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

"Then let me ask you this: Is she strong enough to rival you?"

"I can't really explain it... but at least she's the most troublesome human I've ever dealt with."

Although Shesty had been captured by Barbaros, Sagan had never actually seen her seriously wield a sword.

Sagan had fought both of them before. If they were to clash head-on, it's uncertain whether Barbarossa would win against Shestie.

Upon hearing Sagan's response, Raphael's eyes narrowed sharply, like the tip of a knife.

"I see. In other words, she does indeed pose a threat to the 'Church'."

"...? I don't quite understand what you mean. What are you trying to say?"

That sounded as if to say that Shesty was an enemy of the church.

Raphael's rock-like face twisted into a smiling shape.

"She was a dissident who opposed the defeat of the Demon King, which was sufficient grounds for the Church to execute her. She had also been stripped of the Holy Sword before... It's really foolish. As long as the holder of the Holy Sword is alive, the next Holy Knight cannot inherit the Holy Sword."

Sagan's eyes widened upon hearing this.

That guy is way too stupid!

She could have just pretended, but she foolishly chose to go against everyone and even defend Sagan.

Sagan held his head and let out a long sigh.

"Although I also thought that guy probably wouldn't live much longer, I really didn't expect her to actually..."

"Yes, that's absolutely right. I actually warned her beforehand, but it seems she didn't listen."

Raphael's words carried a hint of pity, which left Sagan momentarily stunned.

—Could it be that he plans to get rid of Shesty?

Given his penchant for hunting down magicians, it's quite reasonable that he would want to personally kill the traitors who protect magicians.

At this point, Sagan finally understood why the man didn't exude murderous intent.

—He just came to confirm my relationship with Shessty.

Or, to put it another way, to find justification for getting rid of Shesty.

Although her best friend is Neferi, not Sagan, her words just now could easily lead to misunderstandings.

"This is bad," Sagan groaned inwardly, just as Raphael got up.

"Alright, there's no point in saying anything more to you. I should head back now."

"...Wait a minute."

Even Sagan could feel his voice turning cold.

"What's up?"

Raphael turned his head and looked at her with an expression as if he were ready to fight her at any moment if she said something wrong.

"Shestia is quite popular in this town and has many friends. It seems that many people would be saddened if she died."

Sagan may not know, but Nefi and Manila will definitely be very sad.

Therefore, Sagan arrogantly declared:

"And this town is my territory. If you do anything out of line, I won't let it go."

This has nothing to do with the church or the paladins. Since Shestie is a resident of Chinnorind, she is Sagan's property.

If anyone dares to lay a hand on her, Sagan will hold them accountable—that's what Sagan's protection is all about.

The only reason he hasn't acted yet is because he's surrounded by "people who can be used as shields," and he's currently enjoying his wine. A shop can be restored with magic, but healing a person is a different story.

But these are just reasons why he is unwilling to go to war, not because he is incapable of fighting.

—After all, having to dodge the shields while fighting him is incredibly troublesome.

Raphael, unsure whether he understood the meaning behind his words, widened his eyes in surprise.

"This doesn't sound like something the Demon King would say."

"This is the arrogance that only the Demon King possesses."

After Sagan gave that answer, Raphael laughed heartily.

"Hahaha, it seems you are just as I expected. Very good, this is the kind of 'evil' that the church is determined to eradicate."

What emanated from Raphael was not a murderous aura, but an uplifting spirit.

—So, he never considered magicians as human beings?

It's just like humans hunting. When humans hunt, they don't have murderous intent or hostility; they only feel the excitement of killing their prey.

Finally, Raphael left the tavern with a smile—as if he were always ready to welcome Sagan to come at him.

Once relieved of the tension, the tavern's patrons all breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Barbarossa, who had slumped back into his chair, Sagan whispered:

"...How disgusting."

"What paladin doesn't annoy a magician? Don't you think we should chase after him now and strike first to kill him?"

Sagan watched Barbaross shouting indignantly, and simply sighed.

"...That's true. Then Barbarossa, you can run the errand for me."

Barbarossa was so surprised that his jaw dropped.

"Hey, are you telling me to go die?"

"I do wish you dead, but don't get me wrong."

"You really want me dead!?"

Sagan shook his head, looking impatiently at his friend who was on the verge of tears.

"Didn't I tell you not to misunderstand? I need you to go and check on Shirley's condition."

Barbarossa had a title called "Purgatory".

Purgatory is said to be located between Heaven and Hell, and between dimensions, there is also a kind of alternate dimension generated by magic.

Barbarossa was able to freely enter and exit that space, and thus earned this title.

Whether it was his skill in kidnapping Neferpitou and Shestie, or his ability to easily seize Sagan's teleportation magic circle, he was particularly skilled in teleportation and summoning. Sending him to secretly protect Shestie would be effortless for him.

—That's probably why he was able to summon such demons.

What he did before would be even more difficult for Sagan to do; he might need the power of the Demon King's Mark to barely accomplish it.

But Barbarossa looked clearly unwilling upon hearing this.

"Huh? Why would I do something like that?"

"I'll give you more benefits, so hurry up and go."

Barbaros seemed quite surprised.

"Seriously, you're not really planning to save that paladin, are you?"

"Sometimes you have to think of it this way: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Besides, if we just do the wielder of the Holy Sword a favor, don't you think things will get interesting?"

"Sigh, you'll definitely regret it later."

Despite his complaints, he didn't refuse again.

After that, Barbarossa sank into his own shadow. It seems he entered the inferno, true to its name, to spy on Shesty's condition.

But at that moment, Sagan suddenly realized something.

"...That kid left without paying."

Although it was Sagan who asked him to leave, Sagan still felt cheated.

◇

Upon returning to the city, it was already a brand new day after the change of days.

—Nefi and the others should be asleep by now, right?

Neferpitou has to get up early every day, and if she's not asleep by this time, it will affect her schedule the next day. But not hearing her voice when she returns to the city still makes her feel a little lonely.

If you just want to see what she looks like, you can go to her bedroom. But Neferi's room is on the top floor, and if you make noise going upstairs, you might wake her up.

Therefore, Sagan tried to walk as quietly as possible back to the throne room, but...

(Welcome back, Mr. Sagan.)

Neferi, dressed in his pajamas, was waiting for him in front of the throne.

"Nefi, aren't you asleep yet?"

Sagan stared wide-eyed in surprise, but Neferpitou raised his index finger and shushed him.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that besides Neferi sitting on the ground, Fael was also lying on her lap, breathing heavily. It seemed they were waiting here together for Sagan to return.

(You guys could actually go to sleep first.)

After Sagan finished speaking, Nefertori gave a wry smile.

(Far insists on waiting here for Mr. Sagan to return.)

But the person in question had clearly fallen asleep first, causing Sagan to naturally let her lips fall into a smile.

(Wasn't this brat an uninvited guest who came to cause trouble in the first place to obtain the power of the Demon King?)

(But wasn't it you, Mr. Sagan, who kept her by your side?)

As Neferpitou spoke, she reached out and gently stroked Fal's head. The young girl seemed to feel a little ticklish and squirmed a few times.

So Sagan bent down and sat down beside the two of them.

(Hmm... what did you guys have for dinner today?)

Who would come home and immediately think about something like this? Sagan couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, but Neferi nodded quietly.

(Today I only had some lamb soup and salad.)

(Oh, do you have that soup? It would be a shame to miss it.)