"It was because of the feast!" Both Mira and Anna exclaimed at the same time. However, they wore different expressions. Mira appeared excited, as if recalling a fond memory, while Anna seemed embarrassed, as if she would rather forget it.
"The feast???" Alex queried, vaguely recalling Mira's mention of a feast after the award ceremony yesterday.
"Yes! Last night, after the award ceremony, we all had a grand feast in the castle's cafeteria, and it was the most fun feast I've ever had!" Mira said with a fond tone, implying that the after-event feast was more than just a dining experience for her.
Meanwhile, Anna remained quiet, avoiding eye contact with Alex, her face flushing with embarrassment as she recalled the events of the previous night. It seemed that the feast had been quite embarrassing moment for her specifically.
"Uhm... I seem to not recall anything from last night..." Alex confessed, a hint of frustration in his tone. He remembered the award ceremony, but everything after that was a blank.
"Really? That's a bummer... Oh! How about I tell you what happened last night?" Mira suggested cheerfully.
"Sure, I guess? Wouldn't really hurt to know."
Anna, however, wore a conflicted expression, unsure whether she should let Mira to recount the events of the feast.
"Well... last night..." Mira began her recount.
< | X | >
[Flashback from last night Award Ceremony]
"Long live Demon Queen Anna! Long live the Demon Kingdom!" Every demon attendee in the throne room cheered at the end of the Award Ceremony. The demons who were rewarded for their accomplishments, such as Mira, Roxane, Casey, and even the General, joined in the cheers. The General herself was particularly enthusiastic, and even Alex couldn't help but feel excited by the energy radiating from the demons. Anna smiled and giggled, delighted by the enthusiasm of her subjects and demon brethren, especially towards Alex.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed demons, we are having a celebratory feast at the cafeteria," the announcer declared to everyone in the throne room.
"OHHHHH!!!" Many demons cheered in excitement over the feast announcement, with Mira among the loudest, eagerly anticipating the food.
"You have a cafeteria here...?" Alex remarked upon hearing about the cafeteria in the Demon Queen's castle.
Anna heard Alex's comment. "Yes, Sir Alex. This cafeteria was established by one of our noble demon families about 100 years ago, and it is still run by their descendants. This noble family is dedicated to the pursuit of culinary arts and gastronomy. Legend has it that their ancestor had even dared themselves to venture into the human realm in search of cooking techniques and human delicacies," she explained to Alex.
"Huh... interesting," Alex commented, earning a smile from Anna, who was pleased that Alex found it intriguing. "Do you guys always eat in this cafeteria of yours?" Alex asked Anna again.
"Most of the time, yes. While we do have a dining hall for more formal occasions, the cafeteria is primarily for the servants, demon knights, and commoners. It's also the quickest option for them to grab a meal prepared by the chefs there," Anna answered Alex's question, which earned a nod of understanding from him.
Their conversation was interrupted by a mage cat beastkin who started rallying her fellow demons. "Everyone! Let's go enjoy the feast!" she shouted, galvanizing the crowd.
"OOOHHHHH!!!" Every demon cheered in agreement.
"LET'S GOOO!!!" She continued to rally them as they marched out of the throne room. Some demons, however, approached Alex first, surprising him with their sudden attention, while Anna backed away slightly to allow her demon brethren to interact with him.
"Sir Alex! Join us for the feast!" One menacing-looking demon approached Alex with a wide grin and invited him to join them.
"That's right, Hero! Please share with us about that powers that you had used in the battlefield!" A bald, red-skinned demon urged Alex to share about himself.
"Yeah! Tell us, Hero!" Every one of them said in unison to Alex.
Many demons swarmed around Alex, causing him to panic as he found himself surrounded by intimidating and/or unknown figures. Before he could object or protest to them swarming him, they lifted him into the air and began carrying him towards the cafeteria. Anna watched with amusement as Alex was carried away by her demon subjects.
"Ah! Hold on, fellows! Let me down! Please!!!" Alex protested and panicked as he was swept out of the throne room.
Meanwhile... After they had all left, a few demons remaining in the throne room were left bewildered by the spectacle, such as the General, while others found it endearing and amusing, like Roxane. The General then approached the Demon Queen.
