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

"Phew... I never thought eating could be such a wonderful thing."

"Mr. Sagan, you always say that at meals."

To outsiders, Neferi appeared as expressionless as usual, but Sagan did not miss the slight upturn of her lips.

It has been a month since Sagan bought Nefi, but the two always have similar conversations whenever they dine together.

Neferpitou, while drinking his soup, asked him:

"Mr. Sagan, what are you investigating lately?"

"Hmm...? Well, in the Barbaros incident, didn't we encounter the 'Demon Clan'? We were investigating things related to them."

"Is the investigation not going very smoothly?"

"Yes, there aren't any key clues in Magasiia's legacy. But he was a Demon King who lived for over a thousand years, so I don't think he would be completely uninterested in demons."

Perhaps it was precisely because it was a crucial clue that he hid it.

—Perhaps we should return to our home city in Magasiah and conduct another investigation.

When Sagan accepted the Mark of the Demon Lord, he also inherited Magasiia's legacy, which included not only physical property but also the former Demon Lord's residence and knowledge.

But what exactly is hidden inside remains to be investigated by Sagan himself to find out.

Sagan's gaze fell on his right hand.

—I feel like I've seen a similar emblem somewhere before…

And that must have happened recently.

While pondering this, Sagan also felt puzzled.

"I didn't expect you to ask that, that's strange. Are you interested in demons?"

"No, it's just that you looked so tired during your recent investigations, Mr. Sagan, that made me a little concerned..."

Sagan touched his face. He thought he looked the same as usual, but he didn't expect to look so tired.

So, is this why she tried to scare me just now?

It seems that Neferpitou just wanted to cheer him on in her own way.

This thoughtfulness alone warmed Sagan's heart, but he merely hummed in response.

"After all, he's the former Demon King. It wouldn't be fun to reveal the secret too quickly. I'd like to see what other tricky questions he can come up with next."

"Yes."

The words, neither boastful nor complaining, slipped out, and Neferpitou gave a brief, knowing response.

Why can't I even say "thank you" at a time like this...?

Before they knew it, the two had finished their meal, and Nefi served dessert.

"Please use it."

"Uh, um."

The pudding that Nefi served was a bouncy, gelatinous substance drizzled with black caramel syrup.

So, what kind of food is this?

For Sagan, who lived on dried meat and milk before meeting Neferpitou, this was a completely foreign thing.

Judging from its texture, it resembled a hard-boiled egg, but it wobbled with the slightest shake of the table, making it seem as if it might break at the slightest touch of a spoon. She had just described it as steamed, but it was impossible to tell whether it was cooked or raw.

Just as he was at a loss for what to do, Neferpitou pointed to the small spoon.

"Please take a spoon and enjoy it."

"……I see."

Having finally made up his mind, he scooped the top layer of pudding with a spoon.

With almost no resistance, the wheat-colored, trembling solid lay nestled in the spoon. Sagan, afraid of spoiling it with too much roughness, carefully brought the spoon to her mouth, and then—

"—Mmm, so sweet!"

"yes!"

Neferi then nodded in relief.

This world is truly vast. I never imagined it could contain such sweet and blissful feelings.

Sagan felt a rush of heat to his eyes, and tears almost welled up in his eyes. He quickly looked up.

At that moment, he remembered that he had something he absolutely had to do.

But at that moment...

With a loud bang, the protective barrier around the castle shattered.

◇

"...Hmm? We have a guest."

Sagan muttered nonchalantly.

Sagan had erected a protective barrier around his castle on his territory. Ordinary people wouldn't even know there was a castle there, let alone approach it. And if the barrier were broken, even more powerful magical traps awaited the intruders; however, today's uninvited guests seemed to have even broken through the traps.

—It seems the other party is no ordinary person.

Neferi's understanding of these matters was unknown; she simply tilted her head slightly like a little bird.

"Should we go greet the guests?"

"...No. We're still eating, let's not worry about the guests yet."

