Author here! I only watched the anime and only have a wiki knowledge of the series so I don't know if this had happened in the manga or light novels. This takes place when Ashiya and Maou went on to celebrate the latter's promotion by eating out in a restaurant for a change. They talk about recent events particularly Lucifer's addition to the household and Emi's hollow threats. It's in the beginning of episode 6 and this story adds more to it.

Questions from the Housekeeper

By silenthero

Alciel, one of the Demon Generals of the Demon Lord, master strategist of the demon army, the loyal right-hand man of Satan himself, was currently thinking of what the devil's name were they doing the things they've done recently. From all those exalted titles to housewife and caretaker, Alciel turned Shiro Ashiya have stomached their new life for the sake of his master's ambition. However, a new addition to their already impoverished state had barged in uninvited and Ashiya only has a specific plan on their budget for two people. The new addition completely destroyed it and he needed to recalculate their budget once more.

Fortunately, his master had received another promotion (as expected of him) and they were to celebrate this occasion. "Celebration" was still a carefully thrown out word in their household since the costs always looms over. He couldn't even think of this as a celebration now that his fellow demon general Lucifer was added to the bargain and to their expenditure. Not only that they needed to do all those procedures and papers all over again for the prodigal demon, the little twerp had the gall to request a new laptop and internet that costed them a fortune. Per the norm, Ashiya objected fiercely about this decision but Lucifer had presented that they can research faster and efficiently in this manner. That was why he and Olba had managed to learn so much in so short amount of time.

As usual and seeing the benefits of such a move, Maou approved of the decision despite Ashiya's objections. He was the one earning their funds in the first place so who was Ashiya to dissuade him?

But a thought lingered in Ashiya's mind. How could his master excuse the traitorous act of Lucifer and not punish him so? The thought of treason was unforgiveable in Ashiya's mind that he himself couldn't accept it.

Lucifer had conspired with a priest of all beings to stage an assassination attempt on the Demon Lord. In the end, they were thwarted on their game when Maou finally unleashed what he can do. Instead of banishing the fallen angel by throwing him out to the Gate like a piece of trash, Maou pretty much reinstated him as if nothing had happened. Olba was arrested by the police in the grounds of unlawful possession of firearms and no one defended him, even Emi despite their time together in the battlefield.

It seemed Maou was more forgiving of his subordinates than the Hero for her "friends".

And this was what Ashiya couldn't accept.

Ashiya and Maou were already on their seat waiting for their food to be grilled. All of a sudden, Maou thought it would be the time to gloat over in a manner of what a Demon Lord should. Of all the things Maou could have done, he acted as a true Demon Lord in front of pig intestines being cooked.

"Your majesty!" Ashiya cried out.

"Geez, Ashiya. What's your problem?" Maou complained.

"Please feast a bit more quietly, sire." Ashiya curtly answered. "You're disturbing the people around us."

"Whoops. Sorry I just got really excited." Ashiya could only sigh when his lord started praising how good pig meat taste like. No matter how many times he preached that a balanced diet was important, that same old "could you lighten up a little" answer was always the end of it. Maou was even thinking of bringing back food for "Urushihara" after all this.

"Hardly necessary," Ashiya remarked. "Apparently, he learned the online shopping recently. That cretin is utterly demolishing our budget."

"Huh?" Maou looked at Ashiya and saw him very serious. Yep. He was about to impart something of his mind again.

"I implore you to bring the hammer down on him, sire." Ashiya said sternly, and he took a pig intestine and ate it for dramatic effect.

"Hammer down on him? I already did if you're concerned on smacking some sense into him."

"Sire, that's not what I meant – even if hitting him once more would be nice. What I'm saying is what about the actions he did to us. Certainly, you're not one to forget such incidents."

"You're still mad at him?" Maou asked and it didn't take long for an answer based on Ashiya's facial expressions.

"Yes, I still do." The blonde answered. "I'm still mad that you're watching the movies despite our meager funds. As per your words sire, it hurt "like a bitch" when he shot at you without batting an eye. I was awake when you were carrying me while we are being chased by that twerp."

"Put it to rest already, Ashiya. It's not that I don't think through what I'm doing."

"Then enlighten me, sire. What made you reach such a decision?"

"Well, the trailer for that movie was really good. It turned out to be just hype and –"

"I mean about Lucifer's treatment after he betrayed us." Ashiya cut in.

Maou took a pig intestine and ate it. "I thought of all generals you would be the one to understand." The demon general raised an eyebrow.

"Sire, I don't think I would be asking if I already know it."

"You know about Lucifer and his background?"

"Yes. He's a fallen angel who becomes a demon in his own right. Should I need to know more?"

"Not know more but to understand more." Maou corrected. "What does a fallen angel means to you?"

"It means he was casted out of heaven for some transgression he did."

"Precisely. Lucifer may not be an angel anymore but he is still strong, stronger than some full-blooded demons."

"Sire, I don't know where you are getting at."

"We are getting somewhere here, Ashiya. And that's the reason I kept him around. He's one of the few I've known for so long so I understand how he thinks. His strength is not the only reason I made him a demon general."

"I understand about his merit and capability as a demon general. But to think he would try and betray you, my lord."

"That was part of the bargain." Ashiya was surprised how Maou puts it so blunt. "Lucifer is free to betray me if he sense that my leadership is not to his liking, as do all Demon Generals I appointed. Even you too Ashiya, you're free to betray me."

