DSB 55

“Would you like to sit down and rest?”

He doesn’t even ask. Or rather, he goes further.

“You still worry about me.”

Even though his power is already known.

“Of course I do. Having strong power and having a strong body are two different things.”

The same words as his father. Well, that was true.

For some reason, his body shows no sign of getting stronger.

“Even so, I can still do many things. You’ve done a lot for me, so if there’s anything you wish to ask for, tell me. If I can, I’ll grant it.”

“I’m content as it is. And doesn’t using your power put a strain on your body?”

Lebel flinched and looked up at Yutis.

“You can tell by looking.”

That isn’t something one can tell just by looking.

“The next day, you looked exhausted.”

That was because he had talked too long with Karon… though, it’s true it does have some effect.

Because conversation with Karon uses telepathy, he has to use demonic energy, and each time he used it, he felt drained.

Lebel looked up at Yutis’s worried face and asked.

“Is that why you don’t smile? I haven’t seen you smile much lately. Or have I just not noticed?”

He did say he liked him. He used to smile so softly all the time, but now he often looks at him without expression.

It’s a bit different from the face he shows when he worries. If he’s not sick, then it means his heart has changed, but did it change after confessing to him?

Yutis touched the corner of his mouth, as if he hadn’t realized his own behavior.

“Did I… do that?”

“Yes. You seem to have a lot on your mind these days. Is that because of me?”

“That…”

Yutis stammered, unable to speak.

Lebel’s eyes widened. He just said it casually, but it really is because of him?

“If there’s something you want to ask me, then ask.”

“…Can you tell me, even roughly, what kinds of magic you can use?”

That’s all he wants to know? Oh, maybe because of the strain on his body.

“I’ve never thought about how much I can do.”

Lebel could usually do anything he wished to.

“Then can you promise me just one thing?”

“…A promise?”

“Please don’t use your power to the point that it harms you. Especially not like last time. That day was dangerous.”

Lebel quietly watched Yutis.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, nothing.”

Nothing has changed.

He thought once he showed his power, people would expect much from him. Life here is harsh enough that it would make sense.

And just as he thought, many expectations followed. The servants who hover nearby must be driven by curiosity, but also by hope.

They probably think he can protect or enrich this territory with this power. But the person who will actually rule this land wishes for nothing from him.

He has seen that he can use magic, and that even the beasts they fear are not a threat to him. Yet instead of expectations, he only gained overprotection.

Yutis doesn’t try to use his strength, hides it as if no one should ever see it, and if he says it harms his body, he’ll only restrain him more.

“I’ll only use it within my limits. But is that all? You won’t ask how I can use magic or who taught me?”

“…It’s fine.”

“So you’re not saying you’re not curious.”

Lebel chuckled as he saw Yutis’s startled face.

“I don’t want to dig up painful memories.”

“…Painful memories?”

Lebel’s eyes widened in surprise, and that made Yutis’s chest tighten even more. It felt like proof that he’s lived without even realizing what pain is.

“Hmm, are you talking about being called a fool in the imperial palace?”

“That too, and what came before you arrived at the palace. It’s all in the past. I don’t want to make you recall it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a mage or not. Lebel, you’re my wife. That’s all.”

“……”

Lebel silently looked up at Yutis. What he said was true. And it strangely made him happy.

The word “wife,” which he always used, sounded especially pleasant today.

Lebel decided to reveal a small part of what he had once been as a demon.

“Before I came to the imperial palace…”

“Yes?”

“I had no interest in the world. The world ran fine without me, and I didn’t know what I should do. So I never left my room, and I slept.”

Before that, he had been active only during the war with the heavens. Once the Demon Realm grew quiet, there was no place for Lebel to act.

And as time passed, demons as strong as him began to appear one after another. The shift of generations was natural.

Lebel felt his existence had become meaningless. Some of the older demons had already returned to the embrace of the Demon God, and that made him feel it even more.

“You never left your room and just slept? For how long?”

Hmm? That’s what you’re curious about?

“I never counted exactly, but… about three years?”

At Lebel’s words, Yutis was stunned. Lebel continued, unaware of the chill that had entered the atmosphere.

