I Became the Demon King’s Right Hand so I Will Alter the Original Story

Chapter 2 - Desire

Translation by Glass

Love is madness, a fever of some sort. Therefore, please ignore this mindset, that's how things like this end up starting. To be precise, had it not been in the convenience store in the dead of night, the sight of an angel shining brightly shouldn't be a bad sign.

"How handsome, what's this?"

The magazine I was holding was displayed at the edge of the serials section.

"Lapis Lazuli World...?"

『LOOK FORWARD TO OUR NEW SERIALIZATION』, proclaimed the giant dancing red letters. A golden-haired, blue-eyed, heroic-looking boy and a silver-haired, green-eyed young man that looked like a sidekick. In the spot usually reserved for the villain behind these two, though grotesque, was that face smiling softly.

"...huh? I love it."

When the first chapter was published 『He』was nothing but a silhouette. However,  in 『the very popular Lapis Lazuli World opens here! WEBSITE』, I ended up reading Chapter 1's extras.  There was nothing I could do about it. On that same day, the website published five whole chapters and I read them all. These were actually the extras compilation 「A certain day with the Demon Lord」 which I also read.

—the Demon Lord that caused dead people to crawl out of their graves (he did his best to send them back quietly)

T/N: She's constantly calling him Maou-san, so it's actually Mr. Demon Lord, it's kinda cute. I'll only use 'Sir Demon Lord' when she's directly addressing him, however.

—the Demon Lord that caused aberrants to come out of the underworld (after feeding them, he sent them back)

T/N: The previous translator used 'aberrants' as nouns for the creatures or grotesque monsters so I'll use that too. They seem to be furry beasts.

—the Demon Lord that fended off nosy adventurers (making them level-up considerably)

—the Demon Lord that burnt apple pies (his own fur was mixed in by mistake)

—the Demon Lord who prays at night before going to sleep (grateful for anything that happened that day)

—and thus, for this one person, if there was anything he wanted—

In terms of the Demon Lord's goals, the author did not make any definite statements. However, if I had to make a guess it was something like World Peace for sure. With such light-hearted extras, I assumed that the essence of the Demon Lord's character is to be a self-parody. For whatever reason, in this book compilation, despite the Demon Lord's existence being the herald of the world's imminent destruction, his actions have always been, for the world's sake, for mankind's sake.

For example, when abducting villagers, the adventurer's previous cave would have a sword in it, and though the villagers were still abducted, the cave's pure water will melt any curse when drunk. For example, before positioning his armies of aberrants, a certain noble built a dam to store water, then somehow the aberrants inadvertently destroyed it so that the water could reach the town. Afterwards there would be a scene like when the aberrants seem about to attack the town, he would appear and say something like 『don't bother with such a worthless thing』 to the gathered aberrants. If you look at the results, simply put, that's a saint. For the humans however, unable to see these as anything but the Demon Lord seizing every chance to make a move, feared him, and were ignorant and evil. Whenever the Demon Lord encountered these humans, he would laugh. There's no helping that, his facial expressions seemed to say.

T/N: Castle owner -> Noble

He did not mind these at all, even adventurers. Even if they came to kill him, it was fine. After all, if the Demon Lord did not exist, the aberrants wouldn't emerge and the dead would not resurrect, —such thoughts were even hinted at with his gentle smiling face.

"Is he an angel," and thus I was in too deep.

T/N: "I completely fell into the swamp." She became completely obsessed.

Whenever the Demon Lord walked the boot on his right leg would thump, making a sound, while his aberrant left leg would not, somehow this made the sound of his footsteps strange. Thunk, ......, thunk, ...... thunk ....... It sounds like a slow rhythm. Thunk, ......, thunk, ...... thunk ....... However, if it seems the Demon Lord is walking behind you, 『RUN』.

It's not that the Demon Lord is being mean for no reason, but if I didn't run I'd be overtaken.

