Why Shouldn’t a Detestable Demon Lord Fall in Love?! 2

“Teeheehee, that’s tickly!”

“Calm down, and don’t squirm so much. There we go; nice and clean!”

“Thank you!” Marie said as she brought another spoonful of stew to her mouth and began chewing away at the beef chunks as best she could with her small mouth.

“Hey, it’s all over your face again!”

“Do the tickly!”

“Yeah, yeah. You sure love getting spoiled, don’t you?” Myuke once again picked up the handkerchief and wiped Marie’s face clean, then brought a spoonful of stew to her own mouth, careful not to drip any sauce on her blue sundress. As soon as she did, she smiled with delight. “Mmm, delicious! It’s so tender!”

Anima’s smile hadn’t wavered a bit since they’d sat down. He couldn’t get enough of watching his adorable daughters enjoy their lunch. It was like a dream come true for him.

I don’t deserve to have these two angels in my life…

“Anima? Are you not hungry by any chance?”

His attention toward his daughters was pulled away by a clear voice. As he turned to look at the seat next to him, the image of a beautiful, fair maiden entered his field of vision. A gentle warmth was nested in the woman’s azure eyes, and her long blue hair, contrasted by her pure-white sundress, was tied up with a ribbon. Anima was completely captivated by the dazzling beauty that was his wife, Luina Scarlett.

“Umm…” Luina turned away upon feeling his burning gaze and gently rubbed her cheeks. “Is there something on my face?”

“No, nothing.”

“Then why are you staring at my lips like that?” she inquired after letting out a relieved sigh and turning back toward him.

“Because I was hoping we could share another kiss.”

“I want to kiss you too,” she said, her cheeks having already become rosy, “but it’d be embarrassing in public. Could it wait until, um… until we get home?”

Luina took Anima’s hand. His smile widened in response, and he interlocked his fingers with hers. Much to his surprise, however, she reacted to his heartfelt gesture by puffing out her cheeks and posing a question.

“Can you eat while your dominant hand is occupied? Oh, I know! Let me feed you!”

“Are you sure?” he asked. His dominant hand may have been busy, but he was not a child. Using his non-dominant hand to hold the spoon and bring it to his mouth without spilling anything was not a challenge for him.

“You always look out for us,” she said with a nod, “so feeding my beloved husband is the least I can do.”

“Luina…”

He was floored. Holding hands was enough to send him swimming in a sea of euphoria; the prospect of being fed by his lovely wife was something his mortal heart could barely handle.

“Open wide, Anima! Here comes the carriage!”

“Ahhhmn…”

I’m the happiest man in this world, he thought as he gulped down a spoonful of pure bliss.

His days had been filled with joy ever since he’d met Luina, but even as little as three months earlier, he could never have imagined leading such a happy life. After all, he was a detestable Demon Lord, despised by all of mankind. Deserted by his parents and despised by his siblings, loneliness was all he’d ever known. Starting a family of his very own was the only way out of his guard-less prison.

With that desire burning in his heart, he went to his father for advice, and was told that women flock to the strong. Anima took those words to heart, spending a century training his body by fighting only the strongest opponents, both men and demons alike. However, it wasn’t long before he began being referred to not as “King of the Demons”, but as “Demon Lord”—as the most terrifying being in all the land. His name became synonymous with death, terror, and destruction. He hated every moment of his cursed existence, his days having become an endless cycle of massacring aspiring heroes and self-loathing.

But one day, his eternal damnation came to a sudden end when Luina used her family’s secret artifact to summon him into her world. It was love at first sight, and he proposed to her on the spot. Luina accepted his proposal, which meant that he had found not only a wonderful spouse, but also two adorable children in Marie and Myuke. The peaceful life he led with his family had, at long last, turned his lifelong dream into a reality. His happiness was immeasurable.

“…nima? Anima? Hello, Anima? Can you hear me?”

“I was thinking about the day we met,” Anima said after suddenly being pulled back to reality. “I can’t thank you enough for saying yes when I asked you to marry me.”

“Anima…” Luina whispered, smiling gently. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. You truly are the best husband I could have ever wished for. You’re always helping me with the chores, helping with the finances… We can even afford to take the children out to eat. It’s like I’m dreaming.”

