Chapter 14
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14
“Ha, ha! I haven’t turned into a child! I-I mean… I was always like this! My appearance until now was, well, let’s just call it ‘Version 2,’ something I used to keep those lowly humans from looking down on me…!”
“So you’re saying this is your true form.”
In the end, it just meant she’d been using transformation magic to disguise herself.
“That’s right! No—wait, no! This is ‘Version 1’! Besides, transformation magic is supposed to project the user’s future self! It means that once I grow up, I’ll have a magnificent figure! Do you understand, Sir Swald?!”
“I suppose so…”
Watching Melju’s unusually frantic reaction only confirmed it. This child’s body was indeed her true form.
It wasn’t like he’d been expecting anything, but the revelation was still a bit deflating. Unable to hide his awkwardness, Swallow habitually scratched the back of his neck.
To think she’d stood there with a body faked by magic, saying things like, “Is that so? It was a field I was quite confident in…” while proudly puffing out her chest. Good grief. He really couldn't trust these Demon Kings.
Still, watching her flail her short limbs about was a fairly entertaining sight.
“You say that, but I know you actually like it! I heard that being this young is even more popular among monsters these days! Well? Do you admit it, Sir Swald?!”
“I don’t know where those monsters live or who they are, but they all need to be thrown into a dungeon.”
“Quiet! You talk too much! Regardless, I am serious! Didn’t I reveal my true form so we could have an honest conversation—in the flesh?!”
An honest conversation, huh?
Swallow lowered his gaze once more…
“Y-You’re looking too much, Sir Swald!”
He was cut off.
Perhaps she was overly conscious of his gaze, as Melju’s face turned bright red. It wasn’t the blush of a girl in love, however. Compared to Rene’s expression when she confessed to him, this look was tainted with an ulterior motive.
Yes, lust. If his knowledge was correct, that was the look of someone in heat.
Furthermore, he’d wondered where her clothes had gone, only to find them neatly folded on the wooden bed. She hadn't just stripped them off and tossed them aside; she’d folded them carefully. It was a small detail, but it carried significant meaning.
In short, it was definitive proof that she wasn't acting this way because she was drunk.
“To think even a Demon King would have a mating season…”
“A-As if such a thing exists! And this is different from being in heat! Different! That term is far too vulgar! Call me an opportunist! No… in a moment of crisis, I simply chose to be the one who pounces rather than the one who gets pounced on. Yes, I am the predator! By law, a Demon King must be the predator, not the prey! Furthermore!”
For someone with such a small frame, her voice was loud enough to make him feel sorry for the people in the next room.
“I am the seventeenth-generation descendant of Asmodeus, the Great Demon who presides over lust! This! This is proof that the blood of a Great Demon King flows through my veins! Yes, Sir Swald, you and I shall—we’ll—you know! Yes! We shall mate!”
With that declaration, Melju spread her arms wide and aimed for Swallow. With her fingers curled like a beast’s claws, she lunged forward to embrace him.
It was a sudden and desperate attack.
Swallow grabbed both of Melju’s hands, his grip strength easily halting her advance.
“Why? Why do you refuse?! Is my feminine charm lacking?! Is it not enough?!”
“W-Wait, calm down. Just calm down. Look, you have the Lord Swallow you admire so much. Wouldn't you be ashamed to face him if you did this?!”
“Lord Swallow is too busy to watch something like this!”
He’s watching in real-time!
“Besides, will you take responsibility if I grow old while waiting for him?! If you truly intended to take responsibility, then do it right here, right now! First, I’ll give birth to a child who has inherited our strong genes! Then I’ll move on to ‘Plan C,’ where my child will be the one to have an audience with Lord Swallow. Do you understand?!”
“Don’t pass your weird dreams down to your children!”
“It’s too late! Since you’ve made me—made me feel this ashamed, you have to take responsibility!”
He didn't even have the leeway to ask what Plans A and B were. Swallow desperately racked his brain. One second passed. Ding. No solution found. It seemed he would have to use force. Waiting for Melju to tire herself out was an option, but it would just be a waste of energy for both of them.
