Chapter 3: The Demon Lord’s Daring Proposal

When their eyes met for an instant, Kares Lux still felt a hint of doubt.

She didn’t know the White Knight’s true appearance. His armor possessed powerful disruptive capabilities, preventing her from even discerning his voice.

However, the very next second, as those blue eyes fixed upon her, every cell in Kares Lux’s body screamed a single truth: ‘This was him.’

It was an instinct, an intuition befitting a Demon Lord.

No matter what, she *was* a Demon Lord, after all.

The White Knight’s abilities already transcended those of normal humans. He could spar with her, a Demon Lord, blow for blow, even continuously depleting their Demon Lord Castle’s magic reserves.

This forced them to resort to such emotional tactics. In Kares Lux’s perception, this individual was an extremely high-risk existence. Therefore, she had always maintained a high level of vigilance towards the White Knight; a mere glance was enough to set off alarms throughout her body.

This was the ‘instinct’ of a powerful Demon Lord. Even though Wade Nairt had concealed himself thoroughly with his armor, Kares Lux could still pinpoint him.

Unfortunately, engaging in a fight here and now would not guarantee her the upper hand. Even after discovering the White Knight, she could only conceal her identity for the time being, unable to confront him directly.

Besides… wasn’t the plan already set?

A mere few decades of human life would pass in the blink of an eye. Once he was six feet under, she would simply visit his tombstone and mock him to her heart’s content. 😈

“…”

Wade Nairt stared in Kares Lux’s direction, remaining silent. He listened intently, a hint of nervousness in his posture, to the inner thoughts of the Demon Lord disguised as a human woman.

‘What… *endure* what lifespan? A plan? And what exactly was that?’

‘Why was this individual disguised as a human woman here? Was she planning to infiltrate human society?’

It was now largely certain that she was indeed the Black Demon Lord he had been fighting all along. And to think she had even realized he was the White Knight… Truly befitting a Demon Lord, what incredibly keen observation! To discover his presence simply by meeting his gaze.

Wade Nairt’s heart was already filled with apprehension about what the Black Demon Lord intended, but he dared not show it on his face, fearing she might notice something amiss.

“Hello, sir?”

To appear less deliberate, Wade Nairt intentionally averted his gaze from her. In truth, however, to prevent others from becoming the Demon Lord’s targets, Wade Nairt was already contemplating how to approach her and draw her attention.

But to his surprise, the very next second, the crisp sound of high heels tapping echoed in his ears. Then, the long purple-haired maiden was already standing directly opposite him.

“…”

Wade Nairt froze for a moment, then swiftly composed himself. He feigned a graceful rise from his seat and offered the young woman before him a smile.

“Ah, hello, beautiful lady.”

[Oh! He called me a beautiful lady! My human fashion magazines truly paid off. I knew that, dressed up so meticulously, I would surely captivate this fellow and leave him utterly smitten!]

“…😧”

Wade Nairt’s lips still held a polite smile, but upon hearing the Black Demon Lord’s inner thoughts, he nearly let a bewildered expression slip onto his face.

‘What in the world… was this individual planning?’

“Excuse me, are you currently alone?”

After exchanging smiles, both of them settled into their seats.

Kares Lux straightened her back, instinctively interlacing her fingers and resting her hands on the table, much like a boss awaiting a report. It wasn’t until a sudden gust of wind swept across her lower body as she crossed her legs that she realized her mistake.

She was supposed to be portraying a graceful and elegant lady. Swiftly, she recalibrated her demeanor, delicately placing her hands over her chest. She even remembered to tug at the neckline of her low-cut dress.

‘…What did that even mean?’

Witnessing the Demon Lord’s awkward, affected display before him, Wade Nairt found himself utterly bewildered.

“Yes, miss, I am indeed alone at the moment… Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“Please, marry me!”

“—Huh?!”

As if to emphasize her resolve, Kares Lux’s voice carried a considerable volume. Initially, no one had paid any attention to the two in the corner, but with Kares Lux’s sudden declaration, everything changed.

The young men and women still on their blind dates instantly turned their gazes fully onto Wade Nairt and Kares Lux.

Wade Nairt, after all, was considered a high-ranking officer among the knights, a prominent figure in the Knight Order. He was the only one left who hadn’t started a family, and the Grand Commander had forcibly pushed him into this group of twenty-somethings to join their blind dates.

It was well known that for these young people, gossiping about their superiors was the most entertaining pastime, especially when it involved romantic scandals. Consequently, the young men and women stopped their own conversations, all staring fixedly at Wade Nairt, eager to partake in the spectacle.

As the Grand Commander’s assistant, Wade Nairt was accustomed to being observed by crowds during his many public appearances. However, this was the first time he found himself scrutinized for such a matter, and his scalp began to tingle with dread. He wished he could don his White Knight armor on the spot and make a swift escape.

“Th-this… Miss, what did you just say?”

Wade Nairt’s mouth twitched as he asked the Black Demon Lord before him, utterly incredulous.

He began to wonder if he hadn’t actually left the Demon Lord Castle at all, but instead had been dragged into some illusion. Otherwise, how could such a thing be happening?

“I said, marry me.”

Kares Lux, however, paid no mind to the stares of others, her sole focus on quickly becoming the White Knight’s wife.

Wade Nairt had asked the Demon Lord that question again precisely to use his mind-reading ability and discern what on earth this individual was truly thinking.

However, all he heard was—

[—Marry me! Quickly, let’s start a family! Get married, then have children! According to the human gestation period of ten months, that means one child a year! By the time he’s seventy or eighty, I’ll have dozens of children!]

Upon hearing these words, cold sweat began to trickle down Wade Nairt’s back.

‘What… what was this individual doing?’

‘Was she trying to force herself upon him?’

‘Was she resorting to this method because she couldn’t defeat him in a direct confrontation…?! Was she some kind of demon?!’

“N-no… Miss, I don’t even know your name. We just met today, didn’t we?”

Wade Nairt nervously swallowed, feeling as though he hadn’t been this anxious even during his very first confrontation with the Black Demon Lord.

“I fell in love with you at first sight! My love for you leaves me breathless, sir! Just seeing your face makes my heart pound uncontrollably. My love, my dearest, please become my husband!”

Seeing Wade Nairt’s intent to refuse, Kares Lux hastily brought forth the results of her special training with Lilith. She uttered saccharine confessions, gazing at Wade Nairt with profound affection, and even abruptly seized his hand, continuously expressing her feelings.

“Oh my goodness, Lord Wade! This is true love!”

It was unclear who suddenly started cheering from the side, but the surroundings instantly erupted with excitement. Everyone was applauding the young lady’s courageous pursuit of love; some even clapped their hands. In a flash, the entire area transformed into a hall of blessings for the two of them.

“…No—no?!”

Only Wade Nairt stared at the Black Demon Lord, who was suddenly showering him with fervent declarations of love, his face a mask of utter terror.

‘—What part of the plan was *this*?!’