Chapter 10

And so, I had managed to find Angelica.

But… what on earth do I do now?

It should go without saying, but I’ve never had a teenage daughter before, so I have no idea how to handle this! I didn’t understand it before, but in this specific situation, I understand it even less! To put it bluntly, the difficulty level is far too high!

Angelica also seemed to be struggling immensely with how to react; she refused to meet my eyes. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on a perfectly blank spot on the wall.

“Angelica, why didn’t you come home? If you’re going to stay at a friend’s house, you need to contact us beforehand. I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”

“There’s no way a Hero can just go back to a place where the Demon King is living. That’s why I’m holding a siege here.”

She looked as though she were barely managing to string the words together. She used the term “holding a siege,” but she clearly had no will to actually fight. The truth was likely that she just didn’t know what to do and had simply tumbled in here to hide.

“Dinner is ready. If there’s no reason you have to stay here, we’re going home. If you take my hand, I can get us back in an instant with spatial teleportation magic.”

In moments like this, I truly felt how convenient this magic was.

“…”

Angelica maintained her silence. She probably didn’t know what to say. Even without any experience raising a daughter, I could tell she was just being stubborn.

“Angelica, look this gentleman—the Demon King—square in the face. It’s plain to see that he is seriously concerned for you. As a Hero, you shouldn’t behave in a way that ignores someone’s true sincerity.”

The mage Selene spoke up while crossing her arms. It seemed she was going to side with me.

“You only say that because you’ve never had the Demon King become your father, Selene!”

Selene was momentarily at a loss for words. Well, it’s true—an anomaly of this magnitude doesn’t exactly happen every day!

“Think about it, Selene! Our party finally reached the Demon King’s throne the other day, right? We got wiped out… but still, we were just one step away from defeating him! And yet, I wake up to find that very same Demon King has become my father… Can you even imagine a nightmare like that?!”

Angelica pressed her argument with a frantic intensity.

“And on top of that, I’m told the demons are signing a peace treaty with the Kingdom, so a Hero isn’t even needed anymore… Everything is moving so fast I don’t know what to do! I’ll go crazy if I stay in that house!”

It seemed Angelica had been bottling up quite a lot… I hadn’t expected her words to come pouring out like a flash flood.

It looked like bringing her back might be impossible… Well, I’ve confirmed she’s safe, so maybe I should just leave it at that…

But in the next instant, something unthinkable happened.

“Angelica, you idiot!”

Selene swung her staff and smacked Angelica right in the shin with all her might. I suppose you could call that a “Critical Hit.”

“Guh…! Ow…!”

Clutching her shin, Angelica started hopping around on one foot. Yeah, that had to hurt. It looked like the kind of pain that transcends the ability to even describe it.

“What was that for, Selene?! That’s not how you’re supposed to use a staff…!”

“The word ‘Hero’ is written with the character for ‘one who has courage!’ Right now, you’re nothing but a coward!”

Selene shouted her down. I felt a complicated mix of emotions—thankful for the support, yet terrified that this would only make the conversation even more convoluted…

But at the very least, I couldn’t say anything myself. This was an internal matter for the Hero’s party…

“Even you would be confused if the Demon King became your father, Selene! A situation like this is impossible! You could at least take that into consideration!”

“Angelica, by staying here, you aren’t just making the Demon King sad. You are making your mother sad! Now, go back!”

Those words must have struck a chord in Angelica’s heart; her eyes widened.

“Oh… Right… Yeah… Running away from the Demon King is one thing, but I can’t do something that makes Mama sad.”

I couldn’t help but think, Hey, don’t run away from me either, but since she had already literally run away, it didn’t really matter.

“Besides, it seems the Demon King here was genuinely worried about you. I flatter myself that I have a decent eye for character; otherwise, I wouldn’t have let him in.”

Selene let out a soft chuckle. Though they were in the same party, Selene was likely about four years older. Since a mage is a profession that deals in knowledge, she seemed all the more like an elder sister figure.

“Even if the Demon King was worried about me… it’s only because he doesn’t want Mama to worry, right?”

“Even if that were true, isn’t it wrong to treat someone so poorly when they’re putting everything they have into caring for your mother?”

To put it plainly, once it became a battle of logic, Angelica stood no chance against Selene.

Angelica let out a sigh and finally looked toward me.

“Fine, I’m going home now. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you…”

“I’m just glad to see you’re safe. You don’t need to apologize to me—apologize to Lateia.”

“Yeah…”

Using spatial teleportation magic, I warped us right to the front of the Hero’s house.

For some unknown reason, spatial teleportation has always only been able to take me to the exterior of a building.

At the moment, however, that buffer was exactly what was needed.

“Sigh… what am I going to say to Mama…?”

Ah, she was brooding over it.

“In times like these, you should just say ‘I’m sorry’ straight out. If you try to patch things over with strange excuses, you’re bound to lose out in the end. It’s a standard rule for dealing with scandals within an organization.”

“Don’t compare this to an organizational scandal.”

“A family is also a unit of organization. The logic applies.”

Angelica stood still in front of the door for a while, but then she took a deep breath.

It seemed she had made up her mind.

“Thanks, Demon King. I feel a bit better.”

For the first time, Angelica looked at me and smiled.

It didn’t feel half bad.

“Save your thanks for after you succeed.”

“I wasn’t thanking you!”

Angelica opened the door.

Lateia, visible in the back, burst into tears and hugged Angelica the moment she saw her.

I’m glad I searched so thoroughly for her, I thought to myself.

After that, the three of us reheated the food and had a late dinner.

One could almost call it a happy family gathering.

However, another problem arose.

“Demon King, you’re eating way too much… You’ve already eaten enough for three people…”

“No, this is normal, isn’t it? If anything, your appetite is too small, Angelica.”

“That’s because I ate at Selene’s place!”

“Could it be you’re worried about gaining weight by eating at night? Don’t even think about dieting—just eat up. You can worry after you’ve actually put on weight.”

Could it be I had hit the nail on the head?

“Shut up, Demon King! Don’t say unnecessary things!”

Angelica barked at me at the top of her lungs.

I still haven’t quite grasped the right distance to keep from my stepdaughter…

But Lateia was watching the scene with a quiet giggle, so I suppose I’ll count it as a win.