Chapter 3: The Clam Porridge

When blood rushes to a person’s head, the blood flow to the brain increases, improving memory and concentration.
Neurotransmitters are released into the brain, improving mood and reducing stress.
It also has the minor, cute little side effect of reducing swelling in the legs.
How do I know this so well?

-Dangle, dangle.-

“Kuh… kugh…”

“Hyaa!!! Daddy!! You’re only doing fun stuff to Teo Ajeossi! Me too! Do it to me toooo~!!”

Because I’ve been hanging like this for ten minutes, my ankle caught in the Demon King’s right hand like a slab of meat.

“You… What is your identity? What are you that you’re with my daughter? And… this smell…”

The pinnacle of the Magocratic Kingdom.
The strongest being in the world.
As if to prove that his dazzling and terrifying title of ‘The Walking Hell’ was no lie, Devil… no, the Demon King… sent a menacing aura my way.

“Ha… haha… J-just a normal citizen of the Magocratic Kingdom passing by…”

“Daddy, Daddy! Teo Ajeossi!
He spoke informally to me! (I didn’t know she was the princess. I switched to formal speech the moment I found out.)
He splashed water on my body! (We were just splashing around while catching clams on the beach.)
He called me by my name, not Princess! (She told me to call her by her name first.)
He said he would never~ leave our secret base! (She said she’d cry her eyes out if I left.)”

Beelzebub, sending a sparkling gaze to the Demon King, was very kindly listing my crimes (which I was innocent of) one by one…
Ah… I hope he tears my limbs off quickly and painlessly…

“………Twitch.”

I’m f*cked…
Seeing a small twitch in the eyebrow on his cold, almost emotionless face meant he was at least furious.

“M-My Lord!!! P-Please listen to me!! I’m not a bad person!!”

“That’s wight! Daddy! Teo Ajeossi isn’t a bad person!
He was making dewicious food with me for you, me, and him to eat together!”

Beelzebub, giving me a major illness and then handing me a single red pill…
Thank you… at least it’s something…

“………Twitch..!“

Uh… I don’t think so.
Something must have displeased the Demon King, as the angle of his twitching eyebrow rose another three degrees.
He was enraged…

“Boy… how should I dispose of you? Considering you are a citizen of my Magocratic Kingdom, I shall grant you mercy.”
“I will give you the choice of how you wish to die.”

Ah… ahh… what a truly merciful Demon King…
I had assumed having my limbs dismembered and slowly feeling the pain was the default option…
But the sweet Demon King considered this mixed-blood body a citizen of his kingdom and told me to choose how I die.
Thank you…

“Thank you, My Lord!! If possible, please destroy my brain first so it doesn’t hurt…”

“GUUUURRRRGLE…!!”

At that moment, a loud stomach growl echoed, not from me, nor from Beelzebub, but from a third party.

“……”

“……”

“Teehee!
Daddy’s tummy made the same sound as mine! Are you hungry too, Daddy?”

Beelzebub giggled innocently, staring at the Demon King’s stomach…
Yes.
Children are prettiest when they smile…

“…Ahem… I skipped dinner, so my stomach seems to be making a strange noise.”

“Then, then! Let’s eat the food Teo Ajeossi and I made together!”

Nice assist! Beelzebub!
He wouldn’t harm me right before a meal and ruin his appetite…

“Hmm… Very well, Beelzebub. First, as this man wishes, I’ll destroy his brain…”

Ah… f*ck… I completely underestimated the Demon King…
Just as I thought that, the great Emperor Beelzebub let out an incredibly cute and powerful shout at the Demon King!

“No!!!!! You can’t kill Teo Ajeossi!!!”

“B-Beelzebub… Keoheok…”

Overcome with a storm of emotion, I choked back tears and called her name, only to be met with an immense killing intent…

“Who said you could open your mouth?”

“Hup…”

My voice… no, my very existence seemed to deeply offend the Demon King.
It’s fine… I’m used to hatred and contempt…

“Sigh… Alright. Why can this man not be killed, Beelzebub?”

“It’s fun! Playing with Teo Ajeossi was the most fun ever!!”
“And… I’m hungry! The food Teo Ajeossi made looks weally! yummy! So you can’t kill him!”

