Chapter 177
"Lord Demon! Lord Demon!"
Pastel beat the door to Lord Demon's Bedroom with her pillow. The sound of knocks filled with monstrous strength rang out, thud, thud.
"Lord Demon! Lord Demo-o-on!"
Please hurry and comfort Pastel, who is trembling after suffering a real assassination threat!
There was a sign of presence from inside. The doorknob turned, and a soft orange light filled the Corridor. The demon appeared, wearing a loose Dress Shirt.
『What is it in the middle of the night, keuk!』
The knocking pillow struck the demon just like that.
Gasp.
Pastel's eyes went round.
Then, thinking about when else she would ever get to hit Lord Demon if not now, she accidentally swung the pillow one more time.
Smack!
『Keuk?』
The demon, who hurriedly blocked it with his arm, was flustered.
『What is this?』
Pastel belatedly startled and dropped the pillow.
"Uwaah! I'm sorry! A mistake! A mistake! A total mistake!"
『It seemed like you knowingly threw a follow-up strike just now.』
Oing.
Did I?
"I think the pillow friend hit you!"
Pastel picked up the mean pillow friend and glared at it.
"Bad friend! I'll scold you instead!"
A playful punch tapped the pillow, thud, thud.
"Hiya! Hiya!"
The reason she didn't hit it hard was that hitting a friend is a very bad Misdeed. Pastel is good, so she doesn't commit a Misdeed.
A reason anyone would agree with!
Red Eyes stared suspiciously.
Pastel scolded the pillow friend with all her heart and needlessly wiped away cold sweat.
"Phew, I'm suffering because I made a bad friend."
But finding it hard to be picky about making friends must be the fate of a Popular Person, right?
Boo, it can't be helped.
Pastel hugged the white pillow tightly in her arms. Pink Eyes looked up at Lord Demon mournfully.
"Lord Demo-o-on."
I just went through something incredible.
To the point where I can't fall asleep alone in the middle of the night.
"Sob, sob."
Sniffle, sniffle.
The demon looked down at her subtly.
『Even if you pretend to have a story, your actions just now leave me with absolutely no curiosity. Do you just want to eat some snacks? I figured this would happen, so I made some chocolate chips.』
A hand gesture pointed to the table. Chocolate chip cookies, untouched by their owner, were piled in a bowl.
"How could you! I'm dealing with something really serious! To take it so lightly! Total disappointment! Total disappointment!"
However, since the chocolate chips were innocent, Pastel took Short Steps inside and popped a chocolate chip into her mouth.
The savory chocolate chip melted softly. It looked like a normal chocolate chip, so she wondered where the magic stone was, but it was mixed into the dough like sugar.
"Wow! Lord Demon, your skill at using Magic Stone Powder like sugar seems to be improving more and more!"
『Even though it feels like hiding vegetables to feed a kid who hates them.』
"How could you!"
The demon's hand pointed at the chocolate chips.
『For reference, those chocolate chips are mixed with the Chicory Concentrate you hate.』
"How could you?!"
Trembling Pink Eyes stared at the half-eaten chocolate chip.
Chocolate dotted, pyong-pyong, across the golden-brown surface.
But it turned out to be a traitor colluding with chicory!
"Uwaah!"
Pastel trembled, Padeulpadeul.
Feelings of betrayal!
Feelings of betrayal...!
"Bad Traitor! I'll get revenge by eating you!"
Pastel eagerly stuffed the chocolate chips into her mouth. The evil Traitors disappeared into her mouth one by one, and her cheeks puffed up.
Mumbling/Chewing Sound.
Mumbling/Chew...
Suddenly, her munching lips stopped. Her pink eyes went round, and her complexion turned pale.
Uh-oh.
Could this be? Surely not! Surely not...!
『What's wrong?』
The greatest crisis of Pastel's life.
Namely.
She ate too much and got thirsty.
So Pastel downed the glass of water next to her in one shot.
Gulp, gulp.
"Puha!"
Refreshing!
She popped the last remaining Traitor into her mouth. Pastel mumbled and chewed, rolling her Pink Eyes.
But why did I come here?
I feel like there was a very serious, sleep-depriving problem.
Gasp, that's right!
Something like that really happened!
Pastel whipped around to look at the demon.
"Lord Demon, something really serious happened to me!"
『I see.』
The demon, who answered half-heartedly, tapped the Cookie Crumbs that had fallen hududuk onto the white pillow, gathered them into a handkerchief, and skillfully folded it.
Neat~!
Wow.
Looks like it won't need washing!
The white pillow was lifted.
"Pillow friend is totally squeaky clean! You're a bad friend, but since you're soft and fluffy, I'll restore your honor! We're still friends from now on!"
Pastel hugged the pillow friend and rubbed her cheek against it.
Rub, rub.
Rub, rub.
Then she realized something and paused. Her pink eyes rolled for a moment. She whipped her head to stare at the demon.
"This isn't it!"
She pointed at herself.
"I suffered an assassination threat! Mr. Penguin had it prepared so he could turn me into Pastel Muchim at any time, and he only just gave it up!"
Uwaaang!
Pastel Muchim, he says...!
