The next day.
Ezekiel briefly sensed the Emperor’s presence, but that was it; he ended up spending a whole day in the Demon Realm.
What woke him up was a peculiar sensation.
Something soft and moist was tickling his feet. It was enough to stir him from sleep, and when he opened his eyes, a head was resting on his foot.
“….”
For a moment, Ezekiel was at a loss for words.
Arcne was sprawled out, licking his feet as if she were cherishing the most precious thing in the world with her mouth.
Then, as if she sensed Ezekiel waking up, her sunset-colored eyes rolled to meet his.
“Brother-in-law, you’re awake?”
Ezekiel immediately jerked his foot away in shock.
The scene before him was unimaginable, and he couldn’t help but feel stunned.
“What the hell are you doing?”
At that, Arcne finally rinsed her mouth with the water she had beside her. The sensation of his left foot, covered in her drool, was chilly.
“As you can see, I was cleaning your feet.”
“I didn’t ask because I didn’t know that.”
Ezekiel responded incredulously.
“Why are you licking someone else’s feet…”
He was about to ask why she was licking someone else’s feet, but the absurdity of the question left him speechless.
Arcne, however, calmly replied.
“I thought you were completely lost in your thoughts while we were exploring the city yesterday. Do you know how much that hurt my feelings? I decided I wanted to serve you even more… so I did this.”
When Ezekiel sensed the Emperor’s presence and thought about it, Arcne was keenly aware of that moment. It was far from ordinary sensitivity.
‘She’s really focused on me.’
If Ezekiel had to carry out various plans discreetly in the Demon Realm, Arcne’s excessive interest made things complicated.
“From now on, don’t do that. It’s fine.”
“Should I clean you another way next time? I know a place that’s cleaner. I’m confident in it.”
It was something that couldn’t be understood with common sense or persuaded with logic. Ezekiel felt he had to change the subject.
Unlike yesterday, the walls were now covered with spider silk, but not just any spider silk. Ezekiel pointed at it with his jaw.
“What’s that?”
“I created the city plan. Atra is not only our home but will someday become the capital of the Demon Realm. So, I should inform you in detail.”
Ezekiel surveyed the spider silk again.
Regular maps are merely flat; what Arcne had created was a three-dimensional blueprint.
Even someone who hadn’t visited this place would grasp the city structure at a glance. She seemed to have extensive knowledge about designing something.
Arcne flashed a sly smile.
“The more detailed it is, the more it’ll help you modify the city later. It’s to tailor it to our tastes.”
“Atra is a city you put so much effort into creating. Are you saying I can change it at will?”
“Of course! My body and heart belong to you, so naturally, this city belongs to you too, right?”
From Ezekiel’s perspective, it was a tempting condition. He was now able to take a hand in shaping a city in the Demon Realm.
‘If I can change it in a way that benefits the continent…’
This city had many buildings with high technology, including dimensional gates. Connecting them to the continents could be a significant power.
Ezekiel didn’t stop there and asked further.
“By any chance, can you create blueprints for other cities as well?”
“If you want it, anything is possible.”
If that were true, it was even more amazing.
After the devastated Demon Realm achieved remarkable progress, Ezekiel was likely the first human to directly inspect it this thoroughly.
In other words, the continent lacked any information about the current state or structure of the Demon Realm.
…What if Ezekiel learned all of that?
‘The Emperor will surely recognize my amazing contributions.’
He could already envision the Sun Elixir dancing before his eyes. Not just a drop, but it felt like a whole bottle was in sight.
‘Who knew coming to the Demon Realm would turn out to be such a huge opportunity?’
A crisis is just another expression of opportunity.
Ezekiel felt that deeply again.
It was like suddenly falling off a cliff while walking a path, and upon lighting it up, discovering a golden cave below.
“….”
Ezekiel’s heart started to swell with motivation and drive. Worries and concerns buried deep inside switched to expectations and curiosity in an instant.
Just as he was caught up in those contemplations.
“Brother-in-law…?”
Arcne carefully observed Ezekiel’s expression.
“It seems like you were thinking of something else just now… Did the fact that I licked your feet disturb you that much? I’m sorry…”
She suddenly apologized.
“Why do you get lost in your thoughts when I’m right in front of you…? I’ll do better. Oh, should I dance? I’ve learned several dances that can excite you.”
Saying this, she sat beside Ezekiel, rubbing her body against his.
“I was just a little tired.”
Ezekiel replied shortly while pushing Arcne away. Instead, he asked something else.
“This city, Atra.”
“Yes?”
“From dimensions to everything else, can I really change things freely? We probably won’t have many common tastes, so I expect to change it quite a bit.”
“Ah, so you were thinking about this city!”
Arcne’s face brightened instantly.
Just moments ago, she had been cautiously observing Ezekiel, but now she looked like a girl who had just received a treat, bursting with happiness.
