A Usual Night And The Demon King

A night in the forest.

After finishing dinner and bathing, I was in the bedroom.

I had secured the Philosopher’s Stone for rejuvenation, and the Jewel of Light was now within reach.

All that remained were the Bust of the Evil God—and money.

So I sat on the bed, counting my funds.

I felt like I had earned quite a bit over the past few days.

Just then, Liricia came back, her silver hair swaying as she approached the bed.

“What is the matter, Master?”

“I was just wondering how much money we have right now.”

I stacked the gold coins in piles of ten.

Careful not to knock them over, Liricia slowly climbed onto the bed.

She came close and sat beside me. A soft, pleasant post-bath scent drifted over.

Looking at the untouched pile of coins, she said,

“These don’t appear to be gold coins from this country.”

“Maybe they’re from another country? Or perhaps exclusive to the Demon Realm?”

Liricia picked one up with her slender fingertips and examined both sides.

A cute little crease formed between her brows.

“Demonias Gold Coins… there’s a frightening man’s face engraved, laughing loudly.”

“Hm, they don’t sound very respectable. I’ll ask Kou to turn them into gold bars.”

“That would be wise. Depending on the purity, they should be worth around five hundred thousand Gort.”

“Oh. Then altogether, that’d come to about eight million Gort.”

Including shop sales, that meant I’d earned roughly two million Gort in just a few days.

At this rate, reaching fifteen million Gort seemed easy enough.

I put the counted coins away and lay down on the bed.

Liricia remained seated on the bed in a demure posture, gathering her hair behind her neck. Her slender nape looked alluring.

“What’s wrong, Liricia?”

“I was wondering if I should cut my hair as well… what do you think, Master?”

I looked at her closely.

Sensing my gaze, Liricia held her silver hair at different lengths—short, medium, and more.

Every length suited her beautifully.

“Well… Liricia looks good with any hairstyle.”

“Thank you. —But I want to choose the hairstyle you like best, Master.”

She smiled shyly.

I thought for a moment.

In her human form, any hairstyle seemed fine.

But—

I conveyed the image in my mind.

“I think longer hair suits you best when you’re an angel. That shining silver hair feels divine… and when you’re floating, it spreads out like you’re underwater—it’s so beautiful it takes my breath away…”

When I shared my honest impression, Liricia’s face quickly flushed red.

She leaned against me, pressing close. Her generous softness felt warm.

“That makes me so happy. To think you were watching me that closely… I’ll keep it long, then.”

“Yeah. Stay like that forever—mm.”

I trailed off, and Liricia tilted her head.

“What is it?”

“How old are you, Liricia? —I know they say you shouldn’t ask a woman her age.”

Liricia puffed out her cheeks slightly, smiling.

“Oh honestly… that’s true, but joking aside. I don’t actually know my exact age. In the Heaven Realm, you hardly feel the passage of time.”

“So once you reach a certain age, you stop aging?”

“Yes. I haven’t changed at all. Perhaps for a hundred years… no, ten thousand? Or maybe a thousand?”

“What about childhood? You must’ve been an adorable kid.”

Liricia rested a finger on her delicate chin, thinking.

“…I feel like I’ve been in this form since the moment I was created. After all, I was made by a god.”

“I see. That’s a bit of a shame. I’m sure you would’ve been a cute child.”

“If so, that would make me happy.”

“Then maybe when I see children, I can imagine what your childhood was like.”

“Eh? Children… with you, Master!? —Ah!”

I pulled the flustered Liricia close and kissed her.

She entwined her tongue with mine more intensely than usual, her fingers undoing my clothes even as our lips remained joined.

Her soft curves pressed closer and closer.

Then her kisses slid from my lips, to my cheek, my ear, and down to my slender collarbone.

Each time she reacted to a kiss, her ample chest swayed.

“Ah! —Master! Please give me everything—your Holy Wave, and children too!”

“Leave it to me.”

I embraced her tightly, pouring my feelings into it.

Liricia cried out passionately, her long silver hair falling into disarray.

Her pale skin flushed pink with rising emotion.

And so, once again, we loved each other until her white wings were stained pure white.

Meanwhile—

The Demon King was in a certain castle.

Under the moonlight stood a beautiful white-walled castle, layered with many triangular tiled roofs and crowned by a central keep.

Inside one tatami-floored room, the Demon King sat with his subordinate, the goblin Great Archmage Gobe.

Gobe sat rigidly in formal kneeling posture, while the Demon King rested one knee up, propping his cheek on his hand at a low table.

A novel manuscript lay spread out on the table.

It seemed the Demon King was writing, groaning with a deeply furrowed expression.

Then a tall man entered the room.

