Chapter 54

### Chapter 54: How to Steal a Girl from an Extra (2)

"Yes, that Demon King has invited you, Guardian."

If I only listened to Armonia, it sounded like a line from a meeting of evil overlords.

The Demon King inviting me out of the blue? I don't even know anything about him.

"For what reason?"

"He earnestly requested to express his gratitude to the Zodiac."

"Hmm... It's a bit of a hassle."

From what Armonia said, it seemed like I didn't have to go if it was a bother.

But Armonia had a different opinion.

"Personally, I recommend that you go for a rest, Guardian."

"Huh? Is there a reason?"

"They agreed to give 200,000 enel as a reward for accepting the invitation."

"Wow! Let's go!"

There was no reason not to go if they were offering 200,000 enel just for me to show up and rest.

As soon as I decided to go, I had one request.

"Oh, can I bring Viola too?"

"There shouldn't be any problem on our side, but it might cause a stir on their side."

Well, considering that it's the sister of the guy they were trying to kill, they might be trembling in fear.

"Still, I don't want to leave her alone, so please."

"Understood. We'll take Viola along, but it's best to keep it a secret from them."

"Got it, thanks~ I'll be off then."

"Guardian…."

"Hmm?"

I was about to leave when Armonia called me, and I turned around.

She stared at me expressionlessly without saying a word.

Is something serious going on?

"What's up?"

"…Did I say anything in my sleep?"

"Ah… You just said, 'Don't go.'"

"…Understood. Rest well."

"Uh…."

I could sense a hint of relief in her tone.

I wanted to ask more, but the thought of writing a report for unauthorized entry made me quickly leave the office.

***

"Are you two ready?"

"Yep."

"Yep~"

Viola was excited about going out for the first time.

Armonia, hearing our responses, began to operate the device with a series of intricate movements.

"Ms. Viola, you might feel a bit dizzy, but please bear with it."

"Okay!"

As soon as Viola responded, the view distorted, and a grand castle appeared before us.

"Wow!!"

"Wow!!"

Viola and I exclaimed in amazement as we gazed at the majestic castle.

The castle, with its heavy, black atmosphere, clearly looked like a Demon King's castle.

It was so massive that it couldn't be taken in at a glance.

We had been teleported in front of a sturdy iron gate, which was about 30 meters high and wide enough for an entire army to pass through easily.

Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded from the other side of the iron gate, and something shot up into the sky.

"Wow…."

"Wow…."

Viola and I watched the object rise into the sky without any sense of danger, and it suddenly flew towards us.

It landed in front of us with a loud thud.

Bang!

Smoke enveloped the area, creating a chaotic scene.

"Cough, cough."

"Phew…."

Viola and I could only cough and wave away the dust until it cleared.

As the dust settled…

"Huh…."

"Wow!!!!"

What I saw was… a monster.

It was about 10 meters tall, with a goat's face, lion's legs, and a green tail that looked like a lizard or a dragon. It had large, purple bat wings and was covered in brown fur.

Its arms were about a meter thick, and its thighs were even thicker.

It bowed its massive upper body and spoke in a booming voice.

"Are you the Guardian of the City!?"

"Ah, yes, that's me."

I might not die easily, but I couldn't help feeling intimidated.

Just then, a communication came through.

I thought the Demon King would be a demon with a human-like form.

But this Demon King seemed far from a rational being.

"Kukukuku!"

"Ow, my ears…."

My eardrums were about to burst.

"Finally, you've come! I've been waiting so long! I am Demon King Gardia!"

"I am the Guardian of the City. And this is…."

"…."

Viola wore an expression that showed no fear, only curiosity.

"My girlfriend."

"Ooooh!!! Nice to meet you!!"

"Hello!"

Viola greeted him with a bright smile.

'How old is he?'

[According to the information, he is about 300 years old.]

'…He's younger than the principal.'

So, he's younger than the principal…

We exchanged greetings outside the castle with the Demon King, and then entered the castle.

The Demon King said he had sensed a sudden presence at the castle gate and rushed out to meet us.

He had been waiting for me to arrive.

As soon as we entered the castle gate, we were watched by guards with a serious demeanor.

