NCCnovel Chapter 591 - 591
Chapter 591 - 591
The next day.Inside the miniature Demon King's Castle.
Eiji gently released Wiz from his embrace and quietly got out of bed, making his way to the central courtyard in front of the building.
A silver longsword appeared in his hand. Each swing created swirling vortices, the churning air currents slicing through the earth. The surreal sight left patrolling minions passing by with utterly shattered worldviews.
"Not good enough."
Yet Eiji wore an expression of dissatisfaction.
"Although my magical power has improved slightly, the bottleneck in swordsmanship remains as stubborn as ever!"
Having reached level 40+, his magical power had increased somewhat compared to before, but only by a marginal amount—less than ten percent.
Meanwhile, the crucial bottleneck in swordsmanship stood before him like an immovable boulder. No matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't advance even a single step further.
During his time in this world, his progress had been extremely limited.
"Indeed, to untie the bell, you must seek the one who tied it."
Eiji silently recited this thought to himself.
The surroundings suddenly grew hazy, as fragile as a bubble that would pop at the slightest touch.
Simultaneously, the shadow of a pitch-black gate faintly appeared before his eyes.
On that gate, the name of the Danmachi world remained dim.
But the name of the Rakudai world now shone as brightly as a gilded plaque.
This meant the cooldown period had ended—he could now return to the Rakudai world.
With a single thought, the illusory domain vanished completely. The sensation of the world feeling as insubstantial as a bubble disappeared, and Eiji found himself standing firmly on the courtyard grounds once more.
"Your Majesty."
A maidservant attending nearby approached, offering a towel.
Eiji accepted it and wiped the cold sweat from his face.
"Your Majesty, a man claiming to be the head of the Dustiness family seeks an audience outside the castle walls."
The maidservant reported respectfully.
"The Dustiness family?"
Eiji recalled this surname—he remembered Iris mentioning this family to him before.
"Isn't that one of the two great noble families of the Belzerg Kingdom, alongside the Senfonia family? Known as the 'Shield of Belzerg' and the 'Kingdom's Hidden Blade,' right?"
The Dustiness and Senfonia families were the two most prestigious noble houses of the Belzerg Kingdom, serving as the royal family's right and left hands, holding exalted status.
For the head of such a family to personally come to my Demon King's Castle at this time—wasn't he afraid the royal family would grow suspicious of him?
"Let him in. I'll receive him in the front hall."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
About ten minutes later.
Having washed off his sweat and changed into his Demon King regalia, Eiji arrived at the front hall of the miniature Demon King's Castle.
The head of the Dustiness family had been waiting there for some time.
"Your Majesty the Demon King, I am Dustiness Ford Igris, humbly serving as Chief Strategist of the Belzerg Kingdom."
The man appeared to be around fifty years old.
His once-golden hair had long lost its luster, his face lined with wrinkles unbecoming of his age. Currently, his expression was filled with deep concern, looking as haggard as if he hadn't slept all night.
Yet his demeanor still carried the elegance befitting his noble status.
"Have you come here because the King of Belzerg wishes to negotiate with me?"
Eiji sat imposingly on his throne, his voice low and commanding as he questioned.
"Not so."
The man shook his head, inwardly awed. The Demon King truly lived up to his reputation—his presence was far more terrifying than any king's, enough to make one tremble.
He steadied himself quickly.
"Today I come not as the Kingdom's Chief Strategist, but as a father, to beg Your Majesty to release my daughter."
"Your daughter?"
Eiji raised an eyebrow.
"I have no recollection of abducting your daughter to my castle."
If Duke Symphonia had come to accuse me of toying with his daughter, I might have reluctantly accepted that.
Wait—no, it was the doppelganger who toyed with his daughter. What does that have to do with me?
"Your Majesty may not know. My daughter's name is Dustiness Ford Lalatina. She changed it to Darkness because the original didn't suit an adventurer's style. She's a crusader."
The man lowered his posture considerably.
As the Kingdom's Chief Strategist, he should have maintained the firmest stance against the enemy.
But as an ordinary father, he couldn't leave his daughter in peril.
"So Darkness is your daughter? She's the heiress of the kingdom's top nobility?"
Eiji finally understood.
"Someone, bring Darkness here."
At his command, it wasn't long before Darkness, clad in tattered rags, was escorted to the throne room by guards.
"Father?"
Darkness was startled to see the man.
Glancing at the few remaining scraps of cloth on her body, her expression changed instantly as she reflexively curled in on herself.
Yesterday, the Demon King had shattered her armor, and her bodysuit had been torn to pieces, leaving only a few strips resembling a bandeau and shorts. Darkness couldn't help but admire his swordsmanship!
When she'd been hauled out of the dungeon earlier, she'd been anticipating what kind of play awaited her. Never had she expected to meet her father in such a state!
"Lalatina, you... you've suffered!"
The old father, seeing her disheveled appearance, couldn't help but be overcome with grief.
"Your daughter and her companions killed one of my subordinates. Fortunately, she wasn't the main culprit, so I only punished her lightly."
Eiji paused, then met the old father's sorrowful gaze as he spoke.
"I slept with her."
"So it's true after all?"
The old father's eyes grew even more mournful.
With her clothes in such a state, it was obvious what kind of punishment she'd endured... No, in her eyes, it might have been a reward?
Being well-acquainted with his daughter's kinks, the old father was at a loss for how to react.
Should he grieve for his daughter's lost purity, or congratulate her for finally getting what she wanted?
The Kingdom's Chief Strategist was utterly stumped.
"Wait a minute!"
Darkness stared at Eiji in disbelief before shouting indignantly.
"Stop lying! You never came to the dungeon last night! How can you say you slept with me?"
I would've loved for you to sleep with me!
But all you did was leave me waiting!
I anticipated it all night, and nothing happened. Do you have any idea how disappointed I was?
"As you can see, she's now a used woman who's been slept with by the Demon King. That is an indisputable fact."
Eiji leaned back on his throne, his tone icy.
"The punishment is sufficient. Take her away."
"...Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."
The old father glanced left and right, then finally bowed deeply.
With that, he left the castle, dragging along a visibly dissatisfied Darkness.
Not long after, the news that "Darkness is a used woman who slept with the Demon King" spread throughout Axel.
Of course, this was deliberately spread by Eiji's orders.
When Darkness found out, she was furious.
If she had actually slept with him, she might have accepted it—but she hadn't!
What a rip-off!
And for some reason, after returning to the mansion, Kazuma Satou's attitude toward her suddenly became much more respectful. His gaze was unusually clear, and sometimes he'd even blurt out incomprehensible things like "sister-in-law."
Meanwhile.
"Witch, I'm going out."
"I'll make preparations."
Airi instinctively replied.
"No need. This time, I'm going alone."
Eiji refused the witch's company.
He took his packed luggage and quietly slipped out of the mini Demon King's Castle without telling anyone.
"Akatsuki Academy, just you wait!"
Watching his figure disappear into the forest, Airi felt an inexplicable sense of loss.