He was obsessed with his own world and the features that came with it, but he had very little interest in anything else. That wasn’t a compliment to his character either—he was practically advertising that he thought the cash and goods of this world were worthless. To say the least, that was extremely self-centered and shortsighted. “I’m getting hot from all the booze... Come here, white squirrel.”
“Mimi is resting on my chest,” Tron answered.
“Come here and you’ll get a carrot. Come here, boy!” The Demon Lord wiggled a carrot.
“Demon Lord sucks...” Tron said, watching Mimi climb up onto his shoulder.
Not just the snow fennec, but every animal in this world loved carrots, including humans, who tended to crave carrots in their cooking or as a food of recovery. Demand for carrots had skyrocketed, but since only the Bunnies could grow them, they were perpetually understocked on the market.
“Mimi! Don’t be bought out by food!” Aku scolded, earning a sulking squeal from the divine beast as it climbed down the Demon Lord’s arm. Somehow, Aku had established herself as the fennec’s superior.
“Don’t you dare betray me!” the Demon Lord shouted after the fox. “I’m gonna change your name from Icy Hot to Bedwarmer!”
Mimi squeaked again, casting a disgusted look at the Fallen Angel.
“Apparently, you don’t know who controls the carrot supply in this village...” the Demon Lord snarled.
“Demon Lord’s soul...tainted sludge,” Tron remarked.
While they carried on in the penthouse without a hint of gravity, some tension was brewing at the entrance of the Longhouses, where Kaiya stood in Ren’s way. “Let us not mince words. What are the Fallen Angel’s intentions?” he demanded. For obvious reasons, the Trinary did not take kindly to women. The only thing stopping them from showing open hostility toward Ren was the similarities between her and Weeb, whom they idolized.
“Master has a vision too far and wide for me to understand its full extent,” Ren said.
“Then I’ll be clearer. This is just creepy!” Kaiya said.
“Creepy...?”
“What is the meaning of those piles of food and drink behind you?” Kaiya demanded.
“A token of Master’s compassion. His orders are to distribute them for free to the residents of the Longhouses,” Ren said.
Kaiya might have been surprised by the shocking offer, but after spending days in this ancient town, lifting infinite water from the well, starting fires with the flick of a dial in the strange kitchen, and living among other magical items—like the one that generated powerful winds—he had run out of shock. Combine that with the utopian public bath, complete with a stunning landscape of a white-capped mountain, Kaiya couldn’t help but think that this village was made to enthrall those who lived in it. “Why do you welcome the poor with such generosity? It can’t be only to secure the labor necessary to dig up the blackstones.”
“What are you insinuating?” Ren asked.
“The Fallen Angel intends to take in the poor and conquer the continent! He means to blot out every ray of light and cover the continent in darkness!”
“You are mistaken. Master is the light that shines upon all worlds. There is no other light,” Ren said matter-of-factly.
“Blasphemy...!” Kaiya bit out. Born and raised in the Tzardom, the Trinary and Weeb all worshipped the Great Light. Kaiya wasn’t going to let this slide.
However, Ren wasn’t going to back down either. “To quote Master... Where is your Light and why is it not helping?”
“That’s...” Kaiya failed to answer.
“If you say your Light continues to ignore the poverty and war that goes on under its nose, I say that being is terribly powerless,” Ren said.
Kaiya gritted his teeth, unable to refute.
“If I may suggest some lateral thinking...” Ren continued.
“What?”
“Someone with the power and willingness to achieve all the ideals you place your faith in... Would that person not be the true Light?”
“W-Wait a minute...!” Kaiya stammered.
“I will not. The very man you admire travels the continent, helping the hungry and downtrodden. If that is not Light, what is?” Ren challenged.
Kaiya grunted through his teeth. Reject her logic, and he’d be rejecting his dear leader Weeb. After moments of fierce contemplation, Kaiya reluctantly made way for Ren and the wagons to pass.
Under Ren’s command, the wagons poured into the Longhouses. As the food and drinks were unloaded throughout the area, cheers erupted.
With mixed emotions, Kaiya lowered his head. Ultima and Mushroom clapped him on the shoulder.
“You lost, Kaiya.”
“Spectacularly.”
The tone of their voices was cut-and-dried, as they were hardened warriors. There was no room for sentimentality, no matter how small the battle.
“Hmph. It is only one battle—far from deciding the war,” Kaiya said.
“A loss is a loss, you defanged pup.”
“Indeed. A coward like you has no right to serve Sir Weeb. Begone!”
As skilled generals, the Trinary placed a lot of weight on the result of each battle as well. It was unacceptable to the other two that Kaiya had backed down after Ren had simply mentioned Weeb.
Kaiya was the first to draw his sword, prompting the other two to draw in kind. Their battle continued until Weeb caught wind and rushed over to stop them.
By that night, the crowd had become absolutely electric—thanks in no small part to bottomless drinks being handed out for free. Before the descension ceremony had even begun, everyone could feel that the night was going to be legendary. Thanks to the food stalls selling all of their dishes for a bronze coin each, even the poorest children in the neighboring villages ate their fill.
The box seat erected before the Casino was filled with an impressive lineup: Luna, the lady of the village; her servant Eagle; the leader of the Holy Maidens, White; Harts and Sambo from the North, along with other militant nobles who were still skeptical about the Fallen Angel; Kid himself, representing his trading company; ministers from both Suneo and Euritheis... The last three congregating in one place would have shocked the entirety of the Northern Nations.