Chapter: 173
She stared wide-eyed at her father’s bloodied face, trembling. Her gaze slowly drifted down to his chest, where the sword she had been holding was inexplicably embedded.
He began to wither away rapidly, as if life itself had been drained by the blade. Regaining her senses, the Demon King tried to pull the sword out, but it didn’t budge.
“Ah, no! Is there no one outside?!”
Barely able to let go of the sword, the Demon King could only shout in a frantic voice.
“What… what sort of nonsense is this… cough, the restraints should have been—”
The previous Demon King muttered incomprehensible words, seemingly oblivious to the fact that death was looming over him. He suddenly grasped the Demon King’s shoulder tightly.
“Failure, I’ve failed! Cough, cough! Ah… not like this…!”
His voice sounded like it might give out at any moment, and then he started spouting a jumble of incoherent words.
“The battle between the Demon King and the Hero, the conflict between the Demon World… and Human World, it’s just a horrible cycle that keeps repeating! I… I thought I had… cough, cough… broken free from that cycle… but no, not at all—”
His words began to crackle and distort like a broken radio. It looked like he was trying to say something, but it was inaudible.
“Father…?”
The Demon King searched the empty space for her father, but there was no answer.
“Nothing… I can’t hear anything. Please, say it again—”
“My beloved daughter.”
In that moment, miraculously, the previous Demon King’s voice came through clearly.
“I’m truly sorry for not being able to keep my promise of freedom… peace. Not once have I ever not loved you. No matter what happens, don’t forget this.”
“Dad..?”
The moment the familiar nickname spilled from her lips, the previous Demon King’s body began to crumble.
Thud.
His body, which had quickly turned to dust as if all its energy had been sapped, fell to the ground.
“Ah… Dad, Dad…?”
She frantically searched the pile of dust that used to be her father, but of course, he wouldn’t be returning from the dead.
Thud!
Before she could regain her composure, a chilling pressure filled the hall. The Demon King couldn’t even make a sound, petrified like a taxidermied animal.
Boom!
Something enormous loomed above her head.
‘W-What is this energy?’
Lian’s eyes widened in recognition as darkness engulfed his vision, and he felt himself being flung away.
[ Just now… ]
When he regained his senses, he found himself floating with a blank expression in front of the Demon King, who was holding a darkened crystal orb. Seeing her tilt her head in confusion as she stared at the now black crystal, Lian’s mind snapped back to reality.
[ If my expectations are correct… that must be the final boss. ]
This was the entity that had been untouchable even by the Magic Sword that had breezed through all trials, and whose overwhelming presence had rendered his comedic powers useless.
Lian was certain that the being others called “That One” was the final boss.
[ Well then, the target changes. Instead of hunting the Demon King, it’s time to hunt “That One.” ]
In the past, he had been told that the “Outsider,” who had spilled information to him, had joined forces with the Demon King and “That One.”
Just like how humans acquire tremendous power by making contracts with demons, the Demon King must have also forged a contract with the Outsider for immense power, leading him to initially conclude the Demon King was the final boss.
However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that the Demon King was merely a victim. Of course, he hadn’t seen every memory of the Demon King, so it might seem hasty to be so confident, but the assurance wasn’t baseless.
[ ‘Even without memories, just looking at the surrounding circumstances provides the answer.’ ]
A group of hooded figures reverently declaring it an honor to serve “That One,” the Demon King who inflicted terrible wounds on herself while crying.
If “That One” truly cared for the Demon King, the group would never treat her with disdain.
Conversely, if the Demon King thought of “That One” as an ally or follower, she wouldn’t have blindly followed Lian, who was invisible to her.
As the layers of information in his head presented an answer to one question, a new question took precedence.
[ More importantly, I’m curious about what the previous Demon King said… he mentioned that the ongoing strife between the Hero and the Demon King wasn’t intentional, right? ]
Since he hadn’t received any information about that, he instinctively tilted his head.
[ Ugh…! The previous Demon King vanished before he could explain; the Demon King probably knows nothing either… and the previous Hero is dead too… ]
Clutching his head in frustration over the lack of answers, he suddenly turned to look at the Demon King’s pile of gifts.
