Chapter 2 : Soft Demon King and the Hero Party (2)

“Even if you say that’s what the prophecy says, look at this place.”

What about it?!

What’s wrong with the home that the future demon lord has prepared?!

“Even goblins would scream and run away if you told them to live here. It’s so narrow, damp, and weird.”

“That’s an undeniable fact.”

Deny it!

It’s not that bad!

There’s even a pile of stones, so I can sleep soundly!

“There’s even a stone pile that makes you feel the bad nature that would make even demons cry…”

“That’s what I’m saying!

Saint Dominicus!

There’s no way Purpure would be here.”

“But isn’t it a good place for a young demon to hide?”

Wha, wha, what?!

Wait, what.

This strange hero party?

They know exactly that I’m a young demon?

“Saint?

Do you really think a young demon could live here hiding?

Seriously?

I think they’d get sick and die in three days.”

“I can’t deny that.”

Deny it!

“Since it’s under the remains of an old magical beast, I naturally thought it was the land of prophecy.”

“So, the date of that prophecy is a bit wrong.

A bit!”

Yes, yes!

The prophecy is wrong!

So please leave.

You go back thinking you came to the wrong place!

And I’ll steam the Potakes and eat them deliciously!

It’s a win-win for both of us!

It’s hard to hide up here!

“Uh…?

Saint!

Saint!

Look at this!”

Maeve, who had been grumbling for a while, pointed to the Potake that I had carefully prepared.

I thought I hid it well, but she’s quick-witted.

“Who trimmed this?”

“That’s right.

No matter how you look at it, it’s been heavily trimmed.”

“Then that means someone lives here?”

Maeve picked up the Potake and began to examine it from all angles.

“But…

I never thought there would be someone who would think of eating Potake.

Even demons don’t eat it.”

“That’s right.

No matter how hungry you are, no one eats Potake.”

They’re a hero party, so maybe they don’t know.

How delicious Potake is?

You can steam it, stir-fry it, or boil it in a stew!

It tastes just like potatoes, but they don’t know how to eat it!

“To think of eating something louder than a mandrake…”

“Maybe it’s a demon who enjoys asceticism.

Look.

Hero Maeve.”

Dominicus pointed to the square salt bug that I had worked hard to grind into powder.

…Do they know that salt is precious?

“Wow…

Isn’t this a bug?”

“That’s right.

It seems to be a terrifying demon who enjoys pain to the point of grinding up bugs and inhaling them.”

What are these guys saying?

Do they not know about the square salt bug?

Why are they looking at it like it’s some pathetic trash and not even trying to taste it?!

“Well…

Then we know someone lives here.

What should we do?

Saint?”

“If this is someone’s home, they’ll come back if we wait.”

“Okay!

Then let’s…

It smells a bit here, so let’s wait outside, shall we?”

I told you to just go back!

And what’s with all this talk about someone else’s house being bad?

-Grrrrrrr!

“Uh oh…?”

“Hmm.”

I, I messed up.

Ah!

Really!

Why is this tiny body so hungry!

“Saint Dominicus?”

“It wasn’t me either.”

“Then…

There’s only one answer.”

What should I do?

What to do?!

Maeve and Dominicus naturally reached for their weapons and looked around the room.

Their eyes didn’t turn fierce, but they were openly looking around.

They were moving to find me hiding somewhere!

“We know you’re hiding…

So it’s better if you come out.

We’re pretty strong, you see.”

Of course, you are!

You’re a hero carrying a holy sword on your waist!

But what should I do?

If I get caught hiding in the ceiling, I’ll be in a terrible situation….?!

There’s no way these guys who came all the way here because of a prophecy will just let me go!

“Uh…

What’s this.

Why is this trash here?”

Maeve said, taking out the ‘jerky’ that I had worked so hard to make.

Do you know how hard I worked to make that?

I made it while sweating bullets, thinking I’d boil it in a stew if there was really nothing else to eat!

In the first place, that recently deceased instant death rabbit’s

—Creeeeak!

“Awawa…?!”

-Creeeak!

Craaaash!!!

I, who was hiding in the ceiling, fell to the ground with a thud as the small bones shattered.

I was really lucky that I wasn’t hurt at all, but that’s not the problem.

“Uh…?”

Maeve, holding the jerky in one hand, and I made eye contact.

“It seems you were hiding in the ceiling.”

“Isn’t that explanation a bit late?”

Maeve threw the jerky in her hand to the ground.

At that moment, I threw my small body without realizing it and caught the jerky with both hands.

“…It wasn’t trash?”

Where in the world would a person put trash in a box!

It should smell like meat, so how can you not recognize it?!

I got up, hugging the jerky tightly with both hands.

“Dominicus…

It seems the prophecy was correct after all.”

The saint nodded at the hero’s words.

The two naturally maintained their formation and approached me.

The overwhelming aura from their footsteps made my small body automatically want to retreat.

“Demon Lord, Purpure, listen carefully.”

“You must come with us to the promised land.”

