Ch.204Side Story 2. The Story After, Esmeralda (1)

The Next Story, Esmeralda (1)

The next day.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I saw Eirene sleeping peacefully.

I’m realizing it anew, but she’s truly beautiful. As an appreciation before any sexual desire.

In a sense, she’s like a work of art. Though I wonder how I should feel about seeing traces I’ve left all over this artwork.

No, should I say it’s not bad?

It’s not a bad feeling to think I’ve made her mine.

“Mmm…”

Just then, Eirene opens her eyes.

She smiles brightly upon seeing me first thing.

Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to mind that I was the first thing she saw when she woke up.

I was worried because I acted somewhat forcefully yesterday, but I’m relieved now.

“Good morning.”

“Yes, it is.”

Grinning from ear to ear for whatever reason, Eirene interlocks her fingers with mine.

This must be what married life is like.

It feels like I’ve finally returned to my rightful place.

Until now, things had been so harsh that I even ran away.

“Shall we go to work now?”

“…”

“We need to work hard so people can live comfortably.”

Did it show on my face?

Eirene spoke in a tone as if she were comforting me.

When she puts it that way, I have no choice.

“I suppose there’s no helping it. I haven’t exactly been resting much… but I’m sure work has piled up.”

A demon lord has many responsibilities.

How did Belphegor manage all this work before?

Or is it just me who has so much to do? Could I also lounge around comfortably like Belphegor reportedly did if I used strength and power to dominate?

But since I have neither strength, power, nor even money, I suppose I need to work diligently.

***

Before I knew it, I had returned to my normal routine. Of course, without the gloomy, suffocating atmosphere from before.

In a completely natural atmosphere, I reviewed documents handed to me by Lilith and Eirene.

Having two capable secretaries certainly makes work efficiency different.

After finishing the morning’s work, around lunchtime.

“Kids! Is Lug here?!”

“Ah, Lady Tina. Welcome.”

“There you are!”

Tina came back in a hurry.

She must have been searching for me since I disappeared right before her eyes.

Still, seeing how she found me without searching for too long, her instincts are as good as ever.

“Ahem…! Th-that’s a relief. Lug. Nothing happened, right?”

“Of course not. Nothing happened, just like when I was with you, Lady Tina.”

“No… th-that… I see.”

Something certainly did happen, but denying it would be tantamount to confessing what she did.

“Right, Eirene?”

“…Of course.”

A simple traffic control.

The two women understood what had happened to each other with a simple exchange of glances. However, no knife fight broke out immediately.

Partly because I was present, but also because neither could claim innocence.

They’ll sort out the aftermath somewhere I can’t see.

“Uh, um… R-right. By the way, Lug. Could you handle this? Ah, it’s not urgent, you can take your time… But by tomorrow… No! I don’t mean to pressure you!”

“Ah, yes. Don’t worry. In any sense…”

Does she think I’ll run away again because of stress?

She’s unusually flustered. But it’s also very like Tina, which makes it cute.

“Hmm, this doesn’t seem like it will take too long. I’ll complete it quickly for you. But this looks like quite an important document—are you sure it can wait until tomorrow…?”

“Huh? Y-yes?”

“Since I have time now, I’ll process it as quickly as possible.”

Thinking about it, she’s showing me this document while apologizing so much. The reason she returned to the demon castle while looking for me might have been because of this.

It must be an issue that needs to be handled early whether I’m here or not, so she was probably going to entrust it to Lilith.

Just as I finished processing Tina’s request first.

“…I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Millia.”

Millia also returned.

She still had a somewhat awkward posture—I wonder if I was too rough with her.

Come to think of it, wasn’t she the one with the least physical ability among the hero’s party?

Esmeralda faced powerful opponents as the vanguard of the hero’s party, Tina moved nimbly across battlefields, and even Eirene used a morning star for self-defense.

In other words, all three had excellent physical abilities.

In contrast, Millia had no means of attack other than magic. As such, her stamina was lower, and the aftereffects she felt after intense physical activity would naturally be stronger.

Is that why?

“Eirene, heal me please.”

“…I understand.”

Unlike usual, Millia sought out Eirene first. Considering how she usually opposed Eirene the most, this is a momentous occasion.

It means she’s compromised with reality.

I hope they continue to compromise like this and support each other’s weaknesses.

It wouldn’t be bad if I could see them together at night too.

Thus, the ominous atmosphere that had pervaded the demon castle was resolved thanks to much conversation and effort.

***

There’s still a lot of work.

But it doesn’t pile up stress like before. Now I can relieve that stress when it builds up.

So I continued my diligent life, working hard during the day and working hard at night as well.

Then one day, something occurred to me.

“…Where has the hero gone that she still hasn’t returned?”

Where is she right now?

Shouldn’t she have given up by now or changed her mind and come back? Her absence feels empty.

Doesn’t it feel like something’s missing without her usual half-lidded gaze? What if something happened to her?

“Hmm.”

When I explained these concerns to my wives, their reactions were simple.

‘The hero? You’re worried? No… the hero wouldn’t get beaten up anywhere. Won’t she return on her own when the time comes?’

A fair point.

There are only a handful of people who could claim victory against her.

One is Demon Lord Belphegor, currently residing in the demon castle.

Another is the former Second Commander, now called Robeno, a werewolf who also currently resides in the demon castle.

And the last would be the recently quiet leader of <The Eye of Truth>, La•Pa.

Hero Esmeralda’s power has reached a level where practically only those three could handle her.

But it’s not impossible, just unlikely.

“…”

“Do you want to go look for her?”

“I didn’t realize my expression was so easy to read.”

As I was pondering this, Eirene placed a teacup on my desk and asked. The placement was exquisitely precise, which was very like her.

Yes, she’s someone accustomed to acting in ways that make her look good to others, so what can I do?

I’ll just love her.

“You’ve been like that from the beginning. Just like how everyone knew Lug was a demon except you.”

“…I didn’t know that?”

“Let’s just say Tina had deep trust in you.”

That’s Tina’s strength, isn’t it?

Thanks to her, I’ve had many spine-chilling moments, but thinking about it now gives me chills in the opposite way.

The most suspicious person turned out to be innocent, while everyone else I didn’t suspect was deceiving me.

“If you’re worried, why not go look for her?”

That suggestion came from Millia, who had been listening with a blank expression.

Is it just like her to casually suggest something like this?

It’s a charming contradiction how she seems possessive yet occasionally shows human sensitivity.

“Hmm…”

Come to think of it, going to look for someone…

I’ve never thought about it. I’ve always just run away, never gone after someone.

Thinking about it that way makes me feel like garbage, but…

“Then that’s what I’ll do.”

“What?”

Yes, Esmeralda has always come looking for me, so this time I should go look for her.

“Even if La•Pa has done something, I should be able to persuade him. I’ve done it before, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Even so, aren’t you vulnerable to everything else? You’re just an ordinary human now.”

“I made it here even when I lost all my powers and was abandoned by the roadside. There’s no need to worry. My uniqueness doesn’t come from power.”

“I… see.”

Eirene nods in agreement.

Since she also saw me as an object of faith, she was relatively easy to persuade.

And the others were the same.

Millia, who had directly suggested it, didn’t even question it, and the free-spirited Tina likewise had no objections.

Lilith and Garnet expressed concerns, but after persuasion, I set out on a journey to find Esmeralda, backed by everyone’s trust.

Believing that if something had happened to her, I would be the only one who could resolve it.

***

At that same time.

Esmeralda was muttering with a serious expression in the middle of a forest without a single sign of life.

“…I can’t find my way.”

She had simply gotten lost.