Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

—— The Kingdom of the Lake, in the outskirts of the capital

Teleports.

The Hero: “… Alright.” Rubs hands.

The Demon King: “Hm. Teleportation Magic really is convenient.”

The Hero: “Can’t you use it since you’re the Demon King?”

The Demon King: “Nope, in terms of individual long-distance teleportation ability and the ability to pick locations, my magical abilities are far less generalized.”

The Hero: “Is that so?”

The Demon King: “Our techniques are different. If there’s an opportunity I would like to research it.”

The Hero: “Well, let’s focus on the task at hand.”

The Demon King: “Yeah. How is it?”

The Hero: “Over by that hill. Cover your face just in case.”

The Demon King: “I understand. In contrast to formal wear, this casual outfit is a lot more comfortable.”

The Hero: “It has its good points as well.”

Walking through the grass. 𝗳r𝗲𝙚w𝐞𝚋𝘯𝚘ѵ𝗲l.𝑐oｍ

The Demon King: “Is that it?”

The Hero: “Yeah, that stone building is the Monastery of the Holy Order in this area.”

The Demon King: “Religion is the only thing that I find difficult to understand.”

The Hero: “It’s hard for me to explain as well. I’m no expert on this issue. Well, if you were to call the Union a monster, then the Church is a monster on a similar scale.”

The Demon King: “Hmm… We’d best be on our guard then.”

The Hero: “Yeah, definitely. Especially because you’re the Demon King. You’re definitely Number One on their wanted list. You are, after all, the enemy of the Spirit.”

The Demon King: “Hahaha. I’m not scared of things like gods… Are they scary things?”

The Hero: “Not a God but a Spirit. The people who invoke the name of the Spirit are truly scary.”

The Demon King: “Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Hero: “Well then, shall we go? I’ve already sent word of our arrival, but…”

The Demon King: “In the worst case scenario, couldn’t we just escape with your magic?”

The Hero: “I suppose we’ve gotten used to bad situations.”

—— The Monastery of the Holy Order of the Lake

Templar: “Please come this way, valued guests…”

The Demon King: “It’s quiet.”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

Templar: “Our monastery is currently going through ‘The Path of Silence.’ Please be careful not to…”

The Demon King: “Y-yeah…”

The Hero: (Drink in this atmosphere, Demon King)

Footsteps.

The Hero: (There’s a very special atmosphere in this Monastery, eh?)

Templar: “This room has been prepared for the conference. I am terribly sorry but I must inform you that our Monastery will shortly be undertaking Afternoon Prayers. Kindly wait for a moment.”

The Hero: “We don’t mind, thank you for the information.”

The Demon King: “Well then. Our infiltration is successful.”

The Hero: “We’ll speak to the Grandmaster in a moment.”

-

Explanation

Holy Order: A group of people who surrender themselves to a life of religious discipline as monks. To fulfil this goal, there are many different types of Holy Orders including purely praying, providing education to the people, proselytizing and even protecting pilgrims with military strength.

Monastery: A place for people to work and live together, following the Spirit of Light and striving to uphold the virtues of Abstinence, Purity and Discipline. Christian monasteries are segregated by gender, but within this novel, men and women live together.

-

The Demon King: “Yeah.”

The Hero: “We’ll be winging it this time, right?”

The Demon King: “Well, no matter how much material I studied, it’s difficult. Even though this was originally a plan with humans in mind and has many merits for the humans.”

The Hero: “Because our opponent is the Church, after all.”

The Demon King: “That’s right, the religion of the humans in this world involves the Spirit of Light, right?”

The Hero: “Yeah, the vast majority of people in the Central Continent follow the Spirit of Light.”

The Demon King: “You’ve just said a whole bunch of blasphemous things, is your faith weak?”

The Hero: “I wouldn’t call it weak. Once you’ve risked your life on the battlefield, especially against armies of Demons, one does feel closer to the Spirit.”

The Demon King: “Hmm.”

The Hero: “My faith is definitely not weak, but I would say I have a more friendly relationship with the Spirit.”

The Demon King: “Is that so? That’s a very precious feeling.”

The Hero: “Oh, I’m a little special. I receive revelations from them in my dreams.”

The Demon King: “God exists?!”

The Hero: “They’re not a god, they’re the Spirit of Light.”

