With that, Gard and I left the room in high spirits.

I walked around the corner, curiously examining the wide hallway accessible to various races.

It wasn’t the hallway that was unusual.

It was the bat-like servants fluttering around, the humanoid demons made of water, and the soldiers with raptor heads in military uniform.

There were all sorts of demons; some were carrying papers, some were cleaning, some were not doing anything but chatting, while some were just going about their business.

I didn’t see anyone when I first came here, but it seemed that there were originally so many demons living here.

“Wow. They all work here?”

“No? Most of the servants are underlings. The only ones who hold positions are those really high up in the demon realm – those who can crush an army of humans by themselves. The others are just their underlings or those who are too weak to live in their territory and can only work and live in submission.”

According to Gard, who continued to speak, the demons who were strong to some extent had their own kind of territory, and they lived in villages they had established in various places.

The demon lord’s castle was the best location for magic in the demon realm, and the dark magic that sprung out of the land was incredibly concentrated.

So, the only ones who lived here were the strongest among demons who were attracted by magic, and their underlings, who were, on the contrary, said to be extremely weak demons.

For that reason, only the powerful demons led by the demon lord seemed to work as leaders to keep the balance in the demon realm. In short, the nobles.

The rest were hired hands who did as they were told, and except in times of emergency, the demons usually worked together in towns and villages and lived as they pleased.

They were not appropriately governed like humans, so some parts still seemed to be loose.

If there were conflicts where the parties couldn’t come to terms with each other, they would battle immediately. It was probably acceptable since this was a severe, brutal, and extreme demon realm.

Suddenly, I noticed that the demons around me were staring.

If some looked curious, some looked unhappy as well. Of course, some didn’t even bat an eye.

But they never tried to get involved, and they all gave way to Gard, who strolled along at a leisurely pace, trying to match mine.

…Come to think of it, the last time Gard left through the window, the flying creatures paved their way for him as he fluttered around the sky…

I tried to poke the arm next to me and call him out.

“Hm?”

“I thought you were just a soldier, but… do you perhaps hold some kind of position?”

“Yep~ It ain’t that interesting, though. My full title’s a bit long.”

Gard had a look as if it was of no concern, turned his gaze diagonally upward, and hummed, trying to recall.

How could you forget your own title?

After a while, he seemed to have remembered it somehow and snickered as he told me who he was.

“I’m Gardvine Sylvarius, Commander of the Air Force of the Demon Realm.”

He was one of the three armed forces commanders.

Gard felt refreshed when he remembered it and began to stroll again. For some reason, he grabbed the hand that I poked him with and pulled me along.

But for once, I obediently let him do so.

I froze for a while, shocked to discover that the window intruder, who looked like an innocent child himself, was the head of the demon realm’s air force.

I never would’ve thought that this dragon, who loved being patted on the head, was that…

I guess in this world, the more outrageous you are, the more important you become.

Notes:Character note and illustration for Gard here.