I also saw something that I had only seen in games.

A three-headed dog, larger than the Demon King.

It was a real Cerberus.

"Wow! So cute!"

"…That's…?"

The dog, which should have been intimidating, had the face of a Chihuahua.

The three Chihuahua faces were panting stupidly at us.

Their tongues were hanging out, and they looked at us as if we were interesting insects.

"Hahaha! This is my cute pet. I'll take you for a ride later if you have time."

"Wow, thank you!"

Viola was excited at the thought of riding the cute (?) dog.

We passed through the gate and entered the castle proper.

The interior was both luxurious and eerie.

There were various antiques and paintings, but their forms were so unsettling that they could rival a haunted house.

Fortunately, I liked it.

'Wow, this place is amazing.'

[I'm glad you like it.]

'I prefer this kind of atmosphere over unnecessary luxury. Hmm?'

[What is it?]

'…Someone just walked by.'

This was definitely the Demon King's castle.

I hadn't seen any humans outside either.

There were all kinds of monsters, but not a single human.

I was deep in thought when we arrived at a door.

The door was about 20 meters high.

Considering this was designed to the Demon King's standards, it made sense that everything was so large.

"I heard you are in a very weakened state from a fierce battle."

"Ah, yes."

Although I only took a minor hit…

"This is the guest room where you will stay. You are free to do as you please while you are here. If anyone tries to harm you, I will kill them immediately."

"Thank you."

"Then, let's have a conversation over dinner later. Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course."

"Hahaha! See you then!"

The Demon King laughed heartily and left with a loud thud.

Looking back, it was really surprising.

Most of the time, it would be the subordinates who would guide and offer meals.

And the fact that he ran to the gate earlier was also unusual.

'Did I impress him that much to have him guide me personally?'

[He seemed to like you a lot.]

'Well, maybe it's because I saved him from near death. But, if he was so impressed, how strong was that hero?'

[From what I heard, the hero had the upper hand in a one-on-one fight.]

'Sigh… Thinking about it now, it's still chilling.'

Thinking about when the hero attacked, my legs started to tremble.

The large door opened easily when I pushed it gently.

The guest room was decorated with human-scale luxury, unlike the rest of the castle.

It didn't seem like they had turned the room into a haunted house.

But Viola didn't seem to find it interesting at all.

In fact, she looked much more excited when we first entered the Demon King's castle.

"Viola, do you want to go out and explore?"

"Wow! Yes!"

"But, is this room okay?"

Her expression didn't look very pleased.

"Just…."

"…?"

"It's just… it looks similar to my room, so it's not that great…."

I realized she was triggered by the room.

Looking at it again, it did resemble the bunker palace where Viola used to stay.

For Viola, the small room on the ship was much more comfortable and cozy.

"Since we'll only be staying here for a while, let's endure it. Instead, let's explore the castle."

"Okay!"

Viola followed me with a bright smile.

***

The best part about being here was that Viola was enjoying herself.

She was excited about everything, even the small things, as we explored the castle.

No one dared to touch us, even without a guide.

I was more surprised by Viola.

This atmosphere should be scary, but she showed no fear, even when we met the Demon King earlier.

I wondered if, now that she was an adult and had gained more knowledge, she would develop a sense of fear.

Before, she was safe in the hero's cage, and now, as part of NTL Corporation, she was unlikely to be in danger.

Still, I wanted to teach her some basic knowledge so I could take her out occasionally…

Studying from TV definitely had its limits.

'Viola needs someone to play with and teach her things….'

[After completing a certain mission, I recommend recruiting a good talent. With the enel we have now, it's a struggle to even set up a living room.]

'How much does a living room cost?'

[100,000 enel.]

'Wow, that's really expensive….'

It might be manageable if we gradually saved up, but it was a daunting amount right now.

As we explored the Demon King's castle with Viola, a human boy walked towards us confidently from a distance.

At first, he just looked like a kid to me…

'Oh, a human.'

[I missed the chance to tell you earlier. There are a few humans who reside here.]

'Oh, slaves?'

[No, he is…]

As Armonia was speaking, the kid arrived in front of us.

The kid, trembling with fear, tried to stand tall in front of us.