There’s a story that says if you play nicely with a child on the beach and make them a delicious meal at a cabin, the child you played with will save you from a life-threatening crisis.
I’m very fond of this story.

“Ugh… Alright. Beelzebub, you must not have had a proper dinner yet… For now, let’s talk while we eat.”

“Yay!! Teo Ajeossi! Hurry and come down! The three of us, you, me, and Daddy, let’s eat together!”

“Th-The Demon King has to let go of my ankle… Kkuek!!”

Teo! Lifespan extended by 1 hour!

Teo gracefully placed a wide bowl, filled to the brim with a steaming, thick white liquid, on the table.

“The main dish, clam porridge, My Lord. It is quite hot, so please enjoy it carefully…”

“……”

“Wow!! It looks so~ yummy! Teo Ajeossi, you should eat with us too!”

“I understand, Beelze…”

Stare…

It’s cold.
The Demon King’s killing intent flew and pierced my chest…

“I understand, Prince…”

“Sniffle…
I… I’m gonna cry…”

I’m going crazy…
It’s Hell’s Choice…

“Sigh… Do you really wish to be called by your name by this man, Beelzebub?”

The Demon King, who was clearly displeased and looked like he wanted to tear my limbs apart at any moment, asked Beelzebub, who was on the verge of tears for some reason.

“Yes… Daddy…”

“Haa… What’s so great about a rabbit-like, unmanly half-wit…”

Ah… I’m moved!
Truly moved!
He didn’t say I was disgusting, or filthy, or impure for being a mixed-blood, but simply called me a half-wit…!

“He’s not a half-wit!!”

And Beelzebub let out a spirited shout at the Demon King.
Uh… this man… no, the Demon King’s red eyes widened by about 0.03mm.
He seems to be in great shock…?

“B-Be… Beelzebub…? What did you just say to your father…?”

“Teo Ajeossi is not a half-wit!!
He played with me and had fun! (That’s right!)
He cooked this delicious-looking food with me! (That’s true!)
And he called me by my name! (That’s a bit…)”

Seeing Beelzebub defending me with a genuine shout, the Demon King looked utterly shocked.

“B-Beelzebub… were you truly that bored…?”

“Yep! That’s why you can’t kill Teo Ajeossi!”

Ah… so moved… truly moved…
I heard that a man devotes his loyalty to someone who recognizes his worth…
Now I finally understand what that means…
My loyalty to you, Lady Beelzebub!

“Ha… Haha… My Lord? Beelze…”

Stare…

“No, Prince…”

“Heeeeng… I’m Beelzebub…”

“No… Lady Beelzebub, the meal you prepared with me is getting cold.”
“My skills may be humble… but I would be grateful if you would eat before it cools… down…”

My voice trailed off as I looked at the murderous gaze of the Demon King and the tear-filled eyes of Beelzebub.
Ugh, the Demon King could kill a person with his gaze… ah… he actually can, can’t he?

“Ahem… Right, your point is valid. Beelzebub? Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
“This is a meal our daughter made for her father (she only moved the clams into the pot), after all.”
“We can’t eat it after it’s gotten all cold and tasteless, can we?”

“Sniffle… Yes… okay, Daddy… sniffle… Daddy… feed me…”

Beelzebub put her cute face close to the Demon King’s and acted cute, asking him to feed her.
The Demon King’s mood seemed to lighten a bit, his raised eyebrows lowering by about 2 degrees.
Nice!

“Hoo… hoo…”

“Haap!”

Finally!
Beelzebub and the Demon King take a bite of the clam porridge!
It will be delicious… no! It has to be delicious!

“………”

After taking one bite of the porridge, the Demon King stared at me, took out the handkerchief from his jacket, and wiped his mouth.
Is this it? Is he going to kill me?
No matter how I think about it, I made it perfectly…?
Strange?

“Hyaaaa!! Daddy! Daddy, Daddy!! This is so~ yummy!!”
“It’s 444 times more delicious than the food at the castle!!”

“……Hmm… I must admit…”
“Setting aside the fact that it was made with my daughter, this taste… is a delicacy I’ve never experienced before.”
“You there, half-wit… no, citizen? How could you create such a delicious dish from ordinary clams picked on a beach?”

“D-Do you like it…? My Lord??”

