Chapter 146
After being scolded by a really, really angry Ellie and spending a terrifying time riding alone with her in the carriage, Pastel ran straight to her personal dormitory.
"Waaah!"
Ellie is mean!
So mean!
If I made that kind of action, that kind of judgment, and that kind of thought at that exact moment, at that exact point in time, at that exact timing, I should be praised!
Of course, Ellie doesn't know that Mr. Penguin is a spy, and she just thinks that thoughtless Pastel blabbed the classified information that the Demon King is a fake!
And yet, even while thinking that, she still gave me a suspicious look, wondering if this schemer Kraft was plotting a scheme and had intentionally (Gasp) leaked the classified information!
—You didn't reveal it with some hidden intention, did you?
—Gasp, no I didn't!
—Gasp...?
—I really didn't!
It's true that I said it on purpose for an emergency escape from Mr. Penguin's insidious web, but I wasn't plotting any scheme!
Does she think I'm some Kraft who's always plotting wicked schemes?!
...I mean, I am a Kraft but still!
Anyway, angry Ellie is mean!
Mean! Mean! So mean!
"Waaah!"
Pastel sprinted straight through the garden of her personal dormitory. She flung open the front door and ran to the familiar kitchen.
"Waaah! Lord Demon!"
Flinging open the kitchen door, she saw the interior devoid of any presence.
Huh.
Pink eyes scanned the interior.
Not here.
She clicked the door shut and ran to the study this time.
"Waaah! Lord Demon!"
She flung the door open. A strong scent of books wafted out, and only bookshelves spread out before her without a single human shadow.
Huh.
Not here.
Pastel blinked in bewilderment. She just flailed her arms and looked around until her eyes sparkled at a sound coming from the vegetable patch set up behind the personal dormitory.
The vegetable patch!
She turned her steps hurriedly and ran.
"Waaah! Lord Demon!"
She flung open the back door of the mansion.
The demon, dressed for garden chores, was looking down suspiciously at some grass roots.
When he didn't give her a glance, Pastel shouted again.
"Waaah! Lord Demon!"
Comfort me! Comfort me!
『How many times are you going to shout the exact same thing?』
"Why do you make me keep shouting the same thing!"
You should have just been in the kitchen!
『Unbelievable.』
The demon bent down and fiddled with the grass roots. Surprisingly, the roots were purple.
『Young Kraft, look at this. I don't know what happened yesterday, but all the chicory I planted has turned purple.』
It was exactly as he said. Among the various vegetables planted in the magic vegetable garden, only the chicory line was entirely purple.
"Huh."
Pastel's eyes widened.
"Lord Demon, have you finally realized your demonic corruption? Is Pastel next?"
Gasp, the terror of a cuckoo's deception.
Then, something flashed in Pastel's mind.
"Gasp? Could it be? I think I know! Mr. Chicory used to commit the wicked deed of pulling off an infiltration into delicious salads to provide a strong bitter taste! Befitting that wicked deed, he has finally revealed his true colors!"
The girl was pointing a finger at the chicory.
"So you were purple after all! I knew from the start that you were a minion of the wicked Demon King! I, Governor-General Pastel, will banish you from the vegetable garden!"
Absolute banishment!
『Hoh.』
The demon marveled.
『Even I didn't know. So chicory was a minion of the Demon King.』
"That's right!"
Pastel nodded enthusiastically.
"If it weren't a minion of the Demon King, there's no way it would go into a salad when it only tastes bitter! And it looks suuuper obvious, too!"
Pastel began her acting as the wicked chicory.
"I only taste bitter! But you have to eat me all up without leaving any behind~! To shamelessly confess like that!"
Unforgivable!
『Hoh.』
The demon scooped up a pile of dirt next to the chicory—which was somehow dyed the exact same purple—and sniffed it.
『I thought someone had poured dyeing agent for disguise over the chicory patch in the middle of the night.』
Huh.
"There's someone like that? No way."
So surprising.
『But it seems the culprit didn't know.』
The demon dug up the purple chicory and, instead of throwing it away, simply placed it in the vegetable basket.
Huh...?
『The Kraft Family's dyeing agents have been food coloring for generations. There's no way those Kraft bastards, who pretend not to care but obsess over their appearance, would put anything potentially harmful on their hair. Therefore, these chicories are safe to eat.』
Excuse me?
The purple chicory piled up high in the vegetable basket.
Gasp.
Pink eyes trembled in shock.
No way.
The chicory has evolved into a twice-as-wicked purple chicory.
『A chicory salad would be good for today.』
Chicory salad.
Not just a salad, but a chicory salad.
A salad where the wicked purple chicory is the main character...!
"Waaah!"
Pastel clutched her head.
"I think putting chicory in a salad is a chef disqualification...!"
『Vegetables are originally meant for enjoying the bitter taste. And the bitterness of chicory stimulates the appetite and adds depth to the contours of what could be a monotonous flavor.』
The demon nonchalantly approached the back door, passed right through, and headed for the kitchen.
"Nooo!"
Pastel clung to Lord Demon's leg.
"I'm not the culprit, but please reconsider the chicory salad out of respect for the culprit's sincerity!"
『It will be tastier than you think. If you use a salty dressing, the bitterness is definitely reduced.』
A glimmer of hope briefly appeared in her pink eyes.
