Chapter 136
"Run! Run!"
Pastel flailed around on the Airship Deck heading to Sky Island. It wasn't like there was a problem; she was just flailing around while swinging both arms.
"What are you doing?"
The Demon, standing with his hands in his pockets and his weight on one leg, looked dumbfounded.
"I need to get away from the Central Political Circles as quickly as possible! It's a suffocating place where an innocent person in power like me would just croak!"
The compatibility is so bad.
Pastel mulled it over, which had twice as many letters as a regular worry, before running to the bow's railing. It was the furthest position from the Empire on the airship.
White clouds and a blue sky spread out before her.
"I feel like I've gotten just a little bit further away!"
She took a deep breath.
"Even the suffocation is clearing up—cough! Cough!"
Having inhaled the cold, high-altitude air, Pastel suffered. She stumbled and sprawled over the railing like laundry.
"Ugh! This pain! Could it be that the darkness of the Central Political Circles has already encroached upon my body?!"
Am I going to become corrupted just like this?
That's a tricky business, seemingly good but bad, and bad but good…!
"As if that could be the case."
The Demon approached while taking off his suit jacket. He unfolded it and draped it over her.
"Winter is approaching. It's the change of seasons, a good time to catch a cold. It would be right to go into the cabin."
Pastel grabbed the jacket and sniffed it.
The smell of soap.
She draped the jacket, which was large for her frame, over her shoulders like a cape. The suit sleeves fluttered loosely.
"Then should I ask my winter friend to approach carefully so I don't catch a cold?"
The Demon let out a small chuckle.
"Try it if you can."
"Ah! That look in your eyes!"
The girl's finger was pointing at the Demon.
"That bad look in your eyes that makes it certain I can't do it!"
"It's not a bad look, I'm just naturally like this."
"What do you mean naturally like this! I'll try changing that bad look into a good look!"
Pastel stared out at the vast upper air. She took a deep breath and prepared to shout.
Then she inhaled the cold air and coughed.
"Cough! Cough!"
Uwaah!
I forgot the air was cold!
"Cou-ugh!"
The draped suit shook along with her coughing.
"Goodness. At this rate, your nose will turn red too."
The Demon pretended to take out a handkerchief.
"Ugh! Bad voice! Bad handkerchief! Bad! Bad! Anyway, bad! I'll make everything good!"
Pastel inhaled. This time she didn't take a huge gulp, but stuck her lips out with a pop and sucked in the air with a slurp, as if through a straw. Her chest gradually expanded and her lungs became full.
Preparation complete!
She threw both arms up.
"Winter friend! Please come carefully so I don't catch a cold!"
Her shout stretched out across the blue sky.
Her pink eyes sparkled, and she gripped the railing as if her hands might fall off.
"The answer?!"
Pastel scanned the far side of the sky before spotting something black flying with the wind.
It was Lord Demon's suit jacket.
"Oh."
Pastel felt around both her shoulders.
It wasn't there.
"Oh dear."
Like magic.
"What do you mean oi-ing?"
The Demon, who had failed to catch the jacket, rubbed his forehead. Now, without the jacket, his white dress shirt was visible.
Gasp.
This appearance didn't look like an evil Demon, but a fatigue-drenched office worker.
His title would be team leader…?
"Uwaah! Lord Demon has become a team leader!"
Oh my gosh!
"If this happens, who will guarantee the corruption of the innocent Pastel?!"
That is! That is!
Pastel drew the magic sword hanging from her waist belt. Then she paused, sheathed it neatly again, and drew the Emperor's Sword sheathed right next to it.
The Emperor's Sword shone brilliantly.
"Power corruption…!"
It's Governor-General Pastel!
Oh yeah!
"Eiyah! Eiyah!"
Pastel widened the distance and performed a sword dance with elegant movements. The girl's feet swept across the deck and the blade sliced through the air. The distance naturally widened.
"Evil Demon! No, Demon King!"
She aimed the Emperor's Sword at the distant Demon.
"Pastel, upholding the orders of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, has awwived! No, arrived! Prepare yourself!"
"So I'm the Demon King."
"To deny your own identity! Don't tell me you're going to make the ridiculous, absurd claim that this loyal subject Pastel is the Demon King!"
"That statement is too obvious."
Pastel firmly struck down the fabrication.
"Ahem! Behold! These eyes are without a trace of lies!"
Her pink eyes sparkled.
"Hoh."
The Demon watched with interest.
"These really do look like they have no lies."
Ah?
Am I perhaps an acting genius?
"Except for the fact that they are pink. If the surname Kraft is attached to your name, it's more than enough to be suspected."
"Uwaah! Ancestors…!"
To turn the acting genius Pastel into an acting idiot Pastel with that bad karma!
"Despair!"
Pastel flopped down. The floor of the deck was as cold as her future.
Her hands trembled.
"Lord Demon. I mean, I liked the Governor-General position because it suited my tastes, but I don't know how I'm supposed to follow the imperial command, belatedly thinking about it."
