Chapter 8

I Gathered Plants with Her Majesty The town surrounding Vanzeld Castle and the area around the town did not get much rain. When it did get rain, it was little more than a mist. But the misty rain clung to me when I went out for a jog, relieving the heat of exercise at the most perfect rate. “How comfortable~ I feel like I’m going a little faster than usual~” I had added a morning run to my daily routine, so I was not tired. I would be an exemplary demon; no one would dare mock me! Then I caught sight of the demon king going for a walk. She did not have her typical parasol, but a normal umbrella. I dropped to my knees before her; it would be inexcusable to ignore her. “Oh my; the road is all wet. There is no need to do that~” Her Majesty reached out to hold the umbrella over me. “No, I cannot allow myself to neglect my manners.” “Oh, you are much too formal, Miss Beelzebub. Well, I suppose that is one of the things I like about you.” Her Majesty was smiling as she always was, but to be honest, I was not exactly sure what she was thinking. I had learned that those who smile the most are often the most terrifying within. I mustn’t let my guard down. Fewer and fewer demons had dared to scorn her as of late. Even other ministers were rather nervous around her. For me, making light of her had never been an option. I had no faction backing me. While other ministers had entire armies at their disposal, I was alone. At best, I had Fatla and Vania with me. That was why, when I met the demon king, I erred on the side of caution… We often crossed paths, so perhaps it was still a little easier compared with when I first became minister, though. “I would have been powerless had you not pulled me up, Your Majesty. I have no choice but to obey you. Thank you for all you have done for me.” I suppose that’s enough. “Oh-ho, you have no choice but to obey me? I see~ ” Her Majesty chuckled, and the smile she wore now was not the same as the one from before. Oh dear, I may have made a slip of the tongue… “Then why don’t you accompany me all day today? I was just searching for someone knowledgeable in the agricultural sector.” “Well, I must be heading to work at—” “And the demon king’s orders have now canceled your work. I will give Miss Fatla the power to make final decisions in your place~ ” She was taking this much further than I’d expected! I should have been more careful in my choice of expression… Of course she would take advantage of my pledge to obey her… But what I’d said was true; I did have no choice. She was the demon king, after all. “Then I will make arrangements to give you the day off, Miss Beelzebub.” She pointed to a gazebo not too far from us. “Take shelter from the rain there. I’ll be right back. ” “Ah, but I don’t know what—” “You don’t need to know anything. ” Her Majesty had already started skipping off toward the castle. I did not know what exactly was going to happen, but I knew for a fact that it would be trouble. As I sat staring off into space in the gazebo, the demon king returned. “I am sorry to keep you waiting. Now, let us be off!” With a dramatic flourish, Her Majesty raised her right hand. “Be off to where? No, first, I’d like to know the reason behind all this.” I had been given almost no information beforehand, so I was nervous. “You know there is an herb garden on castle grounds, don’t you? I’m searching for a plant to cultivate there.” Her reason was more respectable than I’d imagined. The herb garden was beside the castle’s regular garden, which was a facility some would call a botanical garden with a farm added to it. The castle was large, so if we ever found ourselves in a siege, we would need food. The plants growing in the herb garden were vegetables we could harvest during a crisis. In addition, there were also plants that proved to be good poisons, should the need ever arise for that. Of course, many of us simply saw it as a botanical garden, so most of the demons who worked in the castle treated it that way. Now, since the herb garden fell under the Ministry of Agriculture’s jurisdiction, I had no choice but to go. It made sense. However, everything in the castle itself belonged to the demon king, so anything she wanted to plant would be prioritized. The normal garden was more like something she managed as a hobby. “If I may ask, what sort of plant are you looking for?” “Before I answer thaaaat… Pop quiz!” Was this a test for her vassal…? “Please name as many plants growing in the herb garden as possible! Ready, go!” “What? Demon carrot, demon onion, northern thick-shell beans, tundra wheat, tundra barley, demon capsicum, monster capsicum, demon eggplant—” I was surprised by the suddenness of it, but I listed one plant name after another. I omitted many of the finer subvarieties, such as the large, small, red, and