I suddenly felt uneasy. My mother's words — never issue blank checks carelessly, no matter what happens in life — came unbidden to mind.
*Especially, son. It probably wouldn't happen, but just in case — if a woman ever approaches you.*
That's what she said.
*You must never, ever use the words "anything you want" carelessly. Something enormous could happen.*
Something enormous? Like what, exactly?
*Well... a son like you could be born.*
It took me a long time to grasp what she meant, and when I did, I seethed. Back then I was a high schooler enjoying a rebellious, carefree youth. I raised my voice in protest.
That's too harsh. If I'd known it'd come to this, I wouldn't have been born as your child.
*If I'd known my child would turn out like you, I wouldn't have given birth either.*
……
I was mercilessly shot down, abandoned my pointless rebellion, and threw myself into studying for the college entrance exam. Thanks to that, I managed to get into a reasonably decent university. After that, I went right back to thoroughly enjoying my worthless life as a freeloader, though.
Why had my mother's advice suddenly resurfaced? Some unconscious instinct must have been urging me to retract my words. I turned to Lapis, trying to change what I'd said.
But.
"……."
A chill ran down my spine. The look in her eyes was deadly serious.
*If you take back your word now, I'll personally verify whether what's inside your belly is your guts or shit.*
That was the look she gave me.
Words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them, like water leaking through a dam.
"Y-Yeah. Anything you want."
"Very well."
Lapis gave a crisp nod. I couldn't tell if it was my imagination, but that expressionless face somehow radiated a hint of satisfaction.
"I'm perfectly content with a modest reward, but since Lord Dantalion has gone so far as to offer anything I wish, I suppose I have no choice but to accept. I am an employee of the Kunkuska Trading Company, but at the same time, I serve Lord Dantalion. I cannot very well refuse his generosity. Reluctantly, I shall accept your command."
"Oh, um...? S-Sure."
My anxiety grew heavier by the second. What kind of wish required all this smoke-screening—more than you could slap across a skunk's face? Had Ivar given her secret orders? I timidly tacked on a condition.
"Just to be clear, it has to be a wish I can actually grant?"
"Of course. I know Lord Dantalion's capabilities better than anyone. There is no chance I would ask for something beyond your power."
"Hmm. Right."
Lapis had known me since the days I was digging caves for two gold a day. She was the oldest connection I had in this world. She knew everything—how I'd mistaken iron pyrite for gold and preened endlessly about it (even now, the memory made my heart scream at my brain to stop thinking), how I'd blown through money like crazy at the Demon Realm's casino—all of it.
Though we were bound by the relationship of Demon Lord and Demonkin, on a personal level, I felt a deep friendship toward her.
Laura was different. Honestly, Laura had a bit of a blind spot for me. Whatever I did, her response was always, "As expected, My Lord! Incredible!" Eyes sparkling with admiration.
Lapis, on the other hand, would widen her eyes in surprise and say, "That's impressive," with a tone that implied she was genuinely taken aback that I'd managed such a thing. The words might sound similar, but the emotion underneath them was worlds apart.
Well, I preferred Lapis's reaction. It was more comfortable, you know. Unconditionally backing me up no matter what was a problem in itself. No matter how close you were, a friendship where you could call each other out for being dumb when they were being dumb—that's what a true friend is, isn't it? In that sense, Lapis and I were friends.
There are people out there who insist men and women can never be just friends. It's laughable. Humans aren't animals—how could there be nothing between men and women besides sex?
Everyone can share true friendship. Lapis and I were a prime example. I was a half-baked Demon Lord, and Lapis was a half-human, half-demon outcast in Demon Realm society.
Because we shared those commonalities, we'd become comrades who transcended rank and gender. Lust had no part in it. Wasn't that a truly platonic and beautiful story?
I shifted my mood. A promise was a promise—might as well enjoy fulfilling it.
"Fine. Since I've already declared it, I'll grant it right now. What's your wish? Hmm? Want me to have all those bastards who bullied you killed? Should I talk to Ivar and get you promoted to First-Class Administrative Demon?"
Lapis glanced briefly at Laura beside her.
"...No. I can't think of anything just yet. I'll let you know next time."
"Fine, fine. Just say the word anytime. I'm in a position now where I can grant Lapis a wish or two."
Laura, who had been listening to our conversation in silence, tilted her head.
"Lady Lapis? If you'd like, I can make myself scarce. As you can see."
Laura gestured toward her lower body. For reference, Laura was completely naked. Below her waist, the traces where my member had been thrusting moments ago were crudely visible. To be precise, clumps of semen were stuck all over.
"Besides, I need to take a bath anyway. I'm planning to soak my body in the underground pool. Won't you two settle things while I wash?"
"Sigh."
Lapis let out a deep breath.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, and Lady Laura has already turned into a beast. Even Grand Duke Choyul's harem wouldn't be this debauched. Were you always like this?"
"Hmm... If you'd spent the past fortnight with our Lord, you'd understand my situation."
Laura wore a strangely wistful smile.
"Here, shame is nothing more than a spice that heightens an enemy's desire. It's like slathering seasoning on smoked meat. Being brazen is at least the next-best strategy. I sacrificed my dignity out of necessity, for the sake of survival."
"Is it that bad?... Specifically, how many times a day?"
"Um. It varies, but four times is roughly the average."
Lapis's mouth fell open slightly.
"Four times? That's quite something. But if that's all..."
"Lady Lapis? You seem to be misunderstanding something."
Laura grinned. There were shadows under her eyes.
