CH 36

Suddenly, he thought the moon was dazzling.

“Oh, it’s the moon. . .”

Just like the night sky of his distant hometown that he left behind a long time ago, the beautiful full moon was shining brightly in the sky tonight.

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The man was looking up at the night sky.

Since he had become connected to the earth, he no longer needed sleep.

Therefore, the man always sneaked out of the castle known as the Demon King’s Castle at night.

But tonight, he couldn’t bring himself to return to the castle. He was sure that his troubled heart would show on his face.

“. . .Did I really do such a thing. . .”

The man covered his face in shame, alone, as he recalled his actions during the day.

“Aaaaah.”

Things like a vow of a kiss.

He couldn’t believe that he had done something so impulsive on his own.

“If I were a knight of this country, it would be one thing, but for a man like me to feel so guilty. . .ahh.”

Wasn’t she okay with being touched by his lips?

What did she think?

ーーFor that beloved saint, would his affection be a nuisance?

“No, that’s not it. The priority is to protect her. No matter what she thinks of me, that’s a trivial matter.”

While covering his face, the man convinced himself that he had no regrets.

It was an action that prioritized protecting her over his shame and hesitation.

Appearing in front of everyone as the Demon King and giving Saint Hiira a vow of kiss was the most effective way to show that he had her support.

Neither adventurers nor nobles would dare to lay a hand on her. 

“. . .That’s right. I have no regrets.”

Even if he was disliked for his forceful approach, as long as his oath protected her, he didn’t care what others thought of him.

But.

Hiira accepted the oath he unilaterally made.

She blushed and looked surprised, but even when he stroked her cheek, kissed her hand, and placed a kiss on the back of her hand, she didn’t show any disgust or fear like when she looked at Kasdar.

If she really hated it, she would have complained to “Synovidos,” whom she trusted, about the forceful demon king.

“Can I think that there’s a chance. . .”

He almost blurted out his true feelings.

“Aaaaah.”

He was honestly happy that she accepted him.

He wanted to continue to get along with her as a demon king if possible.

――But.

There were two things that made a man feel guilty.

One. The fact that he was using different faces for Synovidos and the demon king.

Two. His position as a man who couldn’t make her happy just as a man because he had a contract with the earth as the [demon king.].

The man’s golden eyes darkened. His hair, which melted into the darkness, cast a shadow on his face illuminated by the moon.

“If I were just a man, I could honestly say that I love you, Hiira-dono.”

He muttered to himself.

“But. . .because I’m not just a man. . .I was able to meet you like this.”

Should he curse his fate as an immortal being called the demon king or be grateful for it?

The man couldn’t come to a conclusion tonight.

“Hiira. . .dono. . .”

He muttered, at that moment.

ーーI’m. . .sorry. . .

“Hm!!”

The man lifted his face as if he had been pushed away and looked towards the room where a certain saint was sleeping.

ーーI’m sorry. . .it hurts. . .please forgive me. . .

In the bedroom, which was surprisingly noisy with the cries of birds and insects, other sounds could be heard. The voice of a woman crying and suffering.

The man furrowed his brow deeply and opened the wooden door without making a sound or rustling his clothes.

Beyond the wooden-panelled hallway, he could hear the sound of a woman crying from her room.

“I’m. . .sorry. . .forgive me. . .forgive me. . .”

The man stood silently in front of the door to her bedroom, letting out a deep sigh.

“She seems to be plagued by nightmares again tonight. . .”

He spun a spell with just the movement of his lips.

The saint’s crying voice, which seemed to be plagued by nightmares, stopped and gradually changed to a quiet, deep sleep.

“May you have a peaceful sleep. . .Hiira-dono.”

The man breathed a sigh of relief, turned on his heel decisively in front of the room, and climbed up to the roof from the hallway window.

The red brick roof was shining in the bright moonlight.

The man narrowed his eyes at the moon and his long black hair slipped smoothly from the hood wrapped around his head.

“When will Hiira-dono be able to sleep without being plagued by nightmares?”

Saint Hiira had been laughing a lot lately, sleeping well, and seemed to be in good health.

However, since Kasdar recently barged into the Saint Cafeteria, the wounds she had suffered in her heart and body seem to be tormenting her again. 

Whether in front of Synovidos or the Demon King, Hiira always behaves cheerfully and bravely.

But the man realizes that Hiira is not used to happiness.

Despite her bright smile, she believes that happiness always slips through her fingers and doesn’t last long.

That’s why she can laugh even when she’s in pain.

Even when terrible things happen to her, she gives up as if it’s natural.

The man looks up at the moon and thinks back to when he first met her.

The expression on her face when she was wounded by Kasdar in the Throne Room is still burned into his mind.