— — — — — —
When Kazuma walked back toward the shrine with the Demon Lord in tow…
...
Inside the shrine, things were a mess.
"Why aren't they here yet? Did something happen on the way?! Is the human world about to be destroyed?!"
Hilda paced circles around the living room, completely losing the icy calm she normally carried.
"Hilda is actually biting her nails… she's seriously stressed."
Tohru and Kanna sat nearby watching her, and even they started getting nervous.
Just what kind of person was this Demon Lord anyway, if even Hilda was panicking like this?
Aoi Kunieda finished cooking and sat down too. "Hilda, you don't need to be so tense. We've prepared a whole table of dishes, sake, even put up welcome decorations. I'm sure Beel's father will be perfectly happy."
Aoi tried comforting Hilda, who looked like she was about to wear a hole in the floor from pacing.
"No, absolutely not. His Majesty is not that easy to please. The last time he got mad? It was just because he couldn't clear a game."
"He got so pissed he sent someone to destroy the entire human world! If even one tiny thing displeases him, everything will be wiped out!"
Hilda still remembered clearly why she brought baby Beel to the human world: the Demon Lord lost a game, got annoyed, and casually ordered her to go destroy humanity.
While everyone in the shrine was on edge, the front door suddenly slid open.
"Yo~ I'm back!"
"And I got everything you asked me to buy. Also, between hotpot and barbeque, I think I prefer barbeque."
Kazuma walked in and set down the plastic bags. One bag held his own high-calorie snacks; the others were filled with the hotpot ingredients Hilda asked for.
"Why are you so late?! His Majesty could show up any second! If you, his foster father, aren't here, we're doomed!" Hilda rushed over the moment she saw him, her anxiety turning instantly into scolding.
"And your clothes need to be straightened, your hair fixed. You have to make a good impression!" She fussed over his collar and hair like a frantic mother hen.
"Wait, wait! I'll help entertain the Demon Lord, but not this part. Let me do that!" Tohru suddenly dashed over, pulled Kazuma away from Hilda, and immediately started rubbing herself against him.
"Tohru, what are you doing?"
Kazuma stared at the dragon girl nuzzling him like a clingy cat, completely speechless.
"Marking you with my scent. That way everyone knows you're mine." Tohru said this with full seriousness. For dragons, spreading their scent was declaring territory.
Kazuma felt like he'd turned into a lamppost, and Tohru was the neighborhood dog leaving her tag on him.
"Alright, enough. Seriously. Anyway, I ran into someone on the way back. Guess who?" He pushed Tohru off and took a breath.
"Who cares? Our priority is His Majesty. We have to welcome him properly."
Hilda frowned when she noticed his clothes were messed up again and immediately tried to smooth them.
"It was the Demon Lord. I saw him on the street while grocery shopping."
"At first I didn't recognize him. I thought he was some mugged homeless guy because his clothes were ripped off."
"But then I saw the green hair and the horns, and then I realized 'oh. That's the guy we've been waiting for.'"
Kazuma laughed. If he hadn't run into him, the Demon Lord might still be sitting under that bridge hugging himself and shaking.
"That's His Majesty! How could he possibly be mugged?! If he got serious he could level the entire city instantly—"
Hilda turned toward the doorway mid-rant—and froze. "The Demon Lord… wait… Your Majesty… What…"
There stood the Demon Lord, carrying bags, wearing Kazuma's clothes.
She stared at him. Then at Kazuma. Then back at him. Her mind blue-screened.
"Hey, Hilda. The human world is crazy. I almost got lost forever out there. Good thing I ran into Kazuma."
The Demon Lord greeted everyone cheerfully, scratching his head with a goofy grin.
"So that's the Demon Lord? He doesn't look scary at all. Hilda really overreacted," Tohru muttered as she finally relaxed. Compared to her own father, this guy looked practically normal.
"Mm," Kanna nodded. Even she felt this one was much easier to deal with than her dad.
