New Problems

“Lord Demon Lord, I’m back…”

“Is now a good time?”

After half a day, Luna cautiously pushed open the heavy door.

Her small head peeked inside, her blood-red eyes brimming with caution.

Her voice was hushed, as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping pair within.

“Come in. You won’t wake her.”

Vivian glanced at Luna and nodded.

Luna lay curled peacefully in her arms, her tiny mouth suckling unconsciously, clearly savoring her meal even in sleep.

Luna quickened her pace, approaching Vivian’s side.

“How have things been lately?”

“The head maid Aria and Miss Lucia have been steadily managing the Evernight Territory and Evernight City’s reconstruction as per your orders, Lord Demon Lord.”

“The [Returnees] have arrived and have begun rehousing, inspecting, and distributing tasks.”

“Production across the territory is gradually resuming—grain cultivation, lumber processing, and basic tool forging are all operational again, though efficiency is low, it’s enough to meet basic needs.”

“The main mine at Blackthorn Village has completed its ninth batch of Evernight Crystal extraction, with output rising as expected.”

“Merchants have started resuming fixed trade routes with the restored crystal mining.”

“The second Evernight Crystal mine at Black Iron Town is also working to resume operations.”

Luna pulled out a small notebook, diligently reporting the details she’d recorded.

“It sounds like everything is progressing steadily.”

“But…”

“But what?”

When Luna hesitated after delivering the good news, Vivian, cradling Luna, immediately sensed a problem and pressed for details.

“Well, it’s not exactly a major issue. Everything is proceeding according to your plans, Lord Demon Lord.”

“But some civilians are starting to voice complaints and dissatisfaction.”

“…Elaborate.”

Vivian’s brow furrowed slightly, but she gestured for Luna to continue.

“It’s not a fundamental crisis…”

Luna paused, organizing her thoughts before continuing.

“But some civilians feel the current reward system is unfair.”

“They’re limited by their own abilities—whether it’s insufficient strength, weak mana, or lack of specialized skills—and the nature of their assigned tasks.”

“They’ve realized they’ll never be among those who complete high-difficulty tasks and earn generous rewards.”

“They feel stuck in the lower or middle tiers, only receiving basic labor rewards, with the gap between them and the ‘strong’ growing ever wider.”

“Over time…”

Luna’s voice dropped lower.

“Their work enthusiasm has noticeably waned.”

“They still complete assigned tasks, but their efficiency… it’s visibly dropped.”

“Even before your delivery, Lord Demon Lord, I noticed this trend.”

“It didn’t feel right.”

“After observing several reconstruction sites and farming areas, there’s this… ‘going through the motions’ attitude, a sense of ‘why bother if I can’t get extra benefits.’”

“It’s starting to spread.”

“This past week, progress in several key areas has slowed significantly.”

“…As expected.”

Vivian pondered, her brows knitting together.

The principle of “the capable earn more” was sound and had initially sparked strong motivation among the civilians during Evernight City’s reconstruction.

But reality wasn’t so simple.

A single effective policy couldn’t resolve everything—demon society was far more complex than idealized formulas.

The core issue within the Demon Clan was the vast disparity between individuals.

For example, while most goblins were mere cannon fodder, lacking intelligence, some, like Head Chef Golin, rose to captain-level.

Among civilians, though all were beneath warriors, their physical and magical abilities varied widely.

This led to a problem: in both simple and complex tasks, the strong grew stronger, and the weak remained weak.

As reconstruction entered its fourth month, tasks became standardized, and divisions of labor solidified.

Each person was “fixed” in their role, handling relatively set duties.

When those at the “bottom” realized that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t surpass those with innate advantages—the “capable” or “strong”—and could never reach the tempting extra rewards,

despair and apathy began to take root.

In the worst cases, some even started slacking off, feigning illness or injury to avoid work.

Aria and Lucia had discussed this.

Aria proposed punitive measures and stricter rules, while Lucia suggested waiting for Vivian’s return to decide.

“I understand. Any other issues?”

After hearing Luna’s report, Vivian pressed further.

“Well… progress on institutional reforms in other parts of the territory is slow.”

“Many village heads and landowners lack enthusiasm for cooperation.”

“Production capacities across regions have been reassessed, and the situation is worse than expected.”

“And… the most critical issue, Lord Demon Lord, is that some individuals seem to be engaging in corruption.”

Vivian’s expression remained unchanged as she listened intently to Luna’s report.

“It’s mainly a few mid-level managers responsible for resource allocation and warehouse management.”

“I’ve heard rumors through some channels and noticed subtle discrepancies in inventory records.”

“The amounts aren’t large yet, but once this door is opened…”

“I understand. You may go.”

Vivian spoke calmly after a long pause.

“Yes.”

Luna nodded, preparing to leave as before.

But just before exiting, the young succubus hesitated, turning back with that familiar expression Vivian knew well—a mix of attachment and slight grievance, her eyes pleading as if she wanted to say

something.

“What? Want to snuggle up and sleep beside me?”

Seeing Luna’s pitiful look, Vivian’s lips twitched into a weary yet indulgent smile.

“Ugh…”

Luna’s face flushed, her index fingers nervously tapping together as she looked at Vivian with hopeful eyes.

“I mean, I do want to stay by your side, Lord Demon Lord…”

“We’ll see. There’ll be chances later.”

Vivian gave a helpless smile, fully aware of Luna’s feelings.

“But for now, I need to focus on the child. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Alright…”

Though disappointed, Luna understood this wasn’t the time for whims.

She nodded sensibly, gave a cheerful reply, and lightly scampered away.

Vivian, still cradling Luna, mulled over Luna’s report.

Rebuilding the territory wasn’t a task to be completed overnight, nor were the problems static.

It was never a simple project that could be achieved in one fell swoop or smoothly follow a predetermined path.

As time passed and circumstances evolved, all sorts of issues would arise, demanding her attention and resolution.