“I’ve been thinking about something.” Argen, just waking up, blurted out with her puffy face.
Valen, who was holding her, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
“What is it?”
“I’m worried I might turn into a sausage.”
“Just sleep more.”
“Listen to me.
Since you’ve been carrying me whenever we need to move, I’ve completely stopped walking.
Of course, I’m grateful that I can take nap in that time.
But at this rate, I feel like I’m going to lose every muscle in my body.
It’s dangerous.”
“You never had much muscle to begin with.”
“Put me down.
I’ll walk myself.”
“What if you fall again?
If you need to exercise, do it in bed.
You don’t have to worry about turning into a sausage if you move around on me by yourself.” He murmured softly, brushing his lips against Argen’s head.
“…You only ever say the right things.” Argen took Valen’s opinion seriously.
The place Valen opened the door to was Nadol’s office.
The Elders who had arrived first eyed the pair coldly, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Just as Valen set Argen down and turned to leave, Nadol called him back.“You stay here for a moment too.”
“Why?”
“You never just say ‘okay’ once.
About this festival!
Argen said it would be good if you came too, so sit down and listen to what we have to say.”
Valen glanced at Argen, who nodded.
He reluctantly took the seat next to Argen, his face clearly showing annoyance.
Nadol handed him a thick stack of papers.
“It’s about the festival.
Everything’s in there—the origins, the schedule, even the best spots for kissing.
Take it to your room later and read it.
It’ll help.”
“Seriously…”
“If there’s anything specific you want to do, just let us know anytime.
But you have to stick to our schedule.
We’re attending on the ninth day, the festival’s final day.
Other demons only get to enjoy one day, so we can’t stay for all nine.
We don’t actually have the time anyway.”
Valen skimmed through the festival brochure before suddenly lifting his eyes to stare at Nadol.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about for a while.”
The tone he used to bring it up felt unusual.
Valen was usually the type to ask questions directly when curious; he didn’t beat around the bush like this.
Nadol swallowed nervously, feeling an unexplainable tension.
“What exactly does the Demon King do?”
“……”
“What does he do that leaves you lot handling all the state affairs?”
For a moment, the four demons froze, Valen excluded.
Argen, who had been about to drink her tea, couldn’t even bring the cup to her lips.
Valen glanced at her, snatched the cup from her hand, and slammed it down on the table.
A chilling silence enveloped the office.
The demons, overcome by rising panic, couldn’t speak.
Why was he suddenly asking what the Demon King was doing?
She’s right here beside you!
Yet, the reaction of No Name who mentioned the Demon King felt familiar.
It was tangled with that dense loathing and hatred he’d felt when first facing the demons.
Valen scanned the demons’ faces with dry eyes.
At that moment, Nadol coughed,“Ahem…Wait.
Did I hear that wrong?
The, the Demon King?”
“If you’re trying to defend your King, give it up.
No matter how nicely you sugarcoat it, to me, he’s nothing but a traitor who deserves to have his head cut off.”
Argen quietly wrapped both hands around her own neck.
Valen’s eyes, fixed straight on the demons, were cold, yet a hidden flame burned quietly within them.
Everyone sensed that the anger Valen had accumulated deep within over a long period had formed a foundation too solid to be shattered by a few words.
Another long silence fell.
It was an extreme stillness where not even breaths could be heard.
Sharp, condensed killing intent rose like acrid smoke.
At that moment, Zephyr abruptly rose from his seat and moved to stand behind Argen.
He placed his large hands firmly on her shoulders and turned her body toward Valen.
“Number 38.
Now, look.”
“Take those hands off her.”
At the irritated retort, Zephyr quickly withdrew his hands and asked.
“Who does this look like to you?”
The dark gaze that had been fixed on Argen’s shoulder slowly shifted toward her face.“Argen.”
“Yes, it is Lord Argen, but what kind of demon does she look like?”
“Why the hell are you asking that?
Demons are all the same damn demons, what…” Valen, who had been snapping back irritably, stopped talking and frowned.
As some emotion welled up, he licked the inside of his cheek before averting his gaze from Argen.
