A Warm Heart
For the time being, things could stay like this….
“……Why don’t you hate it?”
“What?”
“I’m asking why you don’t hate it. Marrying me.”
Oh no. With that single sentence, the entire mood had flipped completely. I’d unintentionally teased her until she cried, and now I was the one who had to comfort her. Still, the way she was sulking just a little was actually pretty cute. A mischievous urge to tease her more crept up on me, but this wasn’t the time. Hold it together. Hold it together!
“From the start, if you were willing to marry me, what man in this world could possibly hate that?”
“You. I’m not asking about other men. I want to know why you don’t hate it.”
“Uh……”
I’d tried to dodge the question just a little, but it felt like I’d taken a solid hit instead.
“I’m just a Demon King with nothing but power, aren’t I? We tried desperately to kill each other, and then I suddenly showed up and startled you. Honestly, doesn’t that make you uncomfortable?”
“I’ve never thought that way. Who said I was uncomfortable, and when?”
“……That’s how it looks to me.”
I wondered what the other demons would think if they saw her like this. This woman with such low self-esteem, this timid girl who could sulk so easily, was the Demon King.
“Can I really speak honestly?”
Ilena hesitated, but at my reassurance that it was okay to be honest, she slowly nodded.
“First of all, the fact that you suddenly came to find me doesn’t make me uncomfortable at all. If anything, I’m grateful. Think about it. You’ve taken better care of my family than I have. If I didn’t feel grateful, I’d be the strange one.”
“Even though I could have taken your mother hostage at any time?”
“You certainly could have. But you didn’t, right?”
The Ilena I’d met upon returning to my hometown had seemed cheerful on the surface, but apparently that wasn’t how she felt inside. She must have been anxious the whole time, wondering if I hated her or found her uncomfortable. Come to think of it, it wasn’t surprising considering how I’d acted when I first saw her after coming back. I’d shown open hostility, accusing her of trying to mess with my head using illusion magic.
“Besides, everything you say and do makes me feel like you’re thinking of me. Learning my tastes from Mother, taking me to the farm to show me interesting things.”
“I said I wanted you. It’s the least I could do.”
“That part. Exactly that part. You ask if I hate it? How could I possibly hate someone who says things like that to me?”
“Ehehe……”
The gloomy expression on Ilena’s face finally softened into a gentle smile. Maybe it was because she’d heard directly from my mouth that her efforts hadn’t been in vain.
“But you’ve been cleverly dodging the question since earlier.”
“Me? What am I dodging?”
“I’m glad you feel that way, but that’s not what I asked.”
Ilena straightened her posture. Then she stared straight at me and asked,
“Why don’t you hate marrying me?”
Wait a second, something felt off. At first I thought I was the one teasing and comforting her, but at some point it seemed like things were flowing exactly the way Ilena wanted. And now that I thought about it, the way she was staring at me was anything but ordinary. The corners of her lips were slightly raised as if she were pretending to sulk, and her eyes were narrowed in a sidelong glance. The pitiful, tearful look from before had completely vanished.
No way. Was she pretending to sulk while secretly teasing me? I’d forgotten for a moment that this woman was the Demon King.
If that’s how it was…….
“Because you’re beautiful.”
Ilena stayed quiet after hearing my answer, but then her eyes gradually widened.
“I’m…… what?”
“I said you’re beautiful. I’ve met countless women in my life, but among them, you’re the most.”
I decided not to let her win the psychological battle. Since she’d troubled me by revealing her true feelings, I’d return the favor. Besides, the fact that Ilena was a beauty was an undeniable truth without a shred of falsehood.
“Y-you! What are you saying right now! I asked why you don’t hate marrying me, so why are you saying I’m beautiful……!”
“Appearance is a very important issue in marriage. You have to look at that person for the rest of your life. In that regard, you have nothing lacking at all.”
“Ugh……”
Ilena seemed unable to endure any longer. She turned her head away and covered her face with both hands again.
“On top of that, you’re family-oriented and capable. At this point, I’m more curious about what you don’t have.”
“U-ugh…… How can you say things like that so casually!”
“You’re the one who told me not to dodge the question. I’m just saying exactly what I feel.”
“Still!”
“And the decisive reason,” I decided to return one of the things Ilena had said to me—the biggest reason I didn’t hate the idea of marrying her.
“When I’m with you, for some reason my heart feels warm. I feel at ease. That’s the most decisive reason.”
Ilena lowered the hands covering her face, slowly turned to look at me, and asked cautiously,
“Really……?”
“I’ll correct something I said earlier too.”
“Correct? What do you mean?”
