A Demonic Covenant Reforged in the Ashes

Unavoidable Gaze

"Ugh... I lost... I lost..." Veira exaggeratedly cried out, looking rather dejected, covered in dirt and grime. She hadn’t expected Satanye to get more skilled at gathering flames, which led to her face being hit directly.

But, being a Lich, it wasn’t much of an issue—just a minor cosmetic damage, quickly restored by her regenerative powers.

"Impressive progress. Monsters' talents are truly enviable," said Ilya, nodding in satisfaction as he observed Satanye, who had a small proud smile on her face. He had intended to offer some words of advice like, "Don't show such a victorious expression; as a ruler, you should maintain composure." But he stopped himself, realizing that praise might be more suitable for Satanye at the moment.

"Well done." Ilya patted Satanye's head affectionately, almost like a father figure. Then, turning to Sheila, he added, "I've kept Satanye's training within her physical limits, but afterwards, I hope you can help alleviate her muscle fatigue."

"...Muscle fatigue?" Sheila seemed puzzled.

"Get one of the maids to massage her. If there's a hot spring, let her soak there and help with muscle relaxation." Ilya explained while organizing his papers. After waiting a moment and not hearing a response, he looked up and saw Sheila hesitating. He asked, "Don't tell me, none of the maids, including you, know how to do this?"

"Yes, the former Demon King... also disliked being served by the maids," Sheila said, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

Ilya nodded knowingly. "I figured as much. When he fought me, he always said he was rare, and invited me to the Demon King's castle for a 'man-to-man' battle."

But that was a problem.

"You're on, Veira. Have your 'Arcane Servant' teach the maids in the Demon King's castle."

Veira, who had been sulking, suddenly looked up and said, "You should be able to do it too, right? Why not help with the massage? Or give Sheila a demonstration."

With a teasing grin, Veira reached over to Satanye, running her hands up and down in an exaggerated manner, saying, "Don't you want to feel? Look at these little arms, like lotus stems, and these fair legs... tsk, tsk, tsk~"

"Ugh~ Huh?" Satanye shouted in confusion, unsure of what was going on. Sheila, smiling, quickly stopped Veira by slapping her hand away.

"Miss Veira, please don’t do anything that would trouble the Demon King." Sheila smiled kindly, trying to defuse the situation.

"Alright, alright~ So, Ilya, are you tempted now?" Veira said playfully, as though tempting a child with candy. "Isn’t this more tempting than Isabella’s legs? Don’t tell me you’ve never secretly touched Isabella’s legs?"

"I really haven’t... I've always respected her as a proper subject and never done anything like that," Ilya replied helplessly.

He patted Veira on the shoulder and said, "I’m amazed by your disrespect for the Demon King and the relaxed atmosphere here in the Demon King’s castle, but honestly, it's not bad... Please handle the massage issue."

As Ilya turned to leave the training grounds, Veira crossed her arms and said with a sigh, "As expected of Lord Ilya, truly the best subject in the world."

Hearing this, Sheila nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Do you really think Lord Ilya might officially join the Demon King’s castle, like you said?"

"Haha~" Veira laughed lightly. "I’m quite confident because Ilya’s not very good at handling requests from others. He’s the type of person who, if you beg him on your knees, will let you enter his room. If you beg again, he’ll let you sleep in his bed. And if you beg once more, he'll let you cuddle him to sleep..."

"Hehe… That’s exactly how he is," she added with a mischievous grin.

"Ha ha ha~" Veira laughed wickedly, and Sheila, who had understood her meaning, joined in, while Satanye, still confused, stood beside Sheila with a puzzled expression. For her, these topics were still too early to understand.

"Blue-spore Mushrooms... They might actually make sense as a staple food in the Demon King’s domain," Ilya said thoughtfully, poking a blue-spored mushroom with his knife and fork. "They have a decent starch content, are easy to cultivate, and align with the dietary habits of the insect men and goblins. I wonder about their yield, though."

"They can be harvested in about twenty days..." Sheila, who was serving Satanye lunch, replied. "The exact yield depends on the goblins in charge of the mushroom farming. Would you like me to ask them?"

"No need," Ilya shook his head. As a new dish was brought to the table and placed in front of him and Satanye, he said, "It seems just enough to feed the residents of the Demon King's castle and us..."

"Satanye, do you have any plans for this afternoon?" Ilya asked, looking at her.

Satanye, eating her meal, raised her head and looked at Sheila. Sheila, who had been under Ilya’s gaze, replied on her behalf, "A routine inspection of the Demon King's domain and its surroundings. Is there something urgent you need to address? Should we cancel it?"

"No, I was just asking," Ilya replied awkwardly. He felt slightly uncomfortable with the situation. At a meal like this, it wasn’t quite appropriate for him to keep starting conversations. After all, who was the ruler here? Was he the Demon King, or was Satanye?

But, as the host, why wasn’t Satanye speaking up? What was she thinking right now?

"Ilya, about the massage you mentioned... Miss Veira's arcane servant demonstrated it... Could you explain the purpose of such a massage?" Sheila asked, continuing to engage Ilya in conversation.

Ilya, slightly uncomfortable with the role of the one being questioned, explained, "After intense exercise, the body will feel sore the next day, and massage helps alleviate that."

That should be enough for now. If he started explaining things like, "It reduces local muscle tension, eases pain, improves blood circulation, and helps break down lactic acid," no one would understand.

In the silent meal, each lost in their thoughts, Satanye finally spoke up. "Ilya, would you accompany me for the afternoon inspection? I have many questions I’d like to ask."

"It’s not appropriate, Demon King," Ilya replied almost immediately, shaking his head. "Given my current position, I’m not qualified to be consulted by you. I can only help you with combat training and..."

Before he could finish, he noticed Satanye looking at him with a pleading gaze, and reluctantly changed his response, "However, if you want me to accompany you, I can follow your orders."

"Thank you~"

Sheila, standing to the side, twitched her mouth slightly. It was clear that, although Satanye hadn't understood all the details of their conversation, she had picked up on the part about Ilya not being good at handling requests from others.