other types of demon eggplant we bred, because otherwise, I would never finish. Of course, the poisonous herbs were not used in cooking, so I knew little more than the names of those. After a while, the demon king started to clap. “Amazing! You know so many! I thought you might even be a researcher working in the herb garden!” “When I became the minister of agriculture, I made sure to memorize what I would need to know, you see.” I did not mind the compliment—though, of course, I was not a plant enthusiast. I didn’t even pay attention to what sort of capsicums or spices they used in the hell spaghetti at the restaurant I frequented. By the way, I’ve heard that the demon lands used to be too cold for capsicums to grow. They were brought from another faraway land, modified, then grown here. Though I was the daughter of greengrocers, there were quite a few vegetables in the herb garden that I had never seen before. It was a bit of a shock. But since I was now at the top of the Ministry of Agriculture, there was much I needed to know. That was why I had memorized every plant in the herb garden. At the time, the task had felt rather pointless, considering they would not appear on a test or anything…so I never thought I would actually be tested on them. One never knows how fortune might favor them. “Yes, you’re such a hard worker, Miss Beelzebub. You truly deserve praise for your efforts. I do love that about you. ” I didn’t know what to make of that last bit, but if she was praising me, then I suppose it was all right to be happy about it. “Now that I know how skilled you are, let us be off. ” Her Majesty turned to face the gazebo exit and opened her umbrella. “Wait, Your Majesty, where are we going?” I knew all the places we could get to from Vanzeld Castle. There were scarcely more than farms in the outskirts of the city, but that would be a bit of a journey. “You’ll find out if you follow me.” The demon king grabbed my hand. I reminded myself I had no choice but to obey her. The demon king brought me to… …a corridor in the castle’s fifth-floor basement. I scarcely ever came down here, as I rarely had any reason to. “It is so spacious under the castle…” The corridor stretched forward, and at regular intervals along the walls sat candles, as though someone had been taking care of the place. That said, it was eerie. “Yes. Those working in the ministry and the government office buildings don’t appear to be aware of this area’s existence. Even if they were, it seems hardly anyone knows the proper routes down here.” The demon king was still grasping my hand. I had a feeling our positions should be reversed, but as this was my first time seeing this place, I could not act as the escort here. “This castle was built only to prevent an enemy attack, after all~ It’s one big maze!” “I see… Ah yes, the castle is a dungeon, isn’t it…?” I was astonished. How long had it taken to build such a large structure? How much did it cost? Uh-oh… Perhaps it would be best if I did not think of the budget right now. My job may have made me far too conscious of money issues… “One of the previous demon kings was a little crazy for architecture~ The design of this place is so complicated, one might easily lose their way!” “Indeed, I no longer know where I am anymore… Hmm?” I realized there was a fundamental question I should have been asking. “We can wander about underground, but no plants grow down here, do they? Unless there is some especially valuable mold you’re after?” “You’re right; they don’t grow down here~ ” I could see the question mark in my mind. Then where is she taking me…? But the answer practically leaped out at me. “Um, I believe it was around here~” Her Majesty opened a door, and I saw a glittering light on the other side. A magic circle drawn on the ground was glowing. “…I suppose this is for transportation…?” “How perceptive of you! Yes, we will be warping! Here we go!” Her Majesty tugged on my hand even harder, pulling me into the magic circle. When we arrived, a forest of tall pine trees spread as far as the eye could see, and the ground was covered in a thin frost. “Augh! It’s so cold… I should have worn a coat…!” I hugged myself instinctively. The temperature was so much colder here compared with the town around the castle! “Oh, come now~ Don’t let go of my hand. I believe you can endure the cold and stay linked with me at the same time.” I gave my hand back to her. Ah, it had been so cold, I’d let go… “Still, to think we could reach this place from the castle… I had no idea…” “It is top secret, after all. In fact, we’ve secured routes to all sorts of locations~” This was highly classified information—but I was a minister, so it wasn’t bad for me to know. “Look at the base of the pines. See the mushrooms growing there, breaking through