Even the Demon King is worrying about another world today.

Come to think of it, Mikayi was completely captivated by her pitiful appearance...

"Acting skills".

"Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you. If you're about to die, it's best not to speak easily, otherwise it'll be funny if your lips are halfway through moving." Ariel said with a grin.

"Your acting is quite good, Princess." Mikayi's eyes were as cold as ice. "You even managed to fool a demon..."

"Huh? That's why you shouldn't force yourself to speak." Perhaps this man's vitality was particularly strong. The target didn't fall as expected, and Ariel prepared to pull out the dagger and stab him in the heart again.

When Ariel looked at the wound on Mikael's chest, she was horrified to find that the horrific wound had healed. No blood was dripping; only a short section of the knife tip remained exposed.

"How could this be... the wound shouldn't heal so quickly. That's... that's my heart! How could a human have such healing abilities? Even elves can't do that!?" Ariel's eyes widened.

"Nobody told you I was human, did they?" Mikayi deftly tossed the sword from his back aside. The fact that he was injured was already enough to shock the entire underworld. After all, even a six-winged angel couldn't touch a finger of his.

Ultimately, it was because he had been too careless, completely unguarded in the face of the human princess. He had almost forgotten that humans are inherently selfish.

That is the only race more vicious than demons and more deceptive than succubi.

025 A False Pretense

Thanks to Ariel's sword strike, Mikael was reminded of what happened before he ruled the continent of Garan. When he was still human, he was betrayed and manipulated, ultimately forced into becoming a fearsome dark mage.

The short sword had just been drawn when, with a clang as it hit the ground, Mika's wound closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Ariel couldn't believe it. Her legs went weak, and she went from squatting to sitting down in the pool of blood: "You... how could you not be human! You don't have elven ears, dragon wings, or any demi-human features!! And I clearly stabbed you in the heart!"

Ariel kicked her feet and backed away.

Mikayi stepped forward and grabbed her wrist: "Come, let me tell you where the demon's heart is."

A cold, powerful hand gripped her wrist, and Ariel tried in terror to pull her hand away. However, faced with Mikaela's strength, her hand wouldn't budge an inch.

My palm was pressed against my chest, and I could feel a strong heart beating erratically in that indentation. This beating was even more noticeable against my cold skin.

His heart wasn't in the left atrium, but... right in the center of his chest?

Weapons! Where are the weapons?!

Before her other hand could be restrained, Ariel quickly pulled out the dagger strapped to her thigh.

"Want to come again?" Mikayi sneered.

Without hesitation, Ariel drew her dagger and plunged it towards the heart. Once that beating heart was pierced, death was certain, regardless of race!

"Are you determined to kill me? How utterly ridiculous." Angry gleamed in Mikayi's eyes.

So, rescuing a princess shouldn't be left to the Demon King! He thought he could be a hero and save the damsel in distress, but instead, he tasted the most poisonous heart of a woman!

Damn it, I'm so angry!

His scarlet eyes seemed to be lit up by something, emitting a faint red glow in the dark cell.

"Didn't I say? I am a demon."

The dagger was about to pierce him, but Mikayi remained calm in the face of the impending weapon.

Kneel down.

boom--

In an instant, Ariel's knee slammed into the ground, her forehead hitting the floor with a loud thud. It wasn't just a broken knee; the impact to the solid paving stone left a long gash on Ariel's forehead. Blood streamed down her face.

The distant sounds seemed to come from endless hell, accompanied by the wails of countless dead.

"You're still just an idiot princess."

A majestic and imposing aura emanated from above, sacred and unassailable. Ariel, aside from displaying shock on her face, didn't even flinch.

I can't move my fingers either.

This was the first time she had ever knelt on both knees as a member of the royal family. The pain of her broken bones nearly made her faint. When Ariel tried to simply fall to the ground, she was shocked to find that she was as if she were being held firmly in place by countless invisible hands, forcibly kept in a kneeling position.

"Since you all know I'm strong, why aren't you trying to curry favor with me? Instead, you're thinking of getting rid of me?" Mikael stomped on Ariel's shoulder. His blood-stained shoe left a footprint on the girl's smooth shoulder. "So what if I broke your curse? I can turn a person into a pool of blood in an instant!"

With one foot still resting on Ariel's shoulder, Mikaela bent down and used his index finger to lift Ariel's head, which was pressed against the ground.

Mikael hooked Ariel's chin and asked her, "Is it because you saw my wind magic that you doubt that I can't do black magic at all?"

"Are you an idiot?"

"Princess Ariel!" A panicked voice came from the corridor. According to the plan, they should have come to pick up Princess Ariel by now. As for Mikaela, he should already be beheaded. So when Zera saw Ariel in such a state, she rushed in immediately.

"Your dog is here." A wicked smile appeared on Mikayi's face. "The two of them, they're quite a match."

"Mikayi, let her go!" Zera gripped her staff tightly. With the princess in this man's hands, Zera dared not make any other moves, only remaining on high alert.

"You dare call my name?" Mikayi flicked his index finger. Zera was suddenly blasted away by an invisible force, and judging from the creaking sound his body made after hitting the wall, his entire spine was probably shattered.

"While I admire your willingness to risk your life for Ariel, take my advice: a simp will only end up with nothing."

She slid down the wall, her limbs giving way and she collapsed. Zera stretched out her arms as far as she could and crawled toward Ariel.

“Ariel…Your Highness Ariel…”

"Black Magic: Corruption," Mikayi uttered softly, looking down at the scene. Just like he once did, standing at the highest point, watching the ants below struggle and die.

