Kidnapped Princess C3

Chapter 3

I had asked to be told who my destined partner was—not for a prophecy to be declared to the world. There was never a reason for God to use an oracle as the means of revealing such a thing. Interpretation, after all, is subjective. Perhaps it had simply been misread.

But the prophecy had already descended, and that was what mattered. I rubbed at my brow, letting out a long sigh. All right, let’s think this through carefully.

If it spoke of the “great hero,” then it must be referring to humans, right? No, forget that—why deliver a prophecy in such a way that it drives humans to war? Could He really be that ignorant of their greed?

Or was it truly as Elvin claimed—that God intended to make me the ruler of the world? The image of that god’s calm, placid face as He’d quietly departed flashed in my mind, leaving behind an ominous chill.

Beside me, my overzealous aide was still insisting that we should wage war against the humans immediately. I ignored him.

“Hey, you idiot! Call that off right now!”

“…Are you speaking to God, my Lord?”

“Do you not hear me?!”

He appeared whenever I didn’t summon Him, yet now, no matter how loudly I called, He refused to show Himself.

For days, I ground my teeth searching for a way to avoid war, calling again and again upon that silent god who ignored me completely.

As my headache worsened from trying to find a solution, Elvin suddenly burst through the door.

At last, the inevitable had come—but oddly enough, though he spoke of war, his face was glowing with excitement.

“My Lord! The humans have invaded at last!”

The word war was heavy and grave, yet his expression was positively delighted. He was enjoying this far too much.

“Report the casualties.”

“None, my Lord! They fell into the Poison Swamp and died on their own.”

“……”

“The demons guarding the border said it was boring, so they watched the humans drown while eating popcorn. Then the humans retreated, shouting that they’d come back to kill us next time.”

Well, that would certainly be amusing—from their perspective, anyway. The humans hadn’t even crossed the border before suffering defeat. But one line caught my attention.

“…Why were they eating popcorn?”

I asked with all the seriousness in the world.
Who told them to mock the enemy while fanning the flames?!

“They said they were following your example, my Lord. You once said, ‘When watching something entertaining, one must have popcorn.’ They’ve taken your words to heart.”

“You told them to bring it, didn’t you?!”

The self-satisfied look on his face gave him away instantly.

“Is there a problem? Everyone enjoyed it. They said it made the moment more delightful. You yourself eat popcorn during battles, don’t you?”

He struck a nerve there. But I only did that during harmless sparring matches—events as lighthearted as school sports days, not wars!

“Who brings popcorn to a battlefield?!”

At that, Elvin’s eyes widened as if in sudden realization.

“Ah! My apologies, my Lord! Next time I’ll simply order them to behead the enemy immediately! Everyone got a bit too excited—it’s been so long since our last war.”

“…Just eat the popcorn. Eating well during a war is important.”

Good grief—these battle maniacs. Eating popcorn was infinitely better than massacring humans. A hundred times better, even.

He never understood nuance. If I told him not to do something, he’d simply ask why not.

Before relations with the humans worsened, I needed to act. I had no intention of invading their lands. My resolve hardened.

“Good. I’m heading out for a while. Guard the castle while I’m gone—I’m counting on you, Elvin.”

“My Lord?”

Ignoring his confusion, I flung open the window and stepped onto the sill. Then, quietly, I spread my wings—sleek, bat-like wings that unfurled gracefully from my back. I ignored Elvin’s admiring cry of, “Magnificent wings, my Lord!” and took to the sky.

As I soared through the vast expanse above, I made up my mind. I would stop this cursed war before it even began.

A war—over a prophecy? What was this, a dog’s name? I had suffered and fought to end the last one, and after three hundred years of peace, I had no intention of starting another.

My fists trembled with fury.

Unlike what the humans believed, I had no desire for war, nor did I harbor the delusion of ruling the world like some power-drunk fool. Surely, if the Demon King himself declared this, they would listen. That was why I had left Elvin behind. As for proving my identity—well, my power would speak for itself.

To protect the peace of our world, I had to move quickly. The humans were a problem, yes, but the greater issue lay with the demons themselves. They would welcome war with open arms.

If I stayed idle for even a moment… I beat my wings harder.

By the time the Demon King’s castle had shrunk into the distance, the Poison Swamp came into view. I still had a long way to go before reaching the human capital.

