C319: A Problematic Great Demon King

Today, the Demon King and his entire family have come to visit.
His wives, Mrs. Astres and Mrs. Glasya, their son, Goetia, and daughter, Marine.
Their children had grown a little, so they must have wanted everyone to meet each other.

Despite the Demon King’s busy schedule, he still makes time to visit us more often than before.

Three children and three mothers.
Together, they’re one lively bunch.

Two fathers watch the peaceful scene from a distance—the Demon King and me.

“…Junior has already met your grandfather, right?”
“Huh?”

What do you mean?

Junior’s grandfather…as in the Mermaid King?
Well, we did go to the bottom of the sea to meet him. Weren’t you there with us?

“Why do you ask?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing…”

He was flustered when I asked, then he had a very lonely expression on his face.

“Goetia and Marine still haven’t seen theirs…”

Huh?
His expression becomes more and more sullen.

“You mean they still haven’t met their grandfather?”
“Yes… Wait, no, I’ve said too much. Forget it, Lord Saint.”

That won’t do!
Isn’t Goetia almost a year old?!
He can already stand and walk a little and is learning to speak a few words.
What kind of grandfather is he if he still hasn’t come to visit them?!

“Well, the royal family has its own hardships. It’s hard to go about like a typical commoner would. I understand I’m making my children lonely, and I feel sorry they have such a disappointing father like me…!”
“That’s not true at all!”

I started getting heated up.

“How can a grandfather not come to see his grandchildren? He’s the unbelievable one!”
“C-Calm down, Lord Saint!” he says, overwhelmed by my unexpected resentment.

Gasp!
That was pretty immature of me. Let’s take a deep breath and calm down.

“I appreciate you getting angry on behalf of my children, Lord Saint.”

O-Oh.
I guess my voice was so loud that it caught Mrs. Astres’ attention, baby Goetia in her arms.

“However, this is a matter deeply related to the internal affairs of the Demon Kingdom, so we can’t always have things our way. If our son going to shoulder the nation in the future, he must learn to endure now…” she says, cradling her baby.

He’s almost a year old, and his strength and mobility have increased. He seems eager to break free from his mother’s arms and go on an adventure ASAP.

“What’s this about their grandfather not meeting his grandchildren?” I ask, still unconvinced and resentful.

“…Why don’t you share it with him, Lord Zedan? Maybe Lord Saint can impart us his good wisdom.”
“No, most certainly not! We’ve been indebted to Lord Saint numerous times; we can’t keep bothering him! Furthermore, this is about our family. We can’t bother him with our personal affairs too…”

No, I don’t mind.
We’re close, so it’s not uncommon for us to share our private matters with each other.

“You can tell me all about it.”
“Hngh…”

The Demon King thought hard for a moment…

“All right, please hear me out,” he says.

Yes!

* *

“…Goetia and Marine’s grandfather is, in other words, my father.”

Mm-hm, anyone would arrive at that conclusion if they used common sense.

“His name is the Great Demon King Baal.”

Sounds like another influential figure’s name.

“Is he greater in rank or something?”
“No, it’s not like that,” replies Mrs. Astres. “The Great Demon King is a title given to those who have served as the Demon King. He is respected as someone who has successfully completed his reign but has no political power.”

Oh, so it’s like an honorary title for retired people.

“So, is there a rule that the Great Demon King can’t meet his grandchildren?”
“No, not really. The royal demon family is still a family, so a harmonious relationship is preferable.”

Then, is he not meeting his grandchildren of his own free will?
That sounds pretty harsh to me!

“The reason for this has something to do with our political history. It all goes back to the time my father was the Demon King and I was still a prince.”

Ah, looks like it’s backstory time now.

“Father was an energetic noble… In more ways than one.”
“Meaning?”
“He had many queens, six of them official. His concubines were close to ten, not more than that, I believe.”

Damn.

“Hence, he had many children, and eight of them were legitimate heirs to the throne. One of them was me.”
“Lord Zedan was the youngest of them all, the last in line of succession. Many believed he didn’t stand a chance against his siblings who were also fighting for the throne.”

Mrs. Astres’ explanation puzzles me.

“This person in front of me right now is the Demon King, right?”
“Yes. It was after a minor family trouble he became king. His brother, who had higher succession rights… Um, how should I say this…”

A blockhead?
It’s okay, no need to say that part out loud.

“Lord Zedan seized power and ascended to the throne in a fashion similar to a coup. At the same time, his father was forced to retire and become Great Demon King.”
“So, it was unintended?”

Don’t tell me he’s not getting along with the Demon King’s family out of anger?

“For Lord Baal, such a regime change would be the same as denying his own statesmanship, and it would be tantamount to losing everything he has accomplished. As a result, he doesn’t get along with the current administration and its symbol, Lord Zedan.”
“I’m not convinced by all this,” says Mrs. Glasya, joining in on the conversation. “It is a fact that our nation has improved since Lord Zedan’s enthronement. I was just a foot soldier when Lord Baal was king, but it was thanks to Lord Zedan that I was promoted to a Heavenly One.”

He, as king, created a trend where one can rise to the top based on merit alone, regardless of one’s origin or faction, huh?

“You see now? The more his reign is recognized, the more the previous regime he destroyed was wrong. Lord Baal has no choice but to distance himself from the current administration to protect his pride as a former king.”

The defeated’s pride is at stake.
As proof, he stubbornly refuses to see his grandchildren.

By retiring as a Great Demon King, he publicly acknowledges Demon King Zedan’s existence but privately refuses to have any relations with him, showing that he doesn’t really approve of the current regime.
This is the best opposition he can do as someone who politically lost.

While Demon King Zedan is very sincere and upfront about his responsibilities, this has caused a rift with his father, breaking family ties.

He, who also has a strong sense of humanity, feels conflicted and suffers from this.
So much so that he fell silent halfway through, leaving the rest of the explanation to Mrs. Astres.

“…”

If I were to say from an unrelated point of view, the Great Demon King is just being insanely stubborn, but maybe he also has his reasons.

Still, the children have nothing to do with this mess.
They have the right to be loved not only by their parents but also by their grandparents.
To protect that right…

“…Let’s do this.”

I have just the plan to make little Goetia and little Marine meet their grandfather.