This story was originally written in Indonesian. I used AI to help translate it into English, so I apologize in advance for any translation errors or awkward phrasing that may appear.
---
The main conference room of the demon castle was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
Pandora sat at the end of the long table alongside several high-ranking demons.
The mood was awkward, silent, and honestly, very uncomfortable.
"Ugh... Damn it, if this keeps up, we're getting nowhere. Someone's gotta lead the conversation... Alright, I'll do it."
Pandora muttered inwardly, then slammed her hand loudly on the table.
BANG!
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Pandora scanned the faces of the demons sitting around her.
On her left sat a large, muscular demon with a fierce, thug-like face. His name was Mammon, the captain of the royal guards.
"Uhh... he looks seriously scary. Are they sure someone like that should be a captain?" thought Pandora.
> Captain of the Guards
The primary leader of the castle's defense forces, reporting directly to the queen or the general.
Near Mammon sat a thin, lanky demon man with long hair covering his eyes, looking shy and easily flustered. His name was Azil, the vice-captain of the guards.
"Man... just their faces alone are worlds apart. How do these two even work together?"
> Vice-Captain of the Guards
A direct subordinate to the captain, assisting with administrative tasks and training.
To Pandora's right sat a flashy and stunning demon woman with an ideal figure.
She was Velmora, the commander of Squad 01. Previously the leader of Squad 03, she had been promoted thanks to her achievements.
> Squad Commander / Lieutenant
Responsible for leading small to medium-sized units, depending on the military structure.
Behind Velmora stood two tiny twin demons, Zura and Zuri, her personal assistants and also her "children."
Despite looking like elementary schoolers, they were definitely not kids by age.
And lastly, standing beside Pandora's seat was Vivian, a vampire assigned as Pandora's personal mentor by direct order of the queen.
Pandora still didn't know why a vampire would be working here.
---
Once the echo of the slammed table faded, all eyes were on Pandora again.
"There's so few of them... and this is a serious meeting about intruders during wartime." Pandora thought.
Suddenly, Mammon's deep voice broke the silence.
"Hoh? The little princess joining a strategy meeting? Aren't you lost, kid?"
Velmora chimed in sarcastically, "The queen must be insane, sending a brat like you here."
Pandora let out a slow sigh and glanced at Vivian, who remained silent and expressionless.
"Why is she just standing there? She's the queen's direct appointee... Can't she at least defend me a little? Don't tell me... she looks down on me too? Was that smile before just fake?" thought Pandora.
But she quickly pushed the thought aside and stood up, facing Mammon and Velmora boldly.
"How dare you insult the royal family right to my face. No wonder demons are compared to monsters if you act like this!"
Her tone was sharp, a bit tomboyish, just like her usual self.
The light of courage flickered in her gaze.
Mammon clenched his fists, clearly displeased.
Velmora clicked her tongue.
But before they could argue back, Pandora raised her hand.
"Silence! If you want to live, don't force me to report this to the queen."
Her voice was flat but cutting.
"From now on, I have to act like a royal princess... But, uh, aren't princesses supposed to be elegant? Not aggressive like this? Ah, whatever..." she grumbled inwardly.
The room instantly froze, memories flashing back to when Pandora's magic teacher and personal maid had been executed mercilessly not long ago.
Mammon gulped nervously.
"This kid... even though she's small, her voice... sounds like the queen herself." Mammon muttered.
Pandora took a deep breath and turned to Vivian.
"Vivian, could you explain the situation in detail?"
Vivian smiled.
"Of course, Your Highness," she replied — with a speaking style... oddly similar to Pandora's own.
Pandora blinked in surprise.
Vivian, who had been so quiet, was suddenly chatty and expressive?
"Wait, is she... copying my way of speaking? She was all stiff in front of the queen, and now she's acting like a bestie..." Pandora thought.
Vivian explained that the queen had returned to the castle after sensing someone break through the barrier protecting the demon territory.
At first, it had been a single person.
But just recently, while in the throne room, the queen sensed twenty-seven intruders — probably a small team led by two individuals.
Their task was to investigate the purpose of the intruders and figure out how to capture them.
Pandora asked, "How long has the barrier been up?"
Vivian answered that the barrier was created after the queen's children rebelled, leading many demons to defect and aid humans.
Actually, the barrier was more meant to prevent people from leaving than to block outside threats.
"Ohh, I see... So the barrier's been up for hundreds of years. This was a long-term strategy." Pandora mused.
She raised an eyebrow.
"But wait... isn't it weird? The enemy must've tested the barrier's weak points for centuries, and now they finally found a way. First sending one person to test the waters, then a small team to check on them... Sounds like a methodical plan." she thought.
The demons watched in confusion as Pandora propped her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
"Wait a sec! If that's how it went down, how did demons manage to sneak in?" she wondered.
Pandora asked Vivian.
"How did the traitorous demons who got wiped out even manage to get inside if the barrier was already in place?"
"Simple," Vivian replied, "those traitors were already inside long before the barrier was established."
"I see," Pandora muttered.
Pandora continued to ask important questions, such as how communication between inside and outside worked, or whether only the queen could bypass the barrier.
After gathering all the answers, Pandora calmly presented her analysis.
The other demons stared at her, mouths hanging open.
"Huh? They're shocked over something this basic? How did they even win any wars?" Pandora thought dryly.
Vivian beamed and patted Pandora's head.
"You're amazing, Princess."
Pandora frowned awkwardly but didn't push Vivian's hand away.
"Why are we suddenly acting all buddy-buddy? Well... this is an isekai world after all. Sometimes logic here makes no sense. Things that seem normal in the modern world can be seen as genius here." Pandora mused.
---
> Author's Note:
"I wrote the story so modern knowledge seems impressive in an isekai world. Honestly though, I'm not good at writing genius characters. My grades were just average back in school..." the author sobs dramatically.
---
Pandora glanced around and asked, "By the way, why are there so few people attending such an important meeting?"
Velmora replied in a flat tone,
"Almost all the castle's top officials were slaughtered yesterday."
Pandora froze.
Her gaze went blank, and her body stiffened.
She slapped her forehead.
"Crap, that's right. If I think about it, the queen could've interrogated them first... but she just wiped them all out. Is the queen only capable of solving problems through violence or something?"
Pandora slumped over the table.
Tears welled up as she let out a pitiful complaint.
"Ugh... I just wanna cry..."