"Your Majesty, is it wise to let our brethren interact with Sir Alex in such a manner?" the General inquired, concerned for Alex's safety given the rough nature of their kind, even if their intentions were good.
"It is fine, General. From the short amount of time that I have interacted with Sir Alex, I am quite positive that he is quite tolerant of us," Anna answered the General's concern with a confident smile. She was confident that Alex would get along with them without a problem, given how he had interacted with her without much reserve, despite her being not only a demon but also the Demon Queen herself. None of these hindered him from getting along with her.
"Oh my, it seems that our dear Anna-chan has taken quite a liking to our dear hero, Sir Alex~." Roxane approached them with a playful smile as she teased Anna.
Anna blushed slightly at Roxane's teasing. "Roxane, please do not insinuate such thoughts! Sir Alex and I have nothing of such an impure relationship!" Anna retorted to Roxane with a serious expression, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her.
"Oh my~? An impure relationship~? Our dear Anna-chan has such thoughts, hasn't she~?" Roxane had a glint in her eyes as she heard what Anna just mentioned. Anna was confused at first as to what she was implying... but then she realized what she had just said as a deep red blush covered her face.
"N-no! You're wrong, Roxane! I did not mean it that way!" Anna defended herself from Roxane's teasing, flustered.
"Oi, Roxane. Don't tease her Majesty too much," General Bella reprimanded the alluring demon knight.
"Ehhh? Why not~? I can't help myself but tease her because of how cute she's become recently~," Roxane protested to the General.
"Don't. You're troubling Her Majesty with your teasing!" The General retorted to Roxane. They soon continued to debate over the relationship between the Demon Queen and Sir Alex, further flustering Her Majesty.
"Both of you, enough of this nonsense!" Anna exclaimed, her face still red from blushing. She then stormed out of the throne room, apparently heading in the direction of the cafeteria.
"Your Majesty!?" General Bella exclaimed in shock as the Demon Queen suddenly stormed out of the throne room.
"Oh my... it seems that we made our dear Anna-chan mad~," Roxane observed the leaving Demon Queen with a mischievous smile.
"We?! You're the one who pushed this silly nonsense of them being in a relationship, Roxane!" General Bella retorted with a stern expression.
"Did I?" Roxane feigned innocence.
"Yes, you did!" General Bella asserted, pointing her finger accusingly at Roxane.
"Tehe~ Guilty as charged~. Anyway... Let's go see the feast~!" Roxane said cheerfully, attempting to change the subject. She then floated away to follow Anna, who had left earlier.
"Oi, Roxane! Don't just shove aside the problem like that! Come back here!" General Bella shouted after the leaving Roxane, running after her.
Meanwhile, everyone still in the throne room had just witnessed the weirdest conversation they had ever heard, not just from the two Arc-Demons, but also from their Demon Queen, Anna. However, they considered themselves lucky to witness the blushing face of their dear Demon Queen.
'... cute...' Every one of them had universally thought of the Demon Queen.
< | X | >
Soon enough, all three of them reached the large double doors to the cafeteria. A huge sign simply saying 'Cafeteria' was placed above the doors. They could hear commotion coming from inside the room, but they had already anticipated this given the nature of the celebration feast and the demons' inclination for revelry.
"It seems they've already started the feast," Roxane noted, observing the rowdy sounds emanating from the cafeteria.
"No surprise there," General Bella added, acknowledging Roxane's observation. She had prepared herself to handle the rowdy demons if necessary. However, she was willing to give them some leeway; after all, this was meant to be an enjoyable feast for them.
"..." Demon Queen Anna remained silent, her gut feeling warning her that there might be more than just rowdy demons inside. Some part of her survival instinct even told her not to enter the cafeteria right now. Despite these concerns, she chose to ignore them.
All three of them finally entered the cafeteria... and saw that tables were stacked together in the middle of the room, forming an impromptu performance stage. At the top of the stage stood their summoned hero, singing his heart out while their demon brethren cheered him on.
"Oh my lovely sugar~ Give me your sweet delight~"