The Demon King: “Hmm…”

The Hero: “Extremely benevolent people, rather similar to the Demon King, exist don’t they? The Spirit of Light does as well. They have a rather weak-willed personality, the kind that cannot refuse even troublesome requests.”

The Demon King: “Can such an existence even be the target of a religion?”

The Hero: “Well. Besides faith and religion, the Church holds far greater meaning for humans. It is a massive organization. Even in terms of people involved, the Union cannot even be compared to the Church.”

The Demon King: “In terms of research or scholarly pursuits as well, then?”

The Hero: “Yeah. One could even say that the vast majority of information in the world is under the power of the Church. Have I not said this before? The city people all learn to read and write from the Church.”

The Demon King: “You expect a lot from this organization.”

The Hero: “Well, today is the first meeting, so even if we fail there won’t be a lot of damage done. The Church is such a massive organization that there are many sectarian divisions within it. Each sect is represented by a different Holy Order. At present, there’s an almost unbelievable number of Holy Orders.”

The Demon King: “But they all believe in the Spirit of Light?”

The Hero: “That’s right. That’s why each Holy Order builds a superficial image of friendliness. They are, after all, the forces of good. But actually, their methods of worship are different, their fervour is different, and if one were to look deeper, even the practice of stealing and converting each other’s followers is not uncommon.”

The Demon King: “That’s not very different from the territorial feuds between the Demon races. It’s much easier to understand the difference between the Inferno God and the God of the Abyss.”

The Hero: “These sorts of religions exist!?”

The Demon King: “They do. But they’re mostly a passing Fad.”

The Hero: “Well, hmm… The Holy Order of the Lake is one of the more practical and stable sects.”

-

Explanation

Grandmaster: This refers to the head of the Holy Order. Originally the leader of a group of monks, the power of the grandmaster grew steadily and by the Middle Ages, he came to occupy a similar existence to Feudal Lords or Bishops.

Fads: This refers to people who do not originally believe in a religion, but ride on it like a current, and decide to try out the new religion. It appears that which god Demons believe in tends to change rapidly and steadily.

-

The Demon King: “Oh?”

The Hero: “Their primary activities include agricultural support for farming communities. They provide manpower, grape cultivation methods, household planning… Oh, and hospitals.”

The Demon King: “Even hospitals!”

The Hero: “That’s right, hospitals are the work of the Church. Though the Church rejecting patients is not a rare occurrence.”

The Demon King: “You’re very familiar with this.”

The Hero: “That’s not true. I heard all of this from a very old acquaintance.”

The Demon King: “…Hmm”

The Hero: “Demon King?”

The Demon King: “What?”

The Hero: “You… Sometimes, umm, make a very lonely expression. Like you did just now.”

The Demon King: “Is that so?”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

The Demon King: “I didn’t even notice myself.”

The Hero: “Is that so? Well, Demon King. Just what sort of thing are you looking at with those eyes?”

Door opens.

The Demon King: “Ah— Nice to meet you.”

The Hero: “Salutations. Allow us to make our introductions.”

The Demon King: “I am currently conducting agricultural research in the Southern regions. I am known as the Crimson Scholar. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The Hero: “I am her assistant and companion, the White Swordsman. As we have but carelessly intruded onto the Monastery, we humbly beg for your mag… mag… magnanimity.”

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Demon King: “This is my first time coming to the Temple Headquarters of the Holy Order of the Lake. It is a truly magnificent building.”

The Hero: “…Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “You say you are the White Swordsman?”

The Demon King: “Yes.”

The Hero: “Uhh… Yeah.”

The Female Paladin: “The Hero!”

The Hero: “Oh.”

The Female Paladin: “What’s up with this ‘White Swordsman’ thing? Where have you been wandering about until now! It’s been a year?! I haven’t even heard your voice for a year!”

The Demon King: “What’s going on?!”

The Hero: “Umm… That’s…”

The Female Paladin: “All he left behind was a note saying it’d be best if he went ahead alone! He didn’t even consider the feelings of the people he left behind at that border crossing. We were so worried. I’m so angry right now!”

The Demon King: “Ahh.”

The Hero: “That’s because…”

The Female Paladin: “Don’t give me that bullsheet! Ah. I’m sorry. I accidentally said ‘bullsheet,’ Great Spirit please forgive me.”

The Hero: “Uhhh…”

The Female Paladin: “Forgetting about both grandpa and I, even the mage got really depressed.”

