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

The three excited knights arrived. Upon spotting Sagan, they immediately stepped forward to protect Shesty.

"Hmm, aren't you Sagan?! What kind of wicked scheme are you plotting against Lady Shestie now!"

Their excited expressions were unforgettable, so Sagan nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you guys are... what was it again? Three Idiots?"

"It's the Three Knights of the Azure Sky!"

"It doesn't matter what she's called. Anyway, I didn't do anything to her...!?"

Just as he was about to chase them away, he noticed that Fa'er's eyes were full of murderous intent, and her arm had transformed into a dragon claw.

"stop."

He whispered a warning, and Fa'er flinched.

"……Why?"

"There are many of Nefi's friends in this town. If you make a move here, someone will die."

After being warned by him, Fa'er had no choice but to stop, looking resentful.

—Do these three idiots have some kind of grudge against Fa'er?

Given their hostile attitude towards magicians, it's not surprising that they would cause trouble for other magicians.

However, the three knights failed to notice Fal's murderous aura, continuing to glare fiercely at Sagan. Since her appearance as the Undead differed from her current one, perhaps they simply hadn't anticipated that Fal and the Undead were the same person.

Sagan sensed that things would get increasingly complicated, so he waved his hand to drive the knights away.

"If you have nothing else to do, then get lost. I'm very busy today."

Even if there's nothing to do, it's still not good for a magician to be seen talking to a paladin in front of so many people. Sagan himself isn't the problem, but it could potentially drag Shestie down with him.

—Although she seemed somewhat troubled today.

But even if Sagan the Demon King wanted to help Shestie, the wielder of the Holy Sword, it would only backfire and bring her disaster.

The three knights snorted dismissively.

"Do you even need to tell us? We have nothing to talk to you about, you demon king!"

"Let's go, Lady Shestie. Please take care of your own affairs now."

"Wait, wait a minute..."

Before she could even speak, Shess was taken away surrounded by knights.

But Sagan didn't forget the words they left behind before they left.

Right now, please focus on your own affairs.

It seems she has indeed gotten herself into trouble again.

Not only Sagan, but Neferi also clearly noticed this, his eyes filled with unease as he watched her leave.

"Is Miss Shestia alright?"

"Who knows? But she seems quite popular, so surely someone else will be able to help her."

Even if Sagan, being a magician, were to get involved, it would only make her situation more difficult.

Although Sagan wasn't indifferent to her, he was now more concerned about Far's attitude as she glared at the backs of the knights.

"More importantly, Fa'er. What did those guys do to you before?"

"...How is it wrong for magicians to dislike paladins?"

"I didn't say you were wrong. This is indeed a matter of course."

It seems she has some secret she doesn't want to tell anyone. Although her dragon-transformed arm has returned to normal, her answer is clearly evasive.

—What she just showed was clearly hatred…

That was fundamentally different from the hostility she displayed when she stormed Sagan's place the other day. If she harbored the same hatred towards Sagan, Sagan probably wouldn't have kept her around.

Sagan shrugged and looked in the direction where Shestie and the others had left.

—Hopefully, nothing bad will happen next…

But as he sighed, he didn't realize that he had already prepared himself to protect her from the "trouble".

◇

"We've arrived. This is the Demon King's Palace."

The city of Magasiia was built on ancient ruins.

This space is the same as the underground auction venue where Sagan met Neferpitou. Most of the structure is buried deep underground, but this underground cavity is wide enough to accommodate a whole small shop, and the entire city wall buried in it is very imposing.

In the very center of the stone wall is a door leading into the city.

Sagan and Nefi had been here before, while Fal, who was new to the place, looked up at the gate in surprise.

In short, it can be confirmed that her negative emotions towards the paladin have dissipated.

"So there are buildings like this underground?"

"Yes, but this was originally a structure on the surface, which sank underground later. I don't know if it was due to tectonic shifts or the power of Magasian magic."

The castle itself is hundreds of years old, making it difficult to find traces of magic.

That being said, if a tectonic shift had truly occurred that plunged the entire city underground, there should have been some kind of record or documented evidence. In other words, this was most likely the result of Magasiia's magic.

That was a formidable strength that even Sagan could not imitate.

—Do I have to defeat twelve monsters like this first in order to do whatever I want?

But in order to protect Nefi and let her live in the sunlight, these are obstacles that must be faced sooner or later.

Just as Sagan was once again realizing how difficult her plan had been, Fale continued:

"I don't know why, but it feels so familiar."

Sagan's eyes widened in surprise.

"You haven't been here before, have you?"

"No. But the atmosphere here is very similar to where I used to live."

"Are you telling the truth?"

Sagan crouched down, bringing his line of sight to Far's.

Although the little dragon girl opened her eyes wide in surprise, she still nodded.

"Hmm. Although there's no castle there, the way the caves are built is very similar. And the taste is too."

"What do you mean by 'taste'?"

"The scent of magic. Dragons must have lived here before."

This was something Sagan had never anticipated.

—Does that mean...this is the ruins of a dragon?

If this is true, perhaps this time we can uncover new clues that Sagan couldn't find before. Although Far is young, she is ultimately a dragon through and through.

"Alright, then report to me if there's anything related to dragons in the castle later, no matter how small."

"Okay. But if there's a book I like, may I read it?"

"...I don't object to you taking it back, but let's see how it goes when we get home."

"Um."

Sagan wasn't sure if she had taken his words to heart.

Fa'er's face was flushed, and she seemed very excited. Perhaps it was the lingering fragrance left by her compatriots that made her so thrilled?

—No wonder she forgot all about the paladin as soon as she got here.

It's also possible that children's interests are just so unpredictable.

Amidst a mixture of amusement and exasperation, Sagan opened the city gates.

As soon as the door opened, a wave of cold air, musty smells, and dust hit you.

There were no lights in the city, only an endless darkness that seemed to lead to the underworld, and a sense of oppression permeated it, as if the magic of the Demon King still lingered within.

It is said that Magasilia had no human companions. All matters of daily life, big and small, were handled by the magical servants and artificial life forms called golems that he created.

With Magasiah's death, the servants left the castle or turned into the original clods of earth.

In other words, no one in the world knows the full extent of the castle.

Neferi reached out and grabbed his robe.

Sagan shook hands with him and went inside the castle.

The moment he took a step, the magic circle sensed its master's return, and the candlesticks on the wall lit up one by one, dispelling the darkness like ripples on a lake, but instead making the oppressive feeling inside even stronger.

"Sagan, what's that?"

Farah pointed to the huge statue that was bowing its head towards Sagan and the others.

On the other side of the door was a spacious hall, where a statue in the likeness of a demon stood.

"Hmm, that should be an artificial life form, a golem, or a synthetic creature, a chimera, which is a kind of creature created by magic."

So, he could be considered the manager here. But now he's completely petrified, unable to sense even a trace of magic.

This answer left Fa'er speechless.

"A living being... is he alive?"

"That seems to be the case. But unfortunately, I don't know how to free and use him."

A barrier was set up around the statue. Sagan only knew it was some kind of device, but its function was not yet clear.

"Is he considered a security guard for this place?"

Nefi tilted his head and looked at Sagan, asking.

"I think so. But because his original owner, Magasiah, died, it malfunctioned. If you mess with it, it could cause him to lose control, which would be troublesome, so please don't touch it."

"Uh, um..."