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

"...!"

Sagan knew that his thoughts were written all over his face.

—Although I don't know who that guy is, I must torture him for hundreds of years and make him regret being born into this world!

The attack on Neferpitou and the others was probably not the work of the Demon King himself, but even if it were, Sagan wouldn't have hesitated.

Sagan's angry eyes revealed a smile.

"Tell me about it. If it's a useful clue, I'll reward you handsomely."

"Oh, that's more like it... Wait, ee-ee!"

Barbaros fell backward with a scream.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Fa'er had already set up several magic circles, preparing to unleash an attack.

Sagan helplessly reached out and stroked Far's head to comfort her.

"Alright, stop fooling around. Even if you don't like his appearance, you can't just kill him like that."

"So it's because I'm not good-looking?"

After Sagan's persuasion, Fael temporarily dispelled the magic circle, but she still let out a low, angry roar to intimidate Barbaros. It was truly rare to see her so belligerent.

Sagan crossed his arms and fell into thought.

—Just like Neferpitou back then, she doesn't want me to know about this either...?

Sagan glanced at Neferpitou. Although her reaction wasn't as extreme as yesterday, it was clear that her hand was tightly clutching her skirt under the table. It seemed she would have to wait a while longer before she could get the truth out of her.

Was Fael's reaction just now solely because of Nefi, or was there some other reason?

Regardless of the answer, Sagan wanted to respect her daughter's wishes.

Left with no other choice, Sagan gently stroked Fal's head again.

"...Alright, I'll bring this up again when Nefair is willing to talk about it, so please don't be angry anymore."

As soon as the message was given, Fa'er opened her eyes wide and looked up.

Neferpitou's eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly lowered his head shyly. His slightly trembling ears seemed to indicate relief, which shouldn't be Sagan's imagination.

Fa'er asked, puzzled:

"Sagan, you really can read minds, right?"

What do you think?

After shrugging, Sagan turned to Barbaros and said:

"You heard it too, we don't need this intelligence this time."

"...Are you sure? I'm telling you this seriously, if you didn't know beforehand, you'll definitely regret it later."

"Too long-winded."

However, it seems that Barbarossa's visit this time wasn't solely for the reward.

—Perhaps something really bad has happened...

But Sagan had promised to wait for Neferpitou's answer, not to investigate further, and to protect everything she cherished under these conditions.

This is the true form of the "Demon King" in Sagan's mind.

But Barbarossa wouldn't give up, and continued rambling on:

"Uh, but..."

"Sagan, those errand boys are unreliable. Let's get rid of him."

"You little brat, what do you think human life is!"

—How dare you say that about her...?

The magician who retorted was none other than the guy who, taking advantage of the unrest following the death of the former "Demon King," kidnapped a large number of young girls intending to sacrifice them. Talking about the preciousness of life only when one's own life is threatened—isn't that a rather double standard?

As they talked, only one pastry remained on the table.

If I remember correctly, it's called a macaron. It's a dessert made by sandwiching a cream filling between two crisp, cookie-like pastries. Not only are they colorful and beautiful, but their rich sweetness is also a perfect match for black tea. It's a dessert that Sagan also really likes.

The little girl stopped taking the snacks, which puzzled Sagan.

"Fa'er, isn't there only one left?"

"That's Sagan's."

She probably wanted to devour all the pastries, but she left one for Sagan, while she stared at the macaron with lingering satisfaction.

Sagan couldn't help but smile as he picked up the last macaron and took a bite.

"Yes, today's snacks are indeed softer and more delicious than usual."

Fa'er then nodded, swaying her emerald green braids.

"It's probably because Nefi has been in a good mood since early this morning."

"Fa, Fa'er!"

Neferi, unusually flustered, cried out, but Far continued without hesitation:

"Sagan's legs are comfortable to sit on, but there's probably more to it than that. Sagan, did you do something else for Neferpitou?"

"...? No, I don't recall that."

