Ren Kuroda was simply too young—and with such a small number of people, he had crushed Farumusu's army so completely that his terrifying strength was obvious at a glance.
Someone with that level of power didn't exist among the surrounding nations. Because of that, the only possibilities King Edomari could think of were those few major factions.
Before Ren could answer the king's question, the yokai standing beside him—Amanojaku and Nurikabe—were already wearing deeply displeased expressions.
"Hey, you fatso," Amanojaku snapped, glaring at Edomari."Who do you think you are? You think you're qualified to sit there while speaking to Ren-sama? And you've got the nerve to question his origins? Who the hell do you think you are—are you even worthy?"
Nurikabe had been about to speak himself, but when he saw Amanojaku unleash that verbal barrage—followed by a completely shameless yet seamless bit of flattery that made Ren look positively radiant—an overwhelming sense of crisis immediately surged through him.
This was bad. Very bad.
Flattery and brown-nosing had always been Nurikabe's specialty. But he hadn't expected to run into a rival today.
This Amanojaku had absolutely no shame. Not only had he stolen Nurikabe's lines, he was even trying to repeatedly make himself memorable in front of their lord.
Didn't he know that Nurikabe was the very first yokai Ren-sama had ever subdued?
Sure, in the main world he had long accepted that he couldn't compete with the powerful and socially adept Spider Princess. Still, Nurikabe had always considered himself Ren's second-most trusted subordinate.
But now—watching Amanojaku in action—Nurikabe suddenly felt a chill.
At this rate, even his spot as number two might not be safe anymore!
Sensing the danger, Nurikabe realized that Amanojaku had already said everything that could be said. Words were no longer enough.
If he wanted to prove his loyalty, he would have to do it with action.
The unfortunate King Edomari, having just been verbally shredded by Amanojaku, hadn't even had time to vent his anger before he suddenly felt himself lifted into the air.
The one holding him was a massive, square-bodied stone yokai.
Nurikabe's fan-sized hand hoisted Edomari up like a helpless chick.
"Did Ren-sama tell you to speak?" Nurikabe roared."You just keep yapping on and on! Sitting there while Ren-sama stands—who do you think you are? Looks like I need to teach you some manners."
As he spoke, Nurikabe swung his enormous palm and slapped Edomari square across the face.
Amanojaku froze for a moment at the sight.
Just like Nurikabe earlier, he suddenly felt as though he'd encountered a true rival.
His own flattery skills were something he'd picked up from his underlings—they praised him like this all the time. But Amanojaku hadn't expected that Ren-sama's forces included someone who could match him blow for blow in this department.
That series of moves had established Ren's authority and announced Nurikabe's name loud and clear, ensuring their lord remembered him.
After hesitating for a brief moment, Amanojaku rolled up his sleeves as well.
"I, Amanojaku, also will not tolerate anyone who dares disrespect Ren-sama!"
With that, he enthusiastically joined the beating.
"That's enough," Ren said helplessly, rubbing his temples."I still have questions for him. Don't actually beat him to death."
If Ren hadn't stopped them in time, poor King Edomari might truly have died on the spot—for nothing more than asking a question.
Upon hearing Ren's order, Amanojaku and Nurikabe instantly scampered back behind him like obedient lackeys. Their behavior, however, earned them nothing but disdainful looks from Spider Princess, Kagibari-onna, and the other yokai.
To Spider Princess and the samurai spirits, yokai like Amanojaku and Nurikabe were clearly walking the path of shameless sycophancy.
If they truly wanted their lord's recognition, they should earn it through real achievements—not cheap tricks like this.
But Amanojaku and Nurikabe couldn't have cared less. They even exchanged looks of mutual admiration, as if regretting they hadn't met sooner.
"You probably won't believe this," Ren said calmly, turning back to Edomari,"but when I first came to this country, I was just a tourist. Everything that happened afterward was completely unexpected.
"Since you're the king, you should know things others don't. If your answers satisfy me, letting you live isn't impossible."
Ren had no personal grudge against the king of Farumusu.The three otherworlders were dead. Razen had been captured. As for King Edomari—he might not even have known Ren existed before all this.