The Demon King: “This Party seems rather unbalanced.”

The Hero: “The Paladin and I got by with the healing.”

The Female Paladin: “Are you even listening Hero?!”

The Hero: “I am sorry.”

The Female Paladin: “…Hmph. Well, what do you want now?”

The Demon King: “Ahh.”

The Female Paladin: “Ah! I apologize, scholar. I did not even offer you a seat. I will get you a cup of tea right away.”

-

Explanation

Party: Within the world of Role-Playing Games, a group of comrades who go adventuring together is known as a party. Within a game, factors like Offensive Power, Magical Power and Healing Abilities must be balanced out when selecting members, but, without healing abilities, the Hero’s party had to make do.

-

The Demon King: “Th-thanks.”

The Hero: “What should we do, then?”

The Female Paladin: “I was originally of the Knights of the Holy Silver Crown. By fate, I have come to serve with the Holy Order of the Lake to improve the lives of the people.”

—— The Holy Order of the Lake, Conference Room

The Hero: “Well. This is the situation. The Demon King was seriously injured. But as the Royal Demon Army began to mobilize, I decided to beat a retreat.”

The Female Paladin: “Is that so… So you’ve been convalescing this whole while?”

The Hero: “No, that’s not it. Well, various things happened, and I haven’t been able to show my face on the world stage…”

The Female Paladin: “To think, the United Kingdoms would do something of this order?!”

The Demon King: “—”

The Hero: “What?”

The Female Paladin: “No, it’s nothing. I understand.”

The Hero: “That being said, why have you come all the way here to be the Grandmaster of the Lake?”

The Female Paladin: “Well. I was originally born in this area. I was conferred a knighthood by the Church as well. I was a Knight of the Church.”

The Hero: “Oh that’s right.”

The Female Paladin: “…To tell the truth, after the Hero went towards the Demon King’s Palace. I reported this to the United Kingdoms’ Military Command, after a month, a special envoy arrived… The Hero’s body was reported to have been filled with arrows in combat against the Demon King who did not even need to turn around to face him. After saying this, all the comrades received a stipend.”

The Demon King: “Hmm”

The Hero: “You—”

The Female Paladin: “What?”

The Hero: “It’s annoying, so stop speaking in that formal manner.”

The Female Paladin: “～! It took me quite a lot of effort to master this formal speech. In any case, don’t be mistaken. We didn’t accept this stipend… After that… In compensation for the great work we did until then, we were awarded high positions of power in the Kingdoms…”

The Hero: “I see.”

The Female Paladin: “… It was practically retirement. But I didn’t want it. Getting promoted because you stupidly went and got yourself killed left a bad taste in my mouth, so I went back to my hometown and decided that this time I would work for the good of everyone.”

The Hero: “An excellent force of will. No, from the beginning you have always been someone who would accomplish what you set your heart to do, truly a real man.”

The Female Paladin: “… Sure.”

The Hero: “And what of the other two?”

The Female Paladin: “Yeah.”

The Hero: “?”

The Female Paladin: “… That perverted old man, was originally a soldier, right?”

The Hero: “Yeah, that’s right.”

The Female Paladin: “That’s why he went back to the United Kingdoms’ Army. He accepted the stipend as well. He’s serving in the Intelligence Brigades of one of the Kingdoms in the South, last I heard. … And, sorry.”

The Hero: “What are you apologizing for? Is it not a good thing that we get rewarded for our efforts? He seems to have really made a name for himself as well.”

The Female Paladin: “…Y-yeah.”

The Hero: “And what of the Mage? Did she also accept the stipend? She was always such a bean counter, despite how she looked. She probably expressionlessly said, ‘I… bought some… Magical grimoires… From the… East…’ She’s quite an interesting person.”

The Female Paladin: “The Mage… Went in alone.”

The Hero: “Eh?”

The Female Paladin: “She went after you into the Demon World.”

The Demon King: “…”

The Hero: “…”

The Female Paladin: “… I am sorry.”

The Hero: “Didn’t you stop her?”

The Female Paladin: “Of course we did! But by the next morning, all of her things were gone…”

The Hero: “Well, there’s nothing for it. I understand how you feel, and you should not be blamed for this at all. To begin with, this all happened because I decided foolhardily to charge in.”

The Female Paladin: “… Hero.”

The Hero: “More importantly, we’ve come to negotiate something.”

