Ilena's Dizzying Temptation
The thought that came to mind after hearing how Lilia had handled the thugs was simple.
“Perfect.”
“Right?”
“What do you mean, perfect!”
Ilena’s face burned bright red as she shouted. “What do you mean you didn’t threaten them? You told them you’d kill them!”
“Huh? My Demon King, threaten? On the contrary, I was merciful and generous. If I truly set my mind to it, I could turn not only this village but the entire country into slaves.”
“W-well, that’s true.”
“Besides, I even promised them something pleasant if they did their jobs well.”
“Ugh……”
Ilena seemed unhappy with the method, but Lilia had carried it out perfectly. She hadn’t caused any unnecessary trouble, and we’d gained useful allies who would help us if they ever came to the village again.
“They feel good, we gain prey. We both benefited, so is there a problem?”
“Of course there’s a problem. Next time they see us, how do you think they’ll look at us!”
“How? With gratitude, obviously.”
Lilia clenched both fists as if she’d made up her mind. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they consider cooperating with you, my Demon King, the wisest decision of their lives.”
Watching her, Ilena shook her head helplessly. “Let’s drop it. Still, since we’ve decided to do this, we should do it properly, right?”
“Of course. Have I ever disappointed you, my Demon King?”
“No, you haven’t.”
She was right. In the last war, the scariest thing hadn’t been dragons or powerful demons. It was Lilia—the one who made our hero party hallucinate on a daily basis, ruined our precious sleep, and left us in terrible condition.
“Then let’s set off now.”
“Before that, just a moment. My Demon King, may I borrow Roen?”
“What? What are you planning to talk about this time!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to devour him~”
Lilia grabbed my arm and led me far away from the carriage.
“Lilia, why did you bring me out here?”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Let’s hear it. Go on.”
“You remember the assassins? The ones who traveled with your hero party.”
“Of course I remember. How could I forget? But why bring them up?”
“Lately those kids have been scattering everywhere. Carrying this.”
What Lilia pulled from her bosom was a portrait drawn on paper. But the face was…
“That’s me.”
“Yes. They’re searching for you. They haven’t reached this area yet, but you should be more careful.”
“But how do you know they’re moving to find me?”
“Hehe……”
Lilia laughed with clear intent.
“Why… why are you laughing like that?”
“I planted a few of my precious children in Crownland. Thanks to them, I know exactly what the Crusade’s key figures are doing—and what they did to you.”
“Was this on Ilena’s orders? If so, there’s no way she wouldn’t have known.”
“Let’s call it personal curiosity,” Lilia added. “‘For now,’ anyway.”
“What are you scheming? Moving without Ilena’s instructions.”
“I’m simply watching. I’ll tell you only this one thing.”
Even though it was just the two of us, Lilia leaned in and whispered.
“There are quite a few demons who want the war to start again.”
“……Are you one of them?”
“Let’s say I’m in the middle? We dream demons don’t particularly enjoy fighting. It reduces our prey, after all. Anyway, enjoy your time with the Demon King.”
She patted my back. “The mood between you two has been nice lately, hasn’t it?”
“What nice mood? We only just met again.”
“Still, I think it’s good. I like the current Demon King far more than the old one. And I know it’s all thanks to you. Ah… oh my.”
Lilia suddenly froze, sensing something. I felt it too. Ilena was trying to peer this way with magic.
“Anyway, just know I’m cheering for you. Good luck! I’m off to eat. Oh, right!”
Lilia, who had just declared she was going to eat, looked at me and began giggling. Her face clearly said she was up to something.
“If things start piling up while you’re with the Demon King, just tell me. Like last time, I’ll extract it for you.”
“What? What are you even—”
“That’s all for now!”
Having said her piece, Lilia waved and soared into the sky.
“Good grief.”
The flow of mana grew unstable. It was probably reflecting Ilena’s emotional state.
