The Demon King's Warm Embrace
The Demon King's embrace was warmer than I'd expected. Just moments ago, the Demon King Ilenater—who had declared her intent to conquer the world—announced that she wanted me. But even as she said it, I couldn't quite grasp what she meant by "having" me. Did she intend to conquer me the same way she had tried to conquer the world? I had no choice but to ask outright.
"What exactly do you mean? By wanting to have me."
"Well, you see, um……"
After hearing my question, Ilenater pondered for a while before tilting her head and giving her answer.
"Honestly, I don't really know either."
"What? What kind of answer is that?"
"It's just… vague……"
"Ugh."
I couldn't help but shrink back. The moment Ilenater opened her mouth, she had taken another step closer. She leaned in so near that our faces were barely a hand's breadth apart, tilting her head this way and that as she examined me from every angle.
"Just looking at you like this is entertaining, you know?"
That was a first. I'd heard plenty of remarks telling me not to ruin a good mood, but never anything like this.
"I'm entertaining?"
"Yes. The more I look, the more fascinating you become. I don't think I'd ever get bored just watching you. But……"
Ilenater, who had been smiling as she gazed at me, suddenly wiped the grin from her face and slowly reached out toward it.
She's lulling me into a false sense of security so she can pull something this time!
My mind raced with suspicion, but my body refused to move. When Ilenater's hand finally touched my cheek, the same hand that had once tried to kill me…… was warm. Soft, too.
"Why are you in pain?"
"What?"
"I can tell. You're grieving."
"……"
I turned my head slightly to brush her hand away.
"That's none of your concern."
"But I want to help."
"If it weren't for you in the first place……"
The moment I turned back to look at Ilenater, she averted her gaze. Then she apologized without hesitation.
"I'm sorry."
In that instant, I realized what mistake I had made in the heat of emotion. The Demon King Ilenater hadn't invaded the world of her own will. It was because the previous Demon King, her father, had forced his ambitions onto his daughter. That was why I had defeated the puppet that was the Demon King and spared Ilenater's life.
"No, I misspoke. You have nothing to apologize for."
"The last time I saw you, you were everyone's hope. It was the first time I'd ever looked at someone other than my father and thought they were magnificent."
Everyone's hope. Yes, that had been true back then. Because I still had a purpose.
"But you're different now. Like a warrior who's finally taken off the armor he's worn his whole life."
Ilenater looked me straight in the eye again and placed both hands on my shoulders.
"Your body may feel lighter without the armor, but I can feel the emptiness of having nothing left to do."
"You've got an annoyingly sharp eye."
While we spoke, Ilenater slowly moved her hands to cradle my face. Then she gently pulled me forward and buried my face against her chest.
"Like I said, I want you. To do that, I need to know you completely."
She patted my back and whispered, soft and deep enough to reach my very soul.
"So tell me everything. Every joy, every fragment of your sorrow."
I don't know how long I stayed in that embrace, being gently patted. When I came back to my senses, I could only tell that a considerable amount of time had passed. I slowly lifted my head to meet Ilenater's gaze. Then……
"Pfft."
"Pffft……"
The moment I burst out laughing, Ilenater did the same. She struggled to contain her laughter before asking first.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because you laughed……! I don't even know why I'm laughing!"
After laughing for a while longer, I looked at Ilenater's face again and thought to myself. There had been two versions of Ilenater that I'd seen. One was the Demon King consumed by the madness of world conquest. The other was the woman who had finally begun to find her own life instead of her father's will. Now there seemed to be one more. Not because her horns and wings were hidden. Right now, Ilenater looked like an ordinary human woman.
……Huh?
"Wait. What happened to your horns and wings?"
"Oh, those? It's simple."
As Ilenater spoke nonchalantly, a pair of horns sprouted from her head and a pair of black wings unfurled from her back.
"I hid them with magic. Transformation magic."
"I see. Magic, huh…… Whoa."
When I froze, Ilenater froze as well.
"What's wrong?"
"Mother's coming back."
"Already? She said she'd have some tea…… We need to prepare dinner right away! She said she'd buy meat……"
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"Ah, there is!"
