I feel like I've been talking to the hero more recently. I used to hate being treated like a woman, but now I think that Nefia is a different person to me and is taking that responsibility on my behalf. I don't worry about the little things anymore.
As I got used to it and began to relax, I realized that I didn't understand anything about the hero.
I wondered if it was okay to not know anything about my subordinates. I thought about waiting for the right time to talk to them. But I was troubled and worried, wondering, "How should I talk to them?"
The hero was currently grilling pork sausage for lunch. It was delicious when sandwiched between bread. No, that's not relevant now. I'll speak to him myself. I've never done it on purpose. I'm so embarrassed I don't know what to do.
"What is this? I feel so hesitant to call out to you....Ahhh!! It's so dizzying!!"
So I hit the hero on the head with force, trying to do something about it with force.
WHACK!!
"Ouch... Huh? Was there something bothering you? I'm sorry."
I feel like I hit her all the time, but today I feel sorry. I hit her for no reason. I know I should be angry, but the hero just laughs. The hero just apologizes. He's always treating me kindly. Like a princess.
"S-sorry. Nefia was trying to talk to you. I-I didn't know what to do so... I hit you. I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"
"It's okay. Do you want to talk more? Is it too much of a surprise to suddenly come up with such a cute excuse?"
"Don't call me cute, that's gross. By the way, my second personality, Nefia, wants to talk to you. The truth is, I don't know enough about you. We're going to be traveling together, so I think it's best that I at least know a little bit about you."
Feeling embarrassed, he makes up some weird excuse. He blames it on another personality. He has now decided to think of himself as a different person from Nefarius. The hero looks up at the ceiling in thought.
"I see. You have a point, so maybe after dinner."
"Yes!! Of course!!"
"...I wonder why she's become so cute...Is it because she started laughing?"
"You idiot, I told you not to call me cute."
*
After the meal, I was given some tea. I took a sip. It was so hot that I had to blow on it.
"So, can we talk now?"
The hero began speaking while leaning on his elbows.
"I haven't really talked to you much up until now. But if you think I'm trustworthy, then I'll talk to you."
"I think so, and you've shown it in your actions. And it seems you're the only one I can rely on."
His back was big at the moment he protected him. It was a reassuring back. There was no doubt about it. It was my sword.
"Well, I'll tell you a few secrets I've been keeping. Things that even the Black Knight Commander doesn't know, and things that he knows but doesn't know the details of."
"O-okay... why did you keep it a secret until now?"
"Nefia, you're going to talk, right?"
"Don't be stupid! I'm a former demon king who keeps my mouth shut!"
"Miss Elmia knows."
"...Yes, Nefia was a loose-lipped girl."
That's right. I said it too easily. I was blinded by money. And Elmia didn't even give me any money.
"I'm a wizard of the Black Knights."
"You're a water wizard. You made water happen the other day, right?"
This is the one who brought water into the empty glass.
"Ah, that's it. I've lightly touched on water magic, but strictly speaking it's wind magic. My specialty is wind magic."
"A wind wizard? Another strange attribute choice. I've never heard of it before. Do you control the wind?"
"oh yeah"
"It seems... weak. No, it's not an attribute that many people train."
I know that water wizards and wizards who can control fire are cooler. I can now use fire magic, so I'm a fire wizard. But even if I proudly boast, "I'm a wind wizard!!"... I don't think it's impressive. It's hard to imagine it.
"You can make fun of me. I have the sword and the skills. It'll be fine... You can underestimate me."
"...Are you going to deceive me again?"
It was just a bluff. I looked a little disappointed and pretended to have a sad face.
"I still can't believe it..."
Disappointed, he glanced at the hero and immediately blurted out:
「I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I said it!! I chose wind magic because it can do a lot of things and is convenient. It's great as a supplementary magic... and then...」
The hero hurriedly repeated himself. For some reason, his panicked appearance looked cute to me, and I found myself smiling. It was fun. Playing Nefia was fun too.
