The man put a hand to his chest and bowed his head. “Firstly, I hope you’ll forgive me for dropping by unannounced. I’m awfully sorry. This was the only way to get close to you.”
“You’re here to...see me? That’s why you’re here?”
“Exactly. Now, how do I explain...” He put his hand to his chin and his expression grew pensive.
It was her first meeting with any kind of demonkin. At first she’d been afraid, but this demonkin was such a gentleman that he couldn’t be evil.
Maybe I should be calling for the guards. At the very least, he was an intruder, and the appearance of demonkin in the royal capital was a major incident. But then the guards will storm in and try to grab him. He’ll probably resist, and then he or the guards might get hurt.
Mil didn’t want a fight to break out, so she decided it was better to let the demonkin be as long as he wasn’t trying to harm anyone.
“Sorry, I’m bad at explaining things. I’ll just have to be blunt.”
The demonkin paused to clear his throat.
“Mil Arphilia, I’m here to abduct you. You’re coming to my castle with me.”
The demonkin’s words brought Mil’s thoughts to a complete stop. “Huh...?” Abduct...? “You’re abducting me? You mean you’re kidnapping me?” But then he’d be kidnapping a princess. Isn’t that a major incident? And what castle is he talking about...?
“Oh, pardon me.” The demonkin man had noticed the confused look on her face. “I’m Demon King Alvin Garland. My castle is the one known as the Demon King’s Castle.”
“Demon King...? Did you say Demon King?!”
This was an even bigger surprise. Mil knew that only a high-level demonkin could sneak deep enough into human territory to reach the royal capital, but this was the highest of them all.
Mil often saw it written in tales of heroes that “the royal capital lies in the east and the Demon King’s Castle in the west.”
Unintelligent creatures like goblins and kobolds were known as monsters, while humanoid creatures with enough intelligence to understand speech were known as demonkin. The Demon King ruled over both demonkin and monsters alike. He was a powerful being who could send an army of monsters flooding into a human settlement with a single command. Any adventurers who defeated him would forever be remembered as heroes of the Holy Arphil Kingdom.
“Princess?” asked a voice from outside the door. “Is something wrong?”
Mil recognized it as her attendant. She must have overheard the conversation or some noise within the room.
“Things will get complicated once people know I’m here. Sorry, but it’s not a matter for discussion.”
“Uh, what?! Huh?”
The Demon King—Alvin—grabbed Mil tightly. She had no power to resist.
“Princess?! Is someone with you?! I’m coming in!” The door burst open. “Princess?!”
Securing Mil under one arm, Alvin leaped from the window, and with a beat of his broad wings he took flight, high into the night sky.
“Ahh!” Mil cried as they cut through the air.
The attendant made it inside just in time to see the abduction at the moment of success. Mil thought it might really be a major incident when the news spread the next morning.
“I’d hoped to be more gentle,” Alvin said. “Well? Have I scared you now?”
Dangling from Alvin’s arm, Mil could feel the cold night air across her entire body.
Far below, she saw a row of brick houses with light leaking from their windows. She’d never seen the city streets from directly above like this. If Alvin were to change his mind and drop her, she’d be seriously hurt.
“Sorry, but you won’t be going home for a while. No matter how much you scream, I—”
“This is...”
“Yes?”
“This is amazing! I’m flying in the sky!” Mil’s eyes went wide and she began kicking her feet. “I never knew the outside world was so big! Wow, look how small the people are! The streetlights are all so pretty!”
After so long spent looking out at the world through a narrow window, she was seeing it from the sky, and could barely contain herself.
“Aren’t you scared? You’re not worried about what’ll happen to you?”
“My chest’s sure pounding, but I don’t think it’s fear. I’ve never traveled so far before!”
She couldn’t calm her racing heart. A moment ago the sprawling city had been beneath her, but it had abruptly given way to open fields. She was in the sky above the world beyond the city.
“You humans are strange. Or maybe it’s just you?”
“I wouldn’t know... Oh, why are you taking me to your castle anyway?” Why me? Mil wondered. There had to be some reason he’d come all the way to the human world for her.
“Can’t you guess? There’s only one reason I’d want to abduct you.”
“Hmm...”
To do housework? I’m good at cooking, but I don’t even know what foods demonkin like. Oh, but he wouldn’t choose me for that. My servants are much better at it.
Maybe it’s for a ransom? If you ever want to see the princess again, you know the rest... Is that it?
Oh! I hope he’s not going to roast and eat me!
“You really don’t know?” Astonished, the Demon King shook his head. “Humans mustn’t be very intelligent after all.”
Mil shrank within his arm. “Please don’t eat me... I doubt I’ll taste good...”
“Where’d you get that idea? No, I want you for your power.”
“My power...?” That made a little more sense.
“You’re a goddess’s priestess. Isn’t that what the humans call you?”
“You want my power? But I don’t think I can give it to someone else.”
“No, I’m not trying to take your power away. There are many demonkin in my forces, and I need a goddess’s priestess—you—to take a look at them.”
“Demonkin...? What kinds?”
“Well, there are alraune, lamia, and demons like myself. And there are several lower demonkin such as orcs and trolls.”
It turned out there were a lot of demonkin types. The highly intelligent ones skilled in combat were known as higher demonkin, while the lower ranked ones were known as middle demonkin and lower demonkin.
“Alraune... Lamia...” The sound of these names alone made Mil tremble.
“Terrified, are you? You needn’t worry so much; they won’t harm you unless—”
“This is amazing! Those are the ones from the heroes’ tales! I’m really gonna get to meet them!”
“What...?” Alvin reacted with disbelief. And no wonder. Most adventurers would be paralyzed by fear just knowing they were about to face demonkin.