Chapter 124
"It's none other than me!"
Pastel pointed at herself.
"I'm the Next Demon King!"
Ellie looked dumbfounded.
"What?"
"I'm the Demon King!"
Ellie blinked slowly. Silence flowed before she asked again.
"What?"
Pastel jumped up.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King! Your Majesty, the Demon King!"
She ran around the Secret Room. Her pink hair fluttered.
"Demon King Pastel!"
I don't know what kind of job the Demon King has, but I know very well it's a title a good friend shouldn't touch!
Is this the Demon King's Corruption?
Thump-thump.
Pit-a-pat.
Thrilling.
What is power?
The influence is the ability to wield power over other people however you want.
If it's a position that can shake up all of Demonkind with a single word, it's a total mass of power!
It might be a million times more fun!
"Demon King, Demon King Pastel!"
Pastel ran around. But since she was inside a room and the space was narrow, she spun in circles around Ellie.
"How about you drop the habit of speaking with nuances that cause misunderstandings."
Ellie stared blankly at the running Pastel. Then, as if her thoughts had organized, she did a gesture of frustration.
"This is exactly why those unfair situations you talk about keep happening."
A somewhat emotional, scolding voice.
Pastel stopped running with a *chwak*. Striking an appropriate pose, she performed Pointing a Finger at Ellie.
"Ahem! What kind of disrespect is that to the Demon King?!"
"Demon King, you say."
Ellie gave a slight snort.
"I know what you're talking about. I've been keeping a close eye on your weird props too. Floating knives and brooms practically mean the user is the Demon King, unless they're an Archmage."
"You catch on fast!"
I am His Majesty, the Demon King!
"But since the Kraft Lineage can't possibly be the Demon King, I already guessed it was made using the legacy or technology the Kraft Family plundered during the war."
Ellie's brow furrowed slightly.
"I couldn't possibly guess at the unspoken agreements and background checks between us that I, the person involved, didn't know about, but the Demon King Legend and myths is my major field."
Ugh.
Are you taking the confession I made to the Demon King with great resolve, fully prepared to be scolded by Lord Demon like that?
Ellie was wrong in her major field.
Eueh.
"Is it easier for you to think of it that way, Ellie?"
"It's not about being easier; it's the truth. It's already a well-known fact in the academic world that the Kraft Family investigated and secretly researched the Demon King's Authority. Whether they succeeded was in the realm of speculation, but since you, the Family Head, showed off the results to the whole world, it's been proven."
Ellie regained her pace. She spoke calmly and articulately.
"I clearly understand what you're saying. You want to play the Demon King. As long as you hide your Kraft identity, you're practically the Next Demon King anyway. Turning the Moderate Faction's stance around should be easy."
Eueh.
Pastel puffed out one cheek in disappointment.
I guess I'm not purple yet.
Did living kindly all this time create this side effect?
It's a good thing, but somehow I'm disappointed.
To relieve this feeling of disappointment, I feel like I need to do a misdeed like unsealing the Archdemon and bringing about the crisis of the World's Destruction.
Pastel raised a finger and poked her puffed cheek. The air deflated with a *pssh*.
"It's not acting."
Ppu-ppu.
"Ellie, Ellie. You entered with a major in legends and myths, so what are you going to do if you're wrong when it's important? Aren't you slacking too much on your academic studies, no, Academic Research?"
Substandard diligence.
"I'm saying this because it is my major."
Ellie was firm.
"The majority of Demonkind thinks the Demon King's throne is destined for the strongest, but that's not a prerequisite. Rather, the prerequisite is an Outsider Identity."
Eueh.
"Demonkind and humans are distinguished, but if you trace the genealogy up, they're ultimately the same beings. The only difference is that they are humans who deviated from the mainstream of the Great Temple Myth and came to live in the Demon Realm. In a world created by a god, beings who deviate from the myth are always outsiders."
Ellie folded her fingers one by one.
"Non-homogeneity, Atypicality, Unconventionality: The Demon King's Power is manifested not through physical destruction, but Conceptual Destruction. That's why it must be an outsider."
Pastel's Pink Eyes went blank.
If we suddenly go into difficult academic talk, if we go in it...
She turned her gaze and looked at the work desk. In the pattern of the high-quality wood, she caught a glimpse of cute eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
"Wow! A puppy!"
From now on, when I do work here, I should greet my Puppy Friend first!
"Hello, friend!"
Ellie looked bewildered.
"Well, anyway, that's how it is. A being born into the Kraft Family, which is the mainstream of Imperial history itself, cannot be an outsider. This is separate from Demonkind's grudge."
"Yeah! I see!"
Having let it all go in one ear and out the other, Pastel pretended to understand.
I don't know what it is, but I know very well that Ellie can't accept Demon King Pastel!
"You can think whatever you want, Ellie! Anyway, it's good as long as we do the Railway Construction!"
