I felt a strange tension as I sank into the chair at the table and lowered my gaze.
I’d rather focus on eating something, but the waiter just said to wait because the roasted chicken takes a long time.
“Should’ve ordered something else.”
Hmph.
I clenched the hand under the table tightly and cautiously glanced around.
“You.”
“Yes?”
I quickly lifted my head at Lyat’s call.
“How is it with Martin?”
“Sir Martin?”
Asking about the relationship with Martin?
After a brief moment of hesitation, I immediately responded.
“It’s fine.”
Lyat’s eyes narrowed.
“Two years ago, when we summoned the demon, you were also trying to kill us.”
“Ah, that. Misunderstanding.”
The first and last time we summoned a demon.
My Cookie No. 1 died in Martin’s hands. I almost died too, for that matter.
Superficially, it’s known that Martin aimed his sword at me because he doesn’t tolerate the existence of demons.
‘There must have been a reason.’
I recalled what Nisha had said.
– Once we regain the Demon King’s power, what do you think will happen to us?
– We will die. All of us.
– Maybe Martin knows about it too? That’s why he got mad at you.
If I can properly control the demon, we can unseal the Demon King faster.
This means homunculus’s death will be expedited.
‘So, did Martin deliberately attack me?’
Perhaps he didn’t go as far as trying to kill me. He might have just inflicted enough injury to prevent me from using summoning spells.
In any case, all these actions were to prevent Homunculus from dying.
‘Why?’
Twins or Nisha might have reasons, but I had known Martin for just about a month.
‘But why? Why me?’
Hmmm.
I couldn’t understand it well.
Perhaps Nisha’s guess wasn’t entirely wrong… but pondering alone wouldn’t lead to an answer, so I left it aside until now.
“Well, there must be a reason. You shouldn’t judge based on appearances.”
Yeah, anyway, I find myself holding Martin’s hand firmly now.
It’s not an emotion like love or friendship.
‘Why let go of such a good bond?’
Because Martin is an important person to me.
With Martin, there’s Arthur, and with Arthur, there’s the 1st Legion, and with them, I can receive a supply of magic.
I’m thriving by absorbing their magic. So, I had to hold on to Martin tightly, no matter what.
‘Well, I apologize for that time, and now he’s even better to me.’
Isn’t it worth pretending to be near death with just a word from me.
With all these advantages, there’s no reason to distance myself from Martin.
‘Later, when using summoning spells, I can just do it secretly from Martin.’
Thinking that way, I smiled warmly at Lyat.
“Hmm.”
Lyat touched his chin, giving me a skeptical look.
“Strange. Usually, when ordinary… no, those guys draw their swords at me, they’re definitely trying to kill.”
Murmuring, he glanced at me sideways.
“Are you forgiving them?”
Whether it’s forgiveness or not doesn’t matter.
I just find it advantageous to have Martin by my side…
“Thank you for waiting! Your ordered roasted chicken is served!”
Before I could respond to Lyat, the waiter placed a large roasted chicken on the table.
Seeing the mouth-watering food, I forgot what I was thinking or about to say.
Food.
Human food.
Delicious!
I subtly raised my hand, gripping the fork and knife tightly.
“Oh, this lemonade is complimentary. It seemed our little guest was flustered earlier.”
The waiter winked, leaving after placing the lemonade.
Lemonade.
That’s good.
Since I reluctantly drank the tasteless green juice that almost made me vomit earlier today.
There’s no reason to refuse the sweet and tangy lemonade, isn’t there?
However, I won’t drink it.
Why?
‘Carbonated drinks with meat make you feel bloated.’
Meat is just meat.
Drinks can wait.
What’s more important isn’t clear.
“Enjoy your meal.”
So, I slid the lemonade over to Lyat and confidently picked up the fork.
“Huh?”
Ignoring Lyat’s scoff, I focused on the task at hand.
Eating was the most important thing right now.
***
Demons don’t need to consume food.
But homunculus is different. Being half-human, they had to eat.