When I returned to the carriage, neither Ilena nor Dipe was visible. I carefully opened the cargo door, and only then did Dipe greet me brightly.
“Welcome back!”
“……Hmph.”
While Dipe welcomed me warmly, Ilena turned her head away with a distinctly pouty expression.
“Shall we get going?”
“I suppose.”
Even her reply was curt. It seemed best to leave her alone until her mood improved.
“Rest inside. I’ll drive the horses.”
This time Ilena only gave a slight nod, not even bothering to answer.
“I want to ride the horse too!”
“Alright, Dipe. Come on out.”
The moment Dipe followed me, Ilena finally turned to look at me. She stared with a strange, complicated expression.
“Um, so……”
She was sulking, but her face subtly hinted at how I could fix it. There was only one thing to say here.
“Don’t stay inside. It’d be lonely up front by myself. I’d like it if you kept me company.”
Only after I invited her first did Ilena smile faintly and nod. Good—she wasn’t too upset.
Once the carriage started moving, Ilena asked me carefully.
“You know, don’t you? That I overheard a little of what you two were saying.”
“I noticed your mana, so yes. Lilia was being pretty obvious about it too.”
“Then……”
Ilena deliberately kept her eyes forward as she continued. “What did Lilia mean by that?”
“……Sigh.”
The sigh slipped out the moment I heard the question. Ilena turned to me at once. “What’s with that sigh? Don’t tell me you actually……”
“Dream.”
“Huh?”
The single word I let out. Dream.
“A long time ago, I was heavily tempted in a dream. It was quite dangerous, but I never gave in. The moment I did, my life force and mana would have been completely drained.”
It had been utterly horrifying. Lilia had analyzed every member of the hero party—our personalities, our tastes—and crafted dreams perfectly tailored to each of us. The instant someone succumbed to temptation in that dream, she stole both their body and heart.
“So instead of building up, I just got sick of it.”
“What do you mean it didn’t build up and you got sick of it?”
“You have favorite foods, right?”
“Yeah. A few.”
“But if you ate only those foods for days on end, what do you think would happen?”
“I’d probably get so sick of them I couldn’t eat anymore. Aha……!”
Ilena nodded, finally understanding.
“Lilia was exaggerating to tease you. I never fell for the temptation.”
“I-I see.”
Ilena turned forward again. Her expression looked somewhat happy.
“But I am curious about one thing.”
“About what?”
“Your tastes.”
“Why would you be curious about my—” I paused. The conversation was heading in a strange direction. “Ilena, when you say you’re curious about my tastes, what exactly do you mean?”
“So I can match them for you, of course.”
“Match them for me……?”
Did she even realize what she was saying? But contrary to my worries, her eyes were pure—almost innocently so.
As expected……
“What I heard from Mother isn’t enough. She only knows what you liked as a child. After you left home, what foods you grew to enjoy, what activities you like… I want to know more.”
So that’s what she meant. Of course. There was no way the innocent Ilena would boldly talk about that kind of taste.
“Why are you making that face? Did I say something weird?”
“No, I……”
After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to tell her. Better to prevent future misunderstandings.
“I thought you were talking about the other kind.”
“The other kind?”
“What Lilia was talking about. The seductive kind……”
Silence fell. When I glanced over, Ilena was frozen with her mouth slightly open.
“Eek……”
She let out a tiny groan, then said nothing more. I offered only one gentle warning.
“Be careful. You almost misunderstood.”
“……Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. If anything, I’m a little disappointed.”
“Wh-what? Disappointed? What do you mean by that?!”
“Figure it out yourself.”
“Ugh……!”
Honestly, if I thought about it rationally, the answer was simple. If a beauty as adorable as Ilena tried to seduce me according to my exact tastes? Oh… man. There was no way I could refuse.
Ilena kept shouting something beside me, but none of it reached my ears. Slightly hunched forward, I gazed at the distant scenery, doing my best to calm my mind and body.