Chapter 41 - The Fairy, the Cat, and the Demon Lord
Louis carried Elenoa in his arms as he walked through the sky.
He had transferred to a magic circle slightly off from their destination. The moon was out, and he had wanted to look at it.
"It's been a while since I felt the wind."
"Indeed. It is nice every now and then, isn't it?"
"...Mm."
Elenoa reached out from beneath her blanket toward the half-moon. As expected, she could not reach it. Even so, she did not look the least bit disappointed; her expression simply softened into a slack smile. She looked relieved.
—Because she liked the moon.
Louis thought that she was showing an excessive amount of joy, but then he suddenly noticed something strange.
"Can you see the moon?"
"I can't see it. I just have a sense that it's this way. It's like how facing the sun feels warm; with the moon, I can sense it just a little. It feels slightly cool and gentle, so it puts me at ease."
"Is that what you call a fairy's instinct?"
"Probably, that's it."
Elenoa pulled her arm back and buried her face against his chest, clinging to him.
Was this gesture, like a cat rubbing its scent onto its owner, also a fairy's instinct? Louis gently chided her with a "Now, now," aware that she had accepted him as her 'owner.'
He had learned that Elenoa acted this spoiled only after she had lost her wings.
Just as the fairy began to breathe steadily in sleep again, an ominous building came into view.
It was a single rocky mountain located in the mountainous region closest to the sky. Standing there was a castle made of white stone.
The numerous spires were vicious enough to seem as if they would pierce the sky, and the lights swaying faintly within were cold and eerie.
The stone bridge spanning between the castle and the opposite peak would take an unknown number of hours to cross if one walked properly. Its supports continued down into a valley so deep that their bases were invisible. Looking down from high above, it looked as though a pencil were being supported by a wire.
The castle gate was located at the end of the bridge.
Large fires swayed gently on both sides.
When Louis stood before the gate, the heavy metal doors opened upward. Beyond them, a small human figure moved. A pair of red cat eyes stood out, glittering sharply.
The figure's appearance became clear.
"Aah! Geez, you're so slooow! Nyaa!"
Raising its voice, the figure greeted Louis as he passed through the castle gate.
It was a child of about six years old, with gray curly hair that bounced with each hop. Cat ears of the same color grew in the same position as a human's.
Accustomed to the child, Louis called out, "Have you been a good boy?"
"Perfectly, perfectly. So, um, is that Elenoa-san?"
"Yes."
"I see, I see. I've got everything ready, so hurry up and put her to bed."
"Thank you. ...Keep it down a little. She might wake up."
The child tugged at Louis's hem.
Seeming unsatisfied as if he had more to say, he puffed out his cheeks discontentedly.
"How much longer do I have to keep acting as Demon Lord-sama? It's been about a month since Louis defeated me, hasn't it? I don't have the confidence to keep everyone together anymore, so it's actually pretty tough."
"I apologize, but I must rely on you for a little longer. I am still too weak to be called a Demon Lord."
"Does that mean you're throwing shade at me for losing to you!?"
"That is not my intention."
"Well, whatever. I get that the Demon Lord for you is just insanely! strong. ...Nyaa."
They entered the castle's entrance hall. In front of them was a large stained-glass window and a main staircase covered with a red carpet. To reach the intended room, they would have to follow a troublesome route: up either of the stairs at the end, to the back of the second-floor corridor.
The moment they arrived directly beneath the stained-glass window, Louis expanded a magic circle at his feet. The child, without his permission, hopped on and clung to him to tag along.
The gray cat ears twitched, brushing against Elenoa's blanket. Then, the child seemed to become interested in her as well. He followed the sway of Elenoa's silver hair with his eyes, reaching out his hands slightly. When Louis called out, "Bis," the child—Bis—pulled his hands back with a look of disappointment.
"But she really sleeps well, doesn't she? Honestly. ...Nyaa."
"Would you stop forcing that suffix onto your sentences?"
"No way. My blood is clamoring for me to say 'nya'."
All the previous Demon Lords had shallow personalities, so I thought I'd change the tradition in my generation! That was Bis's reasoning.
The two who had transferred arrived at a spacious room deep within the castle.
Starting with a queen-sized canopy bed, all the furniture was unified in a white color scheme typical of Elenoa. On the large carpet, a leather sofa and a table with cat-legs were arranged in a set.
Louis gently laid Elenoa down on the bed and covered her with fresh bedding.
"This is your new room."
Though she likely could not hear him, he spoke to her.
Bis reacted instead. Raising the fur on his gray tail, he stared at Louis.
"...Louis's tone... is different... Nya-nyan...!?"
"Yes. I have always spoken to her this way. She is not my subordinate, but rather my benefactor."
"Hmm?"
"I have simply learned that indulging subordinates leads to nothing good. There is no problem with you."
Louis pushed the child's back, urging him to leave the room. They exited, and he gently closed the door. He did not forget to lock it and place a Barrier at the end.
Bis, who allowed himself to be guided without resistance, looked very happy.
Beyond the single door separating them from Elenoa's room, the night darkness spread out.
The spiral staircase along the wall continued endlessly downward. The two stepped forward.
Somehow, Louis's lantern swayed gently. As he advanced, the deep darkness receded.
Clack, ton, ton, ...clack, ton-ton... ton.
Underwhelming footsteps echoed within the tower.
Bis, walking ahead of Louis, pushed forward into the darkness, but he seemed afraid of not being able to see his feet. He waited until the last possible moment for Louis, who proceeded at his own pace, waiting and waiting, advancing in little hops.
Something's white bones crunched underfoot, but he did not mind.
"By the way, while Louis was gone, the Hero came by? For now, I handed over the absence notification as instructed! And I got their contact information!"
"My, my. They probably didn't tell you willingly."
"Yep. They wouldn't listen, even though I said I was the Acting Demon Lord. That inflexibility is very human-like, but..."
—I got a bit irritated, so I took an arm as a handling fee.
Reporting this, the child tilted his head toward Louis as if to say, "Praise me." Feeling the warm hand immediately stroke his head, he purred in his throat.
"You did well."
"Hehe. I properly warned them at the start that 'they shouldn't push it,' so I didn't kill them. But I don't think they'll respond to contact ever again. Since they lost to me, they're no match for Louis."
"As a reward, shall I give you a little of my blood today?"
"Really!?"
"...What an excellent reaction."
"I thought it was only for Elenoa-san. ...Louis's blood is definitely delicious. ...But, if you indulge your subordinates like that, nothing good will come of it!"
"That is why it is special."
"I see!"