“I should’ve visited the human realm more often. My body aches from the lack of flight. I’ll have to mark this location for next time. If this were the Demon Realm, I could’ve teleported instantly…”

Lost in thought, I eventually reached the royal castle of the humans.

From the highest spire, I looked down at their council chamber. The building’s exterior walls should have obscured my vision, yet through my eyes, I could see everything clearly—the humans gathered around their table, busy plotting strategies against the demons.

They were so absorbed in their scheming that they hadn’t even noticed me hovering above. They sensed neither my presence nor the magic that enveloped me.

“No barrier? They call demons the scourge of the world, yet this place is wide open. It’s like they’re inviting me in.”

I had assumed that humans capable of using magic would have installed at least some defensive enchantments or alarms for intruders. To find none—to slip so easily into their castle and watch them from above—was almost laughable.

But their words were even more ridiculous.

“Annihilated! We’ve been annihilated!”

“Your Majesty, what are we to do about the Poison Swamp? The soldiers can’t even fight—the poison is killing them!”

“Cowardly demons… hiding instead of facing us head-on!”

Oh please. If my people had stepped out, you’d all be corpses already.

“What if we purify the swamp?”

“That would take too much time and manpower. And those lazy priests won’t agree to help us…”

Ah, right—the priests. I’d forgotten about them. Since demons were weak to holy power, I’d need to be careful. Though judging by their tone, the church and the crown weren’t exactly on good terms.

“We need the priests’ aid to defeat the demons!”

“Indeed! This time, we’ll wipe their kind from existence!”

What confidence. What foolish arrogance.

“…Keep dreaming. It’s not us who’ll die—it’s you. You’re offering yourselves up like a feast, walking straight into the jaws of death.”

There was a reason I had moved quickly—not just because of the humans, but because many demons would rejoice at the thought of war.

Demons had long been branded “devils.” Humans and demons were bound together by a history as old as time itself. Humans were weak but greedy for power, and demons—well, we gave it to them, in exchange for a price.

It might seem a small price to pay, but demons never made losing trades. As the saying goes, there is no power without cost. And most often, that price was a human soul.

In the old days, no one batted an eye at such transactions. But times had changed. Since becoming Demon King, I had forbidden it.

A human soul was like a drug to demons—the more you consumed, the more you craved. Souls strengthened magia, making demons vastly more powerful.

Otherwise, demons—so proud and arrogant—would never have sullied themselves with contracts with humans, whom they considered weak and inferior.

Among those who had once followed Halstel, some demons had consumed countless human souls in their obsession with surpassing me. The hunger for strength transcended race.

But every power came with a price. Some demons had gone mad, their bodies unable to contain the vast magia they had absorbed. Those ones—I had personally put down myself.

These days, most recognized such power as a kind of poison. Yet there were always some who still desired it.

“Let’s just live quietly… please…”

Muttering under my breath, I finally moved. I stepped toward the grand window of the council chamber and summoned a gust of wind.

The humans inside, still deep in their heated discussion, froze as the window burst open and a fierce wind howled through the room. They gaped in shock at the enormous shadow cast over them.

I revealed myself before their eyes—my cloak billowing, wings unfurled. The sight alone made their eyes tremble with terror, and I couldn’t help but feel a quiet satisfaction. A Demon King’s entrance ought to be memorable, after all. First impressions were important.

“D-Demon…!”

The nobles stumbled back in fright.

“There’s no mistake! Those black wings—it’s a demon!”

A noble shouted for aid, and the guards stationed outside burst into the chamber, surrounding the king as they pointed their spears toward me. The trembling spearheads amused me; I casually pushed one aside with my hand.

The knight tightened his grip, straining to resist, but the difference in strength was vast—he was flung backward before he could react.

I waved off the rest of the spears and perched casually on the window sill. The nobles swallowed nervously, their throats dry as they watched me. Then, slowly, in a deep and commanding voice, I began to speak.

“Humans, there is no need to fear.”

Resting my chin on one hand, I tried to exude the composure of a ruler. The king, tense and wary, finally asked,

“Who are you?”

“What a foolish question. Can you not tell by looking? I am the Demon King. I came to see for myself the faces of those who dared trespass upon my lands.”

“Th-the Demon King?!”