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

"This should work, right?"

"Yes."

"What an uninvited guest who's causing trouble."

Sagan muttered to himself, feeling bewildered that he had hit the child in front of Neferpitou, and the girl followed him to his side.

This is the first small change they've faced in their lives, which were originally just the two of them.

Volume 2, Chapter 2: The dragon she found was so clingy that she had no choice but to adopt her as her daughter.

"Shesty Liqqvist—all your authority as Paladin Commander is frozen indefinitely from today."

The announcement from her direct superior, the Cardinal Secretary, left Shestie speechless with her head bowed.

Beside her, the holy sword that symbolized her identity was no longer visible. As for the ownerless holy sword, it is now kept in the church's treasury.

The incident began about two weeks ago.

The throne of the thirteenth Demon King, which was temporarily vacant, was eventually inherited by a young magician named Sagan.

Naturally, in order to eliminate Sagan before he became too powerful, the church amassed its forces.

Shessty expressed her opposition to this matter.

"The magician Sagan saved my life twice; I cannot repay kindness with enmity."

In truth, Sagan could have taken a more discreet and wiser path. But he didn't just pursue the immense power known as the "Demon King," nor was he willing to compromise with his own way of life.

It was this very man who made Shestie feel deeply ashamed.

Therefore, she was no longer willing to go against her conscience and become his enemy.

As the wielder of the Holy Sword—the Church's most powerful force—and the only woman with widespread popular support, Shess's decision could easily be described as apostasy.

The Church, of course, could not send someone like her to fight against Sagan, so the Cardinal announced the previous decision.

This means that the campaign against Sagan had no deeper meaning for the church than demonstrating its power.

They are simply labeling magicians as evil in order to justify themselves.

Compared to the threat of powerful magicians, the internal divisions are a bigger problem.

—It seems that the corruption in the church has reached a point of no return.

Just as she was about to let out a sigh, the paladins waiting behind her suddenly spoke up:

"Please wait a moment, Venerable Glewell! Such punishment is far too harsh."

"That's right! Based on Her Excellency Shestie's past achievements, there should still be plenty of room for maneuver in this matter."

"Besides, now that a new Demon King has appeared, wouldn't the church be even more chaotic if we were missing a holy sword?"

"Alright, stop talking!"

The knights' reaction prompted Shess to raise her voice.

Faced with such impatient paladins, the elderly cardinal sighed deeply.

"In your eyes, did I make this decision without any emotion?"

"this……"

The Cardinal sighed, his appearance even more aged than before, which silenced the paladins.

—I became a paladin to protect those around me…

She then obtained the power of the Holy Sword, which she used to protect the people who were suffering under the magician's cruel hand, and she was proud of this.

And without realizing it, as if it were only natural, she also became someone who obeyed the church's every word, and could no longer wield the sword according to her own will.

They simply raised an objection, arguing that the magician wasn't a bad person, and yet this caused such a huge uproar.

—But in this way, I guess I've at least repaid Sagan's favor.

This at least significantly delayed the formation of the expeditionary force. The shrewd magician couldn't possibly be completely unprepared for the church, and this should buy them more time.

Without thinking, she remembered the elven girl beside Sagan.

Despite being a magician's handmaid, she treated Shestie like a close friend. If Shestie hadn't been a paladin, the two might have become good friends.

Even though it was just a hypothetical idea, she couldn't help but think about it.

The cardinal's hand rested lightly on Shestie's shoulder.

"Sester, don't be so discouraged. I should be able to withdraw your punishment in a little while."

The words that brought hope made Shestie's eyes widen slightly.

"You mean...?"

The Cardinal looked back at Shestie with the same tenderness one would show to one's own children.

"The Holy Sword chooses its master by its own will. Impeaching someone chosen by the Holy Sword is, in principle, something that should not happen. So you'll just have to endure this hardship for now, but I will do my best to help you."

"...Please don't say that."

Shestia replied quietly.