"I'm not particularly proud of my strength, but I'm good at assassinations."
"What? Assassination?"
"That's right. Wind magic is good for stealth and can be used to find people. It can also be used to eavesdrop, sneak up without making a sound and stab someone in a weak spot. It's convenient for camping and makes life easier. If you can't be stealthy, you can't take the Demon King's throne. Well, everyone else ran away."
"That's not exactly hero-like... But is it okay to think of it as a kind of convenient tool-like magic?"
"It's no problem. I'm good at stealth when I travel, so just let me know if you need anything. I'm also good at stealing."
"I'm becoming more and more distant from my image of a hero."
I read it while I was holed up. The story was about a demon hero who went on an adventure with his companions to defeat the king of the kingdom. I never thought anyone would use such dirty tricks.
"The book I read was definitely... a book about humans..."
I knew that the book I read was a copy of a human being turned into a demon. It seems that in every era, the demon king is defeated by a hero with the power of a god. Still, it was an interesting book, so I guess he changed the content. Changing the race, oppressing the race.
"I'm not a hero... I'm just one of Nefia's subordinates."
"That's true, after all... you didn't defeat me."
"Yeah."
"Well, I don't have anyone else to call, so I guess being a hero is fine."
"...I don't really like that nickname. It's the title of the one who defeats the Demon King."
"Well, it looks like we can defeat them, so that's fine. Don't sweat the small stuff. You're being a bit picky about strange things, aren't you?"
"I think so too. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"No. Let's listen to it together on the long journey."
It's going to be a long adventure with the hero. That's what I have a feeling about it.
*
A castle stands at the center of the empire. A building that displays the dignity of His Majesty the Emperor in his castle town. I, the princess, visit one of its rooms to discuss the woman I want killed.
"Brother, I'm coming in."
I told my brother who should be inside. I opened the door. Prince Rusty, dressed in a noble uniform, was sipping tea.
"Your little sister... What is it?"
"I wanted to talk to you, brother. I came to see you. I see you're free today."
"Yeah, that's right... I'm heartbroken."
"Hehe, so you got rejected. By the waiter at the restaurant."
"That's impossible because she's an adventurer.... haa... I guess it would be okay if I hired her with money....a pretty girl."
I only recently found out that my brother was dumped by a woman named Nefia. I've heard that he still hasn't given up on her. Unfortunately, he quit his job as a waiter. That's good for you. He's hard to target.
"Brother, there's actually someone I like..."
"You too, little sister? Did you fall in love with a commoner?"
"Yes. There are gemstones in the rough among the commoners, aren't there? Political marriages are fine, but... concubines should be of your own preference."
Not a concubine. I want the hero Tokiya to be my wife. I want him to be mine. I believe his child could even become king.
"Exactly. That's right. There's a woman out there more beautiful than any other young lady out there. It's no use falling in love with her."
"So, brother, do you know any adventurers near Lady Nefia?"
"Ah, it's him. He must be a fellow adventurer. I'm jealous."
"The name is Tokiya. A former black knight from an orphanage. Even among the black knights, he is an exceptional individual, highly regarded by the captain of the black knights."
Brother's face turned grim. The Black Knights are powerful figures in the Empire, but they also hide in the shadows like the Thieves' Guild, so only a few people know the full story. When the Black Knights are involved in an incident, everything becomes suspicious.
"Former Black Knight...?"
"Yes. I dueled him when I went to inspect the Black Knights. He went easy on me, allowing me to win. That's when we met. It was just before I was assigned to the Hero's unit."
Since then, I've asked her out many times and we've tried various things, but nothing has felt right. I can understand why, since she said she had a girlfriend. The more common people are, the more particular they are.
"...Why? The Black Knights. No, the Brave Corps... the elite."
A brave soldier who promised to pay a large sum of money. They gathered elite soldiers and adventurers. They were tasked with assassinating the Demon King in the Demon Kingdom. 90% of them did not return, but thanks to the 10% who dropped out and returned, they were able to learn about the inner workings of the Demon Kingdom. Since they did not believe they could defeat the Demon King, their main mission was reconnaissance in force, and they could also be considered spies who disguised themselves as adventurers and gathered information.
