DKFTI 34

“Hey, it’s hottttt.”

Sibel, who put the soup in his mouth again, stuck out his tongue in the heat and squirmed. Shanti firmly pressed a glass of water into his hand.

“Why are you doing that?.”

“Why did you choose a sheep form, Shanti?”

He was curious about it from the first time they met. He remembered Shanti saying once that it looked harmless, but maybe there was another reason.

“Because it’s cute.”

“It is cute.”

He agreed with opinion. It’s definitely better than the appearance of a big and scary dragon.

“Sheep have many traits I like.”

“Mm?”

“They don’t follow sight, but the shepherd’s voice. They have no sense of direction, but a strong homing instinct. And….”

“And?”

“What I like most is that they become gentle at the brink of death.”

“Doesn’t everyone become gentle when dying?”

“It’s actually hard to be gentle at that moment.”

Sibel thought over Shanti’s words. He recalled the various ways he had faced death.

Accidents: Of course, he struggled desperately to live. Illness: He cried because it’s unfair. Murder: Was he crazy? He resisted with eyes turned wild.

“Ah-ha. That’s not easy.”

Sibel nodded frankly and raised a thumb in recognition.

“Eat quickly and rest well. It’ll be lucky if you don’t end up broken.”

“What kind of demon gets sick.”

“You think demons are invincible?”

“I just mean it’s disappointing.”

Sibel pouted his lips and went back to his hangover soup. In the light chatter with Shanti, yesterday’s events faded faintly from his mind.

For days, the Demon King’s castle was busy with repairs. If only that peace… had lasted.

Just as the repairs finished, hardship struck Sibel.

“Emergennnnncy!”

With a loud cry came the incident.

“It’s an emergenc-yyyyyy!”

This was no mere fussing from Ruru.

“What is it now?”

Sibel, whose clothes were crumpled from his nap, showed up looking wrinkled all over. His hair had nests here and there, as if magpies had claimed it for their own.

Digging in his ear, Sibel looked at Ruru.

“A human is here!”

“Hm?”

Fwooh, Sibel blew the earwax off his fingertip.

“A human has come to the Demon King’s castle!”

“Whaaat!”

When Ruru shouted even louder, Sibel finally understood the words and was jolted awake.

“A, a human? Who? A mage?”

Could it be someone come for revenge from last time…?

His heart pounded.

“I don’t know! You have to go and see for yourself, Demon King!”

“H-how many? Where are they?”

“In the audience chamber, beside the altar!”

“Huh? We have that?”

“The place up high with the single chair!”

Sibel remembered seeing it when cleaning the castle. When he asked its use, Shanti said it was for when humans came to offer tributes, where the Demon King sat grandly and received greetings.

“Could it be… a follower?”

“Tch, who would follow you, Lord Demon King!”

“That’s rude of you.”

“Anyway, hurry and tidy yourself up!”

“What’s wrong with how I look?”

Sibel looked down at his sorry state. Crumpled clothes, bird’s nest hair, crust in his eyes….

“I’ll go wash up.”

“Hurry, hurry!”

And so, unable to resist Ruru’s pestering, Sibel left to prepare himself to receive the human.

“Ruru, bring me ‘Even the First-Rate Demon King Starts with One Step.’”

Facing a human made him strangely nervous. It was a peculiar thing.

***

“……”

What did it mean to be a dignified Demon King? It’s a charismatic gaze, an aura that overwhelms his opponents, and treat humans like insignificant insects.

The methods of becoming a “cool” Demon King that he had memorized from a book, evaporated the moment he sat on the grand chair of the audience chamber.

Sibel looked down at the human, who was kneeling on one knee atop the long red carpet, and bowing his head, at a loss for how to open his mouth.

At that moment, Ruru quietly approached and whispered into Sibel’s ear.

“Ask in a commanding voice why he has come.”

At Ruru’s words, Sibel raised his chin solemnly and straightened his back. Then he opened his mouth.

“Human, for what reason have you come?”

Fortunately, there weren’t any unpleasant incidents like his voice shaking as he had expected. He was quite satisfied it how natural it sounded.

As soon as Sibel finished speaking, the man who had been frozen like a statue bowed his head.

