I Became the Demon Lord and my Territory is an Uninhabited Island

Finally reached 100 chapters. Took me long enough…

PR: Filip/Gecko

It’s the day after the strategy meeting, around 3 in the morning. The bustling night was already over but the liveliness of the mornings wasn’t here yet. It was almost time for us to start the operation. It had been decided that I’ll be going together with the alpha team, with the delta and echo teams as support. They were assigned to abduct the current king and his wife so the teams’ combat abilities were significantly higher than the others.

The Bravo and Foxtrot teams will take care of the first princess and her husband while Charlie and Golf will deal with the third princess. Seems like teams Hotel, India, and Juliet will be free to move while supporting the other teams.

I heard it was a hero who was well-versed in military knowledge who came up with the plan. One of those military otakus so to speak.

Even if I have some knowledge about that topic, I’m not well versed in it so I decided to go to their strategy meeting to listen in. Their explanation was simple and easy to understand. It also seems like they got the leaders of each team to completely memorize the map.

I thought I might hinder Alpha team so I told them I would be fine going with another group but they were completely opposed to the idea. It was like they wanted me there no matter what.

Will this be alright? I don’t mind the codename because I don’t have to worry about my name being exposed but I don’t think it’s necessary to be so particular about unit names and who goes where.

While the heroes were jumping around the room, one of them asked.

「Is there a plan B?」

The others gave a wonderfully synchronized reply.

「「「Huh? Of course not」」」

Seems like that line is still famous even now.

At any rate, it seemed like heroes dressed in black clothes were stationed all over town so they can immediately go to the castle if something happens so I’m troubled by this really unorganized situation.

The second princess is away since she’s being married off to a powerful noble family nearby so they’ll keep her in check later. It seems like the king only had female children and he doesn’t have concubines or anything like that. They don’t require a male child for a successor, only that the firstborn will have the highest succession rights. Well, that doesn’t matter to us though.

That’s probably why the third princess, who didn’t want to marry, kept on summoning heroes to find her groom. It’s a troublesome topic but since Iwamoto-kun was allowed to travel…… it probably means he wasn’t favored. I think he’s a good-looking young man though……

Almost fifty heroes with their faces hidden with cloth were quietly moving through the moonless streets of the capital. They had prepared all sorts of quiet lightweight clothing just for this day. They even bought the shortest possible weapons they could use.

While on our way moving from building to building, I saw a hero that was covered from head to toe in black armor. He had a large, iron plate-like sword on his back that was longer than he was tall. I think it’s inspired by that manga so it’s unfortunate I couldn’t talk to him.

When we arrived at our destination, Ugajin-san took out several tools then inserted a long and thin one into the keyhole, and slowly turned it to unlock the door. They can even pick locks, huh? Ninjas sure are amazing.

While I was thinking that, he raised his hand to give us the signal to stand by while he went inside the building. After about what felt like a minute, he came back out. He must have dealt with the guy we talked about earlier.

We all went inside the apartment after that, then Ugajin-san removed the false floor to reveal a hidden staircase that he used to go down. The rest of us followed him down then we started our final preparations in a slightly wider room that was prepared prior to our arrival.

I checked the machete and crowbar by my waist then made sure the shield was secured properly on my left arm. Once all preparations were done, Ugajin-san announced the start of the operation in a low voice. With that, the vanguard started jogging down the narrow pathway while everyone else closely followed behind.

After a while, we reached a staircase going up but only Ugajin-san went up to check the situation. Once he ascertained that everything was clear, he called us up.

I was worried about the light from the fireplace but the lounge doesn’t seem to be in use with the cold air circulating around the room.

Once everyone was in their positions, Ugajin-san slowly opened the door and checked the surroundings, then the five-man squads left the lounge and silently ran to do their respective tasks.

Even if this isn’t something you normally do, you’ll be able to do it if you have high physical ability, huh?

While I was thinking that, I followed along with monster girl lover and his group.

The lamps were lit but since it was already the middle of the night, the wicks were short. The hallways were dim because of that so it was quite reassuring. When we reached the end of the corridor, everyone paused so Monster girl lover could check over the corner. Since everything was clear, we continued along until we found ourselves in front of a slightly larger door.

Beyond this door was a slightly larger space with an even bigger door and it seems like there are always two royal soldiers taking turns standing guard.

