A few nights later.
A banquet was being held in the Royal Capital to celebrate the victory over the Empire.
It was Luciana's idea — she had proposed it to me.
Her reasoning was that the Demon Lord's army, which had done nothing but fight, could use a break.
I had to admit she wasn't wrong.
Setting aside myself, I needed to let my subordinates rest their minds.
Physical and mental health came first.
If you pushed too hard, things would eventually fall apart.
I should have known that, yet I'd done nothing about it. That was purely a lack of foresight on my part.
Luciana's proposal made me keenly aware of that.
In any case, dwelling on nothing but regret wouldn't lead to progress.
I consulted the other executives about holding the banquet.
Henry was wholeheartedly in favor.
He said he wanted to drink and raise hell.
That was a typically straightforward opinion from him.
Grom didn't exactly support it, but he raised no particular objections.
Since I wasn't against it either, he seemed to think there was no reason not to hold it.
Perhaps his lack of enthusiasm stemmed from having a body that couldn't eat or drink.
Still, he didn't seem opposed enough to object.
After weighing all of this, the executives reached consensus.
And so tonight, the banquet was finally underway.
The streets and plaza of the Royal Capital were overflowing with monsters.
There were so many that the entire surrounding area had become the venue.
Tables placed everywhere were lined with countless dishes and barrels of alcohol.
They seemed to be eating, drinking, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
I floated in the air above, observing the festivities.
"Hey! Bring more! Ha ha ha! Come on, drink up — don't be shy!"
A boisterous voice rang out.
The one laughing heartily was Henry.
He had his arm around headless Dolda, draining glass after glass.
He was stirring up a ruckus with all the monsters around him.
As expected of someone who served as a combat training instructor, Henry was extremely popular among the monsters.
He was deepening bonds of friendship across racial lines.
Given that many would probably suffer hangovers the next morning, it might be worth preparing some medicine now.
A short distance away, Luciana was elegantly enjoying evening drinks with her succubus subordinates.
It was quieter compared to Henry's vicinity.
They weren't really going for a festive banquet vibe — they were dressed in stylish outfits, standing and sipping their drinks.
It looked more like a social gathering than a banquet.
"You're slow! The food is going to get cold!"
Grom was barking at his subordinates while, for some reason, cooking.
In a section set aside within one corner of the banquet, he was using all eight of his arms to produce dish after dish.
Sounds of amazement rose from those around him.
Even from a distance, you could tell his technique was impressive.
One of the dead who composed him must have been a chef.
Grom was drawing out that skill to do the cooking.
His dishes seemed to be extremely popular, with empty plates and fresh ingredients being carried in one after another.
Though he was shouting orders at his subordinates, Grom looked to be in a good mood.
He himself probably felt good about being relied upon.
Even though he couldn't eat or drink, he was enjoying the banquet.
In a separate area, the humans were also holding their own gathering.
They were personnel gathered from across the Demon Lord's domain.
There were still psychological barriers — they weren't comfortable enough to mingle and drink with the monsters.
Still, a small number were engaged in conversation with them.
The atmosphere wasn't as hostile as I'd expected.
It was tentative, cautious, but they were each trying to close the distance.
That was a very promising trend.
I hoped they would continue to grow closer like this.
Although they weren't present in the Royal Capital, I had sent alcohol and food to the elves in the World Tree Forest as well.
They should be holding their own banquet by now.
It would still be difficult for the time being, but eventually, I wanted to be able to invite them to the Royal Capital too.
(What a turnout. Well, that's only natural.)
The postwar cleanup from the Empire campaign was complete.
The Demon Lord's army had invaded the Empire's territory from east to west, claiming everything up to the gates of the Imperial Capital as new Demon Lord domain.
To reinforce that claim, I had used my magic to extend a river as a de facto border.
It made for a clear marker.
With this invasion, roughly twenty percent of the Empire's territory had been seized.
Additionally, the Imperial Capital was half-destroyed, having lost its strength as a great power both in name and in reality.
However, recovery was entirely possible.
If the remaining cities within the Empire coordinated with one another and made use of their vast territory, they could rebuild.
They had abundant resources, and they could leverage their ties with allied nations.
The ideal scenario would be for them to avoid doing anything foolish and instead focus on biding their time for revenge against the Demon Lord's army.
Going forward, I intended to monitor the movements of the various nations.
There was no need to continue fighting from here.
With the Empire weakened, every nation would move in one way or another.
This was a matter of that magnitude.
Even looking back through history, the Empire had never suffered damage on this scale.
It was a powerhouse built through successive conquests, rising to prominence at the end of a chain of victories.
I remembered that even during the previous Demon Lord's era, the Empire had been at the forefront of defeating demonkind.
Now that such an empire had been reduced to a shadow of its former self, the surrounding nations would inevitably be forced to choose.
(I wonder what kind of approach they'll take...)
My prediction was that some nations would seek to become vassal states of the Demon Lord's domain.
Realizing they couldn't compete militarily, they would offer submission before being destroyed.
It might seem hasty, but it could also be called a prudent decision.
I wouldn't deny that line of thinking.
Giving up was certainly one option.
However, I didn't believe every nation would make the same choice.
There would inevitably be nations that plotted an attack on the Demon Lord's domain — even an assault to slay the Demon Lord himself.
Drawing lessons from the Empire's devastation, they might already be quietly advancing their plans.
What lay beyond submission to the undead?
When imagining that final outcome, it was only natural to refuse to give up the fight.
Without any exaggeration, this would be a battle for the survival and dignity of humanity.
For now, the Demon Lord's army would halt its invasion and focus on developing its territory for a while.
I also wanted to pursue weapons development in parallel.
I had gone through the trouble of bringing back numerous documents and prototypes from the Imperial Capital.
I wanted to establish the infrastructure to deploy those weapons.
I also planned to push forward with development near the World Tree Forest.
Having used brute force to transport resources to that area from distant places, the inconvenience was still real.
I wanted to make it more livable for the elves.
They likely hadn't fully overcome their unease about the environmental changes.
Maintaining good relations with them was also an ongoing challenge.
(Sounds like turmoil awaits us down the road.)
To belong to the Demon Lord's army meant to be the enemy of the world.
Until the day they lost their lives, my subordinates would continue to throw themselves into battle.
No — even after losing their lives, they would continue fighting as undead.
A Demon Lord like me, who perpetuated that cycle, could only be called irrevocably cruel and inhumane.
(Tonight's banquet is a precious break. I have to make sure they enjoy it at least a little.)
Watching my subordinates reveling, a thought suddenly struck me.
It might not be the most elegant gesture, but I wanted to try something.
I raised my arms overhead and cast a spell.
Countless fireballs shot from my fingertips.
They soared upward with a high-pitched whistle, then burst against the backdrop of the moon.
Accompanied by a great boom, they scattered dazzling light across the sky.
I fired them in rapid succession, making slight adjustments to the spell each time.
Fireballs of all different colors launched one after another into the night sky.
And so I created a fantastical spectacle.
Murmurs and cheers rose from my subordinates below.
Applause and whistles joined the chorus.
The reaction was everything I could have hoped for.
I had been worried they might not welcome it, but it seemed to work out.
— As I gazed down at the lively streets of the Royal Capital, I continued to add color to the night sky.