Chapter 3

Bathed in the bright sunlight, I slowly opened my eyes.

"Finally awake, huh?"

A woman's voice spoke to me.

I looked at the source of the voice with my gradually adjusting eyes.

A woman with strikingly red, lustrous lips. Her hair and eyes were a seductive red. Her figure was so perfectly crafted that it seemed almost flawless. The luxurious black dress she wore emphasized her curves, accentuating where they should be prominent and where they should be subtle.

And from her red hair, two goat horns protruded.

"Sh-shudder..."

I felt an overwhelming power from her, and my voice trembled with an instinctive fear of life and death.

"Don't worry. I won't eat you right away. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so while you were sound asleep."

She seemed to find my reaction amusing and chuckled softly.

Ah, that's right. Even though I slept to recover my magic, it might have been a bad idea. I didn't expect to sleep all the way until I reached the Demon King's territory...

"Forgive me for being so presumptuous. My name is Yuria."

As I tried to sit up from the bed, the red-haired woman gently pressed her shoulder against mine, stopping me.

"I am Astauroth, one of the Four Heavenly Kings directly appointed by His Majesty the Demon King. Nice to meet you."

She winked at me.

"Ms. Astauroth..."

"No, no! You don't need to call me 'Ms.'! Just call me by my name!"

Although I shouldn't be on such familiar terms with someone of her status... I nodded obediently at her command.

Astauroth smiled contentedly at my response and continued to explain my current situation.

"You were in a severe state of exhaustion due to magic depletion. The more you overuse your magic, the slower it recovers, creating a vicious cycle. That's why, even after I took you from the kingdom's knight at the entrance of the Demon King's territory, carried you out of the carriage, and teleported you to the Demon King's castle, you didn't wake up."

It wasn't just that I was defenseless; I was so exhausted that I might not have been able to wake up once I fell asleep.

"That's why, first, I had you rest in the palace prepared for you... this place. You've been resting in this bed."

"Thank you... very much."

At my words, Astauroth's eyes softened.

"Since you're awake, shall I have some porridge prepared for you? Yes, crushed grains of wheat would be good. I'll be back after a short talk, so rest for a while."

With that, she left the room where I was staying, which was part of the palace.

◆

Astauroth was furious.

Who was this human, Yuria, who had been thrust upon them?

It wasn't that she disliked Yuria. The problem was Yuria's physical condition and the intentions of the country that had sent her.

Yuria had countless signs of magic depletion. She had been in such a state that she might have died if pushed any further.

And then, as if to add insult to injury, she was sent to their country under the pretense of being a "Holy Maiden," but in reality, she was more like a hostage.

"Poor thing..."

Astauroth felt pity for the weakened Yuria, who had just woken up. Ordinary humans fear demons. Being sent to the Demon King's territory under the guise of a marriage, alone and without a maid, must have been very lonely.

"What are those humans thinking!"

With a loud bang, she violently opened the ornate door.

"Hey, Astauroth. This is His Majesty's office."

Adramelech, one of the Four Heavenly Kings and also the prime minister, scolded her. He spoke in a light tone, but Astauroth directed her anger at him with a glare.

"Oh, oh, the empress is angry."

The young man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, shrugged. His appearance was strikingly elegant and alluring. His short, wavy hair was a deep emerald green, and his eyelashes were so long they cast shadows. His eyes, with a teardrop-shaped mark under one, were a deep sapphire. His lips, which curved in an arc, were as red as a woman's. He wore a white suit that fit his body perfectly, and the hem of his cloak was adorned with peacock feathers that looked like lace.

In the center of the office, the Demon King was working at his desk.

His name was Lucifer. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and had three goat horns, a symbol of the Demon King. His long black hair reached his waist, and his eyes were golden. He was tall, and his black robe was loosely tied with a golden thread. Over it, he wore a black, glossy robe with lavish gold embroidery.

"I only entrusted her to you. I don't recall ordering you to yell at me."

His golden eyes glared at Astauroth.

"I'm buried under a mountain of paperwork. On top of that, you want me to entertain a human bride? Where do you think I have the time for that! A bride is just a waste of time. I don't need one!"

He stood up, pointing to the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

"Then, do you not need a report on the Holy Maiden Yuria?"

Astauroth sighed and asked them, knowing that while she could overpower them, it was necessary for diplomatic relations.

"Oh, no. ...Please give me the report."

Lucifer sat back in his chair and asked Astauroth for the details, as he had entrusted her with the handling of the Holy Maiden Yuria.

Astauroth took a deep breath to calm herself and then relayed the information she had gathered about Yuria to the Demon King and his prime minister.

Yuria indeed had the aura of a Holy Maiden, but she had been sent to the Demon King's territory in a state like a used rag. Moreover, ... her latent magic power, especially her total magic capacity, was beyond even Astauroth's ability to measure.

"...Are humans fools?"

Astrauroth's report was first met with a reaction from the prime minister, Adramelech.

"Astauroth, what kind of latent magic power can even you not measure? To send such a talented individual to us as if they were being exiled. Are humans fools? It seems they used up an excellent Holy Maiden without realizing it and mistakenly thought she was no longer useful, so they sent her to the demons?"

He frowned, opening a fan made of peacock feathers and looking displeased.

"...No matter how pitiful her circumstances, I have no intention of accepting her as a bride! I don't have the time for that!"

Lucifer declared and sighed.

"Let that human have free rein in the palace provided to her. First, her physical recovery is the priority. There's no need to worry about the pretense of her being a bride. Let her do as she pleases in the palace. Treat her as a guest."

Lucifer's cheeks turned slightly red as he said this.

Thus, the decision was made on how to handle Yuria.