Chapter 160
Pastel walked down the corridor of the luxury hotel. She was alone, without Lord Demon or Melissa.
"Bububu~."
Wicked energy~.
It's Borabora.
The corridor, with the entire floor rented out, was quiet and devoid of people.
Pastel's finger twirled her keychain. Arriving in front of the door, she inserted the key and turned it.
Pushing the door open, I revealed the antique and ornate interior of the room. Faint sounds of conversation could be heard.
From the Terrace?
"Why am I suffering like this just because I ruined my first impression? Someone gets to come leisurely on a Train trip, while I have to sweat coming here first for Information Gathering. Hey, you need to pick the right side too. Got it?"
"Oh! That sounds right, Leader! I won't presumptuously request a spar with Pastel and will just make sure she remembers my face!"
"Are you making fun of me right now?! Wow, seriously. Hey, listen here."
Pastel tiptoed over. She peeked her head out and spied on the Terrace.
"Who is the person standing in front of you? Huh? Whose side should you be on? Huh? Tell me!"
Leaning against the railing with a wine glass in hand, Renard was pointing a finger at a good-natured friend.
"Well……."
The Friend belonging to the Inspection Department took a moment to ponder.
"The great Governor-General Pastel?"
Gasp, how touching!
A million times the incentive!
"You punk?!"
Renard grabbed the back of his neck.
"But Leader!"
Another Friend raised his hand high.
"Governor-General Pastel is a cool title, so it feels rewarding to be her Subordinate, but being the Subordinate of a shabby Leader isn't cool at all!"
"Gaaah! You guys! Don't call me Leader from now on! You don't have the right!"
Wow.
Pastel clasped her hands together and shouted.
"Got it! Not-Leader Renard!"
"What?! Who was that just now! Which punk is it! Do you think the Head of Inspection is a pushover?!"
Renard glared around thoroughly. Then he flinched upon discovering Governor-General Pastel peeking at the Terrace.
"Hehe."
Pastel entered the Terrace, waving both hands cheerfully.
"Hello! Friends! It's been a while! Were you lonely while I was gone? I wasn't lonely, but I missed you guys!"
The Friend Friends cheered.
One of them quickly shouted.
"Pastel! Not-Leader Renard tried the privatization of an organization!"
A swift tattletale.
"Hey, hey!"
Renard was appalled.
"What did you saaaay?!"
Pastel covered her mouth in surprise.
Oh My Goodness! Oh My Goodness!
Privatization of an Organization!
Every organization on Sky Island exists to serve the great Governor-General Pastel, yet he committed such a misdeed!
Shock.
Shooock.
Pastel looked ready to cry.
"Sniff, I'm fine. Even if Not-Leader Renard is aiming for insubordination and pursuing the Privatization of an Organization, Pastel isn't sad!"
Pastel shouted bravely.
"Pastel, Pastel! believes in her friendship with the Friend Friends!"
With that, she placed the briefcase she had brought onto the table. As the bag opened, gleaming gold coins revealed themselves.
"Gold Coin Friend!"
Pastel lifted the bag of gold coins as if placing it on her head.
"Gold Coin Friend says it believes in our friendship too!"
Yay!
The pile of gold coins sparkled.
"Wow! Pastel! The great Governor-General!"
The Friends cheered with a different meaning than before.
"Good friends! Let's show our friendship! Everyone line up!"
The gold coins were distributed.
To the Friend who had argued more strongly than anyone else that they should line up behind Governor-General Pastel.
She pulled out a handful of gold coins.
"A million times the incentive!"
"Waaaah!"
And to the friend who had tattled faster than anyone else.
"A hundred thousand times the incentive!"
"Waaaah!"
Once everything was handed out, the briefcase snapped shut.
"Gaaah!"
Renard, who had sneakily lined up as well but received nothing, tore at his hair.
"Unpaid labor……?!"
"Bboobboo~!"
She wagged her finger side to side.
"Privatization of an Organization is not a virtue of a Public Official."
"Hey! These guys were originally my subordinates, you know?"
Renard protested justifiably.
Her Pink Eyes widened.
"Gasp."
That is!
That is……!
Her finger was pointing at Renard.
"To call a friend a Subordinate!"
Ding ding ding!
"Character Test failed!"
Promotion criteria failed!
Everything is a fail~!
"Gaaah!"
Renard messed up his hair.
"Ahaha!"
Pastel laughed, slapping Renard's back.
It's Borabora's daily life~, daily life~.
#
"Why did you arrive so late?"
The excited atmosphere settled down. The sturdily built Renard sat on the sofa and crossed his legs.
"There was a bit of an accident, just like in the letter. I even fainted because a group that was likely the Church committed a massacre before my eyes."
Renard looked dumbfounded.
"If something like that happened, didn't you think to hop on an Airship and come straight here instead of taking the Train according to your original schedule?"
"Business inspections are important too. The Train's commercial viability is still lacking, after all."
Scolded for no reason, Pastel pouted and moved her teaspoon. Sugar piled up in a heap in her green tea.
Renard turned his gaze away with an expression that said he had seen something he shouldn't have.
"Right, that's your business to handle. It seems like you came to me first without finishing your schedule. Did something happen?"
"Wow. Quick-witted Renard! This is why I like you!"
