‘I wonder how things are going on Master Ai Yue’s end…’
Bululu thought about the current situation in the Meeting Hall as she walked down the corridor.
Originally, as a Personal Guard Maid, she should have remained by her master’s side at all times, but Ai Yue had sent her to look after Kurimu instead.
In truth, Ai Yue had told her to “go play with Kurimu,” but Bululu was an adult. She wasn’t happy about being asked to play with a child!
So, she was heading to find Ai Yue now simply because a child was throwing a tantrum.
However, more than that, Bululu was concerned about the state of the Meeting Hall.
Although she wasn’t deeply involved in political affairs, she had a clear understanding of the character and conduct of those Demon Race nobles. After all, those nobles would pick fights with her Goblin Village from time to time.
Master Ai Yue had only recently awakened, so those fellows would likely find something to complain about again. It would be a good thing if those guys were simply wiped out, but the biggest problem would be if they ruined Ai Yue’s mood.
Eliminating anything that might affect her master’s mood was her duty, yet she had failed in it!
Bululu walked at a speed sufficient to cause a sonic boom, yet she maintained the walking posture of a maid, arriving at the Meeting Hall doors without making a single sound.
“Excuse me.”
Prepared to elbow every noble present if they showed any insolence, Bululu pushed open the doors.
“Reporting! The maintenance of the Land Ship…!”
“I can’t hear you at all!! You want to pilot a Land Ship with such a weak voice!?”
“Reporting!! The maintenance progress of the Land Ship is lagging behind! Please dispatch more personnel, Great Demon King!!”
A Demon Race noble, supporting himself against the floor with only his feet and the top of his head, roared at the top of his lungs. Looking around, every noble in the entire Meeting Hall — regardless of age — was maintaining the same posture.
“If you don’t have enough manpower, why don’t you look at your own problems!? Next!!”
“Yes!! Regarding the matter of establishing a path between the Demon Realm Capital and the nearby villages, the villagers have raised objections. We ask the Great Demon King to make a decision!!”
“Why would those people oppose such a good thing? Don’t you have any idea why!? Next!!”
Ai Yue sat with her legs crossed in the center seat of the Meeting Hall. She stood in stark contrast to those nobles who were bridging on the ground in strange positions. One could even tell she was enjoying herself.
Bululu didn’t understand that kind of shouting dialogue, but she was deeply shocked.
For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to the village, watching a group of young Goblins training with the warriors who protected the settlement.
But wasn’t this the Meeting Hall? Why did she feel like she was back in the village? Or was she hallucinating?
The gap between her imagination and reality was so vast that Bululu’s brain stalled, nearly making her let out a dazed sound in confusion.
“Reporting!! Recently…”
“Wait, you, shut up for a second,” Ai Yue interrupted him and turned her head toward the door. “Bululu, why are you here?”
“…Ah!”
Being called by Ai Yue finally made Bululu snap back to reality. “Master Ai Yue, what is going on here…?”
“Hmm? It’s nothing. Someone was a bit impolite, so I gave them a small punishment.”
As she spoke, Ai Yue looked toward the group of nobles still maintaining their headstand-bridge posture.
The conversation between Ai Yue and Bululu naturally reached their ears. The moment they realized someone else was watching, the shame they had barely managed to suppress flared up once more.
“That… Miss Bululu, you must have come to find the Great Demon King for something important, right? How about we take a temporary break and let the Great Demon King handle her business first?”
“Yes! We aren’t in a hurry! Great Demon King, please feel free to do as you wish.”
While shame played a part, those with sharper minds immediately realized that Bululu, who had suddenly barged in, might be their lifesaver. They clung to this hope, pouring out a string of polite pleasantries.
As long as they could get the Great Demon King to agree to a break and leave, it would be a victory!
“Oh, I’m not in a hurry.”
However, things did not go as they hoped. Bululu rejected their kindness.
Naturally, the truth was that Bululu also wanted to see these nobles suffer. Since a rare opportunity to embarrass them had appeared, how could she let them off easy?
“Don’t worry about us. We still have spare time.”
“Yes, Miss Bululu, please don’t be so modest.”
‘Wait, are you guys doing that thing where you repeatedly decline a gift from each other?’ Ai Yue thought to herself as she watched the scene.
But more than the two sides constantly exchanging pleasantries, what made it hard for Ai Yue to keep a straight face was that the nobles were still maintaining their original posture while saying those words.
They looked like a bunch of shrimp that hadn’t laid flat, but were standing upright and face-planting because of the weight of their heads.
However, letting them continue to decline each other indefinitely wasn’t an option. After thinking for a moment, Ai Yue spoke.
“Alright, Bululu, let’s go. As for the rest of you…”
Hearing those words, the nobles still bridging on their heads couldn’t help but sigh in relief. They had won!
However, Ai Yue’s next sentence sent their moods plummeting to rock bottom.
“Have someone come over and watch them. We’ll continue when I get back.”
In an instant, everyone wore an expression of despair.
Seeing their reactions, Ai Yue felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
She had paused for a moment just then specifically to see their expressions shift from hope to despair in an instant.
This was almost an instinctive behavior. Ai Yue hadn’t consciously set out to do it, but the result was indeed good and quite pleasant. At the very least, it slightly relieved the stomachache caused by the stress of pretending to be a calm and composed Demon King.
“Ahem! That…”
Just then, a seasoned voice rang out.
“Zold? Do you have something to say?”
“I have nothing to — er, no. Great Demon King, I think we should just end it here for today?”
“Are you saying you want to refuse this punishment?”
As soon as she finished speaking, all the nobles felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. They all realized that if they said “yes” now, the punishment awaiting them would not be so gentle.
“Haha, you misunderstand. I was referring to this meeting.”
However, Zold took a different approach. He didn’t focus on the punishment, but on the meeting itself that accompanied it.
“By my calculations, it is almost time for the meeting to conclude. It is time to end this session.”
“…”
Though she wanted to criticize what kind of meeting ends this early, Ai Yue was also very aware of the harms of overtime. After all, she had died of overwork in her previous life, so she naturally wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
If she could avoid working overtime, she absolutely would!
“True. Working overtime is not a good habit. Then, the meeting is adjourned. Everyone, go back to your homes and your mothers.”
With that, Ai Yue left the Meeting Hall with Bululu.