Generally speaking, the King did not patrol the territory. Whether it was the Empire or the Duchy, it was always so. But the Demon King seemed different... It seemed that the structure of the demons wasn't a closely-knit kingdom.
From the previous words, one could discern this point. There had been mentions of things like "rebels interrupting tribute," so the so-called "Demon King" was, in a sense, still a kind of Lord.
The Demon King only took responsibility for the Demon King Territory, while other Lords were responsible for their own territories... The name of the Demon King was a recognition of the Lord of Lords, more akin to an "Alliance Hierarch" rather than an "Emperor," so patrolling the territory became the most important thing to do.
*Rebels not obeying the Demon King? This was a rather bad situation... No, I didn't need to worry about that.*
Yila analyzed this way, thinking that the good or bad within the Demon King Territory was not his concern. He only needed to cultivate the Demon King into a capable ruler, repay his debts, and then he could walk away with a clear conscience.
Thinking casually, Yila, along with Hilena and Satan Ye, left the castle under the protection of the Headless Knight.
Generally, noble patrols of their territories involved riding a horse or riding in a carriage. Nobles usually kept their own beloved horses. But here in the Demon King Territory, it seemed this was not common, probably because they did not raise horses...
After all, as a Knight-type unit, the Headless Knight came with his own horse, needing neither upkeep nor pasture.
From this perspective, it was reasonable that the Empire had suffered repeated defeats before the advent of the Governor.
The place where the head should have been was replaced by flames, and the dark horse armor reflected the brightness of the Netherworld. This kind of oppressive force was indeed unmatched by ordinary warhorses of the Empire.
Sitting on a handsome warhorse of a Headless Knight, Yila thought about this while looking at the owner of the Headless Warhorse beside him... Feeling somewhat apologetic for having taken his warhorse.
"According to the arrangements, we would head from here to the Blue Ling Mushroom fields and other crop fields, to check the situation described by the Fairies as having 'poor yields,' patrolling all the way to the seaside before returning to Demon King City."
Also riding a warhorse, Hilena relayed the plan to Yila. She looked at the residents of the Demon King Territory who were saluting toward the patrol team and said, "It's normal for the residents to be curious about you, Mr. Yila, and I hope you understand."
Yila naturally understood this. Looking around at the little fairies, insects, goblins, kobolds, inferior demons, and the Blood Clan bowing in shadows... he felt a bit strange.
"The system here in the Demon King Territory seems to be different from the Empire."
Yila said this while observing the apparently energetic demons around him, "In the Empire, residents are divided into slaves and ordinary residents. The former are the property of the Emperor and the nobles, while the latter are the people of the Empire. But here in the Demon King Territory, it seems different."
Having seen the territories of nobles, Yila was very clear. If the common people were described as "pale and thin," then the slaves in a territory truly had no human rights.
The orders of nobles were everything to slaves, and all the proceeds from planting and harvesting belonged to the nobles. Even if they ate the fruits of their own labor, it was considered a noble's reward.
If a noble took a liking to a slave's daughter, the slave had to obediently hand over his daughter and send her to the noble's castle... Those slaves were still alive but long dead inside.
Here in the Demon King Territory, although the conditions didn't look good, the gaze of the residents... was brighter than many common people in the noble territories of the Empire.
"Yes, Mr. Yila."
Riding alongside Hilena, Satan Ye nodded in agreement with Yila's words and said, "Everything within the Demon King Territory is my personal property... Indeed, when it comes to 'demonic rights (human rights),' we cannot compare with the Empire, can we?"
Hearing the somewhat resigned tone in Satan Ye's words, Yila didn't know what to say—in other words, were they all slaves? But their attitude toward life was completely different.
The demons on both sides of the street did not tremble in fear at the arrival of the Demon King, nor were they terrified, nor did they kneel. They merely bowed in salutation, their faces somewhat haggard but devoid of envy or fear of the Demon King's power.
Yila only saw respect.
"How much of their harvest do they turn over to Demon King City? Or is there a fixed amount each quarter?"
Unable to help asking this, Yila listened as Hilena explained with some confusion, "But each harvest's yield can't be guaranteed to be good or bad... so naturally, they turn over what is 'excessive.'"
"..."
Seeing Yila's flickering eyes and silence, Hilena didn't quite understand what he was thinking and continued, "Rest assured, the fairies who lead them will, with enough experience, reserve enough food for them until the next harvest. Only the remaining portion is turned over."
"..."
Hilena's point, obviously thinking that Yila was worried about the food issue among the demons in the Demon King Territory... However, Yila remained silent, persistently and inexplicably silent.
"It seems the sanitary conditions in the Demon King Territory are similar to those at the Empire's borders..."
Yila said softly, intentionally avoiding the topic of "slaves" and "residents," as he looked at the roads made of dirt where excrement was visible everywhere... It seemed the demons hadn't even the habit of digging latrines.
After leaving the castle of Demon King City, crossing the bridge over the moat, and stepping onto the dirt road, Yila could already smell an unpleasant odor... Such conditions were generally found in the noble territories of the Empire but never in the Imperial City.
"Originally, there were specific demons responsible for cleaning, but now manpower was severely lacking."
Hearing Hilena say this, Yila nodded again, indicating he understood. He looked at Satan Ye sitting in front of Hilena... the pitiful little Demon King, who hadn't found a topic to join the conversation until now.
"How about building a toilet... it doesn't have to be like the one in Demon King City, just digging a trench would suffice."
Saying this, Yila looked at Satan Ye and asked, not knowing that Yila was proposing to her while she was lost in thought, "Satan Ye, what do you think? How about digging several latrines in the Demon King Territory?"
"Eh? Uh..."
Satan Ye, thinking about Yila's suggestion, couldn't comprehend its meaning... but the surrounding smell was indeed unpleasant.
"Okay, let's go with what you said, Mr. Yila."
Satan Ye responded this way.
"..."
Seeing Yila silent, Satan Ye tilted her head in confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Then, who will be responsible for this? You should personally find someone to handle it, or arrange for me or Hilena to carry out your order."
Yila instructed thusly.
"Is that so? Then, Mr. Yila, can you help me with this..."
"..."
Yila remained silent, unsure how many times he had fallen silent today, feeling he had a sense of *"manipulating the emperor."* It seemed similar to the chancellor in *"Akame ga Kill."*
But he didn't want to become that kind of person. However, he couldn't help but admire Satan Ye's ability to entrust an entire task to her subordinates, even if it was due to her naivety rather than recognizing talent.
"I understand, and I will follow your orders."