She turned toward her daughters and watched them as they enjoyed their warm meal. In the past, the Scarlett family had a contract with the country’s government that allowed them to live in the lap of luxury in exchange for remaining ever-present on the battlefield in case of emergency.

Luina’s life was turned upside down after her father’s death, however. In order to support her deathly ill mother and the children of the orphanage, she had to sell almost all of her possessions. The hardships amplified even further with her mother’s passing. Unable to support so many children alone, only Marie and Myuke were able to stay with her. At the end of her wits, she had at one point even considered selling the house filled with memories of her family in order to make ends meet.

Luckily, with the three hundred silver Anima had earned, she didn’t have to harbor such thoughts any longer; the four of them could live comfortably. It wasn’t the life of luxury she’d once had, but being able to afford eating out with the children was more than she could have ever asked for. It was only natural that she was grateful to Anima after all the misery she’d gone through, but there was one thing he had to clarify.

“I didn’t make that money alone. Myuke did half of the work.”

“Mm-hmm, that she did.” Luina looked at Myuke with a warm expression. “Thanks to your hard work, we can all enjoy this delicious lunch. Thank you, Myuke.”

“Thanks, Myukey!”

“Y-You don’t need to thank me!” Everyone’s praise made Myuke’s cheeks flush. “I only did what I had to!”

While looking at his adorable daughter, Anima raised a spoonful of stew to his mouth. It would probably have tasted better if Luina had fed it to him, but he didn’t want to keep her from eating her own lunch. Instead, the four of them each ate their lunches on their own.

“Daddy, what’s af’er lunch?” Marie asked after everyone had finished eating. She stared at Anima, clearly excited about something.

“Hmm, what was it again? Could you remind Daddy?”

“Listen!” she cooed, her eyes sparkling as he took the bait. “It’s ‘Thanks for the meeeaaal!’ ’Member, Daddy?”

“Thanks for the meeeaaal! Well? How did I do?”

“Wooow! So ‘mart!” Marie lauded as she excitedly clapped her hands. “See that, Mommy? Daddy’s sooo ‘mart!”

“I did! Well done, Anima. You did well too, Marie.”

“Ehehe! It was yummy!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Anima said with a smile. “Is your tummy full?”

“Uh-huh!”

“I’m full too,” Myuke said. “I gotta do some exercise so I don’t get fat.”

“I don’t think it would be bad if you put on some weight. It would look good on you.”

“But then I wouldn’t fit into the dress you bought me,” she retorted. She really loved the dress Anima had gotten her—so much so that she promised to only wear it for outings.

“Then I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, shooting a reserved glance at Anima.

“You bet I am. Right, Luina?”

“You always work so hard,” she replied with a nod and a radiant smile. “There’s no need to be reserved. Not to mention that you’re still growing. Make sure you tell us if your clothes start to get tight.”

“Yaaay! Thank you! Is there anything I can help with today?”

“Me too!” Marie cheered. “I wanna help too!”

“Then how about you help Daddy collect the laundry when we get home?”

“Okay!” the girls cried joyfully as they excitedly nodded.

With their lunch finished, Anima paid for the meal and they left the cozy restaurant with the giddy Marie in his arms. The family made their way through the town’s arched gate and set off back home.

On their way down the narrow dirt road, they spotted a trail of knocked-down trees, prompting Anima to glance anxiously at Luina. Her usual bright smile was nowhere to be found; she was staring forward blankly. Anima could make an educated guess as to why she was feeling down. They were at the very place where they’d had an unfortunate encounter with Malshan.

Just like Luina’s father, Malshan was a mercenary employed by the kingdom. He was said to be the strongest Hunter in the land, tasked with protecting the kingdom from the greatest of dangers and disasters. As a key figure in the kingdom’s defenses and a man holding supposedly unrivaled power, getting into a fight with him would no doubt have grave repercussions. Regardless, Anima had smacked him down, potentially making an enemy of the entire kingdom in doing so.

For better or worse, Malshan’s whereabouts were unknown, and no one besides Anima and his family knew about the incident that had transpired. Their involvement hadn’t come to light, but the possibility of them waking up as wanted criminals was incredibly distressing for Luina. She was fully aware of Anima’s overwhelming strength—he would probably have been able to single-handedly fight off the world, let alone the country—but Anima didn’t wish for all-out war. He loved his newfound home; he didn’t want it to be destroyed, or even so much as for his peaceful life to be sacrificed. All he wanted was to eat another lovely lunch with his family in that cozy restaurant.