Above all, he didn't know where to look, and more importantly—Melju was preparing some incredibly sinister magic.
“What incredible strength! As expected of Sir Swald! You are more than qualified to be my mate! However! If you refuse, I shall break you with my magic…!”
“I’m sorry!”
With a sharp thwack, Melju’s words were cut short. Deciding it was too dangerous to let her continue, Swallow had chopped the side of her neck. With a faint groan, Melju collapsed into his arms. The mana gathering in her hands instantly scattered into the air.
“Go to sleep.”
Swallow muttered to himself as he supported the fallen Melju. Of course, the unconscious Melju couldn't hear him. I’d prefer it if you didn't. It’s too embarrassing.
How was he supposed to react when she woke up? Now that he’d actually done it, he felt completely at a loss. This was such an unexpected turn of events. But even as he tried to comfort himself, he knew the milk was already spilled.
As if mocking his troubled heart, the sun was rising, signaling the end of a grand battle.
“I’m screwed.”
With that single, multi-layered word, Swallow closed his eyes.
* * *
Breakfast was served two hours after sunrise. A single fist-sized wheat bread studded with rye seeds, a bowl of stale soup with chopped salty herbs, and two insultingly thin slices of bacon arrived on high-quality ceramics usually reserved for VIPs.
For Swallow, who was very interested in human cuisine, it was quite a disappointment. Human food that looked less appetizing than humans themselves.
Muttering complaints about the meager breakfast, he gulped the soup straight from the bowl. It was more edible than he’d expected. The surprisingly decent taste raised his hopes for the bread. With a fluttering heart, he tore off a corner and put it in his mouth. He chewed. He spat it out. The entire sequence took less than a second.
“Pah! Blegh!”
Belatedly checking the bread’s contents, Swallow’s expression hardened. Looking closely at the cross-section, he saw tiny pieces of the ‘horribly unappetizing dried fruit’ he’d tasted yesterday embedded inside.
As he wondered how anyone could eat this, he glanced to the side and saw Melju, surprisingly, eating the bread in silence. True to her Demon King status, she even had an air of elegance as she sliced the bread with a knife. He wasn't sure if this bread was actually meant to be eaten with a knife and fork, though.
Regardless, she wore a calm expression that was unlike her usual self. Her thick eyelashes, which suited the look, particularly caught his eye. So this is what a serious Melju looks like, Swallow thought briefly before making a cautious suggestion.
“Do you want my bread, too?”
“I have no need for it.”
Melju’s cold reply came without so much as a glance in his direction.
To put it simply, Melju was giving him the cold shoulder.
“Are you implying that you can give me bread but nothing else? Or are you telling me to just eat this scrap of bread and get lost?”
“No, Melju. About what happened at dawn, why don't you let go of your anger…”
“Anger? I am not angry. And did something happen at dawn? I was fast asleep, so I wouldn't know. So, Sir Swald, do not speak to me.”
“It’s a bit late to play innocent when you’re sitting there in your child form…”
“Ah, I didn't hear that. I can't hear you. I won't be able to hear you in the future, either.”
She wasn't just giving him the cold shoulder. This wasn't mere pouting; it was more accurate to say things had gone completely off the rails.
Yes, she was furious. And her fury meant he was in for a rough time.
About an hour ago, as soon as she woke up, Melju had clutched her neck and looked around. Her face had contorted as if she couldn't remember, then flushed deep red as the memories came flooding back. She checked her surroundings, looked in the mirror, checked her clothes, and then let out a muffled scream.
Swallow had watched the entire process, but when he tried to strike up a conversation as if nothing had happened, he was met with a response sharper than a blade.
And that led to the present situation.
He didn't need to guess that Melju was upset. She was practically screaming ‘I am upset’ with her entire being.
“I said I’m sorry.”
He didn't actually know what he was sorry for, but he decided to think about that later. His attempt to apologize in the most groveling voice possible must have been quite a sight, as he could hear the humans nearby whispering.
