A Changed Relationship
Nahen was bewildered. “Teacher, from now on, you’ll be with me for~ever….”
The first reason was the shock from the statements Seere had just made to him, and the second was the intense emotions she was now revealing to him. He couldn’t imagine when this child had started seeing him that way… as the opposite sex.
Nahen widened his eyes and looked at Seere, carefully asking the emotionally excited girl.
“…Seere, when did that start?”
“When did it start? It’s hard to say exactly. Before I knew it, the preciousness I felt for you had turned into affection inside me… If I had to pinpoint it, maybe from when I hit puberty.”
Hearing Seere’s words, Nahen felt relieved. Why would he feel relieved upon hearing that her affection had been long-standing?
“…Right, that can happen.”
“Teacher… are you understanding my feelings now?”
“Of course. It’s common for someone to mistake the person who cared for them in childhood as an object of romantic affection.”
“…What?”
Nahen felt relieved because of that. If Seere had felt that way since she was young, he thought it was just a misunderstanding. Just like how young elementary school students often develop feelings for a teacher who takes good care of them, he believed she had mistaken her caretaker for romantic interest due to her young heart.
“You just haven’t met someone you truly love yet. Think about it rationally. I’ve never treated you that way, so there’s no reason for you to like me like that.”
“…What are you saying right now?”
“One day, when you truly realize your feelings….”
Crack!!
Nahen was startled and looked to the side, where Seere’s sword had somehow gotten closer to him. If he turned his head even slightly, his neck would be cut.
“I was wondering what you were saying, but you’re just spouting nonsense.”
“Huh, nonsense?! Think about it calmly, whether my words are wrong or not….”
“They’re wrong! All of it is wrong! You really don’t understand anything, Teacher. I can’t help it. As expected, I should just lock you up and make you mine alone….”
Nahen shook his head inwardly. This won’t do. Trying to have a rational conversation with Seere in her current state was meaningless.
Nahen turned his gaze to Veronika. Veronika noticed his look and moved her lips as if asking why.
‘Help me quickly.’
In response to Nahen’s plea for help, Veronika shook her head. She didn’t want to get involved.
Then Nahen furrowed his brows and said.
“Who was it that brought you here and helped you grow properly? And now you won’t help at a time like this?!”
“E-even so, getting involved in this situation isn’t right! Are you telling me to die?!”
“Teacher….”
Hearing the banter between Veronika and Nahen, Seere’s voice turned chilling. She tilted her sword threateningly.
“Even in this situation, you have eyes for another woman?”
“Since when is Veronika ‘another woman’?! She’s your subordinate!”
“This won’t do, really. Even in this situation, you’re looking elsewhere. I can’t leave you outside. I’ll have to lock you in my bedroom so you can only look at me.”
“Stop with the strange talk right there….”
“It’s not a joke.”
Nahen pleaded earnestly, but Seere showed no intention of retracting her statement.
Nahen sighed and said.
“Haah, Seere.”
“Yes, Teacher?”
“Move aside slowly. That way, you’ll be safe.”
“What do you mean?”
Nahen narrowed his eyes slightly and said.
“There are two guys who are very displeased with what you’re doing right now.”
“One of them must be you, Teacher. Do you think I’d let go of an opportunity I’ve finally seized?”
“Neither is me. They’re listening to me now, but if they get angrier, who knows what’ll happen.”
“If you’re talking about those beasts, it’s fine. I can handle them now.”
“…There’s not just one. I said two.”
“What?”
And the moment Nahen finished speaking, Seere felt an enormous presence and pressure from behind her. In the black mist, a giant elephant-like beast and a monstrous dragon-like beast appeared, growling.
Nahen glared at them for coming out on their own and commanded.
“Go back in. I didn’t tell you to come out.”
At Nahen’s command, the two beasts that had been growling just moments ago scurried back. Once the beasts disappeared, Seere felt freed from the previous pressure.
“Just now, that was….”
“Other beasts I brought back from Hell this time. Originally, there were three that followed me.”
Leviathan already knew of Seere’s existence so it showed no reaction, but Behemoth and Ziz didn’t, hence their intense response. It was fortunate that Nahen controlled them; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been strange if they had swallowed Seere whole.
“…….”
In that moment, Seere realized. The fact that Nahen was quietly lying beneath her now meant he was being lenient with her. Even in a situation where she could cut his neck with a slight movement of her sword, she realized that if Nahen wanted to, she would be subdued instead.
“…You’re still as strong as ever.”
Seere said that and withdrew her sword, standing up. She realized that this act was meaningless. It was thanks to her emotions calming a bit and her reason returning.
Nahen stood up following her and faced Seere. She had grown into a proper adult, and her former youthful appearance was hard to find, but in Nahen’s eyes, she still looked like that child from back then. Discussing love and forming a romantic relationship with such a child? That was impossible from Nahen’s perspective.
For now, setting that aside, Nahen shared his thoughts about staying here.
“If you want, I might not leave.”
“In the end, you were originally planning to leave.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
“…Liar.”
“I’m sorry.”
Nahen apologized honestly. Then Seere felt her anger subside a little. Seere looked at Nahen with a pouty face and asked.
“How will you stay by my side?”
“…Before that, there’s one thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Do you… really admire me?”
“Are you asking that again to tease me?”
“No, I understand now.”
“For the past 8 years, there wasn’t a single day I forgot about you, Teacher!”
“…I’m truly sorry about that.”
Nahen sighed. There must have been some fault on his part for Seere to harbor such feelings. He thought that being good to her since childhood had naturally led to her liking him.
“Then I’d like to make one suggestion.”
“What suggestion?”
“I understand that your feelings aren’t a misunderstanding, but environmental factors probably played the biggest role.”
