Chapter 97

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“Phew, it was tough, but I guess it was kind of fun, right?”

That’s what I muttered to myself as I was being jolted in the carriage heading towards the capital.

Lily, as always, was relaxing on my lap.

Well, in any case, we managed to leave the demon kingdom safely.

After I told the Demon King, “Please give me your daughter,” things got really chaotic.

First, Princess Parfait started causing a commotion, and then the Demon King himself got down on the floor, muttering, “So, this moment has finally come…” In the end, even the Demon King’s usually expressionless wife put her hand to her mouth and smiled, looking somewhat pleased.

Naturally, I was flustered and didn’t understand why things had turned out this way. The Demon King’s wife then explained to me the true meaning of what I had said… but let me make it clear, it was a misunderstanding.

I, of course, had no idea what it meant and had no ulterior motives.

…Really, I didn’t?

Well, it took a while to clear up everyone’s misunderstandings, but we eventually managed to do so.

After some more discussion with the Demon King, we finally got permission to take Lily with us.

The only condition was that we would bring Lily back occasionally. Given Princess Parfait’s bloodshot eyes, it might be best to bring her back as often as possible.

And so, with the Demon King and his family seeing us off, we left the demon kingdom that same day.

“Oh, by the way, I remember suffering a lot because of you…?”

As I was reminiscing, I remembered this and glared at the lady sitting next to me, who was holding the reins.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“…”

The lady continued to hold the reins without paying much attention to my words.

“I don’t get why you came up with such an idea…”

I guess it was my own fault for blindly following her advice, but I never thought those words would have such a meaning.

“That’s because, you see, it’s the words my husband said when we got married.”

“…What!?”

I was surprised by the lady’s words.

This even startled Lily, who was relaxing on my lap.

“Y-You were married…?”

I might have been rude, but I never thought she was married.

“Yeah, it was a youthful indiscretion.”

Looking off into the distance, the lady reminisced about her past, and I nodded, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

“By the way, do you have any children…?”

I hesitantly asked about something I had been curious about.

“I do, one.”

“O-Oh…”

I let out an involuntary exclamation of surprise.

It was hard not to be surprised. I was already surprised that the lady was married, but the fact that she had a child was even more shocking.

It was hard to imagine that someone who drinks so much at the inn could be a mother.

“His name is Esyik. Don’t you know him?”

“……Huh?”

I thought I heard a name I shouldn’t have, but maybe I misheard?

If it was true, then the lady must be…

“Y-You mean, the king…?”

I couldn’t help but ask, as it was something I had to know.

“Yeah, you know him. That’s right.”

“…Are you serious…?”

…It really was true.

“But if that’s the case, why are you doing this?”

I couldn’t understand why Esyik’s parent would be working as a driver.

“My son asked me to. I can’t go outside unless it’s for something like this.”

“…”

If that’s the reason, then it does sound like something Esyik would do…

“Still, you shouldn’t have made me do that, right?”

If I were in the lady’s position, I would have stopped me to avoid causing trouble for Esyik and others.

“Well, it seemed more interesting this way.”

“That’s not right!?”

Maybe Esyik’s personality is inherited from this lady.

Actually, I’m pretty sure it is.

As I looked at the lady, who was smiling happily next to me, I thought about this.

“Hmm…”

Just as we were taking a short break to rest the horses, Lily, who had been sitting on my lap, stood up, seemingly tired from sitting.

It was getting lighter as the night turned to morning.

“Nesto, let’s go over there?”

Lily tugged at my hand and pointed to a large rock.

Since there was nothing else to do, I decided to go along with her for a change of pace.

“Okay, let’s do it!”

When we reached the rock, Lily suddenly placed her hand on it.

It was the position for an arm wrestling match.

Upon closer inspection, the rock was indeed flat and perfect for arm wrestling.

“N-No, I…!?”

I tried to escape, but it was too late.

Lily had already grabbed my leg with her free hand.

“Let’s do it?”

Lily smiled at me, who was frozen in place.

I had no choice but to sit across from her, with the rock between us.

“Oh, you’re doing something interesting.”

“Yeah.”

Before I knew it, Aura and True had gathered around us.

Looking around, I saw the lady smiling slyly at us.

“Sigh…”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

Aura was about to start the match, and True was looking at us expectantly.

And in front of me, Lily was holding my hand.

As I looked around at everyone, I couldn’t help but think, maybe this is kind of fun?

“Start!!”

And with Aura’s bright voice, the match between Lily and me began.

Well, there’s no need to say the result, right?

…But, I guess I should say this at the end.

About the fact that my serious strength is clearly inferior to Lily’s.

Is it just me, or does Lily’s power seem even more overwhelming than that of the demons?

Looking up at the sky, I silently thought about this.

Good evening, everyone. m(_ _)m

I guess this marks the end of the Lily arc, right…?

Writing the Lily arc was just difficult…

I received various comments, including political ones, so I hope to improve on those points.

Thank you to everyone who has read this so far.

I will continue, so I hope you will enjoy it.

I wonder what the next story will be…