“It’s a pointless intervention. If their relationship is going to improve, it will happen naturally; if not, then it won’t.”
“The words of the great demon lord are correct. Rather than worrying about such trivial matters, I wish we could start the meeting right after our friends finish seeing us off.”
The unanimous refusal from the demon lord and Eli.
The ‘Let’s get along~’ project was unable to even start and came to a halt.
Pupu.
Pastel sat with her chin resting on her hand. Her lips were pouting.
Melissa, who was stealing glances, bowed her head and apologized without excuse, and as Eli organized the demon realm map neatly, the atmosphere shifted straight into a meeting.
Ugh.
Stiff people who only work.
Pastel glanced down at the demon realm map in front of her. With miniature railroads and trains placed on the map, it looked quite plausible.
“The black miniature represents things that currently exist, while the gray represents things that don’t exist yet but are planned.”
Eli unfolded a collapsible stick and waved it around, indicating the map overall.
Pastel picked up the train, which, in reality, was a toy, and placed it on the tracks. Although no steam puffed up when she pushed it, the wheels rolled smoothly.
“Choo choo~! Did Eli prepare this train friend? It seems cuter than I expected!”
Yes, yes!
Above all, it’s clear that black represents my taste, while the substitute is gray!
Eli disregarded her indifferently, her stick pointing here and there.
“As you can see, the railroad installation is complete along the coastline. Despite the guild’s bankruptcy, construction continued somehow.”
Pupu.
Pastel noticeably pouted her lips. It was a clear act of ‘Look at me!’
No one paid attention to the sulking Pastel.
The demon lord, crossing his arms, was focused on the explanation, staring down at the miniature map, while Melissa, already familiar with it as a member of the student council, was once again amazed by the miniature models.
“The engineering technology of the demon realm is truly sophisticated. If we hold a military meeting with this, it would be really effective. Should I send a letter to my mother?”
Pupu.
The future southern commander, lost in scary soliloquy. More than that, pay attention to good Pastel who is sulking here!
Eli’s stick twisted along the coastline.
“Currently, we’ve connected the ports, and the next plan is to expand the railroad network to the surrounding inland cities. As you can see, the railroad has been installed to the major inland cities near the coast.”
Eli handed out statistical data.
“Actually, the trains are still slow, which makes transport time long, but this alone allows for mass transportation. We’ve confirmed that goods related to railroad transportation have been supplied in large quantities, which has overall lowered prices. It’s effective enough to be felt by civilians.”
“Interesting.”
The demon rubbed his chin.
“Why did the guild that went bankrupt install from the port? Wouldn’t it have been more profitable and impactful to start from the capital?”
Eli sighed heavily.
“That’s because I was overly ambitious. That guild was nominally a civilian guild, but it was heavily influenced by our kingdom. That’s why I participated in the installation plan.”
Eli splashed water on her face.
“The plan was to push from the coast to the capital all at once. The fuel for the construction golems was controlled by the demon company, but it was easier to smuggle it around the port. The plan was to create a synergy by smuggling fuel and installing the railroad at the same time, explosively installing it before the empire could feel it.”
“Was it a plan focused on the overall installation speed? Then the empire noticed and aimed for the moment when the railroad had only been installed along the coastline, causing profitability to plummet.”
“Yes… I really didn’t expect the empire to react so harshly since they didn’t even understand what a railroad was. It was a misjudgment on my part. My fault.”
“That’s not true.”
Pouting, Pastel opened her mouth while still resting her chin on her hand, making it clear that she was sulking.
“Your plan itself wasn’t bad. Not starting from the capital would have delayed the effect of imperial diplomats residing in the capital physically experiencing the railroad. If you had started from the capital, the empire’s response would have been entirely different. It was not a misjudgment; your plan just had its pros and cons.”
“That was one reason, but…”
Eli smiled subtly.
“Thank you.”
“Yes, yes.”
I’m the one comforting my friend, so I’m totally good!
Having practiced good deeds, Pastel’s sulking state broke, and she adjusted her sitting posture.
“Talking about things the demon lord doesn’t know is enough! Anyway, it doesn’t matter if the demon lord doesn’t know! Let’s talk about work!”
Eli looked flustered. Her gaze checked the great demon’s mood.
The demon lord seemed bewildered.
“The treatment is too much, but it makes some sense. You need not worry; I’ll understand soon enough. However, I have one question.”
“Yes! Please ask!”
She gestured towards Melissa, who had been listening quietly.
“Is it permissible to discuss the demon realm’s national grand strategy in front of the empire’s key military officials?”
Hmm, is the demon lord a genius?
Melissa turned out to be a cunning spy!
What an unexpected revelation!