“Stop it. I do not know what you are sorry for. Do not speak to me. I can't hear you. Even if you speak, I won't listen.”
“You’ve been saying that for a while now, but you’re clearly hearing everything.”
“Quiet! Ahhh, I can't hear you! I can't hear you! Hmph! Bleah! I hate Sir Swald now. I liked you before, but now I hate you. From now on, I will live only for Lord Swallow, not Sir Swald.”
That’s quite a contradiction.
“At least give me a chance to explain…”
“An explanation? Go ahead. I won't forgive you even if you explain, but I will take it into consideration out of the goodness of my heart.”
“Well, that’s…”
Just as he was about to say, ‘Since I’m a monster, I don’t have much interest in human bodies!’ Swallow’s eyes met Melju’s.
Melju, her cheeks and the rims of her eyes red, was the very definition of pitiful. She looked infinitely fragile yet filled with rage. To think she was making the face of a woman betrayed by love when she was the one who had pounced on him—it was absurd. This was a complete reversal of victim and perpetrator.
Swallow, who was about to give his prepared explanation, instinctively shut his mouth.
He knew this situation. This was it.
Ten seconds before a Bad Ending.
Having assessed the situation, Swallow desperately racked his brain again. The primal question of ‘Why am I, an ancient monster, struggling so much against a creature like this?’ didn't even occur to him anymore.
Just how many times had he been put in a desperate situation over the last few days? His stiff brain felt like it was going to overheat from the strain. He had to think. He recalled the vast library of ‘cool-sounding lines’ he’d overheard during his thousands of years of existence.
“I… only share my affections with women stronger than myself. That is my ironclad rule.”
After much deliberation, Swallow recited his best choice in a serious voice. Even as he spoke, he was horrified. Wow, that’s the worst line ever. Even I don't believe that, he thought. But while his insides were churning, he maintained a composed expression, focusing all his attention on the change in Melju’s face.
Surprisingly, Melju looked as if she’d been struck by a hammer.
After a moment of silence, her dry lips slowly parted.
“That… certainly… if you put it that way, I have nothing to say. It makes sense.”
It’s super effective!
“Y-Yeah! If you had blocked my strike, who knows what might have happened.”
“Because I wasn't strong enough… I hadn't thought of that. Then everything falls into place! Yes, quite. Even Sir Swald is a man. There is no way you wouldn't feel my charm. If that was the reason, then fine. I shall accept it. I almost misunderstood. I am sorry.”
With those words, Melju’s face brightened. She began to smile again as if nothing had happened. She’s so simple, Swallow thought to himself as he forced a smile. In the awkward atmosphere of their mutual smiles, Melju said, “Hand it over, I’m hungry,” and took Swallow’s bread.
Yes, yes. Eat as much as you like.
“Ah, and also.”
Just as she was beaming with the joy of someone who had conquered the world, Melju whispered softly.
“You need to learn how to dress a woman, Sir Swald. If you just yank a corset tight without thinking, it pinches the skin. Thanks to that, I’m still in pain. From now on, handle a woman’s body more gently.”
*
It would have been a disaster if they’d tried to walk. Yes, indeed.
After finishing breakfast, Swallow and Melju headed toward the center of Riaze. Fortunately, it wasn't long before a massive stone wall appeared before them.
Another fortress within the already walled city—it hadn't felt real when he’d only seen the outline of the wall hidden in the mist, but looking up at it from this close, its sheer height was truly magnificent.
It was large enough to block his entire field of vision. Compared to Swallow’s original form, it was high enough to reach his chest.
And it was only after the inspection that they learned the truth.
“From here on is the entrance to the actual central district. Did you say you were going to the Teleportation Hub? The Hub is located in the castle just outside the Imperial Palace, so you have quite a way to go. You’ll have to pass through three more walls.”
“…How long will that take?”
“If you’re going on foot, you should allow a good week.”
That was the answer from the guard protecting the gate. Perhaps recognizing Melju’s noble-looking attire, he spoke politely, but his voice held a hidden sneer that said, ‘You didn't even know that?’
It was an entirely unexpected situation.