Chapter 36

“Demon King, can you really call yourself a Demon King like this? Do something more… Demon King-like.”

“No, look, I am acting like a King. Plans to construct a new tower and such—normally, these aren’t things I’d let an ordinary person overhear. As the King of the demon race, I am doing exactly what I am supposed to do.”

Angelica stopped and leaned her forehead against the wall.

“I just… I wanted you to do something flashier. Since you’re the Demon King and all…”

“Even the kings of human nations are unexpectedly plain. Though, depending on the country, I hear some still maintain harems.”

“So it seems. Ah, but of course, I am devoted only to Lateia! We have no such system in this country!”

“Ufufu, I know~. I can tell just by looking into your eyes, Garto.”

How grateful I was. We understood each other just by locking eyes. Was this not the ideal married couple?

While my evaluation from Lateia had certainly risen, Angelica was correspondingly disappointed. Why on earth was she getting discouraged by watching her parent work? It’s not like I committed any blunders.

“Say, Angelica, what kind of work were you hoping I’d be doing?”

I genuinely wanted to know.

“Something so loathsome it would be a struggle to even put into words.”

Why would I have to do something like that? I’d hate doing it just as much as anyone else.

“I mean, I wanted the Demon King to have that kind of hidden side… You act like this perfectly serious, steady father at home, but at work, I wanted you to have a side that mercilessly slaughters innocent commoners…”

This kid was seriously warped! She was saying some pretty gruesome stuff!

“Look, I think the Demon King should be the concentrated essence of human cruelty. Something outrageous that an ordinary human could never do. If the Demon King was like that, then… there’d be romance in it, wouldn’t there…?”

No, I don’t feel any romance in that. It’s just scary.

“A Hero only shines because they stand against a great evil. If the Demon King is someone who isn’t actually that bad, then he’s just a regular King.”

Well, yes, because I actually am a King.

“Angelica has admired Heroes since she was little. That’s why, in a way, she also had a certain admiration for the Demon King who serves as the antagonist.”

Lateia began to speak, a distant look in her eyes.

“It seems that because she wanted to be absolute justice, she wanted the Demon King to be an overwhelming evil.”

“So, the Hero and the Demon King are like two sides of the same mirror?”

If that was the case, I suppose I could understand it.

Or rather, I was starting to feel that if this girl hadn’t taken up the position of Hero, she might have ended up committing mass murder… If I didn’t educate my daughter properly, she might actually do something truly terrible…

“But you’ve been living under the same roof for a while now. Even looking at the Lord Demon King, it should have been obvious that there isn’t a shred of cruelty in him. This is a man who releases insects out the window without even killing them.”

Yeah, I feel guilty about killing bugs.

“Or perhaps he shows a side at home where he’s incredibly violent or something?”

Torualina, that’s rude. As usual.

“No, I think he’s being a very good father. As a husband, he’s a 120 out of 100.”

Those words from Lateia were everything. I was an ideal husband who had exceeded the limit by twenty points.

“Even I know the Demon King is a responsible guy. That’s exactly why I came to this workplace visit—wagering on the off-chance that he had some psycho side he was hiding from the family. But he’s seriously just a normal person… There’s absolutely no blood or heads flying around!”

Look, I’d hate a workplace like that. I’d have a mental breakdown in three days.

“Angelica.”

Lateia went over to Angelica and cupped the girl’s cheeks with both hands.

Honestly, I wanted her to do that to me, too.

“Have you ever met someone who didn’t have a single flaw?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know anyone like that.”

“Exactly. In this world, there’s no such thing as a purely evil person. Just as there are no purely good people.”

I felt as though I was being pulled into the depths of Lateia’s eyes.

“Angelica, it’s time you accepted that. As a Hero, you have to protect this ordinary world where no one is perfectly good or perfectly evil. That’s your job as the Hero Angelica, isn’t it?”

Her voice was kind, but I felt those were very stern words.

In essence, Lateia was telling her to stop running away and face reality.

After a long moment of silence—

“…I get it.”

Angelica spoke in a steady voice.

“I’ll stop clinging to fantasies. That’s not what a Hero should be doing. Even in a world where the Demon King isn’t evil, there must be a reason for a Hero to exist.”

“Yes, that’s right. In fact, a Hero who searches for what they ought to do is much cooler than one who just follows a predetermined path.”

Not just me, but Torualina as well, watched their exchange with serious eyes.

They had come for a workplace visit, but—

Instead, I was the one who caught a glimpse of Lateia’s hidden depth.

It wasn’t just my own infatuation speaking; I felt a sacred nobility from Lateia, like that of a goddess of mercy.

Indeed, she had just defined the path for the Hero.

Both Torualina and I felt as though a light was radiating from Lateia’s body.

“Excuse me, would it be alright if I took Angelica for a short walk?”

“Ah, yes. As long as you keep your visitor passes around your necks, you are free to walk through the hallways and the courtyard.”

Torualina handed the two their visitor passes, gave them a brief orientation, and then returned to the room.

“Setting the Hero aside, her mother… she has incredible charisma, doesn’t she…? Is she really just a normal human? Could she be from a bloodline descended from the gods or something…?”

“I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything about it. But to put it simply, I’ve fallen for her all over again.”

“My Lord Demon King, you actually have a good eye for women, don’t you?”

I was actually being praised by Torualina.

“It’s rare for you to compliment me.”

“It was just that impressive.”

Could it be that by marrying Lateia, my own standing as her husband was rising?

Lateia really might be a goddess.