The tentacle demon lord was in excellent spirits today as well.
Her character—delighting in the mockery of others—was plain to see in the world she managed.
She ruled over humanity reduced to nothing but brains.
Adjusting their numbers from time to time, she maintained a constant population.
It was an act no different from livestock farming.
Finding amusement in dispensing false peace—some might call that poor taste.
And yet, this too must be one answer to the question of world peace.
A system of absolute control, one that eliminates every exception.
Through that thoroughness, she had created a situation where everyone could feel happiness.
It was a domain that the rest of us demon lords, myself included, had left untouched.
She, a beast from the outer world, had constructed its mechanisms without difficulty.
As I reflected on the feat Gwen had accomplished, a voice echoed from afar.
"Gwen! Don't leave me behind!"
"Ghk..."
At the sound of her name, Gwen's face twisted openly.
For someone whose expressions were always dripping with theatrical affectation, it was a rare reaction.
There was no mistaking it—this was her genuine feeling.
What came flying from the direction of the voice was the superintendent.
She decelerated in front of us, then seized both hands of Gwen, who had been about to flee.
"I finally caught up! Gwen, you walk too fast. Were you really that eager to see the demon lord?"
"Oh, that's quite the joke. I'm dying from laughter."
Gwen responded with a straight face.
Her eyes were completely dead.
Seeing that, Grom desperately tried to hold back his laughter.
He turned toward the wall, his shoulders shaking.
The director released Gwen's hand and bowed to me.
"Ahh, Master Demon Lord! It's been half a day!"
"Yeah, right."
The director existed as multiple entities.
She possessed a nature close to division; in reality, her ability was even more beyond the pale.
The director was stationed in each world.
She did not have assistants like Logan, and simply devoted herself entirely to research.
Each of them acted while sharing memories.
It should have been a state that would drive one mad, but the director, as expected, had mastered it beautifully.
Far from that, after five hundred years of research, she had acquired knowledge and skills that no one could rival.
"Oh, that reminds me! The new magic tool is complete! It's still in the prototype stage, but it's more stable than previous models. Once final adjustments are done, we'll formally adopt it..."
The director spoke eloquently.
Her cheerful manner of speaking was, to the fullest extent, brimming with life.
Her eyes were pure and radiant, but within them churned a chaos without peer.
Gwen quietly distanced herself from the director and whispered with an annoyed look.
"Hey, Mr. Harvelt. Please extract this person from my world."
"I refuse. He's essential personnel."
"That may be true, but..."
The brain-only world was sustained by the Director's power.
Without her management, it would collapse instantly.
Gwen understood this, so her words weren't entirely serious.
Ignoring her state of mind, the Director addressed her warmly.
"My goodness, things would have been far more difficult without your cooperation, Ms. Gwen! Truly, thank you so much!"
"Hah..."
Gwen's response was utterly deflated.
She was being manipulated by the Director, and resigned to it.
Even her own considerable tenacity seemed no match.
I gave a word to Gwen, who was being tugged along.
"The Director has taken a liking to you. Get along with her."
"...Fine, fine. I understand."
Gwen answered wearily and turned to lead the Director away.
However, she suddenly turned back as if remembering something.
Then, she made a motion as if raising a glass with one hand.
"How about we have a drinking party tonight? Since we're both Demon Lords, you can listen to my gripes, right? Of course, Mr. Harvelt is treating."
"Fine. I'll humor you to that extent."
"Good, you've given me your word. Then I'll look forward to it—"
Gwen, waving languidly, departed alongside the director.
Seeing the pair off, Grom scratched his chin and grumbled.
"They're two free-spirited people to the very end..."
"That's precisely why they click."
When I replied thus, Grom gave a deep nod.