Chapter 122: An Uncomfortable Daily Life (3)
Chapter 122: An Uncomfortable Daily Life (3)
Dvelania, who had stormed in like a tempest and gifted me immense stress, also fled like the wind.
It was nothing serious. When I carefully broached the matter of Lirinel and the Demon Cult, as if she had guessed what I wanted to say, her eyes just darted around and she muttered an excuse.
[She was just so innocent it was fun to tease, so I...]
[......]
[I'm sorryyy!]
And then she hurled herself out the window, so nimbly it was astounding.
When I hurriedly grabbed the windowsill and checked below, she was already sprinting far off into the distance. And when I later sought her out, I was told she was away on a mission...
'Well... yeah, I guess she won't be lugging armfuls of clothes over for a while.'
I decided to think positively.
After that, meaningless time flowed past.
As always, there was nothing for me to do in the Demon Castle. Occasionally I was abruptly called out on some mission and armed with weapons, but even that was extremely rare.
So this could be called my daily life. There was no need to feel anxious now.
"......Damn it."
I was anxious!
I tossed the cube, which I had solved at some point, to one side and got up. The soft bed tempted me to lie back down, but it had no effect on my uneasy heart.
Somehow, I felt like I couldn't just stay still. I had to do something right now...
I called out to Ed, who was standing in a corner of the room, eyes darting anxiously.
"Ed."
"Yes, Sir Demon."
"What do I have to do today?"
"There is a Legion Commander meeting this evening."
"And besides that?"
"Nothing."
I didn't know what to do. What could I possibly do about it?
"Shit."
The anxiety transformed into irritation and stirred up my emotions.
Excessive emotions cloud rationality and dull the mind. I was muttering all sorts of harsh words—'This shitty life, so fucking annoying, what the hell am I even doing?'—when I became aware of his presence after I muttered 'I wish they'd all just fuck off.'
Ed, pale and drawn, was staring at me with trembling eyes.
"Ah......"
"......"
Right, watch my mouth. It seemed I really had gotten used to the demon world, if I was letting my guard down and spouting curses like this.
'......I should apologize, right?'
I had no desire to earn unnecessary hatred from a demon, of all people. For the sake of extending my lifespan, I hurriedly opened my mouth.
"Ed."
"Yes... Sir Demon. I am sorry."
"Why are you apologizing... no......"
I had screwed up! I shouldn't have asked!
I had learned through experience that asking the reason for a sudden apology only worsened the situation... but still, it seemed the words that came out reflexively couldn't be helped.
Sure enough, Ed's face went even paler, his lips trembling, as he barely managed an answer.
"I could not get lost... I have displeased you, Sir Demon. I am sorry."
"Ah."
Now that he mentioned it, yes. Why was he here?
"Your apology is not needed. More importantly, why are you here?"
"I'm sorry......"
"No, I'm not trying to scold you... I'm asking because I'm truly curious."
I even waved my hands earnestly, trying my best to reassure him.
You were usually in your own room. Why were you here? Did your room disappear? Did the Demon King evict you?
"His Majesty the Demon King... ordered me to stay by your side, Sir Demon."
Ah. Surveillance.
He must have felt self-conscious about it, as he was watching my reaction. Of course, it was a little irritating, but I had no intention of taking it out on my innocent adjutant. Before that, I didn't have the nerve to get angry at a demon anyway.
Instead of saying anything to him, I shut my mouth and retrieved the cube I had tossed aside. As I scrambled to mix it up haphazardly to suppress my still-churning feelings of anxiety, Ed cautiously spoke up.
"If you do not mind... how about touring the Outer Castle? It might help you change your mood."
"The Outer Castle...?"
Right, I had stayed too confined within the Inner Castle.
It had been quite a while since I came to the Demon Castle, and I had adapted to some extent, so a tour around shouldn't be too bad.
Ah, of course, not alone—on the condition that Ed accompanied me as a guard. I hadn't yet matured enough to wander the Outer Castle alone. Probably never would.
