DKFTI 73

“Why are you asking me that?”

Aizen answered like he was dumbfounded.

“It sounds plausible though.”

“…What!”

Sibel suddenly remembered how Ruru used to watch his every move and envy him.

Could it be this guy…?

But Sibel soon shook his head.

“He is just a bit slow, he is not a bad kid.”

“Slow? Wasn’t he supposed to be the brain of the Demon King’s castle?”

“That is me.”

“……”

Aizen avoided Sibel’s gaze.

“Anyway I am curious. Why is Ruru trying so hard to gather magic power? He has been working hard on Gaji Market too. Is he trying to become a businessman?”

“He lives really busily.”

“That is right. Ruru is pretty diligent.”

He was a friend who had a lot to learn from. Sibel drank the rest of the lukewarm hot chocolate.

“But you really are not going?”

“Yeah.”

So shameless. He really laid down a steel plate.

“You are not going to stay here all night?”

“Yeah. All night.”

“Lecherous intentions?”

“Not bad.”

“If I give you the sofa you will end up in the bed?”

“Do you still go to that study these days?”

Aizen doubted Sibel’s reading list. Something like Succubus This and That.

“No. And it is you, Hero, who likes that kind of thing.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Then how do you know about rooms where you cannot get out unless you do XX?”

“Why? You know too.”

Sibel could not answer. He knew. He had seen. Why did he know? Why did he see it? Was it required reading or something?

“It is part of natural growth.”

“Ah. Growth.”

Aizen echoed Sibel’s words.

“So you are really not going?”

“How many times are you going to ask?”

“I was worried what if you really don’t go. Then I would have to prepare something like a self defense tool…”

Aizen finally laughed at Sibel’s blunt wariness. The corners of his mouth lifted naturally. When he lowered his head with that expression his black hair spilled down.

‘His hair is really nice.’

His moderately curly hair swayed and it always felt good to see it. Maybe it was because he knew the fresh smell coming from that hair.

“Don’t be so scared. I will go. I said I will go.”

Aizen finally stood up from the chair. After dusting off his pants he touched his shoulder with his hand and he walked to the door without hurry.

Sibel stared at him to make sure he really closed the door and went out.

“If I go out and you step even one foot outside the room from that day on you will sleep next to me.”

“…I really don’t want that.”

It was troublesome in many ways. First because Aizen’s head was filled with lewd thoughts, and second because he really would not be able to go to the ‘casino’.

“I warned you.”

“Yes yes… Take care on your way.”

When Sibel waved his hand Aizen looked at him suspiciously then opened the door and went out.

Tak.

When he heard the door close Sibel quietly set the cup down on the nightstand. Then he held his breath and listened carefully to the sounds outside.

‘Did he go? Did he really go?’

He should not move recklessly and raise suspicion. He had to pretend to sleep.

‘Looks like he went.’

Enough time passed. He thought Aizen must have gone far enough. Then Sibel immediately threw off the blanket that had been covering his body.

“You think I will obey you?”

Sibel was not the same as before. In the past he would have been scared by Aizen’s threat and cried himself to sleep in the corner of the room. But not now.

Sibel tiptoed toward the door.

Carefully. Carefully.

He turned the doorknob with just his fingertips. Then he stuck his head out and checked outside.

‘Quiet. Nobody is here.’

Okay. Perfect.

Sibel was excited and he opened the door wide and tried to run out.

“Ugh!”

His collar caught on something again.

“Kof, kof.”

Sibel coughed as his neck was caught and he turned back.

“Uwaah!”

There was Aizen, with a sneer, looking down at him with eyes that said ‘of course.’

“I knew it.”

“Wha-what! How did you appear?”

“I just waited.”

“Where! I definitely didn’t see you!”

“Behind the door?”

Aizen had been behind the door Sibel opened, and Sibel had failed to check that blind spot.

“…No, I just suddenly got thirsty.”

“Of course you did.”

“It’s true…”

Sibel mumbled without meeting Aizen’s eyes.

“Yeah. Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?”

In the end Sibel was dragged back into the room again.

