“Hmph, I don’t have a name that is fit for use by lowly mortals, but you may call me Gweldeian Asterious.”
He just said he didn’t have a name, then hit me with a confusing one! And I wasn’t focusing hard enough to remember it. I tremble with nerves, unsure whether I should ask him to repeat his name again.
He sneers. “Don’t be so frightened. Well, it’s only natural for a lesser creature to quiver at the sight of an absolute ruler.”
Um, the only reason I’ve gone pale is because I committed a social faux pas.
The thing’s wide, reptilian eyes bore into me. “Wench, where is the hero?”
“H-hero?” When he says hero, does he mean Luke? Does this beast know Luke?
“My subordinate was killed in this forest. As one of the Four Divine Kings, he belonged to a fairly strong class of monsters. Only a hero could have done the deed. Normally, the Demon King would never come here to see, but I deigned to drop in to satisfy my curiosity.”
“Subordinate? Demon King?” Who is this guy?
He looks like a man and can obviously talk, but he has horns on his head. And despite the dying light, a close look shows his skin color is a blueish-black. Is he a monster? Is he the Demon King, as in the king of monsters…?
“How long are you going to stare at me dumbfounded? Tell me what I wish to know, human woman. Or are you trying to tempt me by exposing yourself so?” He throws back his head, laughing.
What? Exposed? I glance down at myself. Oh my GOD! I forgot I was in the middle of washing myself! I’m topless!
“How dare you! Ew! You pervert!” By reflex, I shove the possible Demon King away from me with both hands, then cover my breasts as best I can.
I’ve never been accosted so openly by a sexual harasser before! What an awful man! I’m an unmarried teenager!
I fight back tears, ready to glare daggers at the bastard…only to find nothing but empty space all around me. I only meant to push him away, but I was so panicked I forgot to control my force.
Now I remember hearing a grunt, like, “Ngyuh!” the same moment I sent him hurtling away. A slew of snapped trees ahead topple, crashing down onto the ground one by one. Um. Whoops. I was too strong.
“H-hey! Sakurako! What was that noise?!” Kazuya rushes into the clearing.
I grip my breasts to cover them, even more flustered now. “D-don’t look at me!”
“Oh, sorry!” Kazuya turns away.
I scramble to grab my shirt. He almost saw me half-naked! Actually, maybe he did catch a glimpse! I guess we did bathe together when we were kids… Nope, that counts for nothing anymore. I’m mortified!
My shaking fingers fumble to button up my shirt. Once I’m fully clothed and have taken a few deep breaths, I finally feel more put together and calm down a little.
Which brings me to my next problem. What happened to the molester? Is he okay? I turn in the direction he went flying, but can’t see anything besides toppled trees stretching into the distance. I guess I went too far.
Kazuya will save the day; he always does. I run over to him, where he’s still facing the other way to protect my privacy.
“Kazuya, I messed up! A guy with a confusing name showed up, and he might be a Demon King, and he saw me naked, and I blew him away!”
Kazuya frowns, puzzled. “Who had a confusing name? The Demon King? I’ll be honest, I don’t really follow, but if you’re saying those trees fell when you hit someone, they’ve got to be dead for sure…” He starts walking through the path cleared by the fallen trees. “We’d better go see.”
At the end of them, we find the guy I had encountered earlier lying on the ground.
“Somehow he’s still alive, but barely breathing. I think the fact that he survived you hitting him means he must be very tough.” Kazuya’s brows knit, troubled, and he turns to me.
“Did you say he’s a demon?”
“No, Demon King.” As I’m explaining, the guy stirs and slowly raises his hand. A faint ball of light appears in his palm.
“Look out, Kazuya!” I yell, and kick the Demon King in the stomach.
“Buwah!” His body shoots up into the sky, then falls back to Earth with a thud.
Uh… Has he passed out again? No, he’s groaning, so he’s still alive and mostly conscious, if dazed.
Kazuya’s face turns hard. “Wow. He’s still alive? For now, let’s restrain him so we can hear him out. If that kick of yours didn’t kill him, he might well be the Demon King.”
We tie the guy up with rope. I get the sense he’s already recovering from the damage I inflicted. Man, he’s resilient.
After a while, he slowly comes to and opens his eyes. His panicked gaze darts around until he spots me and freezes. He’s looking deep into my eyes as he spills one word: “Gorgeous.”
What? Was that about me? Did he just call me gorgeous? No one’s ever even described me as beautiful before, so my heart twangs.
Kazuya barks in an unusually gruff voice, “Don’t run your mouth. Who are you?”
The Demon King shifts his gaze to Kazuya, next to me, and his eyes narrow. “Hmph, show some respect, you lower lifeform. You introduce yourself first.” Despite looking like a worm what with all the rope binding him, he’s acting so haughty.
“Can’t you see who’s holding all the cards here?” Kazuya asks in exasperation.
I can understand how Kazuya feels, but the guy just looked at me and blurted out that he thinks I’m gorgeous. No one who says that could be a bad person, no way. Not when I’m so touched!
“Take it easy on him, Kazuya,” I admonish him. “We can at least tell him our names! It’s impolite to ask someone’s name and not give your own.”
“Why are you giving lessons in manners all of a sudden?” He turns to me quizzically.
“My name is Sakurako,” I say to our prisoner. “I’m an adventurer, and more specifically, a cook.”
“A cook…? The word ‘cook’ used to mean one who cooks food. Are you telling me you aren’t a hero?”
“No, not at all,” I reply.
Hearing this, the guy starts crying. His eyes open wide and gush like waterfalls.
What?! Why?! Why is he crying?!
He sniffles. “I didn’t think humans would grow this strong while I was hibernating! I can’t even defend myself against a mere cook!” The combination of his dripping nose and limbs all bound with rope makes him appear so pathetic…
Kazuya must pity him, too, as his tone softens, “Uh, look, we’re sorry you’re crying, but who are you exactly?”
“Yeah, sorry. I should’ve said before. I’m the immortal Demon King who’s supposed to rule this world from hereon. I’m all about strength and bringing forth the chaos that arises from adoring strength above everything else, i.e. monsters, destruction, despair—Think of me as the father of all that is terrible.
“Since I’m the beast who’ll bring fear beyond all reckoning, the King, Knight Commander, and the chosen hero all want my head on a plate. Except now I’m so weak that I can’t compete with one little cook… However, because I’m immortal, I can’t perish, either. I’m just a tragic clown who will have to live as a weak being from now on, lasting all eternity.
“My signature attack is a destructive ray that’s meant to annihilate everything in its path. My weak point is my horns; my power suffers when they crack. Yes, these horns here on my head. Look at the right one! It’s hanging on by a thread thanks to the first blow the lovely Lady Sakurako dealt me. I suspect it’ll break fully if it gets hit again.