Kidnapped Princess C5

Chapter 5

“The Demon King! Your will shall not come to pass! Five thousand years ago, three hundred years ago—humans were the victors each time! The Black Forest is our land, and we shall reclaim it!”

“That forest reeking of poison is one you humans abandoned. You couldn’t even live there if you tried.”

It was a place steeped in magia, so dense that it practically screamed “home of the demons.” The very air was thick with poison—any human foolish enough to enter would die the moment they stepped foot inside.

“Silence, you liar!”

Crack—.

Whatever faint sliver of hope I’d harbored for humanity, one as small as a grain of dust even after three hundred years, shattered in that instant.

“They’re hopeless,” I muttered tersely.

The blood that had lain dormant within me stirred again, recalling the endless battles I had fought for a century. If they kept calling me “Demon King,” then I might as well act the part.

With a dark, menacing expression, I declared,

“Hah! Your arrogance pierces the heavens! If you wish to wage war, then so be it! Did your precious prophecy not say that my child would be loved by a hero? Then that child must surely be half-human! As you desire, so shall it be! My child will rule the world!”

“So you reveal your true nature at last!”

“As payment for the wound on my face, I’ll take the empire’s treasure! I’ve no need for this!”

I flung the so-called Hero aside. As the knights rushed forward to catch him, I summoned the wind. A violent gust swept through the chamber, forcing everyone’s eyes shut—and when they opened them again, I was gone.

I now stood atop the highest tower of the royal castle.

“…I’ve really done it this time.”

I sighed so heavily the earth itself might have sunk beneath me. Staring down blankly at the palace below, I couldn’t help but feel hollow. I had meant to stop a war, not fan its flames—and yet I had doused it in oil instead.

“Well, I can’t exactly blame them. The war’s set in stone now. But still… I couldn’t help it.”

It wasn’t fair.

How was I supposed to sit there and listen to their nonsense quietly? I did say we should stop fighting and live peacefully! But what was done was done—spilled water cannot be gathered again.

“To be honest, I don’t even care much about a war… Not like they could win anyway.”

At the thought of “war,” three certain demons came to mind—those lunatics would be thrilled.

“Was I like that when I was human? Or are they just insane? Victors, they say? They were lucky to survive, that’s all.”

If they insisted on exterminating demons, then bowing my head was no longer an option. Like it or not, I was the Demon King now—and that meant protecting my own.

“I wasn’t always like this. Must be a side effect of being a demon.”

I let out a weary sigh. I’d have to tell Elvin that my plan had gone up in smoke. Then, a memory struck me—something I had said before leaving.

“I, the Demon King, shall claim the empire’s treasure! Kill him before he escapes!”

“Oh, fantastic.”

“Find the Demon King! He can’t have gone far!”

“I’m right above your heads, you idiots.”

The knights raised their spears and scoured the area, tension thick in the air. After some murmured discussion, one reported to his superior,

“There’s no sign of him anywhere. He must’ve fled!”

“Ha! Then he’s learned to fear us. To charge in alone—what a fool! Victory is surely ours!”

“Indeed! And we still have the Hero on our side!”

Their premature celebration was downright pathetic.

“…The Hero I just threw at you?”

Even after that spectacle, they clung to the boy as their last hope. I clenched my fist, a swirl of dark wind forming around it—but forced it down.

“Calm down… breathe….”

I reminded myself to endure. I’d made a promise to myself—to avoid needless bloodshed. I’d steal some trinket, call it a treasure, and leave quietly.

Then I remembered another thing I’d declared before leaving.

“Damn it… my child. What do I do about that? I don’t even have an heir.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples. My head hurt. Who was supposed to rule the world in my name when I didn’t even have a child? And I certainly couldn’t make one just to fulfill a prophecy.

“The ‘great hero’s love,’ huh? The humans probably think that means their hero, Apellius…”

Then, suddenly, an idea struck me. Like in those old fairy tales—where the Demon King kidnaps a princess.

“…Of course! The Demon King must kidnap a princess!”

And the royal family’s bloodline traced back to Apellius himself. My eyes lit up. I could use this. Not only could I threaten them into a truce, but the idea of my “child” ruling the world would terrify them even more.

Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner? Let them sweat for a change. Anyone who provokes me deserves a little torment.

Once I’d decided, I moved swiftly.

In stories, the princess was always beautiful—and she always married the hero who saved her, living happily ever after.

