37 — Chapter 37

While the two were away, I diligently went about my work.

By chipping away at tasks even in short bursts of time, I can ultimately create a more flexible schedule. If you leave things thinking, “I’ll just do this later,” they pile up before you know it, leading to a disastrous situation or the total disappearance of your days off.

Torualina understood this as well. She was churning through her secretarial duties one after another.

Somehow or other, Torualina and I are perfectly in sync. We’ve built a solid foundation of trust. Though, if I ever actually put that into words, she’d probably find it gross. It’s similar to those heroes of justice who badmouth each other constantly but cooperate the moment it counts.

“Oh! I finished a task I didn’t think I’d get through today. Nice!”

It felt as though a stone had been lifted from the top of my head.

However, it’s not as if my working speed had suddenly doubled, so a significant amount of time had passed accordingly.

It had been about an hour and a half since Lateia and Angelica left for their tour.

“Hey, Torualina, isn’t it a bit late for them to be getting back?”

“Are you aware of the total area of this castle? It’s the size of… well, one Demon King’s Castle.”

“Of course I am. This is the Demon King’s Castle…”

That was a rare joke for Torualina. A lame one, though.

“Meaning… it is so vast that there is nothing else to compare it to.”

“Well, if there were several forts larger than this castle, it would be a blow to our prestige.”

“Wait… surely not…”

Torualina placed her left index finger near her mouth. It was her gesture for when she was deep in thought.

“The two of them haven’t gone out into the garden, have they?”

I’m certain I turned pale.

“I’m going to check the garden right now!”

I rushed toward the garden in a panic.

The staff working at the castle know that we’ve decided to live in peace with humans, and I had informed them that my wife and daughter were coming today. They would surely treat them with smiles and gentleness.

But—the garden was a different story.

The plants that grow in the Demon Realm occasionally attack people. Furthermore, the soil in this area is rich, making the local flora particularly high-spirited!

As I headed deep into the garden—

I heard voices.

“Geez! Let me go! I’ll burn you! I mean, just burn already! You’re a plant, so act like one and burn from my fire magic!”

“Oh my~. What a lovely view~.”

“Mama, this is no time for that!”

They were definitely there…

It seemed they were safe for now, but since Lateia is always so laid-back, it’s terrifyingly hard to tell if she’s actually okay or just acting that way.

When I caught up to them, I found Lateia and Angelica completely entangled by a monster plant that extended branch-like vines.

By the way, they had been hoisted quite high up. It looked even higher than the top floor of the castle.

“Ah, thank goodness. You both seem to be alright. Man, I was worried.”

“I am not ‘alright’ at all! We’ve been like this for about ten minutes!”

“Well, that plant is called the ‘Binding Tree.’ It has a habit of restraining enemies to keep them from moving.”

“Don’t plant something that dangerous!”

Even though I’d come to the rescue, my daughter was hurling insults at me…

“No, it’s a very convenient plant for defense since it captures intruders. Thanks to it, I was able to reduce the security staff by five people. It contributes to a significant reduction in labor costs.”

“But it’s even catching us, and we aren’t intruders~.”

Lateia hit the nail on the head with her usual nonchalance.

“That’s the thing. Since it’s a plant, it can’t distinguish between friend and foe. It just catches everything that gets close.”

“Then isn’t it just a defective plant…?”

“That’s why I only have them planted on the outer edges of the garden to catch external enemies. Angelica, why on earth did you come this deep into the garden…?”

Exactly. I hadn’t imagined the two of them would wander all the way to the edge of the massive garden.

“There must have been plenty of departments inside the castle you hadn’t visited yet. The garden is the kind of place you just take a quick peek at right at the end…”

Then, for some reason, Angelica’s face turned bright red.

Since I am the Demon King, my eyesight is excellent, and I could clearly see the expressions of the two high above.

“Angelica said the work explanations were boring and came out to the garden. Then she said her adventurer blood was stirring and kept going further and further in.”

Is she a child who gets bored on a school field trip!?

“It can’t be helped…! Taxes, road repairs, medical systems—none of that has anything to do with being a Hero!”

To put it simply, Angelica had become defiant.

“Listen, society functions because of those unsung heroes working behind the scenes… The world isn’t some simple thing consisting only of ‘good guy’ Heroes and ‘bad guy’ Demon Kings.”

I wonder if Heroes are just naturally muscle-brained. Then again, I suppose you can’t become a female Hero at such a young age without practicing the sword since childhood.

“It’s better to be educated too. It gives you more options in life. Don’t tell me you get made fun of by that mage in your party, Selene?”

“Don’t lecture me while I’m like this! Just get me down first! The wind is blowing up my skirt and it feels gross!”

Come to think of it, if I looked up from here, wouldn’t I catch a glimpse of Lateia’s…?

No, no, I must not do something that would lead to such disillusionment.

Especially in front of my daughter, a man must not do anything that would earn him contempt…

I kept my eyes on the ground and spun around to face away from them.

“I’ll go call the rescue squad now, so just wait there.”

After that, the two were properly rescued and brought back to the Demon King’s office.

“Fufufu. The view was wonderful. Also, I wonder if those plants release some kind of healing gas? It felt so relaxing~.”

Lateia, as expected of you, finding enjoyment even in a situation like that.

“Mama is way too easygoing… That was seriously a nightmare…”

Angelica, on the other hand, was pouting. Or rather, she looked bored.

“I thought the Demon King’s Castle would be a more terrifying place, but it’s way too sensible. It felt like every department was under a sleep spell.”

So, every department’s explanation was put-you-to-sleep boring, huh? Is this kid bad at every academic subject? As a parent, I’ll have to do something about that in the future…

“But, that aside—”

Angelica abruptly turned her face away from me.

“—I guess I saw well enough that the Demon King works properly… Isn’t this the right way for a Hero’s father to be? Even if it’s not very Demon King-like.”

Ah, it seems I succeeded in demonstrating my fatherly dignity.

From now on, I must maintain this dignity and make sure it doesn’t drop.

A few days later.

In the garden of our house, a young sprout that looked suspiciously like a “Binding Tree” had appeared.

Why on earth was it in a place like this…?