Chapter 7 – The Demon Lord and I
Borrowing a dress from Lady Alexia, we proceeded through the Demon Castle as she led us.
…… Why does she have dresses of this size?
Even though Lady Alexia was smaller and thinner than I was, for some reason, I was wearing a dress that roughly fit my body size.
When I asked, Lady Alexia just laughed.
And so, without meeting anyone, we arrived at our destination.
“This is the dining hall. Previously, only the Demon Lord used this place, but from today onwards, the Demon Queen will also dine here.”
“Where do you have your meals, Lady Alexia?”
“I eat in my room, but Wilhelm and Rodolphe use the dining-room below.”
“Below?”
It seems that I’m currently in the upper levels of the Demon Castle, while Lady Alexia and her companions usually spend their time on the middle or lower levels, and the upper levels are basically the Demon Lord’s domain.
“Is it okay for me to be on the upper levels of the castle?”
Shouldn’t I be in the middle or lower levels like the other demons?
Lady Alexia shakes her head.
“The Demon Queen is the one who was chosen to be the queen. You are now in a position to receive equal status and treatment as the Demon Lord.”
“But I haven’t given my answer yet….”
“My Demon Queen, your answer is irrelevant. The Demon Lord has decided to make you his queen. To us demons, that is all that matters.”
I guess those kinds of feelings or values are different between humans and demons.
Perhaps the power of the “king” is much greater here than that of humans.
“Well, if you have any questions, just ask the Demon Lord.”
Lady Alexia opens the door in front of her.
In the room, which was pitch black as always, there was a large fireplace, and a table, and at the end of the table sat the Demon Lord.
“I’ve brought the Demon Queen with me.”
“Thank you for your hard work “
Lady Alexia led me to the side of the table, and then pulled the chair diagonally in front of the Demon Lord.
She seems to be telling me to sit here.
As I sat down, Lady Alexia stepped back.
Instead, a cart loaded with food approached with a clop-clop. It was moving even though no one was there.
“Did you rest well?”
The Demon Lord asked and I nodded.
“Yes, thank you for the room.”
“Don’t mention it. For now, you will be staying in that room temporarily, but once you become queen, I will show you to a better room.”
Plates of food floated up and were laid out on the table.
The Demon Lord doesn’t seem to mind, so I guess this is the norm here.
The dishes look similar to human food.
“Let’s talk while we eat.”
The Demon Lord reached for the tableware, so I picked up my fork and knife.
…… Oh?
The amount of food on the Demon Lord’s plate is different from that on mine.
There is a lot less on my plate.
Maybe they made just enough for me to eat.
“Rachel, I said I’ll wait for you to decide, but first I want you to know more about me. If we don’t know each other, you won’t be able to give me an answer.”
The Demon Lord said as we ate.
“I would also like to know more about you. But you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. But Rachel, I want you to tell me whatever you want to say.”
I was taken aback by those words.
No one had ever said that to me before.
As the Crown Prince’s fiancée, I attended social gatherings, but the conversations at soirées and tea parties were always conducted with the utmost caution.
I never had the chance to talk about what I truly wanted to.
Seeing my confusion, the Demon King gave a small, amused smile.
“Well, let’s start by introducing ourselves. I’m Ewaldt. Everyone calls me Demon Lord Faust, but I want Rachel to call me Ewaldt, not the Demon Lord or Faust.”
“…… Lord Ewaldt?”
“Ah.”
When I called his name, the Demon Lord, Lord Ewaldt, narrowed his eyes and nodded happily.
“Why don’t the others call you by your name, Ewaldt?”
“I am too powerful. By nature, a name is an indication of one’s individuality, one’s self. When a weaker person tries to call me by my name, it consumes mana contained in the name. Normally it’s insignificant, but in my case, the consumption is immense.”
“Then wouldn’t that consume my magic power too?”
However, even when I called out Lord Ewaldt’s name, I didn’t feel that my magic power had decreased.
Lord Ewaldt shook his head.
“You and I are magically linked. It’s like we’re always holding hands, so to speak. No matter how much you call my name and consume mana, it flows through me and returns to you through our connection.”
In other words, the magic power simply circulates between me and Lord Ewaldt.