Because of that, one hero slowly and quietly opened a tiny gap in the door. On his signal, two other heroes who had their crossbows drawn, aimed at the guards and shot them which pierced through their helmets.

The moment the arrows were shot, the other three jumped out then caught the defeated guards just before they fell down and quietly laid them on the floor. Seeing that made me feel like I really underestimated the heroes.

With that done, Alpha team surrounded the door of the royal couple’s room while Delta and Echo teams stood by the royal guard’s station.

Just like the breaching units you see in movies or games, one stayed behind the wall and opened the double doors while the rest stormed inside the royal guards’ room. At the same time, the Alpha team opened the door and rushed into the royal couple’s room.

Even with the commotion next door, the king and queen remained asleep in their bed. There was a door connected to the room next door but it remained closed so the heroes slowly approached the two.

Once they were right next to their bed, they put them inside a large jute bag and then tied the string firmly so they wouldn’t be able to move. As they were lifting the royal couple, the door leading to the guard station opened causing everyone to be on their guard. They were able to breathe a sigh of relief though upon realizing it was their comrades.

After that, everyone excluding me carefully searched the area for anything important like stamps and documents that we could take with us. We didn’t have enough time though so they just took a small container that looked like a jewelry box.

Before we left, they threw the guards killed with the crossbows into the guards’ room, cleaned the bloodied marble floor with a short chant of water magic, then balanced some empty armor in front of the royal couple’s room to make it seem like nothing happened. If you’re wondering how they managed to balance those empty armors, I absolutely have no idea.

The queen didn’t resist being carried but the king was moving around like a worm. We used the same path we came from but some random patrolling soldiers were about to arrive. Because of that, we decided to wait at the corner of the corridor and as they came around, they were stabbed at the gap between their helmets and armor and were killed without any idea what happened. We couldn’t just leave them there so they were carried along with all their armor.

While we were walking back, I noticed that blood wasn’t dripping from the dead soldiers they were carrying. If I had to guess, they probably did something as they stabbed them. Did they cauterize it or something?

We didn’t have any encounters after that. Once we got back to the lounge, there were three fully armored heroes with large weapons waiting for us there. They’re probably the rear guard if I had to guess.

Those fully armored heroes whispered to us to go ahead while pointing towards the fireplace so it seemed like the other squads were still inside. At any rate, the job of the squad I’m with isn’t done yet so we went through the fireplace carrying the corpses and the royal couple.

「We’re not the first huh?」

Monster girl lover whispered when we saw two people with their limbs tied to a chair’s armrest and legs.

「I’ll leave this to you」

As he said that said, the Alpha squad handed the king and queen to the others then Monster girl lover went back saying he’ll help the rear guard.

The two heroes that were entrusted with the captives tied them on a chair the same way as the others.

A while later, Charlie team and the others came back bringing a man and woman who were almost completely naked.

These are the last pair in the plan, right?

While I was thinking that, rear guards came out so we all went back up.

Aida-san was waiting for us there while Ugajin-san came a bit later from the direction of the castle.

「It’s good that you were able to gather them here without casualties. Is everything ready? We will be removing the jute bag so please don’t be surprised」

He said that in this world’s common language then the heroes standing behind the seats removed the covering at the same time. When the royalty saw the people in front of them, they were all surprised but so was I.

The last one to have their cover removed was a man who looked Asian with half-blonde half-black hair.

「Is this one a hero……? Nobody has a pudding-like head nowadays so don’t leave the blonde part of your unkempt hair. Based on the ratio of black hair, he’s probably been here less than a year right?」

「Yep」

「Why is this guy barely dressed? Ah, I don’t need to know…… I can probably guess based on the current situation」

「Mhmm! Mmmhm mhmm! Mrghhh!」

「Well, let’s move on. Please remove the cloth covering the king’s mouth first」

The hero behind the king did as Aida-san asked.

「Are you aware of what you are doing?」

The king glared at him while saying that to intimidate them.

「Yes. I know. I’m more than aware」

「Then let us go or we’ll have you executed posthaste」

「Oh my. You don’t seem to know what kind of situation you are in right now. As expected of a king. You still think you’re on top even in this kind of situation, don’t you? How dumb can you get?」

「You insolent fool! What is your goal!?」

「Well, I guess I should explain that first. The main things are about you treating the heroes as sacrificial pawns and if there’s a method to send us back to our original world. The royal family is responsible for the summoning possible so we gathered you here」

「What foolish thing are you saying…… Do you really think I would say something like that」

The king shook his head and acted like he really didn’t say that.

