DKFTI 25

After reading the letter from the Holy Kingdom, Aizen was contemplating how to respond to the Holy Kingdom’s inquiry about his well-being. He remembered that he had been quite bold when he left.

What? Had he said he would kill the Demon King and die himself?

Looking back now, it was a ridiculous idea. Why would he end such a good life? Aizen, who had gently folded the letter, gazed over the bushes in the distance. There, the two who had been spying on him from behind the terrace steps had moved to a different location.

Did they really think their bodies were hidden?

The two, camouflaged with leaves, had long since been noticed by Aizen, whose senses were sharper than most. Unsure of their true purpose, Aizen found their antics amusing and endearing, so he decided to ignore them.

They had been lurking around for a while, he was very curious what thought had led them to trail him so closely.

The bushes rustled and two people began to chatter. The first thing he heard was a conversation about his eyes, his features, and the back of his head.

‘What are they plotting?’

Aizen was curious about their intentions, but he also was a little interested. If he acted like he knew, they might run away.

‘Should I enjoy this a little?’

Since becoming an Apostle, his life had been one where the whole world stared at him. It was a glamorous life, feared by enemies and admired by allies. But here in the demon king castle, it was difficult for them to remember him unless he whined like a seven-year-old begging for attention.

It was all because of the demons who cared as little about an Apostle as they did about a Read on stone on the roadside. He had once thought he was sick of the world’s attention, but maybe that wasn’t the case.

Even today, Sibel’s white hair was shining brightly.

‘He stands out in such a strange way.’

The combination of Sibel’s pale skin, his silver hair, the white shirts he liked to wear made him look like mist. But such tones, Sibel always shone.

Aizen remembered vividly the first moment he had seen him. A presence that inevitably drew his gaze. Sibel was already in his field of vision before he even realized it. His feeble heart couldn’t resist the pull of gravity. Or perhaps it wasn’t even about resistance, he didn’t feel the need to resist.

‘How long will they keep doing this?”

Aizen felt the warm breeze and smiled faintly as he watched Sibel, who was stretching his legs in the distance and rubbing spit on his nose. His smile scattered in the wind.

“Cute.”

Aizen hummed a tune, enjoying the peaceful moment and the pleasant attention.

***

In the garden, in the hallways, through the window when Aizen entered his room, even in the dining hall. It was difficult to act like he hadn’t seen them. The two amateur spied so openly that there was no way not to notice, even if one tried.

Tap, tap, tap. The fork in Aizen’s hand lightly knocked against the edge of his plate.

He wondered if he should put a stop to their behavior, which had been going on for half a day. Whatever the reason, it was certainly exhausting. Sibel’s pale face already bore a heavy shadow of fatigue.

“You two really live such tiring lives.”

But Aizen thought, since they were putting in so much effort, there was no need to throw cold water on them, even if it wasn’t because of their attention. Hard work is good, after all.

“Are you eating properly?”

The two flinched at Aizen’s concerned question.

Why would he ask how they are doing? And Aizen already knew the answer. The noisy pair had neglected proper meals and instead chased after him while stuffing themselves with sweet snacks like bread and cookies.

At Aizen’s words, Sibel and Ruru began whispering to each other in obvious surprise.

“He even knows our eating habits….”

“He must be very meticulous.”

“The Holy Kingdom’s thoroughness is truly something to behold.”

“As they say, physiognomy is science….”

They seemed to be making an effort to speak quietly, but as always, it was useless. Aizen thought he would have to someday teach them how to really whisper.

“Have you not been practicing magic lately?”

At that question, Sibel once again flinched. Since he jumped at every little thing Aizen said, Aizen was starting to feel cautious about opening his mouth. How could someone that timid be plotting anything at all?

“But these days.”

When Aizen spoke in a firm tone, Sibel finally stopped whispering and looked at him. Sibel repeated Aizen’s last words, “These days…?” and waited for him to continue.

“You look busy.”

Shrinking shoulders, a body pulling back.

“Oh, no!”

Sibel replied with a loud shout.