However, I should have thought twice before giving my answer.
"Alri..."
The moment I almost simultaneously recalled that the Outer Castle housed those crazy fanatics was right when I was giving an affirmative answer.
"...ght."
How nice it would be if I could take back my words. I was experiencing firsthand how dangerous such careless speech could be.
There was no point in regretting it; nothing would change. Ed's face had already lit up brightly. How could I take back my words in front of that face? If I retracted, I'd be lucky if his face just darkened; if all that emotion transformed into irritation or anger...
I suppressed my trembling body. Whatever, I couldn't handle that. I'd just go. Damn it.
There was no other choice. Now that it had come to this, I had no option but to stick close to Ed no matter what happened.
"Will you change your clothes?"
"Hmm......"
This time, I didn't answer hastily.
First, I examined my attire. It wasn't bad... but I wished I were less conspicuous, so I could avoid catching the fanatics' eyes as much as possible.
'And the demon realm is always night.'
Alright, let's just wear completely black clothes. I'd move through the shadows where the moonlight didn't touch.
Having made up my mind, I opened the wardrobe, took out a black outfit, and gave a belated answer.
"I will change. Please wait outside."
"......"
What, why no answer?
When I glanced back, Ed was looking at me with trembling eyes. No, on closer inspection, his wavering gaze was fixed on the clothes in my hand.
......Why?
"...It will be a clear warning. Understood."
"?"
Wha—what warning?
Hey, hey, don't just leave like that! It makes me anxious for nothing!
The door closed silently, and suddenly left alone, I quietly lifted the clothes and stared at them intently.
'No matter how I look, there's nothing strange about them...'
I felt vaguely uneasy for no reason. I should wear something else.
Of course, my intention to wear black hadn't changed, so I pulled out another black outfit from the wardrobe. Thanks to the Demon King having provided no small number of black and navy clothes, there was no problem with lacking alternatives.
The effect of the black clothes was astonishing!
It was as if the overwhelming fanatics from just a moment ago had been a lie—no one approached me at all. In fact, everyone avoided me on their own, and would you believe it if I told you there was even a demon wearing a red heart brooch among them?
'Long live black clothes!'
Who knew they'd have a demon-repelling effect.
The robe hadn't seemed to work, so did it only work with clothes? Using it too frequently might diminish its effectiveness, so I'd have to use it sparingly.
I strode through the streets with a much lighter heart.
* * *
Demon-nim was in a bad mood.
Since the incident long ago in the dining hall when he had worn black clothes and overturned a plate, the 'black clothes' he wore within the Demon Castle had been recognized as a warning that signified his foul mood.
Pure black, without any embroidery or decoration. What must the demons who faced the 0th Legion Commander wearing those clothes have felt?
'If you get caught, you die.'
'Let's make sure not to stand out.'
'If necessary, I'll use all my mana to escape... ah, right, magic is prohibited.'
'Whether I die by the Demon King's hand or Demon-nim's... isn't it all the same?'
'Whatever, even if I die, I'd rather die at the hands of the Demon King or another legion commander. No matter how I think about it, dying to Demon-nim just feels wrong.'
He was someone who normally only stayed in the Inner Castle, and only in his own room at that. The fact that he had come out to the Outer Castle surely meant he intended to catch some sacrificial lamb and beat them down.
They respected Demon-nim, but their lives were precious. The demons began to slowly avoid him and skirt around.
The same was true for the Demon Cult followers wearing red heart brooches, though their reason was slightly different in that they absolutely could not risk worsening Demon-nim's mood.
'We might not be able to help, but we certainly can't go against his mood!'
'We'll hide well on our own. If anyone among us gets on Demon-nim's nerves, that bastard gets expelled immediately.'
'De-mon.'
Thus, for a long while, the nerves of countless demons were unknowingly focused on one point, and his steps, which had been wandering aimlessly, came to a halt in the middle of the road.
The breaths of the watching demons stopped as well.