Renard gave her a brief glance, clicked his tongue, and looked away again.
"Right, right! A problem came up!"
Pastel lifted her cup with a bright expression. She was about to drink it as is, but the heaping pile of sugar caught her eye.
Would I not cough up blood if I drank this as is?
After taking a moment to ponder, she set the cup down. She took out a Magic Stone Pepper Shaker and sprinkled Magic Stone Powder.
White powder and black powder floated in the tea.
Renard's expression became even more disgusted.
Pastel stirred with her teaspoon.
"What should I talk about first?"
She explained the unhelpful, chaotic political situation of the Demon Realm United Kingdom and Princess Ellie's delicate position.
Renard twitched an eyebrow.
"Ah, that. It really is a mess here. Our Sky Island is much better. What kind of nonsense Republicanism is this?"
Renard's finger tapped the table. He seemed to be reviewing the situation he had grasped after arriving here first.
"But that's probably also because of your Family. It's true that the Dovish Faction reached an agreement at the last Secret Meeting, but that's not something it can openly talk about in the Council. The existence of the Demon King is a State Secret."
"Ah, that kind of feeling?"
Following the Demon King's assurance, they had decided to consider Kraft an ally, but it could be difficult to clarify their stance in the Council where the public's attention was focused.
"Since the public also knows about the Prophecy of the Demon King's Appearance, the Hawks are currently in a stronger position. In a political situation where hardline remarks gain traction, excessively conveying the nuance of cooperating with Kraft while keeping the fact of Contact with the Demon King hidden as a State Secret is……."
"A serious Political Risk."
"Exactly. If public sentiment completely turns and the Hawks take over the Council, it'll be a bigger problem than it is now."
I see.
Pastel gulped down her sugar green tea. Even though she had put in a lot of sugar, a bitter taste filled her mouth.
Originally, the Radical Faction, who could share the secret of the Demon King's existence, should have understood the situation and subtly shown consideration by not mentioning topics related to the secret.
But knowing that the Moderate Faction couldn't mention the secret, were the opponents instead poking at their weakness and pressuring them?
The dilemma of a State Secret and Mass Politics…….
It would be easier if the Moderate Faction just refreshingly announced that the Demon King ordered them to cooperate with Kraft and that they would follow, but that would give the Empire a justification for a radical Preemptive Response.
Pastel smiled brightly.
"I understand now! I think I treated Ellie a little too harshly!"
As a Princess, Pastel's position would become painful caught between the Kingdom and her friend, so Pastel showed consideration first.
Because forcing her to choose between being a traitor to her country and a traitor to her friend was truly too cruel a thing to do as a friend.
Pastel softly took a moment to ponder.
"In that situation, I should use a more moderate justification."
She had planned to mobilize the Private Army of the Demon World Corporation to go *pow pow!* on the Hawks under the pretext of arresting the wicked Demon King's subordinates, but she would have to detour to a justification with less Public Backlash.
She finished downing her sugar green tea and stood up from her seat.
"You brought a suitably bad Demonkind, right? Let's take a look."
Renard stared at her strangely before obediently guiding her.
They arrived in front of a door treated with soundproofing in the corner of the Hotel.
A Former Knight, no, just a Knight, saluted like a gatekeeper.
"Governor-General! Nothing to report!"
"Thank you for your hard work."
As the door opened, the room was dim.
It was so dark that Pastel flinched slightly. But because she was the great Governor-General, she pretended to be fine and confidently entered the room.
The Smell of Blood lingered faintly.
It was a sticky scent that wouldn't wash away.
Huh?
Pastel looked around in a panic.
The lights turned on. A Demonkind was tied to the central pillar.
It was the Radical Faction Emissary who had come to the Secret Meeting Place committing Explosive Terror, provoked those present by saying, *Our Radical Faction can't even believe in the Demon King's existence, and we're the ones who terrorized the Kraft Railroad~!*, and tried to run away before being caught in the Knights Order's Pursuit.
The epitome of suitably bad Demonkind who followed the wicked Demon King……!
Fierce eyes glared above a gagged mouth. The blood flowing down his chin caught her eye.
Blood?
Oiiing……?!
"T-Torture?!"
Pastel's body trembled.
She whipped her head around to look at Renard.
"Renard, you were such a bad person?!"
In an instant, Renard was demoted from a friend to just a bad person.
"Are you kidding me?"
Renard was dumbfounded.
"If I had tortured him earlier, my job would have been easier!"
"How dare you……!"
The Demonkind spat out the gag, which had actually been loose. His furious eyes wavered.
"How dare you feed this noble Nathaniel Friesli nothing but raw mackerel for all three meals a day……! I will never forgive you!"
It was a shout seemingly mixed with tears.
Mackerel blood dripped down his chin. A smell wafted out, one that didn't need to be distinguished as either the Smell of Blood or just a fishy stench.
A raw mackerel in the corner of the room flaunted its presence and flopped around.
Flop, flop.
Mackerel Mackerel.
"Gasp!"
Pastel covered her mouth with both hands.
Mackerel for all three meals!
This is Demonkind!
This Demonkind gentleman!
He's eating well and doing fine……!
"Phew!"
Pastel wiped her forehead for no reason.
"I thought it was torture!"
Thank goodness it wasn't!