First of all, my height is less than 150 cm, while the Demon Lord is probably bigger than a vending machine. In other words, the height difference is just cruel. Even sadder than this,  in terms of leg ratio it's incomparable. By the way, even though I've searched thoroughly where I fell,  I'm barefoot. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, the sound is incredibly conspicuous on the marble-floored corridors.

T/N: petapetapeta -> plop plop plop or pitter-patter

Thunk, ......, and in the middle of that sound, something like pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter is clicking.

At this, the Demon Lord's legs stopped, then he looked at me.

"...... how tiny."

It seems that whatever I was thinking, the Demon Lord seems to think so too. Well, isn't that right! There's no other sound you could hear, at all! Just thunk, pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter and nothing else! You could tell the difference in speed just from the sound, right!!

"My apologies....."

"What are you apologizing for? If you're small then you're small, is there anything you can do about that. ...... no, of course ......"

The Demon Lord rested his chin on his right hand and looked down at me. Those ash-colored eyes then, with a flash, sparkled.

"Ehh, uwah!"

All of a sudden my field of vision seemed to get a bit higher. I looked at my feet that felt incongruous and... rollerskates.

"How is it?"

"Ehhh!?"

"Is it no good? I thought if wheels were added, woudn't you be able to go much faster."

T/N: He actually said pulleys but I thought this made better sense

To be able to tilt his head like that in such a lovely fashion, this is indeed an angel.

"T-Thank you very much."

"It's nothing special... To raise my subordinates' abilities to their full potential is my duty."

"Are you a god?"

"Aren't I a demon lord?"

After saying that as a matter of fact, the Demon Lord started walking again. Behind him, I followed. Well, tried to.

"Gya-ah!"

"What is it?!"

"No, wait– uwah—"

Clack clack clack, as my feet whirled, even though I thought I managed to fix my balance, I still landed on my rear with a plop. It's like you're pulling yourself forward.

"......"

"......"

In the silence after having fallen, with his piercing gaze stuck to me, I realized that cold sweat was pouring down my back.

"Then,"

"No! I can do it!"

"...... Is that so."

Denying that consoling voice of his, first of all, I should get up. Well, tried to.

"Ugya—h!"

This time, I fell on my face.

"......"

"......"

—once again, the silence fell.

Putting strength into both hands, somehow, I managed to raise my upper body. Clack, clack, with both feet continuously slipping, I fired up my whole spirit and got up. Well, tried to.

"Fugya—h!"

This time I fell on my side.

"...... Tohru,"

"I can do it!"

"...... calm down."

"Sir Demon Lord deigned to give me this present, I can't be unable to use it! Gya-h!"

"There's no denying that... but for now, calm down."

"Uwah! Ouch! No I will!"

"......"

"A-at the very least I will stand up, please wait a mo- uwah!"

Suddenly, my body floated up.

"Tohru,"

The Demon Lord carried me under his arm. The cold undead arm wound around my stomach chilled me and made me shiver.

"Don't be unreasonable."

"I was indeed, unreasonable."

"Conduct yourself properly."

The way that he said it, so properly and objectively, made me reflect back on my actions.

"......, I'm very sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. This is just the prototype, even with tools it is necessary to make improvements, isn't it. Figuring it out slowly is fine."

"Yes..."

Then, with me still being carried under his arm, thunk, ......, thunk, ......, the Demon Lord started walking.  

"Uhmm, Sir Demon Lord,"

"What?"

I thought I'd ask him if I was too heavy, however as it stands the current situation is definitely the fastest way to go. Besides not having any other suggestions to make, it was nothing but a useless question. In other words, it had no meaning. So when I closed my open mouth, the Demon Lord stopped walking and said "Hmm?" while peering at my face.

"What, was there something you wanted to ask me?"

Eh? Isn't he too kind? Is he an angel? Aren't his eyelashes absurdly long? He's an angel (definitely).

T/N: He's an angel (definitely) - the kanji used in parenthesis indicated that she talked herself into it

"......,  uhm, where are we heading to?"