He was dressed like a servant, but his attire was ambiguous and seemed to be of a lower rank than a noble.

Viola ran up to the kid and hugged him.

"Oh! So cute!"

"Hey, let go! How dare you!"

"…? Are you the village chief's son?"

In Viola's mind, the highest-ranking person was a village chief, and she thought she was showing respect.

But it was the perfect line to infuriate him.

"How dare you! Insulting me with such a lowly status! "

"?? What does 'lowly' mean?"

It started…

Viola's "What does that mean?" began.

But I was more concerned about the kid being close to Viola, so I pulled her away and said,

"Viola, hugging like that might make the kid think the wrong thing. He looks like a pervert. Stay away."

"Who's a pervert!!! How dare you insult the Prince of Betel! I won't let this go!!"

The kid suddenly started to rant and rave.

But he didn't move away from Viola.

Instead, he seemed to be hugging her even tighter.

He must be a real pervert.

Then, out of nowhere, he introduced himself as a prince.

I had no idea what was going on…

I was about to punch him in the face when a purple-winged demon flew over from a distance.

"Insane brat!!!"

***

Viola and I were sitting side by side in a massive dining hall.

The kid who came to us earlier was supposed to guide us to the dining hall.

But he had a fit and started shouting at us.

The purple-winged demon who flew over was a lower demon who bowed repeatedly and apologized as soon as he saw us.

We must be important guests.

I forgot about the earlier incident and was amazed at the dining table.

'The table is as big as a castle gate….'

[It's necessary for such a large figure to have a meal, I think.]

We were sitting at a table as big as the castle gate we saw earlier.

Since the table was too high for Viola and me, we were sitting on specially made high chairs for humans.

When we first climbed up, several winged demons carefully lifted us up.

Despite the preparations, it wasn't too uncomfortable.

At the long table, the Demon King, his retainers, and we were seated.

The retainers were all as large as the Demon King, with various appearances.

Some looked like real demons, while others were far from human, like reptiles.

At the end of the table, a woman with a cat's ears and bat wings, similar in size to a human, was drooling over her plate.

'Oh! So cute….'

[….]

She was really cute.

She had a large chest, a cute face, and cat ears on her head that caught my eye.

Her hands and feet were human-like, and she had purple wings like a demon.

But the large lizard-like retainer sitting next to her started scolding her.

She was being reprimanded.

The cat-eared woman didn't fit in with the other retainers, but her presence suggested she held an important position.

'Hmm, I should check her temperament later.'

[Guardian.]

"Hmm? Should I check now?"

[Viola is watching.]

'….'

From my seat, Viola was right in front of me, frowning.

"…Is something interesting?"

"Hahaha… There are many interesting people, or rather, demons…."

Viola continued to look at me suspiciously.

The tense atmosphere was broken by the sound of a plate shattering.

Clang!

All the demons at the table turned their heads at once.

The wind pressure from their simultaneous movement was noticeable.

At the source of the shattering sound, the perverted kid who had clung to Viola earlier was lying face down.

All the dishes with food had spilled.

'…He said he was a prince of a kingdom, right?'

[Yes. He is from the kingdom that led the resistance against the Demon King and is now the first in line to the throne.]

There were two places where the Demon King's army had fought until the end: the Kingdom of Betel and the independent state of Feron.

The humans residing here were not ordinary slaves.

They were all children of nobles.

All the children of royal families and dukes from every nation were serving as servants in the Demon King's castle.

It was a humiliating treatment that shook the foundations of their nations.

The lower demon who had flown over earlier, cursing the kid, bowed to the Demon King and started apologizing repeatedly.

"Sorry! Sorry! What are you doing, you idiot! Bring the apology immediately!"

"…."

He remained defiant and said nothing.

The atmosphere at the table grew heavy.

The lower demon, sensing the tension, looked really angry and was about to lose it, showing his claws.

"This brat…."

"Ugh…."

Just as the kid was about to be killed, a maid in a pink dress with long hair rushed over, blocking him and bowing.

"Sorry! I will re-educate him."

As soon as I saw her, I sent a desperate cry to Armonia.

'Temperament!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

[….]