Chapter 375

"You insolent wretch, even if you are Princess Alice's friend, you cannot treat Her Highness this way."

Claire drew the long sword at her waist and, facing the girl shaking her own princess, began to berate her in a rage.

"Hah, you bastard, don't you understand the situation? It is your country that needs a great Red Demon King like me to avoid falling into a future of suffering in war, and now you actually dare speak to me with this attitude?!"

However, Megumin wasn't afraid in the slightest; ignoring the threat of the blade, she leaned in close and sprayed saliva right at Claire.

This guard knight was sprayed into retreating step by step, veins throbbing on her forehead as if she were on the verge of exploding, making Broly cast a wary glance her way.

"Claire, put your sword down."

"But, Your Highness..."

"I'm fine, Megumin wouldn't hurt me."

Hearing her own princess's words, Claire could only sheath her sword, and Broly also withdrew his vigilant gaze fixed on her.

"Megumin, I want to help in this regard too, but I'm just a princess; the national treasury isn't something I can interfere with."

Princess Alice first offered an explanation, then added, "However, I can put up my personal assets."

"How much?"

Megumin asked directly.

"Two manors and a plot of land."

Princess Alice answered.

"How much money is that?"

Megumin was confused.

"Roughly worth over thirty million Eris."

Rain, likewise a guard, answered this question.

"Eh, only that much?"

Megumin frowned.

"What do you mean 'only that much'? That's already a lot!"

Claire was quite dissatisfied.

"But Alice is a kingdom princess!"

Megumin didn't believe that a dignified kingdom princess actually had only this much fat to skim.

"So what if she's a princess? My princess has no surplus grain either; don't you know, you bastard, that the kingdom's military funding has already been drastically reduced?

Now my Princess has even cancelled her daily training, and even the maintenance level of her favorite weapon, the 【Dragon Slayer Great Sword】, has been lowered.

The best anti-rust oil was swapped for inferior anti-rust oil, and the monthly magical artisan maintenance service was also cancelled.

All for the sake of helping her Father King and Older Brother reduce the nation's military expenses."

"Uh, but even so, doesn't Alice eat high-level, expensive magic beast meat?"

Megumin asked again.

"Expensive, that's relative to market price, but the market simply cannot consume that much high-level magic beast meat.

And high-level magic beast meat that is hunted but cannot be sold is merely some meat food that will rot.

What, you wouldn't think that the magic beast meat my princess eats is all bought with money on the market, would you?

No, those are magic beasts hunted during the kingdom army's daily training; the cost is only the kingdom army's manpower.

And of the magic beast meat hunted, only a small portion can be converted into Eris; it's not even enough to cover the kingdom army's training expenditures!"

Claire spoke in a sarcastic, yin-yang tone.

"Additionally, my princess's two manors are also legacies her Mother Queen left her; the land was bestowed by His Majesty the King as a reward for merit when Her Highness adventured to subjugate a dragon that intruded into the capital — it is my princess's future dowry.

And because of your words, my princess has already taken out everything she can possibly offer, yet you still disdain it as too little; what more do you want?

Do you want my princess to sell off her weapon armor equipment, or sell herself off to scrape together money for you to be the Demon King?"

As Rain spoke, she glared furiously at Megumin.

"Ah, I didn't mean that."

Megumin became somewhat flustered.

"Now now, just kidding, just kidding; no matter how you put it, Megumin wouldn't go so far as to make a friend donate her mother's legacy and her own hard-earned dowry."

Darkness stepped forward at this moment, took Megumin's hand off Princess Alice's collar, and said this to Claire and Rain.

The Belzerg Royal Family is the exemplar of "the Son of Heaven guards the nation's gate"; the capital is extremely close to the frontline fortress, and when this country's royal family originally faced the Demon King Army on the front lines, they strove to put every penny onto the blade's edge.

Even though the Demon King Army has been disbanded for over two years, this practice has already become a habit of the Belzerg Royal Family.

Therefore, even though Alice is the kingdom's little princess, she has no more surplus wealth.

"No, Darkness, I don't mind; this is for this world, and for the future of our country's countless citizens!"

Princess Alice stepped forward and continued, "One would think even my late Mother Queen would not blame me for donating what she left me to Megumin; all of this is for peace."

"Eh, what makes it so I have to put on sunglasses?"

Princess Alice's words finished, and Aqua somehow produced a pair of sunglasses and put them on her nose bridge.

"It is radiance, the radiance of responsibility and resolve!"

Eris answered her question.

