The humans that have joined us will absolutely care and it will only get worse as more join. Given enough time, the others will be affected by them and will also start to care. Of course, things in the kingdom won't be as bad as other nations for quite a while.

Mainly because we don't really have nobles, the closest we have is the chieftains. While they will probably plot against each other, they should still be nowhere near as bad as human nobles. I want to try and prevent us from getting nobles for as long as I possibly can.

However, I am going to have to give the chieftains similar powers to a noble. Otherwise I really won't be able to control the kingdom, but I can take steps to counter them. I was never a fan of governments and didn't study them, but I do remember some things.

For one, I know that dividing power into separate groups can help control corruption. I am planning to set up a system of mayors and governors to balance the nobles. Or at least, that is the idea I am thinking of going with currently, but it is still a rough plan.

This is a plan for the future, so I have plenty of time to make changes and improvements. Right now, the nation doesn't have enough infrastructure to need much in the way of management. However, that will change quickly if I end up conquering the human kingdoms.

That is one of the main reasons that I am not leaning towards unifying the peninsula. It will be a huge headache and will distract me from more important things. That time would be much better spent getting stronger or building a golem army.

First, I need to deal with Holos, then I need to finish unifying the beastlands. Once that is done, then I will decide what my future course of action will be. These thoughts pass through my head on the long walk to the throne room.

Herald says "Greetings, King Ash. The emperor and empress are inside, but we are still waiting for all the high priests to arrive. Also, the court is with the emperor."

"Thank you. I will wait until the priests are gathered. Please, pass along to the emperor that I believe he will want to limit who hears what I need to tell him."

Herald says "Understood. Please wait here."

The herald gives me a bow and then enters the throne room, leaving me and the guards outside. A few minutes later the herald returns to his post and not long after that, nobles start leaving the throne room. Most of them don't look happy about it, but I doubt any of them are brave enough to argue with the emperor.

Even once the nobles have cleared out, I still end up waiting almost half an hour. It takes that long for all the high priests to be gathered, but once they are I enter the throne room. Amn and his wife are in their thrones and surprisingly their daughter is with them as well.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Off to the side of the room are a dozen men and women in robes, they should be the high priests. Out of them, I only recognize the symbol on the robes of one man, it is Holos' symbol. Knowing that he is an enemy, I keep an eye on him as I approach the thrones and bow.

Emperor Amn says "Greetings, King Ash. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. Is there a problem?"

"Well, that depends. Do you consider one of the gods in your pantheon allying with demons to fight against my people a problem?"

As I ask my question, I notice the face of the high priest of Holos go pale. From that, I can tell that he is aware of what his god is up to and that he is worried. The rest of the high priests go nuts when I am done talking, calling me a liar.

Emperor Amn yells "Silence!"

Empress Atesh says "Ash, which god are you referring to and what has he done?"

"The peninsula is not unified, at least not yet. There is a small empire composed of humans and Holos has set up his church there. That empire is also infested with demons, which I recently made a move against. During the last battle that I was a part of, I watched one of Holos' angels ignore a demon and attack me instead."

High Priest of Holos yells "That's impossible! You are lying!! You are a heretic! Guards, seize him!!"

Emperor Amn says "Guards, stay as you are!"

Empress Atesh says "Ash is the ruler of an allied nation, how dare you speak to him so in our throne room?!"

Shiro says "Ash has no reason to lie to us, but you are looking awfully nervous, Gealue. Is there something that you are wanting to hide from my parents? Maybe the fact that Ash is speaking the truth and you knew all about it?"

Holos' high priest's reaction makes the other high priests also start questioning him. While they are arguing, I try to figure out how I can prove what I am saying. If only I knew illusion magic, then I could show them my memories directly.

Wait, I may not know illusion magic, but mirages are something similar. A mirage is created by heat and air, both of which I am fairly good at, so maybe I can make that work. While they are arguing, I do a few quick experiments to see if I can figure it out.

The first part ends up being easy, I basically create a screen using heated air. The hard part is figuring out how to use light magic to make a projector. It takes me a few minutes, but I do eventually figure out how to make it work.

It isn't going to be high quality, but it should work well enough to prove what I am saying. Luckily, the high priests are all still arguing and no one is paying attention to me. So, I create a screen that covers a good half of the throne room and start playing my memory.

The room instantly goes quiet as all eyes turn to the screen and watch the memory play. I started it from when I arrived, so everyone can see the beastmen surrounded by humans. It is also easy to recognize Holos' people since they are all wearing his symbol.

When the memory gets to the point of the angel being summoned, I notice the high priest of Holos moving. He is trying to sneakily move towards the doors of the throne room. However, the guards notice his movements and quickly move to block his path.

They are the only ones who notice, everyone else has their eyes glued to the screen. That is because in the memory I have just cast the detection spell and revealed the demon. They all watch as the angel looks at the demon and then ignores it to come attack me.