the ice and living out here in the cold? Those are what I’m here to collect.” Just as she said, there were mushrooms and other grasses peeking out from the ice, clinging fast to the tree. Her Majesty plucked them and put them in the cloth bag she had brought with her. “Ahhh, now this feels like agricultural work.” “Of course. This is proper work, you know. We’re not here to play.” I honestly thought this was another one of Her Majesty’s jokes, but she was taking it surprisingly seriously. That said, it was still much too cold… And then came a freezing gust of wind! There’s frost in my hair… “I can stand this no longer! Let us return!” “What? But this is nothing.” Her Majesty seemed entirely unaffected. She did not even seem to be putting on a brave front. So this was Her Majesty’s true power… It was an odd way to discover how outmatched I was. “You seem to be in pain, so I suppose we can move on to the next area.” “The next area?” I had a terrible feeling about this. “Yes! Let’s return to the castle via magic circle, then we’ll warp to another place with a different teleportation circle.” “What is the next place like…?” I had to ask before I could feel better about it. “It’s not cold at all! I can guarantee that!” Then, after leaping into a magic circle in a creepy and deep part of the castle underground— —we came to a thick, dense forest. The trees were not all that tall, and all of them had ivy wrapped tightly around them. “’Tis not cold at all, no. But it is a damp, uncomfortable heat…” “We might find delicious nuts here, no? Let us get to looking!” Compared with that horridly frigid place, it might be worth searching around here. Planting them as is in the castle’s herb garden might cause them to die due to the difference in climate, but we could manage through selective breeding. Her Majesty dragged me deeper and deeper into the forest. Her initiative was impressive, and this was much better than staying cooped up in the castle. But I felt some pressure on my stomach. I looked down and saw that a snake as thick as a rope was coiling around me. “Your Majesty, stop, stop! We have a big snake problem!” “Oh~ That one isn’t venomous, so there’s no need to panic. It’s simply trying to suffocate you.” “Then I have every reason to panic! I cannot… Hrgh—!” Pain coursed through my body. “Relax, Miss Beelzebub.” “If I relax, I’ll die!” “I doubt you’re weaker than a little snake. Can’t you simply pull it off you?” I snapped back to reality when she said that. Indeed—I had been training. It would take more than a snake to defeat me! “Rrrrrrrgh!” I grabbed the snake and pulled! “Rrrrgrah! Do not underestimate a demon! You’re nothing but a common reptile!” All of a sudden, just as I could feel its grip on me loosening, the snake let go and began to wriggle. It seemed to recognize that it would be in danger if it didn’t. “Now don’t cause any more trouble.” I tossed it to the ground, and the snake escaped into the brush. “Yes, yes! Of course you wouldn’t lose to a snake! Let us continue~ ” Her Majesty pulled on my hand again. “Understood… I shall follow you anywhere…” “Music to my ears.” Oh… Another slip of the tongue. I keep creating opportunities for her like this. Or perhaps this is a sign that I still have much to learn? We encountered more snakes later, but I kicked them all to the side. Literally. I kicked them, and they squirmed away. They knew I was not to be their prey. Every single time, the demon king complimented me (“What good form on that kick~ ”), so I suppose it wasn’t so bad. “By the way, Your Majesty, I have not seen any snakes attack you yet; are you wearing snake repellent or something?” If so, then she should have told me. I would have to protect her if she got attacked, but if such a convenient item existed, I wanted to use it, too. “Ah~ For some reason, the snakes are avoiding me~” Ah, the theory that animals instinctively know who is most powerful! That meant the snakes were approaching me because they felt there was a chance they could defeat me. The idea upset me a little, so I decided to proactively attack a snake whenever I saw one. “Where are you, where are you?! I will rip you in half, fry you, and eat you! I hear snakes taste delicious, and I’m dying to try one!” “That’s a bit much, Miss Beelzebub. Please mind yourself.” Her Majesty had been unusually serious on this outing. “Y-yes, ma’am…” I wasn’t entirely sure of why, but something I did must have offended her. “Do you understand? You serve me, but you are also older than me. I want you to follow me faithfully as a minister while maintaining the image of an elder sister. You are my escort, so please do not forget to act like one.” “I see what you are saying, but you have been the one pulling my hand, Your Majesty, so when it comes to the question of who is escorting