「We have evidence, you know? The person behind you did some scouting behind the scenes after all. It was just before the cycles of seasons restarted I guess. You proclaimed it so loudly that he was able to hear it from the ceiling you know?」

「Tsk!」

「Anyway, how about you start speaking about those two matters」

「You otherworlders quickly increase your strength and learn magic in no time at all. By the time the season changes, you’d be at the same level of strength as the knight’s captain. Since you monsters were suddenly transported to an unfamiliar land with no one to rely on but we who were in front of you, it was not difficult to take advantage of you」

One hero was about to hit the king but Aida-san raised his hand just before he did so he held back.

「Then how about the other one? Is there a way to send us back?」

「……a method existed during my grandfather’s time but the family who could use that magic has already ceased to exist. And there was almost no reason to send you back in the first place」

After he said that, the atmosphere suddenly became cold, and killing intent filled the room. He probably should have chosen his words better. I have no idea how and why this kind of person is a king.

「Alright. Let’s just give up going back to our world」

After they said that, the king breathed a small sigh of relief.

「In that case, we should receive some kind of power. Making a law that favors us who were summoned would be fine right? We were thoroughly used as sacrificial pawns so at least that much is a given……right?」

「What!? If that happens, the competent nobles wouldn’t just keep quiet you know!?」

「Then why don’t we shut them up with our military forces? We can just control you from behind the scenes, right? How about we have you sign and put your seal on this document? UG, bring them over please」

Ugajin-san brought over a pen, paper, a seal, and sealing wax. And that’s a really simple code name, isn’t it? It’s just the U and G of Ugajin. Also, was there even a point in us bringing the documents we took earlier?

「Who would write up a document like that!? Do you realize what would happen to this country if that happens!?」

「If you refuse these conditions we’re presenting, it’ll just end up getting worse and worse for you, you know? We’ll add these documents too…… And besides, some heroes are way smarter heroes than us. If we work behind the scenes, I can make you a king that everyone reveres you know?」

After saying that, he presented another piece of paper to the king. More papers could also be seen nearby.

「Which one is your dominant arm? We’ll only release that one. Someone bring a table here」

The king’s right hand was released. Once the table arrived, he took that opportunity to pick up the ink bottle and throw it towards Aida-san. Is someone who would do such rash actions really a king?

「UG, go upstairs and heat the water and oil. Make it as hot as you can. I didn’t want to resort to violence but bring all of the tools here as well」

Ugajin-san quickly moved into action hearing Aida-san, who was dripping with ink, coldly ask that.

「Wait wait wait, torture isn’t a good idea, right? We need to break them but they have to return to the castle without any external injuries」

「Then what method do you have in mind? How about you enlighten us, school swimsuit-san」

He was really mad that I was stopping them.

「For now, instead of the king, wouldn’t it be better to harass the queen or his daughters instead? If their father doesn’t do anything, they’ll take matters into their own hands and they’ll be more likely to lend us a hand」

「Please elaborate」

「Since I don’t condone torture or any of the sort, we’ll be making use of the feather duster I got from the raid earlier. We’ll strip them until they’re only wearing their underwear then tickle them until their faces are filled with tears, snot, and drool. You wouldn’t want your spouse to see such a slovenly appearance, would you? There’s also a chance they’ll wet themselves though. Well, if we don’t make progress, we’ll be here for a while anyways so that would eventually happen which would lead to the same results. They’re prideful ladies so I don’t think they’ll bear such shame. They might end up just asking us to kill the king though……」

「……that should be fine, right? Well then, I guess we’ll go with that plan. Tear off the women group’s clothes and assault them with the feather duster. Touching the genitals is strictly prohibited」

Hearing that command, the women’s expressions stiffened then immediately switched to despair.

