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

If Glewell hadn't intervened, she might have already died at the hands of the man who most wanted to kill her.

But Shesty had defied the entire church, and anyone could have poisoned her. There were far too many suspects to list if one wanted to piece things together.

Sagan seemed to see through Shestia's thoughts and slowly shook his head.

"That man... his name seems to be Raphael? I don't think it could be him."

"Why? And... so you know Lord Raphael too?"

Shestie asked in surprise, and Sagan first sighed helplessly.

"He came and disrupted our drinking session earlier, and I was a little annoyed with him."

It seems that the terrible man wasn't just targeting Shesty, but had even harassed Sagan as well.

"He's the man who's killed nearly five hundred magicians, so he should prefer to execute you on the spot—by sword—rather than resorting to tricks like poisoning. Besides, he already has a legitimate reason to execute you."

"Name...?"

She didn't know what Sagan was referring to, and he seemed unwilling to answer.

As she looked on in surprise, Sagan closed the book and stood up.

"Anyway, since you're Nefie's friend, I'll take care of you until you recover. Anyway, no one dares to bother me these days."

"etc."

In her desperation, Shestie grabbed the robe that Sagan was wearing as he turned around.

"...What are you doing?"

He asked with some displeasure, then Shestie whispered in a weak, thread-like voice:

"Could you please stay and keep me company for a while...?"

That was a voice completely out of character for a paladin commander, a voice that sounded fragile and helpless.

But at times like these, to whom should one pretend to be strong?

Knowing that this day would come sooner or later, the fact that she almost died from poisoning still left her feeling lost and helpless.

Sagan let out a sigh that sounded almost helpless.

"...You should ask Neferi for help with this."

He ruthlessly uttered those words.

That's for sure.

Even Shestia, who had only met him a few times, was well aware of how much he cherished Neferpitou. Since he already had her, why would he stay to take care of someone like himself?

But somehow, Sagan then sat back down in the same chair.

"Excuse me...?"

"At this hour, I can't very well wake Neferpitou up."

"Then...would you like to stay and keep me company?"

"I'm just reading here."

He didn't even glance at me.

However, he stayed.

"……Feel sorry."

She felt she was really useless.

—What do I really want from him...?

Do you want his attention?

Or do you want to simply give up everything in the church and stay by his side?

She felt that she shouldn't want to be a third party in their relationship.

Neither Sagan nor Nefertivist were people she could hate. She hoped to witness their happiness.

Clearly, she just wanted to benefit from their happiness and share in their joy.

However, she herself couldn't say how to achieve it.

However, having someone by her side brought her such peace of mind. Shestia soon drifted off to sleep.

◇

"—So, why did it turn out like this!"

The next morning.

Shess was angry about something and shouted.

This is a restaurant in the city.

Shesty recovered from the poisoning after just one night in bed and was able to get up and have breakfast with everyone by morning. But when asked to change her clothes, she inexplicably started to get angry.

"It suits you perfectly?"

Neferpitou comforted her expressionlessly.

It turned out that Shesty was wearing the same long dress and apron as Nefi. But it was Nefi's spare clothing, so it seemed somewhat inferior to her usual maid attire.

"Waaaaah... I'm supposed to be the Holy Sword Maiden, but now I'm dressed like a servant!"

"Hey, watch your words. Even if it's you, I won't allow you to insult Neferpitou."

Describing this outfit as that of a servant is tantamount to indirectly insulting Neferpitou. Even for Shestia, Sagan could not tolerate such language.

Sagan gave a clear warning, and Shisty finally couldn't hold back her tears and collapsed to her seat.

"...I'm feeling very unsettled right now. Just one-tenth of that would be enough; could you please show me some kindness and consideration?"

"Don't push your luck."

She looked down at Shisti with a pair of cold eyes.

It was Farr who spoke. He stared at Shesty from behind Sagan, and his gaze was anything but friendly.

Although she has temporarily put aside her desire for revenge, it seems she still cannot accept the paladin. Sagan could offer her no further advice on this matter.

Shessty gave a kind smile.

"Excuse me, are you Sagan's adopted daughter? What's your name...?"

"Don't talk to me like that, you tadpole."

"Tadpole head...?"

Fa'er coldly uttered those words and left the room in a few quick steps.

Her strong rejection made Shirley feel as if she couldn't bear it, and she clutched her chest and lay prostrate on the ground.

"What...what did I do wrong...?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Shestia. I'll tell you about her later."

"...Waaah, the Neferi are still the best."

Although Neferpitou remained expressionless, he couldn't help but comfort her, and Shessti looked up as if she had just received rain after a long drought.

However, Sagan shook his head.

"No, let's leave Fa'er's matter to her for now. Although she doesn't like you, she probably wouldn't go so far as to kill you."

"You think all I need to do is stay alive!?"

Sagan remained serious in the face of the astonished Shisti.

"It seems her father was killed by the wielder of the holy sword."

"...!"

This left Shess speechless for a moment.

Sagan continued:

"Although this isn't your fault, I won't ask that brat to give up. I can take you in, but you must understand this."

The reason why Celeste was made a servant was partly due to consideration for Far's feelings. After all, although Far had already made concessions, treating Celeste as an honored guest would only cause her to continue to accumulate resentment.

Perhaps feeling a sense of responsibility, Shirley lowered her head.

"...In that case, I think I'd better leave."

Her reaction was understandable, but Sagan shook her head.

"Didn't I tell you? Just ignore Fa'er for now. Don't let her appearance fool you; her race is known for its pride. Her ego won't allow her to play any tricks on you."

...That's what Sagan thought at the time.

◇

Half an hour later.

"Eeee!?"

Shestie's wailing echoed through the city.

"...What's wrong now?"

Shestie lay face down on the ground, and Sagan asked with sympathy.

"I was cleaning when a frog suddenly fell on my head..."

Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a little frog sitting on her head. It seemed someone had thrown the frog at her while she was mopping the floor. Only half an hour had passed, and this was the frog's third appearance.

The frog, paired with Shestie's whimpering face, made Sagan laugh.

"You...you're still laughing! This isn't what we agreed on!"

It seems this is also one of Fa'er's good deeds.

"Ah, it seems this is the result of her compromising and replacing force with a prank."

"But didn't you just say that her pride wouldn't allow her to play pranks on me?"

"But as you can see, she's just a child, so you can't blame her for using this way of venting."