Chapter 51 - I Wish They Wouldn't Come
Late at night, someone snuck in.
Only a select few were permitted to enter Elenoa's room, located at the very top of the tall tower.
She could identify the person by their footsteps.
So she decided not to mind it.
He, who touched her hair, cheeks, throat, and even her lips, was not a suspicious intruder but her husband.
It was easy to imagine what his purpose was.
Click.
The sound of hard shoes echoed clearly in the deserted space.
The area, enclosed by highly transparent glass, was an herb garden that reflected much of Louis's personal taste.
Iris White Grass, Kalua Grass, Kronia Grass, Shisha Tree, Snowdrop, Mint Lemon, Mint Lemon, and various other trees, grasses, and flowers were planted there.
Since some species would wither if placed next to each other, Louis had personally considered their compatibility and instructed the layout for all of them.
Several species famous as ingredients for magic potions glowed in the moonlight.
Depending on the amount of magic power they contained, they floated faintly blue in the night darkness. There was no consistency in which plants or parts glowed—sometimes the whole plant, sometimes each tiny flower, and sometimes only the large leaves.
Louis looked up at the ceiling.
Far beyond his line of sight was Elenoa.
She had both hands pressed against the glass, staring intently at the huge full moon outside. She was accepting the light with her entire body. Her pair of wings occasionally fluttered, scattering particles that sparkled silver and blue.
Her eyes were turned toward the moon outside. Not toward Louis, who possessed moonlight-colored eyes.
The fairy trapped in the fantastical garden emitting a faint light was beautiful, like a painting. But having her longing gaze directed elsewhere did not leave her husband's heart peaceful.
Louis unconsciously called out to her.
"Elenoa"
"...Hm?"
She picked up his voice with ears that were more high-performance than a human's.
When Louis reached out his hand, she pinched the hem of her one-piece dress so as not to step on it, took his hand, and lightly descended.
"Your wings seem to be in good condition."
"Yep. It's been about two years since they grew in, so I've gotten used to them. I feel like I can fly a bit faster than before, somehow."
"You could have gone outside for a walk, you know?"
"I promised I'd stay here. Besides, I'm studying magic potions now."
Elenoa was waiting here for Louis's 'work' to end because of their promise that he would teach her magic potions.
Having trained with Louis as her master, Elenoa could now use advanced magic. He had readily accepted her request, "I'd like to learn magic potions too, from time to time..."
Tonight marked the fourth 'Medicine Day'.
"...Ah"
Elenoa noticed something.
"What is it?"
When asked, she silently reached out and touched Louis's cheek.
She wiped away the red liquid clinging there with her fingertips.
"...I didn't notice."
"That's fine, but..."
Louis carefully wiped her fingers with a handkerchief and smiled, saying, "Let's wash up immediately."
Led by his hand, Elenoa thought to herself,
—He really does smile more often than he used to.
"...I wish the Hero wouldn't come."
—If only that were the case, he wouldn't have to be killed by the Demon Lord.
She knew such a wish was selfish. The reason the current monsters had become so powerful was Louis's fault. Even without his instructions, the stronger the Demon Lord's magic power became, the more it affected all monsters.
The very fact that Louis was the Demon Lord was nothing but evil to humans.
They wanted to drag him down from the throne of the Demon Lord. That was why they dispatched the Hero.
Realizing that asking him to stop that was such a selfish demand, Elenoa felt depressed by her own words.
Louis couldn't even recall the face of the Hero he had just slaughtered.
He had become hesitant to kill people, but it saddened him that she was sad.
"Is it still painful for you when the Hero's Party dies?"
"It is painful. One way or another, I've never killed a human before. And it's not just humans; you too, Louis, somehow..."
—I feel like you're going far away.
Louis found her saying such strange things utterly endearing. He laughed brightly, "Haha," but Elenoa pouted slightly.
She tried seriously to convey her jumbled thoughts.
"I feel like there was a narration saying that if Louis had a bad end with the protagonist, no Hero would appear afterward."
"Is that so? But I dislike being conquered by the protagonist in any ending."
"I dislike that too. I dislike cheating."
The two left the herb garden while chatting casually.
"...There was another route where Louis stopped being the Demon Lord but survived, only seriously injured. But in most stories, Louis disappears... I wonder if there's a peaceful way to stop the Hero from coming."
"Shall we welcome the protagonist and try reproducing the game once? If we make it to the end, perhaps the human side will take new measures other than the Hero. ...The current situation is not very enjoyable. I also want to walk around outside for the first time in a while."
To Elenoa, who answered brightly, "That sounds good," Louis suddenly asked,
"By the way, I know how Louis Stylus ended in the game... but how does 'Elenoa' end?"
"Didn't I tell you? Except for the happy ending with the fairy, if the fairy defeats Louis, she disappears."
The end of 'Eren' and 'Elenoa'.
Immediately after the Hero defeated the Demon Lord, she herself would disappear.
The fairy, captured as a test subject for the Demon Lord's magic, had survived those hundreds of years of hell with just enough magic power given to her to keep living even if she tried to commit suicide. She simply couldn't die because of the Demon Lord's amusement.
Louis felt a serious anxiety at the word "disappear" that Elenoa had spoken.
He put on his usual smile.
"By the way, before today's lesson, could you meet Bis? I think it will eat up about half of the lesson time."
"That's fine, but did I do something wrong?"
