My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 30

How long had it been since they started receiving and eating the food?

No sooner had the break time ended than customers started coming in one by one, and in no time, the inside of the store was packed to capacity.

Most of the main clientele were middle-aged men, given the nature of the menu.

Judging by their attire, it seemed that they were mostly public transport drivers who transport passengers using automated carriages like taxis or buses.

A place commonly known as a drivers' diner.

Seeing so many people who roam the capital come here, it seemed that the place was already renowned among them as a culinary hotspot.

"Hmm!"

As if to confirm that thought, the moment he put a piece of bulgogi in his mouth, a sweet and savory flavor swirled around inside.

"Take it slow. You'll get indigestion."

While he started gobbling down the food as if he hadn't eaten for days because of the taste, Heming placed a thick rolled omelette in front of him and expressed his concern.

"It's delicious! Really!"

"I'm glad to hear that. And here's a service."

"Oh, but that's not necessary......."

"Don't worry about it. I'm giving it to you because I want to."

"Thank you. I'll enjoy it."

Heming smiled at Tokun's words.

As he took a big bite of the thick rolled omelette that Heming had given him, Tokun looked around the restaurant and spoke up as he saw Anna busy in the kitchen.

"But don't you hire any part-timers? You seem really busy."

"Both my wife and I prefer to do what we can ourselves. So we don't hire anyone else apart from the lunch part-timer."

Heming explained that originally they worked without a break time, but after he started attending the academy, he made a break time because he thought his wife would be too exhausted.

"Still, as I get older, I feel the physical strain more than when I was young. I've been trying to convince my wife to hire more people, but it's not working out."

"Here! One bowl of rice!"

"Yes! Coming! Well, I'm busy, so I'll be off. If you need anything else, just let me know without hesitation."

Tokun sighed deeply as he watched Heming leave for another table.

'Did I come at a bad time?'

He never imagined it would be this busy.

Did he just come to cause trouble?

Click, click.

As worries began to sprout in Tokun's mind, he suddenly felt someone tapping his leg.

"Pah!"

Turning his gaze to the side, he saw a child even smaller than himself.

Was that the child's way of greeting?

Or was it a greeting popular among children of that age?

As the child approached Tokun with a light wave, he tilted his head and asked while watching Tokun eat.

"Who are you?"

Was it strange for the child to see a kid like Tokun sitting and eating in the restaurant instead of the usual middle-aged men?

Tokun smiled and met the child's eyes as he answered.

"Hello. I'm Tokun Masao. What's your name?"

"Andy!"

"So you're Andy?"

"Yes!"

Introducing himself as Andy, the child suddenly climbed onto the chair next to Tokun.

And he alternated his gaze between the food on the table and Tokun.

"Is it tasty?"

"Yes, it's tasty. Do you want to try some?"

As he said this, Tokun took out a new pair of chopsticks and picked up a piece of rolled omelette, blowing on it to cool it down.

"Here you go. It's hot, so be careful."

Without any hesitation, Andy bit into the rolled omelette that Tokun held out.

And with a bright smile, he said it was delicious.

"It's tasty!"

"Isn't it?"

"Yes! Mom's food is tasty!"

"...Mom?"

Just as Tokun tilted his head at Andy's words,

"Andy!"

Heming, who had been bustling around the tables, approached the table where Tokun was sitting.

"Dad!"

Upon hearing his call, Andy got down from the chair while eating the rolled omelette and ran towards Heming with all his might.

"When did you come down?"

"Just now!"

Andy answered as he snuggled into Heming's embrace in response to his affectionate words.

So, was Andy Heming's son?

Tokun watched them with curiosity.

"I'm hungry!"

"Okay. Can you wait a little bit?"

"Yes!"

Heming approached Tokun's table while holding Andy.

"We have a house on the second floor. He must have come down because he was hungry after coming back from kindergarten and taking a nap. I'm sorry, but could you play with Andy for a bit?"

"Yes, of course."

"Andy. Stay here and play with Tokun. Is there anything you want to eat?"

"I want rolled omelette too!"

Did he like the rolled omelette that Tokun gave him earlier?

As Andy shouted for rolled omelette, Heming placed him next to Tokun and whispered to him.

"Thank you. I've been feeling bad about leaving Andy alone while I work every day. I'm grateful and relieved that you're here."

Tokun's face brightened at Heming's words.

What a relief.

He hadn't just caused trouble.

He thought he should play with Andy even more enthusiastically to ease Heming's worries.

"Here, say 'ah'."

A sense of responsibility filled Tokun's eyes as he fed Andy another piece of rolled omelette.

* * *

Oman's actions upon receiving Cain's command were truly swift and agile.

"What do you think?"

In just a few hours, the letter sent by Oman was known to King Raymond and all the key figures in the Elemental Kingdom.

A request sent in the name of the Absolute Death King.

Its content was a request for a meeting to discuss an urgent matter.

"......."

Demon Lord Ern Benedict, who had been urgently summoned by King Raymond's call, closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought.

"First, if I may express my opinion, it doesn't seem like a bad thing."

Then, opening his eyes, he conveyed his organized thoughts to the king.

"First, based on the information about the Death King that is known to the public, he adheres to his own laws and rules, but if they are broken, he acts recklessly without looking back."

Even that minimal law and rule are ignored by the barbaric Twin Ghosts or the supremely arrogant Empress, making him far better.