The fact that she was able to infiltrate without any suspicion and hear sensitive information shows her incredible skill!
All eyes turned to Melissa.
The professional spy, Melissa, looked flustered.
“Isn’t that a question we should have asked sooner? We’ve already discussed the military utilization of the railroad a few times with Aelsia.”
Melissa spoke as if reminiscing about the tea time.
“We talked about how, if transporting troops and supplies becomes easier, new troops recruited from the rear could outweigh front-line losses, which might lead to the front becoming entrenched and change the strategy paradigm.”
She spoke in a calm voice, as if discussing a poetry collection read with friends during tea time.
Huh!
What kind of terrifying discussions happen during tea time!
These oblivious military lords are frightening!
Pastel was shaken.
No way, no way.
Could Melissa actually be Melissa Craft?
She had been hiding her sinister intentions and infiltrating the student council to spy on the demon realm’s latest military technology!
Doing such tremendous things alongside Aelsia, who had been mentoring her all day!
Naive Pastel had been tricked!
Huh!
Suddenly, she felt Eli’s gaze.
Looking back, Eli’s eyes conveyed a belief.
Oh?
As if to say she already knew about spy Melissa’s existence, but Believing that Melissa could not surpass Pastel’s cunning scheme, she trusts that Pastel surely would have prepared some measures or safety protocols.
Huh.
Is that so?
Was that how it should have been?
Aren’t you trusting me too much?!
Pastel, without any countermeasures, gulped her dry saliva. Her trembling pink eyes looked at Melissa.
“My dear friend Melissa~.”
“What is it?”
Pastel glided closer.
She placed her hands on Melissa’s shoulders and began to massage them.
Massage, massage, massage.
Then she lightly clenched her fist and patted her shoulders, which were stiff from her chest.
Pastel, with a cheery expression that said, “I just purely like my friend without any profit calculations~,” playfully asked.
“We’re best friends, right?”
I’ve never doubted our bond!
Melissa tilted her head.
“That’s right?”
Wow!
She says so!
Pastel cheered.
“I knew it!”
Indeed, the brightness of friendship~! is magnificent!
Crisis averted!
Yay! Yay!
Pastel jumped up and down in place.
“I’m friends with Melissa!”
Yay! Yay!
Just then, she felt a peculiar gaze.
It was Eli.
Are you really not without a plan? was a highly reasonable suspicion that came and went, but considering that Pasetel could not be so, it quieted down.
Hehe.
Eli, Eli, don’t worry.
The brightness of friendship~! is indeed great!
Pastel returned to her seat, humming.
“Now that the demon lord’s questions are resolved, let’s proceed!”
Eli fidgeted with the stick and pointed to the map.
“Anyway, what we need to do immediately is decided. The expansion of the railroad network and preparation against railroad terrorism.”
“Right, right! Wasn’t the railroad damaged by extremist demon attacks?”
Ugh, the wicked demon king’s subordinates.
“The railroad is almost fully repaired now. The railroad installation is straightforward in a straight line, so it’s very easy to automate with construction golems, and as long as there’s ample magic stone fuel, it’ll be done quickly.”
Hehe.
“The problem is that the magic stone fuel is controlled by the demon company. Smuggling is good, but if possible…”
Eli glanced slightly.
“It’s me! It’s me!”
Like a good child who hadn’t even considered smuggling, Pastel raised her hand.
“I’ll meet with Count Makenas and secure a formal trade!”
At the negotiation table, the authority given by the Emperor would likely be laid out instead of weapons, but just pretend it’s there and don’t worry!
“Then that’s settled for the magic stone fuel. As for the emissary preparations, we can listen to the latest reports when we arrive at the palace and discuss.”
“Yes, yes! Agreed, agreed!”
The demon realm’s flying ship arrived peacefully at the shores of the demon realm. Because there were no pirates bold enough to touch a warship.
“Wow! The demon realm! The demon realm!”
Having disembarked, Pastel landed on the ground and cheered.
Melissa pulled out the schedule.
“We arrived easier than expected. I didn’t consider that the principal would purchase a warship in the itinerary.”
It was such an early arrival that nobody came out to greet them at the Craft guild’s branch in the demon realm.
“It’s right to account for troubles and take it at a leisurely pace! How long empty?”
“About three days.”
“Then.”
Looking around, delicious scents wafted from around the docking station.
Uwa!
Pastel, drooling, quickly wiped her mouth.
A sparkling idea filled her head.
Indeed, at times like this…
Pastel cheerfully raised her arms.
“I want to conduct an unexpected inspection of the demon realm branch!”
Yay~!
“What?”
Nothing tastes better than delicious food than power!
The governor’s visit is coming unannounced~!
Oh, yeah.