"One must say, truly worthy of the Belzerg Royal Family?!"

The old Demon King sighed with emotion; as a former opponent and enemy, he still held respect for the Belzerg Kingdom's royal family.

Because this country's leader is not the type to flap their gums in the rear while letting subordinates fight desperately up front and enjoying themselves in the back.

Rather, they would also don heavy armor, shoulder a greatsword, go onto the battlefield, lead from the front, and fight the Demon King Army for real with real blades and spears.

Counting up, there are not few Belzerg Royal Family members who died on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide, resisting the Demon King Army's invasion.

Just during the old Demon King's command of the Demon King Army, the previous King of Belzerg Kingdom, and the King before that, both died on the battlefield.

The old Demon King's impression of the Belzerg Royal Family remained on the aspect of them being a hard bone; perhaps it was precisely because the bone was too hard that it led to the appearance of future war.

Otherwise, if the Belzerg Royal Family could just be ruthless enough to carry out the disarmament of "when the cunning rabbit is dead, the running dog is cooked; when the birds are gone, the fine bow is stored away," future war would likely be hard to occur.

The old Demon King's thinking was not wrong; the reason for the future war's occurrence, the political coercion of the other two kingdoms actually only accounted for half the responsibility, the other half was due to the Belzerg Kingdom's royal family — His Majesty the King and the subsequent heirs' personalities were all too hard.

To make them decide to wrong the soldiers who lived and died with them, that would be no better than directly flipping the table and leading their own army to war with the other two kingdoms.

And war, this kind of thing, once you start fighting it just gets out of control.

Once upon a time, the old Demon King didn't really want to invade the human world either, but the problem was the monster troops under him didn't think so, and the heroes who kept coming to this world didn't think so either; he was also propped up by his subordinates, coerced by external forces, playing the role of the wise and mighty strongest Demon King under the general trend.

The yakuza-like future Demon King Megumin was struck into a delinquent state by Little Princess Alice's radiant speech.

She blushed a little and apologized to Little Princess Alice, but Little Princess Alice wouldn't let it go, and even wanted to donate startup funds for the New Demon King Army to her.

Fortunately, Yunyun persuaded her a bit; establishing the New Demon King Army requires stable financial resources, not something that can be supported by just one or two donations.

"To establish the New Demon King Army you need to make money, and to make money you only need to consider two aspects.

One is opening sources, finding stable financial resources.

Two is cutting expenditure, lowering the money consumption required to maintain the New Demon King Army's existence..."

Everyone sat down again to discuss, and regarding the issue of opening sources, two relatively useful methods were quickly derived.

"We can learn the old Demon King's method, recruit a batch of wise monsters to reclaim wasteland and farm, engage in animal husbandry, and engage in production-type work."

Darkness said.

"But I'm not familiar with monsters; the only diplomatic means when I encountered monsters before was to use Explosion Magic to blow them up cooked..."

Megumin was a bit troubled.

"You're not familiar, but isn't there someone who is? For example, this old Demon King here."

Soket said, pointing at the white-bearded old man beside him.

Old Demon King: "..."

He really didn't want to be rehired by the New Demon King Army!

"Also, for example, Miss Aqua's sect, the Axis Cult's Archbishop, the other party even has a superb technique of mating with monsters that points straight to their nature — cough cough, interaction technique."

Coughing lightly twice, the Fortune Teller Miss hurriedly corrected her wording.

"Hey, you said mating, I heard it, that's not some decent guy, right?!"

Megumin asked with a black face.

"Indecent is indecent, but in my prophecy, the Axis Cult became the world's number one religion in the chaotic era precisely due to the other party's development."

Alright, the New Demon King Army's monster diplomat already had a candidate; as for whether the other party is willing, with Aqua this believed-in Water Goddess there, it's probably no problem; given the Axis Cult's fanatic degree, I'm afraid just one oracle can solve it.

"Besides recruiting monsters to engage in production, I think Megumin you asking the Kingdom's people for money is also a good idea."

Darkness said again.

"Eh, wasn't it said no coercing donations?"

Megumin was a bit startled.

"I didn't say let you ask Alice for money, but said let you ask the Three Great Kingdoms for money."

Darkness hurriedly explained.

"Ah, how could that possibly be obtained?"

Yunyun widened her eyes.

"No, it can be obtained."

Megumin's eyes lit up.

"As long as the New Demon King Army's threat level is terrifying enough, then it can be obtained."

At this moment, Megumin had many ideas.

