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

The four then left the room and set out to explore the city, relying on Luina’s memory. She led the way, walking away from the inn, and they soon arrived at the main street. The spectacle before their eyes left them speechless. The number of people walking the main street was like nothing they’d ever seen before; if one wasn’t paying attention, they could easily get separated from their loved ones in the crowd.

“Where martet?” Marie’s sparkling eyes darted around the crowded street.

“It’s this way.”

“Daddy, Daddy! Issat way!”

She tightly grabbed Anima’s hand and pointed in the direction Luina was facing. They carefully made their way toward the market, being extra careful not to bump into anyone, and before long, reached a big, open square.

They had arrived at the market, a place that, from the outside, seemed to be incredibly chaotic. Touting more stalls than one could reasonably visit in a day and even more customers clogging the pathways, it bustled with the sounds of people making purchases and stall owners shouting about their selection of goods to attract customers. Witnessing such pandemonium for the first time, they couldn’t even begin to imagine the place without all of the stalls and people. Judging by the wheels on each stall, however, they were most likely rolled home by their owners when there were no customers around.

“I can’t SEE!” Marie grumbled while Anima stared in amazement at the state of the market. She was stretching herself out, but couldn’t see a thing due to the sea of people passing in front of her. The moment she caught the slightest glimpse of the stalls, her view got obstructed again.

“Here, let me help you.”

A wonderful smile bloomed on her face as soon as Anima picked her up.

“Wooow! Wooow! Lots! Lotsa sops!”

“Mm-hmm. There’s quite a lot of them.”

“It’s as busy as I remembered,” Luina said with a nostalgic smile. Myuke, on the other hand, had an air of worry about her.

“We’ll totally be swept away by this crowd…”

“It’s okay. We’ll all be holding hands. Myuke, you hold Mommy’s other hand so no one gets lost.”

Anima linked his arm with Luina’s, which immediately dispelled Myuke’s fears. Holding her mommy’s hand, she stretched herself out.

“Hm? What’s over there?”

She immediately found something interesting, so the family set off toward a stall covered by a bamboo roof, cutting through the crowd. The merchant there was filling his tiny display with as many cupcake-like sweets as he could, their sweet scent enticing them as they got closer and closer.

“Nummy!”

“Yep, they look super yummy. And wow, this sweet smell! Think they’re cakes?”

“They look like cakes.”

“Heehee. These are actually aromatic candles,” Luina proudly revealed.

“Whassat?”

“They’re candles that smell nice when you light them.”

“Wow, really? There are candles like that? I had no idea!”

“No nummies?”

“They may smell delicious, but they’re really bitter.”

“H-How do you know that?”

“I mistook them for cakes and bit into one.”

“You must have been adorable as a child.” Anima had great fun imagining his beloved wife as a clumsy little girl. “Do you want to get one?”

“That’d be lovely. Which one should we buy?”

“See the one with the flowers on the glass? We should get that one!” Myuke suggested. “We can save the glass after the candle melts, too!”

“That’s a great idea. The glass will remind us of our trip.”

“Right?! Do you like it, Marie?”

“Uh-huh! ’Cause look, it’s red!”

Marie seemed to have also liked the rose-colored candle, so they decided to buy it. After paying, Myuke hugged the paper bag to her chest, overjoyed by their purchase. They began looking around for another interesting stall, when suddenly, their attention was caught by a chime.

“Did you hear something?” Anima inquired.

“I did!” Myuke replied. “It sounded so nice and—Ah, there it is again! Are they selling bells somewhere?”

“Heehee. That must be a wind chime,” Luina chimed in with a childlike smile she’d never worn before. Just seeing Luina’s carefree expression as she was brought back to her childhood had already made visiting Barjyo worthwhile for Anima.

“Lemme see jime!”

“I’m interested too; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen one. Let’s see… We heard it coming from there, didn’t we?”

Pulling Anima along, Luina took him and the girls to a stall with clean glasswork dangling from its top. It was as if a giant jellyfish had chosen the top of the stall to take a peaceful nap.

“Huh? How come it isn’t ringing now?” Myuke asked.

“They only chime when they get blown by the wind,” Luina explained.

“Fwhhh! Fwhhh!”

Marie tried to blow the chimes as best she could. As if responding to her desperate attempts, a gentle breeze blew through the market a moment later, allowing the wind chimes to play their beautiful melody.

“Wooow! So pitty!” Marie excitedly clapped with an adorable, innocent smile.

“Why don’t we get one?” Anima proposed. There was no way he could pass up on buying one after seeing his daughter’s genuine smile.

“Yaaay! Which, which?”

“Hmm… How about this one?”

