GalaxyTL
“Ah! Schlie-san!”
“Haa, we’re finally here. The Don’s whims are truly troublesome. Sorry to keep you waiting, Meg.”
As we were walking to enter Demon Castle, we saw the beautiful elf walking towards us from the castle gates. That’s right, he said he’d be joining us later.
“Sorry for my dad!”
“Fufu, I’ll forgive him for your cuteness. He also arranged for transportation.”
Schlie-san must have been in the middle of something else. It was easy to imagine him rushing to finish it and then coming here. I’m so sorry. Honestly, Dad!
“Hello, Kron. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has. Are you heading to see Eugene-sama?”
“Yes. But it’s probably the Demon King who has business with us.”
Schlie-san greeted Kron-san, who was standing next to me. Apparently, he has business with Father-sama, the Demon King. His tone when he said, “Demon King”, sounded a bit… cold. Does Schlie-san still have issues with Father-sama? No, maybe his voice just naturally sounds cold.
Kron-san, probably sensing that, was emanating a prickly aura. Kron-san’s a Demon King first person…!
“I’m sure the Don’s explanation was lacking. We need to discuss the location of the joint meeting, and the content, in detail. If you’re concerned, how about you join us?”
“…Yes, I will.”
No hostility, but not friendly either. I could tell by the atmosphere and her tone. Even I could tell, Kron-san’s probably read it perfectly. That’s their compromise. They both understand that there’s no point in complaining about it. Her tone was cold, but her words were polite. Even Schlie-san’s being considerate.
“Um, let’s… go together…?”
I stepped between them and gently took Schlie-san’s hand. I know, you know. I don’t completely understand… but I know. But it’s painful to see people I love having a strained relationship. I thought maybe I could be a buffer, even if just a little. At least, until we reach the office. So I tightened my grip on Schlie-san’s hand slightly.
“…Yes, of course, Meg. You truly are a thoughtful lady.”
A lady! Th-This isn’t the time to be excited about that. He’s seen through me. I could tell because he firmly squeezed my hand back. Yeah, that’s fine.
I know that everyone can’t be best friends. I just want everyone to get along, to be comfortable.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Meg-sama, that’s the wrong way.”
“Auuh!?”
I immediately started pulling Schlie-san along, only to be corrected by Kron-san. Sorry for being directionally challenged! How embarrassing!
Knock, knock, I knocked on the door. It seems Dad, Father-sama, and Licht are still here. I could tell by their presence. I can sense the presence of spirits, but I’m still not able to identify people, so I think it’s amazing they can do that. Or rather, I can’t even sense human presence at all. Sad.
“Oh, Schlie. That was fast.”
“Yes. Thanks to a certain someone, I had no choice but to get my work done quickly.”
“…Sorry.”
Woah… Schlie-san’s smile is scary. But Dad, you brought this upon yourself. I can’t defend you.
“Knowing the Don, I’m sure you didn’t discuss the details. Now then, let’s decide everything right away.”
“I’m not good with those kinds of troublesome things… and I was planning to tell you the date and location after it was decided…”
“It’s a request you took on. We should be the ones to suggest the date and location. It’s different if there are specifics from Mara, but that’s not the case, right? Please consider those of us who have to clear our schedules at the last minute, because you did this. It’s incredibly difficult to make adjustments. Don’t trouble the other guilds and those from Demon Castle. Just listen to us. Participate.”
“O-Okay…”
Schlie-san, his face close to Dad’s, wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. He’s used to this. I can’t see it, but I’m sure he has a beautiful smile on his face. I-I’m so envious… that he gets to see it up close. Dad’s nodding repeatedly. He doesn’t look like the head of Ortus at all. Honestly.
“Demon King-sama, can I go for a walk around the castle with Meg?”
Just as I was thinking the discussion was going to take a while, Licht made this unexpected suggestion. I’m worried about Schlie-san and Father-sama, but Dad’s here, so it’ll probably be fine. And I haven’t had a chance to properly talk to Licht yet.
“U-Ugh, I’m jealous, Licht!”
And, as expected, Father-sama expressed his envy.
“You’ll just tell me the important stuff later, right? I have a lot I want to talk about with Meg, so it’s fine, right?”
“Gnnnuu… Meg, sit next to me during dinner…! Please…!”