The question I scraped up earned an "Ahh," from the Demon Lord.

"This castle is bigger than it looks from outside, beyond the central tower there are six more towers. This here is what I call the second tower section but, ...... plainly speaking, these are the torture chambers."

"Torture chambers."

"Well, since you're my subordinate, it's better not to be in a place like this."

"Uh, yes."

"Even I don't come to this section that often. I don't know if there's anything here at all."

He barely comes here huh, this too confirms that the Demon Lord is an angel.

"That's why we're going to the section I'm usually using."

"The Demon Lord's residence! Sacred ground!"

"Hmm? Something like that. It's the central tower."

"Is it alright for me to intrude in a place like that?!"

"Ah. There's countless rooms available. After all, there's no one here but me, ...... use whichever room you want."

Then, the instant the Demon Lord said this, the floor shook violently. Following it, from somewhere before us something approached accompanied by a roar.

"Sir Demon Lord, what's that,"

"Well, ....... even I don't have complete control of this place, so if you don't want to die, don't walk around willy-nilly about the place."

"Just a while ago you said something that's the opposite of that, didn't y- ugya-ah!"

"The part about using any room you want is perfectly fine. It's only the security that is not guaranteed."

"I see! Uwah?! The Demon Lord is always right! Hiieehh!"

"Of course."

"Gya~h!"

Rumble-rumble, a large boulder came rolling from the front (estimate over 3 meters in diameter) while the Demon Lord playfully hopped-skipped along and commented, "You're the type to die quickly." I was only able to squeak "Gueh!", "Uehhh!" or "Gyoh!" in a weird voice while subjected to random jolts of gravity.

T/N:The Demon Lord was hopping, pyon-pyon like a rabbit - hopped-skipped; Random jolts of gravity - the original said something like random G-forces but the kanji indicated gravity

"Tohru."

"Yes?"

We finally arrived at the throne room which I have seen many times in the original story. It is as wide as a gymnasium with a high ceiling, but has only a few light sources. From what I remember, it gave the whole room a gloomy feeling.  In the center, a carpet inlaid with a dark red design is laid out. At the end of the carpet is a low staircase of 5 steps, on top of which sits a black throne. Just as in the original story, the Demon Lord sat comfortably on the throne with his chin resting on his undead arm. "Oh," this perfectly arranged painting came to life and I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

I, on the other hand, am sitting on a small chair with a fluffy cushion that the Demon Lord pulled out from the back of the throne. Until recently I've been sitting on a wooden chair while working so that it was as if a bomb was detonated on my butt, which is to say, I'm truly, very thankful that this chair exists. I don't know where the chair came from, but whatever the Demon Lord provides could only be the best.

T/N: she really said 'bomb on my ass'

"And then?"

"Yes?"

From my seat's vantage point I looked up at the Demon Lord sitting atop the low staircase.

"And then, ...... how did you get all the way here?"

"Before I was aware of it, I was already in front of the gates."

"......, then what was it that carried you here?"

"No, I think it was something else entirely......"

"And you have no memory of this,"

"Uh, yes that is so."

"Hmmm...... Then it stands to reason."

Soft, fine hair like that of a child, which in reality is impossible for an adult man, loosely hung on that resolute forehead. However,  the Demon Lord's brows were knit in a frown, and he shook his head with irritation. It seems that, even if the hair is disheveled in an a lovely aesthetic hairstyle to the casual observer, for the person himself it's nothing but a hindrance.

"Shall I tie your hair for you?"

"...... hah?"

"Your hairstyle, shall I fix it for you?"

"...... My hair?"

"Yes, if it doesn't bother you."

"...... do whatever you want."

"Okay!"

I stood up, walked next to the throne and with an "Excuse me," took up the black hair in my hand. The soft hair seemed to flow and escape from my fingers, completely without any crookedness or damage in sight, as if they were silk threads.  

