Chapter 231

"If it really is the Monitor paying based on our performance, we'll have to curry favor with them."

Aqua said, touching her chin.

"Eh, why?"

Yunyun was a bit confused; as long as the commission was done well, wasn't that enough?

"Naive, truly too naive, Yunyun. This world is cruel; there are some things that aren't guaranteed to get their due reward just because you did them~"

Megumin, with the air of someone who's been there, surprisingly stood on the same perspective as Aqua and began lecturing Yunyun.

"That's right, social obligations are important. As long as we curry favor with that little princess, we might get her to give us a high score, thereby making the Kingdom pay us more reward."

Aqua spoke with the posture of a workplace veteran, then smiled friendly and waved at the girl sitting on the chair over there who was looking at them with some curiosity. Princess Alice blanked for a moment, but likewise smiled and waved back.

In a few words, Aqua had settled on the plan to curry favor with the little princess to obtain more reward.

And after ending this topic, next came the topic of subjugating the Demon King.

"I intend to go subjugate the Demon King. Do you want to go with me?"

Broly asked bluntly.

To him, subjugating the Demon King was never a problem; he just didn't know if the others had the desire to go experience the process of subjugating the Demon King together.

Giving them a sense of participation could greatly increase the wives' Happiness Value; this was a conclusion he reached after taking on quite a few subjugation quests.

"Eh, so fast?"

Aqua had been living too well in this world. Suddenly hearing Broly intended to subjugate the Demon King, her first reaction wasn't joy, but more like a student who'd been enjoying vacation, hearing the break was almost over, feeling time had passed this fast.

"Ah, so those days have come. My staff is already thirsty~"

Megumin, who had gotten new equipment and raised her Explosion Magic level considerably, looked like she'd been waiting for this moment long ago, and made the above statement.

"Huh, Broly, you're going to subjugate the Demon King?"

Wiz was rather surprised.

"What's wrong, Miss Wiz?"

Yunyun didn't understand why she was surprised.

"Wiz, she's one of the Demon King Army's Eight Great Generals..."

Darkness explained from the side.

"Ah?"

Yunyun and Megumin both exclaimed.

"Damn it, the enemy was actually right beside me. I should have known long ago!"

Megumin stared at Wiz's ample figure and instantly struck a combat stance.

"I feel like you're just holding a grudge because she's big, right?"

Aqua retorted.

After a round of explanation, Yunyun and Megumin finally learned that Wiz was merely a nominal Executive of the Demon King Army.

"However, speaking honestly, that old man Yasaka is indeed a good person."

Speaking of the Current Demon King, Wiz gave a relatively positive evaluation.

"How can you speak for the enemy?"

Hearing this, Aqua got a bit angry.

"Aqua-sama, I'm just telling the truth..."

Setting aside the human-demon stance, the old Demon King was a fair-handed, capable leader.

After Wiz joined the Demon King Army, he didn't mistreat her.

Even Wiz's Magic Tool Shop's initial capital was partly provided by the Demon King.

"Of course, me saying this isn't to stop Broly from subjugating the Demon King..."

Humans and demons cannot coexist; the Lich lady knows this.

"Aqua Master, does the Demon King absolutely have to be subjugated?"

Seeing Wiz somewhat low-spirited, Broly asked Aqua this question.

"That's natural. As long as the Demon King isn't eliminated, the crisis of this world will persist, and I also won't be able to return to the Heavenly Realm."

Aqua nodded. Although she didn't want to return to the Heavenly Realm this early, the duty of eliminating the Demon King wasn't forgotten.

Broly scratched his head and said, "Then let's arrange a duel."

"Eh?"

"The Demon King must be eliminated, but since he looked after Wiz, we have to return that favor.

Wiz, you go tell that Demon King that I'm coming to subjugate him.

Let him prepare for battle."

Solving the Demon King isn't complex. Raiding the Demon King's Castle now should easily settle it.

But to avoid putting Wiz in a difficult spot, Broly dismissed the idea of directly raiding the Demon King's Castle.

"Of course, if the other side is willing to surrender, that would be even better."

For Wiz's sake, Broly could accept the Demon King's surrender.

"Aqua Master, if the Demon King is willing to surrender, do we still need to eliminate him?"

However, even if the Demon King is willing to surrender, whether he can be spared still depends on Aqua's intention.

"I've never really thought about this situation, but if the Demon King truly is willing to surrender, the crisis he brings to this world should also be resolved. I think I can represent the Heavenly Realm in pardoning his sins."

Aqua thought a bit and replied. The Demon King isn't important to the Heavenly Realm; the Heavenly Realm's purpose is only to save this world.

And as long as the goal of saving the world is achieved, whether or not to subjugate the Demon King is merely secondary. This is the top-tier understanding of Aqua as an elite Goddess of the Heavenly Realm. "It's like this: if the Demon King is willing to surrender, I won't subjugate him. If he's unwilling, Wiz-sensei, you telling him this in advance also counts as repaying the favor of past care.