“Okay! I’ll eat next to you, Father-sama!”
I happily agreed because Father-sama sounded so desperate. It’s no trouble at all! I want to talk to Father-sama too!
“Guahh… I might die of happiness today…”
Father-sama then collapsed on the spot, trembling, his hands and knees on the ground. That much!? He really is an emotional person. Even though his face is as beautiful as a sculpture.
“Don’t leave the castle grounds.”
Dad called out to us as we were about to leave the office, and we answered, “Okay!” before exiting. Ah, Kron-san also left the room. Is she coming with us? I looked up at her, and she, noticing my question, lowered her eyebrows slightly and opened her mouth.
“I apologize, Meg-sama. I still have other work to do, so I’ll be getting back to it.”
“I see… that’s right. Thanks for showing me around, even though you’re so busy!”
“No, it’s my pleasure. I had a wonderful time. Thank you.”
She said that, then glanced at Licht, and then walked away. Ah, is she… not going to say anything to him? I then looked up at Licht.
“…Licht?”
Licht, still staring at Kron-san’s back, looked sad. I couldn’t help but call out to him. Ah, so he really does have feelings for Kron-san…
“Ah… geez. I love her.”
He’s saying it out loud. Eh, should I point that out? He covered his face with his hands and looked down.
“Ahah, you love Kron-san, right?”
“…Yeah.”
He just said it. So cute!? So it’s true, that he has feelings for her. I had a feeling.
“But, it feels awkward between you… doesn’t it?”
“…………Haa”
Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have asked? Sorry, I’ve always been bad at this love stuff, even when I was Megu. My friends used to come to me for advice, but they gradually stopped, maybe because they realized it was useless. “Why don’t you just confess?” “Eh, you think you’re being avoided?” “Then just give up.” That kind of advice was probably bad. I-I mean, I don’t get people’s feelings!
That’s why, I’m not sure I can give advice to a grown man struggling with love. But…
“I’ll at least listen, okay? I’m bad at giving advice, though.”
That’s right, at least I can listen. It can make you feel better just to have someone listen!
“…Well, it feels a bit strange to be talking about this with a child.”
He has a point! But Licht said, “Thanks,” patting my head, and then smiled, saying, “I’ll take you up on that.”
It’s not really appropriate to be standing in front of the office and talking about this, so, at Licht’s suggestion, we were now climbing the stairs. I’m huffing and puffing… no, I’m not! Because I have a lot more stamina! Eheh!
I’m choosing to not hear any comments about how it’s normal to not be out of breath after this much. I’m happy when I have a lot of things to be praised for, right?
“We’re here. Have you been here before?”
“Yeah, you brought me here, a long time ago! The view’s still as good as ever.”
We arrived at the top floor of Demon Castle. There’s a small tower with an observatory with a good view. Huey-san, the prime minister, brought me here before.
We sat next to each other on a plush-looking chair. My legs weren’t reaching the ground, so they were dangling. I think they’ll reach if I grow just a bit taller.
“Kron was the one who showed me this place. And this is where I confessed to her, for the first time.”
“Eh? You already confessed?”
I was lost in thought when Licht said this. I reflexively asked that question, and he replied, “Of course.”
“I’ve told her many times that I love her, but I’m always rejected.”
“Your dedication and proactiveness are amazing!”
I can’t believe he’s a former Japanese person. Shouldn’t he be too embarrassed to confess, or something like that? Is that just me? Or is it an age thing? But I really do think it’s amazing that he keeps confessing without giving up.
“Because… whenever I see her, I just want to tell her. I can’t help myself.”
Fuoh~, he’s in love. This is love. I don’t really understand, unfortunately, but I can tell, just from listening to him. But still, to think Licht was this passionate.
“Um, when did it start? When did you start liking Kron-san?”
Since we’re here, I’ll ask some appropriate questions, like you would during a love talk. I am curious, after all! It’s exciting.
“From the start. From the time I first came here.”
“Love at first sight?”
“Well, yeah.”
This is another phenomenon I haven’t experienced. Falling in love at first sight. Hmm, I wonder how your feelings change. You fall in love based on looks, right? I guess she was really his type?
I wanted to ask all sorts of things, so I leaned forward eagerly.