CH 3.2

The suddenness of all baffled him. Whether Lushiko knew his feelings or not, she turned to look at him straight away. Even though he was still in the middle of changing her clothes, she talked in a manner that didn’t allow for any feeling of embarrassment or mischievousness.

“I’m still skeptical that you were once a human being from another world in a previous life, but… I know you’re having a very hard time living with us, being pushed around all the time. So, I think it’s great if you have that princess by your side to help you need comfort and healing.”

“So, I’m going to help you. You should be grateful,” She added.

“And by helping out, you mean… ‘Sacrifice this maiden to our Demon King!’ and ‘Brainwash her with mind control magic!’? But I don’t want to do something like that, you know?”

“I know you’re not demon-like at all! So why don’t I make the others stay out of it? You don’t want the others to suggest something like that, do you? I’ll keep the other six generals under control, so you can do whatever you want. Go and see the princess.”

“Lushiko…”

(I didn’t expect you to do that much. I didn’t know you were thinking of me.)

“So, my step-sister is on my side…”

“Don’t tear up. It’s pathetic.”

Lushiko cowered her shoulders in a theatrical manner and said, “Oh, no, no. I can’t believe our Demon King is such a lousy chicken! If the others knew, they’d probably be disillusioned!”

“Honestly, Lushiko is keeping me alive! Thank you for keeping it a secret!”

“You don’t have to be grateful there. Just do your best to de-stress yourself, Kengo, you baka! Baka baka baka baka baka baka baka ba—ka!”

When Lushiko cursed him out, she got upset with her shoulders trembling and quickly left the bedroom.

“You don’t have to call me a baka all the time!”

And she didn’t even give him time to protest.

Kengo didn’t know. When she was far enough away that her step-brother could never hear her, Lushiko muttered.

“You don’t even know what I’m thinking. Kengo’s a baka…”

She monologued with a sad look on her face.

After a light breakfast, Kengo hurried off to Fort Krall. But just before he could depart…

“My Lord! Permission to let this petty general accompany you!”

“No, please let me.”

“This mistress can be quite useful, despite my appearance.”

“It’s the top rank meeting with the human army, isn’t it? I’ll use my mental magic to brainwash them in an instant.”

“I can train Princess Vannessia and turn her into your slave. How about it?”

As usual, the seven generals tried appealing to him, saying that they wanted to help, but he could smell that they were planning to do something absolutely unnecessary.

“Kengo said he’s going by himself, so leave him alone! He’s not a child.”

If Lushiko hadn’t stopped them as promised, some of them would have forced themselves to follow him. In fact, the demon generals who were told to stay back were raining a storm of booing…

“Who the h**l are you to order us around, Lushiko!?”

“Impudence! You don’t think you can speak for His Majesty’s heart, do you?”

“That’s right, that’s right. I should be the one since I’ll get married and become his wife soon.”

“M-m-m-marriage!?!?!?!?! There’s no way this will happen! Anyone who has a problem with that will be torn to pieces.”

“Then I’ll use my resurrection magic to attach the dismembered limbs back together.”

“After that, I’ll tear you back into even more pieces.”

“Huh? There’s no way Asumi’s weak attacks will get through to me.”

“Then I’ll use my Permafrost H**l to freeze your prized defence.”

” It’s no use. I’ll use the Imaginary Corridor to escape.”

“That’s where this petty general attacks with ‘Theatre of Spatial Distortion’.”

“It won’t work since I have Full Dimensional Perfect Defence.”

“I’ll…”

“Then I…”

When the argument had degenerated into a mere childish quarrel, Kengo succeeded in escaping alone from the Demon King’s Castle. He arrived ten minutes before the appointed time.

At the main gate of the rock castle built in the center of the fort, knights lined up on either side of the road to welcome him, standing erect in sword salute. As welcoming manners go, it seemed plain and not spectacular. However, since this was the front lines, it must have been an expression of the utmost respect. Still, there was no telling what the knights who welcomed the Demon King were thinking inwardly. He couldn’t see their expressions as they were hidden behind their helmets. So, towards them—

“Thank you for the welcome.”

Kengo thanked them with a friendly smile. If it were his vassals, he would have to play the role of a Demon King to make his stature clear; he would even have to show up late on purpose.