Anima bought a blue chime—one that matched Luina’s hair color.

“Both the candle and this chime were pretty pricey… If we keep buying stuff like this, we’ll be broke by the end of the day.”

Myuke was right; both the candle and the chime had been surprisingly expensive. The prices had likely gone up after the monster occupied the bridge, as they had to jack up their prices to make sure they stayed profitable with their ability to restock threatened. Regardless of that, Anima knew he would regret being overly thrifty while on his honeymoon, so he had no plans to end his splurging.

“You don’t need to worry about money. More importantly, is there anything else you’d like to get?”

“I wanna take a proper look around first.”

They started browsing the market again. Between the novel pieces of clothing with interesting colors, the meticulously carved dolls, crazy, coiling candles, tropical juices, and utensils with elaborate pictures carved into them, they didn’t get a moment’s rest. By the time they managed to catch their breath, the sun had moved a considerable distance to the west. If they didn’t start getting ready to fish, they would have to give up on it for the day.

“Let’s buy one last thing and go fishing,” Anima suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” Luina said. “Do you want anything else, girls?”

Luina had expected them to be disoriented by all the things they’d perused in the past couple of hours, but Myuke responded almost instantly.

“I want that!”

“And, and, I wannit too!”

She and Marie had already made up their minds, and pointed at a stall selling various ornaments. What the girls wanted were the colorful embroidered bracelets they had there.

“Oh, these are wishing bracelets!” Luina pointed out as they walked up to the stall.

“Is that what they call these? I like them a lot; they’re so colorful!”

“Is this what you want, then?”

“Yep! I’ll take good care of it!”

“Heehee, you can take good care of it if you’d like, but wishing bracelets are meant to wear down until they break.”

Myuke took a step back.

“For real?”

“They say that when it falls off, your wish will come true. It has to fall off on its own, though; you can’t break it on purpose.”

“Wow, that’s incredible!” She was getting even more excited about buying one.

“All right, let’s get these.”

Anima bought four wishing bracelets, and everyone put them on their arms.

“Pease come tuuue!”

“What did you wish for, Marie?”

“I wanna gow up fast!”

“Really?” Anima asked. “You want to grow up quickly?”

“Uh-huh! ’Cause I wanna help you s’more!”

Anima wiped a single tear from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t handle Marie’s adorableness. He wanted to boast to the next person passing by how perfect his little daughter was.

“And you, Daddy? What did you wish for?”

“To be together with you guys forever and live happily ever after.”

“That’s what I wished for as well.”

“I wished for the same thing too!”

Luina and Myuke smiled at each other.

“Great! So, should we go back to our room for now?”

Their trip to the market was officially over. Difficult as it may have been, they parted ways with the bustling market of exotic wonders and made their way back to the inn to safely store their purchases. Then, they set out again.

“Where can we get fishing equipment?”

“If the store hasn’t moved, it should be right next to the lake.”

“We’re so lucky to have you with us, Luina. Otherwise we were sure to have gotten lost in the city.”

“I’m happy I could be of help. That being said, you always help me out, so…”

“Not at all. You’re the one helping me all the time. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am that you always cook for me.”

“It’s only natural to cook for the person you love. Not to mention that you constantly make dinner with me. It’s such a big help.”

“Don’t even mention it. I’m glad I can spend more time with the love of my life.”

“Oh you…”

While continuing their lovey-dovey chit-chat, they made their way to the lake. Just as Luina had said, the fishing store was standing right on the shoreline. Her mouth curled into a warm, gentle smile as she spotted the same little shop that was etched ever so vividly into her memory.

“It’s still there…” she murmured.

“Is that the same one you visited as a child?”

“Yes. It hasn’t changed one bit. Could we rent our fishing gear there?”

“Of course. Right, girls?”

Their daughters nodded excitedly, though they probably didn’t care which store they rented the gear from and just wanted to start fishing as soon as possible. To that end, they entered the worn-down fishing store, where they found a wide variety of rods of every size, plenty of cups full of dirt and worms, countless bobbers, and more. Judging from Luina’s wonder-filled gaze, the inside must have been the same as she remembered it.

“Wow, it’s so light!” Myuke said, picking up a fishing rod while Anima was distracted by his wife’s lovely reaction.

“Wooow, liiight!”

“That rod’s made of bamboo, a durable plant that grows on the other side of the ocean. It’s really flexible, which makes it hard to break.”

“Commercial cities get stuff from all over the place, huh? Anyway, I’m getting this one.”

“Me!”

Marie picked up a small rod, specifically designed for kids.

“Be careful of the hook,” Anima warned.

“’Kaaay!”

