Life is too difficult.
With a pained expression, Pastel rolled around like a caterpillar, all wrapped up in her blanket.
Roll this way, then that way.
Ugh ugh.
She moved noisily as if shaking off a guilty conscience.
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! Isn’t it a bit harsh to be sentenced to life in prison just for teaming up with the Cult?”
No matter how much it was for the vengeance of the deities, it felt excessive.
The demon looked down with pity.
『There’s no need to think innocently. Sinclair’s rise to High Merchant status has many suspicious circumstances. The moment he got involved with the Cult is enough to confirm doubts. It’s just that it’s been a while, and since it’s hard to find evidence, it was a good idea to make him pay for other crimes. The victims in the afterlife will be satisfied.』
Pastel felt a complicated mix of emotions. The demon lord’s solid reassurance eased her guilty conscience slightly, but it also made her feel a sense of crisis.
A smoothing out of her conscience.
Her rough conscience was prickling her heart, but the Demon Lord came with a piece of sandpaper and gently rubbed it to make it painless.
Rub rub.
Smooth smooth.
It felt like the real whisper of a demon.
“Demon Lord, don’t you know the principle of presumption of innocence? I do!”
『Hmm.』
The demon grabbed the blanket that had tightly wrapped Pastel and pulled it away.
Pastel rolled onto the bed as the blanket fell off.
“Uwaah!”
『Don’t torment yourself with reasons for what has already happened.』
“You’re so evil!”
『I am indeed a demon.』
Ugh.
Her accusations weren’t getting through at all.
As she slumped down, the demon brought a glass bottle. It was filled with a transparent liquid that swirled inside, a colorless and odorless poison.
『Try checking the skills of the merged Prezzy High Merchant. It almost fell into my hands for free, considering how the struggling and boring work I took over failed. That means they must have some skill.』
Pastel flinched.
Ugh.
She felt like she was labeled a bad kid for passing off her responsibilities to others after being caught for sabotage.
“I’m not that kind of person!”
I always do my share and then play!
“Just, just!”
What should she say, what should she say?
She flailed her hands and shouted her inner thoughts.
“I only do this to the Demon Lord!”
Wow.
The demon looked very displeased.
『That’s worse.』
Huh?
Now that she thought about it, that was true?
Pastel awkwardly whistled, looking around and then inspecting the glass bottle for no reason.
The transparent liquid swirled.
Wow, how fascinating.
“Is this a deadly poison that can kill a dragon with just a drop?!”
Ugh.
Super strong poison is in my hands?!
The weight of death is heavy!
Shiver shiver.
『No way. If it was poison capable of killing dragons, you couldn’t buy it even for a fortune. This is a paralysis poison mixed with nerve poison.』
Huh.
Slightly disappointed.
“Can I smell it?”
『I don’t care. Besides, it won’t affect you anyway.』
“I didn’t expect my gluttonous body that only eats gems to be of help.”
She opened the glass bottle and took a quick sniff. No smell at all. It really is colorless and odorless.
As she reached out, a gem knife flew into her hand. She hesitated to pour the liquid on it since it seemed like it would spill everywhere.
“So this means.”
The demon handed her a small brush.
Ah ha.
She carefully placed the brush into the bottle and poked it into the liquid, quickly getting it wet.
『Don’t soak it too much. You should feel it as if it’s just coated. If it runs, that’s just trouble.』
“Okay.”
Pastel lightly bit her tongue and brushed the knife like an artist.
Swish swish swish swish.
The transparent poison coated the blade.
She looked at the knife that didn’t seem to have changed much.
Pastel tilted her head.
“Is this it?”
Super easy.
『Exactly.』
Yay.
Pastel stared at the poisoned knife, her hands slowly trembling.
“Is it really okay to kill someone so easily?!”
Can such a simple method carry the weight of a life?
The demon lord’s sanding of her conscience was making it rough again!
“Others wouldn’t normally use this kind of method, right?”
『No.』
Ugh.
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
If no one used such an easy method, it was clear that at least some conscience had restrained them.
“So, so it’s just me doing something particularly bad?! Is my conscience a million times more lacking than others?!”
Her conscience was starting to roughen up again!
Poke poke poke.
Ugh.
Don’t torment my heart.
The demon pondered for a moment.
『It’s not that they don’t use it because of conscience; it’s because it’s risky. Poison may seem like an easy method, but it really isn’t.』
One by one, the demon’s fingers folded down.
『It’s complicated to manage, you could easily have an accident while eating, and you can’t always touch it due to lack of distinction between friends and foes. It’s more troublesome than you’d think. Plus, it affects your reputation, making it hard to rescue companions. It’s not that they don’t use it; they can’t.』
Ah, that’s the reason?
With the demon lord’s passionate sanding, her conscience was getting smooth again!
Is this the feeling of corruption?
It might not be that bad.
Pastel nodded but then suddenly jolted.
Huh!
She had just naturally been swayed by the demon’s whispers!
Ugh.