"It's not four times — it's four rounds. If you count by individual times, it'd be at least ten. Ten per round. That makes forty in total. You should assume a minimum of forty times a day."
"Forty... times?"
That was when I witnessed an exceedingly rare sight. Lapis's typically expressionless face was overtaken by a look of utter shock. I gathered roughly what they were discussing — my stamina — and quietly slipped away from the spot. I walked over to the water bucket in the corner of the Demon Lord's room and picked up a dipper.
"That can't be. There's no way that's possible."
"The young lady thought so too. And then she learned just how hollow human common sense really is… Hehe. Looking back now, it's a miracle I survived. Hehe, hehehe…."
"But if a man typically does that much, then a woman would… at least three times as much, unless she finishes early."
Even while I was drinking water, their voices kept drifting over. Hm. Having your stamina dissected on the operating table of conversation was more embarrassing than I'd expected. I pretended not to hear, pretending not to know, and gulped down the water.
"Oh yes. Three times over, easy."
"So you're saying thirty times per round, a hundred and twenty times per day? I can't believe it."
"That's just the average. Sometimes it easily blows past two hundred."
"……."
"Do you understand, Lady Lapis? And those days went on for a full fifteen days."
The two of them dropped their voices significantly. Now I could only catch stray words here and there. Regardless, the women were having an extremely serious discussion.
"The two of us… dividing the burden… impossible."
"But the determination… beyond what I expected…"
"I can't wait any longer… I'll break before that happens! …quickly…"
"……the execution date… I'll see to it. This is the one thing I cannot concede."
"Oh my. Very well. It seems hope has finally found its way to this young lady as well."
There was an atmosphere of something having been agreed upon.
"Haha. You two done talking?"
I approached cheerfully, glad that the women's conversation had finally ended.
"……."
"……."
But what came back was a frigid gaze, like the one you'd give a monster.
No, why?
Around my Demon Lord's Castle, there are seven human villages. Eight Goblin settlements. Fifteen villages in total fall under my so-called domain.
The population was roughly four hundred humans and eleven hundred Goblins. No census had been taken, so these weren't exact figures. Still, I was certain that even combining both races, the total fell short of two thousand. A domain with fewer than two thousand people wasn't something you could boast about as a barony anywhere.
This was an era where population meant national power. Normally, the ceiling of my Demon Lord's Castle was clear, but…
"That's going to increase dramatically going forward."
Laura, Lapis, and I gathered around the round table for a meeting. We were the senior officials—and the only officials—of the Dantalion Demon Lord's Army. In other words, a humble national council was in session.
"Because of that speech I gave before the march, a rumor will almost certainly spread. Something like: if you go to the Demon Lord Dantalion's lands, you can reap what you sow. Deserters, for instance. If deserters start appearing from the human armies, there's a good chance they'll head this way."
"That's reasonable."
Lapis agreed.
"It's a walkable distance from the Habsburg northern region, where the fighting is raging, to here in the Teuton Kingdom. Two or three out of every ten people should make it here. I'd estimate around two hundred people will migrate over in short order."
That kind of number was no problem.
In my domain, the ruins of five destroyed villages still remained. The rice paddies those five villages had once cultivated were still there as well. The crops that had been grown there were long gone, of course, but the raised beds, furrows, and overall shape of the paddies were perfectly preserved. There was no need to go through the grueling work of clearing new land. Someone just had to come and tend them.
Those paddies could support roughly three hundred people. In other words, my domain had the capacity to accommodate three hundred more.
"The problem is that the stream of migrants will keep growing."
I spoke.
"The poison I've spread across the Human Realm is stubborn. The longer the Crescent Alliance Army's war drags on, the more the nobles will squeeze the blood tax out of their subjects. These are people already hollowed out by the Black Death. There will come a point—inevitably—when they can no longer shoulder the cost of war."
Probably not far off at all.
"When that happens, a great many humans will flee into Demon Lord territory, lured by the promise of no longer having to pay taxes."
"My lord. Why is that a problem?"
Laura furrowed her brow.
"Isn't it better the more the population grows?"
"Anything in excess will make you sick. We need to start building up our stomach capacity now so we can handle the overeating when it comes."
And it wasn't just migrants who would be coming. As the Demon Lord's notoriety had skyrocketed, the number of adventurers targeting this place would increase dramatically as well. …Not F-rank or E-rank parties—D-rank and C-rank, maybe even B-rank parties could come pouring in.
Now, while the continent was completely swept up in the Crescent Alliance Army war, was the opportunity. They had to prepare for the not-too-distant future starting now.
"That's why I'm saying this. I intend to establish a Dungeon Special City."
"A Dungeon Special City…?"
Question marks floated in Laura's eyes.
"'Dungeon' is the term adventurers use for the Demon Lord's Castle, isn't it? But a Dungeon Special City… I've never heard of such a thing. What is it?"
"In short, it's a city that grows by relying on dungeons and adventurers."
I smiled.
"Most Demon Lords think of adventurers as enemies, you know. But if you think about it differently, there's no finer tax collectors than adventurers. If we pick their pockets clean, we can build a decent little city."
Every adventurer was a soldier. No matter how poor, they were equipped with weapons and armor. Even just stripping them of their iron weapons and leather armor alone yielded handsome returns. That was the bare minimum income. And that wasn't all…
"You want to build a small city by using adventurers?"
"Forgive me, Lord Dantalion, but I don't understand."
The two of them wore even more puzzled expressions.
If things went as planned, without a doubt, Demon Lord Dantalion's domain would become an unprecedented city of adventure.