Chapter 4: The Devil King’s Proposition

“Congratulations to you both! May your union be blessed! From today forward, you are husband and wife!”

The ceremonial knight of the Knights’ Order pressed the marriage certificate into the hands of Kares and Wade. Beside them, the Grand Commander and Vice Commander applauded in blessing.

Though the actual wedding ceremony was still some time away, eager knights had already begun scattering rose petals. A few of these delicate petals drifted onto the marriage certificate in Wade’s hand, leaving him utterly bewildered by the sudden acceleration of events.

“This is wonderful! From now on, we’re husband and wife, aren’t we?”

[Hehe, I’ve finally got you. Next up~ let’s enjoy our marital bliss~❤️]

Kares intimately wrapped an arm around Wade’s, her smile, combined with the peculiar words echoing in her thoughts, sent a bead of fearful sweat trickling down Wade’s temple.

Yet, in this moment, all he could do was clutch the marriage certificate, enduring his “wife’s” affectionate advances with a sense of fatalistic resignation.

****

Just a few tens of minutes prior, Wade had been sitting awkwardly at a table, utterly baffled by the Devil King’s true intentions.

Even with his mind-reading ability, he found himself unable to decipher her.

Marriage? Children?

What?

Being inexplicably dragged to this social gathering was already baffling enough. Now, he was being forcibly proposed to by the Devil King?

What sinister plot lay behind this? Was it the annihilation of demonic nature or the degradation of morality…?

Wade felt as though the moment he encountered this individual, the questions in his mind had never ceased. No matter how hard he tried to think, he simply couldn’t comprehend the current situation.

“Um, Miss, isn’t it a bit too soon to be saying such things? I don’t even know your name.”

Wade offered an awkward, placating smile, speaking words he hoped were reasonable enough to prolong the conversation, allowing him more opportunities to listen to her thoughts.

“My name? Oh, my— Miss’s name is Lamia Talia. That should suffice, shouldn’t it?”

[That was close… I almost called myself ‘this King’… Lamia… that’s the name, right? It should be those three characters on the human identity papers my assistant prepared for my disguise.]

“…Lamia…”

Wade murmured the name, which sounded like a rather common girl’s name.

And from her thoughts, she had even prepared human identity papers? It seemed her preparations were incredibly thorough… but for what purpose?

“Hmm… ah, hello, Lamia.”

Wade offered a polite greeting. Although the individual before him was a chaotic mess in both her actions and her thoughts, she was, after all, the Devil King. For the Devil King to personally venture into human territory, and even go to the trouble of crafting a flawless disguised identity, there had to be a conspiracy lurking behind it all—one potent enough to imperil the entirety of the human race. He absolutely could not afford to let his guard down.

The woman calling herself Lamia offered a smile she had clearly practiced for a long time. To ensure she could captivate anyone’s attention, she had painstakingly rehearsed this expression before a mirror, using her meticulously sculpted body. She continued until the surrounding demons themselves felt “our Devil King is so utterly adorable we want to devour her,” only then deeming her training complete.

“I… ah, me?”

The rigorous training had indeed yielded results. Lamia’s form was inherently stunning; both her figure and face had been meticulously refined under the tutelage of a Great Succubus. Naturally, her every gesture and smile possessed an ethereal beauty. Although Wade harbored no intentions of marriage or children, he was, at his core, a normal human male. A primal yearning for beautiful women was simply his instinct.

When Lamia graced him with a smile, his heart genuinely skipped a beat. That sweet, cultivated allure, honed as if over a lifetime, sent a tremor through his very core. ‘Could the Devil King truly be this beautiful?’ he wondered.

Of course, in the current circumstances, his momentary distraction lasted only an instant. He cleared his throat, appearing to hesitate over whether to reveal his true name.

However… since the Devil King had already discovered him, using a false name would be pointless, and might even make her more suspicious.

“Wade.”

Thus, he simply introduced himself with his real name.

“But I am merely a humble knight. For a young lady such as yourself, becoming my wife seems… rather unsuitable.”

Faced with the Devil King’s audacious pursuit of love, Wade, utterly bewildered, instinctively rejected her. This was simply too suspicious. If he were truly to be with her, he would undoubtedly fall into her trap.

It was fortunate he had planted his mind-reading ability on her, otherwise, he truly might have been deceived by her deceptively human appearance.

“…”

[Was I just rejected?]

Although the Devil King, now known as Lamia, showed little change in her facial expression, her mind was already churning with thoughts.

[He rejected me so decisively. Did I do something wrong? No, that can’t be right. Lilith told me that human males always pounce on pretty women. What’s wrong with this White Knight…? Am I not pretty enough? Or does he simply not like women?]

‘No, no, no! I like women! I do like women!’

Upon hearing the Devil King’s earnest internal questioning, Wade desperately wanted to voice his own thoughts, to let her know that he, too, was a normal man. Yet, doing so would expose his mind-reading ability. He could only clench his jaw in silent frustration, feigning complete ignorance.

[However… if I continue to pursue him after such a firm rejection, I’ll undoubtedly appear highly suspicious. Yet, I absolutely cannot return empty-handed from this endeavor. What if I were to seek out someone else? Perhaps one of the White Knight’s friends or family? I don’t know if they’re available for marriage. No, that’s not an issue; even if they’re already married, it makes no difference. All I need to do is find Lilith and have her employ the Great Succubus’s power to make me the wife of someone close to him. Using such an ability directly on the White Knight might be detected, but on an ordinary person, it would surely go unnoticed. Excellent… that’s the plan. I’ll start by seeking out his friends.]

“—?!”

Listening to the Black Devil King’s muttered thoughts, cold sweat began to pour down Wade’s face.

What?

If I don’t agree, she’ll go and harm the people around me?

No, absolutely not!

The Grand Commander’s child is still so young! The Vice Commander has only just married and hasn’t even completed his honeymoon. They are all ordinary people, deserving of their families’ happiness. How could I possibly allow the Devil King to disrupt their lives?

Thus, the instant Talia began to rise, Wade abruptly reached out and seized her wrist.

“Miss Lamia.”

With cold sweat beading on his forehead, Wade forced himself to conjure a gentle smile.

“What is it?”

Talia seemed to have already decided to abandon him as a target and instead begin with those around him. Consequently, she dropped her pretense, her voice now completely devoid of the affected, ‘squeaky’ tone she had used moments ago.

“I mean—um, ah, yes, I apologize. I was simply a bit shy, suddenly interacting with such a beautiful woman, which is why I spoke as I did. Forgive me… Miss Lamia.”

Wade offered a conciliatory smile, but inwardly, his heart was already filled with the resolve of the White Knight, sworn to protect humanity.

“—I am willing to accept your love, to be with you, and to become your husband.”

For the sake of my friends, for the sake of all ordinary people, I must do this.

All the Devil King’s curses… let me bear them!