—Although the church has degenerated, there may still be room for salvation.

At least for now, you can still find people here who agree with Shessty.

Thinking of this, her eyes welled up with tears, but the Cardinal's expression remained solemn.

"However, Shistie, please be very careful. The protection I'm referring to is limited to the political sphere."

"...What do you mean?"

Cardinal Glywell sighed again, his voice heavy with worry, and continued:

"Raphael Schröland—the man who wields the same holy sword as you, known as the Fiend Paladin Commander—has already set off here."

Upon hearing this name, Shestie gasped.

He was a great man over fifty years old who continues to add to his heroic deeds. In addition to his superb swordsmanship, he also had a brutal personality, earning him the nickname "Demon Star".

Grawell continued calmly:

"It's wrong to criticize the wielder of the Holy Sword, but I've heard some unpleasant rumors about that man."

Known as a jinx, he came to the church where the apostate Shestie was.

—Purge.

The two bloody words flashed through his mind, but what Glewell said next was different.

"I heard he plans to gather his supporters and establish a new force within the church."

Shess was taken aback by what she heard.

Although the size of this force is unknown, the Church views magicians as an evil organization, and there must be many paladins and clergy who stand on his side.

If this comes to pass, the Fiendish Paladin Commander will wield even greater power. And since he chose this crucial moment to come here…

—This is probably some kind of omen of impending war.

Apostasy for the wielder of the holy sword is a stain on the history of the church.

If he were to eliminate the holder of the holy sword, the news would shock the world and shake the entire church.

Even so, I will still act according to my own will.

This might jeopardize her future, but Shessty has no regrets.

◇

"here it is……?"

Illustration p043

The little girl, Varefal, opened one eye a crack and murmured blankly.

This is a room inside the castle.

Not long ago, this place was full of specimens of unknown creatures and test tubes used for experiments, but those things have now been replaced with simple furniture and beds, turning it into a decent guest room.

Sagan's guests were either assassins who wanted to take away his knowledge and status, or villains who disliked him. Preparing a guest room for him would be pointless, but Neferpitou said, "Don't you have Mr. Barbarossa as a guest?" and prepared this room for him.

Sagan had no intention of letting that scoundrel use the room Nefi had painstakingly prepared, but he wasn't the only potential guest.

—Who knows, one day, Neferpitou's friends might come looking for her.

For example, there's Manila, the shop assistant at the Kiannoinde clothing store mentioned during lunch, and Shestie, the paladin whom Nefi had known at some point.

If they really come, Sagan can't just send them away.

Meanwhile, Sagan and Nefair were sitting side by side in the guest room, keeping watch over Varefal's condition.

In the tidy room, which was completely different from the desolate scenery outside, the little girl looked around with a confused expression.

Seeing her appearance, Sagan breathed a sigh of relief.

—Ah, thank goodness, she's still alive.

Although Neferpitou had confirmed that she was still alive and breathing while sleeping, Sagan was still worried that she might not wake up.

In principle, Sagan avoids killing enemies as much as possible.

This wasn't just for Nefi's sake; it was also a result of considering the disposal of corpses within the territory. Therefore, he usually just lightly knocked out his enemies and threw them out of the barrier, without ever confirming their life or death.

As for controlling the amount of force, that's the thing he's least confident about.

The girl known as Varefal now lay on the bed, her armor and robes removed. Underneath her large, impractical suit of armor, she wore only a tattered shirt and no trousers.

Although she was a child, the armor seemed to contain only the most basic clothing.

Her hair was braided, with two horns growing out from it and pointing backward. When she finally opened her eyes, they were golden, and she was only about as tall as Sagan's waist.

If you remove the horns from her head, she looks like a human little girl at first glance.

"……you!"

She seemed to have regained her senses; her golden eyes suddenly widened, and she leaped off the bed, punching Sagan with her fist.

"...Hmm. Well, since you're so energetic, it should be alright."

Sagan, on the other hand, took the punch with complete ease.