whom—” “You absolutely must think more of yourself as my elder sister, as older than me! You need heart, I say!” Her Majesty placed her hand atop her heart. It seemed everyone had their line in the sand. We managed to collect all sorts of plants from the thick forest, so it was apt to say the trip was a success, but— “My whole body itches…” “I see the mosquitoes have made a feast of you~” I had been the prey of a horrible number of mosquitoes. “Are you all right, Your Majesty?” “Strangely enough, they haven’t come to me at all~ ” Even the mosquitoes knew she was powerful! Afterward, we used the teleportation circle again and arrived in a strange land. The third location was a small piece of flat land atop a cliff. “Argh! I’m so tense; how terrifying!” “Oh, you can fly, so no need to worry. In fact, I’d say this view alone is well worth the trip~” Her Majesty was calm and relaxed, perhaps because she always knew where we were going to warp to. “I see that, but why have we come here…? Are you sure there are any plants—?” “There’s a legendary flower here! It can only save one’s gravely ill childhood friend!” “Why is it limited to saving childhood friends?” I relaxed when I spotted the few pretty, blooming yellow flowers, however—and then I saw a hand reach up over the cliff’s edge! But the answer to that mystery came quickly. A young human man had climbed all the way up here. Which meant we were in the human lands. “Oh, what a coincidence it is to see someone else here~ Hello~” Her Majesty greeted the man as though they were passing each other in the street as she pulled up the yellow flowers, root and all. She was going to plant them in the herb garden. There were only a few flowers, and now they were all gone. “Aaah! Now I won’t be able to save my gravely ill childhood friend!” What a dramatic plot twist! “Aww~ But I believe this is finders keepers, as they say~ There are other cliffs, so why don’t you go and climb those~?” “Give it to him, Your Majesty! It wouldn’t hurt to give him one!” I had a feeling that we were in the wrong here! “Then why don’t we do this? If this man can defeat me in a fight, then I shall give him—” “You’re only pretending to give him a chance; that’s even worse!” There was no human who could defeat the demon king! I negotiated and managed to secure one flower for the human man. “Thank you very much, angels. Now I will be able to save my childhood friend, my love!” The man thanked us. “We are not angels, but…w-well, I suppose we are similar…” “They say no one returns alive from climbing this cliff, but because of your help, I should be able to take this flower back! Thank you so much!” The man, touched, climbed down the cliff with tears streaming down his face, an endeavor which was quite unsafe. “Your Majesty, he said any human who came here never returned. Could that mean…?” I dropped my gaze to the magic circle. “Ah~ Some humans stepped into the magic circle and exited into the castle underground. We were at war with them before, and I hear we did not let them go home back then.” From a human point of view, it was essentially a one-way portal… The next place we came to was a desert. The sand was hot underfoot. “If the magic circle gets covered in sand, then we’ll simply come out on top of it~” There was a mound of sand beneath our feet, so the magic circle was likely below it all. “I see. Unlike the previous locations, I cannot see the magic circle at all.” “Miss Beelzebub, will you please clear away the sand so we can get home?” “This is pure pain!” It was awful… No matter how much sand I dug up, more would simply flow in from the sides… “I will be at this forever… Forever…” “Oh, you can do it~ Do it for your younger sister~ ” “I may be doing this for the demon king, but it is still painful…” I let my mind wander, and eventually, I had dug up the sand-covered magic circle. The demon king had vanished, but she did return with all sorts of plants. I did not know where she could possibly have acquired them. Again, the demon king and I stood before a magic circle within the castle. It was deep, deep underground. We had walked down so many flights of stairs that I no longer remembered what floor we were on. “This will be our last one today~” “Finally, the end…” I lightly smacked my cheeks to perk myself up. I could get through this so long as I remembered that this was the last place. No matter where we ended up, it was unlikely that we would die. It would simply be an inconvenience. Once again, Her Majesty held my hand, and we hopped into the teleportation circle. We moved in an instant— —and my lungs filled with water! I began to choke. We were under the sea! I could see light filtering through the water, so we weren’t terribly deep, but this was grueling torture! On the other hand, Her Majesty floated beside