“Hmm?” Without warning, Myuke stopped walking and broke the long silence. “Look, there’s something on the ground—”

The color drained from her face as she spotted someone collapsed right beside their house.

“The scary man’s back?”

Marie was getting scared. She wrapped her arms tightly around Anima’s neck and looked at him with tears in her eyes, terrified of Malshan returning.

“Don’t worry, he won’t come back,” he assured her with a powerful smile. “And if he does, Daddy’ll protect you.”

Malshan had learned the overwhelming difference between their strengths. Even if he was alive, approaching Anima again would have been foolish. He absolutely despised Anima, but the terror nested in his soul would certainly have been more powerful than his desire to take revenge, so it was unlikely that the person collapsed there was Malshan.

Still, the situation was very unusual—and potentially dangerous. To ensure his family’s safety, Anima put Marie down and approached the collapsed person. In doing so, he discovered that it was not Malshan, but a young girl with sparkling, golden hair and a spotless, young-looking face. However, one glance at the broadsword on her hip confirmed that she was not your average town girl.

Could she be an assassin sent by Malshan to—

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a deep rumble, which immediately dispelled any fear he had.

“Luina, hurry!”

“Is she alive?” Luina, even paler than before, asked as she ran toward her husband and the unconscious girl.

“Did a demon do this?!” Myuke shouted, then grabbed Anima’s sleeve and scanned the area.

“Don’t worry, she wasn’t attacked by a demon. She collapsed from exhaustion.”

Immediately after Anima’s explanation, another deep growl cut through the area.

“Ughhh… To think that I, Shaer, would collapse from hunger… I’ll never rid myself of this shame…” the girl mumbled before passing out again. In response, Luina let out a sigh of relief and turned toward Anima.

“Could you please bring… Shaer, was it? Could you please bring her to the dining room?”

Anima couldn’t deny a request from Luina. He lifted the girl up and they made their way into the house.

◆◆◆

The moment Anima sat Shaer down on the chair they’d bought two months earlier, she slumped down on the table. She was effectively paralyzed from hunger, but in the interest of safety, Anima made sure to strip her of her weapons. He took the sword hung at her side and placed it against the wall.

“She went night-night?”

“She must be dead tired. Let her sleep, Marie.”

Myuke took Marie’s hand and hid behind Anima’s back. She didn’t want her precious little sister to approach some unknown woman, and Anima couldn’t have agreed more. He had confiscated her weapon, but as long as her limbs were attached, the threat of an attack was still present. He kept his eyes glued to her so he could jump in and protect his daughters at a moment’s notice, but at the same time, he was worried for her. She seemed to have been on the brink of passing out from hunger.

“Soup’s on!” Luina sang as she walked into the dining room, carrying a bowl of bean soup.

The moment the enticing aroma of the steaming soup tickled Shaer’s nostrils, she raised her head and scanned the room for the source like a starved beast. Upon locating the manna, her stomach growled in relief. An audible gulp helped clear both her throat and mind as she glanced at Anima and the others in the room.

“H-Have you been so kind as to prepare this for me?”

“Eat up,” Luina answered with a smile. “There’s plenty more.”

“My gratitude will follow you to the grave! Thank you!” Shaer replied with a bright smile.

“AHHH! NOOO!” Marie let out an ear-splitting scream just as Shaer grabbed the spoon and got ready to dive into the steaming soup, leading her to dejectedly furrow her brow.

“Making a starving girl wait after enticing them with the prospect of salvation… What a cruel form of torture.”

Marie, unfamiliar with the word “torture”, tilted her head. She didn’t care enough to be confused for long, however, and immediately clasped her hands together.

“You gotta thank Mommy ’fore lunch! Watch, like this! Thanks for the meal!”

“Oh my, how rude of me,” Shaer said with a relieved smile. “My hunger made me forget proper etiquette. Thank you for the meal, Ma’am! How was that?”

“Yaaay! Good! You can munch now!”

Having received Marie’s approval, she immediately began shoveling the soup into her mouth. After a couple of spoonfuls, she stuffed her cheeks with the bread Luina served on the side, and washed it all down with a big gulp of milk.

“Wooow! She’s munchin’ lots! Sooo fast!”

Marie stared wide-eyed at the incredible display of speed unfolding before her. If Shaer were in a speed eating contest, she would have been winning by a landslide.

