Chapter 28: The Demon Lord’s Lingering Thoughts

“He was once one of my sired, but unable to adapt to the blood, he endured centuries of agony before pleading for me to end his life.”

As one of the higher demon races, the Vampires possessed three original progenitors.

Upon receiving their blood, humans, beastmen, and demi-humans alike would be assimilated, losing all memories of their former lives to officially become pure-blooded Vampires.

However, a significant number of individuals would exhibit a resistance to the primordial blood.

This resistance was not a matter of will, but rather an adverse physical reaction.

Such Vampires, when attempting to assimilate other races, could only give birth to incomplete, impure offspring.

“Such a setting exists,” Yunajin remarked, a note of wonder in her voice.

“Your Majesty, Demon Lord, this is knowledge I’ve lectured on in class; you seem to forget it quite quickly,” Meredith stated, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You’ll need to ‘review’ your ‘Brief History of Demons’ once more.”

‘Again… must I copy it out again?’

Even during the recent battle, Yunajin had not felt such dread.

She faced this proposition as if confronting a formidable foe, yet her face betrayed a pitiful, pleading expression.

“Surely it’s not copying *that* thing again,” Ando muttered from the side.

Hearing the small Slime’s gleeful tone, Yunajin snatched him up from the ground, cradling him in her arms before playfully squishing him.

“How dare you! Do not laugh at this King!”

The Demon Lord’s Altar was a sacred place, accessible only to the Demon Lord and her Eight Demon Generals, serving as a vital site for training and awakening her powers.

Even Yunajin’s personal maid was barred from entry.

If Vivi were to witness this scene, she might feel a pang of envy, despite the Demon Lord often treating her similarly.

After retrieving the remaining shattered gargoyles, Edesbond took his leave.

Gazing upon the devastated altar grounds, it was clear that magic alone could not restore the unique materials used in its construction, and this time, Ando’s heart ached with distress.

‘The funds proposed for the last repair haven’t even been allocated yet, and if I have to use my own slices for emergency repairs again…’

“Strange, Lord Ando, why do you look an entire size smaller than before?” Yunajin asked, her hand stroking Ando’s plump body.

“W-wah…” Ando whimpered mournfully.

“Your Majesty, Demon Lord, if you don’t allocate some funds to repair this place soon, the Demon Lord’s Altar will become the Demon Lord’s Ruins!”

“Indeed, it seems no one has been dispatched to repair the grounds after recent combat training sessions, Your Majesty.

Ando has been using his own body to mend the Demon Lord’s Altar.”

“Oh dear, that truly was this King’s oversight.

My apologies, my apologies.”

Yunajin rubbed her cheek against the Slime’s soft body, hoping to soothe Ando’s feelings.

After all, the First Demon Lord had entrusted everything concerning the Demon Lord’s Altar to him.

If this place were to fall into utter ruin, Ando would indeed feel profound shame towards the former king, a failure worthy of death!

“Meredith, what’s next on the agenda?”

Returning to the ground, Yunajin greedily inhaled the rose-scented air.

“You are to receive the envoy of Eliog, the King of Centaurs.

The latest intelligence regarding the Elemental Dragon King’s movements, which you ordered to be monitored, is also included in their report.”

“Hoh, your efficiency remains as high as ever.”

An order given in the morning could be implemented within mere hours—such was Meredith’s efficiency.

However… why had the repairs to the Demon Lord’s Altar been neglected for so long?

“Your Majesty, Demon Lord, you have three hours of rest time before then.

Shall I have the kitchen prepare some food for you now?”

“No need.

This King wishes to cleanse her body.

You may attend to your own duties first.

Oh, and today, send someone to repair the altar.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.

Then I shall use a teleportation gate to…”

“This King will simply walk back herself.”

Yunajin beckoned Vivi, then parted ways with Meredith.

****

Inside the bathroom, Yunajin slowly exhaled as she submerged herself in the bathwater, feeling the tension in her battle-weary muscles gradually ease in the warmth.

“Your Majesty, Demon Lord, would you like me to…”

“Another time.”

Through the thick white mist, Yunajin decisively declined Vivi’s offer of assistance with her bath.

Indeed, even if Vivi was her servant, a Slime, having her assist with bathing felt undeniably strange.

‘If it were Qiaolun doing it, it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question…’

‘How could I even think such a thing!’

Perhaps recalling some embarrassing image, Yunajin buried half her face in the water, bubbles gurgling incessantly around her.

Only days prior, the Hero who had come to kill her had shared this very bath.

Just as Yunajin believed their mutual affection had reached new heights, Qiaolun’s departure had rendered all her efforts futile.

Yunajin knew, deep down, that Qiaolun’s departure was inevitable, yet she had not accepted it, nor did she wish to.

The Demon Lord had begun to miss the Hero.

‘Yunajin, can you dance?’

After her bath, Yunajin settled onto her bed for an afternoon nap, cradling Vivi, who had transformed into a soft, pliable Slime.

In her daze, the lights seemed to dim.

The man’s final words were seared into her mind, and Yunajin’s heart tightened, her grip unconsciously clenching.

*Squelch—*

Slimes were said to be almost entirely liquid, capable of freely changing their shape, their fluid bodies immune to most impacts.

However, under Yunajin’s formidable strength, Vivi’s body still emitted a distorted sound.

Without the suppression of ‘Twilight’s Elegy’ for the moment, Yunajin effortlessly tore the Slime in her arms into two irregular pieces.

When Yunajin awoke from her sleep, she found herself clutching two incomplete slices in her hands.

“I’m so sorry! Vivi, are you alright?”

“Mmm…” Vivi seemed to have just woken up.

Her body, split like viscous liquid, reconnected, and watching Vivi return to her original form, Yunajin let out a sigh of relief.

“Your Majesty, Demon Lord…” Vivi murmured from her embrace.

“Ever since that human left, you’ve become a little different.”

“This King knows what you mean, Lady Vivi.

You initially believed that the so-called Hero was merely a toy for this King’s whims.”

“Could it be that you truly…”

“I like him,” Yunajin stated earnestly.

“I… do not understand.”

The Slimes of this land possessed considerable sentience, yet there remained emotions they simply could not comprehend.

Yunajin understood this instinctively; she would never demand a race that reproduced through fission to grasp concepts like romantic or familial love.

A soul that did not originally belong to this world, a human who was not originally a demon of this world, had by chance become the Demon Lord.

Yunajin had openly accepted all of this, yet she still found herself reminiscing about the past from time to time.

Qiaolun, appearing before her, was the very link between her past and present.

Despite her reluctance to think of him this way, Yunajin forcibly rationalized her affection for Qiaolun with this reason, simply to suppress the excitement she felt upon seeing him.

But what was the truth?

What were Yunajin’s genuine thoughts?

‘To fall for someone requires no reason; a single glance, a brief encounter, and the love in one’s heart simply surges forth.’

‘Yunajin, can you dance?’

‘I cannot, but I will learn, and then… I will find you.’

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