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

"It was your words, Mr. Sagan, that gave me a new lease on life. Therefore, I will never wallow in self-pity again."

Sagan remembered it too.

"They're all dead, aren't they? Then don't worry about it. I don't think they have the guts to keep haunting and cursing you after they're dead."

Sagan said this when Neferi mentioned the fate of the village.

It seems that Neferi has always believed those words with almost naive honesty, and even now that he knows the truth, he is not shaken by it.

Bifron pouted listlessly.

"Tch, I thought you'd be even more surprised. Oh well, whatever. Hahaha."

The reaction was as if it were a failed performance, without any sense of guilt.

However, Bivron's idea was not wrong.

That was the true nature of a magician, the very essence of the "Demon King" that even Sagan had once feared.

—If I don't want Neferpitou to become like them, I have to deal with those "Demon Kings".

These "demon kings" are all obstacles so that the beloved girl can live in the sunlight.

Bifron continued:

"Can we end the topic of her being a noble elf? Because that's not my main point."

"Is it the language of the gods?"

When Sagan mentioned the word, Bivron nodded.

"After I obtained the title of 'Demon King,' I have been studying the divine language ever since."

Bivron paused there before revealing the insignia on his left arm.

"Because this 'Demon King's Mark' is actually written in the spell of the divine language."

One sentence that went straight to the heart of the matter made Sagan raise his eyebrows.

"I knew it..."

Nephew couldn't read it as text either.

Bivron nodded smugly.

"Your idea is correct. But I've been studying this problem for three hundred years and still can't solve it. If you could solve it so easily, I'd be in real trouble."

Although this magician is strange, his power as a "Demon King" is genuine.

Even a "demon king" like him cannot lift the veil of mystery surrounding the "mark".

—Looks like I'll be busy from now on.

Bifron continued, holding up his index finger:

"So after witnessing the 'power' Nephtros unleashed, I believe you should understand—"

Sagan tilted his head in bewilderment.

"I didn't witness it, and this is the first time I've heard about it today."

Bivron was dumbfounded, his mouth agape as Sagan abruptly cut him off.

"Hey, haven't you heard of it?"

"Yes, I had absolutely no idea."

"No, no, no, you shouldn't joke with me in a situation like this... Wait, are you serious?"

Bifron, taken aback, turned his gaze toward Nefi.

"Really? You didn't mention a single word to your master?"

"Because I didn't know how to ask my master for help..."

Bifron pressed him with an incredulous look, and Nefi hid behind Sagan and nodded slightly.

"Why? How could this be? Nephtros, did you only show a fraction of your strength? Did you even make her think it didn't matter if you didn't report it?"

"...Because you didn't want me to go to war with her."

"But given your personality, how could you not have caused trouble for the noble elf?"

Biff held his head as if in a terrible pain.

It seems he had planned something, but the execution wasn't going well.

Sagan gently stroked Nefi's head.

"Well done, Nefi. It seems we've gotten Bivron into a tough spot."

"--yes!"

It seems she has indeed been troubled for a long time. It's been a long time since I've heard her genuinely cheerful voice.

The petite "Demon King," with a dejected face, continued:

"In short, I have a technique that is the culmination of three hundred years of research. It's something like divine language magic. You should know that the nature of magic is very unstable, right? And divine language is actually a means of controlling and developing magic."

Sagan also taught Neferpitou magic.

It was originally intended to give her the ability to defend herself, but another purpose was to enlighten her so that she could control the power of magic at will.

Bivron appears to have conducted further research after that.

"So, I sent Nephtros. I didn't want to openly clash with you, so I didn't give the order directly, but rather... how should I put it? I slowly lured you out of the cave like this..."

"You're a really awful person."

"Yeah, terrible. Neferpitou was so heartbroken back then."

Not only Sagan, but even Far looked at Biffron with disdain, making him look even more dejected.

"I hate you all. Don't you realize you lack the proper respect for the Demon Lord?"

"...Can we go home now?"

Sagan, growing increasingly impatient, finished his question, and Bivron frowned as if humiliated. But he still wanted to continue the conversation and asked Sagan and the others to listen to him finish.

"In short, divine language itself possesses immense power, and if it is used as a technique, and further elevated into some kind of magic—that is what is known as divine magic!"

"So, you made her use that thing?"

Sagan glanced at Nephtros and then received a firm nod in response from Bivron.

"That's how it is. And heaven knows you didn't report it to your master... Shouldn't this kind of power make people very nervous?"

The fact that his years of research efforts have not received the recognition they deserve seems to have left Bivron feeling very resentful.

Seeing Sagan's dumbfounded expression, Bifron cleared his throat as if waking from a dream.

"In short, my conclusion is that this 'Demon King's Mark' is also composed of divine magic and is an extremely sophisticated device."

Bivron said, turning his gaze toward Nephtros.

"And Nephtros, as you can see, is a noble elf. I had her learn divine magic and sent her to find your family's elves, but the result seems to be less than expected."

Although her pupils are golden and her hair is not white but rather silver, Nephtros's appearance does resemble that of a noble elf.

It's in a magician's nature to want to test the results of their research. It seems that "The Devil" is no exception.

But there was one thing that puzzled Sagan.

—Didn't he just say that Neferi was the first noble elf he had seen in three hundred years?

If that's the case, where did this Nephtros come from?

Perhaps she was already serving Nefarian before Bivron discovered her, and it just so happened that she looked just like Nefarian.

An indescribable sense of disgust arose in Sagan's heart.

Whether or not Bivron noticed Sagan's question, he turned his gaze to Nefi.

"So I want to ask clearly, can you use divine magic?"

"...I don't know. As long as I study, perhaps I can put my skills to use."

"Hmm~ Finally, I've heard the answer I was hoping for. It seems that even a genuine noble elf can't reveal any lost techniques?"

While it's good that various new clues are coming to light, it's really just showing off one's knowledge.

Sagan felt bored and then sighed:

"So you invited us here just to publish your research findings?"

"Hehehe, that's true in some ways. But we're not done talking yet, so don't be in such a hurry."

Bifron continued, feigning mystery:

"Didn't I just say that the Demon Lord's Mark is a device composed of divine magic? So what kind of device is it? I think only you, who are also a Demon Lord and have a noble spirit by your side, can discuss this with me."

Biffron strolled on the deck and continued:

"Sagan, I believe you already have information that there once existed something called the Demon Race in this world."

"……yes."

Therefore, Sagan is looking for ways to counter it.

"And among those demons, there are also kings—but calling them demon kings is confusing, so let's call them 'demon gods'—and that's also the church's doctrine."

According to the church, it was the twelve wielders of the holy sword who defeated the "demon god".

As they talked, Bivron's gaze shifted to Shestie and Raphael.

Having monitored Sagan and the others for so long, he had naturally figured out that the person wearing the Varefal armor was actually Raphael.

Sagan shrugged and said:

"The Holy Sword is indeed very powerful, but can it really kill demons? I have my doubts about that."

At least that shouldn't work against the demons Sagan had encountered before. And if there were kings or gods above them, dealing with them would likely be even more difficult.

But... Bivron snapped his fingers again.

"No, no, no, I don't think it was all fabricated lies. Think about it, if the Demon God was torn apart by the twelve holy swords, wouldn't there be thirteen remains?"

There are thirteen Demon King Marks in total.