Please use mayonnaise for the sauce!
『Hmm?』
One of the demon's eyebrows went up.
『So it wasn't a fabricated document?』
"That's what I'm saying! The mastermind was Mr. Penguin, too!"
Uwaaang!
On the verge of tears, Pastel dove into Lord Demon's bed. The bed bounced, and the blanket flew up. She wrapped the blanket tightly around her body just like that, transforming into a Caterpillar State.
"Uwaaang!"
Pastel squirmed and crawled around the bed.
"Uwaaang!"
The demon approached in a panic.
『I didn't know that guy Redmond was that vicious. If you want, I can tell the king to scold him. I still have that much influence left.』
"Don't do that!"
Pastel shook her caterpillar body and shook her head.
"Because even if I were Mr. Penguin, I would have naturally made that level of preparation! It's a means to eliminate a suspicious Pink Hair, a means to bring the Hawks to ruin, a measure to divide the United Kingdom, and on top of that, a Killing-Four-Birds-With-One-Stone method that could even create a Casus Belli for the Empire if needed!"
This is how intelligence budgets should be spent!
She could see why His Imperial Majesty the Emperor could afford to half-abandon the United Kingdom—which clearly carried risks if left unchecked—and focus on domestic affairs.
Since he had dispatched Governor Pastel as an emergency measure, if the United Kingdom ever became a major problem later on, he could use Pastel as a scapegoat to start a war and trample it immediately.
If it's the Kraft Family, it's plausible that the Hawks would really hold a sudden grudge and assassinate her.
There was a reason why His Imperial Majesty the Emperor had shown such a highly favorable attitude with a bright face when they first met. Aside from the reason that Pastel had somehow employed political maneuvering to force that favorable attitude at the time, there was another ulterior motive.
All this time, knowing that neglecting the United Kingdom was a risk, he had no choice but to focus on the more dangerous task of trying to restrain the domestic Great Noble, but then a truly comforting fuse had come to him, even creating a good justification.
No wonder! I knew something was weird!
I knew it was weird that His Imperial Majesty the Emperor suddenly bestowed the Governorship upon me!
At the time, he had fallen for the political maneuvering and had to take care of Pastel; restoring the Kraft Family—which was highly likely unrelated to the Demon King Prophecy—to use as a Joker Card was a wise choice; but still, giving the governorship from the very first meeting was a bit too much!
No wonder! No wonder!
His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, who should be like a sly snake from being involved in Central Political Circles, kept making overly transparent remarks about how I looked like Mom, making me flinch and imagine things!
The Governorship was too sudden a position to grant!
Since a thinking Pink Hair of Kraft might feel uncomfortable and be on guard, he even brought up Mom to create a plausible excuse!
Diverting her wariness elsewhere, creating a sense of fear, and slightly paralyzing her smart but still young intellect was a bonus!
I gave you an excessive position and trust right away because you look like your Mom and are my type~!
There are no ulterior motives here~!
Instead of pondering such ulterior motives, why don't you tremble and study up on what age one can become a Concubine~!
"Heuaah!"
You did have an ulterior motive!
You didn't forget how I annoyed you by wielding Political Maneuvering against His Imperial Majesty the Emperor that one time, and you're fully intending to press the Pastel Detonation Button if needed!
You're fully intending to use my fear of the Concubine position to induce me to leave the Empire and settle in the Demon Realm, so you can comfortably use me as a fuse!
I'm a total Loyal Subject!
But while it's true that a Loyal Subject should obediently follow grand national decisions...!
"Uwaaang!"
Mr. Penguin declared the withdrawal of the assassination plan involving the Hawks, but based on His Imperial Majesty the Emperor's Grand Strategic Design, an equivalent Fuse Click-Click is definitely prepared again!
This is really, really certain...!
"Uwaaang!"
Pastel rolled around the bed in her Blanket-Rolled State.
『I-I see. That bastard did something so insidious? He wasn't originally that kind of guy.』
The demon, who had been fooled by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor's facade all this time, rubbed his chin in bewilderment.
He sat at the bedside and grabbed the blanket-rolled Pastel to stop her. Then, as he rolled her toward himself, the blanket gradually unraveled.
Before she knew it, Pastel was able to be embraced in Lord Demon's arms.
Oing.
A palm patted her back.
『You can rest easy. Even if my power is sealed, it's still enough to keep you alive and help you escape no matter who comes.』
Pastel spread her arms and hugged Lord Demon tightly. She lifted her head and looked up at his Red Eyes.
"Can't you scold them instead of just keeping me alive?"
Light Punishment?
Lord Demon chuckled.
『That would be too much.』
"Eueh. Lord Demon is incompete-e-ent."
Pastel dragged out the end of her words and snuggled tightly into his embrace.
He smelled like soap.
"That's why I like it."
Her voice rose quietly.
『Hmm? What did you say?』
Pastel pushed away from his embrace and sat up properly. She turned her head and tidied her pink hair.
"Nothing! To think you can't even scold them, disappointment, disappointment!"
Pink Eyes glared sideways.
"That's why you got dumped by Mom!"
A pity, a pity.
『Oh, please.』
Lord Demon was dumbfounded.