Volume 9 Chapter 18 (2/2)

And so, I decided to declare the start of the party.

”Everyone, we won again! The one we beat this time wasn't a new Demon Lord, but rather one with a few years of experience under his belt. This victory officially turns us from being strong for a new Demon Lord's army to simply being a strong army. And it's all thanks to all of you. I am proud of each and every one of you. This party is your reward. We've prepared even more food and drinks than usual. So, tonight, eat, drink, and make merry as much as you can!”

My monsters cheered in reply.

Once all of them had a drink in their hand, I raised mine.

”Cheers!”

”””Cheers!”””

They said cheers back in chorus as they clinked their glasses together.

In no time at hall, the venue was filled with laughter.

These were the moments I love, and I would do everything I could to protect them. I wouldn't let anyone take away my precious monsters.

”Oto-san, you're not eating!”

”Master, come get some food too”

Kuina and Rorono called out to me while carrying plates full of food.

Seeing them take almost nothing but their favorites filled me joy. Thank goodness I ordered those.

”Yeah, I'll get some for me too.”

After saying so, I went to where the food was being served.

Ruhe's excellent taste was apparent in the selection. As expected of her, she knew stores in Avalon that even I was not familiar with. There was even food I was seeing for the first time.

The centerpiece among the ones served was probably the dim sum. Thanks to the use of rice flour and the steaming of it, the dim sum's outer layer became translucent. And somehow, seeing the content made it even more appetizing.

When I finally ate one, I found it to be amazing indeed. It was filled with lots of delicious crab meat. And thanks to the crab miso paste as dressing, it had a deep, rich flavor.

Satisfied, I decided to go for another. This time, it was filled with beef and dressed by high-salt miso. Its saltiness greatly stimulated my appetite.

Each of the dim sum was different, and that was really exciting.

”Oto-san, are they delicious?”

”Yeah, they are. Plus, each one having a different taste makes it fun to eat”

”Oh. Then, Kuina will try some too!”

Right after declaring that, Kuina began eating them too. Judging by the pace she was taking one item after the other, it seemed like she also enjoyed the new taste each one offered.

While watching her like that, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was from beautiful woman that had white wolf ears and a white wolf tail.

It was from Marcho.

”That's another complete victory, isn't it Procell? Against an enemy Demon Lord that has both an A rank medal and years of combat experience under his belt, no less. That's quite an unbelievable feat for a new Demon Lord, you know”

”It was closer than I wanted it to be though. Now I realize I got too full of myself after the campaign to help you. The enemy Demon Lords then had been exhausted from fighting with you, so when we arrived, they were pretty much sitting ducks for us to take out.”

If we were to fight those Demon Lords head on and while they were at top condition, we would most likely be defeated. After all, just one veteran Demon Lord gave us such a close fight.

”Just you realizing that makes the fight even more rewarding. You know, I still have a lot of advice to give to you, my adorable ward. If you have enough drinks and snacks, I don't mind talking all night.”

”Oh, yeah, please. …Kuina, Rorono, sorry, Marcho and I are going to talk for a while, so why don't the two of you do something else in the meantime?”

”…understood”

”See you later, master.”

Kuina and Rorono had disinterested looks on their faces for a moment, but they understood how beneficial a talk with Marcho could be to me, so they took their leave.

They were such good girls. I should make it up to them later.

◇

Marcho and I headed to the bar by the wall.

…I'm sure this bar is Ruhe's idea. Ah well, it's the perfect place for a leisurely chat.

The smile on Aura, who was going to be our bartender, as she approached got me feeling a bit anxious.

”Master, Marcho-sama, may I suggest this special cocktail? It's quite good for the body.”

While saying that, she presented a dubious-looking liquid that seemed to be a mixture of alcohol and a potion.

I was hesitant at first, but decided to drink it nonetheless. And when I did, the fatigue in my body became much less. Also, as the alcohol spread, the better I felt.

”Ah, this is great. I like this taste. I'll have another.”

”Yes, right away. How about you, master?”

”I'll have another too”

Aura quickly made another batch of the cocktail.

Wait, is it my imagination or did she just increase the amount for the potion? Bah, whatever. Besides that, I wonder where she got that bartender outfit? It's frightening how good it looks on her.

”Your parties really are fantastic, you know. The food and drinks are nice too, but what fascinates me the most are your monsters and the great facial expressions they make.”

”Thank you. They're my pride and joy. Each of them's a really good kid.”

”You know, monsters take after their Demon Lord. So, if they're good kids, that means you're one too.”

From then on, Marcho gave me various advice.

She taught me new and unknown ways to fight other Demon Lords. Some were even borderline foul plays.

The rule that was protecting us new Demon Lords was about to expire, so for me, this was a most excellent gift.

”I've learned a lot. Thank you, Marcho. You're really amazing.”

”Well, I can only do this much for you after you stubbornly keep refusing to use my power. …I'm going to say this though, if you ever wound up in a [War] with multiple Demon Lords, I will not remain silent like I did this time.”

Marcho was now my monster, and her dungeon was treated as my own.

According to her, when the [War] with the [Pig] Demon Lord began, she was given the choice whether or not to participate as part of my faction.

It was quite surprising that the choice was given to her.

”Thank you again for abstaining. It's still too early to show off my ace in the hole.”

”I thought you'd say something like that.”

If Marcho and her monsters participated in the recent [War], it would have been a cakewalk.

I didn't want that though. Not yet, at least.

It was already common knowledge that I came to Marcho's aid when she was being attacked, but the only other Demon Lords who knew that I made her my monster through [Rebirth] and that her dungeon was now under my control were [Dragon] and [Time].

So, just having her, her monsters, and her dungeon show up at the start of a [War] would be enough to overturn the enemy's strategies. As such, it wasn't entirely an issue of my pride, but rather also a matter of reserving my trump card for when I needed it the most.

”Procell, I'm certain you'll someday become the strongest Demon Lord there is. I am guiding you, after all… to that end, how about I teach you the charms of a woman? Say, later tonight?”

”…pfft, what??? Is that some kind of joke?”

”I'm serious. I want us to do things lovers do. Besides, you're a virgin, right? That's pretty unbecoming for a Demon Lord, you know”

She hit a sore spot.

I was a virgin, but I wasn't some degenerate that would lay his hands on his daughters. I tried to visit brothels several times, but just couldn't build up enough courage to go through with it.

”Alright, let's do it. But let me be clear: I'm doing this not to get rid of my virginity. I'm doing this simply because I love you, Marcho.”

”Fufuu, I love it when you say charming things like that.”

Like that, what I would do for the rest of the party was decided.

First was to drink moderately. Drinking too much might ruin it all.

And then, around twilight, when the party has ended, Marcho and I would head to the carriage near the golden apples, which acted as my second residence. There, we would be uninterrupted to do whatever we wished.