...Has it already been three months?
Three months.
After suddenly becoming a subordinate of the Primordial Demon [Blanc (White)], I had begun living in her castle immediately, and three months had flown by in the blink of an eye.
For the record, I was living here because Blanc had ordered me to do so, saying that she intended to claim even the house I had originally lived in as part of her territory.
Is expanding your territory really that easy...?
That slime from the original story did it easily enough, too...
Was something like this simply a given for a Primordial Demon?
"Hey, Hairo (Ash). Why are you pacing around like that?"
While I was briefly lost in thought, a young boy with ash-gray hair who looked to be about elementary-school age called out to me with a sullen expression.
With his delicate features, the boy looked like the young master of some high-ranking noble house. He was one of Blanc’s direct subordinates and, despite appearances, a Duke-class Arch Demon who had survived in Hell longer than anyone save the Primordial Demons.
At the same time, he was the demon who would one day receive the name Moss from Rimuru and ascend to become a [Demon Lord].
An Arch Demon of the Duke class looking like a child... Even seeing it for myself, I still can’t make sense of it.
And that [Hairo] was something like my nickname.
The reason it was a nickname rather than a name was that, having reincarnated, I had no name.
When monsters received names, they became Named Monsters and rose to a higher state of being. But if they named themselves, there was a high chance that someone else could control them.
Furthermore, naming someone required an enormous amount of magicules. Unless there was not too great a disparity between the giver and recipient, they had to risk being annihilated. For monsters, naming was an exceedingly dangerous matter.
That was why four of the Primordial Demons had no names, and why they were unable to bestow names upon demons of their own lineage.
The Primordial Demons were [Devil Lords], far stronger than Arch Demons, but apparently naming was still no easy matter because, racially speaking, they were only two stages apart.
"Hey, Hairo! Don’t ignore me!"
Ah, right. This guy was here.
"Sorry, Confidant. I forgot you were there."
"What?!"
Like a demon—well, he was a real demon, but still—the thoroughly enraged Confidant stomped his feet in irritation.
Outwardly, it looked like nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum, but the shockwave caused by it was anything but harmless.
The building was trembling slightly from the impact.
Though his rank was that of a duke, second only to kings, our Confidant had the mental age of a little kid, and he apparently disliked my flat reaction.
"I said I’m sorry. I’ll make you a cake later as an apology."
Confidant abruptly stopped moving at my words, then looked back at me with gleaming eyes.
"R-really? You mean it?!"
"Sure, sure. I needed to make snacks for Lady Blanc anyway, so I’ll make some extra for you."
Just as his appearance suggested, Confidant loved toys and sweet treats. His anger seemed to vanish in an instant, and he began bouncing around in delight instead.
He really is a child.
A faint smile came to my lips as I watched Confidant hopping about happily.
Others might find him quite bothersome, but I did not dislike him.
Maybe it was because he felt like a much younger brother.
I had not had anyone I could call family in my previous life.
Though, unlike me, who had only lived for a hundred years, he was a demon who had lived for at least tens of thousands of years.
"Sir Hairo."
As I watched Confidant’s little performance, Blanc’s other direct subordinate—and the third-highest-ranking person here, the Secretary—came to find me.
Dressed in neat, stereotypical gentleman’s attire and wearing glasses befitting his title of Secretary, this demon was, like Confidant, a Baron-class Arch Demon who would one day receive the name Cien from Rimuru.
He looked to be in his twenties or thirties, but he too was a demon who had lived for quite a long time.
I had heard that he was at least several centuries old.
"What is it, Secretary?"
"Lady Blanc is summoning you. She said, ‘Make the snacks I asked for earlier later and come here at once.’"
...What could it be this time...?
[Answer. It is highly likely to be something troublesome for Master.]
The negative response of [Answerer] sounded in my head.
Figures...
It had only been three months since I became Blanc’s subordinate, but whenever she summoned me out of the blue, some problem always arose. Naturally, I had begun to feel uneasy.
"...Understood. I’ll go at once."
Still, I could not ignore her summons, so all I could do was pray that nothing happened this time.
*
The land ruled by Blanc lay near the center of Hell. Like the great nations of the material world, it was a place where she had formed a nation with her own kin.
Moreover, unlike the outskirts where I had lived, this place possessed fertile land where crops and flowers grew, along with a vast night sky created from overflowing magicules gathered together.
According to Blanc, she liked such fertile land, and whenever her kin returned from the material world, they would always bring back a few things from there, such as books or seeds. Somehow, it had gradually become like this.
She added that the beautiful night sky was a sea of magicules formed when the magicules released by battle merged with those emitted by the Primordial Demons.
But what surprised me most was—
...It’s splendid no matter how many times I see it.
The magnificent white castle before my eyes.
So enormous and majestic that it made one wonder how much labor and material had gone into constructing it, this castle was Blanc’s fortress, built solely for her.
The interior was as ornate as the exterior, endlessly adorned with the sort of gold decorations one would only see in films. Beyond windows far taller than I was, warm white light that did not suit Hell streamed inside.
Tap, tap...
As I walked along, looking around at my surroundings, I found myself standing before Blanc’s chamber, where the Queen’s throne stood, before I knew it—as if some spell had been cast on me.
I’m here already.
"Phew..."
After letting out a quiet breath, I gathered my thoughts for a moment and calmly knocked on the door.
"Lady Blanc. It is Hairo. I heard that you summoned me."
"Come in."
The moment Blanc granted permission, the door opened on its own.
Having seen so many strange things like this over the past three months, I passed through the doorway without surprise.
"You came?"
As soon as I entered the room, Blanc, wearing a dress that was both alluring and pure, greeted me.
A dress of immaculate white, befitting the color of her hair.
Combined with her exceptional face and figure, it gave her a peerless beauty that would draw the eyes of any man.
"..."
At the unexpected sight, uncertain where I ought to look, I pressed my lips together and immediately went down on one knee, lowering my head.
Perhaps my clumsy reaction amused her, for I heard Blanc laugh.
"Hehe, there’s no need to be so formal. I called you because rather than enjoying tea time today, I thought we might simply go out for an excursion."
"An excursion... you say?"
Surprised by the more ordinary-than-expected reason, I asked again. Blanc smiled meaningfully as she replied.
"Yes, just a simple excursion."
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