A little over a month had passed since the Magical War Games. Everything in the Reauxgard Empire was now completely out of my hands. In other words, I was back to being just your run-of-the-mill demon lord with no work or obligations, free as a bird, living true to his desires. Until the Games, I’d been hella busy every day as both emperor and one of the organizers, but with all that over, I was back to having free time. Or so I thought.
I still had Lefi’s and Lew’s pregnancies to deal with, on top of enrolling Iluna and the other girls in school. Compared to my busy life in Reauxgard, these things were way more important, but also not a chore to handle. Though I had to admit, I actually did have more free time compared to my days as ruler and whatnot, which just made me realize all over again that these laid-back days were the most important thing to me. This is what I live for.
“You know, my lord, looking back, the Magical War Games were really fun, huh? We could see the world you and the other leaders want starting to take shape. Plus, the entire event was a blast. I wonder if we’ll have more things like that in the future.”
“Something as large-scale as the Games will probably only happen once every few years, but folks really enjoyed the competitive events, so I hope more amateur tournaments get held... I’m putting my faith in the monarchs—that they’ll build on this success and keep it going.”
Lew and I were chatting at home.
Both the Magic Festa and the Battle Festa had been well received, but the latter in particular, with its flash and spectacle, had satisfied even the most bloodthirsty folks. It’d been straight up profitable. While both events had reportedly generated a tremendous amount of revenue, the Battle Festa had earned so much that a contingent of people wanted to hold it regularly from now on. We’d also already recouped the costs of the Games, not just for Atvoini Dominurs, the massive stadium that could accommodate a hundred thousand spectators, but also for the hotels, parks, and other buildings built in the area. Heck, we’d even turned a profit. This is the kinda development I’m talking about. Fingers crossed we can set up a professional league and it becomes a huge success.
“That’s a great way to look at it. It would make me really happy to see people all over the world stop thinking in terms of race because they’re interacting more by doing things like playing sports together!”
“For sure.”
Lew’s dream was a difficult one to achieve, even by Earth standards. Then again, using those standards, I’d have to say we’d succeeded with the Games. But this world still had a long way to go before it moved past the point of the races thinking of each other as enemies to be killed.
“You didn’t have an urge to participate yourself, my lord?”
“I like playing sports, but I prefer watching from the sidelines. Besides, let’s be real. If I played...I’d definitely win.”
“True enough. Unless your opponent had someone like Lefi on their team, they wouldn’t stand a chance, right?”
“Yup.”
If I’d been a contestant in the Battle Festa, the matches would’ve ended pretty much right after they started. All I would’ve had to do was move from left to right and back again. No matter what kind of magic my opponents cast or how many people tackled me, I would’ve scored points just by running. That wouldn’t have been fun for either the spectators or the players.
“That’s why I’m perfectly happy with just doing Extreme☆Sports with Lefi. And when you can move around like you used to again, you can join us too!”
“Okay! Lefi and I will be a team, and you’ll be solo. We’ll give you a good fight, my lord!”
“Th-Then I’ll summon Nell and make it two against two! Yeah... Yeah, I think we can pull off a win.”
“Fine, in that case, we’ll add Leila and Iluna to our team! Will you really be able to give it your all against them too?”
Lew gave me a mischievous grin.
“Hey, that’s cheating!”
And why is the default for them to gang up on me? Jeez. Well, it was impossible right now since both Lefi and Lew were pregnant, but it was nice to joke around like this again. Being an emperor had been a good experience, but I’d had enough. I wouldn’t do it again even if they asked me to. Not like there were that many opportunities to become one anyway.
“That reminds me. I know I should’ve thought about this earlier, but whatever. What do I say if our kids ask me about my job?”
“Uh... Hmm. Hmmmm... Demon lord?”
“I mean, yeah, duh. But say they were trying to explain it to someone else. Wouldn’t people find it easier to understand ‘My dad is an emperor’ versus ‘My dad is a demon lord’?”
“Hmm. Quite a dilemma, my lord.”
Ain’t it? Because I could easily imagine someone responding with a “Huh?” if my kids told people, “My dad is a demon lord!” Wait. Stop the presses. I’d just realized that I had a bigger problem...
“Can I even say I’m working? I... Holy balls, I can’t. So in a broad sense, I’m a NEET? Shit, Lew, what do I do? I don’t have a good answer for when the kids ask about my job...”
When she saw me starting to panic, Lew smiled ruefully, looking amused.
“Calm down. It’s all right, my lord. We’re all able to live comfortably thanks to you. Yes, you’re at home, but you’re also protecting everyone with the power of the dungeon. So you’re not unemployed, my lord. You’re just a...a stay-at-home security guard!”
“Which might as well be a synonym for ‘unemployed.’”
In a way, the term was both perfect and depressing.
Then, right in the middle of our chat, Lew’s expression suddenly changed. Her face went from smiling to pained. She clutched her stomach with both hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ngh...”
“‘Ngh’?”
“The baby’s...coming...”
“...The baby’s what?!”