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

"Thank you. I feel much better now."

"Hmm."

—I'm so glad Neferi is such an understanding girl…

Sagan truly feels this way today.

Then, Nefi shifted uncomfortably on Sagan's lap.

"But... um... could you please put me down? Because I'm really embarrassed..."

Even without taking the time to think it through, Sagan knew how strange the situation was. It would be strange if the two of them weren't embarrassed in this position; even Sagan herself felt quite awkward.

Logically speaking, that's how it should be...

But for some reason, he suddenly wanted to stay in that position a little longer.

Sagan then pretended to be nonchalant and continued reading.

"Dinner doesn't seem to be ready for a while. I'm going to continue reading here."

"...Mr. Sagan, you're so mean."

Nefi spoke with reproach, but had no intention of forcibly breaking free from his embrace.

—Anyway, Neferi works way too hard.

Giving her a break occasionally like this—though this wrong approach caused Sagan deep regret—was also part of Sagan's duty as her master.

Then, Neferpitou's gaze fell on the sword leaning against a corner of the library.

That's Raphael's holy sword, Metatron, which he had entrusted to this place. He had just sensed the trouble in the town and missed the chance to return it to its rightful owner. The sword wasn't sheathed, and its blade was left exposed.

Neferpitou gazed at the holy sword and murmured to himself:

"Mei, Dan... Zuo...? Is that the name of this sword?"

"Yes, this is Raphael's holy sword. I think it's about time to return it to him...?"

Sagan nodded as he spoke, then realized his expression was becoming serious.

"Neffi, what did you just say?"

The name of the Holy Sword is not easily revealed to others. Raphael only mentioned the name of the Holy Sword once, and neither Sagan nor Fal had ever discussed it with anyone.

Therefore, logically speaking, Nephew wouldn't know the name of the Holy Sword.

But Neferpitou, with her white hair swaying, tilted her head curiously.

"...? Uh, do you mean the text above?"

Upon hearing this, Sagan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Nefi, can you read the writing on the Holy Sword?"

Neferpitou paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes. Although I don't understand the meaning of the words, I have no problem reading them out."

Although Sagan's method of comforting Nefi was wrong, it inadvertently provided him with an important clue.

◇

"The Demon King has invited you to a banquet?"

The following afternoon.

The annoying shouting came from my nemesis, Barbarossa.

Barbarossa still had the same dark circles under his eyes and looked sickly. At this moment, he was shaking his disheveled black hair in surprise.

Although the location was the Throne Hall, Sagan and the others sat in the center of a room below the throne. There was a small table and four chairs there, around which Sagan, Barbaros, Nefertari, and Phar sat.

There were several kinds of snacks and black tea on the table, but the original pile of snacks was now less than half left, as most of them had been eaten by Fa'er one after another.

Sagan raised his glass to drink as he spoke, and Neferpitou, seizing the opportunity, picked up his teapot and said:

"Mr. Sagan, would you like another cup of black tea?"

"Okay, thank you for your help."

The glass was almost empty. Sagan finished the last sip and nodded.

Sagan breathed a sigh of relief as he glanced at Nefi diligently pouring tea.

—It seems she doesn't care much about what happened yesterday anymore.

Yesterday, Nefi was unusually listless when he came home, but this morning he returned to his usual cheerful self... Although his expression wasn't particularly bright, his ears were happily perked up.

Nefi put down the teapot, and Sagan also picked up his teacup to smell the aroma of the tea.

"Hmm, the aroma is really nice. The black tea tastes especially good today."

"Thank you, Mr. Sagan. I am overjoyed."

The aroma of the black tea was stronger than usual, and she seemed to be in excellent condition today.

Just as the two men were smiling at each other, Barbarossa said in a reproachful tone:

"...I mean, the guests are already so surprised, how can you all still drink your black tea so nonchalantly?"

"Shut up, Barbaros. Why should I react to being frightened by a creature like you?"

"Even if you don't treat me like a guest, you should at least treat me like a human being!"

