Chapter 20: Dihua Is Contagious

” …so I say we should push forward by force!”

“Are you an idiot? If you do that now, the favorability we worked so hard to accumulate will be gone again!”

“We are the Demon Race! Do we really need to care about that? Just steamroll them!”

Unlike the magnificent conference hall everyone was in, the people inside were shouting profanities at each other, reaching a level where some parts almost needed to be censored.

Aiyin sat in the middle of the hall without expression, passively receiving this information. She almost wanted to put on a pair of headphones.

As for why she was sitting here, the story goes back a bit.

At that time, she had just finished her outing with Kurimu and the others and returned to the Demon King Castle. Just as her left foot stepped through the door, someone ran over to say that the people from the Administrative Department were looking for her.

It seemed like an extremely urgent matter, so Ai Yue didn’t suspect anything. She told Bululu to go play or rest with Kurimu while she headed to the conference hall herself.

As it turned out, wasn’t this just a bunch of people who loved to argue moving their argument to a different location?

” …Everyone, quiet down.”

Just as the argument became heated beyond control, a steady voice rang out.

An old man who looked quite aged, yet whose aura and physique still radiated power and strength, tapped his cane against the floor.

That alone was enough to silence everyone who had been arguing.

Ai Yue recognized him; she had seen him once during her paperwork a few days ago.

The old man was named Zold. Aside from the various Demon Kings, he was the one who held the highest power among the Demon Race.

If one asked why, it was naturally because his strength was outstanding, with a level only one step away from the Demon King Level. There were even rumors that he was stronger than some of the weaker Demon Kings. Furthermore, his administrative abilities were excellent, making him a figure similar to a Minister.

After all, looking at the entire Demon Realm, that old man was a senior figure. He was likely older than all the Demon Kings. It was said that before the Great Demon King Ai Yue appeared and unified the Demon Realm, he was once a powerhouse who ruled a territory of his own.

One just didn’t know why such a powerful person chose not to become a Demon King, but instead served as a Minister in this Demon King Castle. Perhaps he was considering his old age?

However, even though he was old, his reputation among the Demon Race was quite high. At the very least, every member of the Demon Race present needed to show him respect.

“What are you doing? You are in the presence of the Great Demon King. Disrespectful behavior and fighting are not permitted.”

Someone finally said it, though it was a bit late.

‘ …Hearing that somewhat familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar sentence,’ Ai Yue thought privately.

If this old man had been there yesterday, it probably would have saved a lot of trouble.

But on second thought, Ai Yue felt that would have carried certain risks.

Seeing that this old man was male and elderly, she knew this character wasn’t designed by Ai Yue. Instead, he was created by other members of the development team or filled in by the Automatic Element Generation System. Because of this, Ai Yue didn’t know much about him.

According to the setting where someone has strength and once had a career but ended up as someone else’s subordinate despite having many supporters, there was no guarantee he wasn’t harboring ulterior motives or planning something from behind the scenes. Moreover, the old man looked like the type with deep, hidden thoughts. With Ai Yue’s social-phobic observation skills, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

If she were still a developer, she could directly access the character’s detailed settings to confirm. Now, she was out of luck.

Ai Yue quietly remained on guard against Zold. Not to mention her current weakened state being exposed — even just making a small mistake could likely be used as leverage by this old man.

Under the calculations of the AI and the system, this world would develop freely. It was even possible for a dungeon boss to be destroyed or replaced for various reasons due to the world’s natural development before the Players even started the dungeon. For example, a monster boss living in a valley might get injured in an earthquake, and the nearby ecology might be destroyed by the Human Race’s development, leading to no food to replenish its energy, which would result in it naturally starving to death.

In other words, even though she was set as the final boss who ruled the entire Demon Realm, she could still be overthrown and killed.

While everyone watched him, Zold continued:

“You are all talking to yourselves. Have you not realized there is a much simpler solution?”

“Does that mean Master Zold has an idea?”

Regarding this senior who had lived for an unknown amount of time, many were curious about what opinion he could have. After all, during these several years, administrative work and other matters concerning the management of the Demon Realm had almost all been handled by him.

However, Zold didn’t answer. He simply turned his gaze forward. His front was exactly the center of the fan-shaped seating of the conference hall — Ai Yue’s position.

” …Could it be… I understand!”

Sensing Zold’s gaze, someone reacted.

“Master Zold is saying that before, we were leaderless, but now it is different because the Great Demon King has returned!”

In that instant, all eyes were focused on Ai Yue.

“That’s right! As long as the Great Demon King is here, any difficulty can be resolved!”

“No matter the matter, it should have been decided by the Great Demon King. In these ten years, our thinking has become fixed, and we have forgotten this fact.”

‘No, no, no, you forgot, but she didn’t forget.’

Ai Yue still remembered clearly. That pile of documents that suddenly appeared on her desk requiring her individual review… the people responsible for handling and submitting these documents didn’t even know whose hands the documents would end up in.

They probably left everything to their subordinates, right?

There were nobles within the Demon Race, and every single one of these people belonged to the noble class. The main reason they were allowed to hold such positions was that the gap in strength and knowledge couldn’t be adjusted in a short time… These were the conclusions Ai Yue reached through the information she had gathered recently.

Speaking of which, as a developer, Ai Yue hadn’t been detailed enough to write out the background, age, or personality when setting up the Great Demon King — the current Ai Yue. Perhaps before the ten-year slumber she hadn’t planned, the Great Demon King Ai Yue was already paving the way for the future.

‘As expected of the Great Demon King Ai Yue! To think she foresaw future developments so early and prepared for them! How could a mere Creator like me see through her intentions?!’

” …But, can she really do such a thing?”

Just as everyone was competing to flatter Ai Yue — although Ai Yue ignored them completely — an out-of-place voice interrupted them.