episode_0014

Episode 14

“I’m tired…”

It was late at night when Lumaniel, having finished everything he had to do today, staggered to his room after confirming that there was no one around.

He wanted to tell his past self who had strived to become a demon king. To put it in extreme terms, becoming a demon king only requires great power, but once you become one, there are things that cannot be solved with power alone.

“Sigh.”

If this had been some time ago, he would have probably thought about giving up halfway, returned to his room like a corpse, and fallen asleep. And in the morning, he would have repeated the same day again.

However, things were different now. Waiting for him in the room was his own fatigue recovery potion, which was more effective than elixirs.

As he thought about it, Lumaniel’s lips loosened in a sigh.

Originally, in order to maintain his dignity, he never showed a relaxed demeanor except in his room or in front of Aisha, but recently, he had been losing control more often.

Despite thinking that this was not acceptable, Lumaniel almost ran up, humming a tune, as he released the barrier on the door and opened it.

Upon doing so, his own man who was reading a book on the bed greeted Lumaniel with a bright smile.

“Oh, you worked hard today, Lumi.”

Lumi. The nickname he allowed only for his sole friend, Aisha, flowed from his mouth.

Initially reluctant Edward, whom he had forced to call him that half-heartedly, seemed to have stuck with it.

“This is nice. Calling names feels too formal.”

It was nice. Very much so. Thinking that he had clearly worked all day for this moment, Lumaniel replied.

“I’m back, Edward.”

Edward, expecting Lumaniel to jump onto the bed immediately, welcomed him with open arms. The book he was reading had already been set aside.

It was nothing special, but they were pleased that their hearts seemed to connect.

“Weren’t you lonely by yourself?”

“I have plenty of books, so I’m not bored. The demon realm’s books are quite interesting, aren’t they?”

Since demons were former slaves, the linguistic system they used was not significantly different from humans. Of course, there were proper nouns that were difficult for Edward to understand, but Lumaniel could explain them.

Rather, he enjoyed subtly explaining unfamiliar words while listening to stories from the books Edward read.

“Then I’ll bring you a new book tomorrow.”

“Yeah. By the way, isn’t it a bit late today?”

“It’s the day for the Demon Lord’s subordinates’ skill assessment, including the three generals, so I had a match with them… Oh!”

As Lumaniel talked about what happened today, he suddenly sat up in Edward’s arms, burying his face, pretending to be embarrassed.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, it’s just that…”

Facing Edward’s slightly anxious face with a sheepish grin, Lumaniel didn’t want to lie to him and spoke honestly.

“…There was a match.”

“Why is that?”

“…Because of the sweat smell.”

Edward laughed.

Smiling, he embraced the blushing Lumaniel in his arms and stroked him.

“I’m saying it’s fine. Don’t worry about such trivial things.”

“But it bothers me…”

However, contrary to his words, Lumaniel did not separate from Edward. Although the sight of a woman clinging to a man was far from the dignity shown to his subordinates, being with Edward made it somewhat better.

As Lumaniel eagerly sucked in his scent, enjoying it to the fullest, his gaze inadvertently drifted downward.

Recently, Lumaniel had become quite concerned about a certain part of Edward’s body. No, he had seen it before, but what he was looking at now was below that.

“The chains, aren’t they uncomfortable?”

“They’re not uncomfortable.”

“Should I release them?”

“Haha. Do you trust me?”

Rumanyel felt a sense of confusion at Edward’s smile, devoid of any hesitation or reluctance.

“If I untie you, will you run away?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

It hurt. For some reason, his answer hurt more than any attack she had ever faced.

She knew she had no right to feel such pain. She knew, but not only did it hurt, it also made her angry.

“Hmm. Really? Then how can I make sure you won’t run away?”

“Well, once your legs are cut off, you physically can’t run away, right? Or maybe…”

Looking straight at Rumanyel, who was unconsciously exuding vitality, Edward said, “You probably won’t run away if you become better than a wife.”

“Oh.”

The vitality vanished without a trace. In its place was Rumanyel’s face, now even redder than when she was embarrassed, almost as if it were about to burst.

It was partly due to shyness and partly due to excitement from realization.

“Oh, I see. So that’s how it works.”

It was so simple that she wondered why she hadn’t realized it before. If her heart truly became hers, it was only natural that physical chains like that would become unnecessary.

“The problem is I don’t know how to make you like me.”

If she didn’t know, she had no choice but to ask directly. Naturally. Trying her best not to show her frustration.

“H-How can I make you like me!”

She messed up.

Rumanyel, who inadvertently revealed her frustration, wanted to die, but fortunately, Edward responded seriously without mocking her.