***

He could hear intermittent breathing sounds. It was Sibel’s breathing sounds as he has fallen asleep.

On one side of the big bed, Aizen sat with his legs crossed, leaning his body against the headboard, holding a book in his hand.

‘Ah. This is really too much.’

‘The one being too much is you.’

‘You really are not going to play….’

‘Yes. I will go after I see you fall asleep, so lie down right now.’

Aizen decided to put Sibel to sleep himself. In the end, he held a book that did not suit him and read it to Sibel.

He had started it to shut up that whining sound, to make him close his mouth and only listen.

Sibel could not last even ten minutes and soon fell asleep. Right before sleeping, he curled up at the edge of the bed, saying he was being cautious of Aizen. But the moment he fell asleep, he rolled over happily and stuck right next to Aizen’s leg.

“Umnya.”

Sibel smacked his lips, dreaming of something.

“Choco…”

Sibel’s hand moved weakly in the air. It seemed that even in his dream a slot machine lever appeared.

“Really hopeless.”

Aizen laughed because he was dumbfounded.

Why was the one called Demon King so consistent like this. But Aizen liked the consistency of the Demon King’s castle. This place was sloppy and messy, but it was full of life.

He himself did not know it, but Sibel’s energy spread through the entire Demon King’s castle. There were times he had imagined what if, when he came back, the smell of the Demon King’s castle had changed.

All living things change with time, so maybe Sibel would too. But those worries were useless. Just like grass, no matter how many kinds sprout, still contain green energy, Sibel too had not changed.

If anything, his energy seemed to have solidified a little more.

“His magic power has increased quite a bit.”

It was amazing that even after rolling the slot machine, his mana was still overflowing.

Aizen closed the book and placed it carefully at the corner of the bed. His empty hand reached for Sibel’s hair.

Silver hair was scattered in disarray.

“If you want to be suspicious then do it properly.”

He had glared at him with those suspicious eyes, and yet fell asleep the moment he lay down. It felt like he could just take advantage and swallow him whole in one bite.

The thing at the study was the same. He had only tried to tease him a little, then ended up doing unnecessary things, but all of that was because this Demon King was overly careless.

How could he believe all those words? Sometimes he thought maybe Sibel was a bit stupid… But that was cute.

Aizen wanted Sibel to exist just like now.

The wish that nothing could ruin anything of this existence could in the end be defined with only one word.

Aizen’s hand slowly brushed Sibel’s hair. The soft hair that twined around his fingers moved as his hand moved.

“Mm…”

Because his forehead tickled, Sibel’s eyelids twitched. He turned his body.

Sibel’s arm was placed over Aizen’s leg.

“You told me to go. How can I go like this?”

Aizen muttered in a very small voice. If it was like this, the one holding him was Sibel, so he had no fault, right?

That shallow thought came to him. Like that, Aizen slowly patted Sibel’s back.

Once, twice, and then again.

Sibel seemed satisfied, he hugged Aizen’s leg tightly and fell into deep sleep.Aizen patted Sibel’s back and looked out the window.

The carefree Demon King did not know it, but the Demon Realm really was facing danger.

‘The tyranny of the demons grows worse each day. If the Holy Kingdom does not come forward to subjugate them, we cannot maintain control over the surrounding nations any longer.’

The doctrine of the Holy Kingdom all spoke of human dignity. But if you peeled away that plausible wrapping, in the end the Holy Kingdom too was just an interest group.

Humans would do anything for their own profit. And if they even had the good pretext of exterminating evil, then was there any need to hesitate.

Aizen was the type who did not pay attention to such political relations. To be honest, to him things like justice and good were nothing more than childish and old-fashioned labels.

As long as there was a stage where he could release his holy power, it did not matter whether it was the Holy Kingdom or some back-alley shop.

Living with convictions he built himself was troublesome. It was easy to follow something that someone else had put a good-sounding name on and recommended. If that was a path with a holy carpet laid out, which everyone admired, even better.

But for the first time in his life, he had made a choice on his own will. That too was a completely crazy choice.

“So sleep well.”

That was a decision made with only one existence in mind. Even now Aizen’s hand was patting Sibel’s back.