|| TL: miyakriko ||
“What? Huh? This thug… I mean this gentleman… huh?”
The Demon Lord Hazal.
There is little information about his existence in the human world.
What is known is that he is the leader of the various demon tribes that were scattered and now unified under his rule.
This means that he’s an enemy to humans.
However, the actual person was much different from what people imagined based on this information.
“Yes, this rough-looking man is Lord Hazal. Hey, you smell burnt!”
Rino says as she pointed to the burnt-smelling man with the handle of her broom.
She doesnt show a respectful attitude towards her master, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Who are you calling rough-looking? I’ll beat you up.”
“Jeez… that’s what I mean. By the way Frey-sama didn’t know, did he?”
“Well, it’s not that I didn’t know… it’s just that I wasn’t told…”
If I had had even a little information about Hazal’s appearance, I could have handled the situation more appropriately.
While thinking about that, I glanced at Rose.
Our eyes met.
“Hey, Rose…”
“What is it?”
“Is there any way to turn back time? Just thirty minutes would be enough.”
“It’s impossible.”
I never thought the demon Lord the father of those girls would look like a thug.
I had imagined a more dignified person based on Eshuru’s infatuation and Anna’s admiration.
The man in front of me looked no more than the boss of a gang in a slum.
“What the hell are you… Do you have a problem with me or something?”
“N-No… There’s absolutely nothing…”
I quickly tried to smooth things over.
But what should I do… I unwittingly called my employer a thug.
No, I even unleashed my most powerful magic.
If I didn’t handle this situation carefully, I would get fired again before the exam.
Anyway, I have to be cautious for now.
“Well, never mind that. How are those girls doing?”
“They are diligently working under Frey-sama’s guidance.”
“I see…”
The mysterious man, now revealed to be the Demon Lord, glanced at me as Rose spoke.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he seemed to forgive me.
He may seem short-tempered, but he might actually have a laid-back personality.
“Hey, are you here because you were worried about them?”
“Oh, are you saying that you just happened to be passing by?”
“H-Hell no! Of course not! It’s just a coincidence!”
The Demon Lord blushed like a teenage boy being teased by a girl, as Rino spoke in a teasing tone.
It seems like she hit the nail on the head.
“Oh, come on, you’re not being honest,”
“Shut up or I’ll yank your tail out!”
“Eek! My holes are gonna increase!”
The two of them bantered back and forth like close friends rather than a master and servant.
“Anyway…this guy is…this man…”
The Demon Lord turned his gaze back to me, eyeing me up and down as if evaluating me.
“I-I’m sorry for my rudeness earlier, even though I didn’t know…,”
“What? Rude? That’s nothing compared to what goes on in my territory! I’ll knock your head off!”
“Hahaha…you’re right…”
But for now, I needed to avoid provoking him.
“Anyway, Rose! How are they doing?!”
“They’re doing very well under Frey-sama’s guidance”
“Really? Well, I’ll find out soon enough…”
My results will be clear soon.
That’s right, there’s very little time left until the exam.
I was worried I might get fired before that, but it seems like I managed to avoid that fate for now.
“Well then, we’ve talked enough here. Let me show you to the mansion.”
“No, that’s fine. I’m going home.”
The Demon Lord responds immediately to Rino, who was trying to guide him to the mansion.
“Huh? You’re leaving already? Aren’t you going to meet the young ladies?”
“I already told you not to let me meet them. Well, as long as they’re doing well, it’s fine. We’ll meet soon enough anyway.”
The “young ladies” must be referring to their mother. One of them had even ignored his instructions and secretly came to meet them earlier.
“I see. Then your way out is over there.”
Rino points to the direction of the broken main gate with her broom.
Her sloppy response was hard to believe coming from a servant to her master.
“Alright, well then–“
The Demon Lord turned on his heel to head towards the gate, but in that moment–
“Father!?”
From the direction of the gate’s half-open door.
It was a familiar voice coming from the direction of the garden, but with a completely different tone.
“Ah! It really is Father!”
