Kidnapped Princess C13

Chapter 13

After entrusting Luminas to Nyx, I walked down the corridor. Her education instructor had been decided, but there were still many issues to handle—such as assigning a demon to oversee her daily life, preparing her living quarters, and so on.

As if reading my thoughts, Elvin spoke first.

“Your Majesty, what shall we do about the princess’s residence? There’s a chance some demons might try to devour her, so I believe it’s best to prepare her quarters close to you.”

“I agree. Let’s use the empty room next to mine for Luminas. The storage is overflowing with furniture, right? Choose something nice—pretty, but not excessive. I want it to look like she’s loved and cared for.”

“Understood.”

Elvin snapped his fingers, and a group of lower demons appeared from the shadows, awaiting orders. He gave them a list of instructions, and I added:

“There may be plenty of furniture in the storage, but don’t go overboard. Remember, she was a neglected princess. A sudden change in surroundings might make her uncomfortable.”

The lower demons nodded silently and disappeared to carry out the task.

Elvin, who had clearly planned to make the room as extravagant as possible, frowned slightly.

“Humans truly are troublesome beings. Are you certain it’s wise to take one as your bride?”

“Elvin. I’ve already decided.”

My tone grew sharp, and Elvin immediately bowed.

“M-my apologies, Your Majesty.”

“It’s fine. You’re still tolerable compared to the rest.”

Among the demonkind, hatred toward humans ran rampant. Some hadn’t yet heard the news, but I knew there were a few who’d rush here the moment they did.

“Come to think of it, the castle’s unusually quiet today,” I mused aloud.

Even though I’d teleported straight to my chambers earlier, there were plenty of sharp-nosed demons who should’ve noticed the scent of a human. The silence was strange.

“I haven’t run into many demons in the halls either…”

“Ah, most of them left for the front lines, claiming it’s war with the humans. Thanks to that, there’s been less trouble in the castle—peaceful, even.”

“Ah, that explains the thinner pile of paperwork…”

Most of my paperwork involved cleaning up their messes. Those who always had too much energy to burn must’ve leapt at the chance to fight humans. Well, it did save me the headache of dealing with their chaos.

‘Return the princess to us!’

The voice blared through the magic crystal I’d been using to check the toxic marsh—a boundary between our world and theirs. One of the human knights was loudly demanding Luminas’s return.

‘Never mind. I take that “thank you” back.’

This time, their army looked much more prepared—better equipped, better organized. They even had gas masks to withstand the miasma.

They have gas masks now? I’d expected them to just wrap their faces with cloth.

I pondered for a moment. Leaving the excitable demons unattended felt risky, but I also needed to make an example of these humans demanding the princess’s return.

“Let’s go say hello—and keep those idiots from causing trouble.”

Elvin and I spread our wings and flew toward the battlefield, heading for the toxic marsh that separated the Demon Realm and the human lands.

From above, we could see a group of demons perched atop the blackened ramparts, taunting the humans below. They were buzzing with excitement, eager for war.

I silently appeared behind them.

“Why isn’t anyone guarding the castle?”

Several demons who should’ve been standing watch turned pale.

“Y-Your Majesty! W-we only came to help! If the courtyard fell, that would mean the castle was compromised! We’re protecting the Demon Castle by assisting here!”

Their faces were drained of color, but their excuses rolled out smoothly.

I considered firing them on the spot for dereliction of duty.

“Nice speech. So, what’s the situation?”

“As you can see, we have the upper hand!”

The humans, unable to fly, were forced to cross the swamp on foot, while the winged demons picked them off from above with ease.

“Foul demons! Hand over the princess, Demon King!” a knight bellowed, his voice echoing across the marsh.

The demons, unaware of the full story, jeered.

“Our lord would never care about some human princess!” they scoffed.

Funny, considering I was the one who’d brought her here.

“Your Majesty,” Elvin whispered, “the humans keep demanding the princess’s return. What do they mean by that?”

“Oh, that. I brought her here. She’s going to be my bride.”

Every demon turned to stare at me, eyes wide.

Yes, I knew what they were thinking. A demon king taking a human bride was… unprecedented.

“Ha! Brilliant move, Your Majesty! You’ve truly struck a blow to human pride!”

I nearly tripped.

“That’s… not what I meant,” I muttered, clearing my throat.

“You all know I don’t hate humans,” I said, though staring at the soldiers screaming for Luminas’s return was starting to test that belief.

