As we were sitting together chatting, one of the Beast King's men announced the arrival of visitors here.
"Beast King-sama, the Warwolf people, have arrived."
"Mm, let them pass."
Warwolf, I wonder if….
The two who came into the room after that were someone I knew very well.
"Father! Mother!"
"Fufu, Lyuu, you're back sooner than I thought."
"Beast King-sama, my wife and I thank you for inviting us as well."
"It's fine, your daughter and her husband have come a long way to visit you. I consider it dishonorable not to invite you here."
It was Lyuu's parents who entered as I expected.
Well… The Beast King went out of his way to call them.
"Thank you, Beast King, you seem to have taken care of them."
"What, all I did was invite them here. It's not that big of a deal. Besides, it will be better for you to know that I'm treating Warwolf's well, right?
I chuckled at the Beast King's bluntness, and then approached Lyuu's parents.
"You two look well."
"Well, Yuki-san, it seems that you are also enjoying a lot of success. Just a few days ago, I heard that you saved this town, and as a member of the Beast Tribe, I am grateful to you."
"Uh…no, actually, that's not true. If anything, it was a commotion I caused. So I'm rather sorry for the trouble."
As I replied to Rosierra Gyroll, Lyuu's mother, Vergillus Gyroll, Lyuu's father, asked me with an uncertain look on his face.
"…maybe that crazy presence was you?"
Hmmm… I guess her father could tell.
"Yeah, I can't give you the details, but I ran some big errands in Dwarf Village, and my race evolved because of it. Therefore, to be honest, I'm not a Demon Lord anymore."
The Beast King, not Lyuu' father, sounded intrigued by my words.
"Oh? Then what is your race now?"
"A [High Lord]. However, I'm going to continue to call myself a Demon Lord outwardly, and I like it, so you can continue to call me Demon Lord as you have in the past. Originally, they called the Lord of the dungeons as Demon Lord, and that in itself hasn't changed, you see."
Next, Lyuu's father reacted in exasperation.
"… What on earth are you going for?"
"If I had to say, I'd say a world where your daughter and the other girls can walk around without troubles. I'd like to send them to school when they're older, but the race problem runs deep. I want to have the power to do something about that."
That's what I was aiming for right now.
Power may not solve everything, but in the end, in this world, the strong who possessed great power could not be stopped.
Since there were hostile beings called monsters, which were dangerous and could not be eliminated by politics, power was inevitably favored.
"Hmmm…a race problem. The world is taking a step forward now, but it is certainly not safe yet. It's a difficult task, but one that our Lord must tackle, and I hope that the new Rogard Empire, ruled by the Demon Lord, will be a place where friendships with other races can be strengthened."
"The creation of airships has been a great boost. Thanks to them, the distance between countries has definitely narrowed."
"Airships… Has the Beast King-sama already been in one?"
"Yes, along with Dwarves. I was fascinated, even at my age, wondering if this is the world the winged ones could see."
I chuckled at the Beast King, who seemed to be enjoying himself as he recalled that moment.
"The first time I was able to fly in the sky, I was really impressed. I'd be very grateful if airships become more popular in the future and there are more routes available. I can fly on my own, but when my family and I fly together, it's difficult to move around."
"After all, I would like to have a direct route to this village as well. There are many monsters in this area and the forest is deep, so it is difficult to build a station for them to arrive and depart… Well, the one at the Dwarf's has been working fine at the moment, and that's enough for now."
"Dwarfs are really dexterous. How could they build a landing and maintenance area in such a short period of time, just by asking for the specifications? In another year, I think they could build their own airship."
"It's possible. Their obsession with [technology] is real, they may already have an idea for an improved version. But if we go too far, it might clash with the interests of the Eiren Federation of Commerce and Industry, and cause unnecessary friction. We will have to have a talk with Dwarfs about that."
Indeed, they were direct and not very sensitive about such things.
"Haha, Dwarves are like that, after all. That's why beastmen and Dwarfs really have a good relationship."
While we were conversing, the Beast King's wife came over to us.
"Honey, now that the guests are all here, we should go ahead and prepare dinner. You said [it would be more enjoyable to do things in private], so we decided to make it a private party instead of setting it up with soldiers around. Also, I know that you men would like to discuss politics but do that later."
"Hmm, oh, yeah, that's right. I understand."
Beast King, who seemed to be exquisitely uncomfortable, coughed and turned to all of us.
"So, guests. Thank you for coming today. We have prepared a small dinner for everyone. Vergillus and Rosierra, you are also our guests today. We would be happy if you put formalities aside and enjoy the meal with us."
At the Beast King's words, Lyuu's parents bowed their heads in gratitude.
A barbecue, that's nice.
They must have been thinking of us.
I had the status of [Emperor] from the public viewpoint, but I really wouldn't like to be entertained based on that, and I preferred to eat while everyone was having a good time.
It was more enjoyable to be able to hang out with them as a normal family group, regardless of their position as a King or anything like that outside of the family.
Perhaps Lyuu's parents had told him about such things beforehand.
"Wow, yay, a barbecue!"
"…hmm. Barbecue is a good thing. Annie's dad knows what he is doing."
"Hehehe, that's my dad!"
Enne nodded in agreement, and Annie looked a little proud of herself.
The Beast King gave a small chuckle and said, "Well then, enjoy the feast."
***
The barbecue, which took place in the courtyard of the guest house, must have lasted about three hours.
It was fun.
We sat around the same table, ate delicious food, and laughed.
Each of us had a different position in life, but at this moment, it didn't matter. We were just good friends.
What a good time to have a drink.
"Fuuh, it was delicious… After all, eating food like this while everyone's together is the best."
"Yes, well…I'm not fond of alcohol but the atmosphere today makes it really nice to have a good drink."
I walked with Nell and Lyuu, whose voices were filled with happiness, holding them on either side of me.
Both of them seemed to be blushing a little from alcohol, and they were leaning against me.
It was already late in the evening.
The stars decorated the sky, and I could hear the chirping of insects from somewhere.
The dinner was over, the Beast King and his wife went back to their house, and Lyuu's parents went back to the room that was reserved for them, one step ahead of us.
The guest house was located on the same grounds as the other accommodations, but they were in an annex nearby, so we were just now moving through the courtyard.
Enne, already tired, returned to her sword form and went to sleep in my item box.
So now it was just the three of us, me and my two wives, here.
Nell was smiling broadly and sincerely, her head resting on my shoulder in a good mood.
Lyuu was wagging her tail and intertwining her fingers with my hand.
-It was a good time.
The aftermath of a delightful dinner and having my prized possession right next to me.
Words could not express… this bliss.
One word, "happiness," could not describe the feeling that enveloped my entire body.
"Onii-san, you seem to be in a good mood."
"We had a good time, didn't we, master?"
"Oh, spending time with you guys is… really, really great. I'm really happy to be able to spend time with each one of you. We're going to have a lot more good times like today. Let's carve out a lot of time together."
It was probably not fair to mention it straight back at them like that.
"…That was a surprise."
The two on either side giggled with embarrassment, but never left my side until we went to our rooms….