“Well, I did save the Demon Realm, didn’t I?”

There were plenty of beautiful demon women, sure—but all of them were too ambitious, too eager to pounce. It never felt romantic, just… predatory. And thanks to a certain someone who had “marked” me as theirs, most demons didn’t even dare approach.

“…I might actually cry.”

That person had claimed it was “just a joke,” though I doubt anyone else took it that way.

“I don’t plan to conquer the world. I’ll just use the princess as leverage for a peace treaty—kidnapping her’s just a formality. Once it’s done, I’ll send her back.”

A small pang of guilt pricked at me—but what could I do? I was the Demon King. A little kidnapping came with the title.

Humming a tune, I set off to find the princess—only to stop abruptly. I remembered something crucial.

The prophecy. The very thing that started all of this—it was because of my own request. I had asked God to tell me who my destined partner was.

“…Don’t tell me this is His idea of answering that prayer.”

I didn’t want to believe it, but knowing His absurd sense of humor, it wasn’t impossible.

What expression had He worn then? When He, who always said my wishes didn’t qualify as “rewards,” had eagerly agreed the moment I’d made that request.

He’d been uncharacteristically giddy—almost relieved, as though he’d been waiting for those exact words.

No. Impossible.

It wasn’t like I had planned on kidnapping a princess from the start.

“…Well, guess I’d better go kidnap her.”

But then, a problem arose.

“What? Say that again.”

I thought I’d misheard.

“There is no princess.”

The maid spoke in a dazed monotone, her eyes clouded. She was under hypnosis—she couldn’t lie.

Silence hung heavy for a long time before I managed to move my lips.

“…Truly?”

“Yes.”

A massive boulder might as well have fallen from the sky. No princess? That wasn’t part of the plan! Without a princess, my brilliant strategy was useless!

Then what was that goddamned god thinking when He gave that prophecy? What, was I supposed to be proposed to by some human woman who read it?

No matter how many times I called out to that bastard of a god, there was no response. Fuming, I realized—perhaps a little shamefully—that I was… disappointed.

There was a certain charm to the word “princess.”

“His Majesty has only one child.”

“…The so-called Hero?”

The maid nodded. My wings drooped.

Seriously? Kings were supposed to have too many children, not too few! Wasn’t there usually a whole royal harem and a dozen heirs fighting for the throne? Only one son?

My perfect plan—to admire the princess’s beauty, kidnap her, and end the war—crumbled to dust. I sighed so deeply it could’ve reached the earth’s core.

“…Maybe I’ll just steal something else.”

“There are rumors that His Majesty is… barren,” the maid whispered hesitantly.

“…”

It wasn’t a lie—she couldn’t lie. Still, hearing that made me feel strangely awkward. Poor fool.

“There is one,” another maid suddenly said.

“…What?”

“There is a princess.”

“Really? There’s actually one?”

The first maid had claimed otherwise, but the second nodded firmly. I ordered the first to confirm, but she still insisted there was none.

One knew, the other didn’t. How was that possible? This was the royal castle—if the king had a daughter, everyone should’ve known. The contradiction was baffling, but hypnosis didn’t lie.

“Lead the way.”

I dismissed the first maid and followed the second through the winding corridors of the palace.

We moved deeper and deeper into the outskirts of the royal grounds, until even the grand palace behind us seemed distant. The maid’s voice was faint, almost mechanical.

“She is a princess, but… not truly a princess.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She was born from a one-night affair between His Majesty and a maid.”

Ah. Now it made sense—why some knew and others didn’t.

“How do you know that?”

“I saw her once. Only a few know of her existence. Some even say she’s already dead.”

Under hypnosis, the maid spoke freely of secrets best left buried.

Before us stood what could barely be called a palace—more a ruin than a residence. The garden was wild and overgrown, the walls rotting away.

“…A ruin?”

To call it a cottage in the woods would’ve been generous. The walls were decaying, the wooden beams darkened with mold. Tall, unkempt weeds covered what little path led to the door.

“As I recall, this place was bestowed upon the princess.”

It looked utterly uninhabitable. There was no sign of life anywhere.

“…Is she really dead, then?”

Just as I muttered that, something rustled among the grass. A small head popped up from between the weeds, and I froze.

The maid pointed casually, as though presenting a trivial item.

“Ah, there she is—the one they call the Trash Princess of the royal castle.”

She said it like she was introducing a household object.