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A discussion about territory allocation was naturally not sothing that could reach a quick conclusion.
Almost two hours passed, and anwhile, back at the royal castle of the Current Demon King Faction...
❁❁❁❁
Inside the expansive yet deserted throne hall, a figure suddenly materialized from thin air.
It was Bokue Keikain.
Today, he'd arrived unusually early—barely past ten in the morning, considerably earlier than yesterday's post-lunch visit. Of course, there was a reason for this.
The main culprit was a certain frisky little black kitty—Kuroka—who'd rushed into his bedroom impatiently at nine-thirty that morning, loudly protesting sothing about how the "beginner's protection period" was only supposed to last one night, and now it was day two, so it was her turn again.
At that mont, Bokue had just finished "taking care" of the freshly awoken Akeno and Asia. Seeing Kuroka bursting in, he realized things were quickly heading toward yet another prolonged marathon session—potentially lasting from morning until nightfall.
Foreseeing that this could lead him to miss his important appointnt, he decisively cleaned up Akeno and Asia, quickly dressed himself, muttered "We'll continue later," and promptly teleported away.
Spending all day "playing around" wasn't an issue under normal circumstances—but today, he'd arranged to et with soone important.
Missing that appointnt because of such "distractions" certainly wouldn't look good.
Really, Kuroka was getting too unruly lately.
He made a ntal note to give her so proper "discipline" once these matters here were wrapped up...
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a familiar female voice echoed softly from the side of the previously empty throne hall.
❁❁❁❁
"Ara~ Seems big sister's intuition was right. I was wondering who it could be—at first, I thought Leohart-chan had returned, but instead, it's you, Bokue-kun."
Hmm?
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bokue turned to look. Sure enough, stepping gracefully into the throne hall from the side corridor was none other than Liala, whom he had just t and spoken with yesterday.
She hadn't changed much since then, still clad in an immaculate white ceremonial dress accentuating her shapely figure, her silken, pale-blonde hair cascading gracefully behind her—looking as ethereal and divine as ever.
But right now, Bokue's attention wasn't exactly on her appearance.
"Leohart? He's not here right now?"
"Hmm, you could say that~" Liala replied softly, tilting her head cutely with a gentle smile. "Leohart-chan left the castle early this morning to visit the Cardinal Institute, specifically about the matter involving you, Bokue-kun."
"Cardinal Institute...?"
Bokue thought the na sounded vaguely familiar. After pondering for a mont, he recalled yesterday's ssenger—that strangely flamboyant unicorn guy whose na he'd forgotten—who had indeed ntioned sothing about the Cardinal Institute.
"When do you think he'll be back?"
Bokue asked.
Liala thoughtfully tapped her lips. "Well~ Leohart-chan left nearly two hours ago. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be back soon—probably before lunch."
Back before lunch, huh?
Bokue calculated silently. It was nearly ten now, aning he'd be back within the hour. Not too long to wait.
Clap!
Suddenly, Liala perked up, eyes sparkling excitedly. "In that case, until Leohart-chan returns, allow big sister here to entertain you, Bokue-kun. Yesterday you tasted one of my specialty floral teas—today, how about we try another flavor together~?"
"...Sure, why not."
Five minutes later, Bokue once again found himself seated opposite Liala deep within the castle gardens, a fragrant floral aroma wafting gently between them.
Taking a sip from his tea first, Bokue raised an eyebrow.
"So you're saying Leohart went all the way to the Cardinal Institute this morning just because of ? Isn't he supposed to be the Demon Lord? Why does even the Demon Lord have to jump through hoops like this?"
Indeed, considering how the Underworld operated, especially a desolate region like the northern territories—where sheer power dictated everything—shouldn't Leohart's words alone be enough?
"Hmm, it's not exactly like that," Liala answered gently, shaking her head slightly after taking a sip of tea.
"The Cardinal Institute... well, think of it as a council of sorts. Here in the northern territories, the Demon Lord doesn't wield absolute authority—particularly with Leohart-chan still leading only the Current Demon Lord Faction rather than fully ruling over the entire region. Gaining the Cardinal Institute's support still matters significantly. Important matters like territorial transfers naturally require a proper discussion first. Though... personally, I don't foresee any issues."
"You don't sound particularly confident," Bokue observed with a slight smirk. "Also, a Demon Lord being held back by a bunch of bureaucrats? Isn't that pretty la? Is the Cardinal Institute that powerful?"
"Powerful?" Liala laughed softly, an unmistakable disdain coloring her tone. "Hardly. They're rely a bunch of old-tirs who've banded together to prevent themselves from fading into obscurity. All they do is shout and bluster everywhere, desperately trying to make themselves seem relevant."
"Then why not just eliminate them and be done with it...?" Bokue muttered, reflexively facepalming at the absurdity of it all.
!!
The mont those words left his lips, Liala—who a second ago had been carefully maintaining a neutral expression—suddenly perked up, eyes sparkling with unconcealed excitent, as though she'd finally discovered a kindred spirit.
"Eh?? Bokue-kun, you feel the sa way?? Could it be that, back in the Human World, you're also so kind of ruler or sothing?"
"Nope, not at all." Bokue shrugged nonchalantly. "Honestly, I'm way too lazy for that. Managing a whole organization or country sounds exhausting. No exaggeration—I didn't even want to be a class representative in kindergarten. Too much trouble."
"Oh~ So Bokue-kun's one of those extrely laid-back yet incredibly powerful types, right?" Liala tapped her lips thoughtfully again. "I rember there was a term for people like you. What was it called... Sweeper Monk?"
"...I'm not a monk." Bokue deadpanned flatly.
Just as Liala's eyes lit up with further curiosity—clearly planning to question him further—a sudden flurry of footsteps hurriedly approached through the winding paths lined with flowerbeds.
"Sis! So you were here... ah, good. You're here."
It was Leohart, who'd just returned from outside. Seeing his sister safe and sound, quietly drinking tea deep within the gardens, he visibly sighed in relief. But in the very next second, his gaze fell upon the young man seated comfortably opposite her.
"..."
A sudden awkward silence descended.
In an instant, Leohart's expression darkened, and he instinctively reached for his Loki Greatsword.
"Y-y-you... When did you get here?? Stay away from my sister!"
Hmm??
Unperturbed, Bokue calmly set down his tea, casually flicked his finger, and conjured another identical stone stool beside the table, complete with an additional teacup.
"Relax, why so tense? It's not like I'm planning to eat your sister or anything. Sit down first—we can discuss slowly."
"Anyway, how did the talks with the Cardinal Institute go?"
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