As we passed through the bustling dining hall, we ran into Yura.
She stood at attention to greet us.
"Master, as well as individual Grom, located—good morning. What are you doing?"
"We are taking a stroll. There is still time before the meeting."
"Answer understood—I hear moderate exercise is good for health. However, does the concept of health exist for the undead?"
Yura posed the question with complete seriousness.
Grom crossed his arms, troubled.
Seeing he couldn't come up with a fitting reply, I decided to answer in his stead.
"Perhaps not physically, but mental health does exist."
"Master’s answer analyzed—understanding complete. I interpret this as psychological hygiene maintenance."
Yura stated this with a hint of satisfaction.
Her tone was flat, but I could detect fluctuations in her emotion.
Probably due to our long association.
To the untrained eye, she might seem unchanged from the past, but Yura was one of the Demon Lord pillars.
Her epithet was the Spirit Demon Lord, and she was feared by her subordinates.
Incidentally, I am called the Black-Boned Demon Lord, and Grom is known as the Ox-Headed Demon Lord.
In particular, as I was ranked first, I also held the distinction of being called the Great Demon Lord to differentiate my position.
This was because when the world split and the number of Demon Lords increased, the opinion arose that it was incorrect for me to be on equal footing with the others.
I didn’t particularly mind, but after deliberation, it was decided that the first rank would be given the additional title of Great Demon Lord.
Several centuries had passed since this system was established.
I have always reigned supreme upon the throne of the Great Demon King.
There was basically no occasion for me to introduce myself, nor did it cause any trouble, so I left it be.
Since my subordinates also understand, I suspect it will remain unchanged for the time being.
The Demon King of the Spirits, Yura, rules together with the Great Spirit.
The domain she governs is a world of extreme cold, blanketed in snow.
People survive by magically kindling fires to stay warm.
Chronic famine is rampant, and everyone fears where their next meal will come from.
Furthermore, the concept of a nation does not exist; scattered settlements dot the landscape.
The people of these settlements lived by trading resources with neighboring communities.
A characteristic of this world is that crime is exceedingly rare.
Should one commit an evil act, divine punishment is meted out immediately.
Yura and the Great Spirit monitor the entire world, dealing without exception with those who stain their hands with crime.
This was known to all as divine punishment.
Those who feared this retribution sought to live honestly.
They endured the cold and hunger, banding together with others from their own settlement to get by.
As a result, a fragile peace was established.
The world Yura and her kind oversaw was the most harsh compared to others.
A system of total control was enforced, with death as the ultimate punishment.
They clearly defined the parameters of peace and efficiently maintained them.
It was a method that perfectly reflected their temperament.
Grom and I also use the terror of the Demon King for control, but the severity of Yura and the Great Spirit is on an entirely different level.
Initially, it sparked a debate even among the other Demon Kings.
Now, they've left it entirely to the ones in charge.
They began dividing and managing the world to explore all possible possibilities.
Despite being an extreme policy, the world they created, blanketed in snow, was peaceful.
That, too, is one answer.
In fact, Yura's world has endured for hundreds of years, and the people live in modest happiness.
For those who know only that world, there is no thought to envy others.
They are living tenaciously within the environment they were given.
The very act of dividing the world's management is, fundamentally, distorted.
I have no intention of speaking pretty words at this point.
Having become a Demon King, Yura wishes for peace more than anyone.
Therefore, she created a harsh world where malice is born from nothing.
Her stance and resolve are something we should learn from.
I ended my train of thought and brought up a different topic.
"By the way, I heard you were arriving with Logan."
"I'm here."
A familiar voice came from behind.
I turned around.
The one who had phased through the wall to appear was Logan, in his ghostly form.