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

Dull, empty eyes.

Nothing is reflected, no thoughts are carried within—that is the gaze of someone who has given up on all future possibilities.

But for some reason, those eyes captivated Sagan.

"This is a legendary elf captured in the northern holy land of Norden! And as you can see, she has white hair. This isn't dyed; it's naturally white-haired!"

It is generally believed that elves are closer to gods or fairies than to humans. And regardless of race, white-haired individuals, also known as mutants, mostly possess powerful magic.

And the one before me was actually a white-haired elf. If I were to use her as a sacrifice, I could surely obtain power comparable to that of a demon king.

The host then went around behind the elf girl and reached out to scoop up her hair.

"Besides, she's a top-quality female, valuable both as a magical sacrifice and as a slave for enjoyment. Use her however you like, it's all up to you!"

The host announced loudly.

"Then, let's start bidding from ten thousand—"

One million.

Before I knew it, the price had already slipped out.

—What's causing this flutter in my heart?

Is "feeling sorry for someone" what everyone calls that?

Now, all he wanted was to save the standing elven girl, to see her smile, and to kiss and touch her skin.

An unprecedented impulse drove Sagan's every move.

For a moment, the hall was completely silent, and Barbarossa, who was standing to the side, was twitching with emotion.

"Hey, Sagan...?"

"One million Curiotten gold coins."

This figure is equivalent to the total wealth in Sagan Castle.

The stunned host grabbed a handkerchief, wiped his sweat, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Thank you! This customer has offered a good price, one million! Are there any others? Anyone want to raise the price?"

Magicians often have a habit of saving money so they can immerse themselves in the study of magic.

Even if you save money diligently, a million isn't a sum you see every day. Perhaps a few people here could actually afford it, but once that money is spent, there's no guarantee of funding for future research. A million is a huge amount of money.

"Hey, Sagan, are you crazy? Even if she's an elf, who spends money like this..."

"I've been looking for something, but I didn't know what it was. But now, I think I've finally found it."

Sagan didn't know how to explain the feeling, and muttered to himself as if in a dream.

But to onlookers, that burning gaze appeared incredibly wicked. However, since he was driven by lust, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

Barbarossa's eyes widened in fear.

"So, what kind of magic trick are you planning to use it for...?"

It seems that Barbarossa has misunderstood something.

Sagan first shook his head.

"That's not it. I think we might not need any other magic tricks at all. I can't quite put my finger on it, but that's basically it."

"So what you're trying to obtain is some kind of otherworldly power that's not even considered magic...?"

However, that explanation still seemed to be off, making Barbaros even more terrified.

If this continued, with everyone talking at cross purposes, he might become even more flustered. So Sagan responded with a smile, hoping to convey that things weren't as he thought, but even that made him nervous. Oh well, what could he do? Sagan's smile was so wicked.

With a thud, Barbarossa sat down on his backside as if his legs had gone weak.

—Could he have misunderstood something again?

As a result, just as he was busy clarifying things with his bad friend and getting more and more entangled, the gavel sounded to announce the winning bid.

"Then the white-haired elf is won by the magician Sagan! Congratulations to him!"

He didn't remember giving his name, but the host recognized him immediately by his appearance. It seems this person has extensive connections in his industry, but that's no longer important.

Sagan then rose from her seat, ignoring the slumped Barbarossa, and used her flying magic to fly over the audience and gently land on the stage.

When he arrived in front of the girl, she still kept her face down and showed no intention of looking up.

--What should I do? How should I greet someone in this situation?

He flew onto the stage without saying a word, without thinking about what to do next.

Just as he was feeling lost, the host approached him with a fawning expression and struck up a conversation.

"Then please accept her. This elf is very lucky to be bought by the famous magician Lord Sagan. Also, this dress and the collar that seals magic are complimentary. If you remove the collar, she might escape, so please be careful."

"Um."

Sagan had long since ignored the host's words, merely offering perfunctory responses.

—At least face me first! But she must be terrified. I wonder if she's been abused before.

She is so beautiful; she must have suffered some terrible, unspeakable ordeal. Just like the girl this morning.

With a rising unease, Sagan gently reached out and touched the girl's chin.

Her silky smooth and delicate skin even made Sagan uneasy, wondering if she might accidentally hurt her.

But he still tried to move as gently as possible, so the girl's face lifted slightly.