The Female Paladin: “Yes I’ve already read the introductory letter, but…”

The Hero: “Well… That’s not really it. Scholar.”

The Demon King: “That’s me. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am known as the Crimson Scholar, I am an academic.”

The Female Paladin: “Pleased to meet you. I am the Hero’s ex-party member, the Female Paladin.”

The Hero: “We have come today to borrow the strength of the Holy Order.”

The Female Paladin: “I’m listening.”

The Demon King: “Firstly, please look at this.”

Produces object.

The Female Paladin: “What’s that?”

The Demon King: “It’s a plant known as a potato. A detailed report has been prepared on this sheet of vellum, but most importantly, it is a crop capable of growing in frozen soil, with a yield three times that of wheat.”

The Female Paladin: “?!”

The Demon King: “Of course, there are many considerations that need to be made, but there are a great deal more benefits. Cultivation is also not difficult. I am certain you understand…”

The Female Paladin: “—This crop can help to save many victims of famine.”

The Demon King: “That’s right.”

The Female Paladin: “What sort of support do you wish from us? Money? And what method of reward should we use in order to best express our appreciation for your efforts?”

The Demon King: “Look, Hero. This is the reaction of the person who understands the implications of such a crop.”

The Hero: “I’m sorry I’m stupid.”

The Female Paladin: “…Do you intend to use our political positions and influence? Perhaps you wish to be conferred a peerage? I apologise, but our order does not have this level of influence with the royalty or the nobility. We can probably only manage a pecuniary compensation at best…”

The Hero: “No, that’s alright. I understand how bad you are at these things.”

The Female Paladin: “I am not talking to you, I am talking to the esteemed scholar.”

The Demon King: “If you could help to finance this to whatever extent you can manage, that would be great, but that’s not my objective for being here.”

The Female Paladin: “What do you mean?”

The Demon King: “At the borders of the Kingdom of Winter, there is a remote village known as the Village of Wintering.”

The Female Paladin: “Yes.”

The Demon King: “I would like you to construct a Branch of the Order over there.”

The Female Paladin: “Would that be alright?”

The Demon King: “Naturally I will back you up. Using this Branch of the Order as a centre point, I would like to propagate the cultivation techniques of the potato to the villagers.”

The Female Paladin: “If that is your wish, then our Order can certainly mobilise to fulfil it… And is that all you require?”

The Demon King: “On top of this, if the potato cultivation is successful, I would also like for you to open branches in neighbouring villages and kingdoms and help to further increase the spread of the cultivation techniques.”

The Female Paladin: “In doing so, we can also help to expand the influence of the Order and I believe this serves our interests as well, but how would you benefit from this?”

The Demon King: “Actually, my objective is also the spread the cultivation techniques of the potato. I hope to revolutionise the agricultural situation in the frozen lands of the South.”

The Female Paladin: “Is… that so.”

The Demon King: “Moreover, I do not just hope to plant potatoes. We are also undergoing research to revolutionise farming methods. Changing the previous three-field rotation system, we have discovered a more efficient method of production.”

The Female Paladin: “Is that so?!”

The Hero: “It’s quite an amazing method.”

The Demon King: “Physical application of the method has only taken place in the aforementioned Village of Wintering, hence even if it succeeds, we do not have the organisation nor the manpower to effectively disseminate the information. As a result, we hope to cooperate with you to achieve this.”

The Female Paladin: “You are truly a miracle sent from the Spirit of Light!”

The Hero: “I wonder—”

The Demon King: “…” Pinches.

The Hero: “Ow!”

The Female Paladin: “If this is indeed the case, then we will offer whatever assistance we can—No, I will personally go to the Village of Wintering, bringing with me the combined abilities of our Order.”

The Demon King: “How very kind of you.”

The Hero: “No, this is…”

The Female Paladin: “Do you have something you want to say, Hero?”

The Hero: “No, well… Umm…”

The Female Paladin: “Annoying.”

The Hero: “I’ve always been a depressing and nihilistic sort of Hero, so if you get too close to me then you’ll be exposed to a lot of—”

The Female Paladin: “I have experienced this for myself a long time ago. Are you saying it is bad for me to go to the Village of Wintering?”

The Hero: “Umm… Because, there’s the Demon King and everything…”

The Demon King: “Don’t be rude to the Grandmaster of the Order who has agreed to aid us, Hero.”