“She really is.”

Still holding Marie’s hand, Myuke was still on guard while watching Shaer devour her meal. She wore the same cautious look she’d worn when she’d first met Anima. She was extremely wary of strangers, but not because of a lack of trust. She wanted nothing more than to protect her precious little sister, so she remained ever-vigilant. She couldn’t allow a slip-up when Marie’s safety was on the line.

While her disposition toward Anima had changed upon learning that he was Luina’s husband, Shaer was a complete stranger. She didn’t seem to be an assassin sent by Malshan with the ingenious plot of creating an illusion of safety and trust by faking hunger, but her intentions were still shrouded in mystery. Hearing her tale was the family’s top priority, but they had to feed her before they could do that. She couldn’t share anything while passed out, after all.

“Ghah!”

Being under constant surveillance from all directions may have gotten to Shaer, as she choked on a bite of bread. She reached out for her glass of milk, but it was already empty.

“Drink this. It’s water.”

She took the glass of water from Myuke and chugged it. After setting the empty glass down, she bowed her head so deep she almost bumped it on the table.

“You truly are my savior!” she declared. “I swear on my pride as a knight that I’ll return your kind favor one day!”

“N-Nooo!”

“H-Have I done something wrong?” Shaer asked shakily in response to Marie’s sudden scream.

“You gotta thank Mommy affer lunch too! Watch, watch! I’ll show you!” Marie again clasped her hands together and thanked Luina. “Did you see?”

“You’re a very smart little girl,” Shaer said, letting out another relieved sigh. “A child your age who is so knowledgeable about table manners is a rarity.”

“Thanks!”

Feeling that she was getting praised, Marie broke into an adorable smile. Her joy must have been contagious, as Shaer’s strained expression let up in response.

“As the little lady pointed out, I have forgotten to give you my thanks for the meal. Thank you, Ma’am. How was that?”

“Good!”

Seeing Marie excitedly clap for her, Shaer’s mouth curled into a warm, gentle smile—not the type that would belong to a bloodthirsty assassin. That smile, in addition to her having left herself completely defenseless while she ate, was enough for Anima to conclude that their encounter was a coincidence and finally let his guard down. Myuke, however, was still on edge, and stared at Shaer with a grave expression.

“So, are you a knight?” she asked, shooting a sharp glare in her direction.

“That’s correct,” the knight said, and stood up straight. “I am Shaer, commander of the First Corps of the Raiten Knights.”

“I-Is that so…” Myuke anxiously grabbed Anima’s sleeve.

“What’s a ‘knight’?”

“You see, knights, at the king’s command, ensure that bad people are punished.”

“But Daddy beat the bad people!”

Myuke nodded with a bittersweet smile at Marie’s boasting. It had clearly worried her, and with good reason. If the circumstances of Malshan’s disappearance had come to light, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for the king to send knights to capture Anima. While Anima considered the possibilities, Shaer looked straight at him.

“I assume ‘Daddy’ would be you?”

“Yes.”

“You must be a Hunter, then.”

“I am, yes.”

He held a Hunter license, so despite never having taken a job, he was technically a Hunter. Hearing that, Shaer smiled.

“We are much the same. We both make a living off of dealing with scoundrels.”

“Are there many scoundrels in this area?” Anima asked in hopes of learning more about where they lived, but Shaer simply shook her head.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t heard of any criminals lurking in this area.”

“Then why did we find you collapsed here?”

“It’s quite embarrassing to admit considering my position,” she chuckled awkwardly as Anima jumped straight to the point, “but I took to the skies to search for Lord Merkalt in hopes of requesting aid from him. While in the air, terrible hunger and my severe lack of mana caused me to plummet into the ground.”

Their encounter had been an honest-to-goodness coincidence, but she had just revealed a rather grim piece of information, sending a shade of doubt washing over Luina’s and Myuke’s faces. Anima glanced at them, signaling that they should leave the rest to him.

“That ‘Merkalt’. Are you talking about Malshan? The man who wields the Crimson Dragon stone?”

“I am,” she said, nodding. “The vermin we were tasked to exterminate is powerful beyond human comprehension. The only person who could possibly stand up to that beast is Lord Merkalt, and as such, I’m on my way to his mansion to put in a formal request for help.”

