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

What's wrong with this guy?

Sagan had intended to help a girl in the fog who looked like Neferpitou, but the girl suddenly asked for a kiss, which he found completely baffling.

The girl, who resembled Neferpitou, let out a muffled groan as her lips, which were squeezed like an octopus, struggled to break free from Sagan's grasp and create some distance.

Her dress gradually transformed into a magician's robe, her pure white skin turned light black, and her pupils turned gold, but her appearance remained exactly the same as Neferpitou's.

It seems that only that face is her own.

The girl, who looked remarkably like Neferpitou, asked incredulously in a hoarse voice.

"Why...how did you know?"

"...? What do you know?"

Sagan thought to himself that this person was a weirdo who kept sticking to him, but he didn't launch an attack.　

Because of Sagan's earlier bluster on the deck, I thought she was there to wag her tail like Neru, but it seems that's not the case.

He tilted his head, puzzled for a moment, and then exclaimed "Ah!"

"...Hey, were you pretending to be Neferpitou just now?"

Upon realizing this, Sagan suddenly felt a surge of anger.

—That bastard Bivron! Is he playing a trick on us?

I thought he had prepared some kind of trap, but it turned out to be such a crude and infuriating trick.

The girl, who looked remarkably like Neferpitou, stared in astonishment.

"How could that be... Aren't you completely unfazed?"

It seems she is serious about deceiving Sagan.

Sagan's forehead veins bulged as he roared angrily at her.

"Are you kidding me? If you're going to impersonate Neferpitou, at least put in a little effort. Just because you look like her doesn't make you stand out!"

"How...how could you...even discover which places I was impersonating...?"

These words seemed to break her, causing the girl, who resembled Neferpitou, to kneel down.

Objectively speaking, the girl's disguise was flawless, perfectly mimicking Nefi's stiff expression, tone of voice, mannerisms, and even clothing. She could easily fool even those close to Nefi, such as Raphael.

At least it's not so bad that it would elicit harsh criticism.

However, in the two months since Sagan met Neferpitou, she has observed Neferpitou's way of thinking and expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and everything else in detail. In front of such a Sagan, the woman impersonating Neferpitou is, at best, nothing more than a clown to amuse.

The poor girl, whose confidence had been shattered, seemed unable to regain it anytime soon, tormented by humiliation and shame.

Then, Sagan glanced behind him.

"—Hey you, the one who was sneaking around there just now, shouldn't you show yourself?"

Sagan swung his fist into the empty space.

Then came a dull, heavy feeling.

A crack appeared in the world shrouded in fog.

—I've had a feeling that someone is using magic in this area ever since I started this.

This magic trick is quite ingenious.

Although hidden in a fog of unknown origin, there is indeed a magic trick here. And since it is magic, there is no reason why Sagan cannot decipher it.

And so, the pure white world began to fall apart.

From within emerged the table that Sagan and Neferpitou had just been using. Neferpitou sat in a daze in her chair, while Nel sat slumped on the floor beside her.

"...So it was you."

Sagan clenched his fists, several rings encircling his arms. These were the transformed power from the magic he had just destroyed.

Normally, when a magic spell is "devoured," it can only be transformed into a single ring. Only by devouring a magic spell cast by Barbaross at full power can it be transformed into five or six rings.

In other words, judging from the magic that Sagan just shattered, the caster must have at least equal to or surpassed Barbaros's strength.

Sagan, who was in a fit of anger, looked down and saw Nel's face trembling, his face ashen.

"Ee! No, no! I just wanted to protect Lord Neferi—"

Nilu let out a scream that sounded like he was about to lose control of his bladder, shaking his head violently. Sagan, on the other hand, swung his fist at him without any mercy.

"Eee ...

Nilu screamed in surprise.

Sagan's fist shattered the deck and even destroyed the entire bow. The impact was so powerful that even the stern tilted upwards. The deck tilted towards the bow, and the massive mast bent like a bow.

Screams of agony echoed across the deck.

Sagan didn't care about Nel's fate at all; he simply picked up Nefi, who was lying motionless on the chair.

