Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 137

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 137: I Can’t Just Keep Taking Hits
The reading room on the fourth floor of the Library.
As the Unnamed Demon King’s first retainer, I was dutifully carrying out my appointed duties.
“Delicious!”
The Demon King, legs crossed as he sat, savored his ice cream with a smile.
“Half-Elf, what is the name of this refreshing and sweet delicacy?”
“It is called Heavenly Ice Cream, made by celestial chefs, Your Majesty.”
“Celestial! Surely this must be an expensive delicacy fit only for nobility!”
“In Pletika, even children can afford it—it’s quite common and cheap.”
“You don’t say!”
The Demon King pressed a hand to his forehead and widened his eyes in astonishment.
I understood perfectly why television shows depicting foreigners gawking exaggeratedly at their host nation’s wonders were so popular.
As a citizen of Pletika, I couldn’t help but swell with pride.
“I’m glad it pleases you….”
The librarian Kiji ventured to speak, watching carefully for any misstep.
“How are you finding the clothes…?”
“As Lord of the Demon Realm, I confess they do not entirely suit my station.”
The Demon King, who had previously gone about entirely unclothed, now wore garments Kiji had procured from the market.
Somewhat shabby attire, to be frank.
It certainly did nothing to project majesty.
“Yet, no matter.”
The Demon King took a large bite of his ice cream and grinned widely.
“Ragged garments cannot diminish my authority—this very fact proves it better than the finest silks could.”
After merely twenty minutes in his service, I had already grasped the essential nature of this mysterious Demon King.
“Splendid, librarian! I thank you! For showing me the harsh truth that I must begin from nothing!”
“…Thank you?”
The Demon King was entirely untouched by negativity.
His brightness surpassed even Pendrick’s legendary optimism.
“From this day forth, I shall apply myself diligently as a common Demon-type Being. I shall rise early and exercise to break a sweat, maintain a nutritious diet, and meditate ten minutes daily without fail. Librarian, you shall join me in this endeavor!”
“…Me, Your Majesty?”
“You sheltered me when I intruded upon this library unbidden—is it not only right that I repay your kindness by purging your mind of its lethargy and exhaustion?”
The problem was his excessive brightness.
One might say it was blinding enough to dazzle those around him.
“Half-Elf, you shall participate as well.”
I answered without hesitation.
“I already exercise diligently every morning, Your Majesty!”
“Ah, is that so! Admirable!”
“As a servant of the Demon King, ought I not to be sound of body and spirit?”
“Well spoken!”
I bowed deeply, committing the principles of serving the Demon King to memory one by one.
Even a professional socialite like myself had never before served a Demon King.
Being unfamiliar with the role, I had to learn from the ground up, methodically.
“Alas, the time has come to bid farewell to the ice cream.”
“Please try this next, Your Majesty.”
I swiftly presented the next refreshment.
“And what might this be?”
“It is Troublemaker Cola, a fizzing, refreshing beverage manufactured by Dwarves of the Eastern Continent.”
“Ho!”
Gulp.
“By the heavens! Lightning dances upon my tongue!”
“We also have a beverage where the fattening components have been entirely replaced with ingredients that deliver similar flavor, Your Majesty.”
“Such sorcery is possible!?”
While the Demon King’s Pletika refreshment experience continued, Bartimir and Abel pored over a thick tome in the corner.
[History of the Demon Realm]
“…It seems this information simply isn’t recorded anywhere.”
“Indeed.”
Bartimir scratched at his head, careful of the bandages there.
“Not a single historical text contains even one line about a ‘Demon King sealed in a Secret Art Tome,’ and among all recorded Demon Kings, none match this figure’s appearance….”
The Demon-type daughter’s gaze turned toward me.
Expectant, as always, for a clear and satisfying explanation.
But I could only shake my head back and forth in disappointment.
This time, I didn’t know the details either.
《The wise one demands a detailed investigation into how the Unnamed Demon King came to be sealed!》
“Half-Elf.”
