Chapter 50

The demon reporters looked a bit intimidated when they saw my face.

“Well, well, Lord Demon King! A very good day to you…”

“Listen here, I haven’t heard anything about a press interview today…”

“Our sincerest apologies for showing up without an appointment. However, both the Queen and the Crown Prince gave us the green light…”

True, if Lateia gives her permission, then that’s that.

“Crown Prince, we shall send the magazine to you as soon as it is published.”

“Yeah, please do. Make sure the illustration looks cute!”

“Ah, one last thing if I may? Is planting the ‘Tree of Binding’ outside meant to symbolize the pride of the demon race?”

“No, I just thought it would improve the defenses and seemed like a good fit~.”

Once they finished interviewing Angelica, the group scurried off.

“It’s been a while since I did an interview. I had them back when I was a Hero, but those reporters were so rude. You could totally tell they were just treating me like a little girl. This time, I felt a real sense of respect. It wasn’t bad.”

“Well, yeah, you are the Crown Prince now…”

“Hey, for the ceremony, should I wear some clip-on horns? Also, do you think I should wear a cape to give off more of a ‘Demon King’ vibe?”

“There’s no precedent for this, so if you have any requests, why not just say so…?”

This girl is actually getting really into it.

I mean, I’m grateful for that, but is this really okay?

“Apparently, more reporters are coming tomorrow. Also, there was an interview request from the Kingdom of Masgenia’s side, so I gave them the okay too.”

I see it now.

This girl loves the spotlight!

When you think about it calmly, someone who hates attention doesn’t become a Hero. At the very least, someone who isn’t interested in the public eye would turn down the title or hide away even if they were put on a pedestal.

It seems that while she was being flattered, her feelings about the “unenthusiastic Crown Prince” role started to change…

“They told me that if I become the Demon King, it’ll be the first time in history. I might be remembered forever as the ‘Beautiful Girl Demon King’.”

“Doesn’t that assume I’m going to die in the next few years?”

As long as I’m alive and well, I’m not stepping down. If I actually handed it over, she’d probably quit saying there’s too much work, so I at least want her to study some business and political science before she handles the actual administration.

After that, Angelica became more and more motivated to be the Demon King.

“Hey, a reporter from the Kingdom came today and asked me to sing a song. They told me with this voice, I could debut as a singer! They said I have the talent to fill the Masgenia Martial Arts Hall!”

Why is this turning into a story about becoming a singer!?

“Go, Angelica, go!”

Lateia was waving a handmade flag.

“Angelica, you know, ‘Hero’ can also be interpreted as ‘one who gives courage to people.’ Wouldn’t giving courage through song be one way for a Hero to live?”

“As expected of Mama! That’s what a Hero of the new era is all about!”

This is bad! Lateia’s “praise-based education” is working a little too effectively!

“Angelica… Being the Crown Prince is fundamentally a stiff, formal role. If you get too carried away now, the gap is going to make things really rough for you later…?”

“I’m allowed to act freely while I’m the Crown Prince, right? Then it should be fine to use this time to test my own abilities.”

Technically, she’s right.

This is troubling. I never imagined I’d be worried about Angelica being too excited.

Well, she is a girl of that age… It’s not strange for her to want to try all sorts of things…

“There’s a singer audition in the Royal Capital soon. I’m planning to participate.”

“No, that’s a bit…”

“Angelica, do your best! Mama is right here for you!”

“Yeah! Apparently, Jaunis the Thief knows a bit about dancing, so I’m going to learn from him!”

There was no stopping her now…

“If by some miracle the current Angelica becomes the Demon King, I fear it would lead to utter chaos… I must find another candidate for Crown Prince immediately…”

As a side note, Angelica did take a singer audition, but she failed in the preliminary round.

I thought she might have given up on her dream of becoming a singer, but—

“Angelica, you can’t expect everything to go perfectly on the first try. You have to keep challenging yourself over and over.”

“You’re right, Mama! I won’t lose until I’m singing in a packed Masgenia Martial Arts Hall!”

At some point, it had turned into a story about this mother and daughter aiming for the top of the idol world…

Umu, I really wish she would just be the Crown Prince quietly without doing things like singer activities… To be blunt, I don’t even think she’s that good at singing. She’s “above average” at best.

Since telling her directly would inevitably cause a backlash, I consulted with Lateia after Angelica went to her room to sleep.

“Um… isn’t Angelica going a bit overboard…? Being a Crown Prince and a singer is quite a lot to take on at once…”

If I spoke honestly about my anxieties as a father, Lateia would surely understand.

“I want Angelica to grow up to be a girl who can honestly chase her dreams.”

Lateia gave a gentle smile.

“It might be correct to tell her to stop because it’s difficult, but if we had done that, she wouldn’t have been able to become the Hero either, right? I think it’s okay to let her run until she’s satisfied with her own progress.”

That expression full of affection pricked at my conscience.

I-I see! I had become the typical, annoying father who does nothing but oppose things by saying “it’s too hard, so don’t do it”! At this rate, it would be impossible to gain Angelica’s trust!

Without realizing it, under the pretext of thinking about Angelica’s future, I had been forcing nothing but my own convenience onto her.

After all, asking her to be the Crown Prince was for my own convenience too.

I will become an understanding father…!

“Lateia, the scales have fallen from my eyes. I want to support her.”

“Yes, Garto, please do.”

By the way, Angelica also failed normally in the audition held right before the Investiture Ceremony.

As I thought, being a singer might be a bit of a stretch…