Chapter 31: The Dance of Love and a Hero’s Resolve

In order to teach the Demon Lord to dance, Almilina, whose personality had reverted to normal, temporarily set aside her work. Yunajin, too, transformed her weekly combat training into dance lessons. Despite having to don outfits with distressingly little fabric, she still found dancing far more enjoyable than merely slaughtering cold-blooded monsters. At least, that was Yunajin’s initial assessment.

Upon the desolate Demon Lord’s altar, a captivating pink figure swayed. Yet, the only spectators were the petrified virtual Qiaolun and a single Slime.

“No, he’s not reacting. Perhaps it still lacks a certain something.”

Almilina gently guided Yunajin’s arm. The latter maintained a one-legged stance, her flushed cheeks betraying a look of strenuous effort.

Almilina proved to be an exceptional teacher. Under her tutelage, Yunajin’s ‘Demonic Charm Dance’ was nothing short of flawless, utterly perfect. There were even moments when Almilina herself, despite being the instructor, found herself lost in a daze of admiration.

But how truly simple was it to capture the heart of just one person?

“My apologies, Almilina, but I truly cannot find common ground with him. Our time together has been far too brief.”

Towards Almilina, her instructor, Yunajin naturally shed her regal Demon Lord demeanor, interacting with her with respect. Moreover, following her usual itinerary, Almilina should currently be in another city gathering intelligence.

“Let’s stop here. You’ve accumulated far too much work, haven’t you?”

Yunajin gazed into Almilina’s eyes. Though their features differed, their silhouettes bore a striking resemblance, as if they were sisters.

“You truly should rest now, my lady.”

With these words, Almilina took Yunajin’s hand and settled beside the virtual Qiaolun. Yunajin then nudged closer to the man.

“Demon Lord, could you tell me why you’ve taken a liking to this… human?”

“Ah. Th-this…”

‘As expected, did she become shy the moment he was mentioned and their relationship discussed?’

Almilina propped her chin in her hand, intently observing Yunajin’s reaction.

“This must be the feeling of ‘love,’ I suppose. How enviable.”

“Eh?”

How could the ancient Almilina not discern the Demon Lord’s current state of mind? She simply hadn’t anticipated it manifesting so early in her.

In truth, succubi under the age of twenty lacked the ability to actively charm. Their bodies were still immature, a period known as their infancy.

The most prominent characteristic of succubi in their infancy was their peach-pink hair. Upon reaching adulthood, the color would evolve from red, steadily deepening until it reached the vivid, rose-like deep purple of Almilina’s own.

Of course, due to individual variations, hair colors could still differ slightly, but this was the general progression.

As for other characteristics, such as horns on the head or a tail behind the body, they too could serve as indicators of a succubus’s age and aptitude.

Given Yunajin’s age, Almilina had initially approached teaching the Demon Lord with an expectation of failure. Yet, the results were entirely unexpected.

Yunajin swiftly mastered the basic dance steps and could execute them with practiced ease.

Truly, she was worthy of being the Demon Lord.

“We succubi are a soul-devouring race among demons, strengthening ourselves through plunder. Compared to the Abyss and the Vampires, succubi, though numerous, are vastly inferior in both power and heritage. Our methods of acquiring energy are complex, and our bodies are fragile…”

Yunajin listened intently as Almilina expounded upon her race, her eyes gleaming with an undeniable sense of curiosity and novelty. This was despite the fact that Meredith had long ago introduced this very knowledge in her lessons.

“I imagine Miss Priestess must have already informed you of these things, my lady?”

“Oh… mm.”

Yunajin guiltily averted her gaze. Her mind, utterly blank, silently declared complete ignorance.

‘—I don’t know, I don’t know. Perhaps that old woman simply forgot to mention it!’

Squish, squish—

The sound of the Slime bouncing suddenly echoed. Ando Slime, guardian of the Demon Lord’s altar, arrived bearing a platter of fruit and drinks.