“Yes, Demon King.”
“As I’ve already said, my purposes are twofold: the restoration of the Demon Realm and revenge.”
Crunch.
The Demon King bit into a crisp cookie, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and continued speaking.
“Ordinarily, this would be a task I could accomplish through my own strength alone. But now, due to the aftereffects of the sealing ritual, I can only exert about a tenth of my full power.”
“And yet you possess such formidable might… I, Kar, am honored to become your subordinate, Demon King.”
“You have such a pretty way with words! What an adorable thing!”
Titter.
The one called Suer seemed pleased that Kar was a demon-type being who understood such things.
“Moreover, my memories are not intact. My mind is completely muddled. I cannot even recall whom I should take revenge upon, or what transpired before my sealing. Only a vague thirst for vengeance remains.”
Both strength and memory were incomplete.
No matter how powerful this existence had been in ages past, at present it was merely a tall demon-type being with an unusual air of menace.
That was why the role of a capable subordinate mattered so much.
“I shall dedicate myself entirely to helping you achieve your goals.”
“I appreciate the lack of lengthy explanations. You are indeed a socialite of the Twisted Truth.”
Crackle.
The half-eaten cookie crumbled, scattering dust in all directions.
“Half-Elf. From this moment forth, I appoint you as the Grand Duke of the newly born Demon Realm!”
Grand Duke.
A rank equivalent to the second-in-command of the Demon King’s forces.
“I shall do my utmost, Demon King!”
Had I been under the Evil God’s Church, I would have refused such a sudden elevation to a high position, as it would have inflicted the status condition of Fanatic upon me, but there was no particular reason to refuse the rank of Grand Duke in the Demon Realm.
For in truth, it was nothing more than the name of a village headman blown out of proportion.
“Grand Duke! Henceforth, employ all your knowledge in service to me!”
“I understand, hehehehe….”
As I bowed deeply and chuckled softly, the Demon King—who had been rubbing his belly—furrowed his brow slightly.
“Why do you laugh in such an odd manner?”
“Should not the Demon King’s most trusted aide emanate a sinister air?”
“I dislike that type. Always concealing their true thoughts, impossible to tell what they’re thinking—it’s infuriating—”
“I! Can reveal everything, from the most secret of secrets to naked vulnerability—I am an open-hearted Half-Elf!”
I immediately recalibrated my expression and demeanor accordingly, and spoke once more.
“Before pursuing the restoration of the Demon Realm and your revenge, as Grand Duke I shall first work to restore your strength and recover your memories.”
“Most admirable.”
“Since Your Majesty is a demon-type being, I believe your strength may be recovered readily if you simply consume negative concepts in abundance.”
“A rational thought, though I must make a correction.”
The Demon King, arms crossed, fell silent in thought for a moment before speaking.
“What should I conceal? I am somewhat different from ordinary demon-type beings. I have been so unusual that since childhood I have always lived alone.”
“Could it be that you were so excellent you suffered from jealousy and envy from an early age?”
Ostracism was a traditional cultural practice among demon-type beings in their prime, so it was certainly plausible enough.
“Quite the opposite. Because I am so utterly abominable.”
“In what manner, if I may ask?”
“The problem is fundamental.”
The Demon King uncrossed his legs and opened his mouth slightly, sticking out his tongue.
“I am not a consumer of negative concepts, but an anomaly that consumes ‘positive concepts.'”
“……!”
The eyes of the librarian Kiji and Bartimir widened simultaneously.
Beyond mere surprise—shock, dread, and horror washed over their expressions.
Abel, who alone had been bewildered, asked hesitantly.
“Why such extreme shock?”
“Well, it’s hardly an ordinary constitution, is it? To use an analogy, it’s like ‘a beast-kin who courts animals.'”
“Oh… so something like that?”
“A most apt comparison.”
The Demon King chuckled as he stood, touching his neck.
