Chapter 52: Attractive

I can’t sleep, so I go outside. I see a familiar figure.

“O’Dowell-sama?”

the Demon King shook when he noticed me.

“Ah, Mi, Mica…”

I’m wondering if the Demon King had trouble sleeping as well.He said that he had been pondering.

“Me too.”

the Demon King averted his gaze.

“Is something wrong?”

the Demon King had looked away from me many times before, but never so blatantly.

“I’m sorry—It’s not your fault; I just have a habit of saying strange things when I look at you.”

“Strange things?”

What’s strange?

“I think I lo…”

“Lo?”

“Lovely… you look lovely tonight.”

“Thank you?”

It’s been a while since I’ve met the Demon Lord, but there’s no change in me that he would say so. It seems like an obvious deception. When I stare at him suspiciously, he begins to speak in a panicked tone.

“N-No, you’ve always been lovely, but you’ve also always been…”

I wait for the words that were cut off in the middle of a sentence, but they are never uttered again. On the contrary, the Demon King turns away from me once again.

“O’Dowell-sama?”

the Demon King’s face seems slightly reddish.

“It’s, it’s nothing—It’s nothing. More than that, Mica.”

“Alright.”

“…What does your world look like?”

It’s difficult to describe it. I was raised in a peaceful nation with no conflict, although there are war-torn places. There are devices that do not exist in this world, such as TVs and smartphones, and although there is no magic, you can communicate with individuals who live far away. Then there’s this and that.

As I talked, the Demon King listened silently.

“You like talking about your world, don’t you?”

the Demon King remarked after I was done.

“You really like your world, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

It’s the world in which I grew up. I mean, how could I not like it? And it’s a world filled with Oto-san, Oka-san, and everyone I care about.

“What about this world?”

This world… the land of Crystalia alone—I love it. But if you ask me whether I like Astoria, where I was nearly executed once, I’m at a loss for words. I can’t say I don’t like Astoria since I have fond recollections of it. My sentiments for Astoria are comparable to how I feel for Garen. Besides, I have no idea what life is like outside of Crystalia and Astoria.

But──.

“I like this world… because I met O’Dowell-Sama…”

I have experienced many things in this world. There are happy and sorrowful moments. I love them for all of their experiences. I have loved ones in my own world, but it’s the same in this world , with the Demon King, Yulin, Sarah, and Garen.

“──Mica.”

the Demon King’s eyes widened, and I slowly blinked. Then his red eyes locked onto mine.

“Yes.”

“If I wanted you to stay in this land, beside me, forever, would you stay in this land?”

“…What?”

Me? Stay in Crystalia? Not only would I stay in Crystalia, but I’d be living next to the Demon King?

My cheeks are burning. No, it must be simply a miscommunication. I try to cool down by shaking my head. I take a step back to keep my distance from the Demon King, but he closes the distance.

“Mica.”

I can’t breathe with those red eyes glaring at me. I want to turn away, but I can’t because those eyes have me spellbound. Even though I’ve merely heard my name called, my heart is racing.

the Demon King gently opens his lips, and without hesitation, his deep, calm voice reaches my ears.

“I love you.”