Then, the raised stern slammed into the water again.

The impact splashed up lake water, dispersing the mist swirling around the boat. The water, whipped into the air, poured down like rain.

As one might expect, once the fog cleared, the ship was found to be in a state of utter devastation and deplorable condition.

Food, dining tables, and even the band's piano were all thrown from the deck into the lake. The mermaid singer was also thrown in, but it seemed more like she was seeking refuge there. And the magicians, true to their status as guests of the "Demon King's" banquet, none of them were foolish enough to fall into the lake.

But standing on the swaying deck that was about to sink was no easy task.

The only one still standing was Raphael.

He returned to the deck with a lightness unimaginable for his armored giant body, and stood there motionless. Dragon wings sprouted from Far's back, and he hovered in the air. The most worrying one, Shestie, was unexpectedly embraced and protected by Far.

"...You're so heavy."

"Huh?"

Farr quickly let go, causing Shess to fall face down back onto the deck.

Sagan landed back on the cracked deck, and Nefi in his arms trembled at that moment, then took a breath as if finally regaining consciousness.

"Sagan, sir..."

"Are you alright, Neferi? Did no one do anything to you?"

Although it was only a few seconds, Sagan lost sight of Nefair, and Nel was right there beside her. He was very worried that Nefair might have caught some kind of disease.

Nefi's lips trembled, unable to speak, before she finally buried her face tightly in Sagan's chest.

Her slender shoulders trembled, as if she were both afraid and relieved.

—Exuding such a dignified aura, it can't be wrong to say that it's Nefertari himself.

Sagan gently stroked Nefi's head.

"I'm sorry I startled you, please forgive me."

"No, Mr. Sagan. Because you can tell me..."

Neferpitou's ears trembled.

His expression was less one of fear and more one of deep emotion.

—Is she relieved because she was saved?

To reassure Nefi, Sagan gave her another firm hug.

Just as he was comforting his beloved girl, an annoying groan came from the side again.

"Lord Sagan, please save me..."

It's Niru.

Sagan's attack had missed Nel and pierced the deck. The self-proclaimed novice magician, having avoided the direct hit, was now hanging from the shattered deck.

Nilu's sympathetic tone made Sagan frown with growing impatience.

"When will this lousy show finally end, Bivron?"

◇

As soon as he finished speaking, Nilu stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Nefi seemed not to understand the meaning of the words either, looking back and forth between Sagan and Nel.

"Uh, eh...? What are you saying...?"

Nilu feigned panic, causing Sagan to clench his fist again.

Sagan felt that he should punch this kind of person in the face before he would be satisfied.

"Huh, Lord Sagan...? You must be joking...?"

Facing Nilu, who thought it was a joke but looked terrified, Sagan's fist slammed down without mercy.

This time, the fist didn't feel anything.

Because before the fist hit its target, Nilu's body had already collapsed like loose sand.

Is this some kind of teleportation magic?

This magic doesn't involve Barbaross moving through "shadows," but rather swapping and moving one's own body with other things. Some members of the Demon race can also turn their bodies into mist; this power should be similar to that kind of magic.

"—Hey, you're still as ruthless as ever, Sagan the Demon King."

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see Niru's body floating above the hole left by the severed head of the ship.

"I'm quite confident in my acting skills. When did you realize that?"

"How could a novice magician with almost no magic power possibly appear at the Demon King's banquet?"

Yes. Sagan suspected Nel's identity the moment she first saw him. However, it wasn't until they spoke later that Sagan truly confirmed he was Bifron.

Moreover, Gomel seemed to have discovered the kid's true colors long ago.

Although it's unknown whether Simóngli knew, Gomeli must have come to advise him about Nerú. Therefore, Sagan did not drive the old woman away at that time.

Nilu slapped his forehead and laughed.

"I see. Is there a flaw in my character setup? It's all because I rarely attend banquets and got confused for a moment... But even if you find out the truth, what's wrong with playing along with us for a bit? Nephtros seems quite hurt."

After Nilu finished speaking, he turned his gaze to the other end of the deck.