“Daily routine. A balanced diet. Proper and beautiful speech. Wholesome hobbies. Neat attire. Dignified bearing. Through all these earnest efforts toward living an upright life, I have myself created and consumed ‘sincerity.'”
“In other words, to approximate what was just said: think of it as ‘a human who cuts off his own hand, cooks it, and eats it.'”
“…….”
Abel’s expression turned peculiar, as if uncertain what kind of reaction he ought to display.
In the meantime, the other two demon-type beings had their brows furrowed as if they were barely suppressing nausea.
“…Mother, do I really have to serve as that demon’s subordinate? I can’t do it!”
Bartimir was gripping my arm in protest so desperately that it spoke volumes.
“Grand Duke, your duties as an advisor to the newly born Demon Realm are quite simple.”
As I peeled away the Demon King’s daughter with her woebegone expression, the Demon King spoke while munching on another cookie.
“Through the ritual of kissing the back of your hand just now, you have already entered into a contract with me through Soul Binding.”
Soul Binding.
A martial Secret Art that only certain rulers like the Demon King manage to master on their own.
“…Now I understand, however dimly, how you ascended to such heights, Your Majesty.”
“Sharp as ever. Though I can barely recall it, I must have become a powerful demon by absorbing the ‘positive concepts’ produced by countless subordinates bound to me through Soul Binding.”
Now it was clear what role I was to play as the first follower of the Unnamed Demon King.
“So I must generate as many emotions corresponding to ‘positive concepts’ as possible going forward.”
What the Demon King demanded of me was the provision of positive concepts.
All I had to do was periodically supply him with nourishment.
I lowered my head with a cunning expression.
“As it happens, I am the socialite in Pletika best suited to enjoying happiness and joy. Your Majesty, trust only me. Within a few months, I shall restore you to your full power.”
“Is that so?”
The Demon King studied me intently, then broke into a bright smile.
“Excellent choice to make you a Grand Duke!”
He then approached me and pressed my forehead firmly with one finger.
“As the Demon King, I must honor my promises to my subordinates. Grand Duke, I shall grant you a Sin Secret Art. Is there something you desire?”
“There is.”
There exists a Sin Secret Art that pairs perfectly with a half-elf who has only her beauty to rely upon.
“Grant me Sin: Lust.”
***
My mind became clear the moment I became the Demon King’s subordinate.
All I had to do was feel pleasant and cheerful emotions?
It meant I could become a more loyal subordinate than anyone simply by exploring as usual.
《I can roughly guess what the Saint glimpsed in your future….》
Seraphina had said I would soon experience something “delightful.”
I don’t favor prophecies that eliminate the ambiguity of the future, but this time I found myself genuinely welcoming it.
“Young Master, we have decided on the next Dungeon to explore.”
Odillon’s room.
The young master, who had been nibbling on a piece of cheese, tilted his chin in acknowledgment.
“Where?”
I wrote the Dungeon’s name in midair using Illusion.
Odillon glanced up casually and read the letters, squinting one eye.
“…The Southern Continent Expedition?”
“You’ve heard the name before, haven’t you?”
Of course he had.
As a member of the Brithes Family, there was no way he could be unfamiliar with it.
Soon Odillon’s lips curled upward.
“It’s the dungeon Flora is making full preparations to conquer.”
“Correct.”
The eldest daughter of the Brithes Family.
A C-rank Dungeon that Flora had been targeting for her achievements.
“Now that I think about it, I felt somewhat troubled. Since the lady attacked us first, shouldn’t we properly exact our revenge?”
Revenge was undeniably a positive act.
I could say this with confidence, having experienced a week of clear spirits from the small, petty revenge I inflicted on Choi after I quit my job.
“Young Master, let us not simply suffer and take it. Let us have our revenge.”
I clasped my hands together in a sociable manner.
“We’ll conquer it outright before she does. That’ll infuriate the lady.”
…….
Odillon took a sip of wine and smiled softly.
“Kar the Socialite. It was truly well done, forming an Exploration Expedition with you.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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