Chapter 21 — Reconstructing Affection (6)

A few days later, Princess Grünent visited the great dining hall of the royal palace for the first time since moving her residence to the castle tower weeks before.

She had seen the splendid dining halls of Merde's royal court every day, but the imposing grandeur of the Demon King's Castle's hall drew a murmur of admiration even from her. The Demon King's crest, ever-present, and the black orb at its center were a little eerie, but on the whole the atmosphere was elegant and weighty.

"The ornamentation is refined, Your Majesty."

"I am told it was my predecessor's taste."

In the ordinary course of things, when the master of a castle changed, the furniture and replaceable decorations were altered according to the preferences of the king or lady of the house. But the original Demon King simply had no interest in such matters. After several people lost their lives trying to inquire about his tastes, no one else dared to redecorate the castle's interior.

And so the castle remained exactly as the previous Demon King had arranged it.

"You must have been deeply devoted to the former king."

"...."

The Demon King made no reply, only smiled.

It was his 'I have no idea what to say' face, but with her Affection now at 32, the princess was in a state of mind where she could interpret anything the Demon King said favorably—so long as he didn't commit some catastrophic blunder.

'He must have been deeply attached to his father.'

Reading a human side into the Demon King as she pleased, the princess began her meal with Roan.

The cooks, who had lately received Roan's encouragement, had improved by leaps and bounds.

Roan was not a man of many words, but he listened attentively to the princess's stories.

'I find myself comparing, without meaning to.'

Once again, the princess unconsciously recalled mealtimes in Merde and gave a small shake of her head.

The king had no interest in his children.

The meals where his children gathered were never comfortable, full of mutual checks and rivalry.

At banquets and balls, only people driven by ambition—those scheming for the hand of the princess or a place in her circle—ever listened to what she said.

But here, the food was delicious, and the Demon King seated before her looked only at her and listened to her stories.

'...I might even be a little envious....'

The princess had once heard that the Demon King had a betrothed. Within the kingdom, it was speculated that his queen must be the wizard who accompanied him.

It was only after coming here and listening to the demon maids that she learned it was indeed a betrothed.

At first, she had thought nothing of it.

She had even thought, a vicious wizard worthy of the Demon King herself—birds of a feather.

But now Grünent believed the rumors about the Demon King were wrong.

As her opinion shifted, a faint, budding envy of that woman began to swell within her.

Because she herself was only a concubine of a different race.

"Princess Grünent."

"...Ah, yes! Your Majesty."

"You seem lost in thought today."

"Ah.... Yes, to tell the truth...."

After hesitating a moment, the princess signaled to her maid with her eyes.

The maid, who had nodded in acknowledgment, soon fetched something from the waiting room adjacent to the dining hall. It was a small bundle.

It was not wrapped in fine silk, but it was a flat object neatly packaged in clean paper.

It was a little earlier than the princess had planned, but the meal was nearly over.

This should be fine. The princess repeated to herself.

"Um, Your Majesty."

The Demon King's head tilted slightly to one side as he accepted the bundle. An innocent light flickered in his beautiful face.

'His Majesty is unexpectedly... rather cute.'

Unaware that the princess's gaze was growing increasingly rose-tinted, Roan asked:

"What is this?"

"Your Majesty. Thank you for rescuing my maids the other day."

"Hmm? Rescuing?"

Roan fixed his eyes on Grünent as if he had no idea what she meant. The princess felt as though she was being drawn into his violet eyes without realizing it.

'...I feel as if I'm being ensnared.'

The princess gave a quiet, affected cough and pulled herself together.

"Ahem. I remember what condition my girls were in when we were down below. Far from being able to move, they could not even eat properly and could not hold themselves upright. And I heard that Your Majesty personally nursed them."

Roan's body gave a slight tremor. But the princess, who had detected that subtle movement, spoke again.

"I do not say this to reproach Your Majesty. Before, I did not know Your Majesty well, but now, having spoken and spent time with you, I think I understand you a little. I know that if Your Majesty had been aware of the conditions in the prison, you would never have left us there."

The princess lowered her gaze a little.

"It shames me to say this now, but I too could not answer a question about what Merde's dungeons are like. Even though it is the country where I have spent my whole life."

...It seemed the princess ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had misunderstood.

'Uh, no.... That wasn't why.'

The reason Roan had flinched was not because he feared being blamed, but because he suddenly felt the princess was on the verge of being caught by 'Mihon.'

Because he had already significantly dampened the skill's manifestation, the current 'Mihon' only produced enough of an effect to draw out a measure of goodwill. But for a moment, the princess had nearly fallen under the skill's power.

He had to hurriedly reduce the power feeding the skill even further.

'So she's thinking of me this favorably.'

Roan was genuinely glad. And at the princess's next words, that gladness doubled.

"Thank you for restoring my maids to health and returning them to my side. I shall not forget Your Majesty's grace in allowing me, who came as a bride from an enemy nation, to keep my countrywomen with me. What I am giving you now is... a humble token of my gratitude."

He had received a gift!

He had received a gift from his beloved character!

Compromising by only raising the corners of his mouth to suppress the grin that was about to spread helplessly across his face, Roan unwrapped the gift.

Inside was a small handkerchief.

A clumsy piece of embroidery adorned its corner. It was a tiny flower.

The princess, who had been fidgeting with her clasped hands beneath the table, stained both cheeks red as she spoke.

"...It doesn't... suit Your Majesty's magnificence, but... you kept sending me... flowers. I wondered if... you were fond of them."

