–Back at the hotel–
Nell, Lyuu, and Enne were sitting at the table in their room, watching Yuki deep asleep in bed.
He had collapsed into bed the moment they got back here, saying, "Sorry, I'm going to sleep for a bit".
He said he wasn't tired, but from the looks of things, there was no doubt that he had put a lot of strain on his body.
Although he appeared unconcerned, he must have actually been having a very hard time.
"I already knew painfully that he is special, but… I wonder how strong he will become."
Nell uttered in a low voice so as not to wake Yuki up.
Lyuu replied in a soft voice, "That is, of course, up to where Lefi is, you know, right, Nell, because that is the end of strength that he is seeking."
Nell nodded at Lyuu's words and added, "Yeah… I think it's already pretty astonishing to be able to seriously aim for that. I'm also trying to be strong as a hero, but I am honestly not aiming to be as strong as Lefi."
"…Master is often acting strangely, but he is not conceited about his strength. He is always working hard with Rir."
Enne joined the conversation while chomping down on a big piece of meat on the bone, a specialty of the Dwarven Village.
The meat, which was as big as her head, was grilled and seasoned with only salt and pepper. It had a very rough and strong taste, but it was as addictive as junk food.
Nell and Lyuu did not get one because of the overwhelming amount of fat and juices in the meat, but Enne was enjoying the delicious meal without any care.
"Yes, sometimes he feels a little insecure, but that's just him being a man, I guess. And Enne, is that meat good?"
"…It's very juicy and tasty. This luscious fat and seasoning amplifies one's appetite. But it's definitely greasy, so it's not something I will like to eat daily. Do you want a bite, big sisters?"
"Thanks, I'll have a bite then. I heard that the Dwarf guys eat this every day, but doesn't that make you sick at the stomach…?"
"Thanks, Enne. …Ugh, it's definitely very greasy. I think I'm out after just one bite… The Dwarves seem to drink a lot of alcohol with this. I wonder if they have iron stomachs."
Enne suddenly said in an excited tone, "…Oh, Enne wants an iron stomach as well."
"Enne, you have an unlimited stomach, so let's just call that good enough for you. A life that requires an iron stomach is simply not healthy for the body."
After laughing at the exchange, the conversation returned to Yuki.
It was already common knowledge among the girls that Yuki had been out of it for a while now.
Recently, he made a big mistake, and though it seemed that he had managed to get over it, they also noticed that he seemed a bit depressed.
But – until now – they had never seen him stop moving forward.
Yes, he was always moving forward.
He fought daily in the forests of the Demon Forest, then ventured out, got involved with the nations, and finally became an emperor.
And now he had become the [High Lord], and from what they had heard, there was no doubt that he had abilities that transcended the humanoid races.
He also said that he talked to God, which must be true if he said so.
It had only been about three years since Yuki became Demon Lord…who in the world could be so active in such a short period of time?
Incidentally, Nell and Lyuu, who had been given simple authority over the dungeon area of the Demon Forest, knew from the map function that the dungeon was well-equipped with a sophisticated defense system.
Nell, in particular, often went with Yuki to the Demon Forest to see the traps together, so she knew the exact extent, effectiveness, and power of the traps, etc. Even if the entire army of the Kingdom of Allysia were to rush in, they would probably be destroyed in one week.
No, not destroyed, not exterminated, but totally annihilated.
They would be eradicated and killed by the traps that had been set up without even Yuki, Rir, and the others' getting involved in any way.
There was no human territory that was so well-equipped for defense.
According to Nell's estimation, only the elves' pride [Forest Mystery] could compete with it.
However, even with all that, it seemed that Yuki was still unable to compete with the monsters in the deepest part of the forest, which he called the western area, and was often heard complaining, "What's going on there?"
It was easy to forget when one was in the dungeon, but that forest remained a dangerous and unexplored region.
"This man has recently become an emperor. Well, I think everyone probably felt like he would reach a high position. I expected it to happen, but not so soon."
"…Indeed. I think someone like husband is more suitable to be a [hero]. Well, when I mentioned it before, he simply smiled and said, 'No, I'm not like that. I'm just selfish'."
Yuki often referred to himself as "just selfish".
He said that he simply ended up in the middle of things, and he was not such a praiseworthy person, but more of a helpless man.
Indeed, he may be selfish.
That was to say, he would not concede his beliefs that were within him.
No matter what stood in his way, he crushed everything and went through with it.
This was demonstrated in the great battle that took place not long ago.
No matter how strong the enemy was, he gritted his teeth and fought with determination for those close to him.
"…But the Master is always thinking of everyone."
"Yes, I think so too. His priority is everyone in the dungeon, and he always puts himself aside. I mean, there are times when he's being weird and stubborn, but he always puts us first in the most important moments. Well, I guess, that is what we love the most about him."
"Fufu, yes. He will put his body on the line and carry himself forward. So, we have to be able to support our husband, who is always pushing himself forward."
"Well said, Lyuu, we are the emperor's wives now, and we have to keep trying to support him."
"…I know it's a little late for this, but we have certainly become emperor's wives. It sounds wonderful. I am just a maid after all, you know."
"Well, you may indeed have been a maid, but…"
"But?"
"No, nothing. A maid, yes."
Nell swallowed her words that were about to come out of her mouth, "Layla would be a role model for the position, but Lyuu as a definition of [maid] is a bit…" and showed that she had no other intention of mentioning it with a deliberate gesture.
"You seem to be thinking of something funny, don't you? It's okay, we're a family. You can say what you want to say…"
"No, no, there are times when it's better to be careful with what you say because we're all close to each other."
"Nell, you are starting to sound and act a lot like the husband these days."
"That's true for both of us."
Enne, who was completely unconcerned, continued to eat the big meat on the bone while the two were joking around, and interjected at her own pace.
"…Speaking of which, Master has a third pair of wings. It is cool. I'm sure big sis will be excited to see it."
"Haha, sure… Lefi has a wing fetish, so she's going to make a big fuss when we get home. She's probably going to be touching Onii-san's wings for a few days."
"It's easy to picture the husband complaining about how troublesome it is, but letting Lefi do whatever she wants."
The three of them never stopped their conversation.
Even though they were always together, they never ran out of topics to talk about and continued to laugh.
Yuki, woke up in the middle of their conversation, but was actually writhing in embarrassment, unable to declare that he had awakened after listening to their conversation.