The reason he answered so slowly and deliberately was because this was something Sagan was already used to.

This is also another problem that Sagan has had to deal with recently.

—Ever since becoming the Demon King, such "visitors" have been coming to my door frequently.

Sagan is eighteen years old this year. In the eyes of magicians who have lived for hundreds of years, he is just a fledgling kid. Yet he has inherited the throne of the "Demon King," which must make a lot of people feel resentful. Although the number of people coming to Sagan to learn from him is not yet overwhelming, on average one person comes to his door every two days.

Some of the uninvited guests were magicians who thought themselves highly skilled, while others were paladins from the church.

...By the way, the most memorable uninvited guest after becoming the Demon King was the three knights of the church who not only overestimated themselves but also sought the wrong enemy.

Sagan initially disdained those who came to cause trouble.

But that was before. Things will be different from now on.

Now he has Nefertari.

The girl Sagan fell in love with for the first time was also the one who taught him what happiness was.

Those who cause trouble may be insignificant sparks, but if they fall on Neferi, they could still burn her.

—Those kinds of fools must be wiped out completely.

That would be the first step in bringing Nefarian into the sunlight. Once everyone understands how unwise it is to challenge Sagan, no one will dare to attack Nefarian again.

To achieve the effect of making an example of someone, you shouldn't kill those uninvited guests, but rather torment them until they are half-dead, instilling terror and despair in their hearts, and then give them a way out.

If a person dies, there is no way to spread fear.

That's what they say, but Sagan still stays by Neferpitou's side, enjoying pudding.

—Anyway, a trap can make the other party suffer, and Neferpitou won't see the process.

Sagan didn't want to kill someone in front of Neferpitou. She was too gentle; even if it was just a piece of trash who died, she would still feel heartache for that person. Besides, the process of Sagan killing someone might frighten her.

If she saw such a sight and hated herself, Sagan wasn't sure she could recover.

Therefore, Sagan did not get up and continued to enjoy the lunch that belonged to the two of them.

However, this time our opponent will probably find their way here.

The approaching intruders did not accidentally trigger Sagan's barrier, but rather broke it directly. Therefore, they may break through other barriers to reach the castle directly.

To keep an eye on the pudding she'd only taken a bite of, Sagan carefully held the spoon. Such an amazing dessert couldn't be wolfed down. Despite the intruder's approach, Sagan continued to savor each bite, one after another.

"Mmm, not bad, this is really delicious."

"I'm truly terrified. But is this really alright? About that, um, guest..."

Neferi seemed to harbor resentment towards the uninvited guest, and spoke with unease.

"It'll be pretty much the same as usual anyway. It's their own fault for choosing who to dine with; we don't need to worry about them."

"oh……"

Although there was a hint of hesitation in her words, Neferi didn't say anything more.

Her mouth, however, quickened its pace as she chewed the bread. Perhaps because her mouth was small, she ate very slowly. Watching Neferpitou's hurried and busy eating was a small pleasure for Sagan.

Just as they had eaten about half of it.

At that moment, the city gate was breached with a deafening roar.

"...Today's guests are really impatient."

It seems that the other side has indeed dealt with all the traps and barriers set up by Sagan, and even knows the location of Sagan and the others, and is heading straight towards the restaurant.

"well……"

Magic can fix a broken door, but it can't save a dusty lunch.

Sagan helplessly reached out and waved his hand into the air, and the restaurant door opened automatically.

The one who emerged from it was a strange man wearing a mask.

It was a mask shaped like a snake, reminiscent of ethnic clothing. The uninvited guest wore a black robe, the hood pulled so high that his race was impossible to discern. Beneath the robe, his hands and feet were covered in rough armor.

The strange man seemed to have not expected anyone to come to greet him, and stood there frozen in surprise.

—He's really big.

Sagan's height is within the average range for an adult male, but the weirdo is a head taller than him.

Then, the strange man murmured as if he had made up his mind.

"Are you Sagan, the Demon King?"

The strange man asked this in a muffled, indistinct voice.