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

This man's tall and robust physique was no less than Raphael's, and his well-built body was visible beneath his robes. If he were to compete with Sagan in strength, they would likely be evenly matched.

This giant of a man stood nimbly on the handrail at the bow of the ship.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sagan, the Demon King. My name is Simón. As you can see, I am a lion-beastman magician."

Illustration p123

After politely greeting her, Simmonli used his large, claw-like fingers to gently pinch the old woman's nape and lift her up.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sagan. Although this person speaks harshly, she is actually a very kind person. She only said those things because she was worried about what might happen to rare races like dragons and elves. Please don't take it to heart."

"Let me go, Simón! I didn't do anything that I need to apologize for!"

The majestic lion bowed repeatedly, speaking up for the old woman.

Sagan was stunned, muttering to himself.

"Uh, so you two know each other?"

"Yes. Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually a timid person. Sister Gomel has helped me a lot in the past."

"Is that so..."

For some reason, from his imposing appearance and robust physique, Sagan felt as if he were seeing a cowardly version of Raphael.

—If he could add Raphael's number and divide by two, it should become normal... No, that's impossible.

What will emerge is a cowardly yet foul-mouthed, fierce-looking behemoth, transformed into an incomprehensible creature.

Sagan glanced at the old woman and saw her frantically waving her scythe and struggling.

"I just like animals! Otherwise, who would want to help someone like you!"

"Sister Gomel, it would be awkward for me to say I like this in a place like this."

Watching the strange pairing of the old woman and the beast, Sagan couldn't help but laugh at his own tense self from not long ago.

—If they could become the Demon Kings, the world would probably be a more peaceful place.

Sagan won't need to make any plans then, and he'll be able to protect Nefi and Fael's safety.

Shessty seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she said:

"Well, it turns out there are good-tempered people among magicians."

"I wouldn't dare accept that. But if you, Paladin, were to injure any other magicians, I would still fight you to the death."

"Eek... Why is it only targeting me?"

The lion's golden eyes flashed with murderous intent, causing Shessty to scream again.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, paladins are the natural enemies of magicians.

Left with no other choice, Sagan had to act as a mediator, explaining the situation to both sides.

"Gomeli, Simmonli, you guessed right, she is the Church's Holy Knight Shestie, one of the Holy Knight Commanders... and the wielder of the Holy Sword."

After this introduction, both magicians showed obvious hostility.

Sagan calmly continued:

"But even though she is a paladin, she is willing to cooperate with magicians."

"...I think this way of speaking is very grammatically incorrect."

Shestia grumbled disapprovingly. Gomel and Simmonli looked at her as if she were some suspicious con artist.

"So, this person abandoned the church and tried to curry favor with the magician?"

"I think this is a bit too opportunistic."

Unsurprisingly, both men responded with negative words. But Sagan nonchalantly tilted his glass.

"It doesn't matter at all. It's not bad to have the Holy Sword wielder join us anyway. If she really betrays us, we can just twist off her head and throw it away."

"How could I possibly betray you!"

Shess was already trembling with fear, her dignity completely gone.

—But with her skills, splitting these two people in half shouldn't be a problem.

Although Gomel and Simonli are both on the list of potential Demon Kings, if Shess were to use the Holy Sword at full power, they would likely be helpless against her even without the Baptismal Armor.

Simonli narrowed his golden eyes and said softly:

"Although the Paladin is quite worrying, Mr. Sagan, you must also be careful. You seem like a good person, and in the future, someone will definitely try to take advantage of your kindness for evil purposes."

Simonli stared at Nilu as he spoke, making Nilu pale and tremble as if he were about to wet himself at any moment.

But Sagan frowned and said:

"Kindness? Don't you think that word has absolutely nothing to do with magicians or even the 'Demon King'?"

"Compassion for others is generally called 'kindness.' Isn't that the same feeling you, Mr. Sagan, have for your subordinates?"

Sagan's candid remark left her speechless.

—This guy actually dared to say such embarrassing things in public.

A wave of shame washed over her, and Sagan scratched her cheek, looking away.

"Uh... okay, thanks for the advice, I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright. Then we should take our leave."

So Simón, holding Gomel by the back of the neck, slowly walked away with heavy steps.

For some reason, the figure looked a bit like an elderly person living alone with their beloved dog taking care of its owner.

—Could it be that Simón is actually here to protect Gomel?

His feelings for the old woman were somewhat similar to Sagan's feelings for Nefertari and Faul.

Simmonli came specifically because he was worried that Gomel might speak disrespectfully to the Demon King and get into trouble.

—Although magicians are all villains, it seems that not all of them have personality flaws.

Perhaps they hide this side of themselves because showing kindness will only lead to others taking advantage of them.

Sagan felt the same way at that moment.

◇

Only after watching Simón and Gomel's figures disappear did Shesty's shoulders slump heavily.

"...I was already mentally prepared after knowing it was a gathering of magicians, but this treatment is just too much."

"Who told you to suddenly reveal your identity as a paladin?"

"I wasn't the one who uttered the words 'palm'!"

Shessty glared reproachfully at Raphael, but the burly man, his expression hidden beneath his armor, merely shrugged as if unconcerned.

Then, Sagan looked at Nero.

Having just been overwhelmed by Ximengli's aura, he now secretly hid in the shadows of the stairs, spying on the situation.

Although the other magicians were also looking in this direction, after Gomel and his group had caused such a commotion, no one would likely want to come looking for Sagan for quite some time.

Sagan pulled up a chair nearby and waved to Nefi.

"Alright, those troublemakers are finally gone, Neferi, sit down now."

"...? I'm fine standing."

"So, Shestie, would you like to sit?"

"...I think I'll sit down."

Nefi puffed out his cheeks and sat down next to Sagan.

Just then, Far, who was riding on Raphael's neck, opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the table near the cabin.

The table was covered with dishes.

"I'm hungry. Sagan, can I have that?"

After Sagan nodded, Far climbed down the deck and ran to the other side.

Raphael then came to the front.

"Then please grant us permission to act freely, Your Majesty. This is a great opportunity to test a magician's abilities."

Raphael's tone was menacing, as if he were about to go and wipe out the enemy, but he probably just wanted to do some reconnaissance and visit the magician on the ship.

"Permission granted. You are free to act as you see fit."

"His Majesty has approved it. Shestia, you may come along too."

"Huh? I... I think I'll stay here a little longer..."

Raphael's sudden invitation made Shessti shout out in a broken voice.

"You should learn to read people's expressions. If you were smarter, you wouldn't be in this dangerous situation."

He probably meant, "If you don't understand the atmosphere, Sagan is going to start yelling." So Shestie put on a stern face.

"...I'm very unwilling to be criticized by you for not being able to read between the lines."

Raphael was the man who killed nearly five hundred magicians because of his misleading words and actions, so it's no wonder that Shess complained like this.

Despite her extreme resentment, Shessti left in tears.

So, only Sagan and Neferpitou remained at the table, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

As the piece of music came to an end, a few seconds of silence fell before the next piece began.

The sound of the lake's waves was especially clear at night. The wind blowing from the lake was not as sticky as the sea breeze, but rather drier and more pleasant.

Looking up at the sky, the moon peeked out from between the clouds.

It appears to be a full moon tonight. The blue-white light shines on the dim deck, making it possible to see quite far without magic.

—The day I first met Neferpitou, there must have been a crescent moon in the sky.

Sagan still vividly remembers her reaching out to the figure of the crescent moon.

Upon recalling this incident, Sagan then said to Nefertari: