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

The city is almost cleaned up, but as before, it was still piled high with torture instruments. After all, some magic tricks use people's pain or hatred as a catalyst.

"Back to the main topic. The strongest magic I just mentioned is magic used in duels with other magicians. It might be useful for plundering the research results of other magicians, but it won't have any further applications, so no one would want to research that kind of thing."

However, it's not entirely true that there isn't any...

However, there was no point in discussing this further, so Sagan chose to remain silent.

After this explanation, Neferi nodded in understanding, then muttered to himself as if he still couldn't quite grasp it.

"I understand the principle behind magic, but..."

"But what is it? Tell me, it's alright."

So Neferpitou asked, puzzled:

"But doesn't that mean anyone can use magic as long as they understand the mechanics?"

—It seems that although Neferi is an elf, she seems to have quite a talent for magic.

Without the collar, she would probably be an excellent magician, perhaps even surpassing Sagan.

Sagan nodded as if praising a student for his sharp question.

"That's right, you're correct. The amount of knowledge we magicians possess is directly related to our power. As for how to maximize our effectiveness, that depends entirely on the person's skill."

Sagan wasn't born a magician either.

He was able to become famous far and wide at the young age of eighteen, all thanks to the knowledge he had taken from "a certain magician".

—It's been ten years already...

That happened when Sagan was eight years old, but it's irrelevant to the current topic. He shook his head and continued:

"So in order to prevent all of this from being stolen, I have set up many traps and mechanisms... Nefit, you'd better be careful when you touch anything in this room."

"...!"

It seems that this statement startled Neferpitou, just as the words themselves suggested.

"Just kidding. I've already set it up so that it won't activate even if you touch a trap."

"...Master, you're so mean."

The words sounded like a condemnation, yet carried a certain sense of reassurance, an indescribable tone.

Then, the very tip of his pointed ear trembled slightly.

"...? You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?"

"Eee?"

After Sagan asked the question in bewilderment, Nefi jumped in fright and was at a loss for what to do.

Then, puzzled, he touched his cheek.

How did you know that?

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"

This time, her pointed ears first drooped, then trembled and stood up, repeating the same action. It seemed that despite her panic, she was actually quite happy.

Her hand covered her face, but through her fingers peeked out wary eyes. Yet her expression remained unchanged, which only impressed Sagan with her agility.

Next, she said shyly:

"Because, Master, this is the first time you've talked to me this much..."

Sagan knew his face was already bright red.

Intense regret also tormented him.

—Yeah! After all, I usually speak in such roundabout ways!

Just as Sagan could never decipher Neferpitou's expressions, she probably often couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

Sagan cleared his throat, suppressing his agitation.

"I can't help it, all I know is magic, and I get a little more talkative when it comes to my profession."

"Yes."

Although it was unclear what she was nodding to express agreement with, Neferpitou could tell she was happy even without looking at her ears.

After hesitating for a while, she asked:

"Master, may I ask you a question?"

Whenever she acts this serious, it means she's about to ask a serious question.

Sagan straightened up and nodded.

"What's the problem? Tell me about it."

"Master, you already possess extraordinary strength, yet you are still researching how to pursue even greater power."

The conversation ended there, and after the girl swallowed, she continued:

"Master, you possess such immense power, what is it that you yearn for?"

Sagan couldn't answer the question for a moment.

—Having gained power, what do you hope to achieve...?

What is the purpose of my obtaining these powers?

Neferpitou's expression turned somber.

"I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have said that."

"No, that's not true."

Sagan scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

"To be honest, I haven't thought about this much."

"Didn't you think about it much?"

Now that she brings it up, it's actually quite ridiculous.

Sagan's gaze wandered, and he nodded absentmindedly.

"If I had to say, it's for survival... right?"

Nefi swallowed.

"To survive...?"

"Yes. When I was a child, I had no money and no home, so I had to steal to survive. Back then, although I couldn't go against adults or people stronger than me, I managed to get by, at least I didn't lose my life."

Looking back now, he feels that everyone was actually a good person. Although he was occasionally locked in a pig cage, at least he still had food to eat and didn't have to worry about being killed by anyone.

"Then one day, I was captured by a magician. Although I can't compare to an elf like Neferi, a child is still a decent living sacrifice."

"──!"

After he finished speaking, he realized that he had been too rash and had forgotten that Neferi had recently experienced the same situation he had faced back then.

But it wouldn't feel natural to suddenly stop now. So Sagan quickened her pace and continued:

"In short, I seized an opening before I could kill him and turned the tables on him, which made me realize that to survive, one must accumulate strength. I want to become stronger. If you're asking what I desire, this should be the answer. To put it bluntly, I want immortality."

Whether it was disappointment or not, Nefi clutched her chest and lowered her head.

"...I can't be as strong as you."

In a way, Sagan's and Neferpitou's experiences are indeed very similar. The difference is that Neferpitou didn't have the opportunity to become stronger, and perhaps that's why she still has a tendency to despise herself.

So Sagan offered a suggestion.

"I said, Nefertari."

"What is it, Master?"

"If you're interested in magic—!"

Halfway through his speech, Sagan's expression suddenly darkened.

"What's wrong?"

"...It seems we have guests. I'll go greet them; Neferi, you can prepare dinner."

"Okay. So how many people should I prepare?"

"Just prepare for me and you. Those people will leave soon."

Sagan left the puzzled Neferpitou alone in the study.

Without strength, you can't survive.

At the same time, he deeply rumininated over this sentence.

◇

"A magician's lair is actually located in a place like this..."

One of the knights spoke, his voice tinged with confusion.

Four uninvited guests arrived in the vast forest surrounding the castle. There were three men and one woman. The men were about twenty to thirty years old and were obviously experienced paladins. They were guarding the woman.

But what truly troubled him was the woman he was protecting.

She looks like a young girl, but she carries a large sword on her back.

That massive thing didn't seem like something her slender arms could wield, yet she wore a church armor called the "Baptismal Armor." Wearing that armor granted her physical prowess comparable to a magician.

While the baptismal armor was troublesome, the greatsword on her back was the real problem.

The swords of the church's knights—the paladins—are highly resistant to magic and can even break through a magician's defenses. However, the power released by the girl's sword is clearly far beyond that.

—Is that the legendary holy sword…?

The girl looked familiar, but at that moment he was only focused on the holy sword and couldn't remember who she was.

One of the knights' voices rang out in a deep, resonant tone.

"Is he the mastermind behind the kidnapping? How could he be lurking in a place like this?"

"...However, it's too early to draw conclusions. We came here precisely to investigate this matter."