at chasing down kijin and dragonewt women who caught his eye. His carelessness reached the high point when he expressed the idea to try to woo Bukubukuchagama, but it was abruptly cut off by Carrion, who informed Phobio that he would kill him personally for attempting such a foolish idea.
The demon lord's mood was worsening as he saw how advanced the new monster nation was in terms of technology. Their economy as well, which had at first been picking up at a slow pace, was bound to ramp up as a result of establishing trade talks with the other demon lords.
Over time, Eurazania's pride that Carrion confidently held on his shoulders was slowly being whittled away by Tempest's growing superiority.
Frey carefully observed her ally, who was sitting on the opposite end of the small table with a mask of confidence. Carrion could not fool her though as she too was in the same boat regarding the vast difference in their respective nations' strengths and Tempest's own might.
She waited for her maids to fill the cups and then waved for them to leave the room. The room was still silent, so she decided to start the conversation.
"I had come to an agreement with Momonga earlier to make the extermination of Charybdis a joint effort. I assume you will be participating as well?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah. I could join and add one eagle battalion to the hunt forces. I doubt our presence will make any difference." Carrion replied, taking a sip. Tea might not have been his drink of choice, but a certain amount of manners needed to be exercised.
"…How is she?" Frey picked up her own cup with a graceful motion and brought it to her mouth.
"Suphia? She is fine. Albis is drilling into her thick head when to give up." Carrion's voice betrayed a hint of anger.
"Lycanthropes are known for their battle spirit and resilience. I'm relieved to see that even the monster who faced her could not break it."
"Frey, let's not beat around the bush. Just say what you want to say."
"Today's show made it clear I do not stand any chance against Tempest. I knew Milim was a force of nature but to see someone keep up with her… If a mere butler was that powerful, I dread to imagine what Momonga is capable of."
"I see. Does our alliance still stand in other cases?" Carrion put down the cup and stared into Frey's eyes.
"What are you saying, Carrion? We have been allies for centuries. That has not changed. What I'm saying is we should play our next moves as carefully as possible when it comes to Tempest. I'm confident that any demon lord who manages to become their target would most likely be a fault of their own, so naturally, I will stand aside. However, I believe that today's demonstration was meant as a warning towards people who would try to initiate hostility towards them." Frey explained, taking another sip.
Hiding behind the cup was not the most effective tactic but at least it helped hide her nervousness. Until a few days ago, she considered herself powerful and more than capable enough to defend her lands.
That illusion was shattered with a powerful bang.
Frey knew guarding against Veldora would be an impossible task; not just for her, but for virtually most of the people in this world. But since information about his unrivaled destructive capabilities were mostly legends, she still had some doubts.
And then, she felt the punches that Milim and the old butler exchanged. She had now seen with her very own eyes what true power was. And it frightened her to the core.
What baffled her even more was that the butler was actually a servant to the rulers of Tempest, whose might continued to be a mystery. She did hear from some testimonies of locals that Pero could take out a target from kilometers away. If this was true, then there was no doubt in her mind that she would lose against him.
"There are no guarantees Tempest would honor their agreements or that the other demon lords would come to our aid. Everyone is out for themselves in this world." Carrion said, dropping his mask of confidence a bit. "You know we could join forces completely. That would increase our odds."
"I have no interest in being added to your collection, nor do I think giving one of my daughters for you as a concubine would seal the deal."
Frey shut down his proposal, but there was some slight hesitation. Before visiting Tempest, she would have felt a great degree of offense from Carrion's suggestion; a Harpy Queen like her standing equal to a man was unheard of among her kind. But now she even started to reserve some consideration on the matter.
"You know what I meant. There is no need to twist my offer."
"We both know that your offer would not work. Neither of us would want to be subservient to the other. That said, I think we could work out a deal to increase integration between our nations. Our militaries complement each other and we each have different resources to offer."
"You would be willing to change laws regarding non-flyers?" Carrion asked.
"The current situation demands change, so yes. I could move my nation toward recognizing non-flyers as full citizens. I will have to change to accommodate Tempest's merchants anyway." Frey took another sip. "Can you believe they treat kobolds the same as kijin or dragonewts?"