Zera's body suddenly stopped moving. Starting from her fingertips, a dark curse rapidly spread downwards. Wherever the curse passed, cells died, blood vessels shrank, and skin withered away at an alarming rate.

“Zera…no, don’t…” Ariel managed to squeeze out a few words from her throat, using almost all her strength.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, I've turned over a new leaf and stopped being a bad person." Mikayi pressed down with his palm, saving Zera from being nearly killed by the dark magic. "Thank goodness, it's just a hand that's been crippled. Is that alright, my dear princess?"

Mikayi's sharp teeth were exposed, and his fangs, which were longer than those of an average person, looked extremely sinister in the dim light.

Large tears slid down Ariel's cheeks, mingling with blood and appearing faintly red.

Mikayi frowned: "What's going on? Are you putting on a crying show for me? Or do you think I'll fall for that again?"

However, seeing Ariel's distraught state, these tears might be the only genuine ones that Mikaela has ever witnessed.

Mikayi lowered his eyes slightly, unable to determine for a moment whether this was genuine emotion or a feigned facade.

So, living with humans is really troublesome!

【explain.】

With just one syllable, Ariel was freed from the Demon King's incantation. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground, propping herself up on her arms and struggling to straighten her back.

Mikael was curious to see what other act Ariel had in store. Although he didn't hit women, especially defenseless human women like this, that didn't mean he would tolerate being used and deceived.

As a wicked demon king, he had every reason to crush those two flies.

“Kill me…” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zera’s withered, shriveled arm, like a dried-up corpse. Ariel was filled with despair.

"Huh? I'm the Demon King! Do you think I'd let you go so easily?"

“Kill me…” Ariel’s shoulders trembled, and her vision blurred so much that she could see nothing.

Born a loser, she was fragile and vulnerable despite being royalty. She was bullied and gossiped about, enduring countless humiliations in silence. Her thirst for the throne became her only motivation to live. She even sought out a dark sorcerer to curse herself and the empress, hoping for the empress's early abdication.

She wore a gentle smile on her face while secretly plotting everything. Eventually, even Ariel herself couldn't tell which side was the real her.

It wasn't until she took on the enormous risk of conquering the Lyon Empire that Ariel met this man, and she knew that the opportunity she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

026 I'm a demon!

"Why... even though... even though I've tried so hard... I can never stand up, right? I'll always be a useless princess." There were no complaints, no sobs; Ariel was incredibly calm at this moment.

Her life's work has come to an end at this moment.

A fire had broken out outside, sometime during the night, and the heart-wrenching cries of the crowd drifted in, the acrid smell of burning flesh carried on the breeze. The faint firelight cast shadows on Ariel, her disheveled clothes stained with blood.

Ah... Come to think of it, I came here to save you.

I also want to ask you, why did you do such a thing?

But it doesn't matter anymore. Your blow has been enough to bring me back to my senses. I almost forgot that this is what you humans are like.

Ariel was too weak to stand up, and Zera had already fallen unconscious due to the side effects of the curse. Mikael felt it was about time; he had promised the Queen he would bring Ariel back safe and sound.

For now, let's send this person back to the Ais Federation. How to punish this human princess is something Mikayi has encountered for the first time since becoming the Demon King. He needs to carefully consider how to vent his anger without disrupting the balance of power in the other world.

“Now… um?” Mikayi looked down at the two of them, but his words were interrupted by Ariel’s actions.

Ariel reached her hand under her skirt, where her wriggling fingers were doing something.

Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me you're going to pull out one...

Mikayi sensed something was wrong; in his senses, an unfamiliar kind of magic was condensing.

"Hahaha, I originally intended to use it to clean up Mr. Mika's corpse, but I didn't expect to use it on myself instead. From now on, let's all become beautiful pieces of corpses! Thank you for being buried with me, Mika."

As Ariel finished speaking, her face, which had been crying just a second ago, had turned into a horrified smile.

You women really do change your minds faster than you can turn a page... Are you a yandere?!

Mikael was never a gentleman, nor did he care that the other person was a woman. He reached out and touched Ariel's inner thigh.

Sure enough, a cylindrical object was tied to Ariel's thigh.

It looks like some kind of self-destructing magical artifact, probably a craft left behind by the dwarves.

Ariel silently counted; from the moment the button was pressed, there were less than ten seconds until it would explode. Furthermore, this kind of magic-tracking item would return straight to her even if thrown.

3...

2...

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Mikayi said, adjusting the magical tool in his hand. “It won’t explode.”

"Varied,?!"

The tiny wind blades on Mika's fingers drilled into the tightly packed instrument, severing every connection without mercy.

"While an explosion of this magnitude won't shake me, it's not enough to kill you, Ariel," Mikael said helplessly. This was the third time this woman had tried to kill him.

"You... what kind of monster are you!?" Ariel was stunned when the expected explosion did not occur.

"So, I told you, I am a demon." Mikayi smiled, a smile that was clearly elegant, but became sinister after being adjusted by his scarlet eyes.

"Evil, demon?" Ariel re-examined the word. Ancient texts had described such creatures, beings that humans corrupted by darkness would become. Without emotions, without self-will.

But no matter how you look at it, Mikayi seems like a human!

“Oh right, I don’t want you to tell anyone about me being a demon. After all, I’ll let you live.” Mikayi crouched down. “It’s difficult, isn’t it? A demon lord wanting to protect this world. I hope you won’t interfere with my plans, Princess Ariel Ais.”

Mikaela picked up a strand of Ariel's hair, the hair mixed with blood and clumped together. The girl's unique fragrance mingled with the stench of blood, creating a somewhat pungent odor.