The Demon King's Shy Request
The Demon King was filled with determination. She had suddenly appeared and blocked my path. Though I felt some puzzlement at her actions, as her loyal subject I decided it was right to follow her judgment and stepped back for now.
“Those are the ones who assaulted the arena. Apprehend them all.”
“Understood.”
“Catch those bastards. Throw them in the dungeon until a decision on their punishment is made.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Demon King had reported the incident not in her capacity as ruler, but purely as a demon warrior participating in the tournament, then summoned the soldiers. The demon troops promptly dragged the hero party members away, and Shamyuel began following after them.
“Since I was the first to discover them, it is only correct that I accompany the group. I will return before my match begins, so please convey that. It is what it is.”
“Understood.”
With that, the group vanished cleanly, hauling the entire hero party with them. As a result, only two people remained on the spot: myself and the Demon King, her body wrapped in red armor.
“Phew…”
The moment she confirmed no eyes were watching, the Demon King let out a sigh of relief. Seeing her like that, I asked with a trace of doubt.
“Why did you intervene? It was a problem I could have dealt with quickly on my own, so why go that far…”
If the opponents had been demons, it might have been different, but the hero party members were classified as enemy combatants and had even committed crimes. There would have been no legal issue with summarily executing them. Nevertheless, the Demon King had gone through the hassle of summoning soldiers for further interrogation and a formal trial. That was what I questioned, and…
To my query, the Demon King answered in her characteristic calm voice.
“If we had simply left them, is the next outcome not obvious? Surely those fellows would not have kept their lives beneath the hero’s hand. Is Jim wrong?”
“…How did you know?”
“Were you not radiating that much killing intent? It would be strange not to notice. Shamyuel likely sensed it as well.”
“I see… It seems hiding it was pointless after all.”
Honestly, while speaking with them I had tried to create a light atmosphere as if I might spare their lives, all while planning to wipe them out in a single stroke. Even so, from the bystanders’ perspective, my murderous resolve must have been quite obvious.
To be honest, I’m not particularly skilled at delicate work like suppressing killing intent.
Since I was a hero who favored frontal confrontations and overwhelming foes with raw power, neither my hardware nor software was well-suited to concealing my presence. In any case, setting that aside, I looked at the Demon King and began speaking my honest heart.
“Yes, I intended to kill them. Every last one of those damned bastards. After all, they tried to assassinate none other than Your Majesty the Demon King. The monarch of this nation, my benefactor… and at the same time, my lov… my lover. Is there any reason I should show mercy to those who dared touch Your Majesty?”
“…Th-that’s…”
At my words the Demon King tried to reply in a slightly trembling voice but could not continue. A moment later, seeming somewhat calmer, she looked at me and spoke.
“Well… it does please Jim that you think of me that way. But even so, did those fellows not fail completely? Jim received not a single scratch from their attack, and Jim’s representative remained unharmed. Of course they must be punished, but don’t you think summary execution is a bit excessive?”
The Demon King spoke in a voice tinged with slight awkwardness. Looking at her, I once again expressed my thoughts clearly, without any filter.
“Whether they failed or succeeded does not matter. What matters is that they nearly placed this subject’s most precious person in danger. That alone makes it impossible for me to forgive them.”
If the person you love is nearly put in harm’s way, it is only natural for your vision to turn red with rage. All the more so when the incident was deliberate.
“Hmm…”
The Demon King appeared somewhat flustered by my words. Seeing her reaction, I wondered if I had spoken too bluntly and aggressively, yet I felt no regret nor any desire to revise my opinion. Protecting what is precious was akin to my personal creed; I had no intention of retreating from that statement.
“In any case… now that those fellows have been taken into custody, we can await their disposition. For now, we should return quickly as well. Since our match was next in the order, it seems we need to hurry.”
“…Understood.”
The Demon King answered in a voice that still trembled slightly. Seeing her like that, I offered a gentle smile, then left the area together with her to return to the arena.
At that moment…
“Um, Hero. If it is acceptable…”
“Yes?”
The hero had declared he would not forgive those who tried to harm his lover. The moment she heard that resolute declaration, the Demon King felt her heart flutter for an instant.
It was the same as a vow that he would protect her no matter what happened. As the monarch of this nation, the Demon King had heard similar oaths of loyalty so many times it had grown tiresome, yet this declaration reached her in an entirely different way.
The hero’s words that he would protect the Demon King not as a ruler but as his own lover. Unlike ordinary vows of fealty, for some reason it struck deep into the Demon King’s chest.
What is this? This feeling… It is unfamiliar, yet… somehow… it feels a little joyful…
A warm, fluffy emotion bloomed deep in her chest. Recognizing it, the Demon King felt a small desire begin to sprout within her heart. She did not know exactly why the feeling had arisen or what it truly was. Nevertheless, at this moment the Demon King decided to act according to the voice of her heart.
That decision was…
“Hero… if it is acceptable…”
A powerful wave of embarrassment surged through her. Even though her entire body was covered in red armor, the pounding of her heart made it impossible to raise her head. Yet even amid that trembling, the Demon King overcame it and acted. The strength that had always driven her by will rather than emotion shone brightly once again.
“Could you… hold it? Jim’s hand…”
“Yes?”
At the Demon King’s words, the hero reacted with slight surprise. Having pushed the conversation this far, she felt her emotions growing intense and began to speak as if making an excuse.
“Th-this is… it is simply that. The distance to the arena is rather far anyway, so would it not be better to go together? B-but there will be many people along the way, so it is also to avoid becoming separated…”
“…”
“Is… is it not possible?”
At her somewhat rambling words, the hero remained silent for a moment. The Demon King, her face as red as her armor, asked in a trembling voice. And toward that Demon King, the hero slowly extended his hand.
“!...”
“I… I understand. I shall… obey your command. Your Majesty.”
Though his body was covered in black armor, the embarrassment leaking from his voice was unmistakable. Realizing that the hero before her was just as nervous as she was, the Demon King unconsciously let a small smile form.
And then.
“…”
“Mmm…”
Still tightly holding the hero’s hand, the Demon King began to move slowly. Although the hard metal gauntlets made the gesture somewhat awkward in many ways, at this moment she could clearly feel the warmth contained within the hero’s hand.
In that manner, unable to see each other’s flushed faces hidden beneath their armor, the two of them returned to the arena far more slowly than when they had first arrived.
“….Huk!”
Elisa, who had been mentally checked out for some time, suddenly snapped back to her senses. She had no idea how much time had passed or what had happened in the interim. Still wrapped in utter confusion, she once again began to focus on what was unfolding before her.
“What… what is this… what on earth is going on?”
Still not fully composed, Elisa asked the question anyway. To her query, Shamyuel—who had returned at some point and taken her seat—answered in a flat, robotic tone.
“Have you regained your senses? As you can see, the hero and that red-armored figure are currently locked in a contest of strength. It has already been ten minutes and neither side has yielded an inch. It is what it is.”
“What? Ten minutes? No, how did it even come to this…”
The two stood with swords crossed, exerting fighting spirit and refusing to give ground. Watching them, Elisa could not help but feel astonishment at the realization that another being besides the Demon King existed in this world who could compete with the hero in raw power.
Even from a considerable distance she could sense the hero’s tension and trembling. The red-armored figure opposing him gave off a similar impression. Accordingly, Elisa automatically began to wonder about the identity of that red-armored warrior.
At this moment, she had not even considered what sort of feelings the two parties themselves were experiencing as they fought…