Chapter 488
In the Imperial Capital (2)
“――All right, you guys say hi. This is my friend, Uncle Finar.”
“”Uncle Finar, h.e.l.lo!””
At my words, Illuna and s.h.i.+ greeted him in unison, and the Wraith girls similarly greeted him with hand gestures.
Enne did not join in, as she had already greeted him earlier in human form.
“Yes, h.e.l.lo. Well, you are all cute little ladies. Many of you are of an unusual race, but… well, as expected, coming from Yuki’s place.”
The Demon King Finar replied to the group of young girls with a smiling face, which was unusually less black-hearted than usual.
I meant it as a joke when I called him “uncle,” but… he seemed to be happy.
Normally, as the King, he was always treated with respect, so perhaps he was happy to be treated like a normal person.
“Also, everyone knows about the Spirit King, right? Say h.e.l.lo to him as well.”
“Spirit-sensei! It’s been a while!”
“Spirit Grandpa! You’re looking so happy today!”
“…He’s been excitedly floating around. Still as powerful as before.”
[You are all looking as good as ever, little ones. That’s good.]
And so, after the group of young girls greeted them, the group of adults also greeted both of them separately.
“I didn’t expect to see you two here!” (Demon King)
“Hey, I’m a little nervous. I don’t know how to speak in a very elegant way…” (Lyuu)
“Lyuu is a young lady, right?” (Demon King)
“Ugh, it hurts when you point that out…” (Lyuu)
Lyuu was feeling a bit nervous about Demon King Finar.
Well, this guy was a normal King after all.
Layla, a scholar, and Nell, a Hero, were ones who have experienced dealing with powerful people on a regular basis. Thus, they were probably used to dealing with this kind of situation. However, it was not unreasonable for Lyuu, who even though a village chief’s daughter was a fairly normal girl, to be nervous in this situation.
The Demon King Finar responded with a pleasant smile, “You don’t have to be so reverent. As Yuki said, I will be happy if you can interact with me as normally as a neighborhood uncle, without thinking of my position as King or anything like that.”
“Oh, that’s right, everyone. This King is so black-hearted, it’s useless to show respect to him.” (Yuki)
“No, no, Yuki-san, he is someone who has taken good care of our husband. It is only natural for us to be polite to him.”
“That’s right, Oni-san! Regardless of what your job t.i.tle is, he’s definitely a good friend of Oni-san’s, so it’s only natural that we, as your wives, greet the Demon King properly!”
“Yes, that’s right! As a wife, that’s important for us to do, right?” (Lyuu)
“…oh, oh, I see.” (Yuki)
Only Lyuu seemed to be a little more sympathetic to Yuki, but she still responded in agreement with the other wives, instead of siding with Yuki.
Lyuu, you’re really cute when you’re like that.
Next to them, Lefi and Spirit King were talking.
“You haven’t died yet, have you, old man?”
[Kukuku, I’m not tired of living yet. I heard that something very, very happy has happened, Leficios.]
“You must have heard from Yuki. Well, I have grown up, and have now reached this point so far. Now I am living the best of my life. You envy me, don’t you?”
[Mm…mm. It is a very wonderful way to live. When your child is born, will you allow me to hold it? I’d like to hold it for you.]
“I suppose I have no choice. If you come to my house at that time, I will let you hold the child.”
“Spirit-sensei, I’m going to be a big sister! Isn’t that great!?”
[A big sister, yes, you are right. Love your younger ones, and be a good sister to them.]
“Yes! I will do my best to be a very, very good big sister!”
“s.h.i.+ will be too!”
“…Enne too.”
After their words, the Wraith girls also made a few enthusiastic and determined motions to show that they shared the same feelings.
“Haha, Yuki, the girls at your place are all good girls, aren’t they?”
[Mmm… I agree. Do you have a companion, young lord?]
“I don’t have a partner yet. I’m not in a position to decide so easily, and in the demon world, bloodlines are not that important. What is required of the Demon King is still [Power] first and foremost.”
“…I didn’t hear about that, but how are things going in the demon world now? I mean…with Gojim gone, there are no more opposing forces, right?”
Finar’s opponent, the man who died in the war.
A man who fought for his beliefs and risked his life.
“Yes, things have calmed down a lot now. I’ve been able to absorb the remnants successfully. Thanks to the victory in that war, they seem to be somewhat convinced of my [Strength]. The demons will follow you obediently as long as you can make that clear.”
“Well… that’s good. I can entrust this country to you for a while with peace of mind!”
“As usual, you don’t seem to be interested in politics, power, or anything like that.”
“That’s simply impossible for me to manage. I’m an ordinary person who became a Demon Lord before I realized it. If I tried to be a Ruler randomly, I’d get a hole in my stomach from all the work I will have to do.”
[Kukuku, you don’t seem to have such a soft stomach from my perspective.]
And while I was talking about that, Lefi tugged at the hem of my clothes.
“Look, Yuki, it’s good to have a lively conversation, but why don’t we move along for now? You didn’t invite us here just to meet each other, right?”
“Yes, of course! I was thinking of taking advantage of the opportunity to go sightseeing in the capital today. So I invited everyone!”
“Sightseeing? That’s great~!”
“Oh! This is the land of the emperor, isn’t it? I’m so excited!”
“…I wonder if there is any good food here.”
I called out to the butler who was standing by nearby.
“As you can see, I’m sorry, but could you arrange a tour for me?”
“…Sightseeing, is it?”
“Yes, I’m sorry for the short notice. I’d also like to see the city, even if it’s just the neighborhood. I don’t need a big escort or anything.”
His cheeks almost twitched for a moment, but he suppressed it with his sheer will and bowed with the same friendly face, saying, “I’ll make arrangements right away.”
Wow, he was the real deal, after all.
I admired him, you know.
Let’s have him work for me as my personal a.s.sistant at the Imperial Castle.