Chapter 213: 198

「I repent, Demon King-sama」

「Please don't repent to the Demon King!」

I had kept on running all the way out of the city after that and had gone to see the Demon King at the ruined dungeon.

「There's something bothering me that I can only talk to you about」

「………You should have opened with that」

This night, the Demon King was in human form again.

Lately, she's usually in human form whenever we meet. I’ve heard that if she uses her accumulated magic power, she can actually assume human form at any time.

Also, for some reason, she’s been looking more fashionable.

Her fluffy hair that had made her look like a bagworm moth has lost 20% of its volume and become 40% more lustrous. Her raggedy robe has also been replaced by a red dress once worn by some Brave.

She's also wearing a little bit of makeup. However, it didn't do much to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

I can feel the effort.

「So, Souya-san, what is it that you can only talk to me about? Does the god you're contracted with not even listen to the grumblings of followers?」

「No, that’s………」

Two people had immediately come to mind when I wanted someone to talk to.

Misuranika-sama and Gladvain-sama.

Lately, those two seem to have become drinking buddies. They've been drinking together a lot, both at the dormitory and at my home.

I was often the subject of their conversations as they drank.

In other words, whatever I say to Misuranika-sama will naturally make its way to Gladvain-sama's ears. And when Gladvain-sama hears the whole truth……

「………I'll be killed in one punch」

「It's a matter of life and death!?」

The Demon King was surprised, but told me to calm down and urged me to sit down on a piece of rubble next to her.

I complied and sat down next to her.

「The truth is, Demon King-sama……」

「Yes?」

「………………I was unfaithful」

「………………Death penalty」

「Whoa!」

The death penalty all of a sudden!?

「SooouuuuuYaaaaaa-Saaaaannn」

「Y, yes?」

The Demon King's dark magic power surged out, making the surrounding temperature drop drastically.

My breath turned white and icy, and my skin froze to a crisp. Rather than being cold, it hurt.

「Cheating on your wife is the worst! It's not something a human should do!」

「That's very persuasive coming from the Demon King」

I had forgotten.

She had gotten married to an elf who was scamming her. My thought that since I couldn't talk to a god, I may as well settle for a Demon King was a huge mistake.

「But, well……I'm sure that men have their side of the story. I'm curious, so I'll listen to your excuses at least」

The chill receded.

I pushed my frozen bangs to one side and set about making excuses.

「Ummm」

Where should I start? Well, from the beginning, I guess.

「It all started when I met a representative hero of Elysium」

I'll start at the part where I met Khius at the ramen stall.

「Then by royal order, I cooked a meal for a magistrate of Elysium――――――」

I got named the【King of Beasts】for some reason, got tortured, had my memories intruded upon, broke the assistant, ran off with Lanseal, and……

「I suffered from short-term amnesia, where only my memories of Rana vanished without a trace, and then I got carried away with Lanseal――――――」

Melm playing an active part is annoying, so I cut him out of the story.

「I see………………I got the gist of it」

「You get where I'm coming from?!」

As expected of you, Demon King-sama.

「You deserve the death penalty after all!」

「Obupfff」

In this respect, she's very Demon-King-like.

「Forgetting your wife and laying with a beastkin woman………as excuses go, it's the worst! That’s a pitfall heroes often fall into!」

「Yes………………I'm the worst. I'm a dung beetle. I'm a mole cricket. I'm a daphnia(water flea)」

「Don't you love that cute, big-boobed wife of yours?!」

「I love her!」

「Then how could you forget about her?!」

「I wish I knew」

「And forgetting doesn't give you any justification for being unfaithful!」

「Yes」

「To begin with, you men are all just――――!」

I found tears coming to my eyes.

For a while, I was thoroughly chastised by the Demon King.

After about five minutes……

「How about leaving it at that~?」

……help finally arrived.

From one of the crumbled structures, a chicken peeked out.

Its true identity was a goblin with a chicken on his head. It was Gashuraku-san, the great hero of the Goblin Underground Empire.

If you're wondering why he has a chicken on his head……

The eggs I shared with the goblins were very well received by them, so I gave them chickens, which were quickly incorporated into goblin culture.

The chickens have been selectively bred to crow at sunrise even when they're underground. To the goblins, who don't like sunlight, the chickens became useful creatures, not just for food, but also for telling time.

And the chicken which lays the most delicious eggs is thusly taken care of personally by their hero.

「You know, Souya~ You mustn't consult Demon King-sama about relationship issues~」

「Wh, What did you say?! I'm still the Demon King though! I know everything, including relationship issues!」

「That so~?」

Gashuraku-san nodded as he replied in a monotone.

