After spending anht in the Elven pace:

  “Well, we’ll be leaving now. Thank you for your cooperation.”

  “o thank us; it bes us as well. Wishing you smooth travels ahead.”

  In the room where Misako and her group had first arrived via the teleportation array, Noelle, Rover, and Naver were bidding them farewell.

  “The teleportation array leads to the Demon Realm. Someone should be there to receive you.”

  About two decades ago, the Demon Realm began opening up, and other races like the Dragons, Vampires, and Elves offered their support. As a symbol of goodwill and to facilitate travel, teleportation arrays were established between the realms.

  However, to prevent misuse or unauthorized access, these arrays were strictly limited to high-ranking officials or emergency situations and required proper notification for any other use.

  “Activating the teleportation array.”

  With those words, the array carved into the floor emitted a faint bluish glow. The light grew steadily brighter until it enveloped everyoanding within it. In an instant, it reached its peak iy before dimming back to stillness.

  ...

  Demon Realm, Demon King's Castle

  A faint blue light appeared in a room within the Demon King’s castle, and Misako and her group materialized within.

  “It seems we’ve arrived,” Misako remarked, surveying their surroundings. Noelle and the others were gone, and the room had ged entirely.

  “Let’s step outside first,” she suggested.

  The room was empty, with no light fixtures aside from faint ambient light. They decided to leave and figure things out as they went. Upon opening the door, they were met by a figure strange armor and wearing a helmet.

  The figure resembled a knight from a different world, but there was an unfamiliar edge to the design. Ohing was certain—Veridith’ eyes sparkled with admiration. She likely found the armor incredibly cool.

  “Twons, one demon, an uified entity, and… uable,” the figure noted aloud. “State your purpose, or you will be eliminated.”

  At those words, blue fmes ignited along the figure’s bad boots, burning with an otherworldly iy.

  “We’re here to iate terms,” Misako stepped forward, her toeady.

  While they weren’t intimidated, they needed cooperation here, so avoiding flict referable. The figure had instantly identified their races—something not easily done. Misako’s demoy was a closely guarded secret, known only to allies like Marlyno and Sisi. It seemed prudent to py along for now. A certain short-tempered member of their group might otherwise lose patiend start a fight.

  “Terms? Ah… wait, yes, I recall something about that.”

  The previously stern voice suddenly shifted to a casual tone. If this were a game or anime, cheerful background music would likely begin pying.

  “Deactivating Magiteight mode.”

  With that, the figure’s armor turransparent and dissolved like fmes, revealing a girl with twin brown ponytails, amber eyes, and a navy-blue hoodie with yellow ats and cat ears.

  “Sorry about that! I got caught up w on a big projed pletely fot about visitors,” she said, scratg the back of her head with a sheepish smile. “I’m Lucciliane. You’re the ones here to discuss the alliance, right? Please, follow me.”

  Lucciliahem through corridors filled with an assortment of devices and maery.

  “Are you a magitethusiast, Lucciliane?” someone in the group asked.

  “Yep! Actually, I was a mentor to Naf and Gregory during their time at the academy. I’ve guided others as well, but the one I worked with the lo…”

  Lucciliane pushed open a door, revealing a small pink-haired girl sitting behind a desk, engrossed in paperwork.

  “Zilliane, visitors.”

  At Lucciliane’s words, the pink-haired girl looked up and turned her gaze to Misako and her group.

  “You must be the ones Naf mentioned seeking our assistance?”

  “That’s right.”

  “One moment, please.”

  The girl, identified as Zilliane, quickly anized her dots and walked over to a sofa, gesturing for them to sit.

  “First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Zilliahe current Demon King.”

  “I’m Lucciliane, assisting around the castle and w on various projects.”

  ‘…After meeting the Elven King, nothing about rulers surprises me anymore,’ Misako mused, recalling Mira, the tiny elven monard then a demon king buried in an avanche of paperwork. The sight of her handling administrative duties despite her diminutive stature had been striking—though Misako wasn’t much taller herself.

  Zilliane tinued, “Regarding the proposal for an alliaween demi-humans, monsters, and demons, I have no objes. In fact, I fully support it. Our people have faced simir struggles.”

  The Demon Realm had pyed a major role in the a war, with the Demon King as a key leader. This led to widespread disdain from other races. Unlike demons, who were not bao oblivion like many of the monsters, they remained part of the world’s sciousness and bore the brunt of prejudid hostility.

  To make matters worse, the surviving demon nobles were i parasites, exploiting oners and hindering progress. It wasn’t until Zilliane’s rise to power that things began to ge. She had even attended an academy iside world, meeting Naf and Lucciliane duriudies. Over time, her efforts brought the Demon Realm back to stability.

  “Wait—Zilliane, you attended an academy?” one of the group asked, surprised.

  “Why not?” Zilliane replied. “There’s no shame in learning and why would oop? A ruler has even more reason to acquire knowledge.”

  Indeed, as the Demon King, Zilliane had set an example, encing her people to pursue education and f growth in the process. Given the current state of the Demon Realm, her leadership had been undeniably effective.

  “Now, let’s get to the specifics of our cooperation…”