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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: shyan
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The Demon King’s Chancellor, Belzebuth, appeared alongside the unfamiliar beauty.
At that moment, she wore a playful expression that contrasted with her usual slightly prickly demeanor as she spoke to me.
“I apologize; my sister seems to have been a bit nervous and may have acted rudely…”
Belzebuth gently embraced the anxious demon woman beside her.
Then, with a honeyed smile, she continued speaking.
“It seems she got quite nervous meeting the famous Hero. I hope you can forgive her mistake with a generous heart.”
“It’s alright. This isn’t a problem at all.”
Honestly, it wasn’t rude; she had simply approached me for conversation, so I brushed it off lightly.
Of course, I knew there were strict nobles from the Falcon Empire who would make a fuss over such matters, but I had no reason to act that way.
Seeing my reaction, Belzebuth released the girl from her embrace and smiled brightly at me.
“This girl’s name is Esther. She is my sister and is attending a royal party for the first time today.”
“I… I’m pleased to meet you. My name is Esther.”
The demon woman named Esther spoke with a slightly stiff voice while looking at me.
Honestly, judging by her appearance, she seemed younger than Belzebuth, but I was well aware that among demons, there are often significant discrepancies between looks and actual age, especially with perfect examples like Elisia.
Having been introduced, I politely bowed my head toward Esther.
“I’m Hero Elron Savio. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Esther.”
“Um…”
Esther nodded stiffly in response to my greeting. From her demeanor, it was clear that she was quite tense.
‘Is she this nervous just because she met me? Well, I have done quite a bit under the name of Hero…’
As I observed Esther’s reaction, I began to think that perhaps I had become somewhat famous among demons.
“Ah! Speaking of which, time has flown by… Excuse me! I must go now as I am due to escort Her Majesty as part of the Royal Guard.”
“! N-No… wait just a moment!”
Suddenly pulling out her pocket watch and speaking in a hurried tone, Belzebuth glanced at Esther, whose face momentarily showed confusion.
As she quickly left the scene, she cheerfully called back,
“Well then, Esther, I’ll be off to work! Have fun with the Hero! See you later!”
“Wait? What do you mean…”
“Um… Excuse me?”
Belzebuth unexpectedly left me with Esther in this manner.
I felt as if I had been struck from behind.
‘What is this… Out of nowhere, she just leaves her sister with me like this?’
If it were someone I was close to, it might be different, but given that Esther had always shown wariness toward me, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled by her actions.
Thus left alone with Esther in this somewhat awkward situation,
as I was feeling confused…
“…Excuse me…”
“Y-Yes?”
The next moment, Esther cautiously approached me.
She then gently tugged at my clothing and spoke in a small voice.
“Could you… please follow me for a moment? It won’t take long.”
“…Well, alright.”
With her face flushed red and a tone filled with urgency, Esther pleaded.
Despite my lingering doubts and caution about the situation, I decided to follow her request.
I figured that to understand what this situation really meant…
To be specific, I needed to know why Belzebuth had orchestrated such circumstances.
‘There’s no way Belzebuth would do this without any thought; what could be her intentions?’
As these questions swirled in my mind, I turned my gaze toward Esther walking beside me.
She was undeniably beautiful yet clearly showing signs of tension.
Honestly, if it weren’t for my relationship with the Demon King, I would likely find myself quite interested in her charm,
and suddenly an idea began to form in my mind regarding her beauty and Belzebuth’s earlier behavior.
‘Could it be… is this her plan? To distance me from the Demon King by placing such a beauty beside me…’
Given the circumstances, it was highly likely that the Demon King had confided in her trusted aide, Belzebuth, about our relationship.
This fact would undoubtedly be uncomfortable for Belzebuth, who had always been wary of me as a human.
In that context, it seemed plausible that Belzebuth wanted to separate me from the Demon King, and perhaps she thought to place her relative, the beautiful Esther, by my side to achieve this.
‘It’s too sloppy to call it manipulation since the Demon King is right in front of me. So it’s more likely a form of persuasion or intimidation? Offering me such a beauty and suggesting I break up with the Demon King…’
Of course, I would learn more details as we moved to a less crowded area.
Although Esther was pretending to be shy,
it was likely she possessed a cunning nature capable of being used in situations like this, so I would soon find out.
As I pondered these thoughts about what lay ahead,
Esther finally stopped walking and slowly turned to face me.
We had arrived at a small garden located in a secluded area of the Demon Castle.
No one else was around, only the quiet sounds of insects filled the air in this serene location.
In that place,
Esther shone under the moonlight, radiating breathtaking beauty as she looked at me and said,
“This should be enough. There’s no one watching us now…”
Her tone was markedly different from before.
I realized we were now in a place where we could speak freely, and I felt a heightened sense of caution as I replied,
“Yes, this seems like a place where we can talk freely. So, what’s the reason for this little game you’re playing? Can you tell me more?”
“Hmm… Did you notice from the beginning? You truly have the insight befitting a Hero.”
Esther began to show a hint of happiness in response to my words.
I felt as if I were looking at a boss praising a player before a major battle and smiled slightly.
“It’s nothing special. It was clear from the start that Belzebuth wouldn’t just entrust her sister to someone like me.”
“Is that so? Still, I thought you might waver upon seeing this…”
“Unfortunately, even if I look like this, I’m not someone who would be swayed by others while already committed.”
I firmly replied to Esther’s implication that she might have tried to use her beauty to manipulate me.
Of course, as someone who detests betrayal—especially against the Demon King—I had no intention of betraying our relationship at this point.
No matter how stunning she might be, succumbing to such temptations would go against my beliefs and my entire life.
At that moment…
Seeing my firm stance against her temptations,
Esther surprisingly showed no signs of hostility or displeasure; instead,
she slightly blushed and began to smile softly.
“Indeed… it seems my worries were unfounded.”
“…What?”
The next moment, Esther began speaking in a way that felt oddly different from what I had expected.
I started to feel uneasy about her words…
But Esther continued speaking with a smile on her face without paying attention to my reaction.
“I apologize, Hero; it wasn’t my intention, but it seems I’ve ended up deceiving you for a while. However… this was necessary for our relationship moving forward, so I hope you won’t take offense.”
“What… what does that mean…?!”
As Esther’s words sank in, I began to realize something.
Immediately after, I felt deep confusion and embarrassment over one particular fact I had just grasped,
and cautiously spoke up toward Esther.
“U-um… Demon King… your Majesty?”
“Hmm? What is it, Hero?”
‘Oh my god… Fxck. is this real?’
Props to the Demon King.
Since he already saw the actual face of the demon king … is this practical effects to disguise her? Or is it a powerful enough illusion that it got through the hero’s countermeasures?