That’s why, in the Demon King’s castle, a dining hall was provided for them, and they were served meals.
‘However…’
Have you been starving for a few days?
Gulp, gulp.
Lyat stared silently at Shekina, who was devouring the food as if inhaling it.
‘She wanted meat earlier too.’
Don’t they serve food in the Demon King’s castle? No rice? No meat? Just grass to eat?
Lyat glanced at the lemonade in front of him with a subtle annoyance.
It was unprecedented concession.
For over three hundred years.
Demons are a nobler race than any other.
Hence, they believe in their own utmost value, importance, and that nothing can harm them.
Some say they are selfish and greedy, but those who uttered such words in their presence were all killed.
The one who unified these demons was the Demon King.
With overwhelming magic, he subdued demons, monsters, and the demon realm.
So, demons changed their perspective. The Demon King became the most precious, important, and must-be-protected existence.
However, their fundamental nature remained unchanged. They still prioritize self-preservation, killing, betraying each other. There was not a speck of altruistic emotion among them.
“Enjoy your meal.”
Just a single drink.
A meager amount of beverage that could be knocked over with a tap.
But why?
Why does the depth of this glass feel deeper than the sea?
Lyat, unknowingly, sipped the drink with a faint smirk.
That was the moment.
“So? Is this today’s gift for your granddaughter?”
“That’s right. I worked my bones off for a month to buy this…! Oh well, not a granddaughter but an enemy, an enemy.”
“Oh, I envy you for having family. Sitting and talking about good fortune.”
“You, the family man, says every night, ‘Stop drinking, Father!'”
“Then stop drinking! What are you doing with that lovely granddaughter?”
“Haha, a dog doesn’t stop pooping.”
Voices from the humans at the next table could be heard.
Lyat came here to investigate if the humans living in the territory might feel anything peculiar about their existence. He organized his drifting thoughts and listened intently.
“Alright, let’s see the gift. How did you manage to spend so much on something that looks so ordinary?”
“Curious?”
“Very. Unwrap it quickly.”
The human holding the forearm-sized gift box chuckled and grabbed the lid.
“There you go. A masterpiece made by our shop, the representative doll shop!”
… A doll?
Lyat felt a slight chill.
Didn’t Shekina clearly say, ‘If you present this as it is, it will definitely be a disaster’? So, how should he manage items from now on? He was contemplating when this happened so quickly?
“Wait…”
“Ta-da!”
The human opened the box faster than Lyat.
“…”
Inside the box was a humanoid doll.
But it had six arms, three on each side.
Fortunately, it had two legs, but they couldn’t be called human legs. They were shaped in a way that couldn’t be described as anything close to human, sharp and blade-like.
‘Demon-kind model.’
Lyat unknowingly clenched his teeth.
‘I’m going to kill the one who made that.’
Until Shekina pointed it out, Lyat didn’t know what went wrong, but now he understands.
It looks like something one would see in the demon realm.
Is it considered a humanoid just because it has a human face?
Clearly a demon-kind, a monster, right?
Lyat seriously contemplated whether to use memory-erasing magic at this point.
But then it happened.
“Let me explain. This thing here, you wouldn’t be able to buy it even if you gave ten gold coins in the aristocratic areas. Look at this. It hasn’t done anything, but see how the eyes roll? The arms move on their own too!”
“Impressive. You can probably chop wood with those legs.”
The humans, unimpressed by the gruesome appearance, chatted among themselves with laughter.
What’s going on?
Lyat, momentarily puzzled, turned his gaze away and looked at Shekina.
No wonder he couldn’t hear the gulp-gulp sound. Shekina, too, had her mouth wide open, staring at the humans.
“So, this is…”
Shekina swallowed the remaining meat in her mouth with a gulp.
Don’t mention the demon realm, demons, or monsters, please. Please!
Shekina fervently prayed.
And what popped out of the human’s mouth was…
“A magical doll, you mean?”
It was a term she had never heard in her life.
What kind of doll?