“When I said I didn’t hate marrying you. Actually, it’s not just that I don’t hate it. I……”
At that moment, I sensed a presence. Ilena and I turned our heads at the same time to scan our surroundings.
“You noticed it too?”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect them to move even in broad daylight like this.”
The carriage was currently traveling through a forest. From not too far away came the sound of several light yet agile footsteps. They were wolves. No matter how sturdy and fast the horses we’d borrowed from Hesed’s farm were, it would be difficult to shake off wolves in the middle of a forest.
“This is annoying. Should we stop the carriage for a moment before the horses get too agitated?”
“No, there’s no need.”
Ilena spoke firmly and took a deep breath. I could feel powerful mana gathering in that breath.
“What are you going to……”
The next instant, the entire earth and sky trembled.
"Get lost and stop interfering!!"
The mana-enhanced voice reverberated throughout the entire forest. The moment Ilena shouted, pitiful whimpers rose from all around us, and soon the sound of footsteps rapidly retreated. As a side effect, the horses pulling the carriage became startled and restless.
“Don’t make a fuss. Stay still.”
But when Ilena placed her hand on the horses’ bodies and spoke just those words, they quickly calmed down.
“Whew.”
Having resolved the situation in an instant, Ilena caught her breath and then asked me as if nothing had happened.
“The pests are gone. So now tell me again. If you don’t hate marrying me, then what?”
Her eyes sparkled with a bright smile, clearly filled with expectation.
“I don’t hate it.”
And now I had no hesitation either.
“Rather……”
“Wait, stop.”
Ilena raised a finger to my lips.
“I changed my mind. I don’t want to hear that answer right now.”
“Why? You told me to say it. Wasn’t that why you chased the pests away?”
“But even if you tell me how you feel about marrying me right now, it won’t change anything, will it? It’s not like we can actually get married.”
The way Ilena said it sounded both relieved and somehow bittersweet.
“So I don’t want to hear it right now. For now, I’m just really happy knowing that you don’t hate me.”
“What do you……”
“Come on, let’s go!”
Ilena gave the horse’s rump a light smack, and the horses neighed and began running swiftly. Caught off guard in the middle of speaking, I had to steady myself. It was ridiculous, but after seeing the expression on Ilena’s face, I decided to stop protesting for now.
“Hehe.”
Because Ilena was laughing so brightly and happily. Seeing that face, I thought it would be fine to leave things like this for a while. Unlike before, we had plenty of time now. It was a pleasant sense of leisure.
Crownland.
In front of the assassins kneeling on the ground after receiving orders to kill Roen, a figure wearing ornate priestly robes spoke in a curt voice.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“……”
The one who spoke curtly tossed Roen’s sword, Levatein, down in front of the assassin leader. The heavy blade that had required several assassins working together just to lift.
“I forgive you. I am merciful, after all.”
“Thank you.”
“Instead, offer your life. Just one of you.”
“But Your Eminence……!”
“Be grateful that I am not taking all of your lives right here!”
The assassin leader bowed his head in resignation and unhesitatingly drew a dagger.
“Understood. As an apology, I offer my life.”
“No. Don’t even think of running. Your life alone isn’t enough. The moment you draw your last breath, I will kill every single one of your subordinates here as well.”
“Your Eminence, please have mercy……”
The assassins couldn’t step forward and merely glanced at one another. Then one of them quietly drew a dagger.
“Captain, I will offer my life.”
“Number Three……”
“Please stay healthy. Hah……!”
The moment Number Three tried to plunge the dagger into his own stomach—
“That’s enough.”
The high priest, who had approached in an instant, firmly grabbed Number Three’s dagger. He snatched it away, tossed it aside, stroked his beard, and smiled kindly.
“Hoho, I am a faithful servant of God. Therefore, isn’t it only natural to show mercy according to His will?”
“Thank you, Your Eminence!”
“However.”
The high priest’s smile vanished, replaced by a chilling expression.
“Mercy is given only once. If you disobey my words again after I have shown mercy this time, then I will take two lives.”
“……Understood.”
“Go. Go and find the man you failed to kill. He is someone who cannot be controlled, so you must kill him without fail before he becomes a disaster.”
The high priest turned away indifferently and added,
“Do not forget. If I so choose, I can take your lives no matter where or when you are.”
Once the high priest left, the assassins all looked at their leader at once.
“Captain, what will you do?”
“What do you mean, what will I do? We have no choice but to move. Everyone, stand up.”
The leader rose heavily to his feet.
“First, we must find Sir Roen. The clue is ‘a rural village in a corner of the world.’ Let’s move out.”