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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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The vast world unfolded before their eyes.
A place where countless people were busily moving about, and demons of all ages, regardless of gender, were engrossed in their respective tasks, exuding vitality.
That was…
The city that was visible before their eyes at this very moment.
It was the capital of the Demon Kingdom, Jerusalem.
“This feels… strange.”
“Yes? Why do you say that?”
The Demon King, strolling through the city, expressed her admiration in a quiet but sincere voice.
I felt a bit of curiosity in front of her and asked a question.
Unlike other cities, this place where we were was the capital, Jerusalem, where the Demon King resided.
Even now, if I turned my head, I could see the Demon King’s castle, so it wasn’t a place far from the Demon King’s usual sphere of activity.
Nevertheless, at this moment, I could clearly feel one thing through the figure of the Demon King, who was walking
with me after transforming.
‘Wow… she’s absolutely glowing right now.’
The Demon King was looking around with sparkling eyes, like a child who had come to see the city for the first time.
Moreover, since she actually said such a thing, I couldn’t help but feel naturally doubtful.
And,
Regarding my question.
The Demon King, as if realizing that she was a bit too excited, blushed slightly and carefully said.
“How should I put it… The city looks different from how I usually see it. Whenever I step outside the castle, all
I ever see are people bowing their heads, trembling before me.”
“Ah… I think I understand what you mean.”
It was a story that might sound quite strange at first glance.
However, if you think about it calmly, the Demon King’s feelings were perhaps natural.
Although she was hiding her true self as my lover in this place, she was clearly the ruler leading this country.
Of course, when she went outside the castle, she had no choice but to mobilize a large-scale escort, and as a result, the people of the Demon Kingdom would naturally have no choice but to bow to her as she went out.
Moreover, due to the fact that a state of war had been going on all along, she had to maintain a state of emergency both inside and outside the country in many ways, so it would not have been easy to do so-called covert activities.
For her, seeing the raw, unadorned appearance of the city like this, without any prior preparation, would not have been easy, and it was only natural that she would find it amazing in itself.
“So, Your Majesty… no, Esther, which side do you like better? Is it this side, where people are bustling around?
Or is it the side where everyone is bowing down as usual?”
“If I had to choose, I much prefer the way things are now. My people are like my own children. I’d rather see them happily engaged in their own lives than cowering before me in fear.”
“…I see. I thought you would say that.”
Although she was hiding her appearance, the Demon King was still showing her heart as a benevolent monarch who cares for her people.
Seeing her like this,
A deep smile automatically began to spread across my face.
“Then, shall we go over there this time? According to what Marie found out, they sell a lot of delicious things over there.”
“Is that so? That’s quite something to look forward to.”
With those words, the two of us headed towards the market.
And in the process,
I naturally ended up holding the Demon King’s hand under the tacit suspicion of not wanting to fall apart.
Immediately after, I felt a warm and soft sensation.
Despite being a warrior who fearlessly wields a sword, her hands were warmer and more cozy than I had expected.
In a mood that was full of excitement, just from holding hands like that, I immediately approached the food stall that caught my eye with the Demon King.
“Welcome! What can I get for you?”
A middle-aged man asked in a cheerful voice.
In response, I turned my gaze to the various foods that were sizzling in front of me.
‘What should I say… honestly, I thought there would only be a lot of unique things because they are demons, but surprisingly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.’
The composition of the food stall dishes in front of me was surprisingly similar to, but slightly different from, those of the Korean food stalls where I used to live.
Skewers made by skewering meat from a newly estimated beast.
A steamed bun or bungeoppang-like bread with fillings reminiscent of red bean paste inside.
In addition, offal dishes reminiscent of sundae and food that reminds one of tteokbokki and eomuk.
The basic components gave a roughly similar feeling, and in this regard, even though I was here for the first time,
I was able to order without much hesitation.
In that way, the two of us had roughly similar menus to what you would eat at a snack bar or street stall right in front of us.
Putting them in my mouth,
I was able to confirm once again that they tasted almost exactly as I had expected.
‘In that regard, it’s not a big burden for me… but honestly, I don’t know if it will suit the Demon King’s taste.’
Since the Demon King has hardly ever been outside the palace except for serious situations such as war, I couldn’t easily predict how these commoners’ foods would be received by her.
‘Considering the Demon King’s daily life of eating delicacies on a regular basis, there’s a high possibility that it really won’t suit her taste…’
Regretting my naive thought that it would be nice to have something like this since we came out anyway, I began to subtly watch the Demon King’s reaction.
“…This is… a truly amazing taste, I never thought there would be a dish that tastes like this.”
The Demon King, diligently eating a sundae-like dish, showed a slight admiration.
Following that, she began to show a side of herself that enjoyed it rather than rejecting it, even while tasting other foods.
“Does it suit your taste, Esther?”
“Of course. I’ve tasted so many dishes so far, but this is the first time I’ve had something like this. It’s a taste that I would like to eat often if I have the chance.”
In that way, the Demon King, who had shown her face as a monarch until just now, was now showing the appearance of a really ordinary woman, which was a stark contrast.
Seeing her like this, I was able to feel once again that the woman in front of me had truly diverse and, at the same time, all aspects that I liked.
‘I must have saved the country in my past life. Just looking at the fact that I can enjoy a date like this with someone like this…’
Feeling happy once again about the current situation, I deeply engraved in my eyes the sight of her eating in front of me in such a lovely way, forgetting even to eat.
At that time…
“Huh?”
“!?!”
The next moment, the pendant she was wearing around her neck suddenly began to vibrate lightly, and the Demon King carefully lifted it up.
Following that, she began to talk while putting the pendant to her ear and slightly lowering her voice.
“What’s going on? Why all of a sudden… what… what did you say?”
Someone’s words were conveyed through the pendant.
The moment she heard this, a deep sense of surprise began to fill the Demon King’s face.
Following that, she immediately got up from her seat and said to me.
“I’m sorry, Hero, but it seems like our date will have to be stopped here.”
“What happened?”
The Demon King had neatly cleared her schedule for today’s date.
The fact that she was suddenly being called like this meant that it was definitely not because of an ordinary matter, and in response, a question about what on earth had happened began to rise up one step ahead of the regret that the date had been interrupted.
And,
As an answer to my question,
The Demon King said in a calm voice while looking at my face.
“Something urgent has happened. According to the news, the envoy sent by the Elf Church is coming this way. Moreover.”
“E… the Elf Church, you say?”
As the Demon King had said in advance, a situation that really happened unexpectedly.
In response, I began to go back to the Demon King’s castle with her, thinking that I was going to be caught up in something much more troublesome than I had thought.
Feeling a little disappointed in my heart at the fact that my plan to spend an even more intimate time with the Demon King at the end of the date had been shattered, which was what I had originally planned…
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