「T, take for example…… Here, Souya-san, try asking me for help on any other relationship issues you may have!」

With both hands, the Demon King made a "Come on" gesture.

「Actually, my sister, Ea, has said that we should get married when my adventuring is over, and it may be cowardly of me, but there's this beastkin girl called Tyutyu, and I only realized the meaning of the kisses on my ear that she has been giving me three days ago, and lately, instead of showing a lot of skin like she used to, she's been wearing clothes that oddly conceal her figure, so could it be that………is how I'm feeling. Also, there's this younger girl in my party called Bel, who has made advances on me in the past, but that was likely just a passing fancy as older men tend to be viewed in a better light. I think it's something similar when it comes to Rutsuko-san as well. On a personal note, Evetta-chan, my person-in-charge, has gotten smaller and I'd love it if I could take her in and raise her at my home. Speaking of which, recently――――――」

「There's still more?!」

The Demon King screamed at me.

I still have a few more women-related problems, but I was stopped.

「Souya, you're really something~ Well, it's not like I don't understand」

「You get where I'm coming from?!」

As expected of a hero, he's an open-minded person.

He sat down more or less between the Demon King and me.

「Goblins are polygamous too, you see~?」

You guys too?!

「I was against it until the very end though」

You were against it, huh?

「It's a long-standing tradition after all~. Even if the Demon King-sama tells us to, we can't change it that easily~ Right, Souya? Ahem―――――」

Gashuraku-san cleared his throat and then suddenly began speaking in a somber voice.

「What do you think it is about a man that women fall in love with?」

「Eh, that’s……」

That's a difficult question. Rana was under a misunderstanding when she fell in love with me initially. What is it about me that Tyutyu and Lanseal like so much anyway?

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「It's easy. It's a man's authority」

「Authority?」

Do you mean authority in the sense of being charismatic? [1]

「Yes, there are those who are drawn to people in positions of power. But that's the mindset of slaves and parasites. Many people mix up slaves and women, but not you, right?」

「Well, that's a given」

The term "in positions of power" brings Avarak's face to mind for some reason.

The word "authority" makes me think of Melm's face for some reason.

And in between those two are the faces of King Lemuria and myself.

「Authority, in essence, is kingliness. People will naturally gather around those with it. People will naturally want to satisfy their desires. When it comes to those in positions of power, it's all about coercion. Money, contracts, threats, violence. These are what they use to make people obey. But being in power isn't something that's unwavering. It's only natural that others will take advantage of any weakness to steal that position away. You have………………more or less some authority」

「More or less……」

How much on a scale of one to ten would that be?

「A woman who has genuine love for such a person wouldn't see it as a problem if you showed interest in other women」

「Is, is that how it is?」

「Yes, it is! My wife, you know, even if I had other women―――――」

「Souya-san, look here, right here」

The Demon King suddenly butted in on the conversation. She pointed to Gashuraku-san's forehead. There, I noticed an old scar that ran diagonally across his forehead.

「This is what Gashuraku got when he messed around with his first wife's niece」

「Wha?! Gashuraku-san?!」

You're the worst.

You're just as bad as Melm.

「Authority sometimes attracts people who should not be attracted to it. It's such a sinful thing」

「I'm just put off though」

Even though what he was saying sounded so good……

「Souya, what’s important is your first wife. There's nothing more important. Just give her all the special treatment you can. Send her gifts, celebrate anniversaries, give her mementos, do everything you can think of to make her feel special. Wait on her hand and foot like a slave. If you don't, you'll be a goner one day」

All the talk about authority and power disappeared into the night sky.

At any rate, apologizing seems to be a good idea.

「By the way, Souya-san, what did you say to your wife?」

「I ran away as soon as I saw her face, so nothing」

「You're the worst~」

「You're the worst」

That's something they both agree on, I see.

「Well, I don't know why, but I had completely forgotten all about Rana, and my feelings of remorse just erupted right then……」

「Oh, now that you mention it, you said something about short-term amnesia, right? Hmm―――――mm?」

The Demon King cocked her head.

Then, she walked off with her head in her hands.

She tumbled onto the grass.

「Demon King-sama, what’s wrong~?」

「I feel like I'm forgetting something too. What is it, I wonder? It feels sickening」

The Demon King flailed her arms and legs about. She looked like a child throwing a tantrum in a toy store.