“I don’t know either. There’s no formula for how things work in relationships, right?”

“Is that so…?”

It was a dilemma.

Later, while showering and thinking, Rumanyel thought as Edward dried himself off and thought while he dried her hair.

Thinking even as she lay in bed, Rumanyel eventually fell asleep and woke up in the morning realizing she still hadn’t done anything.

“There was an incident. What do you think, Aisha?”

“I feel like you’re being manipulated by that person.”

“Heh, really?”

“It’s not something to be happy about, Rumirumi. This is a serious issue.”

Visiting the lab for advice and boasting, Rumanyel realized her friend wasn’t joking, although she couldn’t believe it.

“It’s not like being manipulated. He’s the kind of person who, even if he unties you, asks if you trust him with a smile, right? He even says you’ll run away as soon as he unties you.”

“…Rumi. How long has it been since you brought him here?”

Counting on her fingers in response to Aisha’s question, Rumanyel realized over two weeks had passed.

“Over two weeks.”

“Right. And in that time, it’s enough to recover and plan.”

“What plan?”

“Has your head turned into a flower garden or something? Obviously, it’s a plan to escape!”

Edward’s words about possibly running away from her had a profound impact on Rumanyel, who had been feeling uncertain.

“Explain it properly.”

“You fool. It’s a means to reassure the other person by accurately grasping their concerns and stating them first with your own mouth. By saying that, you make them think you won’t try to escape while tied up, creating a psychological vulnerability.”

If Edward were present, he would have laughed.

He was hitting the nail on the head.

“So you’re trying to break the chains yourself and escape?”

To calm the jittery Rumanyel, Aisha continued speaking, shaking both hands.

“No, no, calm down for a moment. I don’t know that far either. In fact, there’s no possibility of just being truly honest.”

Whether Edward unties the iron chain or cuts it himself, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s difficult to escape from the demon castle. More accurately, he probably can’t escape from the underworld.

No matter where he goes, he will be immediately exposed, and at the moment of being witnessed, Lumaniel, who has turned into a hunting dog, will chase and catch him without fail.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“What else? We need to drive a wedge.”

“A wedge?”

It meant making sure Edward couldn’t escape. Aisha handed Lumaniel a small box she took out of the drawer, silently asking if there was such a means.

“Feed this to him.”

“This is… a demon transformation potion, isn’t it?”

A demon transformation potion. A potion that transforms humans into demons. Originally developed as a strategic tool for the demon army along with a potion that temporarily removes horns, it was an item facing production difficulties.

“Is it okay? Isn’t it difficult to make?”

“It’s difficult. We’ve put so much effort into making it, using it up like consumables for data collection. Still, it’s better than having him serve as an assistant to our demon lord.”

If they could produce potions that remove horns or demon transformation potions in quantity, demons would easily infiltrate human society and cause chaos.

However, as mentioned earlier, creating such items is not an ordinary task, so it was currently a dreamlike story.

“Leave the research part to me, and Lumilumi, make sure your beloved prince cannot escape by firmly driving a wedge. While you’re at it, drive other things in too.”

“Shh, quiet!”

Grateful for Lumaniel’s consideration, but feeling embarrassed to express it verbally, Lumaniel, who had raised his voice, opened the box and looked at the demon transformation potion.

It was a sapphire bead that seemed to reject light. Edward would likely be able to endure the pain of transformation easily.

Above all, the idea of him, a human, becoming the same species as her was incredibly attractive.

Furthermore, as a demon queen, she knew very well how demons were treated by humans. He might face hatred at first, but having lost a place to return to, his heart would surely turn towards her.

Just imagining it was stimulating and exhilarating.

Unparalleled.

“But Aisha.”

“Why?”

“If he wants to return even after becoming a demon, what should we do?”

“At that time, well, you have to acknowledge that he’s a man who truly loves his wife.”

“…And if I don’t want to acknowledge it?”

Lumaniel didn’t show any signs of living or momentum differently.

But.

Aisha suddenly felt genuine fear from her friend in front of her, unable to answer, so Lumaniel smiled faintly and turned away.

“Thanks for all the advice. I’ll go feed him now, and when the transformation is complete, I’ll come back to report.”

“Uh, yes, no, okay.”

On the surface, it was a simple expression of gratitude.

However, upon hearing those words, Aisha deeply sympathized with Edward in her heart as she watched Lumaniel leave the lab.

“After all, a demon is a demon.”

To calm her startled heart at her friend’s casual proof that she hadn’t gained the position of demon queen through cards, Aisha decided to start by brewing coffee.