Chapter 105
Chapter 105. The Crew’s Interaction
Hello, this is Zilbagias, the prince of the Demon Lord, living a peaceful life in the Demon Lord Castle.
It’s been a while since Leila became able to fly freely.
I am still keeping myself busy with studies, training, and practicing magic every day.
“—Here you go, tea.”
During a study break, Leila in her maid outfit presented me with a teacup.
Although Leila has inherited Faravgi’s knowledge and magic and is blossoming as a dragon, she still contentedly holds onto her maid-like position. It’s partially because of the concealment regarding Faravgi’s matters, but it seems she finds this state more comfortable.
“Thank you, Leila.”
“Yes… you.”
Leila blushed, hiding her face with the tray in an adorably awkward manner.
Ugh… I know she’s doing this on purpose… but I’m still not used to it…! I might just turn beet red myself.
Trying to maintain my composure while sipping tea. No, calm down. In times like this, I need to look at someone with a straight face like Sophia or Viene, who appear like a kind of sly fox, to keep my mental balance…!
—The reason Leila and I are engaging in this kind of newlywed play is, of course, quite simple.
Leila, having gained some resolution from the Faravgi incident, has had her changes picked up by those around us. Especially since she showed signs of embarrassment towards me in her human form, a rumor spread among my subordinates that said, “Aha, so Zilbagias has been marked by her, huh?”
It’s a total misunderstanding, but…
However, Leila and I have taken advantage of it. The more misunderstandings, the better. We’ve decided to openly display our closeness to the point where it’s not odd for Leila to get on my good side.
If it seems that Leila is trying to ingratiate herself with me, the surrounding eyes, including Platy, might sharpen, but if I was the one to take action and Leila was entangled in that, then I’d have a pretty decent excuse.
And so, we decided to indulge in ‘couple play,’ but… man, it’s so embarrassing.
Leila gets genuinely shy with every little thing, which makes me feel flushed as well. And the fact that she’s aware I’m blushing just escalates the blushing spiral between us.
Thanks to this, my surroundings have transitioned from watching us with smiles or suspicion to a vibe of “Not again, damn it” these days.
For a disguise, I’d say this is top-notch.
…Thanks to Leila, I’ve also managed to gather my thoughts regarding Claire.
It was shocking that my childhood friend turned into humanity’s archenemy, but seeing Leila overcome her separation from her father made me feel I need to be strong.
If it comes down to it, I’ll put an end to Claire.
I’ve affirmed that resolve.
In that sense, Leila is a special presence. There’s also the promise with Faravgi. I absolutely must make Leila happy—
“Kuuhn.”
Liliana rested her chin on my knee.
With an upturned gaze, she seemed somewhat lonely.
“Good girl.”
I set the tea aside and gently patted her head, making Liliana squint in pleasure. Since I’ve started learning necromancy and spending time with Leila, it seems that the amount of affection I’ve shown is decreasing, leaving her feeling lonely.
Fortunately, she hasn’t bitten Leila or anything…
But it’s only natural to feel lonely, especially since my existence occupies most of Liliana’s world…
“………”
As I pondered while petting Liliana, I sensed multiple gazes on me.
One was Leila. She had a somewhat complex expression, but when I turned to look, she quickly plastered on a smile. …In other words, it was a stiff, forced smile, revealing that she was trying too hard.
Having always shown me a stunning blooming smile, it was hard not to notice the difference.
Well, of course, if the person she’s interested in (as it now is) is making cutesy gestures with a breathtakingly beautiful elf (dog), one would feel uneasy.
…It’s ‘couple play,’ right? So, this exquisite atmosphere of swallowed dissatisfaction from Leila must also be an act. I can’t be so delusional to think that Leila genuinely loves someone like me.
Or maybe… I don’t know, but Leila’s golden eyes…
Lately, sometimes… they feel like an endless swamp…
“………”
And then another gaze.
Garunya had shifted from a sly fox face to an expression resembling that of a cat that lost its favorite napping spot.
In terms of reduced interaction time, she has been directly affected as well.
“Come here, Garunya.”
“Oh… Okay.”
Garunya timidly approached from the opposite side of Liliana.
“Woof.”
As if saying, “Fine, whatever,” Liliana shifted her head slightly, creating some space on my lap for Garunya.
I patted Garunya’s head as she settled onto my knee.
“Nyaa~~ Go… grooooowl…”
Ah, the texture of Garunya is truly exceptional…
Her smooth, fluffy fur is making my fingers tingle with joy…
Really, it’s something absolutely extraordinary, but…
It’s just that… Leila’s gaze…
“Um—”
With a swift movement, Leila appeared behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders.
“Are your shoulders tense? You.”