In the silence thick with tension, the corner of his lips silently rose.
'Gasp.'
Was it because a victim hadn't easily caught his attention? Or perhaps he had found something to pick a fight over.
Whichever it was, a smile that didn't bode well hung on his face.
* * *
Had I ever mentioned that the Demon Castle was the size of a small city in the Empire?
It wasn't just its scale. The Demon Castle could easily be regarded as a small city in its own right.
The Demon Castle was broadly divided into the Inner Castle and the Outer Castle. To compare it to the Imperial capital, the Inner Castle would be the Imperial Palace, and the Outer Castle would be the city outside the palace but within the castle walls.
In the Inner Castle resided the key figures such as the Demon King and the legion commanders, the members of each legion, and the servants responsible for everyone's livelihood; in the Outer Castle were ordinary demon soldiers and...
'Ah, I don't know.'
How could I list all those many positions?
Anyway, the Outer Castle was home to a vast variety of demons with an immensely wide range of roles. The atmosphere was just like the streets of a human city.
If there was one difference, it was the simple street food sold... ah, could I even call it 'sold'? Since money didn't circulate within the Demon Castle.
But even those street stalls were placed in meticulously calculated locations.
Restaurants, stalls, bars, public training grounds, and so on... everything that existed in the Outer Castle had been arranged one by one by the Demon King after putting heads together with the high command to ensure maximum efficiency.
'If enemies broke through the gate, all this would become shields blocking the roads and cover for ambushes.'
Or they could transform into weapons of attack.
Whatever the intention, to my eyes it was an ordinary city street. In fact, since no money exchanged hands, it could even be considered a better place than the human world.
With no demons around, it was pleasant, and for once a smile crept onto my face.
Ed, who had been quietly observing me from the side, pointed somewhere as if to divert my attention.
"Sir Demon, since you've come out for once, how about trying something to eat?"
"I'm not hungry though......"
"I see. My apolo..."
"But I'll eat."
"......"
What. Why. What.
That thing looked delicious, okay.
'Yum.'
The skewer, made of some unknown meat, was delicious. Let's not think about where the meat came from. It was tasty, so that was enough.
I pretended not to notice the pile of black shells in the corner of my vision and looked at Ed. He was whispering something to the demon who had handed over the skewer.
From the snippets I heard—'Don't tremble' and 'Do you want to die?'—it seemed he had gotten annoyed at how much the demon had trembled while handing it over.
'Well, even I could see he was trembling way too hard.'
He had been shaking so much the sauce was on the verge of dripping off.
Thinking he was scared of Ed, I tried to hurry and accept it directly, but that heartless adjutant had already stepped in and taken it.
Anyway, I felt like if I left things like this, the poor demon's heart might stop. So I gulped down the meat in my mouth and quickly called Ed.
"Ed."
"Yes, Sir Demon."
"I'd like to look around other places. Could you guide me?"
"Ah, yes. Understood. You there, be careful."
With a final warning to the demon, he hurried over to me.
"What in particular would you like to see?"
"Well... if possible, I'd like something that could refresh my mood."
"For refreshing your mood......"
After a moment of thought, he moved his stopped foot.
How long had I been following him obediently? The place Ed arrived at was the entrance to a public training ground.
'No way, to fight?'
I had thought for once he was guiding me normally, but this was how it turned out.
I sighed deeply inwardly and rummaged through my mind for ways to avoid a situation where I'd have to pick up a weapon. But Ed, whom I'd expected to guide me straight inside, approached the demon providing weapons at the entrance and said something.
Whatever he had said, the demon's face was clouded with trouble.
"Bring it here."
"But......"
"I'll get permission. So if you don't want to die......"
Hey, excuse me. You said this was for a change of mood. Why are you threatening someone's life?
At this rate, something was definitely going to happen. I couldn't delay any longer looking for a place to throw away the empty skewer, so I walked toward them with it still in my hand.
"Ed, what are you...!"
Thud. An ominous sound rang out.