The Demon King Likes Cats

Three days later.

"I'm sick of this." Lucy pushed her plate away. On it sat yet another boar steak.

"Daon. I'm tired of this."

"Huh?"

"Boar for breakfast, boar for lunch, boar for dinner. Do I look like a ghost who died because she couldn't eat boar?"

Cold sweat trickled down my back. The only ingredients available in this dungeon called the Forgotten Abandoned Mine were boar, giant bats, and poisonous mushrooms. The bats were completely inedible, and when I tried serving the mushrooms stir-fried, she kicked the plate away, complaining that she didn't eat grass.

"But those are the only ingredients we have..."

"That's your problem." Lucy sprawled lazily on the stone chair covered in orc leather and glared at me. "If you don't bring a new menu by tomorrow morning, I'll rip off your forearm and eat that instead. It should be softer than boar, right?"

She wasn't joking. This woman would actually do it. I quickly assigned dishwashing duty to the ogre and fled to a secluded room. Then I logged into the gallery.

At that moment, FlameWizard dropped a massive comment.

I clicked the link like a drowning man grabbing at straws. It was a post from the Mage Gallery's secret tips board.

The principle behind the concealment technique that let you dance in front of a holy knight without getting caught was simple. You reversed the flow of magic power leaking outward and trapped it deep inside your dantian. It was called Magic Power Compression.

I spent the entire night in the corner of the room, groaning as I circulated my magic power.

"Ugh... hngg...!"

At first the demonic energy rampaged wildly and nearly burst my blood vessels, but thanks to my high Intelligence stat, I gradually got the hang of it.

"Perfect!"

Now I could go to the village. I just needed to buy spices, vegetables, beef, or chicken. The money came from the gold pouches the ogre had collected from dead adventurers—there was more than enough.

The only problem was Lucy.

The next morning, I packed my things and stood before Lucy.

"Lucy. I'm going to step out for a bit."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Step out? You're not running away, are you?"

The temperature inside the cave plummeted. She flicked a finger and my body floated into the air. An invisible hand squeezed my throat.

"Urk...! N-no! Ingredients! I'm going to get ingredients!"

"Ingredients?"

"This dungeon only has meat. So I'm going to the village to buy sweet fruits, soft bread, and spices..."

At the words sweet fruits, the pressure around my neck eased slightly.

"Fruits? Those red, sweet ones?"

"Yes, yes! Strawberries, apples... and I'll buy sugar too!"

Lucy set me back on the ground. She rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment.

"Hmm... I really am sick of boar. I am craving something sweet."

"Right? I'll be back soon. Half a day at most."

I spun around to leave when a chilling voice stopped me.

"Who said I was letting you go alone?"

"Huh?"

When I turned back, Lucy was rising from her seat.

"I'm coming with you."

"What?! N-no! Lucy, you... you'll stand out way too much!"

I waved my hands desperately. Lucy's beauty was beyond words like "devastating." On top of that, the red hair and red eyes practically screamed "I am a demon." Even with magic concealment, her appearance alone would draw suspicion.

"How can I trust you won't run if you're not by my side?"

"I absolutely won't run! My life is literally in your hands—where would I go?!"

"Shut up. If you really want to leave me behind, cut off a leg first."

This woman didn't understand the concept of compromise. I clutched my head.

"But with that appearance, you won't even get past the village gate. Everyone will stare."

"Ah, stares? That is annoying. I hate it when bugs swarm around me."

Lucy nodded, then suddenly summoned black fog that wrapped around her body.

"How about this?"

Bang—!

With a small explosion, the beauty in the red dress vanished. In her place remained...

"Nya."

A small, red, glossy... cat.

But those eyes were still a terrifying shade of crimson.

"Uh... Lucy?"

The cat's mouth didn't move, but her voice rang directly in my head.

"No... You could transform into a cat?"

The red cat Lucy swayed her tail elegantly and approached my feet. In the blink of an eye she climbed my pants and settled on my shoulder.

The heavy yet warm weight on my shoulder. The purring in my ear that was definitely not purring but a death threat. The cutest and most dangerous creature in the world had been born.

We left the dungeon and walked through the forest path. Our destination was the beginner village Ruden, about an hour away on foot.

While walking through the forest I had to constantly maintain the Magic Concealment skill. The moment I let my guard down even slightly, Lucy would deliver a cat punch from my shoulder—claws included.

"Understood. But could you please retract your claws before hitting me?"

Lucy lounged on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my shoulder like it was her personal throne. She even occasionally batted at my earlobe like a toy.

"Lucy, have you ever been to a village before?"

"......"

Heroes. The existences BlackFlameDragon had warned me about. I swallowed hard.

"If we run into a hero... can you win?"

Lucy swatted my cheek with her tail.

"I'm working on it..."

Before long the forest ended, and the village walls appeared in the distance. It was a peaceful sight—smoke rose from chimneys, and merchant wagons lined up before the gates.

I took a deep breath. This was the real test. If my identity as a black mage was discovered, I'd become a wanted criminal instantly.

"All right, let's go, Lucy. You have to behave."

I started walking toward the gate.

But then—

Sniff sniff.

Lucy flared her nostrils on my shoulder.

"What is it?"

Lucy's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fur stood on end. Her vertical pupils locked onto the village.

"Holy power...? No way—"

Lucy licked her lips.

My heart sank. BlackFlameDragon's prophecy had come true. The chance of a hero appearing in the starter village was 99,999%.

Should I run? But Lucy's reaction was the complete opposite.

Her red eyes gleamed with greed.

"......Huh?"

What the actual fuck.

I was speechless. We had come to buy ingredients and now the demon king wanted to turn the heroes into ingredients.

"Lucy! Control yourself! If you touch them it'll become a huge mess! Weren't you the one who just said that?!"

The guard at the village entrance noticed us and waved.

"You there, halt! Identity check!"

A guard in front of me. A demon king cat with exploding appetite on my shoulder. And a hero party waiting inside the village.

I wanted to cry.

What would tonight's dinner menu be? More importantly—could I avoid becoming the main course myself?