The Hero: “Ehh?!”

The Female Paladin: “…You are very sure of yourself.”

The Demon King: “That is because we do not have the abilities for such a task and must seek your assistance. I am an advocate of contracts, and I give my highest respects to the person I make contracts with.”

The Hero: (Save me—)

The Female Paladin: “In any case, I never thought I would see you again… Being reunited with the Hero after a year, and being brought such a miraculous crop by the Scholar, truly the Spirit of Light shines favourably upon us. This is truly the calling of our Order.”

The Demon King: “No, this is an entirely human effort… The hard, spirited work of humans.”

The Female Paladin: “…Yes, of course.”

—— The Holy Order of the Lake, Front Hall

The Female Paladin: “Are you sure you do not want me to send you off?”

The Hero: “Yeah, we are fine. We’ll do it from the room with teleportation magic.”

The Female Paladin: “That’s true.”

The Demon King: “In that case, we’ll see you soon in the Village of Wintering.”

The Female Paladin: “Yeah, it’s far too difficult to move in mid-Winter. I will decide who to command the Order in my absence and I will join you in the Spring. It will also be advantageous if you could obtain a friendly approval from the Feudal Lords and other powerful figures in the area.”

The Demon King: “We will do whatever we can this Winter.”

The Female Paladin: “Thank you very much.”

The Hero: “You guys are so friendly it’s almost scary.”

The Female Paladin: “Huh? Did you say something?”

The Hero: “No I didn’t.”

The Female Paladin: “Till Spring!”

The Demon King: “Yes, we will see you in the Spring.”

—— Spring in the Village of Wintering

Small Villager: “Ohh, the day has finally shown her face.”

Thin Villager: “It has. Ahh, the warm air has blown in.”

Village Huntsman: “Hey, hey.”

Small Villager: “What’s up?”

Thin Villager: “The weather is magnificent today.”

Village Huntsman: “That’s right. I feel something great is going to happen this year.”

Small Villager: “Already?”

Village Huntsman: “Yeah, I’ve caught four hares today. I’m taking one to the Village Chief right now!”

Small Villager: “That’s great!”

Thin Villager: “There’s also a lot of smoked boar left this year.”

Village Huntsman: “Yeah, I was surprised.”

Small Villager: “This is all due to that Swordsman in the village outskirts!”

Thin Villager: “He even taught my boy to polish our axe.”

Village Huntsman: “With the bears in the forest taken care of, it’s much safer too.”

Little Maid Sister: “～?～?”

Small Villager: “Oh, speak of the devil, it’s the sisters from the mansion at the village outskirts.”

Thin Villager: “So it is. Hey, hey!”

Village Huntsman: “Where are you going?”

Elder Maid Sister: “Good morning everybody.”

Little Maid Sister: “We are going to the Village Chief’s place to get some raspberry jam from him.”

Small Villager: “Is that so? Awesome.”

Thin Villager: “Are you having some guests over?”

Elder Maid Sister: “Yes, that is correct.”

Village Huntsman: “I see, I see… Hmm, alright, please bring this hare to the scholar as a gift.”

Small Villager: “Oh, how generous, Huntsman.”

Village Huntsman: “Not at all. After all, they did help make the forest safer. I can always catch some more hares since it’s spring.”

Little Maid Sister: “Thank you very much ～ ?”

Small Villager: “That’s true. I’ve gathered some watercress as well, here, take some with you.”

Elder Maid Sister: “Thank you very much.”

Thin Villager: “Make sure you call me in to repair the rafters after the snow melts.”

Village Huntsman: “That’s right, you can always count on us.” fre𝑒𝘸𝚎𝚋n૦ѵℯl.c𝒐𝘮

Small Villager: “Umm, umm.”

Thin Villager: “Why is everyone just standing around dazed?”

Village Huntsman: “Ahh, everyone who works at the manor is really pretty after all.”

Elder Maid Sister: “… Umm”

Small Villager: “That’s right, it’s true. They’re completely different from us. Intelligent, kind and beautiful, we all really look up to the two of you.”

Little Maid Sister: “Thank you!” Beams.

Elder Maid Sister: “…I apologise.”

—— The Manor at the Outskirts of the Village, at Night, in the Room of the Hero

The Hero: “Alright!” Heaves luggage.

The Hero: “Is that everything? I’ve got medicine, and after that I can get whatever I need when we’re there.”