If Sagan did anything for Neferpitou, it was only to lift her onto his lap and make her incredibly embarrassed. In fact, Sagan messed up many things...

Sagan glanced at Nefi, only to see her lips opening and closing but unable to speak, her hands waving busily in the air.

It seemed that her overwhelming sense of shame and anxiety had almost caused her to lose her train of thought.

—Hmm, she's really cute!

Seeing Nefi's reaction, Sagan knew that Fal had indeed been right.

—Although I don’t know what made her so happy, that’s why she put so much effort into the desserts and black tea today.

The girl's dedication to these small things is so touching that it evokes boundless affection in people.

Farah leaped lightly from Sagan's legs to the ground.

"Sagan's thigh should be returned to Neferpitou."

"I'm not sitting on Mr. Sagan's lap all the time!"

Sagan slapped his knee as he faced Nefi, whose cheeks were puffed out.

"Would you like to come up and sit down?"

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

Neferpitou hesitated for a moment, then quickly remembered that Barbaros was still there. He was about to get up but sat back down, then shook his head.

...If Barbarossa hadn't been there, she might have actually sat on it.

No, it's not that it might not work out, it's that she really will sit on it. Sometimes Sagan's demands were said intentionally, and sometimes they were just a slip of the tongue. But even when she made unreasonable requests, Neferpitou always tried her best to fulfill Sagan's wishes.

—Hey, why isn't Barbaross going back home sooner...?

If it weren't for this man, Sagan would have been able to once again admire Neferpitou's shy yet delighted expression as she sat on his lap.

He glared at Barbaros with a slightly murderous look, then put the last bite of macaron into his mouth and stood up.

"Alright, it's time to get down to business. Nefi, let's go."

"Yes."

Nefi was relieved, but as if reluctant to part, she stood up, her ear tips trembling slightly.

Sagan actually wanted to hold out until Nefi gave in and obediently sat on his lap, but unfortunately he had other scheduled activities for the day.

Barbaros frowned and said:

"Huh? Are you going to make arrangements for the banquet tonight?"

"About the same."

Sagan took out the invitation to the banquet and showed it to Barbaros, who looked astonished.

"Because the invitation required that Shesitant come along."

There's really no need to obediently follow such rules, but since the other party is, after all, the Demon King, if Sagan hadn't taken her along, the other party might have used some means to force her to participate.

—After all, that guy is usually pretty silly…

If she hadn't been informed beforehand, it wouldn't be hard to imagine her embarrassing state of crying and sobbing in front of the Demon King.

Sagan had no obligation to take care of her to this extent, but this whole affair was Sagan's problem. Since it might implicate her, ignoring it made her feel uneasy. Besides, the girl was, after all, a good friend of Nefaire's, and Sagan herself didn't dislike her.

Therefore, he plans to go see Shesty with Neferpitou next.

Upon hearing Shestie's name, Barbaross's expression turned into one of utter exasperation.

"By the way, speaking of which, how much longer do I have to keep an eye on that woman?"

This statement made Sagan's eyes widen in surprise.

—Oh, come to think of it, I seem to have forgotten to tell him the deadline.

About a month ago, Shesty was being hunted down by members of the church. Given the critical situation, Sagan asked Barbarossa to protect her life.

A month has passed, and the man is still protecting Shessti as instructed.

After thinking for a while, Sagan shook his head nonchalantly.

Did I set a deadline at the time?

"Ugh... Damn it, no wonder you were so generous. This is practically fraud."

While muttering a complaint, Barbarossa seemed to remember something and continued:

"Seriously, why did they invite that woman too?"

"He named everyone in my castle, including those who are temporarily staying there. It seems he intends to find everyone connected to me."

As soon as Sagan finished answering, Barbaros, for some reason, smiled reluctantly and raised his hand to brush his messy hair aside.

"Hmm, I see. But it's quite an honor to gain the Demon King's favor. In that case, I'll go with you."