“Let’s go, I wanna fish!”

“Give me just a moment.”

Anima was busy looking at the baits. He was used to seeing worms during the countless hours he and Luina spent working in the fields, but impaling live ones on a hook was a different story altogether. Instead, he decided to look for dough bait. After renting three adult and one children rods, two buckets, one net, then buying two packs of dough bait, they left for the fishing area.

As they made their way down the shoreline covered in short green grass, they found a handful of other people fishing there as well. There were a few benches, chairs, and tables around the area, and a big furnace to the side with clean, white smoke gently rising from the top. A group of men had just made a toast to their good catch at the table closest to the furnace.

Enjoying the bounties of the sea by frying the fish they’d caught themselves while right beside the water would be a memorable, fun experience for their whole family. Anima couldn’t wait to see his daughters’ excited smiles as they pulled their dinner from the crackling fire and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

He attached the bait to his hook, then did so for Marie as well so she wouldn’t get hurt.

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. Are you set, Myuke?”

“Yep, all good! Look!”

“Well done.”

“Ehehe. Just watch; I’ll catch a bigger fish than you!”

Declaring confidence in her success, Myuke stood next to Luina and swung her rod. With a small plop, the hook sank into the lake. Anima and Luina also swung their rods and sank their hooks into the water, and while Marie imitated them, the only thing her hook sunk into was Anima’s robe.

“I catched Daddy!”

Anima flashed a warm smile as Marie hugged him tightly.

“Oh, look at that. I’ve been caught.”

“Wow, I think you won! We can’t possibly top that.”

“Hmm, but we can’t eat Daddy.”

Myuke and Luina chuckled as they joked about Marie’s catch.

“I wanna fissie!”

“Me too. We’re sure to catch something if we focus, okay?”

Anima pulled the hook out of his robe and Marie swung her rod again. With a plop, her hook sank into the water like the others’.

“Where the fissies?”

“They might come here if you call for them.”

“Come out, Midder Fissie! I’m here!” The water rippled as Marie’s cheerful voice reverberated across the lake. “There! You seed it?! It was there!”

Luina watched with a gentle smile as Marie jumped up and down in excitement.

“Mister Fishie came to say hello,” she said.

“It was huge! Here, I’ll catch it for—Whoa!” Myuke was suddenly pulled forward, and her rod bent at a sharp angle. As she pulled back on it, the shape of a fish became visible under the surface. “I caught one! Daddy, quick! The net!”

Urged on by his daughter, Anima took the net and scooped up the fish that was struggling just below the water’s surface.

“Woo-hoo! I caught one!” Myuke cheered.

“Wooow, Myukey!”

“Very impressive.”

“Well done! You caught the first one!”

Myuke was elated by everyone’s praise. She proudly looked at the fish she’d caught, moved into a bucket for safekeeping.

“Hyanh!”

Suddenly, Marie’s fishing rod slipped from her hands and rapidly made its way toward the lake. Anima quickly picked it up and gave it back to Marie.

“Look, Marie! You caught something!”

“I did? Yaaay! Daddy, net!” Marie pulled back on her fishing rod while slowly walking backward. Soon enough, the fish became visible in the water, giving a chance to Anima to scoop it up with the net. “Midder Fissie!”

Marie held the wriggling fish she’d caught in her hands, the most radiant, adorable smile on her face. After securing their latest catch in the bucket, they all went back to fishing until the lake and the surrounding green lawn took on an orange hue.

“I’m hungy!” Marie complained.

“Me too. Maybe we should call it a day soon.”

“We caught so many of them.”

“Right?! I definitely didn’t expect to catch three!”

Their grand total came to eight. Myuke had caught three, Luina and Marie had each caught two, and Anima had finished with only a single catch. If he had to come up with an excuse for his performance, it was that he was busy helping everyone out by catching their rods if they lost their grip on them and dragging the net around to scoop up the fish, but there was no need for that. He was just happy that he was able to help his family.

“Okeydokey, we should be all set for lunch once we return the fishing gear. I take it everyone is fine with grilled fish?” Anima and the girls all nodded in unison. “Anima, could you stay here and guard the fish? We wouldn’t want some pesky birds to snatch them.”

“Worry not. I’ll protect these buckets with my life.”

Anima picked up the buckets and set them down right in front of himself. By the time the fish inside had settled down, the others had returned with the cooking equipment, so he picked up the buckets and headed for the furnace.

“Please give me a moment.” Luina set a cutting board on the picnic table right behind the furnace and began gutting the fish with precise, confident movements. “Myuke, Marie, please rub the fish with salt. You don’t have to be shy about it; cover them with as much as you can. Anima, can I ask you to skewer them once they’re properly salted? I’ll get the fire going in the meantime.”

