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

"Then you can order her around as you please."

Varrefar had no grudge against Sagan, nor did he want the throne of the Demon King. Even if he made a mistake, it did not warrant death.

This is about enough to punish a child.

—While helping her, teach her what she can and cannot do.

Sagan may not be qualified to talk about good and evil, but at least she can teach her the basic common sense and rules of being a bad guy. The other girl is just a child, while Sagan is already half an adult.

If she behaves well and doesn't make the same mistake again, that's good. But if she still doesn't learn her lesson, then I'll stop doing Sagan's thing.

But Varefal looked incredulous after hearing Sagan's words.

"Don't you... intend to eat me?"

Her unexpected words left Sagan feeling dizzy.

"...Wait, why has it turned into me planning to eat you?"

He knew he was born with the appearance of a bad person, but he still couldn't accept that she saw him as someone who would devour a child alive.

So Varefal stammered:

"...Humans can become stronger by eating the flesh and blood of dragons...that's what I heard."

"Oh, so there really is such a legend."

Bathing in dragon blood grants immortality, eating dragon meat grants boundless magic, and drinking boiled dragon bones cures all diseases—there have been many such legends since ancient times.

When Varrefal's hands and feet turned into dragons, Sagan suspected that she might be a magician who had eaten dragons.

No wonder she was so scared.

If a person were to be carried off as food by a carnivorous beast, even if they could communicate, they would surely be terrified.

So that's why the little girl was wearing armor and putting on a show. Her situation is actually quite similar to that of Neferi, the elf who is always being hunted.

Although Varrefal is a dragon, she is only a young dragon, and she is not necessarily able to win against a paladin or a powerful magician. She has to hide her true identity, and the reason she uses human magic is for self-preservation.

Thinking about this, it's no wonder that this little girl is so obsessed with violence.

Sagan scoffed.

"Stop talking nonsense. Whether you're a dragon or a human, who would do something as disgusting as eating a brat like you?"

After Sagan finished speaking in a fierce tone, Varefal was probably frightened again, and tears welled up in his eyes once more.

That's why I hate kids...

But he remembered the older children who had taken care of him when he was a child and made a living by scavenging for garbage.

What would they do in this situation?

I remember them whenever this happened—

Sagan sighed softly and asked:

"Nefi, there should be some leftovers from lunch, right?"

"Yes, there's some bread and soup left."

Neferi seemed puzzled as to why he would suddenly ask such a question, his ears twitching in bewilderment.

So Sagan continued, somewhat annoyed:

"...Let her eat it."

Neferpitou blinked a few times, then revealed an obvious smile.

"Okay! I'll go heat it up right away."

After saying that, Neferi left quickly, leaving Sagan with a sour face and a bewildered Varefal in the room.

"...What do you mean by this?"

"Don't you know? This is called charity, it's my compassion for the weak."

He had clearly thought of how to comfort her, but what came out of his mouth was this pretentious and affected manner.

When Sagan was a homeless child, he almost starved to death once, but a boy gave him some bread. At that time, he craved the strength to survive, and that small act made him feel as if he had been reborn.

—I still vividly remember the taste of that bread.

Although Varefal wasn't hungry, eating something would probably ease her tension.

Sagan didn't actually care whether people liked or disliked her, but her inexplicable fear of herself was really unpleasant, which is why he did the same thing as the boy at that time.

Varefal looked unsure whether to be angry or scared, and soon after, Neferi brought the food in a cart.

"Please use it."

Looking at the plate Nefi handed him, Varefal finally showed a look of humiliation.

"—Let me make this clear first, I hate people who waste food the most. If you dare to ruin Nefie's cooking... I will definitely kill you."

These words sounded so sincere that they made Varefal tremble, and he cautiously accepted the soup dish.

Then she carefully picked up the spoon and scooped up a spoonful of soup.

"...It's really good, drink it."

"Hmph, do you need to tell me?"

Sagan nodded smugly, making Nefi blush so much that the tips of his ears turned red.

"...You flatter me."

This made Sagan somewhat embarrassed, and he got up from his seat.

"I'm going back to the library now. After you finish eating, you can work with Neferpitou."

He finished speaking and was about to leave when Varefal spoke up, puzzled:

"Wait, wait a minute."

"...What is it now?"

"Didn't you consider the possibility that I might harm this woman? Didn't you consider the possibility that I might run away?"

"Whatever makes you happy."

Sagan continued nonchalantly:

"Your secret is in my hands. If you don't understand the consequences of running away, then I won't stop you."

Young dragons, if not handled carefully, can be coveted by humans even more than elves, a fact that Varrefar himself has acknowledged.

Of course, this was just to scare her; Sagan wouldn't actually spread it around.

But if he just lets people go like that, then his previous practice of using the punishment of intruders as a warning to others would lose its meaning.

He would punish her by making her clean, and that was all. Besides, since Neferpitou was there, she should be better able to teach her right from wrong than he was.

Then, Sagan's gaze shifted to Nefertari.

"Besides—"

Regarding the other question, the answer is simple and clear.

"There's something you don't seem to understand. You should know that Nefertari is far more capable than you."

If it were when they first met, it wouldn't have mattered, but Nefi now has a strong will to survive. Once she uses "magic," her strength is even greater than that of a paladin. Moreover, the castle's barrier also enhances Nefi's abilities.

Even sending the Holy Sword would be difficult to defeat Neferpitou in Sagan's territory.

Sagan then left the bewildered little girl and Neferpitou behind and returned to the library alone.

◇

—That's what you say, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?

A few quarters of an hour later, the moon rose in the night sky.

Sagan, who had left the room, was now gazing at Nefair and Varrefar in the distance. Judging by their strength, Nefair should theoretically not lose, but if Varrefar launched a surprise attack, the outcome was uncertain.

Once the idea took hold, he lost all interest in investigating further, which is why he secretly followed the two of them like this.

They were now clearing away the dishes and preparing dinner. Perhaps because of the presence of Varefal, they were preparing more ingredients than usual.

Varefal seemed to understand that going against Sagan was not a good idea, and obediently followed Neferpitou's instructions to clean.

Furthermore, she's currently wearing that robe, which she's magically altered to fit her size. No, perhaps this is the robe's actual size; it might have been enlarged to fit her armor.

In short, she was no longer dressed in that embarrassing way.

"Miss Varefal, could you please put this plate back for me?"

"...Just call me Fa'er."

Neferi wasn't as wary of her as Sagan was. Varefal, on the other end, answered anxiously, then continued haltingly:

"Excuse me, did Neferi make that soup?"

"Yes. I prepare all three meals here."

"I love so much."

It seems that having Neferi call her by her nickname was her way of expressing gratitude.

"Yes, you're welcome."

Neferi nodded with a seemingly calm expression, but the tips of his ears trembled slightly.

"Then, Fa'er, thank you for your help."

"……Um."

Although she is a dragon, she looks like just a little girl.

And the sight of her bustling about at Neferpitou's feet somehow made even Sagan smile.

After observing the scene for a while, Neferpitou finally spoke again, asking Varefal:

Are you afraid of Mr. Sagan?

"……Um."

"Mr. Sagan may seem fierce on the surface, but he is actually a kind-hearted person despite his stern appearance."