“Don’t go,” Anima said curtly, but didn’t go into specifics.

Shaer going to Malshan’s home would no doubt stir some trouble. If she found him, they would inevitably end up talking about the battle; if she didn’t, it would evolve into a full-on investigation into his whereabouts. If he was tracked as far as the orphanage and the shaven-down forest nearby, Anima would probably be brought in as the prime suspect.

To avoid any serious trouble down the line, it might have been for the best to come clean. Shaer seemed to have a strong sense of justice; she was likely to side with them if he explained the circumstances.

“Why not? Ah, I assume it’d be rude to leave without helping with the dishes. My sincerest apologies for my manners, but I’m absolutely terrible at doing chores. I would only break something…”

“No, it’s not that. I have something to tell you before you leave for Malshan’s house.”

“What would that be?”

Anima took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I fought and defeated Malshan.”

“You did what now?” Shaer narrowed her eyes. “With all due respect, I find it difficult to imagine that you defeated Lord Merkalt given that he’s the strongest individual in the kingdom. I can’t think of a reason for you to fight him to begin with.”

Anima expected her to be doubtful of such claims, and had already prepared evidence. He opened one of the cabinets, removed his proof, and set it on the table.

“Do you know what this is?”

“H-How…? Why do you have this?”

Shaer’s eyes flew open as Anima revealed an earring inlaid with a crimson stone. It was a magic stone that had formed after the death of a terrible beast that ravaged the lands three centuries ago. The Crimson Dragon stone must have had a peculiar glint to it, as the knight recognized it with no more than a single glance.

“Malshan came here and threatened to turn us to ashes by conjuring a fireball, so I fought back. He vanished, leaving only this earring behind.”

“Wh-Why would he attack you?”

It was a natural question, one that Anima couldn’t answer truthfully. Malshan’s aim, the Harbinger stone, was a well-guarded secret of the Scarlett family. The stone’s existence itself—let alone Luina’s possession of it—was only known to a select few. Without her permission, Anima’s hands were tied.

“He was after Luina. He tried to woo her, but the fact that we’re married and that she loves me was something he couldn’t come to terms with.”

“Hm, so he went mad with love? Embarrassing as it may be, I have never experienced such intense feelings. Is that really enough to drive an honorable man to massacre a whole family?”

She dressed it differently, but the crux of the matter was that she didn’t buy into Anima’s story. Worried that revealing their secret was the only option left, Anima glanced at Luina, who, after a timid nod, opened her mouth.

“The truth is… he was after the secret treasure of the Scarlett family.”

“The Scarletts’ treasure?” Shaer asked, raising an eyebrow. “I have never heard of such a thing, but the more pressing question is why you would know about such a thing.”

“Because I’m a Scarlett.”

Shaer’s eyes popped wide open.

“Y-You’re—?! Lady Luina, you’re a member of the Scarlett family?!”

“Yes, I am…” Luina replied, just as confused as Shaer after hearing her respectful tone.

“A-Are you Lord Rei’s daughter, by chance?”

“You know my father?”

Shaer suddenly jumped up from her seat and looked at Luina, her eyes sparkling.

“Very much so! I owe him my life; he saved me during my first mission. He was a truly magnificent man, an incredibly powerful yet gentle ally with a strong sense of justice. I aim to one day be half the hero he was. If you truly are Lord Rei’s daughter, then what your dear husband said about Lord Merkalt must be true.” Seemingly trusting of their story, Shaer praised Luina’s father as if he were a deity. Anima let out a sigh of relief while Shaer bowed her head before him. “Lord Anima! In place of Lord Merkalt, perhaps you would consider helping us with our mission to subdue that monster?”

“What monster?”

Shaer began sharing information in a grave tone. Apparently, some monster occupied the bridge between two parts of Raiten: an important port town where most of Raiten’s imports and exports were focused, and the rest of the country. The bridge served as an essential trade route, but since it had been seized by the monster, the transportation of goods had been halted. The only choice merchants had was to take a detour, which took significantly longer.

“That monster’s actions affect the kingdom at large. It is the Knights’ duty to deal with such adversities, but… it is simply too powerful.” Shaer glanced at Anima with pleading eyes. “That’s where you, Lord Anima, come into play. Naturally, I don’t ask you to do it for free. The palace has put a bounty of fifty gold on the creature’s head.”

“F-Fifty gold?!”