The Sovereign's Sweet Tooth

By the time the wyvern carrying the Demon King and Yugelt—who was carefully clutching the precious chocolate—arrived in Kronendike, the sun was already sinking lazily behind the mountain ridges.

"My Lord!"

"Do you have business with me?"

"The Chief Chamberlain stopped by. He requested that I deliver this to you as soon as you arrived."

The wyvern keeper of the Demon King's Castle said, handing over a letter.

"I see. You may go."

Yugelt carefully tore open the envelope to check its contents. In his sudden panic, he nearly dropped the gray case the Head Mod had given him.

A hastily scribbled note, written in a demanding tone to the Regent. Yugelt knew instantly who had sent it.

'The Demon King is furious.'

The Demon King usually detested visiting the audience chamber, complaining that the throne was too hard. For her to demand a meeting there in person meant her patience was likely wearing paper-thin.

Yet, Yugelt quickly let out a sigh of relief. His gaze fell upon the gray case in his hands.

'If things hadn't gone well, I would have been in grave danger.'

The chocolates and desserts he had secured from the Head Mod were the final hope to save the Demon Realm. Yugelt hurried toward the inner castle.

And then...

"You're back?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have returned."

"And the thing we discussed?"

"The negotiations with the Head Mod went smoothly, and I have secured them."

Yugelt knelt, respectfully holding the case up with both hands.

"Hmph~"

With a wave of the Demon King's hand, the case floated up, drifting toward the throne, which was cushioned with three layers of plush pillows.

*Click.*

As the dual latches popped open and the case was laid wide...

"Oh?"

Before her lay not the usual chocolates she was familiar with, but a dazzling array of vibrant, diverse desserts she had never seen before. The Demon King's eyes sparkled with childlike wonder.

"These aren't the chocolates I know. They aren't just simple bars or those fancy, round Ferrero Rochers..."

There were exquisite chocolates shaped like seashells and seahorses. Others were molded into the shape of tiny liquor bottles, actually filled with real alcohol. There were chocolates accompanied by a little pamphlet explaining they came from a land called Belgium, and a mysterious variety labeled "Dubai Chocolate." There was an absolute bounty of every kind imaginable.

"Y-Your Majesty?"

"What?"

"You are drooling."

"Ah! *Slurp!*"

The Chief Chamberlain hurriedly stepped forward and dabbed her mouth with a silk handkerchief.

'To think it could captivate me just by its appearance.'

She realized the Head Mod's "chocolate" was truly a miraculous food. First, she reached for a seahorse-shaped piece. The marbled pattern of dark and white chocolate was mesmerizing. Taking a bite, the chocolate melted instantly, dancing across her tongue.

"Mmm~"

The solemn atmosphere of the audience chamber vanished in an instant. Next, she tried a bottle-shaped chocolate filled with wine and whiskey. Savoring the rich flavors, a pleasant, warm buzz began to wash over her.

Next, she picked up the peculiar treat called Dubai Chocolate.

*Crunch, crunch.*

"Oh? There is something incredibly crispy hidden inside!"

She was on the verge of losing her mind to this ultra-luxurious parade of flavors, which was on an entirely different level from any chocolate Yugelt had ever presented before.

Just then...

"Ahem, cough. Your Majesty."

"Hmm?"

Yugelt's cough dragged her back to reality.

"What is it?"

"May I request a private audience?"

The Demon King tilted her head at Yugelt's request.

'A private audience? There are only three of us here anyway.'

Just her, Yugelt, and the Chief Chamberlain. However, trusting that the Regent had his reasons, she dismissed the Chamberlain. Once the vast audience chamber was empty of everyone but the sovereign and her Regent...

"On my way back, I discovered these photos on the gallery."

"What do you—*gasp!*"

As Yugelt enlarged and displayed two photos he had saved from the gallery, the Demon King dropped her chocolate and clamped both hands over her mouth.

*Chew, chew.*

Of course, she still diligently rolled and melted the chocolate already in her mouth.

"I believed you were resting quietly in the castle. Why on earth did you go outside? It is a miracle you only encountered good-natured people, but you could have been in grave danger."

Regent Yugelt's voice was thick with genuine worry. He had no choice but to be anxious. The Demon King's political enemies lurked everywhere. He had repeatedly implored her never to set foot outside the castle alone, where the loyal vassals of the late king could not protect her.

However...

"Then was I simply supposed to sit back and endure the jeers, sighs, and curses my subjects hurled toward this castle?"

"T-that is..."

This time, the Demon King had her own defense.

