“…It’s finally over…”
The nobles, finally recovering from their Head-to-Ground Prostration, felt a faint ache in their heads and waists. They estimated they would need to use healing magic or apply some ointment to recover.
“I didn’t expect her to be so unreasonable. She made us all…”
“Hey, wait! Be careful, the walls have ears!”
A few nobles began to speak ill of Ai Yue because of the humiliation they had just suffered, but they dared not speak loudly for fear that their voices would reach her ears.
“Cruel… is that really the case?”
Just then, Zold spoke up slowly, causing everyone to fall silent.
“Mr. Zold, what do you mean by that…?”
The nobles present did not understand why Zold would say such a thing, but the latter simply repeated his question.
“I asked, do you truly believe that she is a cruel monarch who disregards everything else?”
“…”
Seeing that the crowd still did not understand, Zold personally began to explain the truth.
“Do you remember what she said to me when she was punishing you?”
“I remember! She actually demanded that an elder like you perform the same movement as us. She doesn’t even have the virtue of respecting the elderly!”
“I see. Is that how it looked in your eyes…?”
Zold let out a sigh, perhaps because these nobles showed no signs of repentance, or perhaps because they were too immature to understand until now.
“I ask you, what did you feel when you were performing that movement just now?”
“What did we feel? We felt angry because we felt insulted!”
“Right. Then what if you were the only person in the entire Meeting Hall doing it?”
“This…”
Even a fool could answer such a question; naturally, the feeling would be the same.
However, Zold had another perspective.
“When only a portion of people are punished, they feel humiliated. When you are the only one punished, the feeling of being insulted without any companions would more than double. But if everyone is punished together, then everyone is the same. Do you understand what I am saying?”
“…Could it be…!?”
“Exactly.”
Zold nodded, striking the floor with his cane like a teacher seeing a student finally answer a question correctly.
“That lady made us all endure the same punishment, myself included. In this way, no one was left out, and our hearts would feel much more at ease.”
“This… it’s true. While performing that movement, my heart felt much lighter than I imagined for some reason.”
After Zold’s successive pointers, the nobles present gradually came to understand.
When they were performing the Head-to-Ground Prostration, they initially felt as if their self-esteem was being trampled upon. However, they felt unexpectedly calm while actually doing it.
“That lady already considered that we, as nobles, have high self-esteem, yet the punishment could not be waived. Since that was the case, she adopted a method of punishment that allowed us to understand our faults without feeling a sense of injustice. She even said at the end that working overtime is not a good habit and told us to go home and rest early. Even after all that, do you still want to say she is heartless?”
“…No, of course not!”
“The Great Demon King is simply the gentlest person under heaven!”
Contrary to the beginning, the nobles now turned to praise Ai Yue’s gentleness and consideration.
But it was not over yet.
“Hmph! Do you think that was all?”
“There is even more to it?”
“Of course! Think back carefully. How did that lady make demands of us and reply to us during the meeting?”
During the meeting, Ai Yue basically did not approve a single proposal or request. Furthermore, whenever they spoke, Ai Yue would demand that they shout at the top of their lungs.
“Don’t you find it strange? These are clearly things we could solve with a little effort, yet we came to seek help. That lady obviously saw through everything! The reason she made us shout our requests loudly was likely so that everyone, including ourselves, could hear just how ridiculous those requests were.”
“…She even thought to such an extent…”
Although these inferences seemed a bit of a leap at first, this theory happened to explain everything, including the parts that felt off.
Moreover, since this explanation came from Zold’s own mouth, its credibility increased significantly!
“That lady is both gentle and perceptive. Whether it is the human heart or a scheme, nothing can remain hidden before her!”
Zold, who had previously looked like a calm old man, suddenly underwent a change in demeanor. He became like a fanatic Priest, excitedly speaking of Ai Yue’s greatness.
Infected by his expression and words, the nobles present all began to praise Ai Yue one after another.
“Nothing can escape the Great Demon King’s eyes!”
“Long live the Great Demon King!!”
For a moment, cheers resounded throughout the Meeting Hall.
***
“…Hmm…”
Walking down the path, Ai Yue felt a strange urge to sneeze.
‘I feel like I’ve had the urge to sneeze a lot lately. Do I have rhinitis or a cold?’
‘Someone couldn’t be talking about me behind my back again, right?’
To be safe, she decided to take some medicine for colds or sore throats. Shouting so loudly earlier had hurt her throat a little.
“By the way, Bululu, what did you want to see me about?”
Ai Yue had been asking since Bululu first appeared in the Meeting Hall, but due to the situation, she hadn’t received a definitive answer.
“Ah, that… actually, it is something related to Lady Kurimu.”
Because Bululu had spent some time playing with Kurimu, the two had become quite close, to the point where they could call each other by their names.
Of course, she still had to maintain etiquette and respect in public, so Bululu would still attach an honorary title except when they were in private.
Incidentally, Ai Yue also let Kurimu call her by her name. After all, given Kurimu’s mental age, she couldn’t expect much etiquette, so she figured it was better to just go by names. For some reason, Bululu had seemed a bit unhappy at the time.
“Something related to Kurimu? Did she get angry, or did she go on a rampage or something?”
At the thought of that child who couldn’t control her own power going on a rampage, Ai Yue didn’t dare to imagine further.
The powerful Devil Race, especially children, were the most dangerous. If something went wrong, it was truly possible to be killed by someone of a higher level.
“It hasn’t reached that level yet… Master Ai Yue should see it for herself.”
They had just reached their destination. Bululu said this while slowly opening the door.
“No! I want to go!”
The moment the door opened, what met her eyes was a little girl with platinum-blonde twin tails rolling around on the floor in a tantrum.
“…?”