Furious Elly scolded Pastel, who spent an uneasy time alone in the carriage before sprinting straight to her personal dormitory.
“Uwaang!”
Elly is bad!
Totally bad!
At that moment, at that timing, if she thought about those actions and judgments, she should be praised!
Of course, Elly didn’t know Mr. Penguin was a spy and thought clueless Pastel just revealed the confidential information that the Demon King was fake!
Meanwhile, she shot suspicious glances at this schemer Craft, wondering what plot she had hatched to deliberately spill that secret (Huh!).
—Surely she didn’t reveal it with any ulterior motive?
—Huh, no way!
—Huh…?
—No way!
She did intentionally spill the beans to escape from Mr. Penguin’s sinister web, but she didn’t scheme anything!
What, do you think I’m always concocting wicked plots, Craft?
…I mean, I am Craft, but still!
Anyway, angry Elly is bad!
Bad! Bad! Totally bad!
“Uwaang!”
Pastel dashed through the garden of her personal dormitory, flinging open the front door and racing toward the familiar kitchen.
“Uwaang! Demon Lord!”
Upon bursting through the kitchen door, she discovered the empty interior.
Oh?
Pink eyes scanned the room.
No one here.
She gently closed the door and bolted to the study.
“Uwaang! Demon Lord!”
She flung the door open, greeted by the scent of books, but only saw empty shelves.
Oh?
No one here.
Pastel blinked in bewilderment. As she flailed her arms and looked around, a noise from the backyard garden caught her attention.
The garden!
She turned on her heels and sprinted towards it.
“Uwaang! Demon Lord!”
She burst open the back door of the mansion.
A demon dressed for garden chores was suspiciously examining some roots.
Not giving her a glance, Pastel shouted again.
“Uwaang! Demon Lord!”
Look up! Look up!
『How many times are you going to say the same thing?』
“Why do you keep making me say the same thing?!”
Just stay in the kitchen!
『How absurd.』
The demon bent down to fiddle with the roots, which were surprisingly purple.
『Little Craft, look at this. The chicory I planted yesterday has all turned purple.』
Just as he said. Among the various vegetables growing in the magical garden, only the chicory line had all turned purple.
“Oh?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Demon Lord, have you finally realized your demonic corruption? Is it Pastel’s turn next?”
Huh, the horror of the cuckoo’s cry.
Then something clicked in Pastel’s mind.
“Huh? No way? I think I know! The chicory friend has sneakily infiltrated delicious salads to deliver a strong bitter taste! This wicked act has finally revealed its true nature!”
The girl’s finger pointed accusingly at the chicory.
“Sure enough, it was purple! I knew from the start that you were a wicked subordinate of the Demon King! I, Governor Pastel, shall banish you from the garden!”
Absolutely banished!
『Oho.』
The demon was impressed.
『I hadn’t realized chicory was a minion of the Demon King.』
“That’s right!”
Pastel nodded vigorously.
“If it weren’t a minion of the Demon King, it wouldn’t suddenly taste bitter in the salad! Especially with that obvious appearance!”
Pastel began to act out the wicked chicory.
“I only taste bitter! But you must eat it all~! How shameless to confess!”
Unforgivable!
『Oho.』
The demon scooped some dirt, equally tinted in purple, beside the chicory and sniffed it.
『I thought someone had sprinkled disguising dye on the chicory field overnight.』
Oh?
“Is there really someone like that? No way.”
What a surprise.
『But it seems the culprit didn’t realize it.』
The demon harvested the purple chicory, choosing not to discard it, but placed it into the vegetable basket.
Oh…?
『The Craft family’s dye has always been edible food coloring. Those craft folks care too much about their appearance to use anything harmful in their hair. So, this chicory is safe to eat.』
What?
Purple chicory piled high in the vegetable basket.
Huh.
The pink eyes trembled in shock.
No way.
The chicory has evolved into double the wickedness as purple chicory.
『Chicory salad would be nice today.』
Chicory salad.
Not just any salad, but a salad featuring the wicked purple chicory…!
“Aaaah!”
Pastel clutched her head.
“I think putting chicory in salad disqualifies you as a chef…!”
『Vegetables are meant to be enjoyed for their bitterness. The bitterness of chicory can enhance flavor by adding depth to otherwise dull tastes.』
The demon casually approached the back door and walked straight through to the kitchen.
“Noooo!”
Pastel clung to the demon’s leg.
“I’m not the culprit, but based on the culprit’s intentions, please don’t make the chicory salad!”
『It might taste better than you think. Using a salt-based dressing can certainly reduce the bitterness.』
A glimmer of hope flickered in the pink eyes.
“So you won’t use it?”
Is this the demon lord’s super ultra cooking skill?
The demon smirked.
