■ Ozma Governor’s Office □
It has already been over two years since Ozma took office as the governor of Oz.
Oz, which was downgraded from an autonomous state to a colony in the spring of the year before last, initially faced a lot of conflicts.
After all, a country that was originally ruled by humans had essentially fallen into the hands of the Demon Tribe, so it was inevitable that dissatisfaction would erupt among the general citizens who were unaware of the detailed circumstances.
Moreover, the history of conflict between humans and demons spans nearly 800 years.
Since the era of the 2nd Demon King, Tiberius, known as the “Evil Dragon,” who is recorded as the worst Demon King in human history, humans and demons have always lived in mutual hostility.
In a state where the rift between the two races had deepened to its extreme, gaining control over the hearts of the people of Oz was an incredibly difficult task.
So, as soon as the Governor’s Office was established, the first thing we did was redirect that hostility elsewhere.
Generally, nobles and commoners do not get along.
Thus, the method we employed was to pit them against each other.
First, we went around the territories of the nobles scattered throughout the kingdom and emptied their treasuries.
In the face of the overwhelming military power of the Demon King’s Army, the nobles could only silently hand over their wealth.
Once the nobles’ treasuries were emptied, how would they replenish them?
Naturally, by squeezing the blood out of the commoners beneath them.
This, of course, meant that the commoners would naturally come to hate the nearby nobles more than us, who were far away.
Just as tax collectors, who were merely doing their jobs, were greatly despised by the general citizens.
Of course, some of the more quick-witted ones tried to make excuses, saying that the Governor’s Office had no choice but to collect excessive taxes, but after I made an example of one by blowing up their mansion, the rest kept their mouths shut.
In the lands ruled by demons, power was fundamentally closer than the law, and since I was the finance officer, all of Oz’s taxes came to me, making me practically the most powerful person in Oz, second only to Ozma.
Of course, I didn’t abuse my power or do anything crazy, relying on Ozma’s favor; I simply focused on my duties.
After about a year, the commoners’ main enemy became the nobles, and the nobles’ main enemy became the Ozma Governor’s Office, which collected enormous taxes.
We could have been harsher under the pretext of war reparations, but I stopped after about a year because it seemed like they would rise up with spears instead of money if we squeezed them any further.
Of course, the amount of money we had collected in just one year was nearly equivalent to three years of the national budget, which gave a clear sense of how corrupt Oz was from within.
I was even shocked when nearly 1 million gold in slush funds were discovered in a rural baron’s territory.
It seemed like someone had temporarily moved the funds there, but we swallowed them up before they could be returned to their original owner.
The owner of those funds probably clutched their chest and collapsed.
If they claimed the money was theirs, the Governor’s Office would send inspectors charging them with tax evasion.
The day we found that money, the entire Governor’s Office went out for a celebration.
If the first year after occupying Oz was about pitting nobles against commoners, the next year was about winning both sides over to our side.
First, we secretly approached some nobles, tempting them with promises of favors if they supported the Governor’s Office, and then divided the nobles into pro-demon and royal restoration factions.
In truth, the pro-demon faction wasn’t entirely nonexistent from the beginning.
But they were likely wary of others’ opinions, and some probably endured the exploitation out of fear that if they hastily sided with us and the demons were driven back to Doom Land, they would be in trouble.
Therefore, we treated those who switched to the pro-demon faction relatively early with favor and gradually expanded our influence around them.
If only one or two had betrayed, the story would have been different, but as the number of betrayers increased, those remaining in the royal restoration faction began to suspect each other.
‘What if everyone else switches to the pro-demon faction except me?’
‘Am I missing out on benefits by hesitating to defect?’
‘Am I being foolish? Is there any reason to hold out when everyone else is leaving?’
Using agitators we planted in the royal restoration faction, we constantly fueled these thoughts to encourage the nobles to defect.
Of course, there were those who steadfastly maintained their integrity, but they were a minority from the start.
Most were major nobles who could preserve their power without necessarily joining the pro-demon faction.
Since Prince Tipetarius, the sole heir to the throne, had abandoned his royal status and secluded himself in his territory of Dresden, the right to succession naturally passed to the collateral lines.
If the monarchy were to be restored, a new king could emerge from their own family, which had even a drop of royal blood.
Naturally, those with such ambitions tightly held onto those around them and whispered sweet words.
They said that if they joined the pro-demon faction now, they would be treated worse than those who had joined early, so it was better to stay by their side and become founding contributors.
They seemed to have completely forgotten that even when the country was at full strength, it had unconditionally surrendered after just two Ether Magic spells, and those swayed by the major nobles’ sweet talk remained in the royal restoration faction.
In the current state, with the pro-demon and royal restoration factions balanced, the situation was just right.
After setting the nobles against each other, we actively introduced things that were considered natural in demon territories to win over the commoners.
“A 60-hour workweek?”
“Establishing succubus brothels?”
“A minimum wage system?”
“Giving money to humans and demons who marry and have children?”
“Lowering the tax rate compared to before?”
People who had been working under the foreman’s instructions without any set rules were suddenly overwhelmed by the new laws for workers.
Of course, the nobles and bourgeoisie who employed them resisted, but I told them to screw off and threatened to throw them in jail if they didn’t comply.
Sometimes, forcing things through is more necessary than listening to complaints.
Moreover, with demon soldiers stationed for over a year, many had fallen for human women and ended up marrying them, making such laws even more necessary.
Those who had worked in the Heaven Demon King’s Army wouldn’t have accepted Hell Oz’s absurd working conditions.
As the general citizens’ approval ratings rose, the ongoing noise naturally subsided.
Humans are creatures of forgetfulness.
They might rage for the first few months, but eventually, they adapt to the current situation and return to their daily lives.
In truth, while it was called a colony, there was no discrimination like first-class or second-class citizens, so no ill feelings arose from discrimination.
Of course, many still hated demons, but more had been indoctrinated to hate them rather than genuinely hating them, so those feelings quickly subsided.
As I had expressed before, if humans are demons without horns, then demons are humans with horns.
They fundamentally have emotions and use the same language, so it was inevitable that they would assimilate when living in the same place.
Moreover, with the highest authority in the country being a demon, there were no bold individuals who could discriminate against demons.
The result of about two years of effort was this.
‘Colony Oz’
The only country in the world where humans, demons, and other races live together.
This was news that the Demon King, who had proposed this plan, would have been very pleased to hear.
After the war ended, Ozma and I held an engagement ceremony before the Demon King left Oz.
I didn’t want to, but since we were caught spending the night together, I had to take proper responsibility.
Fortunately, the other members understood, so Ozma was recognized as the official wife of our party.
Thus, our current relationship was reorganized.
Ozma as the fiancée, Barnett, Dorothy, and Camilla as lovers.
Living with the four of them, it became almost like a de facto marriage, but it seemed like a proper wedding would have to wait a few more years.
This is due to cultural differences between humans and demons. While humans, with relatively short lifespans, consider 60 years a long life, for demons, 60 years is just the beginning of youth.
Unlike humans, who marry after dating for a year or two, demons consider their partners for life, so they spend a long time observing before holding a wedding when they are sure.
Given this background, it was agreed that our wedding would take place after Oz stabilized and we returned to our homeland.
“Then, I’ll be back.”
“Bring whiskey when you come.”
After waving to Dorothy, who had quit being one of the Four Heavenly Kings and became a home guard, I left the house.
The four of us boarded a carriage heading to the Governor’s Office.
“Another beautiful day today.”
After lunch, I should take a walk around the Governor’s Office.
