Chapter 49

A short while later.

I dispatched a formal envoy to the Kingdom of Masgenia.

The message was: “We intend to make your country’s Hero the Crown Prince of our Demon Realm; are you amenable to this?”

The profession of “Hero”—excluding those who simply self-proclaim the title—is a status granted by the state to specific adventurers. Since this involved the human government, I made sure to get official confirmation.

In principle, those chosen as Heroes are individuals of superior swordsmanship who can also wield magic.

Since ancient times, it has been said that the legendary Paladins did not rely on blade work alone, but mastered sorcery as well. The title carries that legacy.

Being able to use magic usually implies a decent level of intellectual grounding (hence why the previous Angelica was such an exception…).

This meant they would be versed in etiquette and wouldn’t bring shame upon the Kingdom.

For the Kingdom of Masgenia, it was likely a safe and sensible choice of personnel.

Furthermore, in terms of sheer capability, anyone who can master both the sword and the staff is generally beyond reproach. From the perspective of talent, they are outliers. Angelica is no different in that regard.

—And, as I expected, the permission was granted without a fuss.

“Angelica, the Kingdom says they have no problem with you becoming the Demon King.”

“Huh… they’re not even going to try and stop me…?”

Angelica, addressed by me during a meal, had a look of surprise on her face.

There was no reason for them to pointlessly reject a request from the demons and sour relations. Besides, having a human become the Demon King offers a non-zero chance of humans effectively ruling the demon side.

From the Kingdom of Masgenia’s point of view, it wasn’t a bad deal at all.

And, needless to say, I had been negotiating this behind the scenes.

I wouldn’t just march over there and drop a bombshell like that without any warning.

“You’re becoming the Crown Prince~♪ How wonderful. What a big promotion~.”

“Mama, don’t say it like I just got promoted from an apprentice to a master craftsman!”

Even though she had agreed to it, Angelica still seemed to have some lingering bewilderment.

That’s only natural. It is the Crown Prince, after all.

“W-well, fine… I’m still a Hero regardless. I’ll just keep living here as a female Hero. Just because my title changed doesn’t mean anything.”

Angelica spoke as if trying to convince herself.

“That’s right, isn’t it, Demon King? I’m sure I confirmed this before, but I have no intention of moving to demon lands, okay?”

“Umu, that’s correct. As long as I am alive and well as the Demon King, there will be no disruption to your life. However—”

“What’s with that ‘however’…?”

“We must perform the Investiture of the Crown Prince—the ceremony to present you to the demons. We will hold it at my castle.”

“Ehh? That sounds like a pain…”

“Angelica, you’ll get to dress up for the occasion. Mama is so happy~. It’s just like a wedding.”

Honestly, it feels like it would be faster just to make Lateia the Crown Prince… but I can’t exactly make a human civilian a candidate for Demon King. The role of Demon King places a heavy emphasis on military might, after all.

“It’s not like you have to stay at the castle for weeks. Just bear with it. I’ll make sure the food is all stuff you like.”

“Fine, fine… I’m the one who said I’d be the Crown Prince. A Hero keeps her word…”

“We’ll have to send invitations to your friends~♪”

“Lateia, the demon lands are quite far from the human kingdom, you know?”

“We’ll manage somehow. I wonder if they’ll provide a travel allowance?”

I felt like this was turning more and more into a wedding, but I suppose it was fine. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, after all.

Thus, the announcement was made to the demons that Angelica would become the Crown Prince, and a date was set for the Investiture.

On the day of the official announcement, my secretary Torualina said, “Lord Demon King, you’re usually so steady, but you’ve really gone for a power move this time…”

“It is the best course of action. It minimizes the risk of chaos among the demons. We’ll just tack on some suitable reason about it being a symbol of friendship between humans and demons.”

“Well, it’s just a formality in the end. It’s not like anything major is going to happen. Yes, I’m sure it will end without a single problem.”

“Stop, you’re making it sound like a flag…”

However, the moment I stepped onto the grounds of my home that day—I felt an unusually large number of presences.

These weren’t human presences; they were demons.

Could it be that someone is trying to eliminate Angelica?

To be sure, there were likely those among my distant relatives who coveted the position of Crown Prince—

But such a move would be far too crude as a strategy.

If they were framed for an assassination, they could never become the Crown Prince anyway. On the contrary, they would be completely annihilated for killing the child of the Demon King.

I thought they wouldn’t do something so foolish—but if they really were that stupid…

“Angelica! Lateia!”

I hurriedly flung the door open.

“Now then, Crown Prince Angelica, please tell us about your aspirations for the role.”

“Um… since I’m also the Hero, I hope to become a Demon King who can give courage to everyone…”

“I see, I see. Now, we’ll be featuring an illustration in our magazine, so could you give a bright smile to our artist here? Ah, could you pull your chin in just a bit more?”

“Like… this?”

“Ah, that’s perfect. Could you stay still just like that for a moment?”

She was being interviewed and surrounded by demon reporters!

And by the looks of it, Angelica didn’t seem to mind the attention at all.

“Reporters, here’s some fresh tea~. I’m not sure if it suits a demon’s palate, though.”

Lateia looked like she was having quite a bit of fun too…

“Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen.”

“Oh, stop it~. Calling me ‘Queen’ is far too much flattery~.”

Lateia pressed her hands to her cheeks, looking absolutely delighted.

“Not at all. Literally speaking, as the consort of the Demon King, you are the Queen.”

“Now that you mention it, Garto was the Demon King, wasn’t he~♪”

Please don’t forget that part, Lateia!

I guess I really do lack that “Demon King” aura after all…