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

But halfway through her sentence, Fael's hand was suddenly gripped tightly by Neferpitou.

"……fine."

It seems she didn't want to reveal... or rather, it was something she didn't want people to ask about.

— In short, we can find the criminal later and strangle him.

There are always a few witnesses in town, so it's not difficult to find the other party by following the clues.

But those things can be left for the future; there are more important things to do right now.

Sagan squatted down in front of Fael, bringing their eyes level, and asked:

"Fa'er, are you alright?"

I feel that Nefi is the one who really got into trouble.

When Sagan asked her the question, Far nodded slightly.

"...I'm fine."

As Far answered, she looked up at Nefer with a worried expression.

Sagan gently stroked Farah's head.

"It's alright. Raphael is just heading to the kitchen to prepare the meal. I asked him to make some juice while he's at it, so why don't you go with him and get a glass?"

As Sagan spoke, he glanced at Raphael, and the old butler understood Sagan's implication and nodded.

"Then, Fa'er, come with me. The fresh fruit is in our hands; let me crush it to pieces for you."

Why can't you just say you want to make her a glass of her favorite juice?

Seeing the butler's vicious smile, which seemed to indicate he was about to annihilate an entire town, Sagan could only suppress his sigh.

Fa'er was already used to having such a butler.

"Um……"

With a heavy heart, Far let go of Nefi's hand and then followed Raphael to the kitchen.

After watching their figures disappear, Sagan remained crouched and looked up at Neferpitou.

"Uh... how should I put it? Now, besides me, no one else should be able to hear this."

Sagan's gaze wandered involuntarily as he finished speaking, and Neferpitou lowered his head in shame.

"...I'm so sorry."

There was absolutely no need for an apology, yet Neferpitou still spoke up.

—So it really is a difficult topic to talk about?

Neferpitou wouldn't even talk to Sagan, which was somewhat disheartening for Sagan and made him even more curious about what was going on. But the right thing to do now wasn't to force her to reveal the truth, so what should he do?

Neferpitou has always been a man of few words, and Sagan herself is not a man of many words either; she can't even say "I love you" until now.

These two people, who would normally be able to discern each other's feelings and thoughts through changes in expressions and gestures, were different this time. Sagan, however, couldn't figure out what was going on.

But Sagan is not a foolish "demon king" and will not back down over such a trivial matter.

If you can't figure out what's wrong, just comfort her!

The time Sagan was listless—though he himself was unaware of it—Sagan did indeed lie on Nefarian's lap as a pillow.

Somehow, that action brought an indescribable peace, and without saying a word, the two felt as if their souls had been nourished.

The so-called solace must refer to something like that.

Sagan thought about it for a while, then shook his head.

—Calm down first. How am I supposed to get her to lie on my lap in this situation?!

Besides, even if you like what Neferi did, simply copying it would be too unoriginal.

Sagan then racked his brains.

Perhaps unable to bear seeing this situation any longer, Neferpitou whispered to Sagan:

"Mr. Sagan, it's like this..."

—Right, as long as we take her to a place where it won't be awkward to have her legs resting on a pillow, wouldn't that be fine?

A wildly imaginative plan flashed through Sagan's mind, making him completely oblivious to what Neferi was saying.

"Nefi, relax your body first."

"Huh? Uh, yes."

Neferpitou's ears trembled with surprise, but she still relaxed her strength as Sagan had instructed.

Upon seeing her do as she did, Sagan, for some reason, picked Nefert up and held her sideways as if she were a princess.

To put it bluntly, it's what's commonly known as a "princess carry".

"Huh? Um, huh? What's wrong?"

Neferpitou's pointed ears turned bright red to the tips, and she cried out in bewilderment.

Then, perhaps feeling uneasy because her feet were off the ground, she reflexively wrapped her arms around Sagan's neck.

Even through the dress and apron, her prominent breasts pressed against Sagan without any defenses.

—I never imagined Neferi would be so soft and light, and smell so good too!

Sagan almost fell backward, but he simply held Nefi sideways and took a step forward as if nothing had happened.

"Awoo, awoo..."

Neferpitou uttered incoherent words, while Sagan, already in a state of utter panic, was unable to answer her.

He knew he had messed something up, but there was no turning back now, so he had to grit his teeth and see it through to the end.

◇

Sagan then went to the city's library.

—A narrower space is more reassuring than the throne room.

It's probably because the interior is not visible from the outside that this creates such a psychological effect. It might be too late to say this now, but Sagan recently discovered that the library is a very suitable private space for two people to be alone.

Nefi, who was being held by Sagan, was already flustered and could only let Sagan do as she pleased.

...No, perhaps she was already in a daze. Lost in her thoughts, she looked disoriented, her hands tightly wrapped around Sagan's neck.

—Ah, but there's no way for her to lie down with her legs as a pillow here.

The library's collection had long exceeded its capacity, and with users including Sagan and Fael, even the floor was piled high with books, leaving no space for anyone to lie down.

After agonizing for a while, Sagan simply sat down in the chair, still holding Nefi.

As a magician, Sagan was carrying a light and nimble girl like Neferpitou, so he didn't feel tired at all.

But sitting down might make Neferpitou feel more at ease than standing still. That's what Sagan thought, but...

silence.

After a while, Neferpitou asked in a very weak voice:

"Excuse me, Mr. Sagan, what exactly are you doing this for...?"

—I don't know either!

Sagan only wanted to appease Nefi, but in the end, even he didn't know what he was doing.

To hide his panic, Sagan stomped his heel on the ground.

The book, which was half-finished and placed on the table, drifted away on its own until it reached Sagan.

"There's still some time before dinner, I'm going to read here."

Having his beloved girl sit on his lap while he starts reading—this creates an atmosphere of utter bewilderment.

Incredibly, there wasn't a trace of rejection in Neferpitou.

Not long after, Neferi couldn't bear the embarrassment any longer and started to wriggle, but because Sagan, who was holding her, was holding a book, she couldn't get down.

After that, Neferi probably resigned himself to his fate and sat properly back on Sagan's lap.

Then, with her back to Sagan, she murmured as if talking to herself:

"Um, Mr. Sagan, about what we were talking about halfway through..."

"...Hmm."

Nefair clearly has something serious to discuss, but is this really the right posture for her to listen attentively? Should we let Nefair go now?

At this moment, Sagan, filled with regret, could only manage a weak nod.

Neferi, whether or not he sensed his master's feelings, simply took a letter out of his pocket.

"Someone just gave me something like this in Chirnold."

—Is that the person who caused Neferpitou to become like this?!

The information that can be obtained from letters is not limited to simple text content.

The handwriting in the letter can be used to trace the person involved, and the type of paper and size of the letter can reveal the sales channel and where the buyer purchased it. Furthermore, since the person wrote the letter with a pen, they must have been in contact with the paper, which would leave behind magical traces.

In short, with just one letter, it would be easy for Sagan to find the murderer.

Sagan turned his gaze from the book to the letter, then squinted.

"An invitation to a banquet...?"

And the person who invited him was none other than the "Demon King" Bifron.

—Speaking of Bifron, he's the young "Demon King" second only to me.

Before Sagan became the Demon King, that magician was the youngest among the Demon Kings.

It seems that the "Demon King" Bifron is the culprit who caused trouble for Nefi this time.

Just as Sagan was suppressing her surging anger, Neferpitou turned her head and asked:

"A banquet...?"

"Oh right, I forgot you don't know, Neferi. The Banquet is like a social venue for magicians."