「Please remove the cloth on their mouths as well」

「Papa! Please do what these people ask!」

「Please, dear. We’ll be humiliated at this rate」

「I’ll kill you! These guys are heroes, why don’t they submit to me!? Justice, don’t just stay there tied up like us, do something! You’re a hero right!?」

Hearing the third princess say that, all of the heroes burst into laughter. Some were even shaking trying to hold back. Also, it’s a guy who has a kira kira name huh? Growing up with a name like that and then coming to this world…… I wonder if this is how he was raised……? Looking around, it seems like the other heroes were looking at the pudding head with pity. I wonder if that guy’s name is written as 正義 but read as Justice? Well, it doesn’t really matter I guess.Kira Kira Name'>

「Please remove the cloth from that hero’s mouth as well」

When the gag was removed he immediately snapped.

「You bastards! Don’t mess with me! What did I do!? I’ll kill you, bastards! Just try and touch Relus! I’ll definitely kill you!」

「Did you think we’ll get scared if you shout? Someone make these two shut up. I guess I should have expected that they wouldn’t just stay quiet」

Hearing that, one of the heroes nearby kicked his chair down then trampled on his face as hard as he could which instantly caused Justice to lose consciousness. Relus kept screaming but since we can’t do the same to the royalty, they just forcefully shoved a cloth into her mouth and used another cloth to cover it. After that, they started removing the ladies’ clothes.

Once everything was ready, I started tickling the third princess, the one who was called Relus, with the feather duster. I could hear her muffled laughter as I tickled her neck and chest area. Eventually, she started convulsing and the whites of her eyes showed as tears and snot began to flow.

If she wasn’t gagged, her drool would probably flow out as well. Still, this sure isn’t a good look for her, is itー?

「Stop! Stop it! Let the children go!」

「Well, I guess we’ll go for your wife then」

「Stop! Don’t touch my wife either!」

「We can’t lay a hand on your daughters but we also can’t lay a hand on your wife. Quite the selfish king we have here, huh? It’s fine if we add one more sheet to the documents right? As I said earlier, the longer you don’t sign, the worse it becomes for you」

As Aida-san said that with a cold stare, he took a knife, tore through the queen’s nightgown, then started tickling her.

The queen cried as she laughed loudly but even so, he still didn’t stop assaulting her with the feather duster. Her face which wasn’t used to so much laughter started spasming and drool started dribbling out of her mouth.

「I’ll let you rest for a while」

As he said that, he looked towards the first princess whose body was shaking because of fear.

「No! Stop! Papa, please! Listen to the demands of these people!」

Aida-san continued to rip off her clothes with a knife then assaulted her with a feather duster until she fainted. With that, we had already gone through all of the women.

While that was happening, the king was frantically making a fuss about something. However, I don’t think he knew anything about the summoning for his son-in-law so their pleas fell on deaf ears as the king kept rejecting our proposition.

「Now that you’ve seen your wife and daughters in such sorry states, is your answer still the same?」

「Did you think I would give in?」

「School swimsuit-san, please pour water over them to wake them up. All of them including the hero」

I did as told but the water seeped into the remaining thin cloth they were wearing making it translucent and caused all sorts of things to be exposed. I just ignored that though and continued to wake up the four of them.

「Ohー, almost everything can be seen now that you’re wet. Anyway, shall we start round two?」

Hearing that, the three women squirmed in embarrassment but they were still tickled despite their tears.

This time around, their thighs, sides, and the soles of their feet were also tickled. The first princess cried like a child after she had an accident but once all of them had their turn, the queen and her daughters all started glaring at the king.

「This is all because papa didn’t follow their demands sooner!」

Said the first princess. Well, you’re also at fault for not stopping your younger sister from summoning without regard for the consequences though, right?

I was the one in charge of Relus and tickled her the same way as others. She groaned and shook her head around but it was a useless struggle. While I was busy with that, the pudding head hero suddenly tore off his bindings and charged at me.

「You bastard! I’ll kill you!」

As I had expected, a hero was easily able to overpower a simple rope.

Since the pudding head was throwing a barrage of punches my way, I firmly held on to my shield with my left hand and caught his left wrist with my right hand, and held on to it tightly. I pushed away both his hands at the same time and when he tried to go for a large swing, I countered it with a shield bash causing him to fall and stop moving. After that, we stopped him from moving by burying him up to his neck.

This is why I was tickling her in front of you, pudding head! Do you not know how easy it is to avoid a telephone punch? Were you just living in the castle the entire time since you’ve been summoned?