At that time, if the Demon King is still subjugated by me, he can only blame his own insufficient strength."

The commission to subjugate the Demon King's army was treated as a commission to directly subjugate the Demon King.

The method of subjugating the Demon King ranged from direct assault to first notifying him and then deciding what action to take based on his response.

However, Wiz needed to look after the shop, so she entrusted the letter-delivery task to a hired shop assistant, and when Vanir received the persuasion letter from the Saiyan boy, the entire demon fell silent.

"Wiz, do you really think that old man Yasaka Kyoichi will surrender?"

"I don't know, but if possible, I hope he can surrender, at least that way he won't be subjugated."

The Demon King's army also had flesh and blood, and Wiz respected the old Demon King quite a bit.

If possible, she did not want to see the other side's death.

"Fine, the letter, I'll help you deliver it, as for what decision Yasaka Kyoichi makes, that's not something I can decide."

Holding the letter, Vanir snapped his fingers, his body melted into mud, and left wrapped around the letter.

Before receiving a reply from the Demon King's side, news that Princess Alice had come to Axel leaked, and Broly's House received visits from various aristocrats, all coming to curry favor with the little princess.

Among them, Axel Lord Aldarp was the most active, bringing many gifts to the little princess, and even sending gifts to the little princess's family, namely the Prince and the King.

"Beautiful Princess, only the most beautiful jewels in this world are worthy of you, please let me, Aldarp, present these jewels to you~"

Aldarp's flattery made Princess Alice very uncomfortable, but she still accepted the jewels sent by the other party.

Regarding this, Aqua was very angry, thinking that this bastard noble Aldarp was interfering with their actions to curry favor with the princess.

"Princess, I am well aware of Prince Jedeis's achievements, but simply had no fate to meet him, and now I have also brought some gifts for Prince Jedeis, could you please help me deliver them to the Prince, to express my Aldarp's loyalty to the Prince and to the Kingdom?!"

Aldarp said with a smile, although very flattering, it was indeed a show of loyalty, but his gaze occasionally glanced at a somewhat special accessory among the gifts.

【As long as the Prince obtains this special gift, he will obtain this country!】

"Eh, isn't this an artifact for permanently exchanging bodies?"

Just then, Aqua also saw that accessory and immediately recognized that somewhat special artifact, directly stating its function.

After speaking, the aristocrats who had been enthusiastically fawning over the little princess immediately fell silent, their gazes all turning to Aldarp.

Being watched by everyone's gaze, Aldarp broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, but still forced himself to calm down and retort: "What nonsense are you spouting, woman?"

"Why are you so nervous, speaking of which, this is a gift you want to give to the Prince of this country, right? Giving this kind of thing to the Prince, surely you don't want to exchange bodies with the Prince and take over his identity, do you?"

Aqua speculated maliciously, since she spoke too bluntly, those around who hadn't noticed this at first all looked at Aldarp with doubtful gazes.

"How is that possible?"

Aldarp stepped back, acting as if he knew nothing.

"Lord Aldarp, I think I must represent the Royal Family and understand the situation here."

Kureya stepped forward.

"Don't you believe me, and want to believe a commoner instead?"

Kureya said nothing.

"Princess Alice, I, Aldarp, am innocent."

Aldarp looked at the little princess again.

"Doesn't Miss Sena have an artifact for identifying lies in her hand?"

Aldarp: "......"

This lord of Axel was soon taken away by the Royal Guard for investigation.

During the investigation, a strange demonic power assaulted the annex.

But before even entering the door, it was discovered by Aqua and purified with Holy Power.

"Damn it, you useless bastard, can't you even do something small like changing someone's memory?"

That day, Aldarp, who was confined at home and not allowed to leave, kicked the demon summoned with a Family Artifact in the basement.

"The strong light enveloping that annex is too powerful, my Distortion Power can't penetrate it at all."

"Damn it, if you can't get things done, don't even think about me paying you the price!"

"Price, price......"

Max said these words somewhat confusedly, Aldarp just glanced at him and hurriedly left.

He had to do something.

Before the Royal Family discovered his crime of usurping the throne, he had to settle those who knew the situation.

That night, Broly's House was attacked by a group of masked men.

Unfortunately, the attack was suppressed in less than one minute.

Removing the hood from the face of the beaten attacker, they discovered these were Aldarp's private soldiers.

Moreover, these people had been hit by some kind of powerful hypnosis magic.

After Aqua used purification magic to remove the hypnosis, realizing what they had done, they all knelt down before the little princess.

Aldarp originally wanted to send someone to kill the others in the annex, take Princess Alice to his own manor, and have the demon in the basement help alter memories.

As a result, the kidnapping failed, and he himself was judged a criminal guilty of the Crime of Endangering Royalty, and was directly taken away by the Royal Guard.

However, while temporarily imprisoned in Axel Prison, this person mysteriously disappeared, suspected of fleeing to escape punishment.

(Chapter End)