“Hmph, very well. I shall forgive your impudence from the other day, in consideration of this thing you’ve brought.”
Lucifiel seemed to have taken a liking to my masterpiece, “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah,” made of amber candy.
She even said she’d forgive me for what happened the other day.
I must admit, I did create a wonderful piece, but I didn’t expect it to go this far.
…She’s so easy.
“Oh, it’s truly amazing. What is it made of?”
Marisela, the one who arranged this meeting between me and Lucifiel, said, looking at the amber candy sculpture with great interest.
Ah, that’s right.
Demonkin, who eat Dark Matter every day, probably don’t even have the concept of sweets.
“Well, this is made by melting sugar.”
“Sugar? What is that?”
“It’s that white sand-like stuff in the storeroom of the Demon Lord’s Castle kitchen. Haven’t you seen it?”
“Of course not. The kitchen is a place for lower-ranked Demonkin.”
“Ah, well, yeah, I guess.”
I wonder if there’s any way to change this Demonkin-specific way of thinking that “only values strength.”
It’s so hard to explain things.
“Um, to put it very simply, you can eat this.”
“Oh?”
“Hmm?”
Lucifiel and Marisela blinked at my words.
“This is edible?”
“Yes. Would you like to try some?”
I took out my hammer and got ready.
“Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” is a masterpiece, but it can’t be eaten as it is.
I have to break it first.
However, for some reason, Lucifiel stopped me there.
“W-wait!! What do you intend to do!?”
“What do you mean? I’m going to break it. Otherwise, we can’t eat it.”
“N-no!! This is already mine!!”
Lucifiel stood in front of “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah,” as if to protect it from me.
I lowered my hammer.
Lucifiel, seeing that, probably thought I had given up on breaking it.
She had an expression of obvious relief.
“O-oh!! You’re not going to break it!?”
“Demon Lord-sama.”
However, I must say it.
“Everything in this world will eventually break. It’s the breaking that makes it art. Or rather, it’ll melt into a gooey mess in the summer anyway.”
“H-hmm, is that so? But still, until then, I shall display it in my room!! You mustn’t break it!!”
“I’m happy you say that as the creator. –Oh, look, a wild Ancient Dragon over there!!”
“Hmm!?”
“Hyaah!!”
While Lucifiel was distracted by the empty sky, I swung my hammer down.
Even though she’s the Demon Lord, she’s still just a kid.
She was powerless against my natural misdirection, which came from my rich life experience.
“A-ah, my amber whatevers –!!”
“It’s amber candy.”
“Y-you, I will never forgive you!! I’ll sentence you to death this time!!”
“No, this is candy. It’s meant to be eaten. Here, have some.”
“What are you — mogo!?”
I shoved the broken amber candy into Lucifiel’s mouth.
Then, Lucifiel froze.
“W-what is this…”
Lucifiel’s shoulders trembled.
Huh? Is she angry? No, she tasted it, so surely not.
Which means…
“I-I don’t know, but something like, a happy feeling is spreading in my mouth!!”
It seems Lucifiel was trembling with emotion.
Well, she usually eats that pitch-black Dark Matter.
She probably doesn’t even know what “sweet” means.
Lucifiel started picking up pieces of amber candy and popping them into her mouth.
“Mother, you should try some too!!”
“Oh, if you insist, I shall have some. –Well, it’s very sweet.”
“Well, it’s a lump of sugar. I recommend brushing your teeth well after eating it.”
It seems Marisela also liked it.
Then, for some reason, Lucifiel approached me.
“Hey, you!! Your name was Lugas, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“You shall mass-produce this!! As a reward, I shall give you a magic sword from my collection!!”
“That sounds like a pain, so no thanks.”
“!!?”
Lucifiel was taken aback, probably not expecting to be refused.
Well, a normal Demonkin wouldn’t refuse.
It’s an order from a strong person, and if they were told they’d get a magic sword, they’d definitely agree.
But I refuse.
“W-why!?”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with a magic sword.”
“G-grrr, then I shall make you my retainer!!”
“Ah, I’ll pass on that too. I have my jailer duties.”
“!!?”
Besides, I don’t want to become Lucifiel’s retainer.
If I became her retainer, I might get attacked by someone aiming for a coup.
“If a lower-ranked Demonkin like me becomes a retainer, that position will be taken in a second, you know. I’d be physically eliminated. I wouldn’t be able to resist and would get completely thrashed.”
“Hmph, then you should just become stronger!!”
“That’s impossible…”
“You can use any means!! Become strong quickly, Lugas!!”
“Ehhh.”
“Don’t look so reluctant!!”
Lucifiel puffed out her cheeks. It’s kind of cute.
“Hmm, well, I’ll make various things when I feel like it, so please let’s call it even with that.”
“Hmm? Various things? Can you make something other than this?”
“Well, it’s possible, I guess. I’m not a pro, so I can’t make anything too serious, but there were a lot of ingredients in that storeroom.”
It’s really strange.
All the food served in the Demon Lord’s Castle is Dark Matter, but there were various ingredients in the food storage.
Is it because “PuriHiiro” is a gentleman’s game from Japan, so the ingredients are all the ones used in Japan?
Are the fine details not mentioned in the story on the same level as modern Japan?
…No, that can’t be it.
It’s a medieval European-style world with that level of civilization, so let’s just think of it as one of the seven mysteries of “PuriHiiro.”
I don’t know the other six.
“There were eggs and flour, so I can make meringue cookies and cakes, well, that kind of thing.”
“Meringue cookies? Cakes? I-I don’t understand, but are they amazing!?”
“Well, I’m just an amateur.”
“Grrr, very well. Then, when you make them, you must call me!! If you hog them, you’ll be executed!!”
Ehh, I don’t want to be executed…
“That aside, Lugas!!”
“Yes?”
“You must become stronger!! If you do, you can become my retainer!! Then I can eat all of your sweets — cough cough, never mind.”
It’s a problem if I’m told to become stronger.
For the Demonkin of this world, strength is a field where talent and effort matter.
At least, I didn’t have talent.
I barely managed to become a jailer, a job that involves combat in emergencies, despite being a lower-ranked Demonkin.
Even if I’m told to become stronger, it’s not something I can do right away.
It would be a different story if I could make modern weapons and go on a machine gun rampage, but I don’t have the knowledge or technology to make them.
Well, if there was a heroine who loved making things that I knew, it would be a different story.
However, just like being reincarnated as a jailer destined to lose, unexpected events often happen.
A few days after reconciling with Lucifiel.
The Demon Lord’s Castle was attacked, and a new prisoner — a heroine — was captured.
―――――――――――――――――――――
Afterword
A trivial side story
Author: “Art is destruction, destruction is art.”
Lugas: “Yeah.”
Author: “My new work, ‘I Reincarnated as a Villainous Prince, So I’ve Given Up on Avoiding Destruction and Want to Live a Comfortable Short Life,’ is also available for those who have time.”
If you thought, “The Demon Lord is so cute and easy,” “The Ancient Dragon part was hilarious,” or “The afterword sounds like a final boss,” please leave your thoughts, bookmarks, star ratings, and reviews.