However, in order to get along with the human nations, it was essential to appeal to them by showing he wasn’t a bad Demon King. It’s also why he was punctual and showed his sincerity.

(I’m just a small fry who is calculating in his head.)

He knew, but he couldn’t stop.

As he made his way along the path made by the knights, he thanked them and showed his approval to those on either side of him. At the end of the road, an old man, who looked like a military strategist, was waiting on one knee. He was one of the three that Princess Vannessia had brought with her yesterday.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Your Majesty, the Demon King. My name is Zangens, and I am the military advisor. I will now escort you to Princess Vannessia.”

He greeted Kengo with perfect sincerity. He was sure Zangens was feeling a bit bitter inside, but he was old enough not to show it.

“Zangens, I see. Nice to meet you.”

Kengo helped him stand using both hands and took his right hand to greet him.

Even this seasoned old soldier couldn’t hide his confusion at this. The knights lined up on either side must have also been in a state of shock.

(I don’t know about the etiquette of royalty in the human world, but it seems they don’t usually make you stand up and take their hand, do they?)

Normally, it was all about national authority and might. So, would he be taken lightly? Well, Kengo didn’t need any of that. He had shown such an overwhelming difference in military power that it was impossible to. Instead, their surprise was, ‘The Demon King is surprisingly friendly?’

It was a performance that would easily be understood by the audience. Kengo calculated how much candy he would be able to hand out because Sato had whipped them too hard. [EN: Think of the carrot and stick.]

“Y-yes. Your Majesty, the Demon King.”

The old warlord led him into the castle with much reluctance. It was a castle, but as you would expect from the front lines, its insides were stuffy and bleak. Sentinels stood at key locations, but they were knights, not soldiers, which was typical of a castle. All of them, too, should be sprinkled with affection and smiles as they pass by.

“I apologize for the inconvenience today, Your Majesty, Kengo. Princess Vannessia awaits your arrival in the inner hall.”

“It’s all right, Lord Zangens. From your point of view, my castle must be a horrible cave. While it is certainly a misunderstanding, it would be cruel to ask the lady to jump into the lion’s den while still prejudiced. It is only logical that I should be the one to visit this time.”

Kengo made a cheerful smile and moved to the back of the old warlord in front of him.

“I can only bow to Your Majesty Kengo’s deep consideration and care.”

“I don’t mind at all. So, who else is going to be at the meeting?”

“Your Majesty, Princess Vannessia would very much like a one-on-one meeting with you.”

“Eh, just her and me!?”

Kengo’s smile froze.

(It’s impossible to have a good one-on-one talk with such a beautiful girl. Seriously, I can’t do it.)

Cold sweat started to trickle down his face.

He thought they were going to have a meeting in a place like an audience hall, surrounded by many people. He was expecting at least her three aides, including Zangens, to be present.

(W-what should I do?)

Kengo was so nervous that even his walking became wobbly. When he met Princess Vannessia, his heart fluttered, and he couldn’t help but think, “I’ve never seen such a beautiful girl before.” [TL: Rip Lushiko] [ED: Lushiko has a chance, as he admitted being fine with her looking at him naked.]

It was love at first sight. But that didn’t mean he thought he could have a decent talk to Princess Vannessia! Lushiko said something like he should bring her back, but there was no way he could do something like that. He couldn’t even imagine it being just the two by themselves.

Yes, as far as Kengo was concerned, he was just happy to meet and chat with her and her subjects in the form of a top-level meeting. It didn’t have to be something intimate like a couple. Serious discussions were okay too.

For example, talking about world peace, which is what Kengo wanted. Princess Vannessia seems to be a good conversationalist, and she seems to be a Saint with national-level charisma. He wanted to consult with her about signing a permanent non-aggression pact between the demon and human races. Otherwise, even if, hypothetically, Kengo were able to muster up the courage to persuade his subjects and convince them of the importance of peace, the human race had declared, “Kill the Demon King!“

If they had continued in this manner, peace would be nothing more than a fleeting dream. Therefore, in order to achieve world peace, there must be leaders who advocate for non-war in both the demon and the human world, and Kengo and Princess Vannessia were the right people for the job. It would be better for both leaders to be on good terms with each other, both in terms of continuing their activities and as a symbol of peace. In other words, this is a chance to make friends with Princess Vannessia!