"I'll use a single tie then?"

"Whatever is fine."

"Understood."

I took out a hairclip from my suit's pocket and started plaiting. Make the braid from the front to the back of the head. Since the Demon Lord probably feels that the hair touching his face is unpleasant, I braided it a little tightly so that it will not come loose when you move.  After a certain point is braided, rotate to the other side and do the same braid. At that point, I realized that the throne's backrest was in the way and could no longer braid the hair straight from behind the Demon Lord.  Now what do I do.

"......"

Letting out a sigh, the Demon Lord turned his head for me.

"Thank you very much!"

"......"

Release the blocking, combine the beautiful hair into one plait, then wrap and coil the braid around. Since there aren't any bending in the hair I thought it would come loose easily but I didn't mix in the short hairs so I was able to tie it all together neatly.

"I'm done!"

"Is that so,"

The Demon Lord shook his head a couple of times and said, "That's nice," then looked at me.

"You did well."

"Thank you very much!"

"...... Since one of my hands is like this, I can't do such fine work by myself."

Brandishing his fluffy hand, the Demon Lord gave a little laugh.

"You should be the replacement for this left arm."

"Y-yes! I'll work hard!"

I knew it, that smile is so precious any other phenomenon would be incomparable.

"So! Then, uhm, when it comes to your hair, or like, cooking meals! Oh, please also leave reading books aloud to me!"

"When it comes to books I can read them by myself......"

"Then! Should I fix stuffed toys as well?!"

"No need,"

"Ah, how about I sew your cloak with lace!?"

"No need.  ...... however I'm curious about your cooking."

"Then I'll make the meals!"

"...... do whatever you like."

T/N: This separator is from the author, also a change in POV; we're seeing the Demon Lord's POV

It's a weakness.  

"Tohru."

"Yes!"

"Let go."

"No! I can open it!"

"Don't overdo it."

"Uguh!"

Taking the bottle from her hand, I opened it with my fingertips. Then I offered the bottle back to her,  but Tohru was quivering with tears in her eyes.  

"..... It's not something you should cry over."

"But then I won't be able to cook that dish all by myself!"

"You're too hard on yourself."

'Despite my weakness,' she seemed to continue talking but swallowed her words instead. Holding the bottle, Tohru mumbled something intermittently, "I'll improve by tomorrow," she said, recklessly. Her eyes, however, were serious and her face betrayed no lies so I replied, "Is that so."

No matter how many times my appraisal tried to read her memories, using my power to see, nothing came out.

There wasn't much else in her memories right before our meeting, anything before were not only fragmentary but also hideously blurred. She herself said that she didn't know anything, had it been destroyed or had it been sealed, I wonder. I could cancel such a seal by force but,

— she is so weak her hit points only amounted to 9 HP, if I did such a thing she would probably die. If she died, — I wouldn't be able to revive her. What will come out instead will probably be an undead zombie from the underworld, a substitute demon brimming with magical power or some other perambulating creature. That would be something else entirely.

T/N: HP - hit points or life points, like in a video game. The number of times you can get hit with 1 damage before dying.

The little creature tottered about happily,  raising a ruckus unlike a speechless puppet. Besides, usually it's 『This is the first time I've seen a room like this』. But with her around instead I've been saying, 『This castle is starting to change a lot』. Forget throwing this away, it's too precious.

T/N: pyoko-pyoko, cute little motions -> tottered about

"...... by the way, what exactly are you making?"

"I'm making chicken and tomato stew."

Something is simmering, bubbling away on the iron pot. When I looked, what I could see were slices of snake meat and, well, ..... it's fine.  

"...... will it be done soon?"

"Since it's stew, in about 20 more minutes."

"I see......"

"After this I could make some other dishes, is there anything you'd like?"

"Anything I—"

"Oh! That's right! Since there's flour, I could even make pancakes!"

"Pancakes?"

Tohru opened the cupboard and took out a number of containers and flour.