Following Luina’s orders, the girls began rubbing a thin crust of salt onto the fish.

“We’re done!”

“Daddy, stewer!”

“Here I go!”

It was Anima’s turn to work. He carefully skewered each fish so as not to fracture their spines, and just as he finished skewering them all, smoke started to rise from the furnace. He glanced in Luina’s direction to find her skirt spread back and lifted slightly. She seemed to have grown a tail due to using her fire lizard stone.

“Mommy, all done!”

“Oh my, they look great!” she said with a smile as she picked up one of the skewers.

“Let me handle that,” Anima offered. “I wouldn’t want you to get burned.”

“Thank you. Please.”

Anima moved the skewers to a wire net.

“Your fish is huge, Marie!”

“Myukey’s too! When’s din-din?”

“Be patient; it’ll take a few minutes to cook.”

While listening to the crackling of the fire, the restlessly fidgeting girls stared at the fish cooking in the furnace. Anima was keeping track of the time, and flipped the skewers just at the right time. When he did, the fat that dripped off the fish fanned the flames, and it completely engulfed their dinner.

It didn’t take long for the enticing aroma of the fresh, salt-rubbed fish to entrance the girls—both of them audibly gulped at the exact same time. A few more moments passed, and Anima flipped the skewers again. The pronounced char marks on the visibly crispy skin told him that they were ready.

“They should be perfect now.”

“Thank you for the meal!” The moment Luina announced that dinner was ready, the girls said the magic words in unison, and Luina and Anima followed suit.

“Be careful of bones.”

“Owie, hod! Nummy!”

“We did an awesome job salting it, if I do say so myself!”

Watching the girls enjoy the salt-rubbed grilled fish, Anima couldn’t contain himself anymore. He opened his mouth wide and took a big bite. The crispy skin crackled under his teeth, and all the delicious juices from the magnificent catch exploded in his mouth. The thin layer of seasoning escaped as the soft meat dissolved, adding just the right amount of saltiness to the incredible dish.

“Nummy! More pease!”

“Me too, please!”

After practically licking the bones clean of meat, they reached for more and began chowing down again. Shortly after them, Anima and Luina did the same. The family remained at the lakeshore until all the delicious grilled fish had been reduced to scraps.

◆◆◆

Later that night, Luina awoke to the rustling of clothes.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She slowly sat up as the calming voice apologized to her, then rubbed her eyes clean of their sleepy haziness and slowly opened them. Before her, she found a young man wearing a gentle smile and a familiar black robe that covered his back all the way down to his ankles. It was Anima, who had just finished changing into his outside clothes.

“Are you leaving?” she asked him.

Given the time, seeing that robe only made her feel anxious and lonely. It was dark and silent outside, as if the bustling, lively cityscape from mere hours before had been but a mirage.

“I should be back by morning,” he told her. “Then we can continue our trip like nothing ever happened.”

He hadn’t wanted to make the kids worry, so he’d planned to leave under the veil of the night. He was truly a kind person. Three months earlier, she’d fallen for that incredible kindness that radiated from him—so much so that she’d married him on the spot. Even so, while she was happy that she had married such an outstanding person, she wanted him to pay more attention to himself as well.

“I appreciate your dedication, but your health is much more important than this trip.”

Anima did so much for his family during their trip. He had to have been getting tired both mentally and physically. Luina wouldn’t have been worried were he just going on some small errand, but he was going into battle. She would have prefered for him to be in peak condition.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I got to sleep next to you, after all,” Anima said with a reassuring smile.

He didn’t seem to be pushing himself. Perhaps the few hours of sleep he’d gotten was enough for him to completely recover.

His stamina and strength knew no bounds; the so-called strongest individual in the country, Malshan, didn’t amount to more than a pesky fly to him. However, they still had no idea about the monster’s strength. Anima may have been unbelievably powerful, but there was an ever-so-small chance the monster was even stronger. Having lost her father to similarly minuscule odds, Luina couldn’t help but feel distressed.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Luina touched her face in disbelief.

“You look afraid. Are you worried about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re going into battle all alone… It makes me wish I could be by your side.”

“You can’t,” Anima said in a stern voice, then immediately relaxed his furrowed brow and looked Luina in her eyes like an understanding father ready to console his upset child. “That truly means a lot to me, Luina, but I can’t take you to the battlefield. It’s too dangerous. Please, wait here for me.”

“But…”

Seeing Luina shake from the stress, Anima gently wrapped her arms around her waist, pulled her closer, and hugged her tightly.