Little fairies were a very intriguing kind of magical creature, resembling small elves with insect-like wings, only about the size of a palm, but they were genuinely magical creatures rather than sub-humans like beastmen.
Their ability to work together was shockingly strong, making people wonder if fairies were mentally connected to one another.
They followed orders, didn't lie, worked diligently, had no selfish motives, and if necessary, could be incredibly selfless, showing great patience and enthusiasm in caring for plants and animals.
They were indeed a much-needed workforce.
However, the disdain for humans was etched into the bloodline of little fairies, so even well-intentioned human children would always be pranked by them.
Clearly, this was the nobles' fault.
If humans did ten things that disgusted other races, eleven or twelve of them involved nobles, and it wasn't unfair to blame them...
Although there were indeed good nobles, and most were fairly normal, the number of problematic nobles was undeniably high, and these few could tarnish the world's perception of humans.
However, little fairies were quite fond of Yila.
"Lord Yila"
"The compost pit is about"
"ready to be built."
"The street manure"
"has been collected."
"It's very smelly."
"How long should it be left?"
Yila, flipping through the pages of a book in his room, raised his head to answer the fairies' inquiries, "I saw it earlier. Next, mix in ash, straw, and dried leaves, stirring daily until it becomes dry, odorless soil."
The efficiency of the creatures in the Demon King Territory was impressive; only one night had passed since the order was given, and the street manure had already been gathered just beyond the fields, forming a foul-smelling mound.
*Maybe this was the value of those slaves in the Demon King Territory, hardly needing any whipping or supervision, with no one slacking or cheating, as the tasks were completed efficiently.*
*Those so-called "slaves" might be living happier and more freely than many citizens of the empire.*
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Lord Yila."
"Much appreciated."
"We'll go"
"to work now."
Yila chuckled at the little fairies' chatter, which barely had any pauses between sentences, and pushed the items on the table forward, "Hold on, have some snacks before working, alright?"
Yila pushed forward five tiny rectangular, creamy white snacks, just enough for the five little fairies present, one for each.
"What is this"
"Never seen it before"
"Smells good"
"But we"
"still need to work"
Despite their words, with drool almost dripping but still preparing to leave for work, Yila picked up a small spoon and inserted it into the bouncy snack, saying, "This is pudding, the world's first batch of sweet pudding."
"Help everyone in the Demon King City taste it. It doesn't count as slacking off."
Yila remarked, recalling how he had gone to the kitchen last night to find something to eat... Yes, he did go to the kitchen, proving Hilena's arrangement of his room here was indeed sensible.
Last night, Yila found agar, an algae extract used in this world to brew wine, a key ingredient in the modern pudding from his previous world.
This world had a type of pudding, a savory blood sausage made from blood, meat, fat, oats, and bread, sounding strange but tasting quite good.
"Really?"
"Then"
"we'll"
"give it a try"
With this, the little fairies eagerly flew to the table, picking up their small spades that looked like Luoyang shovels to dig into the milky, fragrant pudding to taste.
"Wow"
"So sweet"
"Delicious"
"So bouncy"
"..."
Watching these fairies, who began discussing wildly instead of speaking in a unified manner like before, Yila chuckled and shook his head while continuing to read the sheepskin book in his hand.
This book was the history of the Crimson Dragon, roughly explaining how the Crimson Dragon's ancestors maintained their self in the face of demonic corruption, and how they completely darkened due to the Dragon Clan's rejection.
Though Yila couldn't guarantee its accuracy, it did provide some clues about the past.
"..."
After finishing their puddings, the fairies looked at Yila quietly reading by the window's sunlight... For some reason, they thought this human in front of them was very beautiful.
*Handsome, spoke gently, kind-hearted, and acted tenderly.*
(*The monsters who died on the battlefield: Were you all misunderstanding what gentleness means?!*)"
"Hmm? Finished eating? Then could you help by delivering these puddings to the leaders? Including Hilena, the Demon King, and... the ones we met before. Just give them to everyone from yesterday's meeting."
Yila displayed the puddings in small boxes beside him, watching the five little fairies effortlessly carry all the puddings up into the air, reminding them, "The extra ones, distribute them to the maids, servants, and little fairies in the Demon King City, saying they're the Demon King's reward."
"Alright~"
"Sure, sure"
"Thank you, Lord Yila."
"We'll be off."
"Goodbye."
Despite their small stature, little fairies had strength equivalent to normal imperial men, easily capable of carrying dozens of puddings each.
Sending the newly made puddings to future colleagues was quite ordinary, and the subordinates didn't need to know who Yila truly was, so he didn't need to establish any relationship with them.
However, Satan Ye required the servants' respect; that way, they'd gossip less, which was necessary for a king.
"Shush..."
A breeze blew in through the window, flipping the sheepskin parchment halfway turned by Yila; the wind turned half, Yila turned half, but only he read, not the wind. Wasn't that unfair to the wind?
Such a sunny day was rare in winter, though the people of this world, with their resilience to cold and heat, wouldn't particularly mind the weather.
However, Yila felt he had forgotten something while reading.
...
*Oh, if it were the little fairies, they'd possibly tell the servants, "Lord Yila made this pudding; the extras are for you to eat, and we're to say it's the Demon King's reward," or something like that.*
*Fairies would definitely mention Yila because...*
"Little fairies, they can't lie, right?" he murmured, falling into deep contemplation.