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

However, the forest became noisy.

Creatures from deep within the forest gathered, from tiny squirrels to ferocious wolves, and even wild boars. They remained silent, simply staring at the knights.

The trees did not rustle, but their branches and leaves stretched out, with thorns emerging from the thicket.

The forest was noisy, as if it had gained self-awareness.

Then, something that could perhaps be called the forest's hostility was eyeing the three knights menacingly.

--What exactly happened?

This is not magic. Besides, Neferpitou wears a collar around his neck that seals off magic, making it impossible for him to use magic.

That being said, this is not the power of the church.

If we really have to talk about it—could she possibly control the forest itself?

Its power, both in quality and scale, was worlds apart from Sagan's magic, sending chills down Sagan's spine.

And besides him, the knights were probably no exception.

A completely unknown force left the spear-wielding knight utterly disoriented.

"Ugh... Waa ...

The unarmed knight—who seemed to be named Torres—fled away.

"—Don't even think about escaping."

Illustration p167

As Neferpitou reached out, vines sprouted from the knight's feet and wrapped around his ankle.

"Eee!"

The knight, who had fallen flat on his face, then saw thick tree roots climbing up in front of him.

The pulsating, life-like tree roots buried the knight's body, slowly dragging him into the ground. The powerful force caused the baptismal armor to gradually crack.

Then, a cracking sound, like a bone breaking, came, snapping Sagan back to reality.

"Enough! Neferpitou, stop right now!"

He held Nefi tightly in his arms, and she stopped moving as if startled.

Fortunately, the knight who was dragged underground was still alive.

—Could this be the power from Nephew...?

Is that a power unique to elves? Or is it simply because she is a white-haired mutant?

In any case, that was a power that transcended magic, a power that Sagan had never seen before.

Book 1, Chapter 4: Heartbreak is just as painful on a physical level.

Finally, Shesty and the others went back.

Since the three knights were no longer able to fight, Sagan repaired the barrier and threw them outside, leaving the rest to be handled by Shessty.

Sorry, this has implicated unrelated people.

Even at the very end, the girl continued to apologize to him with a face full of guilt.

Upon returning to the castle, Neferpitou healed Sagan's wounds.

She seemed quite adept at it, skillfully bandaging the wound, while Sagan took the opportunity to ask:

"Neffi, aren't you unable to use magic?"

Neferpitou shuddered slightly.

"That... wasn't magic."

"What else could it be?"

"Yes……"

Neferpitou's solemn expression was immediately apparent. Although her facial expression didn't change much, even the very tips of her pointed ears drooped weakly.

Sagan shrugged first.

"Fine, whatever. What kind of power you possess is none of my business."

He wasn't sure if it was magic or what, and he was also puzzled as to why she, with such power, would obediently surrender. He wondered if she could remove the collar herself, and why she didn't break free from Sagan's control.

But no matter the answer, Neferi is still Neferi, and nothing will change.

...That's what Sagan meant.

—Oh no! Didn't that just say something like, "I don't care about Nefarian at all!"

It seemed there was no way she would understand what he had just said. Facing the dejected and utterly disappointed Neferpitou, Sagan repeated himself in a different way:

"You are Neferpitou, not anyone else. No matter how much power you possess, you are still you."

—I did it!

Although it still seemed a bit roundabout, it at least left Neferi dumbfounded and startled.

"……thank you."

Her drooping ears trembled slightly. It seemed she was feeling a bit better now... though Sagan wasn't sure if she had successfully conveyed what she wanted to say.

As they talked, the bandaging work came to an end.

The pain persists, but it's not to the point of being unable to move. This injury shouldn't affect daily life, and it should be able to handle some combat without any problems.

If the magic of the Holy Sword—in fact, Sagan didn't know if this was true or not—had been expelled from the body, such a wound could have healed immediately, but Neferpitou's first aid was simply too perfect.

"Hmm, it feels pretty good. Thank you for your hard work."

"...No, it's all my fault."

Sagan thought to himself that this time he had finally expressed his gratitude frankly, but Neferi lowered his head upon hearing this.

Please, someone teach me how to say something considerate in a situation like this—he even seriously considered plucking Barbarossa's tongue and transplanting it into himself.

Sagan was so troubled that his brain was practically boiling, and he managed to squeeze out a sentence with difficulty:

"Uh...were you scared just now?"

"You ask me if I'm scared?"

This left Neferpitou in disbelief, wondering if she had done something wrong again. She hummed softly for a while before cautiously saying:

"Master, don't you think I'm scary?"

"why?"

She's slowly started to show expressions lately, and that's added to her charm. Sagan couldn't see anything scary about her.

Sagan pondered this for a while with a serious expression, during which time Neferi looked up at him and then looked down again, repeating this several times.

Finally, she mustered her courage and murmured:

"Because... I just used that power..."

"Wow, that power is truly unprecedented. I'm quite interested."

Perhaps this is precisely why Magasia, the "Demon King," wanted to get his hands on her.

Just as he was feeling like he understood something, Neferpitou asked incredulously:

"Is that all...?"

"Hmm? I already told you I wouldn't use you as a guinea pig, didn't I?"

"I know that, but that's not what I meant..."

It seems she's finally starting to trust me about that kind of thing.

While this was reassuring, Sagan was even more perplexed by Nefi's troubling nature.

Soon, Neferpitou probably realized that things were going nowhere, so he brushed aside the white hairs in front of him and began to speak:

"That power isn't magic. People seem to call it 'magic'."

"magic……?"

Sagan had also heard of this knowledge.

It's not a technique developed through layers of theory and definition like magic; it's about interfering with all things in the world simply through prayer, and sometimes it can even bring the dead back to life.

That was a miracle beyond human comprehension.

Sagan never expected that he would one day witness it with his own eyes, and he stared in astonishment.

"So that's real? Can all elves wield such power?"

But Nefertari shook his head.

"No. Because I am the child of the curse."

That was the name that made Neferi hesitate when they first met.

Sagan remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I was born with this power. But it seems like a power that shouldn't exist. They say that white-haired children with this power shouldn't be born into this world, so..."

There was no emotion in his azure eyes.

There weren't even any tears.

You are not human.

They don't even have the right to express their opinions.

They are not even allowed to have their own will.

Those eyes are the kind of gaze only someone who has been instilled with these ideas throughout their life can possess.

—It seems she's been going through a lot of hardship...

But Sagan certainly didn't know what to say to comfort her in this situation.

Neferpitou, like a puppet, continued without expression:

"Our village has asked me to use my power to protect it should humans attack. But..."