"Fluffy or firm, which would you like?

"Fluffy? Firm?"

"Do you want it sweet? Or would you rather have it salty?"

"Sweet? Salty?"

After repeating those words that I couldn't comprehend, Tohru suddenly looked at me.

With a grave look, she stared intently at my face. —however, those black eyes showed no indications of magical power. Whether she planned to use appraisal on me or send me flying in an instant however, even just by looking I could tell it was neither. When it started to feel uncomfortable, I averted my eyes.

"What?"

"Oh Sir Demon Lord, what kind of meal do you usually partake?"

T/N: She's talking very formally here, I think she's also being a little sarcastic

"Usually meat."

"And how is this meat usually prepared?"

"I eat it as is. ......why are you making that face?"

Tohru subtly narrowed her eyes, then her face changed into a dumbfounded expression. However, the only thought I could gather from her head was, 『If I have to make this child happy, that's unacceptable』which persisted, she didn't think at all of anything else that could clarify this statement.  

"You, exactly what are you?"

"Your servant."

While she replied matter-of-factly, Tohru took something out of the cupboard. A white powder and a black liquid. After putting a little bit of each on little saucers, she held them out to me.

"Please taste these,"

"These?"

"Yes."

I appraised the powder and liquid passed to me, found them to be non-toxic, then tasted them as she instructed.

"! ......"

"That is sugar, I used it as a representative of sweetness. ....... do you dislike this flavor?"

"No, not at all."

"I see!"

"It tastes like ripened fruit. It's delicious."

"I see, understood. Then how about this one?"

I tasted the liquid offered to me.

"! ...... What's this?"

"This is soy sauce that's been diluted a bit. I'm grateful that all the Japanese seasonings are available......., do you hate it?"

"I don't hate it but,  is this substance for tasting?"

"Understood. Compared to mine, the Demon Lord's palate is undeveloped to that extent. Hmmm. After this I could ask how he likes bitter flavors but, bitter pancakes would be ludicrous...... If there's fish should I try grilling it......"

While muttering randomly, Tohru put some powder in a bowl.

"Tohru,"

"Yes, what is it?"

Tohru's HP value is only 9. It seems her MP is so miniscule it could not even be rounded to a full number, so it is 0. When I picked her up she had been poisoned, her HP had fallen to 2. Even in a state of full recovery, if I poked her a little bit she'd be torn to shreds, maybe even a gust of wind could kill her.

T/N: MP - Mana or Magic points

"Tohru."

"Yes?"

"......hahah"

T/N: He's chuckling, kukuku, but I can't think of an English equivalent

"Is there something I could do?"

She's so weak. Truly, so horribly weak that no task would do.

"...... if there's an answer to that question, it'll be interesting."

"To be called interesting is enough to make me happy!"

"Hahah,"

"Even just hearing the Demon Lord answer me back is a great joy. I've always been ignored!"

"...... huh?"

The bowl clattered as Tohru mixed something while she laughed with palpable delight. For the time being, I took the bowl from her and started mixing it in her stead.

"Eh, but I can do it myself?"

"What do you mean by 'I've always been ignored'?"

"Eh? Ah—, I was uhm—, how do I say this, ...... Originally I was making an unidentified flying object type of transportation."

T/N: She did say Unidentified Flying Object, as in UFO, but not the part that specifies flying saucers. I'm assuming she's some kind of aerospace engineer and is trying to translate it to something the Demon Lord would understand, although the manga seemed to show her job is only as a typical office salaryman and this could be her referring to work projects.

"If it's just the sky wouldn't flying by yourself be fine?"

"Humans can't fly."

"You can't fly?"

"Ah—, I suppose if I had magic I could fly......, well, I, for the sake of those who can't fly, decided to make them something for flying but, a team, or I should say, comrades,  I didn't have anyone I could call as such and had to make it by myself.

T/N: She says 'team' in English, but then corrects the term to 'nakama'

"Why? Don't humans tend to flock together?"