Stare…

The Demon King frowned for a moment, as if he disliked me, a lowly mixed-blood whose very existence was an impertinence.
But.

“Haap..! Haap!! Haap!!”

“My… she’s eating so heartily, a meal she barely touched at the castle…”

Seeing Beelzebub beside him, shoveling… no, gorgeously eating spoonful after spoonful of the porridge, his eyes widened by about 0.04mm in great surprise.
He then reverted to his original solemn expression and voice and spoke to me.

“Ahem… It was a completely different taste from the clams I knew.”
“The outside was simple, like the white color of the food, but the inside was rich, a completely unexpected flavor.”
“On the name of Demon King Devil, I have never tasted such a delicacy before.”

“Daddy! That’s boring… If it’s yummy, just say it’s yummy!”

A sharp retort from Beelzebub, who had already finished half a bowl of porridge!

“K-Hhmm… It was delicious. However… aren’t there other dishes?”

After one bite of the clam porridge, his appetite seemed to have been completely whetted, and the Demon King was now looking for the crab stew simmering in the kitchen.

“Aigoo!! Of course, there is!! Hehe… If you continue with the clam porridge, I’ll bring it right out!”

“Ahem… Yes. I’ll be counting on you, citizen.”

Ahh!! My title has been upgraded from half-wit to citizen!!
T-This is the first time I’ve been treated like this since coming to this damn world…
Ah… I think I’m going to cry… I’m not usually like this…

-Bubble, bubble, bubble-

“Hoo… hoo… Slurp!”

A final taste before serving it to the Demon King… Hmm… the seasoning is a little weak…

“Sssip… Don’t tell me there’s soy sauce too…”

“There is…? What is this?”

For some reason, there was a black liquid on the cupboard that boasted the aroma and taste of what I presumed to be soy sauce.
In any case, keeping my limbs attached is the priority, so let’s just add it.

-Pour!-

“Hoo… hoo… Slurp!”

Clap, clap, clap!!

Perfect! A perfect, clear crab stew!

“What is all that noise!!”

The Demon King’s angry voice, seemingly annoyed by the clapping sound that interrupted his mealtime with his beloved daughter.
Teo! Lifespan -1 hour!

“I-I… I’m sorry!!”

After sincerely apologizing to the Demon King for disturbing his lovely date with his daughter, I turned off the heat under the boiling crab stew and quickly cooled it down to a good eating temperature in a large wooden bowl.

“If I make one wrong move and burn Beelzebub’s mouth… ugh, I don’t even want to imagine it…”

Just then, a loud voice came from the table where the father and daughter were enjoying their intimate date.

“Teo Ajeossi!! You come quick and eat with us too!!”

“Beelzebub! Is not eating with your father alone enough to satisfy you…? Why would you bring an outsider…”

The Demon King’s voice sounded as if he had lost the world…
I didn’t do anything, My Lord… really… really…

“Mmm! I want Daddy and Teo Ajeossi to get along!”

Ah… that is an impossible dream…
How could a mixed-blood from the lowest class… no, an untouchable, and the pinnacle of the Magocratic Kingdom, the Demon King, dine at the same table…

“That is not allowed! Have you forgotten that I am the pinnacle of this Magocratic Kingdom! The Demon Ki… B-Beelzebub…?”

“Kkuung… sniffle… Hwaaaah…”

Oh… I didn’t make her cry?
You made her cry, My Lord?

“Hwaaaah… I wanna see Daddy and Teo Ajeossi get along… hwaaah…”

“Hmph! Even if you cry and throw a tantrum, what’s not allowed is not allow…”

“WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! TEO AJEOSSI!!! TEO AJEOSSI, EAT WITH US TOOO!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”

Pop…!

Pop…!

As expected… is she the Princess Beelzebub, daughter of the Demon King, the pinnacle of the Magocratic Kingdom…?
To shatter both my and the Demon King’s ears with just her cry…
Ah… ah, my ears are shattered, I can’t hear anything…
I can’t hear…?
That’s actually great!

“WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!! I HATE YOU, DADDY!!!!!!!!!”

Beelzebub began to unleash a full-scale sonic attack.

“Kuaaaaaaah!!! A-Alright, Beelzebub!! P-Please, just stop crying!!”

And so, another chair was added to the table where the world’s strongest father and daughter were dining.
A happy ending for all.