"Alright, enough standing. Everyone's here, so let's eat!"
Kazuma was already seated. He kept saying he didn't want hotpot, but once it was on the table, he had no hesitation at all.
"Eat, eat, eat!" Kanna hopped into the seat next to him. She grabbed two pairs of chopsticks like she was dual-wielding them for extra speed.
"Then I'll start adding the ingredients."
Tohru dropped in meat, vegetables, fish balls, and everything else they'd prepared.
"I made sesame sauce and cracked some eggs. Use whatever you like."
Aoi pulled out the dips she'd prepared and sat down. Her grandfather wasn't joining; he was too old for hell-level spice, so she'd already made him a mild broth in his room. He was quietly eating there now.
"You people are being incredibly rude. You're supposed to wait until His Majesty sits before sitting yourselves!"
Hilda couldn't help scolding them. She turned and bowed toward the Demon Lord. "Your Majesty, please forgive their manners. They—"
"It's fine, Hilda. Really. We're not in the Demon Castle. No need to be this formal."
He glanced at the bubbling pot. "What is this? I've never seen it in the demon world. Let me try… hmm, delicious."
The Demon Lord took an empty seat and joined in. It didn't take long before he and Kazuma were drinking together.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
They clinked cups, and after a few gulps, the sake was gone.
"This sake is way too weak. Try mine instead. Cheers." Kazuma pulled out a bottle of blue magical liquor from his Treasury. It was strong enough to knock out gods and demons alike.
"Cheers! Drink till we drop!" The Demon Lord was hyped. He grabbed the bottle and downed two in a row. His face flushed almost instantly.
"Another!"
Kazuma couldn't let himself be outdone and chugged with him. Soon the two were locked in a drinking battle.
It didn't take long for the Demon Lord to get drunk. Kazuma's booze was really so strong.
"If you ever visit the demon world, find me. I'll… hic… give you the best hospitality," the Demon Lord slurred.
"No problem. But when I get there, I'll overthrow you and take your spot as Demon Lord." Kazuma said it without the slightest hesitation.
"That'd be great. I'm sick of being Demon Lord. Every day is nothing but a huge pile of annoying problems."
The Demon Lord nodded drunkenly without thinking at all.
"K-Kazuma! Your Majesty!" Hilda felt something spiraling out of control. This was a dangerous conversation.
"It's settled. When the time comes and I take the throne, you step down quietly and I won't kill you." Kazuma patted the Demon Lord's shoulder.
But now that they were close, he could sense it clearly: the Demon Lord's magic was stronger than his, but not by much. If they fought seriously, Kazuma figured he had a fifty-fifty chance of killing him.
"Fine. When you come, I'll step down. Right away. If I hesitate, I'm not… not… not even a demon anymore."
The Demon Lord had already lost track of how much he drank. His consciousness was fuzzy; the liquor was too strong.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Hilda went to open it and found one of the Demon Lord's attendants waiting outside.
"I'm here to escort His Majesty back to the demon world."
"Thank goodness. Please take him back immediately!"
Hilda practically shoved the drunk Demon Lord toward the attendant. She couldn't imagine what horrifying nonsense Kazuma and His Majesty would agree to if they stayed together any longer.
"Hic… time to go? But… I haven't had enough fun…" The Demon Lord swayed. "Anyway, Kazuma, I… I… what was I about to say?"
He looked at the attendant. "What was I doing again?"
"You came to see the young master."
"Oh. My son. Right, En. He ran off to the human world recently and insisted he'd destroy it."
The Demon Lord staggered toward the door. "And the 34 Pillar Division who supports him is here too. They might cause you trouble. That's all."
The attendant activated the teleportation spell. A magic circle flared under their feet, and in the next second the two vanished from the human world.
Hilda's frustration from earlier was completely gone. Her expression turned sharp and grim.
This wasn't like dealing with the Demon Lord. With him, she was anxious.
But when it came to Prince En… her eyes were full of hostility.
.
.
.