"Oh that's enough mixing for that. This time I will fry it."

Tohru took the bowl from my hand, operated some sort of apparatus that created a steady flame, then on top of the flame she placed an item made of iron. Afterwards, she kept her gaze on the thing.

"...... Tohru."

I called, and she finally looked back at me. At first glance, she wore a troubled expression.

"Do you not want to talk about it?"

"It's not like that but, actually my story is not fun at all?"

"There's no such thing. After all, until now I have not had any companions to talk to."

"Ah, but friends,"

"It's not that I don't have any friends, but I am the Demon Lord."

"I haven't said anything like that!"

"Your eyes said it all."

".......ahaha,"

Tohru, without realizing it, laughed.  After that, she spread oil on the ironware, then poured the mysterious, semi-solid mixed subtance. This thing then spread out in a circle and, heated by the flame, hardened.

"I'm excellent at this, you know."

"......"

"Ah, do you doubt me? Sure I'm powerless and can't use magic but when it comes to dexterity I'm confident I'm top-class among humans."

While saying this, Tohru turned to a different ironware and flipped over the seared meat on top of it.

"However, because of this, no matter what I do, it was much faster to do it alone, and more accurately too, ...... I thought I managed it particularly well. I thought it would be a hassle. Having to deal with other humans was too difficult."

Within Tohru's thoughts,  I couldn't find a single lie.

"And because of that, eventually I was completely ignored, ...... living in that situation became difficult for me."

So that's why, as I peer into her thoughts, her feelings of that time flowed out. Whatever it was that she seemed to be talking about, there is, to my surprise, the presence of pain. Like the deep pain felt when suddenly stabbed.  

"But it actually was my fault. I wasn't charming, I couldn't read the room, even my presence was unpleasant...... ah—, no, please don't make that face. You see? Didn't I say it won't be a fun story?"

Looking at my face,  Tohru gave a troubled smile. Of course, when I read her mind, only the incomprehensible thought,  『I want to make the Demon Lord happy』 filled it. Only that thought contained not the slightest bit of blurring.

I've never thought of myself that way.

"...... I am the Demon Lord."

"Yes?"

"You're different from humans who must flock together."

".......eh? uhm ...... is that so?"

"Therefore, charm is not required, it's ok if you can't read the room. For instance, if there's anything you can't do, or you're useless at, it's fine. You belong to this Demon Lord, and for that you should be proud. Do not put on airs. Do not lie. Doing only what you can do is fine. That is for me to decide."

The expression on Tohru's face disappeared. Keeping a complete poker face on, Tohru flipped the pancake over with a plop. A pleasant smell spread out. However, Tohru's face remained expressionless. Even when I read her mind, there was absolutely nothing.

"...... Tohru?"

I tried calling her. But of course, there was nothing.

"...... hey, what's wrong.......?"

Her mind was like that of a zombie. Even a beast would have more emotions. With my claws completely sheathed, I tried nudging that little head using my left hand. Tohru's hair was styled as she liked it, it was bound harder than mine.  

However, the sensation of touching it is much nicer in that it is incomparable to beasts, and it smells sweet somehow. While mussing that hair, scritch scritch, and nudging that tiny head, her thoughts finally returned.

"Fluffy! Fluffy!"

This little rascal, no matter how you think about it, there was nothing excellent about her.    

"Oi, come now,"

"Squishy! Squishy!"

"Tohru!"

"Eh, Ah- yes, what can I do for you?"

"The right words should be 'what are you doing'."

"Uh.......m, no, erm, ......I'm just fooling around?"

"What,"

"I've never been appraised like that before...... Like, being able to say whatever I want, that's......"

"Hah? Even children can get praised when they level up, don't they?"

"But I didn't level up."

Once again, I looked at her status. Sure enough, she's still at level 1.

"You, how are you still alive at only Level 1?

"A human is usually level 1 when in their first round at life!"

