Changed Relationship
Nahen had returned to Devata Castle. Surprisingly, most of the staff welcomed him warmly after eight long years. Kain, Rea, Secily, Eldin, and Mark—all the servants of the Demon King’s castle greeted Nahen with genuine delight.
“Kain, are you growing a mustache now?”
“Doesn’t it suit me?”
“It looks good on you.”
While they were exchanging such trivial pleasantries, two figures approached cautiously and offered their greetings.
“Welcome back, Master Nahen.”
“Eri. Dane.”
“It has been a long time.”
They were Nahen’s loyal subordinates, Dane and Eri. They were now twenty-five years old, and their matured appearances reflected that. Of course, it wasn’t simply a matter of age. They had reasons to grow up quickly.
“Come on, Luca. You should greet him too.”
A young boy shyly emerged from behind Eri. Seeing him, Nahen couldn’t help but smile like a proud father.
“Hellooo.”
The boy spoke clearly, without a single stutter. Nahen willingly knelt down to meet the child’s eyes.
“So you’re Luca.”
“Yes.”
“How old are you?”
At Nahen’s question, Luca folded his fingers one by one, then held up five.
“Five years old.”
“Oh ho, you count very well.”
Five years old. That was two years younger than Seere had been when Nahen first possessed this body. Thinking back to that time, Nahen let out a small chuckle and gently stroked the boy’s head. Then he glanced at Dane.
“Well, I always knew this day would come.”
“…Please don’t tease me.”
“There’s a lot I want to hear. Report to me a little later.”
“Understood.”
While the castle servants were still rejoicing over Nahen’s return, Seere spoke to him.
“Do you like children, Teacher?”
“Hm? Well… I suppose I do.”
Before his possession, Nahen had dreamed of becoming a teacher and had even entered the college of education. He had always preferred teaching others. Children were like sponges—they absorbed everything he taught them, which made it rewarding.
“Hmm, is that so?”
They were cute and innocent, easy to get along with. Their pure smiles could even blow away worries and troubles. However, Nahen soon realized he had made a verbal slip.
“…Seere, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“What? Me?”
“I don’t mean I want to have a child. Don’t misunderstand.”
“Hehe, Teacher, really… I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
It was an obvious lie. The slight upward curl at the corner of Seere’s mouth made her thoughts perfectly clear. Nahen broke into a cold sweat, while Seere simply smiled and walked past him.
“We can catch up slowly. I’ll be waiting in your office, Teacher.”
“…I don’t even know where my office is.”
“Ah, that’s right. Secily?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Escort Teacher there in a little while.”
“Understood.”
Once Seere left, Nahen let out a deep sigh. Secily, who had noticed his feelings, spoke up.
“You were gone far too long. If you had returned even a little sooner, Her Majesty wouldn’t have become this obsessed.”
“…I had no choice.”
“I’m sure there were circumstances. But that means you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
“Secily, did you already know?”
“It would be strange not to notice. In truth, almost everyone except you probably knew. She rarely showed it in front of you, but Her Majesty has often displayed her possessiveness toward you to others.”
Nahen lowered his head slightly.
I was the only one who didn’t know.
While Nahen stood in the corridor, a woman entered the castle lobby. She had wavy, blue-silver hair and twitching cat ears.
“Master Nahen.”
“…Commander Rin. It’s been a while.”
“Could we speak privately for a moment?”
Rin El Laza. The moment Nahen saw her, concern rose before joy. Her expression was far from pleasant.
“Is something wrong?”
“I simply have something to say.”
Rin showed no sign of backing down. Slightly flustered, Nahen turned to Secily.
“…Secily, please guide us to the reception room.”
“Yes.”
“So… what did you want to talk about?”
At Nahen’s question, Rin let out a heavy sigh.
“Just where have you been all this time?”
“…I can’t tell you that, Commander. However, I have already spoken with Seere, and she has come to understand. I hope you’ll acknowledge that.”
“…Very well. Then I have only one thing to say.”
Rin slammed her hand on the table and stared directly at Nahen.
“Please stop giving Her Majesty false hope.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have any idea how Her Majesty has changed over the past eight years? Believing that you would one day return, she became increasingly obsessed with her duties.”
“…Seere did?”
“Her desire to look good in your eyes has become a burden. As a result, the old Her Majesty is almost impossible to find. She has grown cold and cruel! Can you truly say this has nothing to do with you?”
Rin furrowed her brow.
“Be honest with me, Master Nahen. Did you really not know how Her Majesty felt about you?”
“……Commander.”
“Yes.”
“I’m truly sorry to say this… but I really didn’t know.”
It was the truth. He had never even imagined it. Rin blinked. There was no trace of falsehood in Nahen’s tone, expression, or eyes. On the contrary, his pure sincerity left her flustered instead.
“Ah, no… you truly didn’t know?”
“…I have always seen Seere only as my student, someone I needed to protect and guide. I believed all her actions toward me were simply because she respected me as her teacher and guardian.”
“…….”
“Now I understand… but before, I truly had no idea.”
Rin stared in stunned silence before letting out a sigh. At this point, she couldn’t even blame him. How could he have responded if he hadn’t known?
“…Then from now on, please make things clear.”