「Demon King-sama~ What did you have for lunch yesterday?」

「I had Bukkake udon[2] with meat miso and raw egg, and a hearty salad of underground vegetables. I had a second helping of the udon」

「What about breakfast two days ago~?」

「Curry fried rice and potato pizza. Cold tomatoes with cream sauce. I ate three of the tomatoes」

「What was the best dish you had four days ago~?」

「There's one that stood out above the rest. It's the Hiyashi Chuka.[3] I never knew that something so sour and delicious existed……the world is really a big place. My quest has only just begun」

「There's no problem then. Demon King-sama, you're able to prattle on about things in the past. Or rather, I think your memory is pretty good~」

The Demon King had answered Gashuraku-san's questions smoothly.

Rather, the food culture that I introduced sure has permeated throughout the Goblin Empire.

「But I'm certain I'm forgetting something………eh, it's something different. What's with this feeling of loss? Wow, that's gross. I feel sick. It's a disgusting feeling. It's like a debt I forgot to pay. What is this feeling? There's a feeling inside me that I don't know」

She flailed about some more.

Despite how it may look, this person is the Demon King. Though I do forget that sometimes.

「Haaa, you're still as pitiful as ever」

「Eh?」

Unexpectedly, a familiar voice rang out. A cat was standing on the plain in the dark of night.

It had gray fur and golden eyes.

「Misura―――――」

「Demon King-sama! Please escape!」

Gashuraku-san shouted at the top of his lungs. The chicken on his head squawked in surprise.

The Demon King hurriedly fled into the depths of the dungeon. The chicken that had been awakened also disappeared after her.

Gashuraku-san pointed the tip of his rapier at Misuranika-sama.

「O envoy of death! That personage is someone we need, and if you wish to return her soul to nothingness, take the life of this goblin hero first. If that's not enough for you, I'll sacrifice my entire family to you. If that's still not enough――――――」

It's not that big of a deal. Gashuraku-san has made a terrible misunderstanding.

In the alternate world, there are three creatures that are said to govern death. Each continent has a different one. Wolves for the left continent, rats for the center continent, and for the right continent we're on, it's cats.

It’s believed that these creatures return the souls of dead creatures to where they come from. The cats I encountered in the abandoned city of Rossian are probably one such example.

Misuranika-sama is something different.

She's the (self-proclaimed) god of misdeeds and intrigue. She's not a creature governing death who has come to claim the Demon King, who is a spirit of the dead of sorts.

「Gashuraku-san, ummm……」

「You fool, do I look like I want the souls of the dead? I'd rather have a piece of chicken, which is much more delicious. Hmpt」

Angry, Misuranika-sama turned on her heel.

「Souya! We're going home!」

「Oh, okay. See you, Gashuraku-san. Also, please give my regards to Demon King-sama as well」

「Y, yeah」

Gashuraku-san was standing there with a blank look. I walked across the plain, chasing after the angry Misuranika-sama.

「Misuranika-sama, ummm……」

「Silence! Shut up and follow me!」

She was in a bad mood.

After walking in silence for a while, we stopped at the old camp.

The tents and supplies had already been retrieved, but the remains of the outdoor kitchen still stood.

At a random spot, Misuranika-sama turned to face me.

「Souya, there's something I've been hiding from you」

「Hide? From me?」

What are you saying after all this time?

「I had thought that it would be better if I said nothing and let the peaceful days continue. It was a sweet dream for me too」

I had never seen Misuranika-sama more serious.

However, what she said next was shocking.

「Souya, you've lost a very precious bond」

[1] The word used here, 権威, means authority, power, influence, and so on, but one of its rarely-used meanings is “charisma”. This rarely-used meaning is what Souya was referring to.

[2] Bukkake describes the act of splashing liquid on something. In this dish, the liquid in question is a cold dashi-based broth, splashed onto chilled udon noodles. It’s usually served with a variety of toppings, including grated daikon radishes, grated ginger, boiled eggs, sliced green onions, and much more. (Pic courtesy of wikimedia.org Taken by Ozchin)

[3]Hiyashi Chuka, which literally means “chilled Chinese”, is a dish with chilled ramen noodles and various colorful toppings, including shrimp, egg, cucumber, ham, imitation crab, and so on, with a soy sauce or sesame-based dressing. (Pic courtesy of justonecookbook.com)

Yeah! We’re finally there! Well, almost…damned cliffhanger. But are you excited for the next chapter?! Are we finally going to get some answers from Misuranika-sama?!

“Haaa, you're still as pitiful as ever” You do realize that Misuranika was likely talking about the Demon King there. Misuranika also spoke in a way that seemed to indicate that she knew the Demon King way back when, yet the Demon King doesn’t know her at all. Well, if you read back, I’m pretty sure you can see that there have been many signs…but well, like I said, next chapter.

The next chapter is going to be pretty enlightening and it’s a key turning point in the story. You definitely don’t want to miss it!

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