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

Illustration p127

Although his expression remained cold and monotonous, for some reason, he always seemed to be angry.

—Is this a response to what just happened?

But how to put it? It seems that the person involved is just as embarrassed.

Like the burning red tips of her ears and the slightly trembling spoon in her hand. The thought that she had just tried to cool him down felt less like revenge and more like a reward.

—I've started to think how wonderful it would be if it could always be like this.

So Sagan opened her mouth as she asked. Neferpitou awkwardly placed the spoon between Sagan's lips.

The soup should be made by simmering lamb and root vegetables with milk. As soon as it flows down your throat, a warm feeling spreads from your stomach to your whole body.

"It's so warm."

"what?"

"Oh, no, I meant the soup."

Of course, some of that warmth might have come from Nefi on his lap, but Sagan quickly denied it at that moment.

Neferi was momentarily stunned, but then slowly nodded.

"...Yes. It's very warm."

She continued in a low voice, as if with a sigh, "This is what I'm saying."

—I hope that such times can last forever.

He sincerely hoped so.

◇

That day, Nefi cleaned the dormitory thoroughly, and the day came to an end.

She insisted on cleaning her own room, but with her slender arms, she probably couldn't lift heavy objects like furniture, so Sagan ended up cleaning the bed and wardrobe.

Even so, she still only had the dress she had at the beginning, a maid's uniform, and a few pieces of underwear. Sagan felt she should get her a few more pieces.

—Now I need to think about how to make money.

He actually had another way to make a lot of money: selling his magical knowledge. The downside was that it would easily expose his whereabouts. If it had only been Sagan before, it wouldn't have mattered. But now, if the Church came knocking and something happened to Nefi, even killing them all wouldn't have helped.

In that case, becoming someone else's bodyguard, like when they repelled the bandits the other day, might be the fastest way, but that would take a lot of time and might keep them away from the castle for several days.

Although there are some things that money can't buy, the reality is that you can't make a living without money.

There were still some of the gifts the coachman had given them, so they shouldn't run out of food immediately, but Sagan still needed to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

And so, several more days passed as Neferi and he cleaned the castle together.

On this day, as Sagan was reading one magic book after another in the city's library, Neferpitou asked her this question:

"Master, what do you usually research?"

While enjoying life with Nefarian, Sagan did not forget to study magic.

Now that she's in charge of meals and cleaning, even though Sagan occasionally helps her out, her research has made much more progress than before.

Sagan, on the other hand, was puzzled.

"Besides magic, what else could it be?"

"That's what I think too, but I don't understand your intention in drawing this..."

This statement made Sagan's eyes widen.

"Is the magic of elves different from this?"

Nefi shook his head from side to side, his snow-white hair swaying with it.

"I don't use magic, so I'm not very clear on that."

This answer surprised Sagan.

—Her magic is clearly superior to that of ordinary people.

Feeling regretful, Sagan showed her the magic circle he had only half-finished drawing.

"This is called a magic circle, a 'blueprint' used to induce the phenomenon desired by a magician."

"Design drawings...?"

She seemed unfamiliar with the word. Sagan then explained it step by step.

"Let me think... For example, there are waterwheels or horse-drawn carriages on the street, right? They're different from simple knives or hammers; they're made of many parts. If those parts aren't the same shape, they won't work. So, to make them uniform, the dimensions are recorded and compiled together—that's the blueprint."

From the size of the wheels to the doors, seats, and other parts, horse-drawn carriages used countless pieces of wood, nails, and fasteners. Waterwheels were even more complex, requiring the exact number and size of gears to match. And that wasn't something that could be done by experience, but rather by using diagrams that everyone could easily understand.

Neferi understood and nodded.

"And magic is actually similar to this. First, you have to draw a design like this, called a magic circle."

As Sagan spoke, he drew the emblem on the dusty floor with his finger.

"There's a concept that these kinds of symbols possess power. The cross emblem displayed in churches is something similar. Some say they are writings left by the gods or a sign of a pact with the devil, but I don't really know what they are."

Or perhaps it is the belief of those who possess power, or those who believe in God, that brings about that power.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of magic knows that the world is indeed ambiguous and vague.