“Why did you stop answering?” When Zephyr pressed him, Valen sighed and spat out the words as if tossing them aside.
“A succubus.”
Clang.
Finn shattered his teacup.
Shards of ceramic and tea sprayed everywhere in an instant, and Valen’s arm instinctively shielded Argen’s body.
“Finn, are you okay?” Nadol asked in a startled voice.
Finn barely managed a stiff nod.
But his face, flushed bright red, looked anything but fine.
Valen scanned the demonic beings, who seemed somehow broken, with his gaze.
Each one flinched whenever his eyes touched their faces.
“Seems you’re uncomfortable because I insulted your King.
If you expect an apology, forget it.
To me, he is nothing but scum to be torn apart.”
“……”
Valen spoke in his characteristic sharp, curt tone before rising from his seat.
He then coldly left the office, abandoning the promotional materials Nadol had painstakingly prepared.
The aura emanating from his retreating back settled with a chilling stillness.
Thud.
As the door closed, Nadol exhaled the breath he’d been holding.
He immediately turned to check Argen’s face.
“Ah, are you alright, Argen?”
Argen’s face was pale, almost corpse-like.
“What did I… do wrong to make that man react like that?”
“Don’t worry too much about it.
That bastard clearly has some serious misunderstanding.”
Her pale, delicate face was splashed with undisguised bewilderment.
It was a huge shock because these days as No Name only showed a friendly side to her.
“To think he knew me as a succubus.”
Somehow… She’d only thought his repeated talk of seducing her or giving her semen was rather perverted.
The way he often stared intently at Argen’s stomach was the same.
The actions of that guy she hadn’t understood until now suddenly clicked into place like pieces of a puzzle.
Zephyr sat down in the seat Valen had occupied and gulped down the tea, now cold.
“Now that he’s finally starting to let his guard down… What happens when he finds out about Argen’s true identity?”
“Didn’t you see that bastard’s expression earlier?
He’d just go back to square one.” Finn wiped the irritation from his face and spoke coldly.
“That can’t happen.
She hasn’t even conceived yet.”
Argen and the other demons believed victory was within reach.
They were all certain that if they continued spending nights together like this, a child would soon be conceived.
Moreover, Argen didn’t want to lose the tenderness that No Name showed her.
When he eventually returned to the human realm, she wanted only the good memories and feelings to linger, allowing them to fondly recall each other.
What on earth should they do?
As Argen agonised over this, Nadol spoke up.
“It will come out eventually.
Rather than just sweeping it under the rug, wait for the right opportunity.”
“…That sounds best.”
“Don’t just blurt out ‘I’m actually the Demon King’.
You need to lay the groundwork carefully.
Until the misunderstandings about His Majesty the Demon King are cleared up.”
From that day onward, whenever the Elders encountered Valen, they casually brought up the Demon King.
“His Majesty the Demon King pioneered the abandoned land and created an industrial district.
Our nephew was a good-for-nothing who read nothing but dirty novels all day, but he got a job at the Sea of Calamity, didn’t he?”
“Haha, and that’s not all.
By providing art education to the ogres and trolls who were only deployed during wars, we’ve cultivated a whole host of genius ogre musicians.”
“The Demon King is insane.
If he raises salaries this much, what does he get in return?”
“He’s always been a frugal demon, not given to extravagance.”
The kind of awkward dialogue you’d find in an academy exam paper doggedly followed Valen around.
Unfortunately, every time it did, Valen’s expression became so terrifyingly fierce that they’d shut up immediately.
However, the elders did not give up and subtly instilled in the Demon King, that is, Arhen, his benevolent nature and his heart for the people.
But Valen, unable to endure it any longer, threatened to rip out their tongues if they mentioned the Demon King one more time.
Eventually, half of No Name’s massive fist ended up in Zephyr’s mouth.
Zephyr never forgot the terror of that day and became unable to even utter the letter ‘D’ in ‘Demon King’.
Finally, Argen clenched her fist grimly.
“From today onward, I am a succubus.”
“Lord Argen!”
“Until I have a child—no, until No Name returns to the human realm—I wish to keep my identity as the Demon King hidden.”