Ellie muttered, falling into her own thoughts.
"Right. We'll have to risk getting caught making a Fake Demon King, but the Railway Project is a plan with the Demon Realm's future on the line. We need to hurry before the Empire becomes wary of the Great Technological Transformation..."
Ellie flinched while organizing her thoughts. As if what she said was classified information, she checked Pastel's reaction and changed the subject.
"I'll take responsibility and affirm the Demon King's existence. There will be more people soaked in the anticipation of finally finding him than people suspecting he's a fake, so even if we hide your identity, it should be fine for a while."
"Wow!"
Pastel cheered "Hurrah."
"Demon King Pastel!"
Spinning in place!
Ellie carefully watched the fluttering Pink Hair.
"Still, just in case, it would be good to prepare a disguise. Can't you do something about that conspicuous hair? Doesn't the Kraft Family have some secret disguise technique?"
"Double spinning~!"
Pastel did a high-speed turnaround.
Spin, spin, spin, spin!
Her hair fluttered and smacked Ellie's face.
"Ah."
Ellie stepped back, blocking the hair.
"It's the Demon King! Your Majesty, the Demon King!"
I need to hurry and tell Lord Demon this news of corruption!
Ah! Right!
I can just tell him now!
Pastel is a fool for worrying about something so easy!
"More importantly, how to change your hair-"
"I'm getting off work first!"
Pastel kicked open the Secret Room door and came out. The Academy Corridor unfolded before her. She only gave quick hand waves to the friends she occasionally ran into and kept running.
"Bye! Bye! I know you guys want to talk to me, but I'm too busy! Super, super, super, super busy! I'm sorry I can't fulfill my duties as a Popular Person!"
Swoosh, swoosh.
After rummaging here and there in her assigned Personal Dormitory, she barged into the Kitchen. When she flung open the Kitchen door, the Demon was there.
The Demon, dressed in a white Dress Shirt and an apron, who had been making a recipe for high-flour-content cookies, looked back.
“Hmm? Is it already this time? How baffling. Wait a moment. I haven't prepared lunch yet. I will make it shortly.”
Pastel quickly shook her head.
"No! No! It's not lunchtime yet! More importantly! More importantly!"
She pointed at herself.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King!"
Her pink eyes sent a look full of anticipation.
The Demon looked puzzled, not knowing her intention. He came to the doorway, checked the Corridor to see if anyone had heard, and closed the door.
“Did you get off work early today? Good job. The current Student Council workload is bizarrely excessive.”
Pastel ignored him and pointed at herself again.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King!"
The Demon looked bewildered.
“Young Craft, conversation is a two-way street. Just because you thrust a context only you know doesn't mean the other person can understand.”
"Ye-es?"
Shock.
"If it's you, Lord Demon, you should understand!"
Pastel pointed again.
"Your Majesty, the Demon King!"
The Demon looked somewhat pained by the riddle suddenly given to him. It seemed his head hurt from figuring out how to play along with this.
The Demon pondered, then raised both hands.
“I do not know.”
Pastel lowered the hand pointing at herself. Her cheeks slowly puffed out.
Ppu-woo.
“Why are you reacting as if I did something wrong? This is your fault.”
Ppu-woo!
“Just how much do you expect from me?”
The Demon sighed and moved his finger. He poked Pastel's cheek. The air deflated with a *pssh*.
"Waaah! My puffy cheeks!"
It's not something just anyone can touch!
The Demon chuckled.
“Do not obsess over strange things. Hmm? Oh dear, I've gotten flour on you.”
The Demon took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped it off.
“So what about Your Majesty, the Demon King? Did you find a new Demon King's Inheritance?”
Pastel sulked.
"You emphasized that even though it's hard to be suspected since I'm from the Kraft Family, I must absolutely never confess my identity to others, Lord Demon."
“You might not feel it, but the Empire cannot take the existence of the Demon King lightly. If it hears the news, it will take immediate action. You must be careful.”
"Hehe."
Pastel smiled slyly.
The Demon paused.
“Don't tell me...?”
"I already told someone!"
She spun around once, then jumped up and threw both arms in the air.
"Yahoo!"
The Demon silently rubbed his forehead. He seemed dizzy because of the girl who absolutely refused to listen.
Her pink eyes sparkled.
The reaction she wanted!
“Silencing them by murder is... no, you wouldn't do that.”
The Demon let out a deep sigh.
"Lord Demon! Lord Demon!"
Pastel went beyond feeling better and became delighted.
"I did well, right?! I did super well, right?!"
“I can clearly see that you want to be scolded.”
The Demon reached out. He grabbed both of Pastel's cheeks and pulled them hard.
“Reflect on your actions a little.”
Her cheeks stretched out. The pain increased just as much.
"Waaah!"
Pastel instantly looked ready to cry.
Lord Demon is super mean!