As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

Shestia nodded with a mixed expression.

It wasn't she who avenged her comrade, but a passing magician. If it weren't for him, Shester probably wouldn't be here right now.

In the end, it was Shess who received the glory.

Shesty was a devout member of the church, but she also understood that the church was not as sound and sacred as they claimed. She had become the Holy Knight Commander because of her aptitude for the Holy Sword, but she had never intended to relinquish her own will.

She knows very well what she can and cannot say.

The Cardinal scrutinized Shestie.

"Shestia, I heard you've been investigating the magician Sagan lately?"

"Yes."

Shessty nodded and answered her boss affirmatively.

"The imposter Miles attacked our magician, saying his name was Sagan."

The magician who attacked Shessti claimed to be himself.

—But actually, it was the magician who saved me who was the real Sagan.

In other words, the magician was using Sagan's name to swindle people.

Shessty's investigation into everything about Sagan was partly aimed at clearing him of suspicion.

She laid out the documents she had gathered in front of the Cardinal.

"However, after investigation, it appears that the other party has no connection whatsoever with the real magician Sagan."

The Cardinal nodded, as if he already knew about it.

"That man is probably the magician known as 'The Face Peeler,' and just like his nickname, he performs horrifying magic by peeling people's skin alive. His name is on the kill list, and he also seems to be involved in this kidnapping case."

Judging from these words, the Cardinal has also investigated this case.

"Shestia, this matter doesn't seem to be over yet. Although we've caught the magicians, the mastermind is still at large."

"...! Has someone else been murdered?"

The Cardinal shook his head reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Shisty. Thanks to you all, we stopped those magicians' scheme... but after searching their headquarters, we discovered we'd missed the real culprit."

Besides attacking Shestie's "Peeling the Face," there are other remnants in the movement.

—In other words, do I still have a chance to avenge my comrades?

She swallowed nervously, waiting expectantly, only to hear the Cardinal solemnly utter that name.

"The Magician Sagan – a magician who has accumulated strength at an astonishing rate in recent years."

"What—"

Shess couldn't help but shout it out.

"That person should have no connection to the murderer."

"It's impossible that the name of an unrelated magician appeared twice in the case details."

Moreover—the Cardinal continued in a solemn tone:

"Magicians are evil, beings that should be eliminated. Even if he was not involved in this case, he is still a villain who should be dealt with. Therefore, our Kionnoind branch has decided to send troops to subdue the magician Sagan."

"──!"

This is an absolute commandment followed by the church.

In other words, it could also be called a curse.

—The church must continue to hunt down magicians until the day magicians are extinct.

Even if Sagan is innocent, once the Church issues a kill order, it cannot be revoked. Even if a holy sword wielder like Shessty loses, even if rivers of blood flow, the Church will never rest until the magician is killed.

Even if Shesty defends his innocence now, it won't help the situation at all, and she might even be seen as a traitor and subjected to a heretical trial.

She wasn't afraid to risk her life, but it would all be in vain. If she truly wanted to repay the debt of being saved, she shouldn't have foolishly raised objections at such a time and been arrested.

She should be thinking about how to protect him, or how to help him through this difficult time.

After a period of time with her eyes closed, Shestie resolutely said:

"Then, Your Excellency, please entrust the task of defeating Sagan to Paladin Commander Shestie, so that I may have a chance to clear my name."

Upon hearing this, the Cardinal also expressed his admiration.

"Well said. That's more like our Holy Knight Commander, and that's the demeanor of a Holy Sword Maiden."

Shess may be ruined as a result, but she has her own beliefs.

Even if she eventually becomes a heretic, she still maintains some uncompromising principles.

Even if she doesn't receive gratitude from the public, even if she has to bear the world's scorn, she would rather die for her beliefs than abandon them for the sake of self-preservation.

It is precisely because she is such a young girl that she was able to obtain the power of the Holy Sword at the young age of seventeen.

Besides—she thought to herself.

—The man's eyes were so lonely and desolate.

Those were the eyes of a lost stray dog, yearning for warmth yet unwilling to admit it, resisting everything around it.

It was that look in his eyes that made Shisty feel that perhaps in this world, he was the one more in need of saving than she was.

Therefore, Shisty decided to take on the task.

◇

"Master, are you awake?"

Sagan basically sleeps sitting up.

The throne in the city is the center of the barrier, the hub where all functions converge. As long as one sits on it, no matter what kind of attack one suffers, one will not be killed instantly. More importantly, it allows him to be the first to detect any ill-intentioned movements.

Simply put, this throne is the most secure space, even in a rock-solid castle.

Given his habits, he prefers to sleep sitting up rather than lying down, which allows him to handle everything more quickly, leading him to develop the habit of sleeping here.

And just this morning—

Good morning, Master.

Neferpitou, dressed as a maid, came to greet him like this.

However, even so, Sagan wasn't awakened by Neferpitou.

"Mmm, mmm."

After Sagan finished his hesitant reply, Nefert first bowed slightly.

"Breakfast is ready at the restaurant. Would you like to go and have some?"

"Huh, breakfast? Neffi, did you make it?"

"Yes."

She did say yesterday that she would make breakfast for me, but I didn't expect her to actually do it the next day.

Then, something else is puzzling.

"You didn't actually wait there the whole time, did you?"

"Yes."

"...Just wake me up at times like this."

"Because I see you are sleeping very soundly."

Hearing him say that, Sagan was also puzzled.

—So, I slept so soundly that I didn't even wake up when someone came right in front of me. That's really strange.

He hadn't slept for only one day; it shouldn't have caused him to sleep so soundly.

But despite her confusion, Sagan remembered that Nefertari was still standing there waiting for her.

"You've been standing there the whole time, aren't you tired?"

"I'm not tired. It must be the magic of the shoes."

So, the clothing store clerk also said that the boots could reduce fatigue, which seems to be quite effective.

"Are you just going to stay here like this until I wake up?"

"No, I've been watching your sleeping face, Master."

"Yes, yes..."

When she said that to his face, Sagan wished he could disappear into a hole in the ground.

However, since she had made breakfast, we couldn't keep her waiting.

"Breakfast."

"Yes."

As soon as Sagan stood up, Neferi made way for him and bowed respectfully, her every move resembling that of a seasoned maid.

But just as they were about to head to the restaurant in town, Sagan exclaimed "Ah!" again.

"...? What's wrong?"

"Uh, Neferpitou."

"Yes."

Faced with the puzzled girl, Sagan scratched the back of his head and mumbled something indistinctly:

"Good morning, Neferpitou."

I wasn't able to reply to her greeting yesterday.

Nefi blinked twice in surprise, and then said something that seemed rather happy.

"Yes. Good morning, my master."

It felt like a warm current was rising from my heart, an incredible feeling.