Chapter 32: How to Comfort a Depressed Demon King

I Tried Making a Cake

I decided to make a cake.

With fragrant bananas from the demon realm, some fine flour I found in a city of demons, and a prized wyvern egg, I made a sponge cake.

Then, I generously spread it with soft, homemade whipped cream.

Of course, no whipped cream cake would be complete without something to balance the sweetness, so I added plenty of sweet and tangy strawberries from a human village to prevent the cake from feeling too heavy.

After slicing the sponge cake horizontally to create layers, I spread whipped cream and placed thinly sliced strawberries in between each layer.

Though I’ve never owned a famous bakery or trained as a pastry chef, the book I learned baking from said that if the ingredients are good, it’s hard to make something taste bad.

At any rate, I’ve finally succeeded in making my first cake in the demon realm.

“Finished! Flua, give it a try.”

“Yes!”

I cut the cake into a size perfect for eating and handed the first piece to Flua.

She had been staring intently at me ever since I started making the cake, which was honestly a bit overwhelming.

She must have really wanted to eat the cake, though she tried not to show it.

Seeing this, I was once again reminded that Flua is still just a child.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious…! Sweet… soft… and fragrant…!”

Judging by her reaction, the cake was a success.

Although Flua rarely shows much expression, now she was eating the cake with a happy smile on her face.

If this cake is that delicious, maybe it’s possible…

Maybe this cake could bring back Arsep, who has been lost in a deep depression and has practically become a shut-in ever since…

“There’s plenty here, so have as much as you like. And if you want anything else, just let me know. Got it?”

“Yes… thank you…”

I took the cake and some herbal tea and headed to Arsep’s room.

“I made a cake. Would you like to try it?”

Upon entering the room, I saw that the curtains were drawn tightly over the windows, perfectly blocking out all light.

If someone else saw this, they’d probably think it was a demon’s lair. Then again, since this is actually a demon’s room, it strangely seemed fitting.

“Flua said the cake was delicious, and her face even brightened.”

“…That’s good to hear.”

At least mentioning Flua seemed to get a response.

However, I still couldn’t see Arsep anywhere in the room.

I placed the plate down and gently lifted the blanket on the bed.

Beneath it was a self-proclaimed Demon King, gazing emptily as if letting time slip away, looking pitiful and forlorn.

“Are you going to stay under the covers all day again?”

Arsep has been in this state ever since she returned from the city that day.

From what I heard, the only way for her to regain her power now is to retrieve the magic staff she used in the past, which was supposedly located at that shop.

However, as Keren mentioned, someone else had already bought it over three months ago.

Since that staff was her only hope of regaining her strength, she had been tirelessly searching for its location.

Yet, upon finding the shop, she realized the staff was gone, sending her into despair.

”What’s the point of being out here if there’s nothing I can do? I have no magic power, and I’m so weak that I can’t even defeat a mere slime.”

As a result, Arsep has been severely depressed and hasn’t left her room for days.

The only time she comes out is grudgingly to bathe, and she only eats about one meal a day in her room. I’m starting to worry that she might end up falling ill.

”Dear… for what purpose do I even exist? Without you, I can’t even take care of myself, and I can’t protect what little I have left.”

Of course, I’m more worried about Arsep’s heart than her body.

“At this rate, even if I were to be enslaved, I doubt anyone would even want to use me. I’m powerless and lack magic, so I’m not even fit as an experimental subject…”

Her self-esteem has reached such a low that she now ranks herself below a slime and even beneath a lab rat.

And while I want to comfort her, I have no idea how to do it.

Her self-critical thoughts are intense, and sadly, there’s a bit of truth to what she says.

Since I’m not particularly good at positive thinking myself, I’m at a loss for how to approach this…

“Would you like some cake?”

In the end, I settled on the simplest and surest way to relieve stress.

“Usually, I don’t allow eating in bed, but I’ll make an exception this time. Here, open wide.”

Arsep glanced at the piece of cake on the spoon, initially hesitating.

But eventually, she was enticed by the sweet, tangy scent of whipped cream and strawberries and took a bite.

“How is it?”

“…Sniff.”

‘Did it have the opposite effect?’

As soon as she tasted the cake, Arsep suddenly began to cry.

“It’s really delicious… Now I understand why Flua smiled… sniff…”

It seems she’s crying because it’s too delicious.

I don’t know if my baking skills are as moving as they are in cartoons or dramas, but at least it seems that I made something tasty.

Arsep quickly finished the entire plate of cake.

Tears dropped onto the empty plate.

‘…Could she want more?’

“Dear… it seems my condition is worse than I thought. Right now, I feel like I could just spend my life as your servant, forget about regaining my power, and simply live the rest of my life eating the delicious food you make for me…”

This really does feel serious.

More than anything, it makes me wonder if it’s really a master-servant relationship when the so-called master is the one preparing food and doing everything else for the servant.

Maybe it’s less like a master-servant relationship and more like the bond between a butler and a cat.

“You don’t have to treat me as your master, so cheer up.”

For now, the priority is for Arsep to regain her energy.

I put down the plate and patted her head gently.

“I truly want to, but… since I woke up, the only thing I’ve managed to succeed at is bringing you to this land. I’ve tried every possible solution, but since that day, every attempt has failed.”

Arsep didn’t resist my touch, but it didn’t seem to help much either.

From what I’ve heard, she has tried several methods to recover her power.