"Let me tell you what transpired today."

Though, of course, her version of the story was heavily romanticized.

The chocolate supply had been cut off due to the IP ban by the Head Mod or whatever he was called. Yugelt and the other vassals claimed to be too busy to pay her any attention. Left entirely ignored and facing the despair of being forced to study in her room all day, the Demon King had a thought.

'I'm so bored...'

She slipped out of her room. But then...

An angry mob was protesting outside the castle, repeatedly calling for her.

'How dare these peasants.'

Already annoyed and bored, being insulted without even knowing why piqued her curiosity. She wanted to see what these fools were up to. So, she landed in a secluded, dark alleyway and slipped into the crowd.

'It's cramped, smelly, ugh!'

The world outside the castle was filled with rude, filthy things. To make matters worse, some lunatic right next to her was spitting as he shouted, "I knew it! The Demon King is in on it too!"

Naturally, the Demon King could not tolerate this. Just as she was about to unleash her power and obliterate the entire area...

*Tap.*

"Are you alright, child?"

She was pulled away by a warm, friendly-looking merchant. If not for him, a significant portion of the protesters would have likely been vaporized on the spot by the furious sovereign.

"I-I am quite alr—cough, yes, I am fine."

"Oh dear, how did you end up out here all by yourself? Where are your parents?"

"...I don't have any."

The merchant gave her a sympathetic look and gently held the young girl's hand.

"Let me take you somewhere safe."

And so, the Demon King allowed herself to be led to a quieter area. He was a veteran merchant who traveled all over the Demon Realm, and he explained that he had helped her because she reminded him of the daughter he had left behind in his hometown.

Once they reached a quieter spot, the sheer scale of the protest became clear. However, being quite short, the Demon King struggled to see over the crowd, desperately straining on her tiptoes.

"I... I cannot see very well..."

"Hahaha, pardon me then."

"Whoa?!"

The merchant hoisted her up onto his shoulders.

"Can you see better now?"

"T-thank you."

Holding lightly onto the merchant's head, she watched the protesters giving passionate speeches in the distance. Their voices were too far away to make out clearly, sounding like a low hum. So, she asked the man.

"Why are they acting like that?"

"They say a place called the gallery has been shut down. Some feud between the high and mighty and the Head Mod...? I don't know if it's a feud or a misunderstanding. Regardless, people can't access the gallery to buy the things they need, so their frustration is boiling over."

"But why are they blaming the Demon King?"

Her voice trembled slightly as she asked. After all, she hadn't done a single thing. In fact, she was more of a victim herself. With the gallery shop closed, she could no longer eat the chocolate that was practically her lifeblood.

"Well, I suppose many people just want to believe that."

"You don't think so, mister?"

"Hmm... I've heard rumors that the Demon King is terrifying, of course, but one shouldn't judge based on rumors alone. For all we know, the Demon King might be working tirelessly right now to resolve this situation."

In reality, far from working, she had been mingling with the protesters out of sheer boredom.

"So, it's never good to judge blindly based on prejudice."

"Yes, I will keep that in mind."

Praising her for being a good girl, the merchant reached into his bag and handed her a pastry drenched in honey.

'To think such a kind soul exists even among these insolent fools.'

The Demon King smiled brightly, silently thinking, 'You peasants should thank this man for your lives,' as she completely withdrew her magic. Afterward, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she joined the merchant and his friends, participating in the protest and hanging out before returning to the castle. There was no reason the Demon King couldn't join the protest. She, too, was deeply dissatisfied with the "Demon Realm Leadership" (excluding herself) who had antagonized the Head Mod.

In any case, she packaged this entire series of events using the grand, sophisticated vocabulary she had learned in her lessons.

"...And so, I merely went incognito to hear the voices of those desperately calling for me and to grasp the root of the issue myself."

"Experiencing the world firsthand was eye-opening. Though there were many foolish and impolite creatures, there were also those of pure heart."

"Yugelt, through this ordeal, I have come to a painful realization. I have been far too ignorant of my own realm."

"Y-Your Majesty..."

Yugelt was on the verge of shedding tears of pure emotion.

'She has finally grown up...!'

They say crisis tempers a person, making them strong and resilient. The threat of the IP ban caused by the clash with the Head Mod had actually spurred the Demon King's growth.

"I heard some fool attempted to harm this 'Head Mod' person. Do you know who it was?"

"Forgive me! I ordered an investigation into the Head Mod, but the special operations unit went too far in digging into his background, which brought about this disaster!"

