The master of the mansion returned well past midnight.
He was a young man.
But demons lived far longer than humans, so his actual age was impossible to guess from appearance alone.
Considering how composed his demeanor was for that youthful face, he was probably considerably older than he looked.
"It's been too long, Demon King."
The man knelt before the Demon King.
He was putting on a calm front, but his heart was practically trembling with fear.
If I strained my ears, I could hear his erratic heartbeat, and my nose picked up the scent of sweat born from nervousness.
What on earth did she do to make someone so terrified of her, for a "Pathetic Demon King" of all things?
"You've worked hard. Business has been hectic, hasn't it?"
"Yes. However, upon learning of the Demon King's return, I deemed it the highest priority and rushed here at once."
The Demon King beamed and offered the man words of appreciation.
The man looked surprised, then suspicious, at this display.
Oh, right.
The Demon King this man knew was the one from before she became the "Pathetic Demon King."
Well, yeah—she'd changed so drastically that anyone would be startled.
Before becoming "pathetic," the Demon King hadn't exactly been one for casual conversation either, but her entire aura had been completely different.
"Well then, since there are people here you haven't met, would you introduce yourself?"
The Demon King prompted the man.
He rose to his feet, bowed his head, and began his introduction.
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance. My name is Bart Fisalo. I have been entrusted with the administration of the Demon race capital city. I look forward to our future dealings."
"Bart is essentially the Grand Duke who acts as the leader of the demons, so if anything comes up, he's the one to go to, okay?"
Hmm.
So in other words, he was essentially the top dog of the demons, second only to the Demon King himself.
No wonder he gave off such a powerful aura.
Even a glance at his soul told me he was quite formidable.
Well, not up to our vampire girl's level, of course.
Still, judging from how the Demon King put it, he handled political administration rather than being at the pinnacle of combat strength.
If that was the case, his fighting ability was probably on the lower end among the demons?
In that case, I'd need to boost the overall evaluation of the demon race by a tier.
Each person introduced themselves.
I simply gave my name.
The conversation shifted to the vampire girl's enrollment at the academy, and Bart agreed to it without hesitation.
He said he could also handle assigning Mela to the military without any issues.
However, it apparently couldn't be directly under the Demon King's command.
There was no army currently under the Demon King's direct control, and restructuring would take time, he explained.
Well, the Demon King had been absent for years, so that was understandable.
As a result, Mela would be temporarily assigned to the Fourth Army.
The Fourth Army was directly commanded by Bart himself and was primarily tasked with defending the Demon race capital city.
The fact that the capital defense force wasn't the First Army was because the First Army was permanently stationed along the border with human territory, apparently.
And as for me, I was also temporarily assigned to this so-called Fourth Army.
That said, I would practically never actually operate there.
It was purely a formality.
I would be doing my own thing, moving about as I pleased.
I had the Demon King's permission for that.
She did warn me not to go too overboard, though.
Whether it was because the Demon King was giving me special treatment, or for his own reasons, I could tell Bart was showing interest in me.
When I say "interest," it wasn't exactly a friendly kind of interest.
More like he was probing me.
Hmm?
Did this guy maybe have the Appraisal Skill?
I got that feeling from his vibe alone.
But Appraisal was something sharp people would notice if you used it on them.
That was why the Demon King had once told me that using Appraisal face-to-face was a serious breach of etiquette.
So was Bart, if he indeed possessed Appraisal like I suspected, simply refraining from using it on me openly?
If that was the case, then there was every chance he could secretly use it on me when I wasn't looking.
Maybe I should give him a little warning?
Appraisal wouldn't hurt me in the slightest, but having the vampire girl appraised was something I'd rather avoid.
I opened my eyes just a fraction.
Bart's entire body flinched the moment he saw my eyes.
Wow, look at him—absolutely terrified.
On top of my naturally unsettling appearance, I'd rigged my eyes to emit just a faint hint of fear. Consider it a little parting gift.
Maybe I'd call it the "Paralyzing Evil Eye" or something.
"Don't look. I'm watching, you know?"
I kept it short and cryptic.
Even I had to admit the words were nonsensical, but they got through to Bart all the same.
He nodded, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Satisfied with his response, I closed my eyes.
Bart visibly relaxed.
I wouldn't call him pathetic—the maids and butlers who'd also happened to look into my eyes had collapsed foaming at the mouth.
Being able to remain standing without losing consciousness was impressive enough in its own right.
Hmm, maybe the Evil Eye's effect was a bit too strong?
Oh well.
And so, we had established a connection with Bart Fisalo, the Grand Duke who served as the de facto leader of the demons.
A few days later, the vampire girl was enrolled in the academy, the Demon King retired to the Demon King's Castle, and Mela was assigned to the Fourth Army.
I saw them all off from the mansion.
I figured I'd use this mansion as my base for the time being.
I had Bart prepare me an access pass to the Demon King's Castle, so I could go in whenever I pleased.
For now, I'd stretch my wings, work at my own pace, and take it easy.
************************* "So, bro, what were you doing back at the mansion?"
"Ah. I was receiving a certain guest whom you'll be introduced to in due time."
"Who is it?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Whether you like it or not."