[ ‘If I find something useful like before, I might get more information!’ ]
His eyes sparkled as he started rummaging through the pile… and upon discovering another transparent crystal orb, he grabbed it tightly and promptly lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, he had become a squishy black Slime.
Returning to the present, Slime Lian floated aimlessly in the warm bath, his thoughts muddled.
‘Having a body is better than not having one, but—’
Just as Lian tried to confront the serious issue floating in his mind…
“Is the water temperature okay?”
“…!”
That always pleasant voice now spoke to him, filled with warmth. Startled, Lian flailed and sank right into the water.
Though he wasn’t suffocating as a Slime, he instinctively struggled with his tiny, insignificant hands to get back to the surface, only to sink deeper instead.
Maybe sinking to the bottom and then bouncing off the tub floor would be quicker—just as that thought crossed his mind, he felt a graceful hand wrap around him.
Splash!
As he was pulled out of the water, Lian found himself freezing up completely. A pristine, white body, without even a towel, filled his vision.
Thanks to his gag filter thankfully working overtime, her flowing hair and steam covered the important bits, but it did nothing to hide the smooth and delicate skin or entrancing waist.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine!”
A voice that was different from his usual, more delicate and cute, tumbled out. It sounded like a child whose age made it hard to determine their gender. Eyes, resembling chocolate balls, rolled around as if they didn’t know where to look, but since his body was black, it didn’t stand out.
Lian’s tiny squishy hands, barely five centimeters long, tapped her finger gently.
“Could you let me down now that I’m fine..?”
“You might fall again.”
“T-That’s! I’m cold! I just want to get back into the bath quickly! Hahaha!”
Water dripped continuously down his Slime body. While it looked like sweat, it was merely the liquid comprising his Slime form.
“Then let’s get in together.”
“Eh?”
Soon after, the Demon King hugged the squishy Slime to her chest and lowered herself into the tub.
Splash!
As the sound of water overflowing from the tub filled the air, Lian lay there like a broken doll.
“Phew…”
Feeling the warmth as she submerged, the Demon King’s hot breath washed over him. It sent a shiver down Lian’s body, as if she had blown into his ear.
“Are you still cold?”
“…Hah..!”
The Demon King silently pulled him closer… and that was the last memory Lian would have.
*
Several hours later, Lian finally regained consciousness, only to realize he was trapped in the soft embrace of the Demon King, who was wearing smooth, silk pajamas.
Something plush pressed against his back while fragrant breath wafted above his head. She must have just bathed, as a delightful scent enveloped her body. As Lian felt the Demon King’s lips hovering closely above him, his mind went completely blank.
‘Like this…! Like this, I’m really going to d-die… I’m going to die…!’
While he wouldn’t bleed from the nose due to not having a human body, the liquid filling his Slime form would surely pour out, leaving only a squishy skin behind and resulting in his demise.
The Demon King’s skinship was that deadly.
Unaware of Lian’s condition, the Demon King continued to hug him like a beloved plush doll.
“U-Um…”
“Stay still.”
“Yes…”
In response to her firm, almost commanding voice, Lian could only curl up and comply, rendered helpless in her embrace. And then, an ominous shadow loomed overhead…
Crush.
The Demon King buried her beautiful face into the top of Lian’s head. He could feel her soft lips, tiny nose, and long eyelashes up close.
‘Ah, so this is how I die.’
The moment he sensed the essence of his Slime body slipping away like an ethereal being, he felt a wave of impending doom wash over him, only to be met by the Demon King’s voice.
“If you’re not feeling well, you should have said so. What are you doing just collapsing like that?”
Her reprimanding voice was filled with unrestrained concern and fear. The serious conversation brought Lian’s spirit back to reality, and he regained his senses.
Just as the words “I’m sorry” rose to the tip of his tongue…
Rub.
“Wha…!”
The Demon King snuggled closer like she was nuzzling into a pillow, rubbing her face against Lian. Ultimately, the only sound that escaped him was a pitiful cry from the Slime.
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