A Night Unlike Usual

Night in the forest.

In the bedroom of the mansion, I lay sprawled on the bed.

I felt exhausted.

Too many things had happened in a single day.

The pegasus parent and child, the dungeon conquest, reselling, opening a branch, and distributing relics. And then discovering the counterfeit Puchi Elixir.

I even got found by Rubel, and Teti’s issue came to light.

The only things we solved today were that Spica the almiraj recovered and Rāna grew, right?

I had planned to relax now that a path to rejuvenation was in sight.

It had been a busy day.

Tomorrow would surely be busy too.

—Rather, what should I do about the counterfeit Puchi Elixir?

As I sighed, Liricia returned to the bedroom.

It seemed she had entered the elixir bath together with Teti, who disliked bathing.

She had already been given a Puchi Elixir.

“You seem tired, Master.”

“A lot happened in one day… the biggest problem is still the counterfeit Puchi Elixir.”

“We should probably make it so Puchi Eli can be bought across the entire country before the fakes spread.”

“We’ll have to deal with major merchants…”

“If we could use the church’s authority and organization, spreading Puchi Eli would be easier…”

“Sophia didn’t recommend that much… something about power struggles. Still, no matter what method we choose, it doesn’t feel clean… it bothers me.”

“Why is that?”

At Liricia’s innocent question, I tilted my head with my eyes closed.

“Hm… maybe because we’re always reacting after the fact. It’s only symptomatic treatment, and if they try something else, then again…”

“I see… it does not solve the root problem.”

“I need strong authority that can strike from the root—ah.”

I abruptly sat up in bed.

Liricia, who had been standing beside it, stepped back in surprise.

“I got it! I figured out the cause of the unease!”

“W-What is it, Master!?”

“Whether it’s the church or merchants, since I can’t patent the method, I end up being the one used. I can’t take initiative. That’s why it bothered me!”

“T-That’s true… but there doesn’t seem to be a solution right now.”

Liricia said in a gloomy voice.

Covering my face with my hands, I thought.

What exactly was the problem? What made it different from people who succeeded?

Then I remembered something Sophia had said.

“Backed by church authority, they threw their weight around.”

“I see… I don’t have the backing of a nation or organization right now. Small business was fine, but once Puchi Eli became this big, an individual can’t handle it anymore.”

“But will you look for someone to support you now?”

“There is one person I can talk to. A very kind old man.”

“Eh? —Could it be His Majesty the King!?”

“Exactly. But he only favors me personally. He’s too kind to push hard… and I don’t have negotiation cards. Nobles hold a lot of power in this country… no, wait?”

Because of Marius, many nobles received warnings and fines.

Because of Lord Thomson, nobles and high officials bore collective responsibility.

—The current king probably has much better influence now.

If I handle it well, Puchi Eli…

No, if I had something to bargain with, or something to make him owe me a favor.

“Hmm… I guess I have to meet him and talk once. He said I could visit anytime.”

“Yes. Why not bring Puchi Eli as a gift?”

“Yeah, that works. As expected of Liricia—eh!? Liricia!?”

I was shocked seeing Liricia still standing beside the bed.

Fresh from the bath, her white skin was tinted faint pink, her slender yet firm figure exposed.

She looked down shyly, covering her chest and waist with her hands. Her wet silver hair flowed along her curves.

Unlike her usual bathrobe, the pink nightwear she wore was alluringly translucent.

Fidgeting with her fingers, cheeks flushed, Liricia murmured.

“I received it at the clothing shop today… they said it is called a negligee. That you would surely like it, Master.”

“Ah! Come to think of it, that couple was plotting something… so this was it.”

“U-Um… was it strange? If you dislike it, I will change immediately…”

“No, Liricia looks beautiful in anything. Rags highlight your beauty, beautiful clothes can’t outshine it… no, more than anything, everything about you is beautiful, as if reflecting your heart—”

When I honestly expressed my feelings, Liricia’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“I-I’m happy, Master…”

Liricia let her silver hair sway and came beside me on the bed.

While removing my clothes with slender fingers, she looked up with a cute smile.

I found myself naturally patting her head. Liricia narrowed her eyes pleasantly.

“You’re cuter than ever… or rather, you were standing beside me so I’d see your whole body, weren’t you? Sorry I didn’t notice sooner.”

“No, I’m happy you praised me. Thank you, Mastaa… nn.”

Her delicate lips descended.

I intertwined my tongue to meet her expectation.

Warm moisture made indecent sounds.

—Looks like I’ll be able to give my angel Holy Wave again today.

The fatigue that had filled me moments ago vanished at the sight of Liricia’s earnest outfit.

Caressing her slender body and large chest through the translucent negligee, I said:

“It’s such lovely wrapping. I want to embrace Liricia along with the charm adorning my angel.”

“My, Master… I’m happy.”