Do I have to put handcuffs on my own wrists?!
Pastel mimed putting on handcuffs.
Clink, clank.
"Uwaah! Please save me-e!"
The Demon was dumbfounded.
"Why are you belatedly thinking about that."
"How about this?! His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! Upon investigation, the Demon King turned out to be a good person! Let's all get along?!"
"As if he would accept that."
"Uwaah!"
Pastel clutched her head.
How do I produce results?
Arresting the Demon King is obviously out of the question.
Then maybe the achievement of arresting the Demon King's minions…?
But I'm the Demon King. If I arrest the Demon King's Minions and offer them to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, that's making a scapegoat out of my own subordinates.
That's totally Kraft!
Pastel groaned. Then she stealthily looked up at Lord Demon. Her pink eyes shone brightly.
"Lord Demo-on."
If it's the smart Lord Demon, is there a way?
"When one's position and duties conflict, there is a very easy solution."
"Wow! As expected of Lord Demon! What is it? What is it?"
"Give up on one side. Being the Demon King is an unavoidable destiny, so you can just give up the Governorship."
Governor-General Pastel.
↓
Governor-General (Not) Pastel.
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Shock.
"Lord Demon! Just because there are more letters doesn't always mean it's better!"
Governor-General does not look too weird!
"Speak honestly."
"I think I should have the Governor-General position!"
Sky Island is mine now!
"What do you want me to do about it?"
The Demon was dumbfounded.
Ugh.
"That's what I'm saying!"
Isn't there a way to produce results to the extent that His Imperial Majesty the Emperor won't view it too unfavorably?
Pastel groaned and racked her brain.
"It would be best to return to the cabin. Your nose is turning red."
Groaning in the cabin.
"It's potato soup with croutons. It might look ordinary, but eating it warms the body on a cold day like today, and is very good."
Groaning while scooping up soup.
"The bedding quality isn't bad. I was worried since it's a borrowed airship, but you should be able to get a pretty decent sleep. It's late, so you should go straight to sleep."
She covered herself with the blanket up to her neck and groaned with wide-awake eyes.
Red eyes stared down at her quietly.
"Sleep. No, at least at least make an effort to close your eyes. Are you declaring that you'll wander around if I leave?"
Pastel ignored him and just groaned.
Suddenly, a flashing idea crossed her mind. It was an amazing idea that would solve all her problems.
But the amazing idea was a busy friend, so it just brushed past, saying it had a prior engagement.
Amazing Idea: Hello~! I'm busy, so I'll be going now!
Shoo-oosh.
"Uwaah!"
Pastel shot her upper body up.
"Idea friend!"
She reached out her hand, but caught nothing.
I can't even remember what kind of idea it was!
"Please come ba-ack!"
To reject the popular person Pastel and just leave! Just how amazing was that prior engagement! It must have been an appointment with an incredible person in power or a wealthy capitalist!
Su-uch a thing!
Pastel keenly felt her lack of power and lack of assets.
She grabbed the white dress shirt of Lord Demon, who was looking baffled next to her. Her pink eyes looked up at him tearfully.
"Lord Demo-on. I can't live like this! In this state, I'm so anxious that I'll probably wake up around dawn, bake flour cookies in the oven for His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, and then accidentally fall asleep and start a fire!"
"Why are you being so specific?"
The Demon was appalled.
Pastel looked up at him faintly.
"This is the time when a Demon Contract is needed. I'll give you the opportunity to dye me purple, so please give me all the wealth and power in the world."
"How is the labor of dyeing your hair a price? Surely you speak of a fraudulent contract as if it's a good condition."
The Demon crossed his arms and pondered.
"Still, it seems true that you can't sleep because you're anxious, so I'll ponder it with you. Hmm. It would be best to give up the Governorship."
"Uwaah!"
A ridiculous conclusion!
"I can't do that!"
To think even Lord Demon doubts my rightful position!
Now that it's come to this, I will definitely prove that I'm suited for the Governorship!
Governor-General Pastel groaned.
Suddenly, a flashing idea crossed her mind.
Ah?!
An amazing idea, friend!
Are you back?
Ordinary Idea: I'm an ordinary idea!
Ah.
I see!
Anyway, hello! What's your idea?
Ordinary Idea: Ahem. Listen here.
Thump, thump.
Ordinary Idea: Couldn't we just catch some random Demonkind and call them the Demon King's minions!
Oh.
Is it a genius?
But-But.
That weighs on my mind a little bit.
You could call it the kind of fabricated achievement a corrupt person in power would claim. Or you could call it a concept the diligent Pastel couldn't even imagine.
Ordinary Idea: Then I have an even better idea!
Wow! As expected of my friend! Tell me!
Ordinary Idea: Couldn't we just catch some suitably 'bad' Demonkind and call them the Demon King's Minions!
Oh, indeed.
Is it a genius?