Princess Grünent was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the one who liked flowers! It was Roan who remembered how the Hero's Affection rose little by little whenever he sent her wildflowers. And each time the princess received flowers from the Demon King as well, her Affection had risen by exactly 1. A small figure, but it held meaning.

At last, a radiant smile rose on Roan's face.

Seeing that face, the princess opened her mouth without realizing it.

He always wore a slightly lonely expression, so she had never known that a smile could suit his face so very well.

The Demon King smiled brightly and spoke.

"Thank you, Princess. I shall treasure it."

The Demon King's low voice made the princess's heart pound. At that moment, her Affection stat rose to 45.

In game terms, it was a number at which beginning a romance would pose no problem. The princess's reason kept rejecting it, but this was the result of the negligible application of the Demon King's skill 'Mihon,' which she had unconsciously taken in.

Roan's eyes curved prettily when he saw the Affection, which had risen beyond expectation.

'Ah... his eyes are so beautiful....'

The princess forcibly suppressed the feeling that she was falling for him.

It was a matter of her pride as a princess. So Grünent spoke with feigned calm.

"Not at all, Your Majesty. On behalf of all humans, not only my maids, I sincerely thank you for your consideration."

"Concerning humans, I still have a long way to go. But your encouragement will be a great strength, Princess. The day will come, I hope, when the demon races understand this meaning as well."

Concealing his joy, Roan tucked the handkerchief into his coat. Watching him, the princess asked cautiously:

"...Your Majesty. If I may speak out of turn, may I ask why you suddenly resolved to employ the prisoners as servants?"

"Hmm. Very well. I have not explained the reasons to you in detail. I was planning to speak with you about it before long."

The timing was good. Roan met Grünent's blue eyes.

For the next stage of the plan, he needed her help.

"I am attempting to find usefulness even in the weak. In our world, the weak are useless. That is why, until now, the demon races have devoured human slaves. But if they possess a usefulness that goes beyond food, humans can survive."

"...Pardon?"

At the Demon King's matter-of-fact confession of cannibalism, Grünent felt a trace of revulsion.

But it would be the truth.

He had said once before that the demon races valued strength above all justification.

"You... eat us. Eat humans because... we are useless?"

"It is complex. Because they are weaker than my kind, they cannot do physical work. There was also the rage felt during war. And, on the whole, the country suffers from a scarcity of food compared to human kingdoms."

It was something the princess had never once considered. The humans of Merde, herself included, had never done anything but recoil in disgust when they heard that the demons devoured humans.

Yet even in human history, there were instances of cannibalism when humans were driven to desperate straits. Grünent had once had the vague thought, 'Ah, so during war they might express their hostility in such ways....'

If what the Demon King was saying now was true, there was a reason why the demon races, in their own way, 'had no choice but to eat' humans. She could not sympathize, but she could understand the logic.

"...It was not simple animus, then."

"It is hatred of an 'invader' or an 'enemy force' rather than hatred for the species called human. And that hatred seeps down to the captives... those we call slaves in Evirgio. Most of the slaves are civilians. They were not the ones who actually fought the war. We know this as well."

Roan looked at Grünent with earnest eyes and spoke in a clear tone.

"But that is not efficient."

"It would not be."

Grünent nodded in response.

"We despise the weak and try to eat them. In truth, this is not limited to humans. If they are weak, we have even eaten our own kind. And humans have called us monsters for it and hunted us.

We needed food, and the humans, it would seem, needed a cause—vanquishing evil. And so it became war."

At the Demon King's words, the princess felt a pang in one corner of her heart.

Because she had seen how the border skirmishes that always broke out in the royal house were escalated into great conflicts. And because she knew what the king had sought to gain by them.

She sank into thought.

Is the Demon King truly evil?

And at Roan's next words, she felt a shock as though she had been struck by lightning.

"And I intend to stop the war."

"Your Majesty...?"

Looking at Grünent's rounded eyes, the Demon King gave a lonely smile.

"Yes. I know. It will not be easy. I cannot simply order the war I began to stop, nor can it end merely because the demon races retreat. However."

After pausing a moment to catch his breath, Roan spoke again, putting strength into his words.

With the help of the gentle skill that dwelled within him.

"My people are suffering, and the humans are suffering. Though it is a war that began without my touch, that is no longer the case."

Grünent bit her lip and stared at the Demon King. An indescribable power dwelled in his voice.

At his powerfully palpable 'will,' Grünent felt the beat of her heart quicken once more.

It was a reaction that mingled the actions of the royal house during her life in Merde, her shame at having passed over them so indifferently, and her admiration for the Demon King's conviction.

'Is he truly... going to end this war?'

She knew that the human royal house had started this war.

And here was the declared enemy of humanity, the Demon King, saying he would end it.

Even with a bitter expression, the bewitchingly graceful Demon King gazed at her as though piercing through Grünent's heart.

"And I will most certainly need your help in the process."

At that stirring sight. At those words.

Grünent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stopped breathing.

"Our races find it difficult to understand each other. But if the war arose out of necessity, that necessity may ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perhaps be fulfilled in a different direction. If you lend me your abilities, it may be possible to let my people live without conflict. Not by a method that forces us to hate someone, as war does."

The Demon King spoke quietly.

"Though it will be a long road...."

And then Roan stared blankly at the princess, taken aback by her unexpected words.

"You will manage, Your Majesty. I will accompany you on your path."

Grünent's resolve reached Roan as a voice full of determination.

A cute sound effect, ill-suited to the mood, reached the Demon King's ears.

Affection had reached 50.