Wearing overlapping robes, he had a slender, almost feminine build, with a narrow frame.

His face was so beautiful it could be mistaken for a woman’s—long, elegant eyes as black as obsidian, and tied-up black hair just as glossy.

Even just his long lashes and straight nose were stunning, and natural eyeshadow further accentuated his beauty.

Though his cool eyes were not smiling, they conveyed a mysterious smile nonetheless.

The beautiful man glided across the room on long legs toward the desk by the wall.

On the way, he cast a sidelong glance at the sternly seated Demon King.

“How long do you intend to keep this up? Your injuries have healed, haven’t they? I’d like some privacy in my own chambers.”

“Until I devise countermeasures against that insolent hero Alec, I cannot act.”

“I told you before, didn’t I? Fighting with only those of darkness gives us no chance of victory.”

“That applies to you as well.”

“Not at all. That’s why I seized control of a human kingdom and now reign as a wise ruler.”

“That’s a surprising thing to hear from the Evil Dragon King who once ruled the world through slaughter and terror.”

The beautiful man narrowed his eyes sharply. The air froze with his cold gaze.

“I am Mikoto now. Do not call me that. You never know who might be listening—especially in this country.”

“Then shall I call you the greatest beauty of the East? That’s the nickname humans are buzzing about.”

The Demon King snorted provocatively.

A flustered Gobe hurried forward, bowing deeply.

“P-please restrain yourself, Demon King… my apologies, Lord Mikoto. The Demon King is deeply distressed by Alec’s unreasonable violence…”

Still kneeling, Gobe repeatedly bowed his head.

Mikoto smiled faintly. That alone filled the room with radiant allure.

“Well, very well. It seems you’ve had a hard time. …By the way, have you assessed the damage?”

“Yes, Lord Mikoto. Fortunately, the Demon King had reduced operations due to novel writing. All undead were wiped out, but other monsters in the castle of B-rank or higher survived. C-rank and below monsters and demonfolk who were on childcare or paid leave were also unharmed. The printing factory suffered no damage.”

“Hm. I heard it was catastrophic, but that’s a blessing in disguise.”

“Still… to do that in an instant… Hero Alec… that is impossible.”

The Demon King ground his jagged teeth, scowling bitterly.

Mikoto spoke gently, a serene smile on his beautiful face.

“Even heroes are human. To protect oneself from humans, the best method is to use humans as shields. That’s why our nation has banned heroes from entering. With public support, my stance has been accepted—even withdrawal from the Hero Accord and a complete hero entry ban.”

“Hmph. I’ll say you handled it well.”

The Demon King looked away, sulking slightly.

Mikoto said nothing, merely wearing an elegant wry smile as he sat at the desk.

Gobe slid on his knees to face the Demon King directly.

With a serious expression, he looked up.

“Demon King, I have a request.”

“Hm? What is it, Gobe? Speak.”

“P-please pardon me—Lord Mikoto. Might we ask to borrow the advanced forging techniques of the Yamata Kingdom, and aim to rebuild the Demon King’s army?”

“What!? You expect me to bow my head?”

“But at this rate, we won’t just be unable to fight—we may not even survive, Demon King!”

The Demon King pondered, hand to his chin.

Then he looked toward Mikoto, who was writing pensively by the window.

“Mikoto. Do you have a means to block that high-density Holy Wave?”

“Even the Evil Sanctuary you erected around the castle was destroyed in a single blow, wasn’t it? Ordinary barriers or enchantments likely won’t suffice… though as a research topic, it does sound quite enjoyable.”

Mikoto smiled confidently, the corner of his lips curling.

He didn’t answer clearly, but his confidence suggested a countermeasure was possible.

The Demon King turned toward Mikoto and bowed his head.

“Then I ask you. Teach me how to block that Holy Wave.”

Mikoto’s narrow black eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“So you are serious?”

“I cannot afford to lose any more loyal subordinates. If bowing my head saves lives, it is a small price. …I beg you.”

The Demon King bowed deeply once more.

Mikoto stared blankly for a moment, then covered his mouth with a graceful hand and laughed softly.

“Please raise your head. Truly… for a Demon King, you are an amusing man.”

“Say what you will. I already failed once with the strategy of hiding and waiting it out. I may not be wise, but I am not foolish enough to repeat the same mistake.”

“Very well. I will cooperate.”

“Thank you. You have my gratitude.”

The Demon King raised his head, a fierce, confident grin spreading across his face.

Mikoto smiled back, his cool eyes softening.

In that moment, the strongest alliance between two great powers—long acting separately—was formed.

Gobe watched the scene with tear-filled eyes, overcome with emotion.

-Three days until Lord Mikoto crosses the River of the Afterlife.-