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

Since she's so close to Nefi, it's good to keep her around a little longer!

This was definitely not because I felt sorry for her after hearing her dejected words a few days ago.

His arrogant response made Fa'er's expression turn serious.

"...Didn't you ever consider that I might steal your knowledge?"

This library houses over ten thousand books, and many more were added after the inheritance of Magasiia's legacy; even Sagan is now unsure of the exact number.

The magician's accumulated knowledge comes from one book after another.

Magic, in essence, is about increasing power by complicating magic circles. While spells or items can be used in addition to magic circles, the basic principle remains the same.

What complicates matters is the various symbols known as "circuit".

Each of these books details a specific circuit, so mastering one book is equivalent to learning another circuit. Of course, "mastering" doesn't just mean applying it to magic circles, but rather being able to use it freely in various situations.

Therefore, magic can be "stolen".

Since Varefal possesses strength similar to Sagan's, she should be able to digest these books as well.

—Based on this theory, she would probably need to read more than 10,000 books to become a candidate for Demon King.

While the number of "circuits" doesn't fully represent the strength of an opponent, it is a simple way to measure it.

If Varrefal, being a dragon, could absorb all the "circuits" here, his power might surpass that of Sargon.

But Sagan shrugged nonchalantly.

"Whatever, it's up to you."

"Varied……"

When Sagan answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, Varefal was speechless.

"Is it that surprising to you?"

"...Don't you think this is surprising?"

Her expression suggested that Sagan's decision was completely unreasonable.

—Anyway, I don't care what to do with the magic book I've already read through.

Once Sagan learns the "circuit" from the book, he never goes back to review it. He had already read all the books piled up in the library, and whether they were stolen or burned, it didn't bother him.

Perhaps the ability to grasp the essence of a story after just one reading is the main reason why Sagan is considered one of the great masters of the Demon Lord.

But this seemed incomprehensible to Varefal. Still confused, she kept looking up at Sagan.

Sagan scratched his head and explained to her impatiently:

"Actually, I think knowledge and skills should be 'stolen.' I started with a magician who lived here—I think his name was Antoine… anyway, I killed him and stole his knowledge."

During his time as a homeless child, he was once captured and used as a sacrifice.

Sagan, on the other hand, killed Antoine in return, which is how he became a magician.

Sagan, who was just a human at the time, was able to kill magicians because he watched Antoine's magic and secretly learned it. This skill is still Sagan's signature move to this day.

Stolen items are often more useful in times of crisis.

Therefore, even if someone wanted to steal magic from her, Sagan felt she had no right to stop them.

"Of course, I won't instruct you in every detail like I did with Neferpitou, but I won't stop you even if you sneak into the library to read magic books or secretly learn my magic tricks. That being said, if you steal or damage a book that I haven't read yet, that's a different story."

That being said, he had read all the Magasiian heritage he brought back, so he didn't care if it was stolen.

—And if she really did absorb power in that way, no one could say anything about it.

Sagan went to great lengths to teach her all this probably because he saw a reflection of his own past in her.

Sagan was once a mischievous and unruly child, but a big brother-like boy saved him. Perhaps Sagan simply wanted to emulate that boy.

Varefal shook his head.

"...I don't understand. You're such an arrogant person, capable of forcing me into submission at any time, yet you didn't. Why?"

—If I do that, won't I upset Neferpitou again?

Even if she wasn't upset, she might still look down on herself for doing it. Sagan simply couldn't bring herself to do such a thing in front of Neferpitou.

Sagan, however, snorted arrogantly at the completely unaware Varefal.

"I don't know how long you've lived as a dragon, or how skilled you are as a magician, but here you're just a child. A child can just act like a child and be unreasonable; no one here will be angry with you for it."

He wasn't trying to earn respect.

He just can't let her go.

To shake off the inexplicable confusion in his mind, Sagan roughly ruffled Varefal's hair.

Surprisingly, Fael didn't brush the hand away. Sagan had actually been mentally prepared to be bitten, but she hadn't expected this—

"child……"

Then, for some reason, tears welled up in her eyes.

—Huh? Is it my fault? Did I make her cry?

He made her cry, even though she was a dragon, she looked like a little girl at first glance.

Sagan couldn't help but panic.

"Okay, okay, don't cry!"

"...I didn't cry."

The little girl rubbed her face with both hands, leaving Sagan at a loss for what to do.

"Uh... anyway, isn't it time for dinner? Let's hurry over. If we eat Nefie's cooking, all the tears will stop."

Sagan then took Varefal's hand and they went together to the canteen.

As for Varefal's tightly clenched hand, he pretended not to notice.

◇

"Is it good, Fa'er?"

"Mmm, delicious."

When Varefal, who had been weeping in his study, arrived at the dining room, his tears had stopped.

The two sat down at the table and began their dinner together. Sagan was seated in the center, with Nefertari on his left and Fal on his right, facing each other.

Varefal is now as comfortable as if he were in his own home.

—What a realistic guy.

Although Sagan had just said that eating would stop her from crying, it was still hard to accept her drastic change.

Sagan almost sighed involuntarily, while Varefal, his short legs barely touching the ground, looked at him like this.

"...What's wrong now?"

Sagan glanced back suspiciously, causing Varefal to lower her head slightly. She initially thought she had frightened her again, but then, as if summoning her courage, she spoke:

"...Sagan."

"What's up?"

"...I'm so sorry for interrupting your meal earlier."

This was likely referring to the day of the ambush, but it left Sagan speechless.

"You were having Neferpitou's lunch, and I disturbed you, so it's only natural that you're angry."

"Hmm, hmm! You understand!"

Sagan was momentarily at a loss because she didn't expect her to apologize so honestly, and raised her voice to hide her surprise.

At the same time, a certain idea took shape in my mind.

—Looks like this guy should be fine.

He didn't think he could build any trust with her in just a few days, but it seemed that Fa'er was someone he could work with.

At least, she understood the disadvantages of going against Sagan and the advantages of listening to him.

Having confirmed this in her heart, Sagan turned her gaze to Nefertari.

"By the way, Nefi, I'm planning to take her out tomorrow, you don't mind, do you?"

"Yes, that's possible. May I ask what it's for?"

"I want to return to Magasinia's castle—the Demon King's Palace—to reinvestigate some things."

The castle in Magasiia has no official name, but magicians, out of awe, call it "The Demon King's Palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, Varefal stood up from her chair... but because she was shorter than the chair, her gaze was lower than when she was sitting.

"The former Demon King's castle...?"

"Hmm. Actually, I already did some research before, but the books I brought back didn't contain the information I needed, so I plan to do some research again."

The Demon race, and descriptions related to the "Demon King's Mark".

—It's really strange that I've searched for so much information but haven't found anything.

Clearly, Magasiah did not want anyone else to know about this.

Varefar, however, said with a warning tone:

"...Are you serious? This is tantamount to handing over the knowledge of the Supreme Elder to me."

"Supreme Elder" is the title of Magasiia. The former "Demon King" lived for a thousand years, so people naturally addressed him by this name.

As a result, he naturally accumulated an exceptionally large amount of knowledge.

If one were to investigate, peeking at those books would be a piece of cake. If Varrefal, being a dragon, were to absorb even more knowledge, his strength might surpass that of Sagan and the other Demon Lords.

But Sagan nodded indifferently.

"I've already said, I don't care what kind of knowledge you steal."

Now Varefal was even more confused.

"...But I am your enemy."