Her breath tickled my ear. With gentle hands, Leila began to massage my shoulders—
“Ah, um… Yeah, they were just tense, thank you…”
Right hand on Garunya, left hand on Liliana.
And from behind, Leila was massaging my shoulders.
Wow… this is heavenly… it should be heaven, but…
What is this sensation as if the dragon’s fangs are sinking into my neck… I’m currently relieved that I can’t see Leila’s face…!
“Ah, the pain of a popular man.”
Antendeixis seemed to mock me in my mind. Shut it, will you?
Meanwhile, across the room, Viene wore a look of ‘What am I being subjected to?’ while Sophia maintained her characteristic unimpressed glare.
…I’m getting thirsty. I stopped the head pats for a moment to sip some tea.
“How about writing a book called ‘How to Win Over Women of Different Races’?”
Sophia’s muttering made me nearly spit tea out from my nose.
“Gah! Cough! Cough… What the heck are you saying?!”
“No, seriously. It would become a classic!”
“Nobody would read such a thing!”
“Even if not read, I’ll ensure it’s passed down. I will!”
Stop it!?
I don’t want to be remembered in history like that! Though it might already be too late!!
“On a serious note, I’d like you to write something, Zilbagias.”
Sophia sighed, looking somewhat troubled.
“What’s up all of a sudden?”
“I mean, at this rate, I might run out of books to read.”
According to Sophia, if she continues her reading pace, she’d finish all the books in the Demon Lord Castle within a few years. This includes those in the research room at Enma’s base.
“Even if I’m gathering books from the occupied territories, it’s getting to the point where there are overlaps… If someone doesn’t write something, no new books will emerge…!!”
And there are no authors within the Demon Lord Kingdom.
There have been a few demon races who attempted to take up writing, but they wrote the most elementary of sentences, and before they could improve, they were publicly shamed, leading all of them to stop writing.
The supply of books could come to a halt—this is a serious issue for Sophia, who thrives on knowledge.
“I’d really like for the demon races to start creating and researching, but… there’s hardly anyone besides you, Zilbagias.”
Sophia shrugged, looking at me with a lack of interest.
“And if it’s something I’m not familiar with, it’ll likely be ‘How to Win Over Women of Different Races’—”
Not that kind of thing! And don’t talk about it in front of them!
“Sadly, I probably won’t be able to meet those expectations. There’s no methodology or anything…”
First of all, I couldn’t put it into writing at all.
– Liliana
→ Reveal the truth and persuade, sealing her memories with forbidden magic to make her believe she’s a dog. Perhaps not wanting to remember painful memories, she chooses to remain a dog even after the magic is lifted. As a result, she becomes attached.
– Garunya
→ She had a high sense of loyalty from the start, but the petting skills I honed with the village cats in my previous life made her melt both physically and mentally. In the end, she became super attached.
– Leila
→ Although we had a complicated relationship as my childhood friend who is now the enemy of my father, the situation unraveled after I resurrected him with necromancy, and by revealing my identity, we became companions in our shared fate.
…There’s no way I can write any of this. Maybe I could jot it down in my autobiography once it’s all over, but I doubt anyone would believe it anyway…
“Well, for that kind of stuff, you should ask my older brother, Diagias.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea!”
Just kidding!? Don’t really go ask him!?
“Still, it’s a mystery, isn’t it? Those living beings. As their educational role, I haven’t taught them, yet they’ve somehow obtained knowledge beyond my own… you know?”
“Huh, ah, uh-huh…”
Viene appeared bewildered as if to say, ‘Why are you asking me to agree?’
“Is there anyone among the Night Elves who writes books?”
“…Not really. I know someone who has a hobby of researching poisons, and I’ve seen some of their scattered writings…”
“What!? Can we ask that person for advice!!?”
“Ah, um, but it is a secret technique…”
“Come on… please…!!”
Sophia was overly engrossed, leaving Viene flustered.
Seriously, Sophia is truly desperate; I shouldn’t be laughing at her, but it’s just too entertaining.
Meanwhile, as I resumed my rhythmic petting, Garunya was practically purring with bliss, and Liliana appeared to be in a dreamlike state.
Snickering softly, Leila chuckled behind me.
“…I’m so happy.”
Her voice was small, intended only for me to hear.
Her hand tenderly caressed my shoulder. …I could almost misinterpret her intentions.
“Is that so?”
I relaxed my shoulders and replied shortly.
If only—this world could be contained within this room, and these peaceful moments could last forever.
I’m well aware that such luxury is not something I’m allowed to wish for.
…By the way, speaking of Diagias, it’s been nearly a week. Tomorrow is the moon’s day, the regular family meal of the Demon Lord clan.
The green one, who has been missing up front, should show up tomorrow.
I just hope the exquisite meal isn’t spoiled…
I’m already feeling heavy at heart.