Everyone turned their gaze towards the direction of the voice at the same time.
Anna, the eldest daughter with red hair waving behind her, came running towards them.
“O…Oh…Anna…”
The Demon Lord called out to Anna as she approached him.
His expression betrayed his embarrassment at unexpectedly running into her.
“Yes! Long time no see! It’s Anna!”
“Long time no see. Have you been doing well?”
“Yes! Father, you seem to be in good health too!”
Anna has a soft expression that I’ve never seen before.
But what I felt when I saw it wasn’t jealousy, but rather a heartwarming feeling that Anna could show this face to someone.
Although her Father’s abdomen is charred black and he didn’t look very healthy, but let’s leave that aside for now.
“Have you been listening to what this guy and Rose say?”
While keeping his gaze on Anna, the Demon Lord points his thumb at me.
“Eh? Ah… yes, of course.”
Anna answers with a slightly hesitant voice.
I know better than anyone else that half of her answer is a lie.
Sure, Anna listens to the lessons seriously and answers my questions.
However, but she always keeps a distance and doesn’t seem to take it seriously. To put it bluntly, she seems to be looking down on me.
I’ve invited her to training separate from class, just like her other sisters, many times.
But every time, it’s been clearly rejected, It’s easy to see that she has that kind of attitude.
Of course, I want to do something about it, but the reality is that there is no way to do it.
“… I see. Well, the exams are coming up soon. If you can show me your growth there, that’s good enough.”
The Demon Lord speaks to Anna in a tone and with a gaze that makes it unclear what he means, but there is a slight sense of discomfort.
“Yes! I will definitely live up to Father’s expectations!”
Anna responds with an adoring gaze, seemingly unaware of her father’s strange behavior.
“Are you staying overnight today?”
“No, I’m leaving now.”
“I see… Father is busy, of course…”
Anna looks lonely as she resigns herself to being alone.
“Yeah. We shouldn’t leave the castle unguarded for too long, or those guys will start getting ideas.”
“Hazal-sama.”
“What is it?”
Rosé, who has been silently listening to their conversation, takes a step forward and speaks to the Demon Lord.
“While it’s alright for you to leave, there is something that you need to do before you go.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“We need you to repair the gate.”
Rose points to a part of the gate that is squeezed and broken in front of the garden while looking at the Demon Lord.
“Repair it…”
“Yes, repair it. It’s necessary to prevent any indecent people from entering.”
Only the Demon Lord who broke the gate and entered would be clearly told that.
“Tch… I guess I have no choice.”
The Demon Lord reluctantly agrees to the request.
He has no idea about power dynamics or hierarchy.
Could it be that Rose is unexpectedly important?
“Jeez, you’re really strong, aren’t you? It’s tough, you know? Fixing that thing.”
“That thing is too fragile. We need to use something more decent.”
Scratching his head, the Demon King walks with Rose and Rino towards the broken gate.
“Father, may I also help–“
“No, it’s okay. You should focus on what you need to do since we’re already short on time.”
“Uh… y-yes… I understand…”
Anna puts on a lonely expression once again after being gently refused by her father.
And now, only Anna and I are left in the area.
“Hey, Anna.”
I call out to her as I look at her profile with a lonely expression.
“What is it?”
After taking a deep breath, she changes her expression from the one she has when she faces her father.
To the one she always shows to me.
“Since your father said that, I think you should also be with everyone…”
It’s not like I’m taking advantage of her sadness, but I propose this idea, thinking that it might work now.
“Frey, you’re persistent. I’ve told you many times before, but I have my own way of doing things. Please understand that.”
“I hear you, but…”
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Anna once again clearly expressed her rejection and walked towards the mansion after glancing at her father, who was repairing the gate.
Silently watching her back, which was another cause for concern, I thought.
Anna’s grades and abilities are flawless. It’s hard to imagine her failing the exam.
But I have a bad feeling that won’t go away.
However, I couldn’t grasp the true nature of that feeling as time passed.
And then, we reached the day of the exam.
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