She even made potions to restore her magic, meditated in seiza for a week, focusing solely on regaining her strength, and, as last time, went searching for the whereabouts of the magic items she once used.

However, the potions had no effect, and instead of recovering her magic power, her whole body would only tingle.

As for the magic tools she once used, they had vanished after several centuries, their whereabouts unknown.

Given that so many centuries have passed, it’s only natural.

I couldn’t criticize her either, especially since she had tried every possible way to regain her power, only for each attempt to end in failure.

“Ah… your hands are warm. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to just go back to sleep and wait until the end of the world.”

The fact that she would even say something like this shows just how exhausted she is.

Seeing her in this state, I worried that without me, she really might just give up completely.

“Alright, this won’t do.”

“You…?”

In the end, I decided that this couldn’t go on. So, I opened the window to let in some sunlight.

“Ugh! It’s blinding! Close the curtains at once!”

“Are you a vampire instead of a demon? Why are you so scared of a little sunlight?”

“Vampires are part of the demon race too!”

“But you’re supposed to be an impressive Demon King, not some oversized mosquito.”

“Th-that’s true, but… I guess now I’m more of a former Demon King than an actual one…”

Actually, Arsep has a strong sense of self-awareness.

Her self-esteem is so low that even her self-deprecating remarks are based entirely on facts and truth.

This self-awareness only deepens her depression, worsening her self-esteem even further.

“People need sunlight. Even if you don’t go outside, at least stand by the window and soak in a little sunlight to disinfect both your body and soul.”

“Fine…” Ugh…

Arsep reluctantly got out of bed and shuffled over to the window.

Standing there, slightly hunched, she looked exactly like a shut-in.

At least there’s no cell phone or computer in this medieval era.

If there were, she would likely be glued to some rectangular screen all day, turning into a complete recluse.

“I’m going to clean up, so stay there and get at least ten minutes of sunlight. Alright?”

“Fine…”

I took the empty plate and returned to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Flua was washing the dishes.

She was wearing an apron I had once bought for Arsep in the village, though Arsep herself had never actually used it since she’d never done anything in the kitchen.

Flua looked quite adorable.

“Did you enjoy the cake?”

“Yes! It was delicious…”

“Good. Let me know if there’s anything else you want to eat.”

At least Flua’s bright spirit was reassuring.

As I tidied up after cooking, which was always the hardest part, I started thinking about ways to help Arsep return to her usual self.

I even shared my concerns about Arsep with Flua.

“What if… we encouraged her to find a hobby?”

“A hobby?”

Flua nodded.

Come to think of it, Arsep didn’t really have any hobbies.

She couldn’t go out of the castle alone, and without magic, she couldn’t do much by herself.

‘But what if it were a hobby we could share?’

“Maybe a shared hobby would bring a bit of life back to her.”

“How about we try crafting coffins together?”

“It’s more fun than you’d think.”

Flua shook her head firmly, making it clear that coffin-making wasn’t an option.

“Then again, crafting coffins does require some physical strength, so it might be too much for Arsep.”

“What hobby could be suitable for her?”

Together with Flua, I pondered ways to coax Arsep out of her room.

Something she could enjoy outside her room—a hobby that didn’t demand precise cooking skills, magical abilities, or physical endurance, as she’d be out of breath after just thirty minutes of walking…

***

The next day.

Morning came, and yet Arsep didn’t make a single attempt to leave her bed.

‘…Is it morning?’

She could tell morning had arrived from the slight gap in the curtains, but she felt no urge to get up, instead burying her face back into the blankets.

After all, whether it was morning or night outside didn’t change her situation in the slightest.

‘I don’t even know what to do anymore.’

It wasn’t that she wanted to remain like this forever.

She did want to go outside and do things, but not if it meant relying on him to carry her around because she could hardly walk on her own.

That would be no different from treating him as her wheelchair.

‘What am I even capable of?’

She had no magic, no strength, and all she had was this empty shell of a body.

She couldn’t even handle simple errands like Flua could, ‘so what use could she be?’

She couldn’t cook, couldn’t use magic, couldn’t clean… even if she wanted to help him, she would just end up being a burden.

So she didn’t have the courage to try anything else.

At the very least, she wanted to repay him for taking care of her, but nothing came to mind.

If there’s anything she could do…

“Sigh… I really am in a bad state.”

Lost in these depressive thoughts, she let out a hollow laugh to herself.

Just then—

Thud!

“You… is that you?”

The door suddenly opened, and he walked in.

Strangely enough, he was wearing the mask he used to disguise himself as a demon even inside the castle.

“Why are you wearing that without saying anything? Wait, what are you doing?!”

Without a word, he simply picked her up in his arms.

“What?! W-what are you doing?!”

She couldn’t hide her shock as he silently carried her outside.

He took her all the way to the castle gate.

“What on earth was going on?”

She had no clue what was happening.

“…Let’s do it.”

Finally, he spoke.

Still bewildered, she asked with a flustered face, “D-do what? Here, outside…?”

Then, as the castle gate opened, she realized what he had planned.

“Let’s go for a drive!”

As they stepped outside, she saw a dragon she recognized.

It was the same dragon they had ridden to the city before, at his “request.”

However, this time, the dragon’s eyes were puffy and swollen, as if it had been beaten by someone.

She could guess who was responsible for that.

‘What is this…?’

Arsep still couldn’t grasp the situation.