“As a benevolent ruler, I tried negotiation. It didn’t work.”

“How dare they reject His Majesty’s mercy!”

“But since they’ve chosen battle, we can’t ignore it. Hold the line. Do not let the humans cross our borders. This land is ours.”

“Understood!”

“Teach them a lesson if you must, but do not invade the human realm, and do not consume human souls. Am I clear?”

“Of course, my lord! Who among us doesn’t know the Demon King’s love of peace? Besides, the human world is far too bright and unpleasant. We prefer our cozy, shadowed lands here!”

I couldn’t help smiling a little.

This land—what they called the Demon Realm—I had shaped it over the years. Dark, but livable. Dangerous, but home.

I’d given my orders, ensured the humans weren’t too much of a threat, and was about to return to the castle when Elvin suddenly pointed.

“Your Majesty, suspicious movement—there!”

I followed his gaze. The humans were building a bridge across the swamp, but not where the demons were gathered—off to the side, hidden by mist.

“Come down and fight honorably, you cowards!” one of the demons screamed, falling right into their trap. The humans were shouting to draw our attention while secretly constructing the bridge.

“They’re using a diversionary tactic,” I said flatly.

The demons’ laughter died as they turned to see for themselves.

“Those… those rats!”

“I knew it…”

I sighed. Typical. Demons had a bad habit of underestimating humans.

That was precisely why I’d come here—to remind them to stay alert, and to stop any who might get ideas about devouring souls.

I watched as the humans worked, hauling large logs to form the bridge.

“Your Majesty, should we stop them? Those insects—”

“Not yet. Let’s wait. Pretend we haven’t noticed. Keep taunting them.”

“Taunting is our specialty!”

Good. The humans couldn’t know we’d seen through them.

But those logs… they bothered me. There weren’t any trees large enough in this poisonous wasteland to build a bridge like that. The ones that did exist were twisted and dead-looking, far too brittle.

So where did they get them?

And how had word from this morning reached their front lines so quickly? Unless…

“They have a mage,” I muttered. “Probably used a communication spell.”

Humans weren’t naturally gifted at magic, but occasionally one was born with real talent. I remembered a war long ago when a so-called Archmage had given me quite the headache.

I haven’t kept up with human affairs lately, I thought. If they have another of that caliber, it could be troublesome. Not that any of them could match me.

Still, fighting an Archmage was always a nuisance.

As I watched, one of the mages used a spell to make a seed sprout into a massive tree.

“Shall I kill them?” Elvin asked immediately.

“Hold on.”

“Every time, you say that,” I sighed. I spread my wings and flew toward the humans. First impressions mattered, after all. I approached with a friendly smile.

“Hello.”

“Eek! A-a demon!”

No need to panic that much.

“Show some respect! This is the Demon King himself!” one of the demons behind me declared proudly. “Bow before him!”

A ripple of alarm spread among the humans.

“Well,” I said lightly, “you’ve done a fine job with that bridge. Unfortunately, we don’t really need one.”

I flicked my hand, sending a small fireball drifting toward the structure. In seconds, the makeshift bridge was engulfed in flames.

The humans panicked, shouting about retreating. Among them, I spotted the mage.

“L-let go of me!” he shouted as I grabbed him by the collar.

“As long as you stay out of our lands, we won’t cross into yours. Withdraw peacefully, and you’ll go free.”

“You think I’ll fall for your deceit, fiend?!”

“I thought you might say that.”

I tossed him—gently enough not to kill—into one of the trees he’d grown.

“Ugh—!”

A crunch followed. Probably a few broken ribs.

“Magnificent, Your Majesty! Cruel efficiency at its finest!”

“Look at their despairing faces! How foolish to think such a petty trick would work!”

The demons clapped enthusiastically, praising my “villainy.”

I stared at them, utterly dumbfounded.

Were these really supposed to be the fearsome creatures that struck terror into human hearts?

Sometimes, they were just… idiots.

“Be grateful I came. Otherwise, you would’ve let them cross right into the castle. Try to stay alert, will you?”

“W-we’re sorry!”

One by one, they dropped to their knees.

“And I expect full reports. Written ones.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…” they groaned.

Of course, they all hated paperwork.

“Do I need to replace the entire unit?” I said coldly.

“We’ll work harder!” they chorused instantly.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

So much for a quiet day.