Sagan scratched his head impatiently and put the teacup back on the tray.

"So, what surprised you so much?"

When Sagan asked again, Barbaros muttered incredulously.

"Because, isn't the banquet you just mentioned that one? The Magician's Banquet, right?"

"Since it was said by the King of Magicians, then it must be that."

The term "night banquet" also generally refers to social occasions for nobles.

Sagan understood Barbaros's desire to get to the bottom of things, but since it was the magician who mentioned the word, it couldn't have been something other than the magician's banquet. Noble banquets were meaningless to magicians, and they wouldn't care about them at all.

Barbaros remained puzzled and shook his head.

"But was the so-called banquet hosted by the Demon King himself...?"

That's right, and that's something Sagan couldn't understand.

—The Demon King can get whatever he wants with just a command.

Only someone this powerful and arrogant deserves to be called the King of Magicians.

The banquet was a place where magicians exchanged knowledge and wealth, which was essentially a gathering of the weak.

In an event like this, it's highly unlikely that "The Demon King" would even make an appearance, let alone serve as the host.

—But this time, of course, it was organized to set a trap.

Barbaros scoffed.

"This sounds suspicious. Even though I'm smart, I still have to give you a piece of advice: this banquet is most likely a trap. You must be careful."

"What are you even talking about? This is more than just eight or nine out of ten; it's a complete trap!"

Sagan finished speaking with a look of both amusement and exasperation, leaving Barbaros speechless.

And perhaps out of pity for Barbarossa, Farr surprisingly stepped forward to speak up for him:

"Sagan, people who do odd jobs and run errands aren't very bright. You should speak more gently."

"That's true. I'm sorry, Barbarossa, I went too far."

"You two, stop making fun of me! And you little brat, who's the errand boy/girl?"

Seeing Barbaros talking animatedly, Fa'er pulled the plate of snacks toward herself with a sour face.

"A lowly magician who comes to eat Neferpitou dares to be so arrogant. Besides, if we're talking about seniority, I'm three times older than you, a menial errand boy."

"I should be asking you why you look down on people so much, shouldn't I?"

"Barbaros, you'd better watch your words. Just the fact that you called my daughter a little brat is enough reason for me to leave you alive."

Sagan coldly issued the ultimatum, and Barbaros lowered his head as if in a headache.

"And Sagan, don't you think you've spoiled this guy too much?"

"...? Where did you spoil her too much?"

"You let her sit on your lap and eat snacks when the guests have already arrived, and you still have the nerve to ask me?"

Sagan then realized what was happening and looked down at his legs.

It turns out that during the conversation with Barbaros, Fael was sitting on Sagan's lap the whole time.

At this moment, Fael leaned back, pressing her back against Sagan's chest, tilting her head as if asking, "Can't I sit here?"

Naturally, Sagan wouldn't refuse Fal; instead, he answered his friend with righteous indignation:

"You came to bother me while I was enjoying my tea. I just can't understand why I would send my daughter away just to talk to you?"

Moreover, putting everything else aside, Sagan didn't treat Barbaross as a guest at all.

Since Fa'er officially became Sagan's adopted daughter, having snacks together like this after lunch has become their daily routine. At this time, Sagan would put down his research and spend pleasant time with her.

Since Sagan's act of letting Nefi sit on her lap last night came to light, she had no choice but to comply with the little girl's request and let her sit on her lap today.

"...Fine, do whatever you want."

Barbaros let out a long sigh, and the dark circles under his eyes, which were already there, seemed even deeper than before.

"So, how do you plan to respond to the Demon King's invitation?"

"This invitation method is quite absurd. I'm not so magnanimous as to ignore this."

After Sagan finished speaking, he glared fiercely at Barbaros.

"So what? You came all this way just to spout this nonsense, didn't you?"

Sagan finished speaking bluntly, which made Barbaros grin.

"Hehehe. Actually, the elf was attacked by a magician in Kinnoind yesterday, and I thought you would be interested in that news."