『Hmm.』
The demon leaned closer and carefully examined Pastel. The red eyes scanned the girl’s condition.
『It seems sending the High Merchant to prison has negatively affected your mental health.』
The demon’s hand touched the girl’s forehead to check her temperature.
『No fever.』
Pastel blankly stared up at the demon, rubbing her forehead.
“It seems that’s the case.”
『Rest for a while. I’ll take care of it, so skip sky whale gathering and relax during the remaining vacation.』
The demon straightened his clothes and looked around the temporary hut set up on the back of the sky whale.
『It might be a good idea to go back to the academy dormitory altogether.』
“But the vacation is ending soon anyway.”
『That’s why I’m telling you to rest thoroughly. A change of mood will help a lot.』
“A change of mood….”
Pastel muttered blankly.
The demon looked at her, then turned towards the door.
『I’ll let you know, so take a good rest.』
“How do I change my mood…?”
Pastel thought deeply and then her eyes lit up.
Oh right!
I almost forgot something!
How did I forget such an important thing?!
How focused was I on revenge!
The demon opened the hut door and looked back. Then he spoke in a gentle voice.
『Cover yourself with a blanket and sleep well—』
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord!”
Pastel rushed forward and bumped into the demon.
Wham—!
A strong impact sound echoed. The sudden attack made the demon stagger and gasp.
The girl hugged the demon’s waist and looked up. Her pink eyes sparkled.
“The sky whale! The sky whale!”
Her hair bobbed in sync with her feelings.
“There’s a whale! A really big whale! What am I doing here?! The sky whale, the huge whale is floating!”
Floating ding dilly floating!
『Wait, calm down. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?』
The demon was bewildered.
“It’s a whale this big!”
Pastel spread her arms wide and twirled around. Her hair slapped the demon.
“Gasp! A 360-degree spinning whale! It’s a huge whale!”
The demon spread his palms as if to gesture for her to calm down.
『First, take a deep breath and speak in coherent sentences. So what about the sky whale?』
Pastel froze at the demon’s words. She took a deep breath slowly.
Huff, whooo.
Sigh, whooo.
Calmly, she opened her mouth.
“The sky whale….”
The demon sighed in relief.
『I’m listening. Go on.』
“The sky whale….”
Pastel froze in surprise and opened her eyes wide.
“This isn’t the time!”
Total emergency!
Emergency, emergency!
The demon’s bewildered arms were grabbed, and she ran outside. Pushing the hut door open, her field of view opened up, revealing a campground mixed with people and livestock.
“The gigantic whale is waiting!”
We have to see everything before school starts.
“Let’s run! Let’s run!”
The girl pulled the demon and dashed toward the campsite. Beyond it lay lush green nature.
A giant bird soared through the blue sky.
Pastel was definitely not a bad kid who passes her responsibilities to others (I mean it!) and she met Leonard and friends to check on the status of the sky whale gathering.
Various leather bags were filled with gathered herbs, mushrooms, and safely picked animal bones from wandering.
“Everyone is doing their best!”
So proud.
Leonard looked somewhat displeased.
“What were you doing again?”
“I took over Prezzy High Merchant! Friends can now relax and still fill the student council budget! Good job everyone!”
“Wait, you’re actually working?”
Ahem.
Pastel met with Grace the High Merchant to handle tasks related to Prezzy High Merchant. Thanks to the convenient acquisition, they ate up almost everything for free, but it meant taking on various debts that Prezzy High Merchant had, so additional funding was needed.
“Ultimately, we’ll need to wait for the smuggling fleet sent to the demon realm to return.”
“That’s right.”
Melissa’s role in covering the smuggling was crucial at this point.
My entire fortune is in another’s hands!
Shiver shiver.
But as a close friend, I trust Melissa!
Melissa will surely be suited for this smuggling job!
I’ve heard rumors about the treacherous journeys facing flying creatures’ habitat changes and frequent encounters with pirates, but Pastel slept with her legs stretched out without a worry.
Melissa, I believe in you!
Zzz.
After handling the tasks, she wandered around the sky whale’s back to take in the sights.
“Wow, a whale blowhole!”
Climbing up a blowhole that easily surpassed the size of a crater.
“Wow, a wing storm!”
Watching as the massive wings created a storm that ruffled her clothes and hair.
“The wind is super strong! I feel like I’m flying! Flapping my arms! I could really fly, wow! Demon Lord! Demon Lord!”
『No.』
However, it was a secret that she really did fly while the demon caught her.
Afterward, she also had time to say goodbye to the baby birds.
–Tweet! Tweet!
“I’m a tweet too! Tweet!”
–Peep.
“What’s wrong? As if I swore in bird language or something!”
–Tweet.
“Gasp, really?! Did I learn to curse in bird language first?!”
Shock.
Incredible shock.
Time passed, and vacation ended.
The season for studies began.
Ugh.
Studies…!
What to do, what to do!
Oh right!
I’ve never studied anyway?!
Phew.
Relief.
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