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Kongming had his monk bring him a pipe, which he began to smoke.

After tapping it into a tray twice, he looked at my face.

 

“Well, you are certainly more handsome than Decarbia.”

 

“I wouldn’t want to be compared to a starfish.”

 

“And I heard that you defeated him.”

 

“With a few tricks.”

 

“That is very good. I prefer a king who will try every hand.”

 

Kongming said. While he seemed to like me well enough, working for me was a different matter.

 

“I see that you’re impressive in your own right, Demon King. However, I wish to live quietly here. Please take your leave.”

 

He said.

 

Kongming looked out of the window. But it seemed that he wasn’t looking at the scenery, but something much farther away.

 

I pointed at a camellia bud that could be seen from the window.

 

“It should bloom soon. When it does, I will return.”

 

Kongming waved his hand as if bored. Then he returned to his books.

And so we left him. On the way back, Jeanne was furious.

 

“I hate his attitude. A Demon King has come all of this way to see him.”

 

“It is all according to the written record. He is not very interested in earthly things.”

 

“Then how can he be useful? His trick with the book was amusing for sure, but anyone could have done that.”

 

Said Toshizou. I heard this and chuckled.

 

“Oh, so you were fooled too?”

 

I said.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious? I saw the book too. There were no bent pages.”

 

“What!?”

 

In other words…

 

“Exactly. So he did memorize the book in a short amount of time. He has a perfect memory.”

 

“Wh-what kind of monster?”

 

Said Jeanne. She had only just recently learned to read a little. But yes, Kongming was a monster in a way.

 

And I very much wanted him to serve me and rule Decarbia castle.

I said this to Toshizou and Jeanne, and then we returned to the inn where we spent the next few days.

 

That night, Toshizou held a bottle of wine in one hand and groaned.

 

“That tactician is impressive, but so are you for being able to see his worth in such a short amount of time, Demon King.”

 

The strongest Demon King and a legendary tactician. What would happen if they joined forces? He could not wait to see it.

Next Chapter 

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