Freed from the whims of Dolda and Yura, I took a moment to collect myself.
Logan parted ways with us to handle his errands.
He said he would be meeting up later with those he was to spar with, but they were mostly people who lacked restraint or got overly heated in battle.
Inevitably, Logan would be in the position of having to look after them.
He would have no choice but to supervise those likely to cause trouble.
He knew this full well when he accepted Yura's invitation.
Now that he was a spirit, Logan was protective in his own way.
This often led to him becoming a worrier.
I, myself, was leaning on him like this too.
While grateful, I was also considering how to reduce his burden a bit.
Logan probably didn't mind especially.
Separated from fatigue and lifespan, this trait of his had become more pronounced.
However, his true role was the protection of the World Tree and the elves.
The one thing I wanted to avoid was any situation that would prevent him from fulfilling that duty.
It would be better if he could manage his time as much as possible.
With this small self-reflection and its associated problem in mind, Grom and I approached the castle entrance.
Just then, someone entering the castle caught my eye.
Striding down the center of the passageway as if it were her own domain was the former Demon King, Diera.
She waved as she walked toward us.
"Oh, if it isn't Dwight! Have you come to welcome me?"
Diera stopped in front of me, then abruptly reached out her hand.
And for some reason, she started patting my head.
She narrowed her eyes with satisfaction.
"There now, I'll spare you a word of praise."
"—Former Lich, there are limits to jests. Do you mean to mock the Demon Lord?"
It was Grom who interjected.
From one of his eye sockets, a flame swelled.
Brimming with a quiet fury, Grom glared at Diera.
Diera, facing him, responded with a cool expression.
"I am also a Demon Lord, so it can hardly be called insolence. Well then, do you yield?"
"Grrrrgh..."
Grom let out a frustrated growl.
It wasn't just in his arguments with Diera, but Grom always seemed weak in a battle of words.
He always seemed to be losing.
It was probably because he got too emotional and lost his judgment.
Seeing that their argument had reached a stalemate, I spoke to Diera.
"You weren't late today."
The moment I said that, Diera's expression clouded over.
She furrowed her brow in protest.
"Wait. Stop phrasing it as if I am always late."
"You're not wrong. You're a repeat offender."
Whenever the Demon Lords gather, Diera is almost always late.
She makes a grand appearance right around the time the agenda items are being resolved.
And she receives lectures and rebukes from the likes of Luciana and Logan.
She always reflects on it, but there was absolutely no sign of improvement.
However, this time, she managed to arrive before the scheduled time.
I thought it was a rare occurrence indeed.
"It's not like I enjoy being late. I overslept a bit, or forgot the schedule, that's all..."
Diera mumbled her excuses vaguely, which served as no justification at all.
It only highlighted her sloppy nature.
Grom let out a sigh and whispered a suggestion to me.
"My Lord, this one truly should have her position revoked. She lacks the necessary qualities."
"Hmm..."
I crossed my arms and fell silent.
Diera had become the Demon Lord of Dragons and was in charge of her own world.
However, among all the Demon Lords, her problematic behavior stood out far above the rest.
While I had no intention of revoking her position, she was such a problematic figure that the thought couldn't help but cross my mind.