"Then it won't be bitter?"
Is this where Lord Demon's super ultra cooking skills come in?
The demon chuckled.
『There's no way it won't be bitter.』
"No way it won't be bitter...!"
Pastel clung tightly to his leg. Already accustomed to this attitude, the demon just kept walking, dragging Pastel along.
"Lord Demon! This isn't right! It's completely wrong! I just came back from being scolded by a really, really angry Ellie! A wicked purple chicory at this timing makes no sense!"
『What did you do wrong to make the princess so angry?』
Ugh.
"It was an unavoidable measure. Mr. Penguin was actually His Imperial Majesty the Emperor's spy. So, for an emergency escape, I confessed that the Demon King was a fake."
『Hoh.』
The demon marveled.
『Telling me without any context makes it completely incomprehensible. Who is Mr. Penguin?』
"Mr. Penguin is Ellie's half-confidant. He is an older brother she's known since childhood? Since she's a princess, she probably knows all the key figures, but anyway, that's what they say."
I heard it from the really, really angry Ellie.
Hearing that, I kind of understand why she was really, really angry.
Getting caught by other demons in the fabrication of the Demon King is a political blow, but getting caught by an Older Brother she's known since childhood is a mental blow.
『If a close confidant turned out to be a spy, it makes sense for the Princess to be shocked and angry.』
"That's not it. Ellie doesn't know. She's angry because I confessed to the fabrication of the Demon King. I debated whether to tell her, but Ellie is a bit bad at acting, so I decided against it."
『Hmm. I should remember this too. What is the name of this Mr. Penguin?』
"Red, Redmoney...?"
That's not it.
Still clinging to Lord Demon's leg, Pastel pondered as she was dragged across the floor. The white hem of his clothes swept the dust-free corridor.
"Red, Redwine...?"
That's not it either.
Pastel thought of Mr. Penguin.
Instead of Mr. Penguin, just a penguin popped into her head.
Penguin: Hello!
The penguin friend raised its flipper in greeting.
Penguin: I like chicory!
What did you say?
Pastel clung even tighter to Lord Demon's leg. Her clothes dragged along the floor.
"Anyway, Mr. Penguin is a penguin."
They arrived at the kitchen.
Puff.
Pastel kept clinging until they were about halfway across the kitchen floor, then gave up and sat on a suitable chair.
She rested her chin on her hands and swung her legs leisurely.
"Lord Demon, Lord Demon. Am I living my life wrong lately?"
The demon turned only his head while washing the vegetables.
『There are plenty of things you're doing wrong. First of all, you'd better stop those greedy illegal acts. You don't even have to starve for magic stones anymore, yet somehow it's getting worse.』
"Even before Ellie got angry, she was a little sulky. I guess because I was making a distinction between public and private affairs, she couldn't help but feel hurt as a friend."
『Hmm.』
"Compared to the others, Ellie probably feels it especially strongly. During the Railway Construction Rights Auction, I told Ellie I would be honest with her so that being from the Kraft Family wouldn't become an obstacle between us..."
Pastel switched the hand supporting her chin.
"But given my position in a high seat, being completely honest would be a breach of duty, so I only showed her hints that she could infer, and I think that made her feel it even more."
Pastel slumped limply over the table.
One of her cheeks puffed out slightly.
"It's a little unfair. I deliberately used a colored handkerchief so Ellie could easily guess. But then she had to go and ask about it so ungraciously."
Then, of course, as the Governor-General, I have no choice but to draw a line.
"If I had really wanted to deceive Ellie, I would have used hand signals, not an obvious colored handkerchief."
If I used something like tying my hair at the windowsill again as a hand signal, I wouldn't even get caught. I didn't do that because I was afraid it would really creep Ellie out.
Waaah.
Pastel lay half-sprawled on the table, flapping her arms.
"Power and popularity are a paradox!"
person in power Pastel and popular person Pastel have only the same number of syllables!
Gasp.
Tactlessly having the exact same number of syllables.
The demon stopped washing the vegetables and pondered. He crossed his arms and spoke calmly.
『You are not doing anything wrong. It is a question for which no answer has been recorded, even after those who seek to protect power have agonized over it and those who record power have contemplated it. There is no need to blame yourself for finding the impossible to be impossible.』
Pastel peeked her head up.
"At times like this, I suppose it's best to just silently do what needs to be done, right?"
『Yes, you know well.』
The demon smiled.
"Hehe."
Pastel lifted her body from the table she had been lying on. She stretched out fully.
"Phew! Then I should start by picking out a Demon World airship right now. A minion of the wicked Demon King is committing terrorism on the Demon World railway!"
So wicked.
"I stealthily left it to Ellie, but I need to go back to the Student Council and work hard!"
I am a busy Pastel~.
My schedule is so packed, I barely have time to breathe.
Pastel stood up from the chair, singing La-la-la, and turned around.
『Hmm? What about the salad?』
The demon looked bewildered.
Pastel turned only her upper body to look back.
"Eat a lot of it, Lord Demon~."
Her pink tongue peeked out.
Ahaha!
Pastel hurriedly ran away.
Let's go to the Demon World!
To catch the minion of the wicked Demon King!
Yahoo~!