"What kind of logic is that, that's......."

"Yes, the pancakes are done!"

Tohru, with her face red for some reason, placed the pancake on a plate and shoved it in my direction. For the time being, I took it with my right hand.

"Ah, the tomato stew is cooked! Where do we eat?

"Uh, ..... I believe I saw a hall from the corridor......"

"Then, let's go there, yes!"

She quickly slopped the meat and tomatoes into a bowl.

"What is it, why are you in a hurry,"

"Idon'tknowwhatyoumean!"

"...... You're talking too fast."

"Th, there's no such thing!"

"......"

"Wh- now, please stop appraising me."

『Is it okay to have such a perfect boss is he god is he an angel it's too good to be true but I don't understand why it's the best the Demon Lord is the best I love him! Love him lots! I've liked him for some time already but now I don''t even know how much more I love him! Don't get flustered, it's just unnatural! Marry me! For the purpose of marriage, please marry me!』

T/N: 1. She's using 'suki' here but it's awkward to just say 'like' since it's pretty intense. 2. There's no missing punctuation it's a whole stream of consciousness. 3. The usual phrasing is 'for the purpose of marriage, please date me' ie. to begin dating with the objective of marriage but she totally just skipped the 'dating' bit lol

For the time being, I slowly averted my eyes.

"Aaaaah..... that's why I said please stop......"

"......, ......let's go search for that hall...."

"...... yes, off we go."

T/N: Back to Tohru's POV

Despite the Demon Lord mentioning that he consumed his food raw, he has perfect table manners.

His left hand gripped the fork very well, I thought, the bright talons glistened but looked like it wasn't really a paw so the claw can be used as such. It's actually dexterous. In that condition, if tools are involved, as long as it was properly proportioned he might be able to do fine work. Therefore, my job is to acquire such tools, isn't it. ......hmm, a few comes to mind. Let's implement that later.

"..... It's delicious."

He said it in a very quiet voice but the Demon Lord definitely said it. I could feel his face grinning.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Fufu, that's good."

The meal was comprised of pancakes, unsweetened but done slightly salty and crispy. Without needing an explanation, the Demon Lord cut the pancakes into bite-sized morsels, combined it with the meat and ate it together.

"I'd also like to eat something sweet."

"Understood! I'll do that for the afternoon snack!"

"Afternoon snack?"

"It's something you eat at 3PM in the afternoon, isn't it."

"......? How many times do you eat during the day?"

"Could it be that..... you don't eat much?"

At my question, the Demon Lord's eyes turned downwards as he pondered for a bit. The long eyelashes cast a shadow that fell on his cheeks. Even that shadow alone was perfection. As if I was peeking at a fragile beauty, I memorize this dimly-lit piece of happiness. Suddenly, the lightly colored lips opened.

"I eat a beast once a month."

"Hm? Like a snake perhaps?"

"Like a Demon Lord?"

"Incidentally, exactly what do you mean by a 'beast',"

"......, well, something that could swallow other things whole, that sort of thing."

"Like a snake?"

"Like a Demon Lord?"

"Oh, okay."

"Then afterwards I eat fruit when I'm hungry."

"Ah, yes, ..... incidentally, how exactly do you eat a beast,"

"I swallow it whole."

"Like a snake?"

"Like a Demon Lord?"

While saying this, the Demon Lord cut out a much larger piece of meat and suddenly swallowed it whole. I don't know how or where he put it, because his cheeks did not bulge and he continued eating with a pleasant face.

"My meals were just like that......, ......it wasn't tasty but, ......indeed, if it becomes like this...... it's delicious."

"Ah, it's much nicer right,"

"What is this, really......"

That's right, isn't it, if he tried to cook, the fur gets into it, right! He can't use his left hand, isn't it! I see, I see, kitty's paws get in the way, right! But now he's curious about cooking, right! That's why he has perfect table manners! I don't have a choice anymore, I must make him happy.

"......"

