How Old Are You?
The spire of the Demon King's Castle.
The Demon King paused outside the queen's bedchamber and steadied his breath.
When he opened the door and stepped inside, the queen turned her head from where she stood by the window.
"Get out. I don't even want to look at you."
"Fresh black tea just arrived. It's the fragrance you like."
"I said leave. I want to be alone."
"That's going too far."
The queen fixed him with a glare.
"Too far? Coming from the man who let our only daughter be stolen?"
"You know as well as I do. I hid Satin in the safest place in the entire Demon Realm, and then—"
"Safe? Please. I told you I didn't trust that dungeon. We have this spire. We have secret vaults underground. Why a dungeon of all places!"
The Demon King poured tea into a cup. White steam rose from the porcelain.
"I intended to unleash the Magi of the Red Moon."
"…Have you lost your mind?"
The queen jerked her chin up and stared at him. All the fury she had been holding back erupted at once.
"Are you sane? That technique melts even our own demons' souls!"
"That's why I hid Satin in the dungeon. An adult demon might endure it. Satin couldn't. She hasn't undergone her Adult Ceremony yet—if she were exposed to the Magi of the Red Moon, she could die."
The queen's eyes reddened.
"Do you have any idea how terrified my precious daughter must have been in that dark dungeon? I begged you to let me go with her—"
"If you left, the castle would lose its power. It wasn't possible."
"Shut up!"
The queen snatched up the teacup and slammed it down. The cup shattered against the table, porcelain flying in every direction.
"Listen carefully, Demon King. If you don't bring Satin back, you're finished. I will find a way—any way—to lock you in the Abyss."
"We have hostages of our own."
"Ha! That trash of a Hero party? Those idiots who abandoned a virgin right on our doorstep? You hid our Satin in a dungeon because you were afraid of them?"
"I expected the alchemist to be with them. If he had been, you would have supported my choice. Without unleashing the Magi of the Red Moon, there was no way to defeat that man."
"He wasn't there! The moment he crossed into the Demon Continent, he turned around! He never even entered the castle!"
"We have the Hero and three other humans in our hands. We'll trade them as hostages. The Hero matters to the humans—they'll take the deal."
"Not a chance. Just as you have seventy-two successors standing behind you, the humans have countless Hero candidates of their own. That's why the alchemist left. He decided this attempt wouldn't work, so he went to find a new Hero."
"You have a point. That alchemist is a terrifying human. The only reason the Hero lasted as long as he did was the potions that man made. The stuff was so vicious I nearly died myself—"
"Then you should have. What good is living when you've lost your only daughter?"
"Even so, telling the Demon King to drop dead is a bit—"
"Hostages are out of the question. We'd be better off trying something else."
"What method? Do you have something in mind?"
The queen lifted her head. The Succubus Queen's razor-sharp gaze raked across the Demon King's face.
"As of this moment, you are dead."
"You're telling me to actually die?"
"I'm going to plant Dream into those Heroes. I'll carve the illusion that they killed the Demon King and send them home."
"…And what does that get us?"
"I'm changing the shape of the war. I'll rot the human world from the inside and make them destroy themselves. I'll enter the human continent without a single battle and bring Satin home."
"You really think that will work?"
"That halfwit Hero will dream of the Emperor's ambition. The mage girl will hunger for the Magic Towers. The barbarian princess will thirst for blood-soaked revenge. Just watch. The humans will turn sword and staff on each other and collapse."
"Seems like you're missing one."
"That airheaded Saintess girl? I have something for her too."
"Which is?"
"I'll goad the Saintess into corrupting every last human. From now on, their Adult Ceremonies will become mass orgies."
"…Wouldn't some humans actually enjoy that?"
"That's exactly what I want. The moment humanity's sacred Holy Power twists into a Holy Power of decadence, a world for our kind will open. And I will hand that demon kingdom down to my daughter, Satin."
"Fine. If you're the one doing it, I suppose it will get done."
The queen ground her teeth.
"You will find out where our Satin is—no matter what. Disguise yourself if you have to. Slip in and track her down."
"Me… personally?"
"Do I have to say it twice? I'll handle the castle. Cross the Demon Continent at once! Hide among the humans and find Satin! And if you fail, don't come back—just die out there!"
The queen rose slowly to her feet.
"It would be wise to remember who put you on the Demon King's throne. I am genuinely disappointed in you. Treat this as your last chance to regain my trust, and bring Satin home. Otherwise, the true bottom of the Abyss—"
She looked into the Demon King's face with eyes like winter ice.
"—is what you will see."
The Demon King's body froze solid.