"I noticed. Tempest seems to put as much merit on intellect as they do on raw power. Maybe exiling those pathetic creatures in the past was a mistake on our part." Carrion said as he stood and helped himself to a bottle of wine from Frey's bar.
He returned to the table with a bottle in hand and sat back down. "Having some too?"
"I'll pass."
"I thought you liked wine."
"I like what my people are making. This… it's foolish to get used to luxuries one cannot enjoy regularly."
"That's why we are having trade agreements. I made sure I could order some of the luxury goods from Tempest for myself. When will you start enjoying life?"
Frey took another sip of tea with a glare. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"
"Not at the moment. Now that I think about it, no one has called a Walpurgis regarding the Tempest situation." Carrion said after taking a big gulp of wine from the bottle.
"The remaining five who didn't bother to come here won't give a damn anyway. I was trying to get a meeting with Milim, but apparently she is busy with important work."
"Busy? Her? You're joking, right? She never wants anything to do with work, as far as I know."
"No, I am not joking. If I have to guess, she is most likely just stuffing her face with everything they give to her and entertaining herself with that elven boy. If I recall correctly, he was Buku's son. It seems she has not only Veldora under her control, but Milim as well."
"At least she is not causing trouble." Carrion remarked. He took another large gulp of wine with a satisfied expression, adding. "Then maybe we need to show up in Tempest more often as well. Getting to know the influential locals will be enough to assure friendly relations, at the very least."
"A sound plan." Frey agreed.
Tempest for sure was a huge unknown at the moment, but maybe if she played her cards right, she would be safe from possible invasion by them and maybe even gain an ally few would dare to touch.
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Once again, Milim marched into Buku's office with a mischievous plan in mind. Without wasting any time, she sat down in the guest chair and announced with the same, overly energetic attitude she always had whenever she wanted things to go her way.
"I have decided that Tempest is deserving of my protection!" She let out a boisterous laugh.
"Oh?" Buku said, looking up from a half-written letter with feigned interest.
"Yep! You can make me your adored protector as well. I know, it's a great honor. I'll let it weigh down on you before you make the right choice in the end," Milim said with growing confidence.
Buku slowly blinked before saying in a flat tone, "I thought that by this point you would have learned how being theatrical won't work on me, Milim. As always, the answer is no; you are not getting the same role as Veldora."
"But… Look, there's a lot of scary stuff out there! Veldora alone might not be enough," Milim argued. "You don't want to risk your people getting hurt, do you?"
"Milim, we are not making you the official protector of Tempest. You have your own lands to rule over."
"Nothing ever happens there. I can visit my own lands once a month and it will be fine. I want to stay here." Milim whined.
"You are always welcomed as a guest." Buku didn't give in.
"Fine!" Milim growled in response and marched out of Buku's office, slamming the doors with a loud thud.
It was rather obvious that the dragonoid princess was not giving up. Predicting the stubborn girl's next steps, Buku contacted what clearly would be Milim's next target; Momonga.
{ Heads up, Momo! Milim is coming your way with an offer to officially take the same position as Veldora. }
{ Why would… She is not getting the same position. I'm calling Veldora to deal with her.}
{ Good luck. Call me if they start to overwhelm you. }
{ I think I can manage, but I'll keep your offer in mind. }
Milim marched toward Momonga's office, prepared to use her previous tactic of endless annoyance till the Overlord would inevitably seek some sort of compromise.
The moment she barged into Momonga's office, it became clear that her next move was predicted. Veldora was standing beside Momonga's chair with his arms crossed.
"Milim, you can't harass my friends to get what you want." Veldora said, trying his best to sound stern and authoritative.
"But, uncle, I want to stay! You can't turn me away." She let out a whine, her lip quivering.
Veldora's posture began to falter as he tried to think of something else to say.
'So much for him taking control.' Momonga internally sighed, seeing that Milim's devious attack had worked. He decided to intervene before Veldora was about to promise her everything she wanted.
"You are welcome to stay as long as you like and visit Tempest without restriction, but I won't give you any sort of official status."
"I…"
It was hard to argue her point without revealing her real intentions. With Veldora as her uncle and her getting a protector's role within Tempest as well, she could just drop all responsibility of managing her lands on Momonga's shoulders.
