“What is this…?”
The Demon King Hevrat was breathless at the sight before him.
The dark clouds that had once covered the sky since his birth had disappeared, and after staring at it in bewilderment, he regained his senses and hurried towards the vanished Demon King’s castle.
Hevrat had no particular attachment to the Demon King’s Castle. He harbored no lingering sentiments for the place where his parents and siblings were slain. It was merely a site he had accepted for the sake of unifying his people.
But now, something was happening there. The castle’s central area had been completely obliterated, as if gouged out from the upper levels. That alone was shocking. However, what truly astounded Hevrat was the sight of the normally ruthless demons—who regarded others as mere insects—praying toward the Demon King’s Castle as if they were devout followers who had witnessed the presence of a god.
“What… happened here?”
What could possibly be inside that half-destroyed Demon King’s Castle? Holding his breath, Hevrat descended into the castle’s courtyard. As the Demon King, it was his duty to investigate, no matter the danger.
“──!”
In that moment, a sharp alarm of danger surged through Hevrat’s senses.
…DODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODODO!!!
Feeling the approaching tremor, Hevrat heightened his magical power and instantly cast his signature incantation-free spells.
“──【Impact Mitigation – Roar Impact】【Physical Resistance Enhancement – Fire Register】【Physical Barrier – Protect】【Inertia Reduction – Roar Inertia】【Body Reinforcement – Reinforce】──”
BOOOOM!
“Fran—çois!”
“Ohoh!”
ZSHHHHHHHHH!!
Francois came flying toward him like an excited child. Hevrat braced himself, allowing his immense strength to absorb the impact, only gouging the ground a mere five meters. As he held his adoptive daughter in his arms, he felt the relief of a father confirming his child’s safety.
“Why didn’t you evacuate? This place is dangerous…”
“Ohoh, ohohoh!”
“I see… I’m sorry. I made you worry.”
“Ohoh! Ohohoh, ohoh.”
“…That happened?”
Hearing Francois’ detailed account, Hevrat’s expression hardened.
“Ohoh ohoh.”
Then, with a slightly embarrassed look, Francois spoke to Hevrat.
“I see. Understood. Leave the rest to me.”
“Ohoh! Ohoh!”
“No. The castle might still be dangerous. Francois, I need you to leave and check on the citizens. Seeing you will help put their minds at ease.”
“Ohoh!”
“Don’t say that. I understand how you feel, but please listen to me.”
“Oho…”
Francois looked slightly downcast at Hevrat’s sincerity, but she quickly steeled herself. With a small, melancholic smile, she gently lifted the frightened baby elephant that had followed her and, with regal composure, walked toward the castle gates.
“Francois… I hope you find happiness.”
Hevrat watched her proud and imposing back with a sense of admiration.
According to Francois, a massive shockwave had struck, even reaching the royal palace. Once things had settled, she stepped outside and saw that the Demon King’s Castle was half-destroyed.
The anomaly she had experienced must have been when those two golden and jet-black pillars pierced the sky. Hevrat had not witnessed it firsthand, so he lacked details, but he learned that before the event, a “human girl” had visited the Demon King’s Castle.
The language of the dwarves was difficult to fully comprehend, even for those familiar with it. While the girl’s name remained unclear, Francois had befriended her. Out of concern, she had followed the girl, who had gone alone into the depths of the castle.
Francois, whose beauty had earned her the envy of her sisters, had been exiled from her homeland despite being a princess. She had never had a true friend of her own age. Knowing that someone as kind and pure-hearted as Francois had finally found a friend made Hevrat happy. But as her adoptive father, concern darkened his expression.
Because…
“…Her survival is unlikely.”
That “human girl” was most likely the Saint.
She had appeared underground, where the sealed beast lay, and with unimaginable magical power, had teleported Hevrat away. Not because he was the Demon King—but because he was the father of her friend, Francois.
A girl who showed compassion even to her enemies—she was undoubtedly a “True Saint.”
The golden light that had ascended to the heavens was surely something the Saint had unleashed. However, even a True Saint, possessing magic surpassing Hevrat’s own, could not possibly defeat the highest-ranking demon, the Beast.
The reason Hevrat did not allow Francois to accompany him to the castle was because he believed there was almost no chance that the Saint was still alive.
“…How unfortunate.”
To Francois, that girl must have been a precious friend.
The way Francois spoke of her—
[Ohoh.]