Splendidly, after consuming everything the Demon Lord wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at me. I didn't understand the meaning in that gaze, for the time being I tilted my head. Since the Demon Lord is basically expressionless, it is hard to read what he is feeling.

"Oh, that's right. Sir Demon Lord, is there's anything else that you want to try eating?"

"......, that reminds me,"

"Yes?"

Snap, the Demon Lord snapped the fingers on his right hand. At that very moment, something came out at my feet.

"Gyahh!"

"The deepest layer of this castle is connected to the aberrant realm while the highest layer is connected to God's realm. While I know this castle like a book, to begin with this tower is..... no, that's fine. In short, I'm not necessarily the owner of this castle.

"Eh? Wait sto--!"

"That is why, I do not have complete control of this castle. The roms increase on their own, the places switch on their own, things like that just grow on their own. However, the things constructed inside the castle are somehow things that I can eat."

"What is this thing!"

"Hmm? That's the lowest layer's cannibal ivy."

"Cannibal!?"

Grass suddenly grew from the hall floor, pushing up on us, the tables and chairs. Moreover,  the vines around my legs up to my waist are tightening. Hey, am I gonna die?! Also, for some reason the ivy isn't growing around the Demon Lord and the grass is just lifting up his chair. How strange. This is complete discrimination!

"Why me?!"

"Well, you're human and I'm a demon lord."

"Guehh!"

"Well anyway, if you're cooking something, don't mind using anything inside this castle. I would also like to try eating whatever it is."

"W-wait, a-am I also one of those edible ingredients?!"

"Ah, ...... I haven't eaten any humans, but that is a possibility."

"Ueh!"

When I was covered in ivy up to my arms, the Demon Lord stood up and trampled on the ivy. Suddenly, he alighted on a desk, and thunk, ......, thunk, ......, strolled elegantly to me.

"Eh,"

Are you coming to help me, I thought, but he swiftly sat down on the desk and took the pancake from my plate.

"Ah."

"Delicious."

"Wai-"

"...... yes, it's delicious."

"Ah!"

The Demon Lord scarfed down the leftovers on my plate. Looking up at that indecipherable face, what floated there was a smile of satisfaction that — for the first time that I've ever seen — was a truly villainous smile.

"It's survival of the fittest."

"No, if I may say so, wouldn't you want me to make you a second serving?!"

"Wouldn't that be boring."

"Boring-it's not boring, uehhh, I'm already being strangled oeehhh!"

"It's alright, you still have 5 HP."

"I'm dying!"

"But still, this is really delicious."

"Uguhhh, thank you very much!"

In the end, it wasn't until after the Demon Lord had eaten the rest of my share of the food that I was let down.  To be honest I didn't really have the appetite, so if I could say it was just right, I'd say it but hearing 'delicious' 'delicious' next to me while being eaten is pretty stressful, so I decided I'll make the Demon Lord's meal 5 times the amount for next time.

"Was it tasty?"

"Yes, it was delicious."

"Compared to what?....."

"You still have to work hard, Tohru."

"Yes, but that's already a matter of course!"

"...... I found a good subordinate. Today is a good day."

"...... Please don't say such things it makes me want to cry."

"Why?"

"Then I'll appraise you right now,"

"......"

"...... if you're going to avert your eyes anyway then stop it!"

"...... you're a strange human."

"If you're just playing I'll stop! Really!"

"...... it was a joke."

"What?!"

The Demon Lord laughed with delight.

That smiling face never appeared in the original story, but it was simply so delightful that I thought, for that smile I could do anything.

Translator note:

Hey it's my first time posting here, if you notice any mistakes feel free to drop me a note in the Discord!The chapter title is katsubou, meaning an eager desire, deep thirst or craving. That's right, I was THIS close to naming this chapter 'thirst'. Tohru sure is thirsty, but I think there's a lot of underlying bitterweet stuff going on. We'll see.

Thank you for reading! I will continue on to chapter 3~