Then he enclosed the emblem in a circle.

"And this is the simplest magic circle. It can generate lightning; as long as you infuse it with magic power, it will look like this—"

"Uh, that..."

Neferi probably didn't expect him to cast it here, and cried out in alarm.

Sagan lightly touched the magic circle, and sparks immediately flew out.

Neferi, who had been tensely assuming a protective stance, blinked blankly.

"Is this lightning?"

"Yes, but because it dissipated in the air immediately, you couldn't see any lightning."

"Is that so..."

Nefi's unconvincing response almost made Sagan laugh.

"But just like that, it's no different from a leaf floating on water. You can't start a fire by just rubbing a flint and steel together, right? So you have to use other symbols, such as symbols that enhance the effect, symbols that determine the direction of the power, symbols that determine the range, and symbols that determine the duration of the effect."

Several symbols surround the lightning symbol, which is then enclosed in a circle.

"Only by reaching this point can we finally generate a decent phenomenon."

"Ah ah!"

As soon as the magic was injected, a bolt of lightning descended from the ceiling.

Hearing Nefi's soft gasp, Sagan couldn't help but laugh this time.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But anyone can use a magic circle like this as long as they inject magic power. If the magic circle I draw is stolen by the enemy before I can use it, then all my efforts will be wasted. So next, I need to add other restrictions to make it so that only I can use it."

Simply put, it's magic that protects magic.

When Barbaross invaded the barrier a few days ago, and when Sagan paralyzed the enemy's magic, he stole the magic circle by redrawing this part.

"If this part isn't designed to be complex, it will be quickly taken over by other magicians, so this is where magicians showcase their skills. The structure of this part is called a 'circuit'."

The ability to assemble the most efficient circuit to protect the core emblem tests a magician's skill, and converting the magic circle into a spell is one such method.

After Sagan finished speaking, Neferi looked at the magic circle with great interest.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Master just added a 'circuit' to the outer ring. Could you add it to the inner ring?"

Sagan sighed in admiration.

"This kind of perspective is truly remarkable. The answer is impossible, but it's also possible."

"...?"

With his head slightly tilted to the side, he couldn't comprehend this inexplicable answer.

Sagan then added with a chuckle:

"This is equivalent to creating a new magic circle within an already completed magic circle, which would disrupt the flow of magic power and cause an explosion, or it might not activate at all. But since magic is also a flow of magical power, it is theoretically possible to do so."

Neferpitou first fell into thought, and after a short while, with a somewhat uncertain expression, he said:

"So, this means further control over the magic that initiates the activation?"

This time, Sagan was dumbfounded.

"That's right. If someone can do that, then no magic trick will work on them."

All attacks originating from magic will become the possession of the magician. This is different from seizing a magic circle; it's more like a game of rock-paper-scissors. Furthermore, since the magic itself can still be activated without any problems, it's impossible to defend against.

"Simply put—that's the strongest magician in theory."

That being said—Sagan shrugged.

"But theory is just theory. If it were easy to do, we wouldn't have to work so hard."

"...? I've heard that magicians live long lives and dedicate their entire lives to the study of magic. Even they can't do that?"

"In fact, no one has seriously studied this kind of thing."

This made Neferpitou turn his head away, increasingly puzzled as he listened.

"Magicians are not like mercenaries or knights who love to fight. They are people who want to live forever, or want to see what kind of miracles magic can create, or try to bring the dead back to life. They mostly study these kinds of things."

Simply put, magicians are only thinking about themselves from beginning to end. Those who only pursue self-improvement don't care about competing with others.

"Of course, there are also magicians who are hired as mercenaries, like the ones from a few days ago, but that's just a means, not an end. Magic research is very expensive. They only do those jobs for the money."

Neferpitou asked, finding it difficult to bring herself to say it:

"...I've heard that some people use magic to torture humans."

"Oh, some idiots do this to relieve stress or kill time. But none of them have studied magic specifically for this purpose. After all, if you want to torture someone, there are plenty of more efficient tools in the world."

Instruments of torture have a long history. There has been a consistent demand for these devices since ancient times in order to force people to reveal secrets.