「Mhmmー! MMMMMMMHHH!」

「Chantless casting…… A demonkin! You bastard! 」

「Yes, I got acquainted with these heroes by chance and although I can’t do much, I decided to lend them a hand. They said this is to let people know that humans and the demonkin can get along after all. But well, the real reason is that I can’t stand how the church is teaching the humans such misinformation. I don’t like how they’re declaring that all demonkin are evil even though good ones also exist. Demonkin and humans are living peacefully where I’m from, you know? Some demons and humans were even able to find love regardless of their race. That’s why it was heartbreaking to know that on this side, innocent children throw stones at people just because they’re demonkin」

I didn’t want to say it was my territory so I just acted like it was my hometown.

「Don’t be ridiculous! Demonkin are inferior to humans!」

「That mentality is exactly what I don’t like. Which part exactly is demonkin inferior to humans? Intelligence? My hometown may be a small village but everyone is given proper education. Everyone knows how to read and write and do calculations. A noble I know is managing their territory with beautiful towns better than what I’ve seen here. Are we inferior in terms of strength? I think humans are just average at everything but the demonkin are able to fight while taking advantage of their special traits. Wouldn’t it be better if you consider them as specialized beings rather than being all rounders? Elves are good with a bow, the aquatic demonkin excels in naval battles, the harpies are great scouts, and the beastmen have high physical abilities. There are even some like myself who are a bit smarter than others」

I said that provocatively while tapping my temple.

「Nuu……」

「Now then, although we’ve only used tickling to punish you, your lives are still in our hands…… Please think carefully about that. If all of you die here, who would be next in line to rule? I guess it would be the second princess who isn’t here. Since she already knew her sister would be next in line, did she even receive that kind of education? What about the man she married? He might get tempted by all that power and suddenly decide to do stupid things you know? Well, I have no idea about the noble factions here so I can’t really imagine what would happen then」

「That’s enough!」

Hmmー I don’t know exactly what the dynamic is in this couple’s relationship but it feels like he’s the type who sends people to his wife and have them do whatever she says.

「Let’s get back on track. Relus-san, regarding your repeated summoning until you found a man of your liking because you didn’t want to marry an ugly noble…… There is some kind of magic circle that restricts the use of all kinds of magic, right?」

「……」

I was just prying for information but since her eyes were darting all over the place and she was staying quiet, I probably got it right.

「Alright, I’ll continue. If you had to pick between getting your magic sealed or killing the hero that’s lying on the floor here, which one would you choose? I sure do hope you’re a kindhearted noble, don’t you agree?」

I gently said that with a smile as I took out the machete on my waist and pointed it at the hero’s neck.

「Hmmhhhhー, Mmmhhmm!」

「I don’t want to kill Justice-san so could you persuade your father? I’ll remove the cloth on your mouth but heads will fall off if you just make noise or talk too much okay?」

When I said that as gently as I could, she frantically shook her head up and down. Looking at Aida-san, he gave me a nod so I took the cloth off her mouth.

Relus cried while frantically pleading to her father but the king didn’t budge.

「I hope your daughter resents you for the rest of your life. You should pray that she doesn’t poison your food at least」

I dug up pudding head with magic then handed him over to another hero. I secretly asked that hero to detain the pudding head, making sure that Relus doesn’t hear it.

Because of his inaction, Relus started staring daggers at the king. I guess I’m still a bit soft since I couldn’t kill another Japanese person right then and there. After that, I left the rest of the negotiation to Aida-san while I sat on the chair where pudding head sat before. Aida-san seemed to have changed his methods seeing how I did things so he started getting the rest of the king’s family to turn against him.

「Well then, how does it feel to make an enemy out of your entire family? Wouldn’t it be better to just die and hand over the throne to your daughter at this point? I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I was in your situation you know? Well, that’s also amazing in its own way I guess」

The king, who was tearfully hanging his head, remained adamant. I just observed the rest but Aida-san’s methods were more aggressive compared to mine. He used to play sim games and he’s probably knowledgeable since he used to be a teacher so he has way too many cards to use when negotiating. I don’t even know how many sheets he has added at this point.

「Kill me. It’s better than being killed by my wife and daughters」

「Those were the words I’ve been waiting to hear!」

Are you a back-alley doctor from somewhere? Well, that one said “That’s what I wanted to hear” though.

