Relentless Assault - 2
On the road back to the Demon King's castle, Seere wore a faint smile. It had been a long time since she'd earned a reward from Nahen. Lately he had grown far too wary of her in these matters, so she hadn't received anything worth mentioning. 'Finally, I got one,' she thought. She already knew exactly what she would ask for.
Seere glanced at Nahen walking ahead of her. "Teacher."
"Hm?"
"Before we go inside, let's visit the human realm."
"The human realm?" Nahen tilted his head, puzzled by the sudden suggestion. Seere explained, "You promised me a reward, didn't you?"
"What does that have to do with going to the human realm?"
"Dane and Eri said there are plenty of nice places to visit there."
It was a suggestion for a date spot. While the demon realm had its share of such places, the human realm—ruled by far more emotionally sensitive people than the cruel Demon Kings—had many more.
Nahen seemed to hesitate. Seere decided a little push was all it would take. She put on a slightly dejected expression. "It's been so long since we went anywhere together that I can barely remember it."
Her voice carried a hint of disappointment, deliberately stirring the guilt Nahen still felt for neglecting his disciple for eight years. The effect was immediate.
"Ah… Very well. Let's go."
Seere broke into a bright grin. With a mischievous curve to her lips, she moved to his side. "Eri also told me there are lots of pretty clothes in the human realm."
"Is that so?" Nahen pictured the maid uniforms worn by the castle staff and the outfits Seere usually wore. 'Those don't seem all that different from what we have here…' He hadn't expected Seere to mention Dane and Eri so often. Curious, he asked, "You've grown rather close to them, haven't you?"
"Ah… Ahem. I had a few questions, so we ended up talking quite a bit…"
In truth, after Dane and Eri's wedding, Seere had asked them all sorts of things. She couldn't help it. Her life's goal was to marry her teacher, and here was a couple who had already succeeded. How could she possibly resist asking? Thanks to that, she had received plenty of advice from Eri.
Unaware of these details, Nahen simply smiled, pleased. "I see. It's good to see you getting along."
"Luca has taken quite a liking to me as well."
"Has he?" Nahen felt a quiet pride that Seere had grown capable of caring for a child. He reached out to pat her head, then caught himself and pulled his hand back. The memory of accidentally touching her horn while hungover was still fresh. A demon queen's horns were an extremely sensitive area; he had already made that mistake twice. 'I should probably stop patting her head altogether.'
Seere's eyes widened as she watched his retreating hand. "Teacher, why did you stop?"
"Hm? Ah, well…"
"If it's because of what happened last time… it's all right. It was an understandable mistake."
"Even so, I should be more careful. It's a sensitive spot, after all. It's better not to create situations where accidents can happen…"
"I don't want that."
Seere grabbed his hand with both of hers and guided it firmly onto her own hair. "I like it when you pat me."
Nahen looked at her, hand held captive, waiting expectantly, and found himself smiling softly without realizing it. "I see. If you're all right with it, then…"
He stroked her hair with careful gentleness. What had once felt like downy fluff in her childhood now felt like smooth silk. Seere smiled contentedly beneath his touch, looking so much like an adorable puppy that Nahen felt his heart stir.
"…We can check on the situation in the human realm while we're there."
"Focus on playing with me!"
"Of course I will. I meant after we're done."
"Well… I suppose I can allow that much."
When Nahen finished patting her head, Seere clung to his arm. Linking arms with him naturally, she asked cautiously, "This much is all right, isn't it…?"
"Yes."
It was a reward outing, after all. He could allow this much. Seere beamed. Pressed so close, her soft hair brushed against his fingertips, tickling them. Nahen endured the sensation and headed toward the human realm with her.
Nahen and Seere arrived in Germanium, the capital of the Bismarck Empire. Nahen had chosen this place specifically because he wanted to see how the empire had changed under Charlotte's rule. Upon arrival, he found himself genuinely surprised.
'Was this really a country that just fought a civil war?'
The streets overflowed with energy. Countless people moved through the capital's avenues. The neatly maintained infrastructure, roads, and orderly shops ensured that no one—whether browsing or simply passing by—encountered any inconvenience. A nation that had endured nearly two years of civil war had, in just over six years, achieved an even more vibrant scene than before.
'She truly was remarkable…'
Charlotte von Bismarck's genius was evident in this single view. Nahen felt a genuine envy. If he had even half her talent, he could have accomplished far more… 'I might have been able to guide this child better.'
Feeling a pang of regret, Nahen glanced at Seere. She looked mildly surprised as well. "There are so many people here."