The Demon King: “Are you assembling your equipment so late at night?”

The Hero: “Demon King…”

The Demon King: “Even though you belong to me.”

The Hero: “Ahh. Yeah. …Sorry.”

The Demon King: “What’s with that lousy expression? You’re a Hero.”

The Hero: “People who are guilty make this sort of expression.”

The Demon King: “You belong to me, don’t you? And I belong to you.”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

The Demon King: “Did you think I would stop you?”

The Hero: “…”

The Demon King: “Don’t think so poorly of me.”

The Hero: “Eh? You’re okay with this?”

The Demon King: “Here.”

The Hero: “What’s this?” Catches.

The Demon King: “I think it belongs to my predecessor. It’s the Abyssal Forged Armour. Don’t worry, it’s not cursed or anything.”

The Hero: “…?”

The Demon King: “Since I, the Demon King, am no longer there, it’s gotten a bit chaotic. I’m counting on you to help sort the place out.”

The Hero: “Y-yeah.”

The Demon King: “This is a list of Demon Chieftains whom you can trust, I’ve included a letter of introduction. You’re going to need help if you want to find somebody in the Demon World.”

The Hero: “Yeah, even though she looks like that… She can really get around. I’m sure she’s fine.”

The Demon King: “If that’s the case then you shouldn’t need to search for her.”

The Hero: “Demon King…”

The Demon King: “You should be thanking me right now.”

The Hero: “Of course. Thank you.”

The Demon King: “…”

The Hero: “?”

The Demon King: “Is that all?”

The Hero: “What?”

The Demon King: “That’s, you know. Humans, umm, they… When lovers… That is to say when a couple separates, isn’t it customary for them to do something?”

The Hero: “Eh— umm… Yeah.”

The Demon King: “…Is it because of all this flab?”

The Hero: “What’s up with this timing? And stop with the puppy eyes?!”

The Demon King: “Is it because it’s outside the purview of our contract?”

The Hero: “Eh— ah— That’s.”

The Demon King: “As I thought, it’s because we don’t have enough skinship.”

The Hero: “What’s that?”

The Demon King: “Actually, the Chief Maid explains this to me every week. ‘Demon King, you do not have the prerequisite skinship. To begin with, you’re neither cute nor exposed enough, so if you don’t have skinship then how will things turn out? Get it? The basis of battle is numbers. If you can use Brute Force Attacks to destroy a person’s reason, then you won’t even need tactics.”

The Hero: “In terms of tactical theory, that’s not wrong, but…”

The Demon King: “We can’t?”

The Hero: “That’s… It’s embarrassing to… Do such a thing. Let’s wait until we’re both more composed.”

The Demon King: “You call yourself a Hero. Heroes are supposed to be brave and courageous but you’re just a coward.”

The Hero: “Nonsense. I’m the world’s bravest person, that’s why I’m the Hero, aren’t I!?”

The Demon King: “So you’ve come to your senses?”

The Hero: “How does your mood change so fast, Demon King!”

The Demon King: “It’s been half a year, hasn’t it?! Living together in the winter when neither of us can travel should have many advantages. But somehow time just went by without us making any progress, I can’t tolerate this any longer! Under this situation, the Order will begin its construction and when summer begins, the Hero’s number one woman will move in. On top of that, my Hero is now going to look for his number two woman! How can I not take any action?!”

-

Explanation

Brute Force Attack: When one is being attacked, the defender can take steps to prevent this attack or safeguard against it. However, if the volume of the attack is too large, the attack can merely swarm over all of the defences. This is a Brute Force Attack, particularly as used in the hacking world.

-

The Hero: “Why have you started to number off my friends?!”

The Demon King: “…” Angry.

The Hero: “Jeez.”

The Demon King: “…”

The Hero: “…” Kiss.

The Demon King: “… sigh”

The Hero: “What’s with that dissatisfied look?”

The Demon King: “Just the forehead?”

The Hero: “What’s wrong with the forehead? If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”

The Demon King: “You can’t do that. Everything you have belongs to me. In other words, this kiss on my forehead is also an asset of mine. There is no room for argument.”

The Hero: “Sigh…”

The Demon King: “…”

The Hero: “All that’s left to do is to return!”

The Demon King: “It’s a promise then, Hero. You’re definitely coming back!”

Door slams shut.