I Reincarnated As The Lazy Demon King's Butler

Elias had been in power before. He had commanded governments, negotiated peace, and crushed opposition without drawing a blade.

But this?

This was his biggest crisis yet.

A kingdom in financial ruin, an army closer to a drunken mob than a military, and at the center of it all—a Demon King who would rather nap than rule.

He needed answers, and he needed them fast.

The Briefing That Should Have Happened Years Ago

Elias stood in the war room, staring at a table littered with maps, reports, and half-eaten pastries. The Demon King's "personal advisors" stood before him—three demon generals, a goblin minister, and a succubus who looked more bored than anyone should at a crisis meeting.

At the head of the table, Azazel Nocturne, the King of Demons, the Dread Sovereign, the Eternal Nightmare of Humanity… sat in his chair with his arms crossed, sulking.

"I don't see why we're doing this," Azazel muttered.

"Because," Elias said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "your kingdom is falling apart, and it is now my job to clean up your mess."

Azazel scoffed. "It's not that bad."

Elias didn't reply. Instead, he reached for the closest document on the table—a crumpled scroll stamped with the royal sigil.

He read aloud:

"To His Dark Majesty, the Esteemed Demon King Azazel Nocturne—"

Azazel yawned. "Sounds respectful so far."

Elias continued.

"—I regret to inform you that the Eastern Province has declared independence due to Your Majesty's lack of response regarding the ongoing famine. In the absence of leadership, we shall govern ourselves. Please do not send an army, as you do not appear to have one."

Elias slowly lowered the letter.

Azazel blinked. "Oh. That's new."

One of the demon generals cleared his throat. "Er, yes. That province hasn't paid taxes in two years either."

Elias inhaled deeply. Of course they hadn't.

"Let me make this clear," he said, his voice steady. "Your own territories are breaking away. Your military is so weak that they're not even afraid of retaliation. And you didn't think that was 'that bad'?"

Azazel shrugged. "I mean, I was going to get to it eventually."

Elias turned to the succubus, Seraphine, who was lazily examining her nails. "You're the Minister of Internal Affairs. Did you even try to stop this?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "We were waiting for Azazel to make a decision. And waiting. And waiting." She shot a glance at the Demon King. "But as you can see, our dear ruler's decision-making process involves excessive napping and snack consumption."

Azazel frowned. "Hey! I make plenty of decisions."

"Like?" Elias asked flatly.

Azazel thought for a moment. "…I decided to let you handle all of this."

The table fell into awkward silence.

Elias took a deep breath. If he didn't fix this soon, the Demon Kingdom would collapse before the humans even arrived at the gates.

Fine. If no one else would take this empire seriously, then he would.

The First Order of a True Ruler

Elias straightened, his golden eyes cold and sharp. "Effective immediately, we are making changes."

Azazel raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Elias reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed document—one that hadn't existed in this world until a few seconds ago.

It was a royal decree. Signed, dated, and magically binding.

Azazel's eyes widened. "Wait. How did you—"

Elias placed it on the table. "I used my ability, Absolute Command, to write a decree in your name."

Azazel's jaw dropped. "You can just do that?!"

"I can now," Elias said smoothly. He gestured to the scroll. "And as of this moment, it is law."

The demon generals leaned in cautiously, scanning the document.

Rebuilding the economy—Reestablishing trade routes, enforcing tax collection, and cutting unnecessary royal expenses (Azazel's personal snack budget is now a war fund).Reforming the military—Mandatory training, restructuring command, replacing drunk generals (no more tavern raids on duty).Securing loyalty—Public addresses, debt relief for key provinces, incentives for merchants to reinvest in the kingdom.

Azazel gawked. "Wait. This—This is actual ruling. You expect me to do all of this?"

Elias smiled coolly. "Oh, no. I expect you to take credit for all of this."

Azazel blinked. "What?"

Elias turned to the generals. "Starting tomorrow, the Demon King will make a public address announcing these changes."

Azazel sat up. "I will?"

Elias placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you will."

Azazel looked at him warily. "Are you using that Absolute Command thing on me again?"

"No," Elias said. "This is just called doing your damn job."

The room fell silent.

Then, Seraphine clapped. Slowly.

"…You know what?" she said with an amused smirk. "I think I'm going to enjoy watching this."

The goblin minister adjusted his glasses. "Honestly? This might actually work."

Azazel groaned, rubbing his face. "This is so much effort."

Elias leaned in, lowering his voice just enough so only the Demon King could hear.

"Azazel," he said softly, "if you play your part well, you can sit on your throne, eat your snacks, and let me do all the hard work while you take all the glory."

Azazel's crimson eyes narrowed. "You're tricking me into ruling, aren't you?"

Elias smiled. "Yes."

Azazel sighed deeply, then waved a hand lazily. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

Elias stepped back, adjusting his gloves. "I already am."

The Butler Takes the Throne (Sort Of)

That night, Elias sat alone in the war room, flipping through reports by candlelight. The kingdom's problems were far worse than he initially thought—but that didn't matter.

He had done this before.

Just because this was a fantasy world filled with demons and magic didn't change the fundamental rules of power. If the Demon King wouldn't rule, then he would rule in his place.

From the shadows.

With a smirk, he dipped a quill in ink and signed another royal decree.

Azazel's name glittered in gold at the bottom.

Tomorrow, the Demon King would take credit for the butler's work. nd soon… the entire world would bow before his rule.