me, leisurely picking marine plants. Oh no! Those will not grow if you plant them in the herb garden! “Mlab Beelbebeub, blobelbulubulelbueubueb?” She said something to me with a smile, but I could not hear what she said. Then I sensed bloodthirst. A shark was approaching us! Ha, so what?! I would never lose to a shark! I aimed a punch toward its head. Thunk. Oh no. We were in the water, so my punch didn’t pack much of a…well, punch. Our situation had taken a turn for the worse… The shark opened its jaws. I moved to swim away—and I would have succeeded, if it weren’t for the demon king’s hand still grasping mine! “Blorowub Abababwuebee, bwaaaababababublbb!” Your Majesty, shark! was what I meant to say, but I doubted she understood… She was still plucking marine plants! What should I do? Should I risk my life to save Her Majesty? …I had no choice. It was a retainer’s job, and I had said it myself anyway. I would obey the demon king. I must take responsibility for my own words. A minister could do no less. I came to float before the shark. Come on, bite me! I doubt I taste very good! If you get food poisoning, you’re on your own! The shark widened its maw. But at that very moment— —something that looked like a black mist swirled around the shark, and it simply turned up its belly and began to float away. Her Majesty had cast a spell, and her face seemed quite satisfied. The first thing I did upon returning to the castle was take a deep breath. Air had never tasted so good… “I cast a spell on the shark that sapped its strength. It didn’t stand a chance.” “That tells me that being underwater is nothing to you, Your Majesty.” I was once again reminded of the demon king’s incredible power. “That may be true, but I am so happy.” The demon king approached me and embraced me, lightly patting me on the back. She and I had just returned from the ocean, so we were both soaking wet, but she felt much warmer than me. “You put my safety above yours.” “Well… I am your vassal…” “You pass,” she said and let go of me. “I pass? Pass what?” “Miss Beelzebub, I have high hopes for you. I hope to bring out more of your best in the future. ” Her Majesty smiled, avoiding my question. “But through our activities today, your weaknesses have come to light. I hope you work on correcting those.” At some point, this had turned into a performance review. “When you say ‘weaknesses,’ are you referring to when we were underwater?” I hadn’t known how to face the shark. The castle and the town didn’t give me many opportunities to fight them, after all. “Miss Beelzebub, have you ever gone sightseeing before?” “Rarely,” I answered instantly. I had lived for a long time in the town around Vanzeld Castle, but I spent my weekends exclusively lying around. “I thought so~ You strike me as rather narrow-minded.” Her Majesty gave a dramatic sigh. “That is why I wanted you to see and experience many different places personally. You must develop that part of yourself in order to be a minister, after all~” I was startled. “A minister cannot simply be strong…” One needed strong intuition and farsightedness. Someone who only ever looked at documents in her office, only ever jogged around the castle moat, and never left the city during her days off was hardly suited to be the minister of agriculture. A solid grasp on the nature and climate of places all around the world was essential to the job. I suppose that was what Her Majesty was trying to teach me. “Thank you very much, Your Majesty! My eyes have been opened!” “Aww, Miss Beelzebub, teasing you is so worth it~” “What do you mean by that?!” I could not let that one slip by! “Exactly what I said. You take everything at face value, so I’m always amused by our interactions.” I wonder if she had simply been toying with me the whole day… “Well, I hope for more good things in the future. ” The demon king smiled gleefully. She seemed more delighted than I thought she would be. Perhaps a minister should also take care not to be tricked by something that only sounds believable… In the days that followed, I diligently went jogging. Also, to the surprise of no one, the marine plants that the demon king had procured from the ocean now sat brittle and dry in the dirt. The reason I knew that was because I’d changed my jogging course to go through the herb garden. I was the minister of agriculture, so it would be a good idea to check on the growing plants as part of my morning routine. There was also something else that caught my eye. The flower said only to grow at the top of cliffs, the one that could save one’s gravely ill childhood friend—it was flourishing in the herb garden! “It does not just grow atop cliffs! The climate simply did not agree with it elsewhere!” Eventually, the flower might become a widely used medicinal herb in the demon lands.