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

"why?"

Sagan was not looking at Shestie, but at Raphael.

"I have some questions I want to ask him, but since his jaw is broken, he probably can't say anything."

Sagan's blow shattered Raphael's jaw. Although regeneration had begun, he was still unable to speak. Yet, he could still wield his sword and run, a testament to his incredible perseverance.

Raphael was finally exhausted and knelt on the ground. Shester, whose physical body could probably only withstand one blow, also collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

—That Raphael, his murderous aura has vanished again.

It was precisely when he attacked Fa'er.

Moreover, Sagan's earlier blow was indeed fatal.

Even without Shess's intervention, this man probably wouldn't have had the strength to kill Fael. After all, Fael was one of the magicians listed as a candidate for Demon King.

That's why Sagan stopped Fale.

Sagan walked up to Raphael.

"I'm a callous villain who enjoys torturing paladins. But beating up someone who has no hostility is a different story. Now I need you to tell me the truth: what exactly are you planning?"

Sagan had no sympathy for the man, nor did she intend to befriend him.

He just couldn't stand it.

Because the man's fighting style is simply like—

"Otherwise, killing someone who deliberately seeks death would only make me feel uneasy."

Hearing him say that, Fa'er was dumbfounded.

"What does this mean?"

"I don't know either. That's why we'll have to ask him next."

But he actually knew what was going on.

—The moment he heard the name Orobas, his murderous intent vanished.

That was the name of the dragon Raphael had killed. He lost his will to fight as soon as he heard that Fael was his daughter, so it's not hard to see some clues in his subsequent actions.

—Atonement.

Paladins have no reason to feel indebted to dragons or magicians. But if we assume that, many things make sense.

Sagan looked down at Raphael with disdain, and Shestie reached out and tugged at his robe.

"Sagan, wait a moment."

"...Your involvement will only complicate matters. Just stay out of the way for now."

No.

After she finished speaking, Shessti stared at Raphael.

"Actually, I find it a little hard to believe myself, but it seems that's how it is, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

Sagan frowned, while Shestie vowed:

"You're the man in the cloak—Orobas, right?"

""ah……?""

That was the name of the dragon that Raphael, Fael's father, killed.

Sagan and Far could no longer believe their hearing. As for Barbarossa, who couldn't keep up with the conversation, he stood there dumbfounded.

"Hey, what does that mean?"

But just as Sagan was about to step forward and question her...

With a snap, "something" was destroyed.

◇

Shestia gripped the holy sword tightly again, her voice trembling:

"Sagan..."

"I know."

The sound came from the Demon King's palace.

On the other side of the shattered door, something could be heard stirring.

Is there something there...?

That was "something" that Sagan and his team hadn't found during their investigation a few days earlier.

Then, a chilling air flowed out.

It felt like a strange, suffocating current clinging to the skin. Though odorless and tasteless, it was nauseating, triggering a feeling of wanting to vomit.

Miasma... perhaps these two words are the most apt description.

It not only erodes the body, but also devours the mind. A cursed wind.

"Ugh... Guh..."

Shestia clutched her chest sadly.

Having just been poisoned and not wearing her baptismal armor, she was probably the most vulnerable person there. Sagan had no choice but to step forward and stand before Shessty.

Barbarossa said helplessly:

"Hey, what happened?"

"How would I know?"

After Sagan finished speaking, "something" finally appeared at the gates of the Demon King's Palace.

It looks quite like a human, with a head at the top, two hands, and two feet.

But one thing is certain: it was definitely not human.

Its skin is made of a rock-hard substance that pulsates eerily with each breath, and is covered with cracked black veins that are clearly its blood vessels.

The most unusual feature is its face.

A mouth full of fine teeth grows on its forehead, while ferocious eyes are located in the center of its face and near its left ear. It has no nose, but instead, many barnacle-like protrusions emerge from it, through which it breathes.

But it doesn't inhale air; it inhales magic.

From the pained look on Shess's face as she clutched her chest, one could tell that it was greedily devouring the magic of humans, living things, nature, inanimate objects... everything that possessed magic.

However, Sagan had experienced the same atmosphere and seen similar figures.

"Is this... a demon...?"

He realized he was wrong as soon as he finished speaking.

It wasn't as frightening as the demons we'd encountered before.

Previously, Barbaros had summoned demons. Although demons resembled the monster before him somewhat, they were far more unique creatures.

Shortly after, Fa'er said in a hoarse voice:

"No, these are... guards from the Demon King's Palace."

A demon-like statue sealed by some kind of magic circle.

"...I see. Is it because of the aftermath of the clash of the Holy Swords just now?"

It's unclear whether the seal was broken or it was accidentally activated.

--No, it's probably because the seal was accidentally broken.

Magasiah was unlikely to be so senile as to create something that could accidentally activate.

"So it's some kind of artificial life form, a golem...?"

Although it appears to be a demon, it is vastly different from the original demons. At least Sagan is certain that this is not an absolute, hopeless, and invincible force.

That being said, since it is the legacy of Magasiia, even if it is not the best, it should not be an ordinary person.

For Sagan, it was such an unknown entity.

"How... is this possible..."

The hissing sound came from Raphael. It seemed he had recovered to some extent.

Actually, I have something I want to ask this monster.

But the monster in front of us doesn't seem to be able to communicate with us, so we'll have to rule it out for now.

"Okay, what should we do with it now?"

Just as Sagan was muttering this to himself.

The monster's two eyes, though quite far apart, glared fiercely at Sagan.

—It's murderous intent!

Upon sensing that energy, Sagan immediately thought of the Demon King's Mark on his right hand.

If the monster is a demon-like being, perhaps we can use the "Demon King's Mark" to make it leave, just like before.

Sagan then raised his right hand and chanted:

"I, Sagan, command you by the Mark of the Demon Lord. You alien creature, return to your rightful place."

The mark emitted a corresponding dim light. Previously, demons who received this command would kneel in submission and then vanish. As for the outcome this time…

"Damn it, it's not working? Watch out, it's coming!"

Sagan clicked his tongue loudly.

The monster opened its mouth and began to gather destructive and powerful magic.

The attack is coming.

He noticed something was wrong and looked behind him. The first thing he saw was Shisty, who was still unable to stand up.

—This guy isn't even wearing baptismal armor; isn't he just waiting to die?