ITK C322: The Great Demon King’s Farm Visit
At first, one of the plans was to summon Hades, God of the Underworld.
If there’s anyone higher in rank than a king, it’s a god.
So, if we ask Hades to give the order, even the Great Demon King won’t be able to defy it.
This effect seemed to be outstanding.
However, coercion is never a good thing, no matter the reason. Plus, it’d be rude to Hades to summon him every time, so we kept it as our last resort.
We tried appealing to the Great Demon King’s conscience and innate familial love, but our expectations were completely betrayed.
Left with no other choice, we summoned Hades to scold him.
“Thou art a hopeless demon king, art thee not?”
The God of the Underworld is the only one who can call the Great Demon King hopeless.
“What? A Great Demon King? I doth not careth either way. Thy son is a fine king, and I bestowed upon that gent the title of “Greatest Demon King of All Time.” And yet, thou art his predecessor. Art thee not ashamed of thyself? Is it not typical of a king to treasure his people as if they were his own children? Alas, thee… Thee doth not even know how to treasure thine own grandchildren. I loveth thee demon mortals as if thee were mine own offspring. Oh, and, I hath heard I that you hast hadst six wives. What kind of attitude is that when thou art under mine own protection? Art thee not embarrassed to be a demon who ist following Zeus’ footsteps in taking as many women as thee can?”
He’s really giving him an earful.
Thanks to this, the Great Demon King is mentally beat up.
“Oh, Zedan…”
He kneels in front of his son and his family.
“I’m sorry… Please forgive me for being so cold with you…!”
“Father, please!”
The compassionate Demon King goes down on one knee.
“I understand your delicate position, Father! Nonetheless, I forced you into doing this… I have my wrongdoings too…”
“No, it’s okay. It’s all my fault for being so stubborn. From now on, let’s cherish each other as father and son!”
And just like that, their relationship was successfully fixed thanks to Hades’ compelling force.
“So, shall we finally see the elves’ workshop?” says the Great Demon King.
“A-Ah…”
He’s steadfast!
He still hasn’t lost his desire despite all that criticism!
“His toughness is definitely demon king-level.”
An unnecessary approval from Hades.
“You come too, Zedan! You’re the current Demon King, and we need to work together to improve our people’s culture!”
“Yes, Father!”
Now that they’ve reconciled, he’s involving his son in his plans!
Stopping him in his tracks seems close to impossible!
Oh well.
I’ll just take them to our farm’s craft department.
“Ah.”
Oh, I almost forgot.
“Thank you for coming today, Hades. Now that Your Mightiness’ business is done, you’re free to leave right away.”
“Quaint harsh treatment toward a god, nay?”
Exactamundo.
Well, it’d be insulting to ask him to leave as is, so I offered him the meal I had prepared.
Then, we finally arrived at the elves’ workshop.
“Ohhhh!” says the Great Demon King in astonishment.
The elves are meticulously crafting tools for daily use as usual.
“Are my eyes deceiving me? Elves who are said to never stay under a roof are here working so diligently!”
“They’re making leather handbags right now, as per Mr. Shax of the Pandemonium Trading Company’s request.”
“Pandemonium Trading Company has connections here?! They didn’t say a word about it!”
That’s what we agreed on.
Merchants must be tight-lipped, after all.
“Either way, it’s a great workshop! How much money do I have to pay you to buy these elves’ service?”
“Please don’t start negotiating right off the bat.”
And stop using your money and power to take everything for yourself all the time.
I’m sure this pushy attitude is more typical of a demon king.
Zedan is just too nice of a man for his position.
I have to always remember to be grateful for that.
“Won’t you please give it a second thought? The nation needs them to improve the cultural standards!”
Many elves’ works are circulated in the Demon Capital, so I think they’re already making a fair contribution…
“If you insist, why don’t you try to negotiate with them directly?”
“Really? If you say so!”
The Great Demon King cheerfully persuades the elves.
However, their answers are all the same.
“We will only move to a place if it has better food than the farm,” they said.
At first, the Great Demon King was optimistic.
“Oh, that? No problem, my personal cook will serve you the best food every day!”
“Nope.” “Rejected.” “Out of the question.” “An empty promise.”
“Whaaaaaaaaaat?!”
He may have thought he was offering the best conditions, but it was nowhere near enticing for the elves.
I decided to take the Great Demon King into the kitchen and serve some food.
“I can’t win against this!!!”
He collapses then and there.
“Not only are the crafts here top-notch, but so is the food! Delicious! So, so delicious!”
Though defeated, he still continues to eat the sandwiches on the table.
“Well, since the elves are still at work, why don’t we take a look at a different area?”
“You mean there’s more?”
There is another creative area on our farm aside from the elf workshop—Batemy’s tailoring room.
Since the farm’s study program started, the number of residents has increased, so she’s still swamped.
“Oh? Demons work here too?” he says, seemingly proud to have come across his own people here.
He looks at the finished products Batemy made, randomly lined up nearby…
“…Hm? Aren’t these Noujou clothes, the most popular brand in the capital?!”
He noticed.
As expected of those with a discerning eye.
“Is this lass perhaps a top brand craftsman? Are you willing to work for me?!”
Like I said, please refrain from immediate headhunting.
Scouted by the Great Demon King, Batemy stops working on her machine, faces the VIP, and says, “I’m a veteran soldier of the army before I came here to work as a tailor, sir.”
“Oh, then why don’t you go back?”
“You were still demon king when I first joined the army, but the command structure was perfunctory… I’ve lost count of how many times I almost died from haphazard marches… If I hadn’t been discovered by Miss Astres and made her aide, I might’ve died for real…”
“Oh…”
“Now, in Lord Zedan’s reign, I have experienced planned marches, making me realize all the more how the previous command was so sloppy. I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t feel like experiencing such hardship under you again…”
“Um… I, uh, I apologize for that!”
Batemy is an ex-soldier who has been enlisted in the army since she was young.
As a result, she has mastered discerning which boss she should follow.
Thus, the Great Demon King failed to scout anyone.
He’s standing outdoors, melancholic in the twilight.
“…This is a wonderful place.”
“Indeed, Father.”
The Demon King is beside him, also in a sentimental mood.
He’s a sincere man, willing to stick it out with his father till the end.
“At the same time, I realized that your reign is better than mine, Zedan… It has sunk deeply into my mind. Son, I leave everything to you from now on, including handling this place.”
“F-Father?”
And so, the relationship between the two has been mended.
…Right?
“Leave it to me! As the current demon king, I’ll be sure to solve your biggest concern!”
“Oh, son…”
Later on, the whole family sat around the table and had a peaceful supper.
Thanks for the chapter! Noticed after chapter 321 that the “next” button isn’t working.