“Your way of speaking is starting to resemble the fox.”

Aizen’s gaze fell briefly on Ruru, whose nose was buried in his food bowl, then moved away.

“Hmm. I guess it rubbed off from always being together.”

Aizen knew better than anyone how inseparable the two were.

“Looks like you’ve some plotting to do.”

Aizen stirred the vegetables on his plate as he spoke.

“Please refrain from, ahem, too much interest in the affairs of our Demon King castle.”

Aizen was impressed by Sibel’s courageous words. Before, he’d tremble at the mere sight of him.

“Are you feeling a little more comfortable with me now?”

It was remarkable progress, he could meet Aizen’s eyes properly and speak clearly. It seem that his timid, whiny nature had improved a little too.

He felt like he had grown stronger in such a short time, and that made his own heart swell with pride. The corners of his mouth kept turning upward. No matter how he thought about it, everything about him was just cute.

“It’s never been hard… for me?”

“Oh, really?”

Yeah, right.

“How about you say that while actually looking me in the eyes?”

“Well, it’s because the Hero’s ace is so fierce.”

“My face?”

“Um, your eyes….”

“My eyes?”

Sibel hastily changed his words as Aizen’s frowned.

“Your… gaze?”

Watching the scope of his words shrink smaller and smaller was amusing, and Aizen let out a small laugh.

“So in the end you’re saying I look fierce. Are you scared of me?”

It was quite ungrateful to of him to call the Aizen scary, when he was the one protecting him.

“That’s quite a shameless question someone for someone who has trespassed and occupied someone else’s home.”

Ruru nodded vigorously at Sibel’s words. Just as Aizen was about to object, the dining hall door burst open and Shanti entered.

“Are you still eating? You need to digest quickly to sleep, and only if you sleep can you work the fields tomorrow morning!”

Shanti was the undisputed housekeeper of the demon king castle.

“Wait, where’s Raccoon?”

Shanti’s sharp gaze swept the dining hall, and he soon noticed that both Raccoon and Pudding were missing. As Sibel stuffed a chunk of meat into his mouth, he answered.

“Hm? I haven’t seen them since earlier?”

At Sibel’s words, Shanti’s face twisted into a frown.

“That brat always causes trouble when he’s out of sight!”

“Forget that, why don’t you sit and eat something too.”

Sibel worried over Shanti, who hardly ever ate a proper meal.

“Do you think demons even get nutrition from food?”

“Isn’t that so? Then why does he eat so diligently?”

Demons didn’t need food the way humans did. Strictly speaking, they lived off mana.

“It’s more like a luxury, you could say.”

Ruru answered while munching on bread. Shanti clicked his tongue.

“Fox demons have a tendency to imitate human behavior.”

“How curious.”

“Because they’re eccentrics.”

“Then does that make me an eccentric too?”

“The Demon King has peculiar traits, but in a different sense.”

“But Shanti, you don’t seem all that sane yourself.”

While the three of them amiably took turns criticizing each other, Aizen focused for a moment on the energy radiating from Sibel’s body. Strangely, Sibel changed every day. What had initially been an innocent, childlike aura blossomed into something a fresh, tingling tension.

Was this how the power of a newly born demon king normally shifted? Along with the peaceful daily life he enjoyed here, Aizen found himself with plenty to observe, and his days were filled with excitement.

The relationship between a high-ranking demon and a Demon King was so different from what he had imagined that it was shocking… but observing the many changes was fun in its own way.

“See that? See? It’s that look again.”

Aizen’s gaze as he observed Sibel was, to someone else, enough to cause a misunderstanding.

Aizen noticed Sibel and Ruru exchanging glances. He wondered how long that little game of theirs would continue, and kept eating his meal.

***

The next day, the two of them finally caught a lead. Their constant effort chasing the Hero’s heels had at last borne fruit.

“Look at that. Look, that’s definitely a letter, isn’t it!”

“Mm.”

Today, Aizen, who they thought would once again spend the day idly drinking tea in the sunlight, had paper and pen laid out in front of him, which was different from usual.