"Let's talk about cutting expenditure then, but this requires you to go find those in your village who are willing to help you organize the Red Demon Army; as long as they're willing to take less money, cutting expenditure naturally isn't a problem."

The meeting ended, Broly and the others sought out the Red Demon Village's Village Chief, who was also Yunyun's father.

"What, this world's future is going to have war, Megumin you want to become the Demon King and establish the New Demon King Army to stop the war?"

"It's the Red Demon Army, I need the villagers' help; of course, it's paid help, however, I hope everyone's requested salary can be a little less, if they don't want any that's even better."

Listening to Megumin's words, Yunyun's father stroked his chin.

"This I really can't decide, but I can help you gather the villagers, you go talk to everyone yourself."

Evening.

"Hey, when are you sending us back?"

The Demon King's daughter complained; their boat was in someone else's courtyard, run aground for half a day.

"Go back, go back what, you've already been incorporated.

Alright, enough nonsense, hurry up and move the fish from your boat down.

Tonight, we're going to hold a grilled fish banquet in this courtyard!"

Aqua loves banquets too much; she just held one last night, and tonight she wants to hold another.

The old Demon King and his daughter: "..."

Wanting to retort but seeing the Saiyan boy working moving fish, they could only helplessly accept their situation of being swept along for the time being.

"Everyone..."

In the evening, a group of Red Demon Clan people came to Megumin's family courtyard; Megumin didn't shrink back and went on stage to speak, and the content was nothing more than that she wanted to become the Red Demon King for the sake of righteousness.

Therefore, she hoped to obtain the fellow villagers' support, hoped the fellow villagers could come over to her side and serve as oxen and horses for the future Red Demon Army, preferably the kind that work for free and bring their own dried rations.

And the result was as Miss Soket predicted; except for the younger Red Demon Clan children who currently don't need to bear the heavy burden of real life, the other adults all showed troubled expressions.

"Megumin, although we really want to support your Demon King career, we also need to live, hope you can understand us a bit."

"Yeah yeah, occasionally lending a fist is no problem, but always lending a fist is a big problem."

"Everyone, everyone, the reason we're not paying salaries right now, only giving a small amount, is because the Red Demon Army hasn't gotten off the ground yet. But once our Red Demon Army gets started and turning, and has sufficient money-making capability, we'll definitely pay everyone salaries."

Megumin drew this pie big and round, but pity, the Red Demon Clan doesn't really like eating pie.

"Megumin, I feel you can't handle this Red Demon King identity. Why not let Uncle me help you handle it? Uncle me has considerable family wealth, I'm the Red Demon Clan's number one landlord, and when the time comes I can even pay you money."

Oh, it's not that they don't like eating pie, but rather they like eating an even bigger pie.

Compared to being small soldiers in a future Red Demon Army that hasn't even been formed yet, some Red Demon Clan nobles with considerable family wealth would rather be the Ultimate Great Villain, the Red Demon King who is humanity's enemy.

One after another they persuaded Megumin, wanting her to abdicate and yield to the worthy, letting them nobles shoulder the heavy Red Demon King identity and devote themselves to this world's future peace.

"Ah, you bunch of bastard nobles, don't even think about snatching the Red Demon King identity from my hands!"

Regarding this, Megumin naturally wasn't willing to yield.

"Then there's no way. We can only handle this by the book. You have to pay sufficient salary, then we'll help you."

The Red Demon Clan nobles shrugged their shoulders, indicating helplessness.

Of course, these nobles weren't truly trying to make things difficult for Megumin. It's just that the Red King position actually carries danger. Rather than letting the younger generation's Megumin take the risk, better to hand it to them nobles.

After all, most of the Red Demon Clan nobles know Teleportation Magic. If they encounter assassination they can directly flee, unlike Megumin.

Facing this situation, Megumin was deeply troubled. This isn't even a proper script flow, damn it. It'd be fine as long as these bastard nobles don't take the chance to jack up their own hiring prices.

"Megumin, you guys want to save money, right? Then I have an idea."

Just when Megumin was troubled, Youhui actively sought her out.

"Eh, Youhui, what idea do you have?"

"Anyway you just want to scare the Three Great Kingdoms, thereby guaranteeing future peace, not actually planning to wage war with the Three Great Kingdoms.

Then instead of forming a real Demon King Army with combat power, why not form a fake, more intimidating Demon King Army.

You can hire the villagers to stage a super large-scale Script Killing with the world as the stage!"

Youhui said so.

(Chapter End)