“Teacher…, if you’re going to say that again, I don’t even want to hear it.”
“Listen. That means there’s also a good chance your thoughts could change. You’ve been apart from me for the past 8 years, so your feelings might have grown stronger due to longing.”
“I told you it’s not like that.”
“Even if you say it’s not, I at least think so. So Seere, prove it to me.”
“What?”
Nahen had no romantic feelings for Seere. He cherished her as a precious disciple, but he had never felt romantic affection or love towards this child.
“Prove it so that I acknowledge your feelings weren’t a misunderstanding. Anyway, I’ll put you in the number one spot, the pinnacle, and until then, I won’t leave your side. So during that time….”
“…Aha.”
Seere suddenly took a step closer to Nahen and looked up at him slightly. As Nahen was slightly flustered by that bold gesture, Seere said with a smile.
“You’re asking me to seduce you, Teacher.”
“…How on earth did you interpret it that way?”
“Hehe, alright. I’m confident. I’ve been working hard in various ways because I thought you’d like it anyway. If you’re embarrassed, as your disciple, I should make the effort.”
“No….”
At that moment, Nahen noticed. Come to think of it, Seere’s hairstyle, the color of her clothes, and even her style were close to what Nahen had once mentioned as his ‘ideal type’ or ‘preferred style for the opposite sex’.
“Don’t tell me, the reason you asked that back then was….”
“…You finally noticed?”
Seere placed her hand on her chest and said.
“This body was all made for you, Teacher. Do you know how hard I worked to obtain it?”
Nahen finally realized. Since a Demon King’s growth period starts early, it also ends early. The time when Nahen had parted with Seere was when she was almost 13, so even if she grew more after that, her growth would have stopped within a year or two. Yet, over the 8 years, her chest had changed enormously. He had thought the change was too drastic and strange, but upon hearing Seere’s words, he understood.
Having a large chest wasn’t something that could be resolved entirely through effort. However, in this world based on Evil Queen Maker, it was possible. It was a traditional item from the princess-raising game that started the trend of raising simulation genre games, the Breast-Growth Pill. A similar item existed in Evil Queen Maker as well. Naturally so. Since Seere, the protagonist of the raising simulation game, could become the player’s heroine depending on the route, it was up to the player what style to make the heroine. It was an item for that purpose, and of course, it existed in this place, the world of Evil Queen Maker.
It seemed like a hard-to-obtain item like in the game, but….
“Thanks to that, I grew up exactly to your taste.”
“…….”
Nahen regretted it. When Seere had asked before, he shouldn’t have given that answer. As Nahen pressed his forehead, Seere said with a grin.
“Then, as you said, Teacher, I’ll prove it.”
“…I’ll say it again, it’s not about seducing. It’s about confirming whether your feelings remain unchanged.”
“Yes~”
It meant to prove the purity of whether her feelings were genuine. However, Seere was already thinking of a different method in her head.
‘There’s no need to go the hard way. I can just make it a fait accompli, right?’
Nahen noticed Seere having such suspicious thoughts, but he didn’t press further for now. And he offered his apology to her once more.
“…And really, I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”
“……You won’t leave for that long again, right?”
“Yeah, at least until you stand at the pinnacle, I won’t.”
“You promised. If you break it….”
“If I break it, then do as you please. Even if you lock me up, I won’t say a word.”
“Yes.”
Nahen sighed. It felt like he had finally finished one task. Wondering what she was thinking about, Nahen asked as he watched Seere humming a tune.
“…By the way, Seere, how are Dane and Eri doing?”
“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know, Teacher.”
“I know those two had a child. I heard from Veronika.”
“You heard? Then you must also know why I was in such a hurry.”
“…Huh? In a hurry, what do you mean.”
“Those two had a child too, so I was really worried about when I could have a child with you, Teacher.”
Nahen’s expression hardened.
“But now that I’m an adult too, it’s okay to have a child, right? I want to make you definitely like me and quickly bear fruit as well.”
Seere laughed hehe and fully revealed her shady desire. Though a trace of her former pure smile could be seen in her laughing face, that purity had now been replaced by shady desire.
‘…This won’t do.’
It seemed he really needed to be careful for a while.
#
“Are you going straight to the Demon King’s Castle?”
At Veronika’s question, Seere nodded.
“Yeah, since I came to pick up Teacher.”
“Come to think of it, Seere. There’s one thing I want to ask.”
“What?”
“How did you know I had arrived and come here?”
Something had felt off, and this was the odd part. When Nahen asked, Seere explained simply.
“I felt your magic power again. When you went to Hell, I couldn’t feel it at all.”
“Wait, which floor were you on….”
“I was on the 50th floor.”
“…?”
It didn’t make sense. How could Seere on the 50th floor sense Nahen’s magic power when he arrived on the 69th floor? Even Nahen, an Archdemon, couldn’t do that.
“…Seere, you.”
Then there was only one possibility he could think of. When Nahen looked at Seere with a suspicious expression, she smiled slightly and said.
“Eung, you caught me. But it’s okay now. Since you said you’d stay by my side from now on.”
“…….”
Nahen activated magic on his body. A dispelling magic that cancels the activation of magic. As it activated, something snapped. He had thought it was just the residual magic power from Seere that had clung to him because they were often together and he even taught her magic lessons. But it wasn’t that. Seere had used that to secretly cast a magic on Nahen. A scouting magic that not only tracks the target but also allows one to know roughly who the target meets. It was one of the things Nahen had taught Seere before. He had taught it in case espionage wars might occur while ruling the Demon King’s Castle….
Nahen broke out in a slight cold sweat. And he resolved once more.
“Please take good care of me again, Teacher.”
He really needed to be careful.