He wore leather armor, but it was frayed here and there, as if the road had been rough. His appearance looked ragged enough to seem like a beggar, but with his solid build, he looked more like a warrior than a beggar.

The man with his head still bowed, spoke.

“Please give me the Holy Grail of Dawn that is kept here.”

“Hm?”

Sibel glanced at Ruru, unable to understand what the man was saying. Ruru quickly whispered again into his ear.

“It’s a holy relic in the treasure vault.”

“We have something like that?”

“Even if it doesn’t look like it, we’ve all sorts of things.”

“What’s it used for?”

“Ah, I don’t remember the details.”

So, in short, it was something that barely made a difference whether it was there or not.

Sibel nodded at Ruru’s words and looked back at the human.

“What is your name?”

“Ron.”

“Ron, is the Holy Grail what you seek?”

He thought he might as well give it quickly and send him off, but at that moment Ruru suddenly grabbed his arm.

Huh?

Startled, Sibel looked at Ruru.

“You’re not thinking of giving it away for free, are you?”

Ruru asked with a serious expression.

“Uh…?”

“What Demon King hands out holy relics to humans for nothing! Ahem.”

Ruru had almost raised his voice, but caught himself just in time.

Now that he thought about it, Ruru was right. If he just handed it over when asked, he’d be called a fool. So Sibel turned back to the human.

“Why do you need it?”

“…I must take it to save my betrothed.”

Ah. Why was it always a matter of life and death?

“Why would she die?”

“If I cannot offer the Grail to the Order, my betrothed will be condemned as a witch and executed.”

“Ah….”

So it was complicated. Why were those Order bastards like that.

Sibel’s heart softened. “Shouldn’t I give it at this point?” He sneaked a look at Ruru, but Ruru shook his head firmly.

“You’re tainted with demonic energy yourself, aren’t you just taking it to use for yourself!”

Ruru shouted as if he had uncovered some blatant lie.

What? Was that true? He almost fell for it, he almost felt moved!

Sibel’s eyes went wide, but the human slowly shook his head.

“This body is destined to die anyway. I came only to do the last thing I can for her before I die.”

He didn’t seem to be lying. On the contrary, his calm voice almost made Sibel choke up.

“What should I do? That looks real”

“Lord Demon King, don’t trust humans so easily!”

“If there is even a shred of falsehood in my words, you may kill me.”

As the human replied in a loud voice, Sibel pinched Ruru’s side for being too noisy.

The two quickly lowered their voices again and whispered.

“Let’s just give it. It’ll be a pain to argue.”

“It’s not that easy. Demand a hundred human sacrifices, or mercifully ask him to trade his life.”

“He already said he’s doomed to die. What’s the point of trading his life? And who’s supposed to deliver the Holy Grail then?”

“Tch, just take something from him!”

At Ruru’s jab, Sibel steadied himself again. He put on his dignified expression and spoke.

“Then offer your weapon.”

“…This is an heirloom from my parents.”

Ah, why again. Why bring something like that into such places?

Sibel’s leg started bouncing.

“Then, at least the ring.”

“…It is my betrothal ring.”

Annoying. He knew it would be like this. But now it was a matter of pride. He had to take something to have a reason to hand over the Grail.

“Then, the clothes you’re wearing…. Ha, isn’t that too perverted?”

Sibel cut himself off and asked Ruru. Ruru pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed.

“These clothes are old, worn for months…. What would you even use them for….”

But the human still answered Sibel politely.

“That is none of your concern.”

The die was already cast. His dignity? That was gone.

“I will gladly offer them.”

The man suddenly stood up. Seated, it hadn’t been obvious, but he had a rather brawny body.

He began taking off his armor and clothes without hesitation.

Wait, he didn’t mean right here in front of them.

Watching the scene unfold directly before him, Sibel panicked and looked to Ruru.

“I-is this right?”

No doubt about it, they had gone completely down the wrong path. Ruru covered his eyes and answered.

“Hng, this is the first time I’ve seen such a shameless sight.”

Ruru whined. Even the one he’d trusted was of no help.

“W-wait! Waiiit!”

In the end, Sibel jumped up and waved his hands frantically to stop the man. Just as the man was about to take off even his underpants, he froze.

Creak–bang.

At that moment, the iron doors of the audience chamber opened, and light poured into the dark room.

“…What are you doing?”