Having hidden her horns with magic and cast a perception-dampening spell to avoid drawing attention, Seere walked with her face openly visible. Though slightly awkward, the hornless look suited her surprisingly well. Nahen stared at her a moment too long, and Seere noticed, meeting his gaze.
"Is something wrong, Teacher?"
"I was just wondering where we should go first."
"Ah, if that's the case…" Seere smiled. "Shall we start with a clothing store? I've been curious ever since Eri mentioned it."
"All right. Let's go wherever you like."
Nahen found it curious that Seere showed no discomfort despite the crowded streets. In the past, her dislike of humans had been obvious, but that feeling seemed absent now. 'She's changed.' Dane, Eri, and their son Luca had likely had a positive influence. While he didn't particularly wish for the Demon King to befriend humans, there was no need for baseless hatred either. Less animosity meant more opportunities when dealing with them.
As he mused, Seere pointed at a shop sign with her finger. "Let's go there!"
Nahen let her pull him inside. He didn't notice the sign, but it read: [Costume Shop].
Seere had brought him here with clear intent, following Secily's advice. Before leaving the castle for the Demon King Assembly, Seere had asked Secily for guidance, and this was what the maid had suggested.
'This is the method I used to seduce that dense man.'
Secily had claimed wearing a costume that stimulated a man's fantasies had worked wonders. Hearing that, how could Seere possibly resist? Though Secily had meant for her to obtain one in the demon realm, Seere saw no reason to wait now that they were already in the human realm. The moment she spotted the shop, she linked arms with Nahen to prevent him from escaping.
"Seere, this place…"
"I'll go pick out something I want to wear."
Nahen, who had entered without any idea of her plan, stood frozen in flustered confusion.
Like most games, Evil Queen Maker had a costume system—microtransaction "skins" that served as the game's primary revenue source despite its modest price. To think that system had manifested here as an actual shop…
Nahen knew this world faithfully recreated the game, but he had never expected something like this. A strange feeling mixed with genuine embarrassment washed over him, because the very first outfit he saw upon entering was a cat-ear costume that looked far too suggestive.
Completely unable to imagine what Seere might choose, Nahen instinctively sensed this was an absolute crisis. Anyone with half a brain would understand why she had brought him here. He hurried to find her. "Seere!? Where are you?"
He tried to leave the shop immediately, but Seere had already anticipated this and hidden herself. "Yes~?"
Nahen turned toward her voice and froze. Seere had taken refuge in the one place no man could follow: the women's fitting room.
"Uh… Uhh…"
"I'll change and come out soon, Teacher~."
Come out? Nahen scrambled for the right words through his tangled thoughts. "D-don't come out!"
"What? Then how are we supposed to have fun?"
"J-just change back into your original clothes…"
"Then all my effort changing would go to waste."
He wanted to say that wasn't his concern, but as her teacher, he couldn't bring himself to dismiss his disciple's efforts so callously. If a teacher denied that all effort led to results, what student would follow him? Still, given the circumstances, perhaps he could say something. While Nahen wrestled with this rigid dilemma, the fitting room curtain suddenly swept open.
"Teacher."
"…Huh?"
Nahen let out a foolish sound. Contrary to his fears, Seere wore a perfectly respectable outfit—a cute black-and-white gothic lolita dress that complemented her pink hair beautifully. The dress was covered in frills with a full, flowing skirt, revealing none of the exposed skin he had dreaded. Far from seductive, she looked adorable. The lolita cap perched on her head added the perfect finishing touch.
"It's supposed to be the kind of dress girls wear in human fairy tales."
At her words, Nahen realized the costume's inspiration. It was likely modeled after Alice from Alice in Wonderland.
"Does it suit me?"
Seere lifted her skirt and spun once in front of him. Nahen blinked, then answered with relief, "It's cute. It suits you well."
"Hehe, really? I'm glad."
Honestly, what outfit wouldn't suit her? Seere smiled in satisfaction. "Then I'll try on the next one."
"All right… Wait, the next one?"
Nahen instinctively glanced inside the fitting room—and the moment he saw the outfit laid out there, he thrust out his hand in panic. "Wait—!!"
But the curtain had already closed. Nahen dropped his outstretched hand in despair and began to tremble. If he hadn't misseen what lay beyond the curtain—and he knew he hadn't—then that had definitely been a black pair of… bunny ears.
Bunny ears. When one thought of bunny ears and costumes, there was only one thing that came to mind. Nahen stared at the fitting room with tense eyes. At last, the curtain opened completely.
"Teacher."
"……"
"How does a bunny cry again?"
Nahen stood completely frozen. Seere had emerged wearing a bunny girl outfit: a tailcoat jacket with a swallowtail hem, complete with bunny ears. She held her hands up beside her head and tilted it curiously.
"Hop hop?"