Chapter 10

“In that case, if I win the duel, may I respectfully request your resignation as minister of agriculture? Can we agree to those terms?” “Yeah! I’d be happy to! And your attempts at politeness now are completely pointless.” I didn’t back down one little bit. “I am of noble birth, after all, and my family’s status reaches back for generations. Low-level demon though you may be, I acknowledge the fire that makes you stand your ground so firmly.” We chose to duel in the mansion’s garden. Lord Nastoya had a sword. Alraunes could attack with vines that extended from their bodies, too, so that blade was probably a weapon meant to take my life. I was empty-handed. As a rule, I didn’t carry weapons around with me. The spectators all had ties to my opponent’s house, so this was an “away” game for our team. That said, I didn’t intend to excuse myself by saying, I lost because our cheering sections were different sizes. “Lady Beelzebub… If you feel you’re in danger, please forfeit…” “Boss, even if you get fired, we’ll support you at the leviathan house for life!” My two secretaries were cheering for me, and that was enough… Wait, is that cheering? They might actually be worrying… “Hrrmmm. Siiiigh… My blood’s begun running rather hot over these past few years.” It was almost hard to believe I’d ever plugged away processing accounts. I wonder what sort of rank-and-file bureaucrat is doing my job at this point. I made a manual and left it for my replacement, so if they read it properly, they should be able to do the work by now… “I’ll crush this low-born demon and make my return to the Ministry of Agriculture! Your resignation should change the winds of fate!” Yeah, sure, talk all you want. The only way to drain the pus with this type is to crush it completely. I understood why I’d been sent here, too. It was to fan the flames of jealousy for someone I’d personally bumped off the ladder of success. In that case, let’s have him burn himself to ashes. I drew a deep breath. Always take deep breaths before the important things. That wasn’t something anyone had taught me. Actually, it was something I’d said to Fatla back when Vania had burned some important documents. Even calm Fatla had turned so red in the face, I’d had to remind her to breathe. “After all, if this were another era, I’d be an executive of the demon king, blocking the humans’ advance. If I can’t put down one country-bumpkin noble, I’ll never get anywhere.” “Hold your tongue, lowly commoner!” Lord Nastoya ran at me on those root legs of his. I spread my wings and charged at the enemy. Don’t underestimate the Lord of the Flies! I slipped through the enemy’s vine whips, and— “Who are you calling a commoner?! I’m a proud noble!” —I decked him in the face. Whuddd! “You insolent oaf!” I cried. I’d knocked the enemy off balance, so I hit him again. Krakk! “And you even insulted the demon king! That’s a grave crime!” This time, I kicked up from the lower left. Whomp! Then I clasped both hands and brought them down on his head like a hammer. Boooooooom! Okay, now for the next attack, I started to think, but Lord Nastoya had already blacked out. “Hmm…? Is it over? Was that good enough?” I’d expected the fighting to get fiercer, but my opponent didn’t even look like he was going to move, and not even a noble as rotten as this one would play dead and watch for an opportunity. I kicked him one more time, just in case, but he only dribbled something like drool from his mouth. Sap, I guess? When I looked at my secretaries, they weren’t jumping around and cheering at all. They just looked stunned. “What…? Did I break the rules somehow? I’m rather concerned by your reactions…” “Boss! You’re so strong, it’s almost creepy! Actually, it is creepy! It’s creepy!” “Hey, Vania! If you say any more than that, I’ll dock your pay!” You could hardly even call that a compliment! “Lady Beelzebub, you did keep diligently working all this time to get stronger… However, I never dreamed it would be so… You’re top class, even for a demon…” Apparently, Fatla couldn’t believe it, either, but before long, a smile bloomed on her face. “Congratulations, Lady Beelzebub.” That brief comment made even my eyes get a little moist. “I feel as if I’m your boss for real now.” I walked over to the sisters and pulled them both into a hug. “—And that concludes my explanation of the plan to distribute the territory under Lord Nastoya’s control.” I wrapped up my report in the demon king’s chambers. There was no point in telling the other executives about this, so it was just the two of us. For a variety of reasons, including his crime of neglecting to pay his taxes without a legitimate reason and the crime of insulting the demon king, Lord Nastoya had been exiled. “Yes, Miss Beelzebub, well done.” The demon king came up to me and patted me on the shoulder. “You’re rapidly growing into a demon after my own heart. It makes me happy.” “Your Majesty, you sent me because you knew it would turn out this way, didn’t you?” Send in the person most likely to irritate a fallen noble and goad him into picking a fight—both Lord Nastoya and yours truly had been neatly manipulated by our king. “Oh, that’s so complicated; I’m not sure I understand.” The demon king feigned ignorance with a smile. After that reaction, I can’t even pursue the issue. “However, I do have an ideal—an image of an ideal elder sister.” “H-huh…” What the heck is she talking about? “Somebody everyone loves, even idolizes—who exudes an air of nobility despite her common birth, who has earned all of it with hard work. Splendid, don’t you think?” One thing’s for sure—she’s talking about me. “And that big sister’s sworn little sister is a girl born into the most noble of noble families. Don’t you think that’s a marvelous gap?” This time, the demon king put her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes look dead serious… “I feel as if I’ve finally managed to mold you into my ideal elder sister, Miss Beelzebub. Hee-hee-hee-hee…” I sensed that I was in danger. Yes, it was true I couldn’t come close to matching the demon king’s true power, but this fear was based in something else entirely. “W-well, I still have work to do as the minister of agriculture, so I’ll be going!” I backed away from the demon king, then got out of the room fast.