So it doesn’t matter how much I call out Lord Ewaldt’s name.
“You and I share mana. When yours decreases, it flows from me, and when mine decreases, it flows from you.”
Isn’t that amazing in a way?
“I now possess about as much mana as I did in my prime. So you can use as much mana as you like without any problems. If you ever feel like casting a wide-area spell on the Kingdom of Inglith, feel free to do so.”
He casually said something outrageous.
It’s rare for anyone to be capable of casting wide-area magic.
This is because the consumption of magic power is too high.
…… But even if it could be used.
“No, I wouldn’t do that. It only takes a moment to kill someone with magic. I would like to return the suffering I have endured to the Kingdom of Inglith, Saintess Yuuri, and the Crown Prince.”
“I see.”
Lord Ewaldt seemed satisfied with what I said.
“You’re right, ending it in an instant is much too kind.”
…… As expected of demons. Their senses are different from humans’.
“May I ask you a question?”
“Yes, you may ask as many questions as you like.”
“You said that if I become your queen, you would help me take revenge, but what would happen if I refused to become your queen?”
Lord Ewaldt’s lips arc thinly.
“I won’t help you. You will only be the closest executive to me. Well, everyone will treat you as my queen.”
And then I suddenly remembered.
“Are all demons like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, that absolute obedience to whatever the Demon Lord decides.”
Lord Ewaldt nodded.
“Among Demons, the strong are righteous. Power is what matters. And I am the pinnacle of the demon race. If the strong say it’s right, it’s right. That’s all there is to it.”
“There will be those who do not like me because I was once human.”
“It is my role to subdue them. Even if you do not become queen, I will see to it that you are placed in a position of high standing. However, even without my help, I doubt that there will be many fools who would oppose you.”
“How can you say that?”
“I can feel the hint of my mana from you. You now have the same amount of mana as the Demon Lord. Weaker demons will naturally bow to you.”
…… It’s the sharing of our magic powers that was mentioned earlier.
Not a bad arrangement.
If I become a queen, I will be able to stand on an equal footing with the Demon Lord and lead the Demon race to attack the Kingdom of Inglith.
Even if I don’t become a queen, as I continue to serve as an executive in the Demon Lord’s army, I will eventually find myself fighting against the Kingdom of Inglith.
Either way, it’s no loss to me.
That is, if they don’t betray me.
“In that case, if I were to say, ‘We are going to invade the Kingdom of Inglith’, would everyone follow me?”
Lord Ewaldt laughs softly.
“No, I won’t obey you if I, the Demon Lord, do not consent. Between you and me, I am stronger. Besides, all the demons are connected to me. They won’t do anything that goes against my will.”
“Connected?”
“It’s hard to put into words, but just as you and I are connected, I have a special connection with all demons. As the number of demons increases, my power grows, and as my power increases, the demons become stronger. In this regard, all the demons will be grateful to you. You are a hero to the demons, having awakened and resurrected their Demon Lord.”
…… Is that something I should be happy about?
I feel sorry for the demons, but I resurrected Lord Ewaldt to fulfill my wish.
Not for the sake of the demons.
“I am not connected, am I?”
“Former humans are not connected.”
“I see……”
…… In the end, I was left out here as well.
No, I was never one of them to begin with.
I am the descendant of the Saint, an abomination to the demons, and I doubt they will accept me very easily.
Although Lady Alexia is kind to me, that doesn’t mean the others are the same.
“Do you need a connection with the others?”
I raised my head at Lord Ewaldt’s words.
“…… No.”
I’ve been alone all this time, so it’s only natural now.
“I want to be the only one connected to you.”
“I am greedy”, laughs Lord Ewaldt.
At the same time, I felt the dark magic from Lord Ewaldt.
I don’t know why, but I feel extremely relieved by the sensation.
“…… Well, speaking of making me your queen, what would be my responsibilities if I were to become your queen?”
For some reason, I was embarrassed by my relief, so I broached another topic. Ewaldt tilted his head and said, “Hmm”.
“There’s nothing in particular for you to do.”
“Huh?”
“Do whatever you like. Take revenge on the Kingdom of Inglith, and if your resentment remains unresolved, you can kill as many humans as you like, or just live your life in leisure.”