「But you’re still useful you see. Make this document official for now then you can continue being king or hand over the throne to your daughter and have her imprison you. We’ll check up on you again at a later date」

He’s like the guy from Aibou with how he drives you into a corner.

「That’s right, make sure your signature is nice and clear. And please make sure the seal is properly pressed down on the sealing wax as well」

I don’t know what was being written but Aida-san had a huge smile on his face.

「Well then, the morning bell is about to ring so before that happens, cover them with these pieces of cloth, put them in these hemp bags, and throw them out in front of the castle gates. If you’re lucky, someone will pick you up and realize it’s you guys」

With that said, the heroes started putting them inside the bags.

「What about Justice! What happened to Justice!」

The third princess exclaimed.

「He’s fine. He’s alive but we’re going to keep him locked up and under supervision」

After letting her know, she was immediately covered with the bag. Of course, the half-naked ladies were given a cloth to cover themselves and they were all tied up before they were put in the bags and given to someone who was waiting with a carriage upstairs.

「We can finally take a breather, huhー?」

「Was there even a need for me to be here? You didn’t even need proof that I was a demon lord in the first place」

「No no, you were here just in case something happened. Everything went well though so you weren’t needed in the end. You’ll definitely be necessary when persuading people related to the church though」

「……can I go home then?」

「Ahー, yeah. Um…… I apologize for treating you like convenient insurance」

「It’s fine. I’m going to be quite mad if you do it next time thoughー」

「I’ll send a letter to the store if there’s any movement and you can use this place as a transfer point at that time. We’ll have a few heroes staying in this building so we’ll let them know beforehand. Someone get all of Caam-san’s stuff」

After saying that, Ugajin-san quickly went up the stairs.

「Got it. I’ll set this place as a transfer point so please don’t leave any stuff behind here」

「Yes. Thank you for the help today」

Aida-san sounded somewhat more polite while saying that.

「It’s alright. I don’t want to seem like a fool when you’re treating me well so I can forgive this much. I’ll sever all relations with you if you completely take advantage of me and do not do me any favors though」

「Haha. I want to keep this friendly relationship for as long as possible you know?」

「Me too」

I was getting a bit awkward so I went up the stairs and brewed some tea that the original owner of the place was drinking to pass some time.

「Woah, how were they able to use tea leaves this good? Is this the benefit of being in charge of the secret exit? They were probably getting paid well huh?」

「That’s right. Usually, it’ll be connected to royal catacombs or something but it’s kinda dangerous with it being here instead」

「I think you didn’t notice it since it’s the middle of the night but this apartment is the closest building to the main gate from the lower class district. That’s why it’s not as dangerous as it seems. Why else would the escape route lead to the lower-class district? By the way, I was wondering how this place could operate without any tenants so I looked into it and it turns out that I was right on the money」

Ugajin-san came back and joined in on the conversation as he gave me my rucksack and shovel.

「Well then, let me know by letter if something happens again」

「Got it」

「I’ll come to see the mermaids once in a while」

「……do it in moderation since the wrong type of half-man half-fish also exists」

Hearing that, he was unable to hide the disgusted look on his face. He really detests them, doesn’t he?

I activated the magic circle and went home to my hometown.

I instantly arrived at Beryl. It was already sunrise so I quietly entered our house and started to prepare breakfast for my wives and children as I waited for them to get up.

Suzuran with her knuckle dusters and Latte who was holding a knife, came to the kitchen probably because they noticed the sounds.

「Ah, I’m home」

After saying that, the two of them came running to hug me without saying a word.

Suzuran hugged me with all her strength.

「Uwaa, I’m glad you survivedー」

Latte cried and said that as she hugged me. I patted their heads and said.

「It’s rare for Suzuran to get up early」

「Latte woke me up because of the sounds. I thought it might be a thief so I quickly grabbed my weapon……」

Suzuran’s eyes also seemed to be teary.

「I’m sorry for suddenly bringing up that conversation last time」

「It’s fine already you know? Caam-kun came back after all」

「Haha, did you think I would die? I was working with heroes who could defeat Demon Lords, you know? Anyway, could you put down that knife already?」

I felt uneasy since she was holding the knife the entire time she was hugging me.

Then, probably because of all the noise we were making, the children also woke up and came to hug me.

「Welcome home father」「Welcome back papa」

It was a bit rough for me after all that happened but I think that right now is the happiest that I’ve ever been.