"Betray you, sire?!" Ashiya exclaimed and stood up. "I would not, for a million years, go against you! Far be it for me to do or even think of such atrocity! I have pledged my allegiance to your ambition and service and I will serve wholeheartedly until my last dying breath. This I swear again."

"Uhh, Ashiya?"

"Yes, your majesty!"

"What did you just say earlier about keeping it down a bit?" Ashiya went back to his seat after kneeling in obeisance for his lord and master.

"I apologize, my lord. I happened to get carried away this time."

You're always getting carried away, Maou thought chewing his food.

"So, about this… Urushihara, what might be the reason of keeping him instead of banishing him?"

"Banishing him?" Maou repeated. "Ashiya, if we did "banish" him, then what? He has nowhere to go now that he has failed his mission. He's a fallen angel. He got plenty of sentences in his track record already. He already knows what it feels like to be exiled."

"But I do think giving him a harsher sentence seemed appropriate instead of spoiling him."

"I'm only trying to give him options. As long as he's in check, he won't do the same stupid mistake again. I doubt he would do so now that he knew what we are still capable off. It returns back to what I said about him giving choices."

"I see, but I still not approve of his luxurious spending habits. His diet so far had been junk foods, carbonated drinks and pre-prepared meals. He gets this from online delivery that charge for the delivery itself instead of him just walking to the nearest convenience store. His laziness knows no bounds."

"Well, I eat the same food in MgRonalds." Maou said wryly.

"But you are moving around and get some exercise from it." Ashiya added. "This rogue had been stationary in front of the computer for how long that makes me wonder how he could stay in shape from it. Perhaps that's the reason why his stature is so short."

Back in the Devil's Castle, the fallen angel now named Hanzo Urushihara suddenly sneezed. "This apartment sucks. Alciel should do a better job in cleaning this place up when he comes back."

Maou looked up as if thinking. "I believe that there are jobs in this world where you do nothing but sit in front of the computer all day long. I don't get it but call centers do it. Chiho once said to me that it's a tedious and stressful job with all the talking and complaining. Perhaps it's the reason why Emi is always cranky."

Many calls make one hero incredibly annoyed. Emi suddenly sneezed in the middle of her call and it was a big no-no under any circumstances. She mentally swore Maou has something to do with this.

"Speaking of her," said Ashiya, "why are we not doing something about it? Did she not declare multiple times that she's the one who will dispose of you?"

"Yeah. You know about those heroes, always ready to remind you your demise at all times."

"But I am serious about this, sire. She might go through it when we least expect it."

"She won't do that." Maou answered briefly.

"How could you be so sure of that, my lord?"

"To tell you the truth, I've learned something from her when you went out to buy some medical supplies with Dullahan after she fell down the stairs."

"Care to elaborate, sire? Did she try to delude you with hollow words again?"

"Not delude, but she's pretty pissed off when she said it to me. I was surprised myself."

"Sire, she's always pissed off."

"Well, she was crying."

"Crying? As in when we did not open the door that one night?"

"She was whining back there but this was different. She explained the reason why she was so determined to end me. Said I've taken something away from her that I couldn't undo. That she couldn't forgive me no matter what. It made me think actually."

"We all have our troubles in life." Ashiya said. "The Hero is no exemption. But how does this make you think that she won't go through it? Is it not more likely, given her animosity towards you, she would be all the more resolved in doing it?"

"I thought so too." Maou said, a hand under his chin. "And yet she doesn't. She was more confused on how we are not acting the way she believes a demon should do. That's what stopping her."

"I'm more baffled that she doesn't act as a hero like the legends of old. If I get it correctly, she doesn't attack us as long as we're not acting as demons?"

"That's the short story of it. I don't know about heroes and demons but it only takes the first strike to launch the whole artillery. If we do try to attack her first, she'll consider that as an act of aggression and she would fight back. We, of course, would fight back and the cycle commence until one goes down. She may also be thinking the same thing and so she refrain from attacking us first. As long as we and her didn't do anything, the stalemate remains." This was the military genius Satan Alciel knew was talking, not the MgRonald's employee.

"Surely you won't let this go on forever?" he asked.

"It still stands and I prefer to keep it that way."

Ashiya leaned back on his seat. The food was finished thanks to Maou's new taste for pig intestines.

"We should go home now, my lord." Ashiya reminded.

"Yeah, I got morning shift tomorrow." Maou said stretching his arms. "So, you have any more questions?"

"None for the moment."

"That's good. We better buy some food for Urushihara before we go home."

"Let me buy the food this time, my lord." Ashiya insisted. "It might mean little but I have few savings stored to at least do this."

"Well, someone's changing." Maou said with a grin. "Let's go then."

And Ashiya did not disappoint as the loyal demon general had bought Lucifer the cheapest and smallest pork bowl in the nearest convenience store.

Serves that Urushihara cretin a lesson, Ashiya thought smugly.

Author's Corner: That's it! I'm confused why Maou would let the wayward Lucifer join the group after the fallen angel tried to kill him. It makes no sense until I've read some more. Unsurprisingly, Emi was annoyed by this but Chiho didn't mind about it much. Speaking of Emi, I was also confused why she kept reminding herself of her mission and then not do it.

I recently found this series and liked it. The English dub was so on point that I prefer it more than the original dub. This is just a one-shot and I don't know if I'll write some more.

Reviews would be appreciated, though! Hataraku Maou-sama is criminally underrated and chants of season 2 are still ringing. See ya!