"It is fine. Raise your head, Yugelt. The IP ban has been lifted, and everything has been resolved."

"Your Majesty..."

The Demon King personally helped him to his feet.

"I shall seek your guidance more diligently in the future. I will learn whatever I must for the sake of the Demon Realm."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Therefore, you shall also refrain from nagging me about my chocolate consumption from now on."

"Yes, I shall do as... wait, what?"

Yugelt's mind went momentarily blank at her final condition.

"...But even so, could you at least eat proper meals?"

"I shall endeavor to improve step by step. So do not nag me!"

"...Understood."

Yugelt couldn't help but feel that the Demon King was simply becoming more eloquent at making excuses.

'Still, she doesn't seem as furious as I feared. What a relief.'

As Yugelt breathed a silent sigh of relief that the Demon King wasn't handing down further punishments for the incident...

'Whew~ Thank goodness he didn't press further.'

The Demon King was equally relieved that her secret excursion hadn't resulted in harsh punishments from the Regent, such as a chocolate ban or being grounded.

Because both of them had their own guilty consciences, they tried to avoid or minimize any further discussion of the incident. Thus, their conversation came to an awkward conclusion.

Returning to her throne, the Demon King popped another chocolate into her mouth and pondered.

'The Head Mod... just who is she to be able to create such delicious things?'

The Head Mod, the gallery, and the gallery shop. The Demon King's curiosity was thoroughly piqued by all of it.

'I can simply find out.'

Just as she had gone outside the castle to observe the public sentiment, she could simply enter the gallery and start posting.

"How did it go?"

"Seems like it was resolved well."

I kept a close eye on the gallery afterward to see if any more drama would pop up.

Nothing.

There were no posts with titles like "The Demon King is absolutely malting in real-time" or "Furious Regent begins hunting down protesters."

"Head Mod."

"Yeah?"

"What exactly did you send over earlier?"

"I flexed and bought every single type of chocolate I know."

Since unlocking a new item for the first time cost 1,000 points, buying all those varieties easily drained tens of thousands of points.

'Well, it's not a big deal at this point.'

I hadn't even finished exchanging all the copper coins piled up in the warehouse into points yet. A few tens of thousands of points was pocket change.

"Want some too?"

"Yes!"

Since I wanted some myself for the first time in a while, I had bought plenty.

"Wow!"

Reina looked even more delighted than when she had tasted popcorn for the first time.

"This is incredibly sweet!"

"Try this one too."

"Oh, this one has something crunchy inside!"

"And this one, and this one."

"I-is this... alcohol?"

"Probably. Yeah, looks like it."

At first, she seemed a bit hesitant.

But after trying one, she wore a slightly disappointed expression before reaching for another. That was definitely how it started.

"Huh?"

In the brief moment I stepped into the kitchen and back...

She had polished off the entire box by herself.

"H-Huuu... my body feels so warm..."

"Wait, who gets drunk off of—actually, never mind, quite a few people do."

People with low alcohol tolerance often fell victim to it. The sweetness of the chocolate masked the bitterness of the alcohol, making it dangerously easy to keep popping them.

"I-I think I might be weak to alcohol..."

I was left utterly speechless.

"Drink some water first."

"Okay~"

"Alright, go wash up and head to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bed."

"Yes!"

I handed a toothbrush and toothpaste to Reina, who was hiccuping with a bright, goofy smile. I was about to close the gallery window when...

"Huh? Already?"

Either the user base was growing, the post rate was increasing, or both. I decided to ask the sub-mods.

So that was why.

"Oh."

So, what new features did we get this time...?

"This is pretty good."

"Whaaat~? What is~?"

"Nothing, just go to sleep."

"Hmph."

Everything was going smoothly, and the new features were incredibly useful. Grinning from ear to ear, I escorted Reina to her room.

Completely unaware of the storm that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was brewing.

The capital of the Demon Realm, Kronendike.

A man slipped into a dark alleyway.

*Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.*

A small sliding shutter on the door clicked open.

"Password."

"I hate orange."

*Clack!*

The door swung open.

"Third basement floor. Everyone is already assembled."

"Understood."

The man, pulling his hood low over his face, headed straight down the stairs. And there...

"You're here."

"You're late."

"My apologies. I was so dumbfounded by the peaceful dispersal of the protesters that I could barely tear myself away."

"Indeed. It would have been better if their discontent had boiled over further this time."

Six of the most powerful figures in the Demon Realm sat around a circular table.

"Let us begin, then."

"The chant."

In perfect unison, their voices rose together.