『Of course I will.』
“No way…!”
Pastel clung tightly to the leg. The already accustomed demon simply dragged her along as they walked.
“Demon Lord! This isn’t okay! Absolutely not! I just got scolded by furious Elly! It’s ridiculous for wicked purple chicory to come up at a time like this!”
『What did you do to make that princess angry?』
Ugh.
“There were unavoidable measures. Mr. Penguin is actually a spy for His Majesty the Emperor. So I confessed the Demon King was fake to make an emergency escape.”
『Oho.』
The demon was impressed.
『You’re telling me this out of context; I can’t understand at all. Who is Mr. Penguin?』
“Mr. Penguin is half an aide to Elly. An older brother I’ve known since childhood? Since she’s a princess, she probably knows all the key figures, but anyway, that’s how it is.”
I really heard it from furious Elly.
Now that I think about it, it makes sense why she was really, really angry.
Getting caught in a plot against the Demon King by another demon is a political setback, but getting caught by a brother she’s known since childhood is a mental blow.
『If a close aide turned out to be a spy, it makes sense for the princess to be shocked and angry.』
“That’s not it. Elly doesn’t know. She got angry because I blurted out the fake Demon King. I was debating whether to tell her, but Elly isn’t very good at acting, so I decided against it.”
『Hmm. I should remember this. What is the name of that Mr. Penguin?』
“Red, Red Money…?”
No, that’s not it.
Still hanging on the demon’s leg, Pastel was dragged along the floor while she pondered. The white hem of her dress splayed across the dustless corridor.
“Red, Red Wine…?”
Not that either.
Pastel pictured Mr. Penguin in her mind.
Not Mr. Penguin, just Penguin popped into her head.
Penguin: Hello!
The penguin friend waved a flipper in greeting.
Penguin: I like chicory!
What?
Pastel clung even tighter to the demon’s leg. The hem of her dress was dragged across the floor.
“Anyway, Mr. Penguin is a penguin.”
They arrived at the kitchen.
Puu.
Pastel kept hanging on until she was halfway across the kitchen floor, then gave up and settled down onto a chair.
Her chin rested on the table, her legs swung lazily.
“Demon Lord, Demon Lord. Have I been living wrongly lately?”
The demon glanced at her while washing the vegetables.
『There are many wrong parts. First, it’s best to stop that greedy criminal behavior. There’s no longer a need to starve for gems, yet your desires keep getting worse.』
“Elly was a bit miffed even before she got mad. I guess because I was trying to keep things separate, I couldn’t help but develop a sense of disappointment as a friend.”
『Hmm.』
“Elly would certainly feel it more than others. During the railroad franchise bid, I told her I’d be honest so the Craft family wouldn’t hinder our friendship….”
Pastel shifted her chin’s resting position.
“Still, as someone in a high position, showing full honesty would be a breach of duty, so I only hinted at it. But perhaps that’s why she felt it more intensely.”
Pastel flopped onto the table.
One cheek began to bulge a little.
“It’s a bit unfair. Elly was using noticeable colored handkerchiefs to let me figure it out. But she went out of her way to ask, in that rude manner.”
Naturally, as a governor, she had to draw that line.
“If I really wanted to deceive Elly, I wouldn’t have used such an obvious colorful handkerchief!”
If she communicated her signals with something discreet, it would never get caught. That’s why she didn’t act suspiciously; she was afraid Elly would find it eerie.
Ugh.
Pastel flailed her arms on the table.
“Power and popularity are inherently contradictory!”
Governor Pastel and Popular Pastel have the same number of characters!
Huh.
How frustrating that the character count matches.
The demon halted washing the vegetables to ponder. Folding its arms, it said flatly.
『You’re not doing anything wrong. Those who seek to preserve power struggle, and those who record power contemplate, yet the answers to these questions are never documented. There’s no need to blame yourself for what is impossible.』
Pastel nodded fervently.
“Then it’s best to quietly do what I need to do, right?”
『Yes, you know well.』
The demon smiled.
“Hehe.”
Pastel pushed herself up from the table, stretched her arms widely.
“Whew! Then from now on, I should choose an airship to the Demon Realm. The wicked minions of the Demon King are causing terror on the Demon Realm railway!”
Totally wicked.
“I’ve secretly left it to Elly, but I need to go back to the student council and work hard!”
I’m a busy Pastel~.
I don’t have a second to spare~.
Pastel stood up from the chair, turning around.
『Hmm? What about the salad?』
The demon looked bewildered.
Pastel only turned her upper body to glance back.
“Demon Lord, eat up!”
Her pink tongue peeked out playfully.
Ahahaha!
Pastel hurriedly fled.
Let’s head to the Demon Realm!
To catch the wicked minions of the Demon King!
Yahoo~!
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