Ilenater grabbed my hand and pulled me along, then sat me down in a plush chair.
"You said there was something I could help with?"
"Sitting still is helping. It's been a long time since you came back, so you probably won't remember where anything is, right? And……"
With me seated, Ilenater wrapped her arms around me from behind in a warm hug.
"You've worked hard. So you can rest."
In that moment, my mind went blank. The warmth radiating from Ilenater's small frame left my entire body in a daze. Leaving me sitting there in a stupor, Ilenater stood up and patted my shoulder once more for emphasis.
"Got it? Just sit still and rest. Don't get up! Oh, and stop calling me Ilenater. Call me Ilena."
A short while later, the sounds of bustling activity came from the kitchen behind me. It felt awkward to just sit there blankly, but she'd told me to rest, so I gently closed my eyes. It had been so long since I'd felt such a peaceful atmosphere……
"Good grief, you rascal!"
Smack.
My eyes flew open at the sharp pain that shot across my back along with the loud sound.
"Hrk……?"
An ambush! Even when deeply asleep, I would wake instantly to respond to surprise attacks. Yet not only had I lost consciousness, I hadn't even sensed the presence. I turned to the side and saw Mother looking down at me with a contemptuous gaze.
"What do you think you're doing? Can't you see your wife is working?"
"But Ilena told me to sit still and not get up……"
"What? Good grief, you rascal!"
Mother struck my back with her palm again. It didn't hurt that much, but for some reason it felt strangely thrilling in a different way.
"You should at least offer to help! You disappear without a word and then come home out of nowhere without a shred of shame……!"
"M-Mother! Please stop!"
When Mother scolded me, Ilena's face turned pale as she rushed out of the kitchen.
"I told him to rest. He just got back from far away, so he should relax today……"
Mother waved her hand to cut Ilena off and pointed at her while speaking to me as if she wanted me to hear.
"See that? Look how kind your wife is! And you're going to let such a kind girl work alone? You don't even deserve to eat……!"
"Mother……"
Mother, who had been pouring out complaints, stopped mid-sentence. Both she and I turned our heads at the same time to see a single tear rolling down Ilena's cheek. We both fell silent at the sight.
"Don't scold him. I just want him to rest properly. You know how long I've been waiting for him to come back."
"S-Still……"
"You too, Mother!"
"G-Good grief……!"
Ilena gave Mother's back a light push and sat down beside me. Still not having wiped her tears, she scolded Mother.
"You should rest too, Mother. Your back isn't well, and you even went to the trouble of buying meat."
"A-Aga? I'm fine. Hesed's house is right next door. I barely walked at all……"
Mother couldn't finish her sentence this time either, because Ilena was staring at her with a pouty expression.
"Fine, fine! I'll sit still."
Once Mother declared her surrender, Ilena finally wiped away the tear that had been about to fall and smiled brightly.
"Hehe, thank you."
"Thank you for what? If I think you're struggling, I'll get up and help right away. So take it slow, all right? Slow!"
"Yes!"
With permission granted, Ilena scurried back to the kitchen to continue her work. Though Mother and I were sitting side by side for the first time in a while, an awkward atmosphere hung between us because it had been so long since we'd last met. The earlier scolding only made it worse. Mother was the one who spoke first.
"My son is quite fortunate."
"I am?"
"Yes. I don't know what makes my son so special, but how did such a kind girl come all this way saying she wants to live with you……"
Come to think of it, it was strange that Ilena hadn't come straight to me but had instead been staying with Mother. Judging by how they addressed each other, their relationship was far closer than something that could develop in just a day or two. When I turned my head to the side, my eyes met Mother's as she looked at me. It was the first time since returning home that I could properly meet her gaze. Even though she had scolded me, Mother was looking at her son—who had returned after a long silence—with warm eyes.
"So what happened?"
"That's what I want to ask. How did you come to know such a kind girl?"
I couldn't exactly tell her we'd once tried to kill each other. To make up a plausible story, I needed to hear hers first.
"Tell me first. How did Ilena end up here……"