Chapter Text
Humans and demons. The Human World and the Demon world.Both existed, yet neither side knew the other was real.
Until one human boy appeared in the Netherworld.
His existence alone disrupted the balance of the Demon world, and he ultimately became its Demon King.
A Demon King who was not a demon.
“Az— Alice, pass me the seal.”
A slightly high-pitched male voice echoed through the throne room. It belonged to Suzuki Iruma, the current reigning Demon King of the Demon world.
“Here it is, Iruma-sama.”
The pink-haired young man was Asmodeus Alice, one of the Thirteen Crowns and Iruma’s most capable right hand.
It was an ordinary morning in the castle. The Demon King was reviewing petitions from his subjects. Most of them were minor matters, as Iruma had already resolved nearly every major threat before they could even manifest after ascending to the throne.
But that was when he fell into his Evil Cycle so his strength had been nearly drained afterward.
Humans do not possess Evil Cycles, of course. The explanation dated back to the process of his ascension. When a demon meets the qualifications to become Demon King, they absorb the mana crystals of previous Demon Kings. For demons, this is entirely normal. For humans, however, it causes side effects.
They develop an Evil Cycle. Some may even grow fangs or wings— though they cannot use them.
(This information is recorded only in ancient archives accessible to the Demon King and select members of the Thirteen Crowns.)
As a result, Iruma would fall into his Evil Cycle at random.And it occasionally caused him considerable trouble.
——————
Today, the sky was clear, and in his normal state, Iruma felt unusually relaxed. The workload was light, so he allowed himself a little laziness.
“Azu, what time is it?”
“Azu.” “Azu-kun.”
He loved that nickname far too much. Though these days, he only used it when they were alone. One had to preserve a subordinate’s dignity, after all.
(Though “Alice” sounded lovely too.)
“It is 11:45. All tasks have been completed. Would you like to have lunch, Iruma-sama?”
Ah, as expected of Azu-kun. Always so considerate.
“Alright. Let’s go see Clara.”
“Yes, I will inform her.”
Valac Clara, also one of the Thirteen Crowns, was their close friend. The three of them were widely known as the “adorable trio.”
(In truth, only the Misfit Class dared to call them that.)
Clara was currently in her greenhouse, playing catch with her familiar.
Watching one girl and one familiar toss a ball back and forth was—
Wait.
Was that a bomb???
“Clara!!??”
“You- idiot!?”
Clara turned toward them, her green hair bouncing, eyes sparkling. She abandoned both familiar her and the bomb mid-throw to launch herself at Iruma.
“I-RU-MA-CHIIIII!!!!”
Iruma gently rubbed the small horns at the sides of her head while Alice swiftly confiscated the bomb before it hit the ground.
“Iruma-chi, are you hungry? There’s food ready in the kitchen!”
“Whatever you’d like, Clara. Anything is fine.”
Clara’s bloodline ability allowed her to pull out anything from the small pocket sewn into her skirt. Large plates of food appeared one after another on the round table, filling the air with delicious aromas.
“Iruma-sama, how should I dispose of this bomb?”
“Hmm… Up to you.”
Perhaps he relied on his two friends a bit too much.
Well, he was the Demon King. He was allowed, wasn’t he? Haha.
Alice split the “ball” in half and began carefully dismantling the bomb. He could have simply thrown it away, but Iruma-sama would have been upset, so he chose not to.
When he glanced over, he saw Iruma playing with Clara’s familiar. The demon-dragon— named Boss— had grown considerably larger compared to its time at Balbys.
“Azu, Azu, come eat!”
Alice took the seat beside Iruma and picked up a small fork, carefully tasting a portion of the dish first to test for poison.
“Allow me.”
“Thank you, Azu.
The Demon King’s meals were of utmost importance. Even though Iruma had an unusually strong resistance to poison— partly due to a childhood of eating whatever he could find— Alice would never allow his master to be poisoned before his eyes.
The meal continued in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
As the three of them enjoyed cookies, Opera— Sullivan’s personal security demon— entered the room holding a letter.
“Iruma-sama, an invitation from Shax.”
Iruma accepted the letter from Opera.
“Thank you, Opera.”
It was an engagement party invitation for Lied and Jazz, scheduled for next weekend. It seemed to be a small gathering for close acquaintances only.
Iruma immediately sent a reply, then asked Alice to choose an outfit for him for the occasion.
• End Chapter 1 •
[Unedited]
Author’s Note: Thank you everyone for reading this far. This is my first work, and I truly appreciate any feedback.
•Helium•