Chapter 38

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

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

Plants that grow in the Demon Realm are rapid growers.

Because the struggle for survival there is so intense, it’s said that any plant that didn’t grow at breakneck speed simply went extinct.

Therefore, this young sprout of a “Binding Tree” likely germinated from a seed Angelica picked up when she entered the castle garden, or perhaps one that got stuck in her clothes.

Now, if it were just one sprout, I could dismiss it as a mere coincidence, but—

Young sprouts were popping up in several places, as if to surround the house.

“I can only assume someone planted these manually…”

The next morning, I took Angelica out into the garden.

“Say, Angelica, do you recognize these sprouts at all?”

There was a very high probability that Angelica was the culprit.

However, Lateia also occasionally carries out things I’d never even consider, so I couldn’t definitively pin it on Angelica just yet. It’s not good to suspect your daughter right away.

Either way, there was no doubt that one of the two had done it…

“Oh, they’re already growing. As expected, plants from demon territory have incredible vitality.”

She admitted it frankly, without a hint of guilt!

This was unexpected in its own way!

“When I was tied up by that ‘Binding Tree,’ I noticed some fruit-like things growing nearby, so I grabbed them. There were tons of seeds inside, so I scattered them.”

If the “Binding Tree” spreads to human lands like that, it’ll trigger an invasive species problem.

Plants native to human lands might go extinct because of it.

And if that happens, the insects and birds that suck the nectar from those plants might perish too.

Bringing in highly reproductive plants so casually carries the risk of causing an environmental disaster. This kid doesn’t understand that at all…

I mean, does a self-proclaimed Hero really plant seeds from demon territory on her own property?

I wanted to ask what she thought she was doing, but I mustn’t snap at her. Angelica is my daughter, not my subordinate.

She must have had some intention for doing this. I had to hear her out first.

“Angelica, what made you decide to plant these seeds?”

“Isn’t it obvious? To bolster our defenses!”

Angelica said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In fact, she looked quite smug.

“Look, I’m a Hero, right? And you’re the Demon King.”

“Yes, that’s right. Not a single mistake there.”

“Which means there’s a huge risk of this house being targeted. People might come to attack the Demon King. Or radicals might attack me, claiming I’m someone who teamed up with the Demon King. We should be more conscious of our defense.”

It was more logical than I expected.

“Now that you mention it… This village is so peaceful that I might have been taking things too lightly…”

Just because an agreement was signed between nations doesn’t mean every citizen accepts it.

It wouldn’t be strange for people to emerge claiming that a compromise with the demon race is out of the question.

That said, I couldn’t simply adopt this plan.

“Angelica, I understand your thinking. However, bringing in plants that only grow in demon territory risks drastically changing the natural environment. Shouldn’t we consider other means to protect the house?”

I spoke as if teaching a child.

“Besides, both you and I are strong. We wouldn’t easily fall behind an enemy—”

“It’s better to have a way for Mama to protect herself when she’s alone, right?”

“Plan adopted.”

After all, you really can’t go without a proper home security system these days.

“Let’s plant the ‘Binding Trees’ more seriously. Also, we should attach ‘Watcher Eyeballs’—artifacts that project whatever is in their field of vision onto an indoor display.”

“So if a suspicious person shows up, we’ll know in advance.”

“Exactly. It can even record footage for up to a week, so even if an intruder escapes, we can identify the culprit.”

——One month later.

The perimeter of the house was completely covered by “Binding Trees.”

“Umu, it now possesses the defensive strength of a small fortress.”

“Yeah. The sunlight isn’t as good as it used to be, but it’s not like it’s pitch black in here, so it’ll work out.”

For some reason, Angelica and I were in perfect agreement.

“My, the place certainly had quite a makeover. But I’ve been wanting to try my hand at gardening, so I suppose this is just right~.”

Lateia was convinced as well, so there were no problems.

——Or so I thought, until a problem eventually arose.

“Whoa! It’s actually catching people!” “As expected of a plant from demon territory!” “I’ve never experienced anything like this!” “Haa… haa… this… might actually be kind of addictive…”

A massive crowd of people showed up wanting to try being bound by the “Binding Trees,” and the place turned into a sort of tourist attraction…

Furthermore, because Lateia would bring out tea to entertain these tourists, it gained the residents’ unofficial seal of approval, and its popularity only grew.

Since the visitors were sometimes noisy starting from early in the morning on my days off, I put up a sign.

Viewing hours are from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. If it becomes too noisy, the trees will have to be removed. Thank you for your understanding.

“Umu, this should do it. It’ll make things a little better.”

“Isn’t removing the defensive trees kind of defeating the whole purpose…?”

Angelica, who had helped me put up the sign, called me out on it.

“That may be true… but it’s also a fact that it’s gotten quite loud… We need to find a middle ground.”

Just then, Lateia came over.

She proceeded to write some words in the blank space on the sign.

If you would like some tea, please knock on the door.

“There, that should do it~.”

After Lateia walked away, Angelica and I stood there blankly staring at the “Binding Trees” as we talked.

“If Mama comes out whenever someone knocks on the door, then there’s no defense or security at all…”

“It can’t be helped… There’s no way Lateia, who even accepted me as the Demon King, would ignore someone she considers a guest…”

After that, I decided to handle the situation by casting defensive magic on Lateia.

Fortunately, no trouble has occurred yet, so things should be fine moving forward.