“Isn’t there anything to do as a queen?”
I was the fiancée of the Crown Prince in the Kingdom of Inglith.
Regardless of whether we actually got married or not, I received an education and worked hard to become the Crown Princess.
To support the one who would one day become king.
“I’m not so incompetent as to impose my work onto the queen. Besides, most tasks can be done by the executives themselves. I don’t have that much work to do myself.”
“Is that, right……?”
……What I like….
“Ah, there is one thing I would like you to do.”
“What is it?”
“As my queen, I want you to make an effort to love me as your husband. I will love only you as my wife, but I wouldn’t find it amusing if your attention were to wander to someone else.”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Are you saying that you will take me as your wife in both name and reality? …I am the reincarnation of the first Saint, and I am capable of sealing you away, Lord Ewaldt, so aren’t you planning to give me the title of queen in order to bind me to you?”
“That certainly makes sense. However, if that is all there is to it, it would be fine to just place you as an executive. There is no need to offer the position of queen.”
Lord Ewaldt sets his glass down on the table.
“There are two reasons why I wanted to take you as my queen. One is because I find your soul beautiful. The other is that some of my abilities do not work on you.”
With his free hand, Lord Ewaldt touched his forehead.
When he removed his hand, a vertical third eye appeared on his forehead.
I was shocked, but then three eyes looked at me.
“Yes, your soul is still beautiful.”
He said with a sigh of admiration.
“The soul is a reflection of one’s character and life. The more one sins, the more one lusts, the more one’s soul becomes stained and polluted. But your soul remains beautiful. You must have lived a pure and honest life up so far.”
I remembered the time when I was shown my soul.
A white flame with a slight bluish tint.
“But there must have been something reddish-black mixed in with my soul.”
“That is the color of anger and hatred. The more it shows in your soul, the stronger, deeper, and purer your emotions are. A soul that is merely pure is boring. You are beautiful, even with those negative emotions.”
…… I wonder why.
I have often been described as “beautiful” in the past.
Even if it wasn’t really the intention, even if it was just about my appearance, I was still told that I was beautiful.
But my heart was never moved.
…… I wonder why I’m so happy……
“…… Thank you.”
Is it because he didn’t reject what I have been up until now?
Because he even acknowledged my hatred and anger?
…… I don’t know.
Am I smiling well right now?
“On the subject of the second ability, how do you feel when you look into this eye of mine?”
I think about this as the third eye is shown to me.
“I was a little surprised, but I do not feel anything in particular… What abilities does this third eye have?”
“It can peer into the memories and minds of those who behold it. Not only that, I can also intimidate and charm them. But I can’t read your mind. That’s why I want you as my queen.”
“You want someone whose mind you can’t read by your side?”
“Yes, it is more depressing than one might think to be able to read minds.”
Lord Ewaldt touched his forehead again.
When he removed his hand, the third eye was gone.
“Of course, I find your looks appealing.”
Wiping his mouth, Lord Ewaldt stood up.
He came to my side and knelt down.
“I have a resemblance to the First Saint, don’t you find that unpleasant?”
Lord Ewaldt smiled, his eyes narrowed.
“From my point of view, the only resemblance is in color. But, if I may say so, you should have a bit more confidence.”
He gently takes my hand.
“Be proud to be the only one that this Demon Lord has ever courted.”
A kiss was dropped on the back of my hand.
“You are my only destiny.”
I don’t remember much after that.
Before I knew it, I was back in my room.
My mind and heart were in a mess, but the place where Lord Ewaldt kissed me felt hot, and my face turned red.
…… A courtship, yes, I was being courted.
That’s what he means by the Queen.
I had never been wooed like that before, and my breath trembled as I exhaled.
When I think about it, this was the first time I had ever made a decision for myself.
The dresses I wore, the ornaments I wore, the mannerisms and speech I used – all of these were predestined for me to become the Crown Princess.
…… I’m free now.
That scares me a little.
I’m scared, but I’m also relieved.
I no longer have to worry about others’ approval.
I no longer have to care about others’ gazes.
Suddenly, laughter bubbled up within me.
It was ridiculous to think that I would finally be able to live as myself only after my death.
Sads Translates 