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“This is more exhausting than I expected…”

Having taken over the governor’s guest room, I looked out over the town as dusk began to fall, sighing deeply.
If the townspeople decided to rebel, we didn’t have the strength right now to suppress them peacefully. If it came to it, we’d have no choice but to kill everyone who resisted.
I could only pray nothing would happen.
Just then, there was a knock at my door.

“Come in.”

It was Governor Aylia who entered.
I hadn’t stripped her of her title as governor—I’d left her in place. That’s because I judged her to be capable and trusted by the people.
The issue was whether she would genuinely cooperate with us. That was harder to say.
If Governor Aylia so much as raised her voice to the populace, a riot could erupt instantly. She could even mobilize the guards to attack us.
Of course, that wouldn’t be enough to defeat us werewolves—but if that happened, our rule over Lüenheit would fail.

As I considered all that, Aylia tilted her head.

“Is something wrong, Lord Veit?”
“No, it’s nothing. Do you need something, Lady Aylia?”

As the highest-ranking officials in this place, we had to be careful with our words.
Looking somewhat apologetic, Aylia reported:

“We’ve kept the confusion in the city to a minimum. So far, there are no signs of resistance or escape attempts from the citizens.”
“I see. That’s good to hear. We’ll have to impose a few temporary restrictions, but I’ll do everything I can to restore normal life as soon as possible.”

I responded, and her expression grew even more apologetic.

“That part is under control… but persuading the city guard has proven difficult.”
“The city guard?”

I’d assumed they’d surrendered without issue—but it seemed things weren’t so simple.

According to Aylia, the guard wasn’t her private force.
They were part of the allied army of the city-state union, Miraldia, to which Lüenheit belonged.
Due to the many wars before the union was formed, no local governor could unilaterally command the guards. To give them any non-standard orders—such as aiding the Demon Lord’s army—would require approval from Miraldia’s Senate.

Now understanding the situation, I asked for confirmation.

“So you can order them to surrender, but not to cooperate with the Demon Lord’s army?”
“Yes, that’s right. All I can do is request their cooperation.”

She didn’t seem to be lying—there was no scent of deception. Werewolves can detect subtle sweat changes that reveal hidden emotions.

“What a pain…”

I crossed my arms in thought.

There were only 200 guards, but they were professionals at maintaining order. Without their help, we’d have to rely entirely on the werewolf unit for law enforcement.
But we lacked both the manpower and the know-how. And if all our werewolves were tied up maintaining order, we’d be left with only the dogfolk to face the inevitable Miraldian counterattack—not a fight we’d win.

“Hmm…”

Any typical demon would’ve just threatened the guards or killed half as an example, but I wasn’t about to do that.
Ruling by fear always leads to backlash, and maintaining just the right amount of fear is difficult. Overdo it and you invite rebellion.

As I pondered, Aylia hesitantly asked:

“You’re not going to do anything terrible to the guards?”
“Do you want me to?”

I smiled wryly, and she shook her head.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just assumed you’d take a hardline approach.”
“That might work for demons, but humans don’t respond the same way.”

Besides, I understood the guards’ position. If they cooperated with the Demon Lord’s army and were later retaken by Miraldia, they’d be punished for treason.
After some thought, I gave up on using the guards.

“I understand their position and feelings. If they agree to disarm, we’ll ask no more of them. Please tell them that.”
“I understand.”

Aylia turned to leave the room, but paused at the door and looked back.

“Um…”
“Yes?”

Prompted by me, the cross-dressing beauty spoke with newfound resolve.

“If it’s about law enforcement, we could use the local commerce guilds.”
“Commerce guilds?”
“The trade guilds in each district of Lüenheit cooperate in maintaining public order and disaster response. If crime or accidents become frequent, it hurts business.”

Ah, like a neighborhood association. I’d never thought about that—my past life was in the city, and in this one, I was raised in a hidden werewolf village.

She continued; “The guilds are directly under my control. They’re not as effective as the armed guards, but I can ask them to conduct patrols and similar duties.”

An unexpected offer. I took a moment to think.
This would be a huge help to us, but brought Aylia no benefit. It would only put her in debt to the guilds.
So I had to know her true motive.

“Why would you offer this?”

Her answer surprised me.

“As a gesture of gratitude to you, Lord Veit.”
“G… gratitude?”

I hadn’t expected to be thanked as an invader, so it caught me off guard.

She smiled gently.

“You and your men didn’t harm a single civilian, aside from the guards who engaged in battle. You could have committed a massacre—but you didn’t.”
“Well… I suppose that’s true.”

We could have, but there was no point. That hardly warranted gratitude.
But Aylia didn’t see it that way. She bowed deeply.

“So please, continue to show mercy to the citizens. I’ll offer any assistance I can.”

As governor, her first priority was Lüenheit. For her, even cooperation with the Demon Lord’s army was just another diplomatic option. And if the city was eventually liberated by Miraldia, as long as she acted in the people’s best interest, she likely wouldn’t be punished.
This cross-dressing beauty wasn’t just a coward or soft-hearted idealist. She was a calculating realist—one who faltered under pressure, but was sharp when calm.

Now that I understood the reasoning, I had no reason to reject the proposal.

“Thank you. I’ll consider this a personal favor—and I’ll make sure to repay it. Please do what you can to mobilize the commerce guilds.”
“Understood.”

Aylia smiled, visibly relieved.
Huh. She was quite charming, actually.

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