I calmly collected my thoughts.
In my second life, Yubar found the 'treasure' in question long after finishing the Great Prayer. And it was by chance in his own land.
He ignored the complaints of the commoners who complained that 'strange things' were happening, and only began to deal with it after a knight who was carrying out another order he had given got involved in it and died.
So now that they had started the Great Prayer sooner than expected, there was a high possibility that Yubar didn't even know about the treasure's existence.
Then what if I brought the treasure to Vine now? What if magic really came out of it?
I could immediately resolve the magic shortage that was threatening Vine.
And the timing was good.
All three families would attend the Great Prayer.
Then, since Duke Belled Vine had hurriedly left for the Great Prayer, the other two Dukes were also likely to have left without properly organizing their forces.
In the meantime, all I had to do was bring the magic spirit. The plan was good, but the problem was...
Should I believe this?
The problem was that Belled was away.
What if it seemed like I was moving his troops at will while he was away?
If I recall the information about the demons that Decarabia had introduced, Naberus usually went on expeditions to retrieve something from the outside.
In the end, I had to convince him. Would that demon believe what I said?
If I could just bring him the magic wine, I could later present the fact that Yubar had brought the magic wine from his land and kept it as evidence that he was a demon worshiper.
That would solve two problems at once.
I clenched my fists.
Yes, let’s do it.
Belled knew that was what would happen in the future because I had regressed three times, but Naberus didn’t know that fact.
He wouldn’t believe it even if I told him to believe it, so I had to convince Naberus with my power.
I can do it.
I approached Naberus while thinking of a certain scenario in my head.
“What’s going on?”
As soon as I walked toward him, Naberus’ voice suddenly came out.
“!”
Naberus was standing right in front of me, who had stepped back in surprise. The sword was already sheathed in the scabbard on his waist.
Although he was not carrying a weapon, the uncomfortable expression on his face when he asked about the matter seemed to tell the story of Naberus’ attitude toward me.
“There is a matter that requires discussion of the expedition.”
At my words, Naberus’ eyebrows rose as I had expected.
In this situation?
As if asking, his gaze turned toward the mansion and then back.
“Even when His Highness is not present?”
He was clearly displeased. I said calmly.
“Yes, but I do not intend to rebel against him. I do not intend to harm him.”
“Of course.”
Naberus narrowed his eyes and answered in a dull voice.
“And even if you give me such an order, I will not listen.”
So, it seemed as if he was telling me to give him an order.
Naberus certainly had no intention of obeying me.
According to Decarabia, Naberus was a powerful demon ranked 4th in the hierarchy, and there were many demons who fought alongside him on the battlefield and followed him regardless of their hierarchy.
In short, an influential demon.
If he started to openly reject my words, life here would become difficult.
I should have negotiated with him sometime. It was just that it had come a little earlier.
And that too, in my favor.
It seemed as if my vision was clearing up a little. I opened my mouth.
“I know you don’t trust me. And you wouldn’t be happy with my orders. This is the world of demons,”
I looked around the mansion.
“You have to follow the rules of the demons in this land.”
My eyes met with Naberus’s, who had a strange look in his eyes. Behind him, Decarabia stopped spinning her parasol and looked at my back.
It seemed as if she was concentrating on my conversation with Naberus. To be exact, it seemed as if she was concentrating only on my words.
“Our rules.”
Naberus’ expression had definitely softened compared to before.
“I don’t know how much you understand us, but do you know that in the demon world, many things are decided by power?”
He stared at me.
“By our rules, you are not in a position to command me.”
“Naberus.”
At that moment, Decarabia spat out his name in displeasure.
No matter how special the situation was since I was the Queen of the Demon Archduke, Naberus’s words were problematic.
“I was just explaining our rules.”
Naberus answered obediently, although he looked displeased. However, he could not meet Decarabia’s eyes and eventually looked down.
However, he did not take back what he had said.
For Naberus, it was a rather elegant way of speaking, but Decarabia was still not satisfied and tried to walk away.
“It’s okay. It’s not wrong.”
I gestured to her and said.
“That’s probably why you have a hard time being polite to me. So I have a proposal to make.”
I looked straight into Naberus’ eyes.
Naberus looked down at the human woman, who seemed to be two faces smaller than him, with an unfavorable gaze.
“Are you going to ask me to arm wrestle?”
