Surtr was indeed tearing up, although crying in this body made him look like a sea turtle laying eggs.
Tony had once been a scientist and was now the demon lord of fire—Surtr. He was a good partner for Allan, and they worked together in the Azami army.
“Feast your eyes, Asako. Allan actually made a baby! She’s got his eyes.”
“Ah-ha-ha… You sound like a proud uncle, Surtr.”
“Ha-ha-ha! Don’t mind calling her my niece.”
Renge gave the turtle demon lord a glare. “Surtr, I hope you’re disinfecting those hands before you touch our child.”
“Uh, right.”
“Turtle shells are covered in germs! Small children run fevers so easily. Keep that shell dry and sterile.”
“Of course…”
No demon lord stood a chance against a mom.
Once that was settled, Renge took a sip—not of her usual black tea, but of noncaffeinated houjicha. She was kicking back here…in Anzu’s house.
Sipping her homemade tea, Renge shot me a smile.
“Ain’t you here for some of them interviews, Asako?”
“Yes, I am.”
“You ain’t gonna get much worth hearing outta Anzu. Lemme bend yer ear, too! I can talk the whole night through ’bout how my hubby and I met and what a mess poor Anzu was back then.”
“I wasn’t a mess. I did my leader thing!”
Anzu pouted, which made Leila laugh.
“That wasn’t supposed to be a silly face!”
With everyone settled in, I asked Renge a direct question. “Um, you’ve been speaking with your accent this whole time. What changed? Before, it only came out when you were upset, and you seemed to think it wasn’t elegant.”
“Yeah, I dropped that the moment I had the kid. Ain’t much point fakin’ it for a baby. Right?”
Allan nodded.
“Lloyd taught me that appearances will never matter as much as what’s inside. And I want to pass that lesson on to my children and future graduating classes.”
As he realized what he was saying, a bashful smile played about his lips.
“So, Asako—go right ahead and tell everyone what a screwup I was.”
“Got it! I’ll spill all the beans!” I said cheerily.
“Uh…,” he ventured. “You can smooth out a few wrinkles…”
“Don’t back down now, doofus! Asako, lay all my hubby’s tomfoolery out there.”
He shot her a teary-eyed look, but Renge, Anzu, Surtr, and Leila all laughed merrily.
“Leila sure laughs a lot these days!” Surtr said. “They weren’t kidding about three months being when all those sleepless nights start paying off.”
He gave the happy couple an envious look.
“If only I could find someone…”
“If I see any nice turtles, I’ll put in a word,” I said.
“Turtles, huh?” Surtr winced. “I do plan to get my human body back one day. Even if the whole pet thing does seem to be working in my favor… All these pretty ladies like to rub my head.”
As long as Surtr was snapping up the short-term benefits, he’d always be a turtle.
Anzu shot him a stern look. “Just don’t do what Eve did and get them to make you a dapper bod so you can score.”
“True…love stories oughtta be fair. But I used to be so chubby… Argh…”
We kept talking, and the time just flew by.
I rose to my feet, bowing. “Sorry, I’ve gotta be on my way.”
“So soon? Okay, sweetie, wave to the nice lady!”
“Goo-gaa!”
I smiled back at Leila.
“Where to next, Asako?” Anzu asked.
“Rokujou! What with everything this afternoon, I want to get there early.”
“Oh, I heard about that. Tell everyone hi for me! I’ll be there myself next time,” Allan said.
“Uh, sorry, Asako,” Anzu said. “But, uh…”
“Yes?”
“Can you tell Satan I’d like to see him again? I still ain’t thanked him for last time, so I’d like to have him over for dinner.”
Taking the hint, I shot her a big smile and nodded.
Renge didn’t miss the exchange and grinned. “Anzuuu…is it finally your time? Tell me more.”
“Sh-shut up! Asako! See ya.”
Anzu waved and rushed out of there, and I teleported off to Rokujou.
Psssht.
I was there instantly.
The Kingdom of Sorcery was famed for its magic stone mines and its thriving entertainment business/film industry. Economically, it was second only to Azami itself.
The people here were firm believers in profit, so in four or five more years, they’d likely have created some entirely different new big thing. Fingers crossed it would be bubble tea.
King Sardin was fanning the flames, helping their magic industry get back up to speed. “We bring the magic on- and off-screen! Bwa-ha-ha!” he’d said with his customary overbearing presence.
But that goofy streak made him lovable, too. Trusted by his citizens, he’d managed to star in several films alongside his royal duties. You had to respect the work ethic.
What kept him going? Family.
He had the stamina to play the clown year-round for his wife and daughters— That was King Sardin in a nutshell.
“Mm! Greetings, Asako! It’s your dazzling Sardin!” He grinned.
The king himself came to the castle gates to welcome me. Don’t you have a million other things on your plate? Even the guards look appalled.
“It’s been too long, King Sardin.”
“Spare me the formalities, Asako. This is us talking! Or does my smile blind you? Let’s head inside.”
This was all a performance. Deep down, he was a very serious man, and I still struggled to reconcile the two.
The king led me into a parlor.
His wife and bodyguard, Ubi, was waiting for us there.
“’Sup, you been good?” I asked.
“Ha-ha-ha! I am always good, dear!”
“Not you.”
I ignored Sardin’s attempt to instigate a comedy routine, bowing to Ubi.