Chapter 31 : Chapter 31
Chapter 31. This Is My Husband... No, My Master
Abyssal Labyrinth, Seventh Layer · Nevernight Underground City
「Th-This is just a shopping street, isn’t it?!」
This layer was hundreds, perhaps even several hundred times larger than the eighth and ninth layers combined.
The enormous underground cavern was illuminated as brightly as day by countless glowing magic crystals.
Stone and wooden single-story buildings could be seen everywhere, and in the distance there even stood towering, majestic fortresses. On top of that, humanoid races were everywhere.
Shops lined both sides of the broad streets, their signs flashing brightly.
The air was thick with the cumin scent of roasting meat, the powdery smell of cheap perfume, and the rank, fishy odor unique to various monsters.
Rather than a place of sealing, this place looked more like a lively underground black market filled with all kinds of shady characters.
And because no one was guarding the gate on this side, while the entrance itself stood rather far from the commercial district, no one noticed that three people had just come up from the lower level.
“It seems... somewhat different from what I imagined?”
Asmodeus observed his surroundings with a slight frown. Clearly, he too had been caught completely off guard by the scene before him.
And so the three of them, full of doubt, walked down the street together.
Asmodeus’s tall, handsome appearance, coupled with the regal aura around him that remained difficult to conceal even when restrained, quickly drew the attention of quite a few passersby.
Especially the scantily dressed women of the other races.
“Oh my~ Sir~”
A succubus wearing a high-slit short skirt, with a pair of little black wings on her back, swayed her hips as she walked over.
Without the slightest hesitation, she reached out with both hands and hooked herself around Asmodeus’s arm, her voice so cloyingly sweet it sounded like fruit juice mixed with honey.
“You are so tall and so handsome~ You must be new here, right? I’ve never seen you before~”
“Would you like to come play at our establishment~? For a handsome gentleman like you, I can even give you a discount~ It will only cost three silver coins, and I guarantee you will be satisfied~”
As she spoke, she deliberately thrust forward the two soft, pale mounds on her chest, her gaze full of invitation.
“Play what?”
Asmodeus failed to understand the heavily suggestive innuendo.
Tilting his head in confusion, he asked with an utterly innocent expression,
“Are you selling Magic Devices?”
“Hehe~ Oh, you are terrible~ What I sell is not Magic Devices, but certain games meant only for adults~”
The succubus giggled, clearly amused by him, and made as if to press her whole body against Asmodeus.
But just as she was about to touch him—
Whoosh—
A slender yet powerful hand shot in between them, blocking the succubus at once and forcing her to let go of the Demon King.
Lilith’s face was like ice.
There was not the slightest ripple in her beautiful red eyes—only a piercing chill, like the gaze one cast upon trash.
Taking a step forward, she placed herself in front of Asmodeus.
“This is my master.”
Her voice was icy cold, carrying an unquestionable pressure.
“Keep your distance, you shameless thing!”
“Ugh!”
The succubus jumped in fright, and her face turned deathly pale at once.
Because they belonged to the same race, she could clearly feel the terrifying pressure coming from Lilith—the dreadful pressure of a superior among her own kind.
Those eyes were filled with utter contempt and razor-sharp killing intent. Though Lilith was not particularly tall, she still stared down at her as though looking at an insect.
‘I’ll die!’
Those two terrifying words suddenly surfaced in the succubus’s heart.
But this was Nevernight Underground City, a Sealed Land where countless races gathered. As a law-abiding citizen, why should she be afraid of some strange woman she had never met before?
“Tch... S-So fierce! What, are you guarding your food or something? Fine, then, come or do not come—I do not care!”
The succubus pouted and muttered resentfully, glaring at Lilith several times before curling her tail and scurrying away in disgrace.
After driving off the pest, Lilith turned her little face aside with a look of disdain, preparing to continue onward.
Who would have thought that at that moment, a large hand would reach out from behind her? With only a slight exertion of force, it wrapped around her waist and pulled her whole body back into a warm embrace.
“Why do you look unhappy?”
Asmodeus lowered his head and looked at the girl in his arms as he spoke. At the same time, he used the index finger of his other hand to tease her cheek, tickling it lightly.
But obviously—
Lilith, who had been injected with the “Potent Sage Injection,” would not care in the least for such petty little acts of “seduction.” So she merely raised her head calmly and answered with seriousness, tinged with a bit of disdain.
“My lord.”
“As the Demon King, you must maintain at least a basic level of vigilance. This place is full of unsavory characters. That woman from just now was clearly up to no good at first glance. You cannot simply let yourself be deceived by such low-grade methods of seduction.”
Lilith folded her arms across her chest, adopting the stern posture of someone delivering a lecture.
Seeing how prim and serious she looked, Asmodeus was briefly stunned. Then, as though he had suddenly understood something, he smiled for no apparent reason.
“Oh, I understand now.”
