At home.
"Nugwah! Kuh… are you really doing this, Lefi…?!" (Yuki)
"Kukuku, you go first, and I will bring you down. I won't be lower ranked than you anymore! I have worked out a strategy with Layla to beat you! From now on, you will be below me!"
Lefi, sitting on the other side of the chessboard, smirked slyly.
I knew that this player was becoming more and more difficult to defeat, but I never thought that the day would come when I would be pushed in a one-sided way like this…!
"Hey, you're doing a good job, Lefi, but aren't you being a little hasty? The game is still in the halfway stage! From here, I will use the power of the Demon King to turn the tables over!"
"Oh, I'm looking forward to it! Let's see this power of the Demon King you've got! I, with the power of the Dragon King, will show you that's just an illusion!"
The game then proceeded to the end, with Lefi still in the lead.
At this point, the game looked lost.
"Soooo…Lefi, I love you so much, you're a huge winner. What do you think? At this point, why don't you go back to the old days and be a little more like the clumsy you."
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"I'm sorry, my husband. That clumsy woman is dead. Here is a good wife, a wise mother, and a wonderful companion! Lucky for you, Yuki, that your wife is such a good one."
"You call yourself a good wife and a wise mother?"
"Am I not?"
"…No, but…"
Lefi smiled triumphantly at my words.
Sitting on the other side of the table was the loser Demon King, who couldn't even respond properly.
Perhaps my feelings had been represented on the board, since the game ended, with me losing.
"Gu, gnunu…"
"Oh, ooh, my poor husband. The one who was beaten by someone of inferior ability. You are so frustrated that you can't even say anything. Shall this wife, whom you love so much, comfort you? Hmm?"
"Shut up! One more time, again! Come on, get ready to go!"
"Well, if that's what my husband wants, then I'll go along with you as your wife. Next time, to relieve your frustration, shall we play a game with you on my lap?"
"No!"
Lefi grinned and looked as happy as ever.
Lately, she'd been learning these wife moves, which had led to an increase in the number of critical hits on me.
Damn, that made me so happy – no, it didn't!
I'm not happy, I'm not happy, I'm not happy at all…!
When did I become such a bad loser to Lefi?
A loser…huh, now I may be a pathetic and miserable existence that deserved exactly this.
But… yeah, though.
I was a Demon King. No, I was a High Lord.
A Supreme Existence, on the same rank as my wife, the Supreme Dragon!
I should not be so upset by this level of defeat…!
I turned to Lefi with renewed determination.
"Now, Lefi! Let's play another game! I admit it, from now on I am a challenger! I only want one thing! That's…"
"Lap pillow?"
"No, that's not what I want!"
And so began the second round of the joking game – but the match was never settled.
It was because the communication ball from the Rogard Empire, which announced an emergency, flashed.
With Enne in hand, I quickly moved out and headed for the Rogard Empire.
It was a hassle, but it was my territory, after all.
Even for the first time, a Ruler should act as a Ruler.
I still haven't gotten used to it, nor did I have the slightest sense that I own a country… but nevertheless, that wouldn't change the fact that I was the highest authority.
"What happened?"
I called out to the man standing by the door for me, someone that they might have assigned to the position as guards that have been recently established in the Rogard Empire.
"Your Majesty! We have been waiting for you."
The waiting soldier saluted me and quickly escorted me into the castle.
Soon after, I was led to a conference room-like area inside the Rogard Empire castle, where a stranger was waiting for me.
He was a young man, the word "fearless" would suit him.
Who was he? He saw the look on my face and bowed deeply before speaking, "Greetings, my name is Birla, lord of the Ascalad region of the Rogard Empire."
"Yo, it is I, Demon Lord Yuki – no, that's not it, should I call myself High Lord Yuki now. Well, it doesn't really matter, and enough with the unnecessary greetings, just tell me straight out. What's going on?"
I almost laughed at my own arrogant tone, but since I was told never to be humble as an emperor, I tried my best to ask him with a serious expression.
Even for the first time, dignity was necessary.
I almost felt like I was doing a skit and blowing off steam when I spoke in a way that required dignity.
I doubt I'd ever get used to it.
"Yes, there are certain ruins in our territory, and we have been excavating them since the time of the former emperor… It seems that we have provoked a nest, which was somehow connected to it. The bugs that have suddenly appeared have overrun our territory. Please help us."
Ruins, huh?
It was quite tempting to think that this was fate at this point in time.
Birla's words were supplemented by a man, probably a Demon Race official, who was standing next to him.
"Currently, we are dealing with them with soldiers from the Rogard Empire and soldiers from other countries stationed in the area…but there are so many of them, enough that they are pushing the front line backward. At this rate, it may only be a matter of time before they spread throughout the entire Rogard Empire. We have already contacted the Kings of each country, but they are in no condition to send reinforcements to us immediately."
Sounds like a real emergency.
I quickly checked the map function for the Rogard Empire.
I looked from one end to the other… there they were.
This was…
One area of the map was covered in red, a hostile reaction, and even now, as I looked at it, I noticed that it was slowly spreading.
I could have dealt with this earlier if it was in the Demon Forest, but I had not set up any traps in the Rogard Empire that would have alerted me of anything out of the ordinary.
This was half my fault, I guess.
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away. Just give me a minute."
With that, I quickly left the Rogard Empire to call Rir and the others from home.