His empty eyes stared at Sagan.

That made him involuntarily let out a sigh. She was indeed a delicate and charming young woman.

But I always felt that their gaze was off-focus, and I couldn't even tell if they were looking at Sagan. Or rather, it was as if they weren't even aware of anything.

—Is she alright? Could she have been brainwashed and controlled by someone?

Magic tricks that strip away consciousness are not uncommon.

Seeing Sagan's deathly pale face, the host cautiously asked:

"Mr. Sagan? Is something wrong?"

"...I mean, this guy should still be conscious, right?"

The deep sound that came from his throat was less about unease and more like the tone of someone in a bad mood. Even he wanted to ask himself what he was angry about.

But after hearing what he said, the host nodded in sudden realization.

"Please rest assured about that. This elf has been very well-behaved since she was captured, so she has been kept in her original state. Besides, her individual magical power is too strong; ordinary magic is ineffective. In short, I can assure you that there is absolutely no problem with her freshness."

If the person offered as a sacrifice has been subjected to magical confinement or brainwashing, impurities may sometimes be introduced, reducing the success rate of the ritual. It seems the officiant thought this was what Sagan was worried about.

However, the elven girl, dressed like a noblewoman, did indeed appear to have no external injuries at first glance. It seemed that although she was a slave, since she was a valuable "commodity," the auctioneers wouldn't be foolish enough to ruin a top-quality item. In this respect, the auctioneer's words should be considered credible.

Sagan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'll believe you. After all, I'd be really worried if I didn't hear her beautiful voice."

What he meant was that he hoped to have a proper talk with her first... but his choice of words was terribly wrong. The host turned pale and stepped back, and even the elven girl seemed to shrink back and tremble.

—Oh, great, so she had been listening to our conversation all along.

Sagan, relieved by the reaction, still didn't understand how misleading her words had been.

This is the story of a man who just moments before found women "troublesome," only to fall in love at first sight for the first time in his life.

Volume One, Chapter Two: The First Love of a Person with Communication Disorders is Like Moldy Bread

Then, things unfolded as they have now.

After paying the full amount, the two returned to their city. Now that they were back, Sagan didn't know how to begin. He remained silent for about fifteen minutes before the girl finally spoke—

"—So, what means would you use to kill me...?"

Is this what they mean by a silvery, bell-like voice? — But Sagan had no time to indulge in such a pleasant sound.

The shackles binding the girl's hands and feet had been removed, but the collar that sealed her magic was still around her neck.

Sagan actually wanted to help her untie it, but even he couldn't untie it so easily, and the host didn't know how to untie it either, nor did he provide any keys or anything like that.

Judging from its appearance, that item must have been a relic of the original purchaser, the Demon King. In any case, we'll just have to spend some time researching it.

Although the girl's face remained expressionless, her subsequent tone was one of profound sorrow.

"I just think that if I knew how I would die, at least I could be mentally prepared..."

It seems that the girl's blank expression did not come from nervousness, but rather from an optimistic outlook.

Upon hearing her say that, Sagan quickly clarified.

"Wait, wait, wait! I have no intention of killing you. Or rather, I'd be in trouble if you died!"

He meant to comfort her, but the girl's expression became even more serious.

"So, you mean I won't have a quick and painless death... is that what you mean?"

The girl, who looked pale as she spoke, looked up at the chains hanging from the ceiling and the white bones chained to them.

Cold sweat trickled down his cheeks.

--No, it's just because I was too lazy to use magic to clean up the dead corners, so I left it untouched!

This city was originally the residence of other magicians. The property used to bid for the girl was left behind by that magician, and strictly speaking, it was not Sagan's savings.

The previous homeowner was a typical magician, and the city was filled with all sorts of torture instruments and magic props, with corpses scattered everywhere. He himself had never been interested in hanging corpses from the ceiling, but even if he denied this, it would probably only make things worse.

Despite her panic, Sagan remained calm and said:

"Don't worry, I won't treat you with anything terrifying, nor do I intend to torture you or do anything to scare you."

Although she couldn't put it in a pleasant tone, Sagan felt that at least she had expressed what she wanted to say... however, whether it was convincing or not was another matter.

Unsure whether she should say she wasn't surprised, the girl turned her head away in bewilderment.

"...? If that's the case, why did you buy me...?"

"Ugh, because..."

This question is perfectly reasonable.