Smiling shyly, Liricia climbed over me.

The hem of the translucent negligee spread and swayed mysteriously like a flower.

Supporting her slender waist firmly, we became one in the stillness of night.

Meanwhile.

In a corner of a vast temple filled with sinister atmosphere, a bewitching woman in revealing clothing—Sklasis, the evil god—spoke with a wicked expression to the evil god statue in her hand.

“Hehe, it is going smoothly. I shall praise you.”

The statue trembled at Sklasis’s voice.

“Thank you greatly! It is thanks to the blessings of Evil God Deathscythe-sama!”

“Hehe, you’re a good one. Shall I grant you lasting power?”

“W-What!? You will finally grant it!?”

“Very well. I shall grant you part of my power: [Deathcount]—Ha!”

“O… oh! Power is surging… th-this is—”

“If you send a red bouquet to someone you wish to kill, they will die of illness after as many days as there are flowers. You can eliminate obstacles without suspicion.”

“What a wonderful power you grant me! Thank you, Deathscythe-sama! I will devote myself to faith even more!”

“Good. Work hard. Do not end up like Thomson.”

“Yes!”

Sklasis cut the communication unilaterally.

She returned the statue to the shelf.

Various evil god statues lined it.

Nearby was a tatami space where the Demon King sat at a heated table.

He was writing signatures on the inside covers of books.

He was producing promotional signed copies in bulk.

Opening another book and signing, he said:

“Is it really fine to grant power so easily?”

“It can’t be helped. Thomson died, so information from the Royal Capital became harder to get… after spending decades raising the organization, for it to be wiped out.”

“If you rush, Alec will trip you up.”

The Demon King stopped signing and raised his face.

But Sklasis twisted her body slightly to show off her figure and snorted.

“Hmph. Alec is just an idiot. He’ll never notice.”

“I do not think he is an idiot. He simply lacks common sense.”

“Same thing.”

“Because he lacks common sense, he occasionally takes outrageous actions. That is how both I and Mikoto were defeated. You should be careful too.”

The Demon King grimaced bitterly as he warned her, but Sklasis placed her hands on her hips and posed, her chest swaying beneath her outfit.

She showed no sign of caring.

“Whatever. Since he came into your territory, you should’ve killed him.”

“If I had not expelled him within five minutes, we would have died. And Alec with a Guiding Angel cannot be killed in five minutes.”

“Then you should’ve killed him on the way back for trespassing before the king.”

“For ordinary people, yes. But I acknowledged him as a hero to send him away. Therefore he was innocent. If killed, even if I escaped, Mikoto would have been targeted as a Demon King accomplice.”

“So heroes are privileged.”

“If I do not grant that much, he cannot be my opponent, hahahaha!”

The Demon King threw back his chest and laughed loudly.

Sklasis shrugged in exasperation, her black-purple hair swaying eerily.

“Yeah yeah. —Where’s Mikoto?”

“She returned. Apparently the ‘Absolute Ban on Alec’s Entry’ system was finally completed. Honestly, she worked my aide Gobe hard.”

“And how long will you stay?”

“Until the evacuation facility in the Demon Realm is complete—ah. Done.”

He finished signing and packed the books into a box.

Sklasis frowned beautifully at the sight.

“What’s that?”

“Fuhaha! A new work to further corrupt humans: Pretending to Be a Hero Isn’t Easy! I could even give you a copy.”

“Just another stupid novel where one man sleeps with lots of women. It’s vulgar.”

At her mocking tone, the Demon King glared fiercely.

“What nonsense! Entertainment is the power that corrupts the masses! With this power I shall dominate humans culturally!”

“There is no artistry at all. True greatness manipulates hearts through beauty.”

“How many can understand art? What you do is nothing but self-indulgent clay play! Simplicity is power!”

“What did you say!? You slime-brained Demon King obsessed only with vulgarity! —Shortened: Slime King!”

“What did you say!? I treated you politely and you get carried away! —I never want to see your face again, leave!”

“This is my house.”

“Guh…!”

At the evil god’s calm retort, the Demon King bit his jagged teeth in frustration.

Yet he did not leave the heated table. It seemed comfortable.

Avoiding her exasperated gaze, he prepared new paper and began writing.

“Very well… I will forgive you today.”

“So generous.”

“But I will make the final boss of the novel an evil god! I will beat you to a pulp at the climax! Fuhahahaha!”

Laughing loudly, the Demon King wrote on the manuscript paper.

Sklasis sighed and brushed her long black-purple hair back as she returned to her workspace.

“What a ridiculous Demon King… though he has a point. If it’s too lofty people won’t understand. Balancing dignity and familiarity isn’t bad.”

As the Demon King’s laughter echoed, Sklasis diligently kneaded clay imbued with evil aura.

“Three days until Sklasis sees her life flash before her eyes and dies.”