One afternoon, in a miscellaneous goods store located off the main street of Symphonia Kingdom, there was the clone of the store owner, Alice, and her best friend, Iris.
[...There's something I need to address immediately.]
[...What is it? That's quite out of the blue.]
Tilting her head at Iris, who has become Isis' subordinate and spent most of her time in her castle during the day, talking to her with a serious expression on her face, Alice brewed a pot of tea and placed it on the wooden counter.
[I'm talking about Isis-sama's subordinates. Ideally, I'd like to have her gain five more subordinates... but I know how difficult that is.]
[...Huhh... So?]
[But I think we have to get one more subordinate as soon as possible. Do you have any good ideas in mind?]
[Ahh, so that's why you came to visit me... No, I mean, why the rush in getting another subordinate? It's not like you have that many duties as a subordinate at the moment, right?]
Although Isis is improving, she is still feared around the world due to her magic power of death, and she rarely does anything as one of the Six Kings.
Aside from worldwide events like the Festival of Heroes, at best, she would be there to talk with the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company about the annual renewal of jewel mining rights or regarding the magic crystal veins... which is more like a business exchange with Kuromueina.
At the same time though, her subordinate, Iris, doesn't have much work to do. In fact, Isis is basically doing nothing more than training or talking to Isis.
Thus, they shouldn't have any shortage of manpower but...
[Me, being the only subordinate... "doesn't look good".]
[...Unnn? Errr, what did you say?]
[Like I said, it doesn't look good. Picture this in your mind, okay? I am now Isis-sama's subordinate. In other words, I'll be attending the Festival of Heroes and other such occasions together with Isis-sama.]
[That's right.]
[In that case, Isis-sama walking in front of me while I, by my lonesome, following behind her wouldn't look good! I want to at least have two of us lined up slightly behind Isis-sama while following behind her.]
[...I wonder what this is? It feels just as if someone had just told me there was some other world out there...]
When Alice heard the reason why Iris was asking for another subordinate, which Iris stated with great vigor, she let out a sigh with a look of utter dismay on her face.
[Come to think of it, Iris has always been concerned about looking good, haven't you?]
[Isn't the looks quite important? How we look also affects Isis-sama's reputation... Furthermore, according to that information you gathered, "a festival will be held in the God Realm soon". If that's the case, I want to have the additional subordinate ready by then.]
[Rather than me gathering it, it's just something I heard from Kuro-san... Haaahh... I personally don't care...]
[I implore you, Oh, Great Phantasmal King No Face-sama.]
[STHAAAAAP! Alright, alright already... I'll cooperate with you.]
[Umu, that's great... I can use this.]
[Seriously, can you stop that!? I've got really bad goosebumps now that I seriously feel like throwing up...]
Seeing Alice agree with a look of heartfelt disgust on her face, Iris nodded her head in satisfaction. Alice let out another deep sigh before taking a sip of her tea.
[...So, you want me to help you, which means information, right?]
[Indeed. You once told me how free Count-level, high-ranking Demons are "rare"... which means it's not like there aren't free Count-ranks out there, right?]
[That's right. In the vast Demon Realm, there certainly are peerage-holding, high-ranking Demons who are lone wolves. They weren't subordinates of the Six Kings and don't have their own subordinates. However, there's a good reason why they became lone wolves... Some simply don't like to be in a group, some are only interested in training on their own, and some have been hikikomoris for thousands of years... Generally speaking, it would be hard to bring them under your control.]
[Well, I suppose that would be the case. If not, the other Kings' camps would have solicited them long ago.]
Iris had expected that it would be difficult to bring in the free peerage-holding, high-ranking Demons, so she didn't feel surprised.
The problem though...
[...And so, among those free peerage-holders... How many of them "have the ability to become Isis-sama's subordinate"?]
[If we assume that they would be living in Isis-san's castle, they would need to have the strength of a King's executive subordinate... In short, what you're looking for are those with power equal to peak Count-ranks. If you're talking about those who currently have such power, not those who have the talent to reach such ability in the future... There is one candidate.]
After saying this, Alice took a map of the Demon Realm out of nowhere and spread it out on the canter before continuing.
[...She is a Demon who has lived for 18,000 years on a small island in the northernmost part of the Demon Realm, near the Land of Death. As far as I know, she hasn't left that island for the past 18,000 years. During the day, she silently trains, and at night, she only stares at the skies and doesn't move... Known as the "Star-Gazing Witch"... and that Demon's name is "Polaris".]
[...The Star-Gazing Witch Polaris huh.]
[Incidentally, Megiddo-san, Lillywood-san and my subordinates tried to recruit her in the past, but she refused all of them. However, they had a test of strength back then, and she fought Epsilon-san, one of War King's Five Generals, to a draw, so there's no doubt that she has the ability of a Six King's executive.]
[Fumu, do you have any other information?]
[When my subordinates visited her, they apparently heard her mutter "The time is not yet right" while looking at the stars.]
[...Does that mean she is waiting for something?]
[Yes, it's just a guess on my part, but there's a possibility that she possesses "Limited Future Sight". I think she may have seen something with her Future Sight, and was waiting for the right moment to move... Well, that's all I know about her.]
Listening to Alice's story, Iris crossed her arms as if she was thinking about something. After a few moments of silence, Iris turned her back on Alice and headed for the exit of the miscellaneous goods store.
[...That was helpful information. Thank you.]
[Are you planning on going?]
[Yeah, I don't really have anything I could do until I talk to her myself.]
[Oya oya, there's a chance that you might have to fight her though, so would it be alright? How about Alice-chan go along with you?]
[Hmph, even though you already know about it, you're acting all shameless there. Even if that were to happen... This would be a good opportunity to test out my "Magic Armament".]
With a light smile on her lips, she put her hand on the door, but before she left, Iris turned back and asked Alice.
[...Ahh, I forgot to ask. How powerful do you think I am?]
[..."Peak Count-rank".... And if it were only about burst power, you might even claim yourself as "the strongest Count-rank". Seriously, that's one interesting magic you've come up with. I guess the reason why your ability jumped up in a short time was that Isis-san had been quite enthusiastic when she's teaching you.]
[Fufu. Well then, I'll go and recruit a competent subordinate to repay this day to my King.]
After nodding in satisfaction at Alice's assessment, Iris lightly waved at her before leaving the miscellaneous goods store. The magic power around her small body seemed heavier and sharper than it had been just a few moments before.
The only inhabitant of the small island at the northernmost tip of the Demon Realm, the Star-Gazing Witch Polaris, as she gazed at the stars in the night sky, she muttered to herself.
[...The time is not yet right. However, the moon has already risen up to the sky... Not long from now... "a woman with hair of two colors, black and gray"... and when she appears before me...]
Muttering to herself, Polaris' eyes were filled with tears. And then, after it ran down her cheek and a drop fell to the ground... and as if held within her tears were a flood of her emotions, she murmured.
[...It had been a long time. 14,000 years.... Finally... I can finally... serve you. Oh, my one and only King...]
Thereupon, Polaris stopped speaking and turned her gaze beyond the sea, towards the Land of Death.
[...Please wait just a little longer... "my benefactor" ———–Isis Remnant-sama.]