“What exactly should I do to satisfy you, Commander?”
“If you’re going to accept Her Majesty, then accept her! If not, cut her off cleanly!”
“Commander, I’ve already discussed that part with Seere.”
At the unexpected answer, Rin blinked.
“What did Her Majesty say?”
“She agreed.”
“What exactly did you say to her….”
“I can’t share the details. That is a promise between Seere and me. So, Commander, I understand your concerns, but you no longer need to worry.”
Nahen answered her firmly.
“We made a promise that Seere could accept. And I will properly counsel her on the part you’re worried about.”
“…Understood.”
“…Has Seere become quite rough?”
“Yes. More precisely, it would be accurate to say she has become cruel. As a Demon King, such a change is only natural, but….”
“I understand what you mean.”
Nahen stood up from his seat.
“You must have been very worried.”
“…I’m glad you understand.”
“From now on, I’ll pay a little more attention to Seere. So that you can focus solely on your duties.”
With those words, Nahen left the reception room first. Rin watched his retreating figure, then let out a small sigh and murmured.
“Will it really be alright…?”
Nahen finished his conversation with Rin and followed Secily. She guided him to his office, and Nahen was genuinely surprised. Even though he had been absent for eight years, they had assigned him one of the largest rooms in the entire 50th-floor Demon King castle. The management had been meticulous; the moment he opened the door, he was struck by how clean and spacious it was.
“Isn’t this room far too large to leave empty?”
“Her Majesty ordered us to prepare the best room for you.”
“…I see.”
Nahen looked around, then tilted his head in confusion.
“But where did Seere go?”
Seere had clearly said she would wait for him in his office first, yet she was nowhere to be seen. Both Nahen and Secily found it strange.
“That’s odd. Maybe she stepped out for a moment?”
“Hmm….”
“I’ll go look for her. Please wait here, Master Nahen.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Once Secily left the room, Nahen slowly walked forward. Just as Seere could sensitively sense his magic, the one he could detect most clearly was hers. It was only natural. They had spent the most time together. Especially for an Archdemon like Nahen, there was no one who could hide their presence from him….
Nahen lightly tapped the desk with his fist.
“Come out. I sent Secily away.”
“Ah… you knew from the beginning?”
“How could I not know?”
Seere crawled out from under the desk with a disappointed pout. It was impressive she had managed to hide there at all, considering her horns should have gotten in the way.
“What were you trying to do under there?”
“I wanted to surprise you when you sat down.”
Seere gave him a mischievous smile, just like when she was a child. Seeing that expression, Nahen felt certain she was still the same girl he knew. However….
“There wasn’t some other scheme behind it, was there?”
“Of course not~.”
Yet Seere’s eyes were still….
…If I hadn’t noticed, there’s no telling what she would have done.
Her gaze was chillingly dark. If she had simply wanted to hide, there was no need to crawl under the desk. There were plenty of other spots, and she could have used magic to conceal herself. The fact that she chose the space beneath the desk meant there had been ‘intent’ behind it.
It was true that, as Seere claimed, it could have been nothing more than a prank. But considering her current emotions, that excuse rang hollow. Nahen let out a small sigh and sat down on the sofa.
“Seere, come sit here for now.”
“Yes.”
Seere obediently approached the sofa. Strangely, instead of sitting across from him, she plopped down right beside Nahen.
“Seere? The other side is….”
“Why?”
Seere spoke with a slightly hurt expression.
“We haven’t seen each other for eight years… can’t we sit a little closer…?”
“…….”
“Is that not allowed…?”
Her expression and tone were filled with both longing and disappointment. Faced with such a student, Nahen couldn’t help but feel guilty. He gave in with a sigh.
“Fine… stay there.”
“Hee.”
The moment she received permission, Seere smiled brightly. Then she grew even bolder.
“Seere, first I want to ask you something….”
“Teacher~.”
“…What is it?”
“Excuse me for a moment?”
“What?”
Seere swiftly grabbed Nahen’s left arm and hugged it tightly. There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her movement. With her arms linked around his, she clasped his hand with both of hers.
“W-what are you doing!?”
“I wanted to hold hands after so long. You used to hold my hand before.”
“But you didn’t link arms back then!!”
“I missed those days… did you dislike it…?”
“…….”
Holding hands was acceptable. As she said, he had done so often in the past. But the problem was….
“…Seere, unlink your arms.”
Her arm was pressing against him. Against the generous curves that symbolized her womanhood. Yet Seere tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
“Why?”
She clearly knew her breast was touching his elbow, yet she pretended not to. Nahen was honestly shocked by her fox-like behavior.
When on earth did she learn to act like such a vixen…?
When Nahen stiffened, Seere whispered to him.
“If you don’t tell me the reason, I won’t understand.”
Her intention was clear. She wanted to hear Nahen say out loud that her body was affecting him. Nahen had no intention of playing into her hands. He closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again and spoke indifferently.
“Fine. If that’s comfortable for you, then stay like that.”
“…Hmm, alright.”
Neither Nahen nor Seere yielded even an inch. At this very moment, the war had begun—the battle between Seere, who was determined to seduce him, and Nahen, who was determined to make her give up.