"No. It's a fitting."
"...A fitting?"
The two looked like a happy young couple from any angle.
One was a fairy who did not age, and the other was a Demon Lord whose time had stopped in his early twenties. Truly peaceful.
A short while later, in the dressing room attached to the Demon Lord's private chamber, Elenoa wore a difficult expression.
The clothes Bis had handed to Elenoa were a one-piece dress that matched Louis's outfit.
It mimicked a black military uniform, featuring a simple design characterized by a stand-up collar and gold lines drawn on the cuffs. It was knee-length, with a tulle skirt slightly peeking out from underneath. It swelled naturally from around the lower abdomen, emphasizing the slimness of her waist. In terms of her previous life's sensibilities, it was somewhat two-dimensional, a cuteness that only 'Elenoa' could pull off. The back was open so as not to spoil the neatness of the front, and although it was a bit tight, it was constructed so that her wings could extend outward.
There were few clothes that tested one's figure this much.
"Elenoa-san, are you ready?"
"I've put it on."
Bis popped into the room. He scurried over to Elenoa's side and froze, saying, "Whoa."
Elenoa anxiously checked her front and back in front of the full-length mirror.
Her long silver hair, reaching her waist, was as glossy and straight as ever. She couldn't judge for herself whether it suited the black clothes or not.
"Bis-kun, what do you think?" she asked Bis for an objective opinion. Bis simply said with a straight face, "It's fine."
"Louis, I'm ready!"
"Wa—wait, hold on..."
Pushed on the back by Bis, Elenoa was forcibly ejected from the dressing room.
He was an energetic child, even though it was ten at night.
The Demon Lord's private chamber was spacious. It was unified in deep wine red and gold scattered here and there. The sense of weightiness was different from Elenoa's room, which was filled with white.
Since the dressing room connected to the bedroom, opening a single door revealed a king-sized bed immediately.
The armchair in the bedroom was upholstered in velvet fabric, adorned with thick cushions on the backrest and armrests. Louis, who had been sitting deeply in that chair, froze when he saw Elenoa. He closed his book as he was.
"...Bis, well done."
"Meow."
"Elenoa, come here."
"Okay."
Depending on his mood, he seemed to strive for a high-handed tone with Elenoa as well in front of his subordinates.
Elenoa, used to it, ran over to Louis.
Bis read the air and left the room, hopping away with a "See ya."
Elenoa stood before Louis as he beckoned her. She was fidgety and restless.
"Isn't it strange?"
"It suits you very well."
At his immediate reply, Elenoa giggled shyly.
"I never thought 'Elenoa' would wear black. So the dark side had perks like this."
"Do your wings hurt?"
"They're fine."
Louis looked at his own clothes, thought of something, and plucked a few gold threads from within the gold aiguillette. The tightly woven threads were hard to unravel.
He muttered something.
The threads slipped smoothly out of the bundle and took on a new shape in his palm. —They became a thin, gold hair tie.
He stood up from the chair and led her to sit on the bed.
Elenoa followed and sat down next to him, exclaiming, "Oh," in admiration. The large bed and the feel of the down-filled bedding seemed to please the fairy. The bed she used was also of high quality, but the texture was different from this one.
"Please stay still."
Distracted by the bed, Elenoa obediently complied.
He took a small section of her silver hair and did something to it. When Louis's fingers touched her, she felt calm but embarrassed, so Elenoa looked down.
She had often avoided eye contact with Louis in times like these since long ago, but the frequency had increased since she woke up from her long-term statue state. Her face turned obviously red, and her gaze dropped.
He himself had noticed it was likely due to her growth. He was aware of his own appearance. He was happy to be seen as a man. But he wouldn't do something tacky like telling her that.
Five minutes after Elenoa became unbearable, his hands stopped.
"It's done."
"What is it?"
Louis seemed satisfied with the result as well.
A single strand of Elenoa's hair on the left side had been loosely braided and tied with the gold hair tie. A blue, transparent stone was also attached as a decoration.
"You're skillful."
"Thank you. I am indebted to your hair, so I thought I should do at least this much."
"You don't need to worry about it. What is this blue stone?"
"It's a Magic Stone. I added it as a bonus. I tried to make it small enough so it wouldn't be in the way."
When Elenoa touched the stone, saying, "Hmm," a frame appeared. The stone seemed to be an item.
『Demon Lord's Magic Stone B
A Magic Stone made by the Demon Lord. It's more transparent than ordinary gems. Other than giving you chills when you touch it, there might be no problems.
Effect: Reduces damage from all attribute magic and physical attacks by 60%.
Sell Price: 5,000,000 Clans
Note: This item is cursed. It cannot be removed for more than 120 minutes』
"G-Gohya... noro...!?" (T/N: Elenoa's slang for "cursed item")
"Gohyanoro?"
"Louis, you made this, right?"
"Yes, I trust my own work more than others', and it's convenient... but more importantly, 'Gohyanoro'?"
Louis apparently had no awareness that he had created a cursed item.
Since cursed items had specifications that only the wearer could understand, it was not impossible that the creator himself didn't know. Originally, curse effects were things that shouldn't be attachable unless one had a malicious consciousness, such as making it absolutely impossible to remove or ensuring it stayed nearby no matter what.
—In other words, he had the pure temperament of a Demon Lord!
Elenoa's back grew cold with a shiver.