"That woman is suspicious, brother."
"The Black Knight. A survivor of the Hero Unit... It makes sense that she is the one he is guarding. She is more beautiful than the young lady. There is no doubt that she is a princess from somewhere."
"Yes, I agree. Nefia is probably a fake name. I'll have someone I know look into it. And how about we join forces?"
"I can see it now. Your sister wants her ex-black knight boyfriend. I want the princess named Nefia. Am I wrong?"
"There's no doubt about that, Brother."
"Okay, I get it. Let's join forces. If she's a noblewoman, I can make her my legal wife. She's probably from a small family and not a famous princess. With the pressure from the empire, I can make her my wife. You'll be grateful, little sister."
"No, no, our interests are aligned. Well then, I'll be off."
I turned on my heels and twisted my lips. I was happy. With this, I would surely be able to get rid of my brother, one of the potential successors.
*
"Lord Train."
A demi-human appears in the Demon Kingdom's office and private room. He is a male demon. He is skilled at changing his appearance and infiltrating. He is of the same species as the Demon King he failed to kill. He is a low-ranking demon.
"What? Are the chiefs making a fuss?"
I remember the various chiefs who ruled the Demon Realm. I wondered if they had rebelled against the Demon King. Or if they had come to protect him and seize power as regents.
"No, a friend who left for the Empire reported that they had found the Demon King."
"Did you find it?"
"It's good luck to get it in the first country."
"Indeed. What about the chiefs?"
"I guess I'm still searching for a man. I haven't found one yet."
"You're the first to arrive, but don't let the chief get ahead of you! And don't let the Four Heavenly Kings get ahead of you either!"
"yes"
The subordinate bowed and left the room. It would be fine if I left it to him. He was a man I hired because he was good at assassinations. I don't think there would be any bad news anytime soon.
"Seriously... I never thought a mistake like that would cause such a big problem."
The plan failed. I was supposed to have the hero defeat him, then I would avenge him and sit on the throne as the one who could defeat the hero, and I was supposed to have the clan leader follow me in one fell swoop. The demon king was weakened by the potion, so he was either defeated or killed by the potion. But for some reason he turned into a woman and escaped.
"You went to the trouble of poisoning the Demon King's family one by one. You assassinated the clan leader and destroyed the hereditary succession! The clan leaders were supposed to outwit some of the Four Heavenly Kings and become the new Demon Kings!"
Bang!!
He slammed the desk down with force. He had imprisoned a young boy, rendered him useless, and made him the Demon King, but all this was for naught. He had spread rumors that he wanted to make the boy a Demon King, and he had done so to get revenge, but the result was completely different.
"Then those chiefs... if there's no Demon King, they claim that they are the Demon King. The man who took the Demon King's head is the Demon King. The Four Heavenly Kings also agree... Damn it... It's also not good that the hero is a crazy weirdo... To think that he'd kidnap the Demon King!!"
The pencil he was clutching broke. He let out a curse from the bottom of his heart. He cursed the Demon King Nefarius and the hero. He bit his lip as he recalled how his plan had gone awry. He took a breath, stared at the wall, and gazed at the black sword that had become his own.
"Well, the magic sword is here."
If anyone other than the Demon King holds it, the sword will fly away and fly away. Therefore, it is forcibly pulled by a string and hidden here. It is the symbol of the Demon King. It can only be held when the Demon King dies and is transferred from the Demon King to the new Demon King. The sword must be deceived.
"Hehehe, it's okay. Calm down... As long as I have this symbol... I can still become the Demon King. I can become the top!! I can take this entire country for myself."
I stood up from my chair and looked into the bedroom next door. I looked at the symbol of the Demon King once again and smiled. I shouted at the thing that would one day be mine.
"Just wait, sword. I will definitely become your master."
I'll become the best devil.