Chapter 20: A Romantic Trope Gone Airborne

Generally, this would be a common scene in a romantic novel. Tossing a beloved high into the air, or a princess leaping from a tower into one’s arms. These are rather conventional romantic tropes. But… what the hell? ‘—Why is my wife in the sky?!’

This was clearly no ordinary romantic trope! Lifting her high? No! A graceful descent into his embrace? No!

A little-known fact: the chances of a newlywed wife being accidentally flung by her husband in a shoulder throw are, in fact, not zero.

Wade had anticipated grappling with a highly trained knight. Thus, he had deliberately amplified his strength, considering he was a man capable of cleaving a city wall with a single sword stroke; his might was truly considerable.

However, Lamia, still in her feminine form, was significantly lighter than the knights. With Wade’s sudden exertion, she was flung directly into the air, tracing a graceful arc across the sky.

“Whoa-oah-oah-oah—!!”

That shriek, however, belonged to Wade. Lamia, still disoriented, paused in mid-air, stunned by the sudden sensation of weightlessness.

[…Hm?]

She floated upwards inexplicably, before gravity began to pull her back down.

‘—I was thrown? By Wade?’

It had all happened because too many people were crowding around. In her current form, Lamia possessed a height of just under 1.7 meters; while respectable, she was effectively invisible when surrounded by the towering, burly knights.

Seeing Wade training with the knights, Lamia, ever polite, had intended to inform him that she would wait nearby, hoping to leave the impression of a virtuous wife. She also planned to explore other areas, observing the situation of the other people.

Yet, just as she glanced around and patted Wade’s shoulder to greet him, the very next second, she found herself airborne.

[Huh…?]

[—Wade, you absolute idiot—?!]

“…!”

After being flung into the sky, Lamia had frozen for about half a second. Then, her thoughts pierced directly into Wade’s mind; amidst his astonishment, he could distinctly hear her curses.

‘The Black Demon King is angry…!’

“Lamia—!!”

Swiftly catching her was no difficult feat for Wade. A powerful superhero capable of flinging his wife could, naturally, also catch her again.

Thus, Wade surged forward in a charging stride. Just as Lamia was about to hit the ground, he executed a slide tackle, stabilizing his lower body before securely catching her.

Don’t ask how high she flew; suffice it to say, she was caught completely unharmed, and in the most fashionable princess carry, no less.

“…”

After catching Lamia, Wade squinted and looked away. This was certainly not an attempt to look cool, but purely because—

[…😡…]

…😗💦

‘—He’s terrified.’

He could distinctly feel Lamia’s fury, perhaps intensified by their close proximity. This wrath was even more potent than when they had confronted each other at the gates of the Demon King’s Castle.

‘Ah… this is bad.’

Wade squinted, not daring to look in Lamia’s direction. He simply couldn’t bear to see the expression his newlywed wife was currently wearing as she gazed at him.

[This guy… what is he doing? Is he openly provoking me? This is the Knights’ Order, their human territory, and he’s making me look so foolish in front of these young humans—has he realized I’m the Black Demon King? Was throwing me up a test?]

“…!”

Although Wade truly wished to avoid facing Lamia, her thoughts still pierced his mind without warning, startling him profoundly.

‘What…?’

Wade froze for a moment.

‘She found out I know her true identity through such a strange method…?’

‘No—it must be a guess. She’s definitely still guessing, not certain yet.’

‘This won’t do. I can’t let her be certain! I can’t let the current situation be exposed because of this…!’

‘And there are people everywhere, these young knights are still nearby… I can’t let them provoke the Black Demon King; I need to stabilize her emotions!’

‘…Ugh…’

‘Though I’m reluctant to do this… but… for the future of humanity… I’ll give it my all!’

“—Actually, Lamia, I’ve wanted to try something like this for a long time.”

Suppressing the feeling of goosebumps, Wade rose from his half-kneeling position, pulling Lamia tightly into his embrace.

“I haven’t had much experience interacting with women before, so… I don’t know what would make you happy. I once saw someone hold their partner like this at a ball, and I’ve always envied it, always wanted to try it myself. But alas, being unloved, I never had the chance—yet, thankfully, I have you.”

As Wade spoke, he turned and walked away, carrying Lamia, moving away from the curious knights. He left behind the sweet image of him embracing his wife for the young onlookers, who, though bewildered, murmured with profound envy.

[Oh…?]

Wade’s words, delivered with all the sincerity he could muster, seemed to genuinely astound Lamia. She subtly adjusted her position in his arms, looking up with a touch of curiosity at the man who spoke so earnestly, as if reciting lines from a romance novel.

“I apologize, my clumsiness got the better of me. I meant to give you a surprise, to make you happy, but it seems I’ve only made a mess of it… It’s all my fault for being too foolish and inexperienced.”

As he spoke, Wade looked at Lamia, wearing an expression of profound apology.

While Wade certainly lacked the finesse of a seasoned romantic, his ability to lie convincingly was hampered by his years in the Knights’ Order. Surrounded by overly upright individuals, he couldn’t possibly concoct any earth-shattering falsehoods. Yet, it was more than enough to deceive the Black Demon King!

What if he was new to romance? She wasn’t even human! So even *I* can contend with her!

“I’m sorry, please don’t be angry, okay? I was wrong, my dear wife.”

Leaning down gently, Wade pressed a calming kiss to Lamia’s forehead. Lamia was truly bewildered by his words, though she still pouted unhappily, her eyes indicated that her anger had somewhat subsided.

[So that’s how it is… a surprise? Is this how humans prepare surprises? Well, some demon races that require physical procreation do something similar: they use immense power to demonstrate their strength, thereby attracting the interest of the opposite s*x. Demons, however, don’t need those emotions; they simply choose a powerful partner to cooperate in reproduction… Humans are probably similar, just with something called ’emotions,’ and the process of demonstrating strength doesn’t need to be so violent… But the general procedure should be correct…]

Although she seemed to have misunderstood some parts, her overall conclusion wasn’t entirely incorrect.

[Hmph…]

Hearing the Black Demon King sigh inwardly, Wade felt a pang of nervousness.

While Lamia’s thoughts seemed to diverge somewhat from what he intended to convey… it didn’t matter. As long as she didn’t realize the things he was worried about, that was enough.

[Hmm—thinking about it this way, he *does* have feelings for me, doesn’t he? He’s already trying to prove it with his actions~? Hehehe…]

Lamia even began to rationalize Wade’s desperate attempt at damage control within her own mind.

‘…Phew…’

Seeing Lamia return to her cheerful demeanor, Wade breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. As long as she didn’t angrily destroy the place or realize he knew her true identity… anything was fine.

‘It seems I actually have a talent for spinning tall tales…’

‘Hmph… to think I had to bow my head and admit fault to the Black Demon King over something like this… Damn it! When have I ever endured such humiliation?!’

‘But… fine, if it makes her feel a little better… then it doesn’t matter. As long as no one gets hurt because of this.’

Truly worthy of the superhero White Knight, he had once again saved humanity from dire peril. As for the exact nature of that ‘dire peril,’ it was a question best left unasked.