“Thank you for your trouble, Ando.”

Yunajin smiled, plucking a succulent, verdant grape and placing it into her mouth. She then cradled Ando in her arms, playfully fondling him.

“Demon Lord, your dance is truly exquisite. I felt as if I was witnessing a rose elegantly blooming, a sight befitting your esteemed status.”

These past few days, not only had there been no battles to leave the altar in disarray, but he had also been able to admire the Demon Lord’s graceful figure up close. It was undeniable that this was enough to make Ando utterly ecstatic.

‘—I truly wish the Demon Lord wouldn’t have to fight those monsters under Edesbond’s command anymore. What good is fighting? Dancing and singing, how wonderfully delightful!’

“Almilina, I heard from Meredith that succubi, and the demonfolk, all reproduce through…”

Yunajin blushed, then added, “…bisexual reproduction.”

“It is bisexual, but not necessarily heterosexual, at least for succubi.”

Perhaps to help Yunajin better understand, Almilina specifically added the detail about gender. She then nodded and explained, “In a sense, we succubi do not have a categorical male and female, or masculine and feminine…”

“Eek!?”

Yunajin was clearly startled by Almilina’s words. She was seen stretching the Slime in her arms into a noodle-like shape.

“Do not be afraid, Demon Lord. I understand Meredith has not educated you as a succubus. This is merely an accepted axiom within our race; I am simply explaining it here.”

“You are still a charming and lovely young lady.”

“N-no fear. This King was merely a little surprised. Don’t speak nonsense, Almilina.”

Yunajin puffed out her chest, retorting defiantly. Unbeknownst to her, Ando in her hands had already been contorted into an unrecognizable, chimera-like form.

“Heh heh, well then, my lesson ends here. As for whether you truly wish to achieve your initial goal, that remains your own choice.”

“What do you mean? I truly cannot do it. No matter how flawlessly I execute the dance steps, what’s drawn will ultimately not be his true heart.”

Yunajin began to grow despondent. Time — her time with Qiaolun had been far too brief. Her meager understanding of him had only come from actively trying to learn.

In other words, Yunajin had yet to truly grasp him.

“You must discover a dance that belongs to both of you, not merely one that appeals to his mind…”

“Not just his?”

The purple-haired succubus lady leaned down. She slowly drew closer to Yunajin’s ear, whispering with a sticky, alluring tone: “Demon Lord, go find him. In the human territories, seize that man and bring him back!”

“Bring him back…”

Yunajin’s bewildered gaze gradually cleared. Excitement, too, surfaced in her eyes.

****

Eastern reaches of the Demon Realm, an unknown wilderness.

The night wind howled, and sandstorms raged. The newly lit campfire was extinguished in the merciless desert. The man was forced to shelter beneath a weathered rock. Wrapped in his white overcoat, he shivered uncontrollably in the relentless gale.

The arduous journey and perilous demonic beasts had drained his stamina and magic. The plummeting temperatures had already rendered the man unable to maintain his body heat.

Fading life, on the verge of death—these words aptly described his current predicament.

‘—I still cannot die. I absolutely cannot die here!’

Qiaolun suddenly felt that being killed by the Demon Lord would actually be a fortunate outcome.

Compared to being abandoned in the wilderness, left to be devoured by demonic beasts, he would at least die as a hero, a valiant warrior.

No, being a hero wasn’t as thrilling or delightful as he had imagined…

Through his blurring consciousness, Qiaolun detected the distant fragrance of roses.

‘—Lord Hero…’

It was the scent of roses that wafted through his window every morning, the rose fragrance that permeated the hallway at noon, the refreshing floral scent that accompanied his dreams each night before sleep, and—

The scent of that pink-haired girl.

‘—Yunajin…’

Indeed, Qiaolun could not bear to part with his family: his frail mother, his sister still in school… He possessed ample reasons not to die.

So, he did not mind adding one more reason.

Qiaolun resolved to plant the rose the girl had given him in his hometown.

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