20 — Chapter 20

“Give it a rest already, Grandpa.”

Angelica spoke up.

Then, with the magnificent jumping power befitting a Hero, she landed right in front of me—

She thrust out her right hand as if signaling a “time-out” to Baindy.

“Angelica, would you mind… stepping aside…?”

Faced with his granddaughter’s intervention, the man’s earlier momentum vanished. Every man has a soft spot for his grandchild.

“Grandpa, I know your blood is stirring, but the Demon King looks troubled, so let’s leave it at that.”

A rather ominous phrase had slipped out.

“By ‘blood stirring,’ do you mean he belongs to a clan of berserkers who cannot help but fight, or perhaps some sort of bloodthirsty curse?”

This was a house that had produced a Hero, after all. It wouldn’t be strange if there were one or two special circumstances.

“Nope.”

Angelica shook her head.

“Grandpa wanted to be an adventurer a long time ago. It’s just that, even now, he hasn’t been able to give up on that dream.”

It was even more trivial than I imagined!

Baindy collapsed to his knees.

“I wanted to set out on a journey of adventure… But it never came true… And all because…”

What? Did he fall ill or something?

“My parents told me to stop and opposed it!”

Don’t give in over something like that! At least show enough spirit to run away from home!

I wanted to say it out loud, but since he was technically my father-in-law, I couldn’t exactly do that.

“So, Demon King, that’s how it is. You probably thought it was a pain, but just bear with it.”

Angelica turned her face toward me.

I thought her attitude seemed a little bit like a daughter’s.

“Ah, you saved me… No, I didn’t think it was a pain at all. It was more like a bit of light recreation, so don’t worry about it.”

“Isn’t this the part where you can just honestly say it was a pain? For a Demon King, you really fixate on the smallest things.”

She gave me an exasperated look.

If you think being the Demon King means acting with utter lack of restraint, you’re mistaken. In fact, it’s precisely because I’m at the top that I have to lay the groundwork and maneuver behind the scenes.

“Grandpa always felt a bit of regret about becoming a steady government official instead of an adventurer, but then I, his granddaughter, went and became a Hero. That just reignited his old feelings.”

“I see… I suppose I can understand how your father feels… The human heart isn’t so simple that one can just purely rejoice when a grandchild fulfills a dream they couldn’t.”

“Man, you really are meticulous about that kind of stuff, aren’t you?”

“That aside, Angelica—thank you. I offer you my heartfelt gratitude.”

I placed my hand over my chest to show my appreciation.

“Being saved by the Hero… that was quite a rare experience.”

Angelica let out a theatrical sigh.

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I went and did something completely unbefitting of a Hero—saving the Demon King and all.”

She said it that way, but she didn’t seem to actually mind. I suppose I should make a habit of giving thanks frequently.

The sound of rhythmic clapping echoed through the air.

Lateia was applauding.

“Father, Mother, do you see now? This family is doing wonderfully. You don’t have a single thing to worry about.”

“Indeed. You should go on living exactly as you like, Lateia. I’ll take care of your father on this end.”

With those words from Sastina, my mission this time was a complete success.

The remarriage has been recognized by Lateia’s parents!

I have overcome a challenge that wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call my most terrifying foe!

On the way back, I was in an incredibly good mood. I was practically on the verge of humming to myself.

By the way, Lateia told me that spatial teleportation magic doesn’t feel like a “trip,” so we were returning by carriage. It’s true—when you arrive at your destination in an instant, you don’t really feel like you’ve been traveling. Besides, using it too much for things like commuting leads to a lack of exercise, so one must be careful.

“Angelica, if there’s anything you want, just say the word. Your father will buy it for you.”

“‘Father’ is way too fast. You’re getting a little too carried away, so remember your place as the Demon King.”

Angelica shot me down with a cold stare.

I suppose I shouldn’t be too familiar. The sense of distance is quite difficult, but then again, even a biological child would probably find it creepy if their father started acting overly chummy… I’ll have to close the gap slowly and steadily.

“Demon King, that grinning face is gross. Look more dignified and stern, like a Demon King should.”

“Wouldn’t you hate it if your father always had a stern face?”

“It’s better than that creepy grin, at least.”

How blunt. Well, I wasn’t expecting to be called “Father” right away.

But I am the Demon King. A Demon King only exists to fulfill every one of his ambitions.

Mark my words, Angelica! Someday, I will make you call me “Father”!

Furthermore, I’m even planning to get you to call me “Papa”!

I won’t be satisfied with just a tiny bit of progress!

“Garto, you seem awfully fired up~”

“Lateia, can you tell?”

“Does that mean… you’re ready to get to work on making that baby?”

She had reached an embarrassing misunderstanding.

“Ugh… gross… That’s a total turn-off…”

Angelica looked at me like she was staring at something truly filthy.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant at all!”

I hurried to defend myself with everything I had.

Even for a Demon King, there are many times when one has no choice but to desperately explain themselves.