"So, what will be your answer?" Zelda asked again, and it would be the last time he asked. Demons did not like repeating themselves, nor did they appreciate being forced to do so.
The princess finally spoke.
"I accept it. I am at your mercy."
Zelda was pleased with the response. With a snap of his fingers, all the dead soldiers' bodies vanished into his personal space, where he intended to feast upon them over time. Consuming everything at once was neither efficient nor wise. He had learned that lesson the hard way due to a certain incident in the past.
"Now, tell me," Zelda said, "why did those who were socially inferior to you in the hierarchy seek to end your life?"
The princess paused. Her gaze drifted away for a moment, and she bit her lip briefly before answering.
"The revolutionaries, led by the Democratic Ascendancy, overthrew the monarchy... and in their goal of creating a demoncry they killed the entire royal family and many nobles. I managed to escape, and I was trying to seek aid from one of our neighboring kingdoms, but before I could reach it, the revolutionary soldiers found me, pursued me, and..."
Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Zelda raised an eyebrow.
Demons possessed very little understanding of human society. What they did know was that humans lived within complex social hierarchies, where those of higher status stood above those beneath them. To demons, it was also baffling that positions of authority were often occupied by ordinary humans who possessed neither awakened mana nor extraordinary strength, yet still ruled over those who did.
It simply made no sense to them. How could one submit themselves to someone weaker? Why would those inferior in power hold authority over those who were clearly superior?
In contrast, demon society was far simpler. Demons primarily followed those who possessed greater power than themselves. While they did maintain a social hierarchy, it existed more as an official chain of command established for the efficient administration of the Demon King's domain and the fulfillment of whatever goals he pursued.
Even then, many demons chose not to follow the Demon King at all.
Much like Zelda himself.
The demon hierarchy was, in many ways, a hierarchy in name only. Power was the only authority that truly mattered. Titles, ranks, and positions held meaning only so long as the individuals possessing them had the strength to enforce them. The moment they lost that strength, those titles became worthless.
"Does this make any difference to whatever proposal you had?" the princess asked.
"It certainly does," Zelda replied. "I was hoping to use you to obtain a high social position within your kingdom, along with the privileges that came with it. You would also provide me with humans to eat... in exchange for saving your life."
The princess lowered her gaze.
"But now you know that I possess no authority," she said quietly. "I serve no purpose to you."
It was true. There was little reason to keep the princess alive beyond the point he already had. At least, that was what logic suggested. Yet Zelda could not shake the feeling that there was still some use for her beyond merely becoming his next meal.
As he pondered the matter, an idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
A possibility.
Something so unusual that few, if any, demons would have ever considered it.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Tell me," Zelda said, "what if I helped you reclaim your position? Your privileges... and everything else that was taken from you?"
The princess gasped.
"You would help me... why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Zelda replied. "If you cannot provide me with what I want because you lack authority, then I simply need to help you regain that authority. Once you have it back, you can provide me with what I want."
Hearing his words, the princess fell silent. She carefully considered his proposal, weighing each possibility in her mind. After a long moment, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Do you promise that you will not break your word?"
"I have no reason to."
The princess slowly rose to her feet, dusting the dirt from her clothes.
"I, Maria Engracia, am then under your care, Mr. Demon."
"Then let us move," Zelda said. "Just six or seven kilometers from here, a village was recently raided by a group of demons. There is a chance they may wander into this area as well, and you already know what would happen if they found you."
Maria nodded.
"Where will we go?"
"First, we will go to Endomiya."
"Why there? That's the Monster Forest."
"Yes, but we need to gather an army of our own, and that is the perfect place to recruit one."
The princess blinked in surprise.
"As powerful as I am, I have no desire to engage an entire human army by myself. It would be both risky and disadvantageous, even if I could eventually kill them all."
Unlike many demons, Zelda did not underestimate the power of human unity.
"You humans breed faster than almost any other race," he continued. "Your numbers alone are a tremendous advantage. No matter how powerful an individual may be, it is rarely wise to stand against an entire nation without support."
"But aren't the monsters there rather weak? I mean, even ordinary humans can kill one if they are lucky."
"Absolutely," Zelda replied. "But weak monsters can become stronger, and it would be better to have even weak monsters under our command than none at all. Even if they are incapable of making a significant impact against a human army, they can still serve as cannon fodder or be put to use in other ways."
A faint smile formed on his face.
"Besides, strength is not the only thing that determines a creature's value. Numbers, loyalty, labor, scouting, distractions, supplies."
Maria stared at him for a moment.
"I didn't know even ordinary demons understood logistics... and all that sort of thing. I thought only the Demon King and some high-ranking officials possessed such knowledge. Are you part of the Demon King's elite?"
"First of all," Zelda said, sounding mildly offended, "I do not work for that madman who seeks to eradicate my favorite food from the face of the world."
Maria blinked.
"Second, most demons actually know all of this. It's just that we rarely have any need to use it. Usually, if a problem appears, we simply hit it hard enough until it stops being a problem."
The demon shrugged.
"Anyways, we've wasted enough time. We can continue this little conversation later."
"Agreed," the princess—no, Maria—said.
Zelda tapped the end of his staff against the ground.
Instantly, the blood-soaked earth and scattered pieces of flesh littering the battlefield began to crumble into fine gray ash. Not a trace of gore remained. He then raised his staff high and gave it a sweeping wave. The ash swirled around the spearhead at its tip before being carried away by an unseen force, scattering into a random direction.
"This should take care of the smell," he said. "Can't really leave behind all that blood and flesh."
The last thing he needed was to discover that a group of demons had picked up the scent and decided to follow him.
Satisfied with his work, Zelda lowered his staff.
With that, the two set off on their journey toward Endomiya, leaving the battlefield behind as the last traces of blood and death vanished into the wind.