The queen was the Succubus Queen reborn from legend. If she truly set her mind to it, he would fall into a nightmare from which he could never wake—locked in a prison of near-infinite time, chewing his own flesh and scraping his bones in unending agony.
Her warning drove into his pupils like a dagger.
The Demon King wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
She's terrifying, and yet filthy gorgeous.
If I bring Satin back, she'll be my beautiful queen again.
"I'll go. To the human world."
Four hundred and seventy-one years of age.
The flower of middle-aged demonkind, Beelzebub the Demon King.
All this time, it had never been him who killed the humans—it had been the queen. She had crossed the Demon Continent in the Demon King's form and slaughtered millions upon tens of millions of lives, while Beelzebub could only watch in admiration. And now, at last—
For the first time in his life, he was about to set foot on human soil.
So pretty.
Satin cracked her eyes open and stared into the mirror.
I've never worn a dress this beautiful.
The gowns at the Demon King's Castle had been splendid too—dripping with jewels, decorations so lavish they bordered on gaudy.
But this was different.
It had the beauty of empty space.
Satin bounced on her heels in front of the glass.
And it's practical, too. Soft fabric that's still tough. Incredible, isn't it? Human craftsmanship.
"If you're ready, come out."
It was the voice of Marcelle, the head maid. She was a tall woman with broad shoulders who looked more like a warrior than a servant—but for all that, she was full of warmth.
"The clothes fit well. Good."
"Thank you."
"However did you end up captured all the way out here from the Demon Continent? Demons get treated worse than animals in these parts."
"Worse than animals?"
"That's right. Below a horse, above a chicken. About on par with a dog, I'd say."
Harsh words, delivered with a kind smile.
"Still, you're so lucky our Lord caught you. If a slave trader had gotten his hands on you—oh, you'd have been better off dead."
"Is the Lord a good person?"
"You even have to ask? There's no castle in the Marcus Territory. Instead, a barrier wraps the whole domain. He freed every last slave. The taxes here are the lowest in the Empire. You understand what that means, don't you? Lord Juin values his people's lives above all else."
Satin nodded.
Lord Marcus truly is incredible. To hide his identity this perfectly… When the respected Lord Juin Marcus resurrects Father and builds a world for demons, how shocked will the humans be?
"By the way—do you have any experience?"
"Experience with what?"
"What kind of experience would a bedroom slave need? That kind, of course."
"Which kind?"
"Look at this girl. You've got a face full of charm, and you're playing innocent?"
"If it's work needed in a noble's bedchamber, I know a fair amount. I can clean, I can make the beds, I can draw bathwater to a pleasant temperature. Whatever I don't know, please teach me. I'll work hard."
"That's not—oh, for heaven's sake. Where am I even supposed to start teaching you?"
Marcelle clicked her tongue and took Satin by the shoulders.
"Listen carefully. A bedroom slave's first duty is to comfort the master. Do you have any idea how many burdens he carries on those shoulders? If he can find even a moment of comfort through you, nothing could be better. Personally, I'm relieved. Strange rumors had been circulating among the staff."
"What kind of rumors?"
"That perhaps the Lord preferred men. Or that he had a peculiar taste for beastfolk. I was terribly worried. And then he comes home with you, bold as you please! I am sincerely, utterly at ease."
"Um. If that experience is… that experience… then I can't."
"Can't? Why not?"
"I'm only seventeen. Wait—I was taught that time flows faster on this side of the world. Does that make me a hundred and seventy?"
"…."
A mutter slipped from Marcelle's lips.
"So the Lord does have peculiar tastes after all. Still, under Imperial law this is a crime—even if the other party is a demon. If word reaches an Inquisitor's ear, there will absolutely be trouble."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Time runs slowly in the Demon Realm. Meaning your body and heart are still those of a child. This won't do. I'll need to consult the head butler. We have to look into ways to protect the Lord first. No—better to ask the Lord himself directly."
Satin marveled inwardly.
Loyal and wise. She's more than qualified as head maid. I'll ask Lord Marcus to bring her to the Demon King's Castle later. Mother will love her. She's always so frustrated complaining that the maids are idiots.
"Satin. Draw the Lord's bath first. He likes it a touch on the hot side, so test it with your finger. I'll be right back."
"Yes, Head Maid."
Satin rolled up her sleeves with a little yahp of determination.
If I'm going to do this, I'll do it properly. I must not become a burden to Lord Marcus.
She pulled back the bathroom curtain and let the air in. A pleasant floral scent drifted through.
Satin's pale hands, foaming with soap, scrubbed the tub with cheerful vigor.