The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 91

“I wonder if Tati has ever experienced something like this…”

After being lost in thought for a moment, Lakius continued in a serious voice.

“I think there are things in life that people can never forget.”

To my bewildered self, Lakius concluded as if it were the most natural thing.

“And for me, that’s you.”

“……”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

I could tell.

That Lakius was being completely sincere right now.

And every time I faced such pure goodwill.

……I had no idea what expression I should make.

“But why are you saying things like that?”

Lakius, who had been watching me carefully, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Are you perhaps sad that I’m going to Carlo? I……”

He trailed off for a moment.

Lakius swallowed hard and asked again.

“……Do you think you’ll miss me?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, I’ll miss you. You’re asking such silly questions.”

I nodded my head vigorously and teasingly asked back.

“Why, Laki, do you think I won’t miss you?”

“Of course not!”

Lakius said seriously.

Then his face flushed red, and he ended up hanging his head low.

His long, deer-like nape was as red as if it had been dyed with flower water.

‘Ah, really.’

I gave a bitter smile.

It’s quite a talent for a boy two spans taller than me to be this cute.

It makes even the energy to be angry disappear, doesn’t it?

After staring at Lakius for a while, I spoke with sincerity.

“You’ll do well, Laki.”

“……”

At my words, Lakius suddenly lifted his head.

He looked a bit surprised.

He blinked his eyes blankly, and then.

“Thank you.”

He smiled shyly.

“……”

Facing that smile, I was strangely at a loss for words.

‘I think there are things in life that people can never forget.’

The words Lakius had just said to me echoed in my ears.

I think for me, the ‘thing I can never forget in my life’ might be…

That shy smile.

***

At that moment.

The Empress was sitting in the carriage with a satisfied look on her face.

She was on her way back from visiting her family home, the Philomel Marquis household, after a long time.

‘Hehe, my brother has done his job very well.’

She could finally get rid of the 1st Prince who had been a thorn in her side.

Of course, if the 1st Prince were to properly develop Carlo, his political status would rise instantly, but…

‘Is that even possible?’

The Empress held a sardonic smile.

It was ‘that’ Carlo, of all places.

How could anyone revive that city that had completely fallen and was barely breathing?

So…

“It’s nice to see you.”

Huh?

Suddenly startled as if about to faint, the Empress widened her eyes.

The carriage had clearly been empty except for the Empress, but suddenly an elegant middle-aged man was sitting opposite her.

His posture, leaning slightly against the wall, looked very relaxed.

“S-someone! Anyone!”

The terrified Empress raised her voice as if mad.

But the surroundings remained silent.

As if the Empress and that man were isolated from the world.

After a moment.

The man gently threw a question at the Empress.

“Are you done with your tantrum?”

“W-what is this…!”

The fear-stricken Empress trembled as she looked at the man.

The man sighed as if to show off.

“I wanted to visit the Imperial Palace directly, but that Kirios fellow’s barrier was quite sturdy.”

Then he smiled gently.

“It would take quite some time to break it, so I gave up.”

In other words.

This man before her eyes was a transcendent being on par with Kirios, who had subjugated the five demon lords.

The color drained from the Empress’s face.

“W-who… are you?”

“My, before trying to find out the other person’s identity.”

His ice-blue eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Shouldn’t you mind your manners?”

“Gasp!”

For a moment, the Empress’s eyes seemed to become hazy, and then she started screaming hysterically.

“S-save me, save…!”

She scratched the walls with her nails and gasped for breath.

Thick tears streamed down the Empress’s cheeks.

As if trapped in a terrible nightmare.

The man, who had been watching this scene as if it were amusing, spoke kindly.

“When a worm meets a great being, it should show proper respect.”

At that, the Empress screamed.

“P-please spare me!”

“Good.”

At the same time, the focus returned to the Empress’s eyes.

The Empress, drenched in cold sweat, looked at the man.

“My, my son.”

The Empress desperately moved her lips.

“Rudolph… is he alive?”

Just moments ago, the Empress had seen Rudolph’s corpse sprawled on the floor.

Rudolph had fallen to the ground like a rotten bundle of straw, unable to even scream his last.

Hot blood flowed from his severed neck.

The Empress held her son’s severed body, screaming and crying.

“Of course, he’s alive.”

The man nodded generously towards the Empress, who was looking at him desperately.

Only then could the Empress feel somewhat relieved.

Perhaps it was just a hallucination that this man had shown her.

But the image of her son collapsing in a pool of blood was so vivid.

As if it were real.

The Empress asked, trembling.

“Who… who are you, why are you doing this to me……”

“I am the head of the Bartoloa Family and the eternal second-in-command of the demon realm.”

D-demon realm?!

The Empress’s face was filled with shock.

“It seems that your son is very precious to you.”

The man tilted his head and looked down at the Empress.

When his icy blue eyes, like shattered glass shards, stared at the Empress.

“……”

The Empress froze like a mouse in front of a predator.

“You want your son to become the Emperor, and I, as a representative of the demon race, want to build a relationship with the mother of the future Emperor.”

The man concluded in a languid tone.

“Don’t you think we could maintain quite a good relationship?”

***

“Well then, farewell to you all until we meet again.”

Lakius, mounted on his horse, bowed politely towards the three heroes.

“Very well.”

Kirios merely nodded halfheartedly,

“Shall we depart now? Don’t keep people standing in the cold. If we delay any longer, we might have to camp overnight.”

Cesar poured out what could be either concern or complaint.

“Take care.”

At least Siegfried offered a normal farewell……

Lastly, Lakius glanced back at me.

“Take care, Tati.”

His voice was noticeably softer than when addressing my dads.

Feeling somewhat choked up, I could only nod.

“Okay.”

Even after exchanging farewells, Lakius still hesitated.

He couldn’t bring himself to depart.

Unable to bear it any longer, Kirios raised his voice abruptly.

“Ah, aren’t you going?!”

“I’m going, I’m going.”

Lakius grumbled as he gripped the reins tightly.

Then he smiled cheerfully towards me.

“I’ll definitely see you again, Tati.”

With those final words.

“Hiya!”

Lakius spurred his horse.

By the way, the Imperial family didn’t do anything for Lakius.

They didn’t even provide him with knight escorts, so the knights following Lakius now were all provided by Orleans.

I stood rooted to the spot until Lakius completely disappeared from view.

‘No matter how much they dislike him, I can’t believe they’d send a prince off so carelessly.’

I felt resentful towards the Imperial family for being so cold to Lakius.

‘Will Laki be alright?’

Thinking about the hardships awaiting Lakius, my chest kept tightening.

Then Kirios glanced down at me.

“Kid, why such a gloomy face?”

“…I’m worried about Laki.”

I answered dejectedly.

“Carlo is a city very close to the demon realm, isn’t it?”

“So?”

“What if he encounters demons and gets in danger?”

At that, Kirios snorted.

“Ha, get in danger?”

Huh? Why this reaction?

I looked at Kirios in confusion.

Kirios replied without batting an eye.

“He acts all demure in front of you, but that guy is incredibly strong.”

“What?”

“It’s true. Even if you scour the entire empire, there are very few people who could match him.”

“Is, is he that strong?”

“Of course. He could probably pass the Orleans Knights’ entrance exam right now if he took it.”

…Oh my.

I felt the tears dry up instantly.