“If I get to live in a city full of your tastes… Ah, I feel like I might just catch fire from breathing there! Please make it happen!”
The corners of her eyes crinkled with joy.
“Please fill me and this city with your tastes. Please, spoil me completely.”
As she said this, Arcne flung out a strand of spider silk from the corner of the room, and a piece of clothing was pulled back towards her.
It was a spacious outfit.
It almost reminded Ezekiel of his lazy days. It looked comfortable to walk around in, something one could wear all day while drinking.
“What’s this…?”
“It’s proof that you’re my husband. With the spider pattern embroidered on the shoulder, you’ll be treated as my equal anywhere in the Demon Realm.”
“And?”
“Please wear it. Right now.”
Swish—!
Though she asked nicely, she used her spider silk to dress Ezekiel against his will. It was practically coercion.
Clap, clap, clap! Arcne began to applaud.
“Wow, now you have an outfit that matches mine. No one can deny we’re a proper couple. Thinking about the demon folks who will recognize us as a couple… Aah, the depths of my belly are starting to tingle again…”
She tugged at Ezekiel’s sleeve.
“Brother-in-law, let’s go for a walk. Come on! Let’s show everyone we’ve got couple outfits.”
“…Should we?”
“You just agreed so easily! Is that really true? Really?!”
Unexpectedly, Ezekiel accepted easily.
It wasn’t that he wanted to wander around with Arcne.
He simply intended to survey the city’s layout and devise a detailed plan on how to change it.
As usual, Arcne linked her arm tightly with his.
Seeing her happiness filled him with bittersweet feelings and sympathy.
‘It’s not Arcne’s fault that she turned out this way. The circumstances were unfortunate, and the Emperor’s judgments…’
Had Arcne been in a good environment, she might have thrived like other princesses. Ezekiel did not forget his goal to guide Arcne.
Just as they stepped outside.
“The new lord of Atra, show yourself and face me immediately! How long are you planning to keep me waiting!”
A voice filled with anger boomed loudly. Immediately, Arcne narrowed her eyes.
“…Han-shin has come? It seems he’s planning to cause trouble again. He’s the lord of a neighboring city, and he particularly doesn’t like you, brother-in-law.”
But Han-shin was not alone.
Along with him were other demons who shared his sentiments, a number of them sufficient to be called a legion.
Where a head would be situated, a candle wreathed in violet flames stood. A grotesque demon entity recognized Ezekiel instantly.
“Column brother! You finally showed yourself!”
He used the term “column brother” quite deliberately.
At this point, Ezekiel was seen as just that.
By speaking loudly, naturally, their attention was drawn to him. It seemed intentional, but Ezekiel found it just tiresome.
‘…I need to identify the points for modifying the city quickly.’
That single thought occupied his mind.
Naturally, his voice turned irritable.
“What’s your complaint?”
“What? Complaint?”
Han-shin scoffed.
“It’s not a complaint; I came to point out what you should naturally be doing. How could a human brat becoming the lord of a neighboring city not be a concern? Show your affection for the Demon Realm.”
“What?”
“I know there’s a massive dimensional gate in Atra. If you indulge in espionage for the continents, we’ll be in a serious predicament.”
Surprisingly, Han-shin had a sharp edge. He saw right through Ezekiel’s plans.
“Show your affection towards the Demon Realm, the demon race, and the Demon Lord… Show at least one of them.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“Then the gods will shun you among the demons.”
Han-shin said it as if it were obvious.
“If you bring in someone who might be an infiltrator as a brother-in-law, which demon would trust the gods? Furthermore, Atra would be seen as a remote region of the Demon Realm. For the sake of the Demon Realm’s existence and peace, this is the only reasonable measure.”
Indeed, while his tone was incredibly cocky, he pinpointed crucial aspects accurately. He was no fool.
The goddess began weaving a spider silk.
“Brother-in-law, just stay still. Today, I’ll help you relieve your frustrations by cutting off Han-shin’s limbs.”
“No.”
But Ezekiel stopped her instead.
The reason was simple. If he relied on Arcne to get out of this situation, the same thing would keep happening.
—Are you that column guy?
—Hiding behind the goddess, I see.
—Hey, foolish human.
Voices began ringing in his head. It seemed he would be bothered by people like Han-shin in the future.
In other words, there was one way to prevent that from happening.
Ezekiel needed to resolve this himself at this very moment.
Fortunately, he had a method and confidence.
Ezekiel began drawing in nearby mana. Of course, he knew that mana tends to devour whatever it touches.
But.
‘I can freeze the mana.’
Ezekiel’s chill could freeze the mana.
So if he handled it skillfully, he could manage the mana without being devoured. It was a fleeting thought that immediately turned into action.
“Affection for the Demon Realm?”
Whoooooooosh—!
Soon, frozen mana began swirling around.
“Here’s a demonstration of my ability to handle mana myself. Isn’t that proof enough?”
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