Sure, it was nice to be worshiped by the Dragon Faithful and even train them, but their leader, Middray, could not be convinced to cook food or even use spices.
'Lady Milim deserves the best nature can offer. Tainting nature's gifts would be an offense to the Goddess.' It didn't particularly matter that Milim herself denounced his mindset or that she rarely showed up in her lands. Middray even plainly ignored Milim's deadpan expression when she chewed the raw food without any enjoyment.
"But I want to help. If I'm considered your protector then no other demon lord would dare to attack you." She tried the same argument once again.
"We can protect ourselves." 'She clearly has some ulterior motive behind her offer.' Momonga's suspicion only grew.
"Uncle, we are family, right? Why aren't you helping me?" She let out another whine.
"Sorry kiddo, but Momonga knows politics better than me. Why does it even matter to you? You don't have to leave either way."
"Because… because… ugh… can I at least get my own place here?" She finally gave in.
"Sure, you can keep your quarters for yourself. Right, Chief?" Veldora nudged the Overlord with an elbow.
"I see no harm in it. She still is your niece and it would be only logical that Tempest considers Milim as a friendly royal." Momonga said.
With Milim leaving satisfied with the arrangement, Momonga let out a sigh of relief. Veldora wasn't much of a help with the whole ordeal, but in his presence, Milim was easier to handle.
"My part is done. See you around, Chief." Veldora said and left Momonga's office looking proud of his accomplishment.
But the dealings with freeloaders didn't end with her.
Not even twenty minutes later, Ramiris barged into his office.
"Why haven't I been offered my own permanent quarters in the castle! Remember, I am under Tempest's protection." She said loudly as she buzzed around Momonga.
"I am aware of the promise Buku made to you." Momonga replied. While his office doors opened with a thud for the third time today.
"You annoying pest! I told you to wait!" Albedo shouted at the tiny Demon Lord and tried to grab her.
Ramiris shrieked in response and hid behind Momonga's shoulder plate. "I'm getting harassed!"
Albedo just charged forward and leaned over Momonga to grab Ramiris, who somewhat managed to avoid her hands but forgot about Albedo's wings.
One of them hit the pixie, stunning her, which allowed Albedo to finally grab her.
"I'm sorry for this interruption, Lord Momonga. I told her to wait till I confirmed that you are available." Albedo bowed in apology.
"Let's go of me you… you… you let Milim in! I am a Demon Lord too. Wait till I grow up, then you'll see!" Ramiris ranted.
"Let's just hear her out." Momonga said to Albedo and then turned to Ramiris. "But be warned that if you so bluntly ignore the rules, I might reconsider the deal you made with Buku."
"S-Sorry. I-I was too worried that Milim got her own quarters but you forgot about me." Ramiris stammered.
"As long as you are in our care, you will have your own living space. But I suggest you seek ways to carry your own weight around here if you want to curry any favor with me." Momonga said. 'If she continues to slack off, I can use this conversation to make her teach me how she is using her skill.'
"S-sure. I will find something to help with." Ramiris wiggled one arm out of Albedo's grasp and saluted.
"Good. I'm looking forward to seeing how you contribute to Tempest's development." Momonga said and then messaged Albedo. { You can let Ramiris go. Milim did warn that harming her could lead to conflict with numerous Demon Lords, which I would prefer to avoid for now. }
{ Can I at least scare her a little so she is more reserved? }
{ Do not overdo it. Remember that she mentally is a small child. }
Albedo smirked and brought Ramiris close to her face, squeezing the pixie just enough to cause her discomfort but not actual pain. "Will you behave from now on, or do we need to find a birdcage for you?"
"No birdcage! Momongaaa, please save meee!" Ramiris tried to wiggle herself out of the demoness' iron grasp to no avail.
"I'm sure if you follow Albedo's directions on social conduct, she won't put you in a cage." Momonga said.
"I-I promise." Ramiris looked at Albedo, teary-eyed.
"Good. Now, let's go. Lord Momonga is busy. I'll bring you up to speed." Albedo said and let Ramiris loose. She then bowed and opened the office doors to leave with the traumatized pixie following her.
Edited by Zirmeister
Proofreading by Sad_Smiles, Visur Nyxan, Kazuma, Ethal07, Tophrel, Yogpod, and Alassandro.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader.
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