By the time he blurted out his words in disbelief, the other demons around him were also gathering with interested eyes.
“No, I heard that demons like gambling.”
The demons looked at each other at my words. Even Decarabia was looking at me.
“That’s right.”
Naberus also showed his teeth and laughed.
It was a well-known fact that demons liked gambling.
A demon as strong as Belled could get everything he wanted without gambling, so it was out of the question, but it was different below that.
An opportunity to be swept up in intense desire was like a banquet to them. And the bigger the stakes, the more extravagant the banquet.
“So let’s make a bet.”
No human would make a bet with a demon.
Let alone a priest or Saintess who would make a bet with a demon.
Naberus let out a hollow laugh at my words.
“Are you serious?”
He didn’t look like a human who would make such nonsense. Naberus’ gaze seemed to say so.
I nodded.
“Of course.”
I held out my hand.
“What’s the topic of the bet?”
“I know a way to smoothly supply the demons’ magic power.”
Naberus swallowed a hollow laugh at those words. A human?
“...That’s ridiculous.”
“That’s the point. I will now give orders for the demons to gain magical power. If you follow my orders and it’s true, I win, and if it’s false, you win.”
“If you lose the bet, what will you give up?”
Naberus asked as if he had already won. Wouldn’t he agree to the bet if the stakes were high?
“I’ll tell Belled so that the demons don’t have to listen to my orders.”
He’s a demon, too, so he wouldn’t try to take away what the demons got as a penalty for the bet.
“So that you don’t have to listen to weak humans.”
“Oh...”
It was certainly a tempting offer to the demons.
The demons’ eyes, boiling with interest, gathered a little more on me.
“Then what if you win?”
I laughed at Naberus’ words.
“I hope Lord Naberus and the other demons will have no objection to hearing my commands, let alone being addressed as 'you'.”
I raised my head slightly and said.
“Demons indeed determine their ranks by power, but I know that power alone doesn’t determine the ranks. In that case,”
I looked back at Ronove, who had come over and was watching them.
“Ronove, who is second in rank to Belled, would have led the knights, right?”
“...”
Naberus raised his eyebrows in surprise at that. As expected, it was. I smiled, gaining confidence.
“The demons are short on magical power, and they are probably trying to figure out how to use it most efficiently.”
However, the fact that Naberus, fourth in rank, took up a sword means that other factors besides force also affect the ranks.
For example...
“In other words, those with wisdom or great achievements can have different ranks, right?”
My eyes sparkled.
“With my position as the wife of the Demon Grand Duke Belled, I plan to solidify my position with my achievements in this matter. What do you think?”
By then, Naberus looked very interested. As a demon, he couldn't help but instinctively like betting.
And this time, the stakes weren't that high.
The Demon Archduke's wife was officially higher in rank than him. That's why he was treating humans like this with such undeserved respect.
But then, there was no need to serve her like that?
Then, not only did he not have to bow down to people he didn’t like, but he could also feel a sense of betrayal that allowed him to ignore his official superiors.
If it was a legitimate bet, even Belled couldn’t back out. That was the rule of the demons.
He couldn’t help but drool.
“Okay.”
When Naberus bit the betting board. I wasn’t done yet.
“...However, the bet can only be valid if Lord Naberus faithfully and with all his might follows my orders.”
If you, who must act under my orders, deliberately disobey my orders, it would be difficult, right?
Naberus raised his eyebrows at my words.
“At least the demons sincerely agree to bets.”
It was a reaction that seemed to hurt his pride.
“Furthermore, it’s about solving our problems. If that’s true, it’s something that must be done, even if it’s not a bet.”
I nodded at those words.
“Yes, I’ll believe you.”
“But, are you sure?”
Naberus asked, unable to hold back the smile that was forming on his lips.
“If you lose this bet, your life in Vine will be very difficult.”
“I don’t think I will lose.”
I answered immediately.
Normally, I would have been insecure. At least, I wouldn’t have thought of giving up some of the small and precious things I had.
Since I didn’t have much, anything I had in my hands was precious.
But this time was different.
I was someone who had seen the future.
“Then I will give you the order.”
I pointed to the west where Yubar would be.
“Yubar, go to the location I tell you and bring me the wine.”
Yubar clearly called the object a wine.
“You said wine?”
But at those words, Naberus’ expression changed strangely.
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