The arm around Lilith tightened slightly, and he rested his chin against her forehead as he said with extreme fondness,
“Do not worry. I will not be deceived by other women. You are my only fiancée, and you are the only one I will ever cherish faithfully. Only you are worthy of bearing my children.”
“Hmph. As if I care.”
Faced with such doting words from Asmodeus, Lilith merely replied coldly and turned her head to the side.
Her reason was as solid as a rock.
Even when faced with sweet words enough to make any succubus scream, Lilith felt no ripples in her heart whatsoever. If anything, she almost wanted to laugh.
「Heh. Foolish man.」
「I only drove away those bad women for you because you are my long-term bodyguard, and I want you to break the seal and get me out of here sooner. Who would possibly care about you?」
「I, Lilith Augusta, am the fiercest of men, a real man among real men! In the future, I am going to rule the world together with my Best Friend as a true overlord!」
「A mere Demon King... a mere former Demon King... a mere pure-hearted former Demon King who has been sealed away for three hundred years and has not even held a girl’s hand! You are only a tiny little bit stronger than me, that is all...」
「Once I get out and train for a few years, I will definitely grind you into the dirt! Just you wait!」
“Hmph!”
That was what she thought inwardly, yet her expression remained just as cold as ever, practically screaming, “Keep your distance.”
And yet, strangely enough—
Though her mind was perfectly calm, her body seemed to have ideas of its own. When Asmodeus pulled her tighter into his embrace, not only did she fail to dodge away, she even unconsciously snuggled a little deeper into that broad chest, finding the most comfortable position to lean against, like an aloof yet clingy cat.
The calming effect could preserve her reason, but it seemed to have little influence over her body’s conditioned responses.
「So soft?」
Asmodeus blinked, gently kneading that slender waist that seemed too delicate to withstand even a firm grasp, and could not help murmuring inwardly.
Meanwhile, Shier saw that they had made no progress since arriving on this layer, so he hurriedly reminded the Demon King from the side,
“My lord, Your Majesty the Queen, rather than wandering around like this, would it not be better to find someone and ask about the situation on this level?”
“Yes, that would be best.”
Asmodeus nodded.
He swept his gaze across the commercial street, and at last his eyes locked onto a Beastfolk man who was shouting loudly as he hawked his wares.
He was a hulking green-skinned Beastfolk with a fleshy face, holding an enormous cleaver and chopping into a slab of unknown meat on the cutting board with loud thuds.
The three of them walked over.
Maintaining basic courtesy, Asmodeus spoke first.
“Excuse me.”
Thunk—!
Without even lifting his head, the Beastfolk man brought the cleaver crashing down onto a bone, his voice rough and cold.
“Fresh giant lizard meat. Three jin for one silver coin. If you are not buying, then get lost. Do not stand there blocking my business.”
“You!”
The instant those words were spoken, Shier bristled with rage!
As the Demon King’s number one admirer, how could he possibly tolerate anyone speaking to the Demon King with such disrespect?
“How dare you, you wretch!”
Pointing straight at the Beastfolk’s nose, Shier’s little face flushed red with fury.
“Do you have any idea who the great lord standing before you is? And yet you dare speak in such a tone!”
“Who?”
The Beastfolk still did not raise his head. He merely let out a scornful snort.
“Whoever it is, what is it to me? No matter how great someone is, are they not still just slaves sealed here by 【Twilight of the Gods】? What is there to be proud of? If you are not buying, then get lost!”
“Y-You—!”
Seeing how utterly unappreciative the Beastfolk was, Shier was already beside himself with fury. Powerful waves of magic surged from his body, and it was clear he was on the verge of smashing the stall to pieces.
Fortunately, Asmodeus raised a hand in time and gently pressed it against the agitated little boy.
“Shier, calm yourself.”
“Mm? My lord... but...”
Since the Demon King had spoken, Shier had no choice but to withdraw his magic and stand weakly behind him once more.
In truth, however, Asmodeus was not angry with the Beastfolk at all. Instead, he had sharply seized upon the key piece of information in the other man’s words.
“Slaves sealed here by Twilight of the Gods...”
He repeated the phrase once, then lifted his head and asked the Beastfolk thoughtfully,
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying... that all the humanoid races here are prisoners who were sealed inside?”
“Hm?”
Hearing that, the Beastfolk—who had been chopping meat the entire time—suddenly paused.
He slowly raised that massive head of his and carefully examined the three people standing before him with bloodshot eyes.
A tall, handsome male member of Demonkind. A cold and breathtakingly beautiful succubus girl. And a young Demonkind half-blood boy who looked almost like a doll.
That strange combination, coupled with such a seemingly common-sense question, made the Beastfolk’s suspicion rise at once.
“What do you mean?”
He set down the cleaver in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and spoke in a tone tinged with doubt.
“You do not even know that?”
“Are you newcomers who came in from the ‘outside’?”