Driven by fear of death, and urged on by Archbishop Rekishimu, Edomari poured out nearly everything he knew about this world—its systems, secrets, and hidden truths.
Greedy as he was, Edomari was still a king, and what he knew far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Ren listened with growing satisfaction.
In fact, it almost made him feel like storming in and taking over the capital had been… a bit excessive.
After all, the ones who wanted Ren dead were the three otherworlders.The one who tried to use him as a vessel for reincarnation was Razen.
From beginning to end, this unlucky king had mostly been stuck taking the blame.
"Nini," Ren asked softly, looking down at the little girl beside him,"what's your king usually like? Is he good to the people here?"
Ren hadn't cared much about Marisu City to begin with. Seeing how cooperative Edomari had been, he was even considering returning the city and its forces.
He'd already vented his anger and learned what he wanted to know. There was no need to actually occupy someone else's kingdom.
"…The king is bad," Nini said timidly, glancing at Edomari's bruised and swollen face before gathering her courage."He keeps raising taxes, so everyone can't eat enough."
In the past, she would never have dared say something like this.
But now, with Big Brother Ren beside her, Nini felt an unprecedented sense of courage.
Everyone who tried to bully her and her mother before had been driven away by Ren. As long as he stood next to her, Nini felt like she wasn't afraid of anything.
During the earlier fighting, her eyes had been covered the whole time—and afterward, there hadn't been a single corpse on the battlefield. So in her mind, the bad people had simply been chased away.
The moment a mere commoner girl dared insult him, King Edomari's rage exploded. He even stepped forward, raising his hand to strike her.
Unfortunately for him, a fan-sized palm reached his face first.
Smack.
Nurikabe had struck again, sending Edomari reeling.
As the most perceptive yokai present, Nurikabe knew exactly how everything had started—this entire disaster traced back to the little girl beside their lord.
The woman who'd tried to slap her earlier was probably already food for Spider Princess's familiars. And now this so-called King Edomari still dared to raise a hand?
Utterly suicidal.
"I wasn't interested in Marisu City to begin with," Ren said coldly."And I definitely never wanted to be a king. But now that I look at it… you don't seem like a very good one either."
Children spoke the purest truths.
Nini had grown up in the merchant district with her mother, constantly hearing people complain about tax hikes. Over time, she naturally understood why everyone was always hungry.
So in her eyes, a king who kept squeezing the people was simply a bad person.
"I was actually thinking of letting you keep your throne," Ren continued."But now it seems that as long as you sit on it, the ones who suffer will always be the common folk.
"That said, trash or not, I did promise to spare your life if you answered my questions. So now—get lost."
Edomari froze, then burst into hysterical laughter.
He had never imagined that Marisu would fall over the price of an apple.
Even less could he imagine losing his throne because of a single little girl's words.
From Ren's tone, it was clear—if that girl had said something good about him, Ren might really have taken his people and left.
But his endless greed and relentless tax hikes had made even children aware of his infamy.
Perhaps this was karma.
After his laughter faded, Edomari left with Archbishop Rekishimu, planning to follow Fuken's final advice and flee to another prosperous city in Farumusu.
His bloodline and reputation still existed. If he reached another major city, it wasn't impossible for him to rise again.
Though he resented Ren and the others for occupying his palace, survival came first. Fighting was out of the question—lying low and waiting was the smarter move.
Edomari and Rekishimu were allowed to leave.
But that didn't mean everyone else was.
The nobles who remained—some planning to flee with the king, others hoping to attach themselves to Ren—were all left behind.
Seeing Edomari depart, the opportunistic nobles immediately rushed forward with flattering smiles, eager to curry favor with the young man who had so easily conquered Marisu.
Most of them couldn't simply walk away like the king. Their assets, power, and foundations were all rooted in this capital.
To preserve their wealth and status, the best option was obvious.
Win over the new ruler.
The temptation of power was irresistible.
And every noble present believed that the one who had driven out King Edomari—Ren Kuroda—would inevitably become the new king.