The two naturally reached out their hands to me.

…It’s absurd.

In times like these, I should show the charisma of a demon lord and scare them.

I may look young, but I have a lot of magic!

‘Hmph, did you think I wouldn’t know why you wouldn’t kill me here!’

“Pu, Purpure kn, knows!

The reason you won’t kill me!”

Unlike my inner thoughts, what came out of my mouth was the cute, lisping pronunciation of a child.

“Awawa…”

I covered my mouth with both hands, but it was too late.

“Pu, pfft…!

What, what?

Why is this demon lord so cute?!”

Maeve laughed brightly and knelt on the ground to meet my eye level.

Are you treating the demon lord like a child now?

‘Don’t mock this body!

I have the power to slaughter the likes of you!’

“Don’t tease Purpure…”

Ah!!

It’s so annoying!

I didn’t like it from the moment I started my third life…!

Why am I cursed like this?!

Is it not enough that I lost all my power and started as a small child?!

“Aww…

So cute…

Dominicus!

Dominicus!

Isn’t her outfit cute too?”

“I don’t really know.”

“Well, what would a man who only wears pure white clothes know.

So cute.

Our demon lord!

Come here!

Let’s talk!”

Don’t treat the demon lord like a dog!

I got goosebumps and hurriedly ran to the stone pile.

Talk, what talk?

What could a demon lord and a hero possibly talk about!

“Maeve.

Your actions have startled the demon lord.”

“I’m being more helpful than a saint who just stands there with his arms crossed, you know?”

Maeve approached me again.

Aren’t you scared of me?

I’m a demon lord with horns on my head!

‘Stop this ridiculous act!’

“Purpure doesn’t like this”

-Grrrrrrr!

My stomach growled again.

Maeve and Dominicus burst out laughing, and I became a puppy whose charisma didn’t work at all.

“Awawa…”

What should I do?

What to do?

The reason these guys are taking me is too obvious.

They’re going to take a weak-looking demon lord to the capital and execute me as an example, right?

You think I don’t know?

I’ve seen that more than ten times when I was the demon lord last time!

Think…

Think!

“Pu, Purpure is hungry.”

I pointed to the Potake with both hands.

Even the greatest pleasures are nothing without a full stomach, as they say!

And I’m the demon lord!

Demon Lord Purpure!

“I don’t know anything about a promised land!

I want to eat first!”

You underestimated the demon lord…!

I’ll make you regret it!

I’m not just a cute puppy with horns!

“Ah!

Alright.

We need to be full to talk about the prophecy, right?”

“That’s a good idea.

We were feeling a bit hungry too, so let’s eat first and then talk to the demon lord.”

Hmph, how funny that you’re laughing without knowing what the future holds!

Do you really think I’m just suggesting we eat because I’m purely hungry?

How foolish!

You let your guard down because a young, soft-looking little demon is talking, right?

But you made a mistake.

Because I’m a demon lord, I can play with the seven deadly sins of humans as I please.

Even if I can’t move an army with a single gesture like before, I still have this much power!

Lust or greed would have been better, but ‘gluttony’ is enough to use!

“Then Purpure…

Since I’m the owner of the house.

I’ll make food for you.”

Potake and square salt bug.

These two are definitely not enough.

It’s a huge waste, but thinking of it as an investment for the future, should I add a few pieces of instant death rabbit jerky?

I’ll end up making stew, and it feels like it’ll be pretty good.

The thick carbohydrate of the Potake and the deep broth flavor that seeps out from the jerky will be quite good.

Also, since the ingredients have such strong flavors, the blandness of the square salt bug will naturally be covered.

“Hey, it looks like there’s nothing to eat here, so it’s okay.

Let’s eat what we brought.”

“That’s right.

It doesn’t look like there are any edible ingredients here in the first place.”

What…

Did they already notice?

But it’s a pointless act.

Even if the demon lord is close enough to amplify the seven sins,

“Ta-da!

We were thinking of eating this today!”

“It’s a forest where monsters appear, but it’s abundant in food.”

Maeve was holding two instant death rabbits dripping with blood.

Dominicus was holding large, colorful mushrooms, red, white, and even purple.

“Awawa…

…”

“If we roast this whole, it’ll be super~!

Delicious, right?

Right?”

You’re thinking of roasting an unprepared instant death rabbit whole?

“These mushrooms will add a pleasant flavor, don’t you think?”

Those mushrooms look like poison mushrooms no matter how you look at them!

Why did you pick them?!

“Then I’ll cook it quickly and give it to you!

Purpure~ just wait a minute!”

Looking at the hero and the saint getting up with smiles, I realized.

These guys are serious.

They’ve just been eating like this all along!

“Hehehe~ hehehe~ I’m glad we get to eat something delicious together.”

What’s with tearing the leather with your hands?!

You have the minimal common sense to prepare it, but you don’t know how to do it at all?!

I’m going to die from eating before I can make them my subordinates, really!

“Pu…

Purpure will do it…

Let Purpure do it…”