Just from hearing her words, anyone could understand how deeply she cared for her friend and how strong their bond was.
Understanding their connection, Hevrat steadied his heart and pushed aside the heavy emotions, making his way toward the castle.
What happened to the Saint? Where had the released Beast gone? And what would become of the Demon Nation?
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Hevrat stepped into the upper levels of the half-destroyed castle, where he sensed faint traces of magic.
And what he saw was—
“──What…!?”
Standing there, calmly gazing at him as if she had expected his arrival, was the Golden Saint, accompanied by the ominous black Beast at her side.
[Moofuuu~~]
Upon returning to the Demon King’s Castle, I had something important to do.
Something very important. In fact, one could say I had fought Rinne and taken a dangerous gamble just for this moment.
[…Hey.]
I think I heard a deep, threatening voice, but I paid it no mind.
Because right now—
I was busy fluffing Rinne’s fur for the first time in eleven years!
Sure, Rinne grumbled, but he was still letting me fluff him properly! What a tsundere!
“For this! To experience this fluffiness with my whole body, I’ve transformed into a golden cat too!
Indeed, petting fluffy fur with smooth human-form skin is wonderful in its own way. But! There’s an irresistible charm to becoming a small cat about the size of a house cat and burying your whole body in the fur to experience its fluffiness!
Because they’re a spiritual life-form demon, their fur is always silky, and even if you dive in and ruffle it up, it doesn’t get tangled. While staying smooth, the fur on their belly is soft, and its healing effect is absolutely extraordinary!”
And this scent! A sweet fragrance, like aged fruit wine, enveloped me, intoxicating my senses! Perhaps our connected souls made it feel even stronger than before!
“This is it! This is what I’ve been looking for!
This fluffiness aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
“That’s enough.”
Thump.
“Eh……”
I was swimming around in Rinne’s fur like a freestyle swimmer when I was suddenly thrown into the air, falling to the floor and hitting my bottom.
“Owww, what are you doing!? Oh, huh?”
That huge form of Rinne had disappeared. Having suddenly returned to normal, I frantically search for him.
“Over here, you fool.”
“Eh……? Rinne!?”
When I turned around, there was a regular-sized black cat, just a bit larger than a house cat, looking at me with a proud expression.
“Wha- whawhawhawhawhawhawhawha”
“……What?”
“What is this?!!”
“Woah!?”
Having completely lost my reason at Rinne’s sudden “black cat mode,” I spread my golden wings and pounced on black cat Rinne at the fastest speed in the demon realm.
“Cute! So cute! So incredibly cute!”
What an amazing situation! The “girl” I was based on was a cat lover too, but being one yourself versus having one in front of you are completely different things!
After all, the cats in this world either run away the moment they see me, faint, or even the braver ones just hiss “SHAA!” or “MEOWRR!” in fear – they never let me hold them!
That’s why!
“That’s why I said, that’s enough!”
Chomp.
“Pyaaah!?”
Rinne, having finally lost his patience, bit me.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Deep Reflection Time
“Oh my. I’ve shown quite an embarrassing side of myself.”
“…………”
Rinne’s cold gaze pierces through me as I smile in lady-like mode while still in cat form.
Though I might have seemed completely broken, I’m fine.
My goodness, the charm of fluffy cats is truly tremendous. For a calm and rational person like myself to lose control like that is embarrassing. Even when small, Rinne’s fangs hurt.
As an apology to Rinne, who is both perpetrator and victim, we’re now both rolling around in cat mode so he can pet me this time.
“Come to think of it, when did you learn to take black cat form?”
“Are you going to keep using that manner of speech……”
It’s half become a habit, and once you get used to casual speech, it’s troublesome to change back.
“Probably since you ‘named’ me. My existence has become quite stable despite being in the mortal world.”
“I see……”
A nameless demon without a vessel is like a fish on land in the material world. They can rampage but can’t use their full power, and they quickly run out of breath.
But now, Rinne doesn’t emit that violent aura he had when he was in the demon realm or when he first appeared here.
I can still sense a fierce presence inside if I look for it. But there’s a composure… you could say, the sense of urgency has disappeared, and I can feel the adult-like composure he had when we first met.
I still like his mature-sounding voice.
While it’s good that he’s settled down like this…….
“Will you not ‘manifest’?”
The current Rinne is just like a fish on land that’s been given a breather in the form of a “name” as its tank. But if he obtains a vessel and manifests, he could move like me and use his full power.
TLNOTE:
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