“There was someone who tried to take me outside then. He told me stories about the world, he taught me magic, and he taught me many things.”

That someone was Karon, but since Yutis had already seen Karon as a beast, Lebel couldn’t reveal it.

“I learned it then.”

“How did you learn the sword and bow?”

Ah, there’s that too.

“Oh, that. Hmm, he placed them in my hands. I played with them a few times. It’s all long past.”

If one counts by human time, it truly was an age ago.

“How did you meet Karon?”

The first meeting with Karon.

“He came to me.”

That wasn’t a lie. After defeating the demons who had served him before, he came directly to the castle, saying he wished to serve him.

But since he can’t mention a demon’s castle here, he’ll mix it a little.

“I met him on my way here to the North. He was covered in wounds, so I treated them. Then he opened his heart. He was young, and I thought he would live better where he came from, so I let him go, but it seems he followed me.”

That sounds exactly like how it happened in the Demon Realm. When that young demon said he wanted to serve him even though he didn’t know who he was, he refused.

At the time, he didn’t want more followers. So he just healed his wounds and sent him back. But he begged to stay, saying Lebel could treat him like a dog.

“Anything else you want to ask? I’ll answer if I can. I’ll try to tell you as truthfully as I can.”

“That’s enough.”

Lies. He wouldn’t have been convinced by that patchwork of words. That’s why his face looks that serious.

But to tell the truth, he’d have to explain what Karon and he are to each other. He’d have to reveal that he’s a demon too.

He wondered what Yutis would do if he found out what he is. He’s curious, but he doesn’t want to cause trouble, so he wants to hide it.

“Enough about me. What about you? Tell me your real concern.”

“……!”

“You worrying about me isn’t new. But you’re different now. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Lebel hadn’t missed a single detail of Yutis’s actions. The way he awkwardly averted his eyes, his trembling lips, the breaths he swallowed again and again.

What could be making him so uneasy now?

“I…”

[Ahhh–! Lord Lebel! Lord Lebel!]

“Don’t run out!”

“Catch him! Catch him now!”

[Get away! If not for Lord Lebel’s command, I’d have made a meal out of you humans!]

“Ah! The window…!”

There was a commotion above. Karon’s howling mixed into the noise.

When Lebel looked up, he saw Karon about to fall from the sky. Just as he thought Karon’s body would crash into his face, Yutis caught him by the scruff of the neck.

Karon’s fur, dangling in Yutis’s grip, was drenched. Judging from the wet fur, he must have escaped in the middle of a bath.

Karon shook his body roughly, irritated by the dampness. Water splashed everywhere, and both Lebel and Yutis were hit.

“Ah, the water… You’ll catch a cold.”

“You can’t catch a cold from something like this.”

But while Yutis quickly set Karon down, he didn’t think of wiping his own face. Instead, he used a handkerchief to wipe Lebel’s.

[Lord Lebel, please look at what those rude humans did to me! It’s so humiliating I can’t stand it!]

Karon barked, then bared his teeth when he saw Yutis standing close to Lebel.

[Ah, right. What were you doing alone with that human? Don’t tell me he laid a hand on you? Ah! Why are you holding hands? Let go! Let go of him right now!]

Karon tried to wedge himself between them with his small body, he pushed and shoved, but Yutis only stepped back after finishing wiping away the drops from Lebel’s face.

Only then did Yutis notice the growling Karon below and glance down at him. A trace of wariness appeared in his eyes.

“He’s a good child. He’s never hurt me.”

“…But he’s still a beast.”

When Lebel looked at him, Karon’s face softened and he rubbed his face against Lebel’s leg. But as soon as Lebel’s eyes moved away, Karon’s face twisted again like a demon, and he glared at Yutis.

Karon’s growling and Yutis’s gaze met in midair.

Lebel knew about the war of nerves between them but believed time would solve it.

Lebel didn’t think of it as hatred toward his own kind.

Lebel had planned to ask Yutis what was really on his mind, but he lost the opportunity with Karon’s arrival.

“Let’s end the walk.”

“…Yes. Let’s go back.”