Though he might wage war against a whole country if he loses his temper, until that point, he is someone with whom one can have a conversation.

"The same will likely apply in this case. He probably wants to do something in our country and is seeking permission."

In a good light, it's a negotiation; in a bad light, a request.

That Oman, the second-in-command of the Dark District following the Death King, moved personally, meant as much.

Just as he had done in the past at Great Nature Yggdrasil.

He was the kind of person who never acted on his own unless directly ordered by the Death King.

"I already know that. The issue is what the Death King wants."

This was a very important matter.

Unlike the Elemental Kingdom, which secretly allowed the Dark District under the rule of the Death King to enter their country as a necessary evil, Great Nature Yggdrasil vehemently opposed their entry.

Oman, in this case, personally stepped forward for negotiations and moved to speak with the Empress.

However, the Empress ignored the request, and the Death King did not send a second request to the Empress who had once rejected it.

The choice made against the Empress, who continued to attack his forces, was war.

As a result, Great Nature Yggdrasil suffered immense damage, and the Death King found himself grinding his teeth in frustration.

Although it ended in a stalemate, considering that the Dark District was able to infiltrate Yggdrasil after the war, it was a victory for the Death King.

He had fully achieved his goal.

This time, it was the same.

No matter what, he will accomplish what he has set out to do.

There are two possible futures ahead for the Elemental Kingdom.

Will they proceed with negotiations at an appropriate level?

Or will they prepare for war against the Dark District?

And the outcome depends on what the Death King desires.

"It's probably not an unreasonable request."

If he had wanted something unreasonable, he wouldn't have prepared for a negotiation in the first place.

He must know that we would not accept it.

In such a case, he would have proceeded with his plans covertly, without letting us know.

In other words, what they want is something that won't harm us but might be misunderstood or cause us to be cautious.

'I have a rough idea of what it might be.'

A recent incident flashed through the Demon Lord's mind.

It was the terror attack at the Grant Department Store caused by Dekken Nasara.

Although it wasn't publicized, it was certainly the Death King Heukcheon who resolved the incident.

At the time, it was thought that he acted because it was related to the Nasara Company.

However, the fact that such a request was made shortly after suggests that the incident was not just about that.

Whether it was while investigating another incident that he reached this terror attack,

or if he stumbled upon another clue while resolving the terror attack by chance.

'Is he trying to mobilize the Dark District?'

Assuming that, only one thing comes to mind about what the Death King wants.

To mobilize the Dark District.

For the purpose of investigating and exploring something.

I don't know what it is, but he must have judged that the current capabilities of the Dark District in the shadows of the Elemental Kingdom are insufficient, and he plans to send additional reinforcements.

The problem is that it's on such a large scale that it's almost like a war, so he intends to ask for our permission in advance.

"Hmm."

As the Demon Lord voiced his thoughts, the King, who had been listening, rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

Certainly, the Demon Lord's speculation was quite plausible.

"Indeed, if it's to that extent, it's not something we can't allow, but there are certainly issues."

The biggest issue is that the Dark District only follows the orders of the Death King and is not under the control of any country.

Except for Great Nature Yggdrasil, which was invaded through war, the Dark District is recognized as a territory and pays a certain amount of taxes to each country.

This is a kind of bribe.

However, the obligation that the Dark District has to the country ends there.

Almost everyone in the Dark District is a criminal or a scoundrel.

With their strong inclination towards evil, they naturally commit numerous crimes due to their violent nature.

In other words, if they enter, we need to be much more vigilant about security.

"The best option is to allow their entry but demand strict control to prevent any issues from arising. And we should extract as much as we can from them."

We must not forget.

In this transaction, it is clear that we are the dominant party, and they are the subordinate.

We must measure their limits and extract as much as possible from what they can offer.

This is why the Demon Lord said that this request was not such a bad thing.

"We should hold a meeting with the ministers as soon as tomorrow, before the negotiations, to discuss this matter."

It's an issue that cannot be approached lightly.

If we overstep, a war might break out.

Even though we are in a position to gain, we must be extremely cautious.

Since nothing is known about their true nature, we don't know where the line is drawn.

Feeling the inconvenience of this uncertainty, the Demon Lord let out a small sigh out of the King's sight.

"And even if we assume we will negotiate, we should also prepare for the possibility of war."

"Won't that offend the Death King?"

"It won't."

If it were the Empress, she would have argued that we don't trust her, and if it were the Twin Ghosts, they would have already rushed into a war, saying that since we're going to fight anyway, let's do it.

But the Death King wouldn't care about such things at all.

No, rather, because he is the Death King, preparation is essential.

Considering that he might act more impulsively than the Twin Ghosts, we can't predict where this negotiation might lead.

"Very well. Let's proceed with accepting the request from the Dark District. As you said, we will hold a meeting tomorrow to decide on our demands."

While opinions are offered by subordinates, decisions are made by the King.

Accepting the Demon Lord's opinion, the King nodded and looked at him seriously, adding more words.

"You should attend the meeting tomorrow as well."

"Of course, I will attend."

Having roughly inspected the scene at the Grant Department Store and anticipating such a situation, I had just started mobilizing the Intelligence Agency to track the Death King's movements in the capital. Was even that response too late?

As expected, troublesome matters are already piling up like a mountain, the Demon Lord thought, lowering his head with a bitter smile tinged with fatigue.

Another all-nighter is confirmed, he sighed deeply in his heart.