Chapter 43: The Appetizing Misunderstanding and a Frosty Alliance

—I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die! The sheer embarrassment!

Why did I ever agree to a push-up contest with Qiaolun?

It was just for fun, but how could that guy misunderstand so terribly?

Recalling the scene, Ramola had bent over, a peculiar smile gracing her lips, and Yunajin had instantly realized that the other woman might have imagined her to be a Demonkind with some unusual fetish.

At that moment, Yunajin was so mortified that she simply wanted to bury her face deep into her plate.

“Is something amiss, Your Majesty the Demon Lord? Does the meal not suit your palate?”

The aromatic steak, premium abalone teleported from the East Sea Coast, and specially prepared foie gras, worth a fortune in Aldelit, all lay before her.

Yunajin sliced a piece of beef drenched in sauce; after all, she was a guest in another’s domain, and despite being the Demon Lord, she felt it imperative to maintain basic decorum and politeness.

Parting her cherry-red lips, she took a delicate bite.

The meat was tender and succulent, cooked to perfection, yet—

Her pale red eyes shifted, and Yunajin lifted her gaze.

“Originally, the dish signified ‘a welcome for esteemed guests,’ but when the small puffball mushrooms in the sauce are replaced with large ones, it signifies ‘for friends of close standing.’ Duke Madal, what exactly do you mean by this?”

Upon seeing Yunajin recognize the dish, Ramola clapped her hands with delight, a smile gracing her lips.

“Truly befitting the Demon Lord,” she chuckled. “I enjoy dealing with intelligent individuals who possess foresight and wisdom.”

“I wish to befriend Your Majesty the Demon Lord…” Ramola instantly teleported before her, her dark blue hair cascading over her shoulders as she whispered into Yunajin’s ear.

A delicate scent of night roses wafted around Yunajin’s nose.

She instinctively turned her head slightly, only to find her nose pressed immediately against Ramola’s face.

“Y-you… what are you doing so close to me?!” Yunajin hastily pushed her away, yet her hand felt no weight at all upon contact with Ramola’s body.

Ramola drifted away as lightly as a fallen leaf, her blue eyes now devoid of their usual chill, replaced only by a playful expression.

“I understand, Your Majesty the Demon Lord. As fellow members of the Soul-devouring race, I shall satisfy your ‘appetite.'”

“Serve the dishes!”

‘—Hmm, weren’t all the dishes already served? While my favorite Coq au Vin isn’t here, it’s not entirely unacceptable. I’m not picky.’

Following Ramola’s loud command, five naked, robust men appeared in Yunajin’s line of sight.

There were humans, demi-humans, and even high elves; each one a pinnacle of their respective race in both appearance and physique.

“Eek?!” Yunajin’s cheeks abruptly flushed crimson.

It was a stark reminder that she was still an innocent maiden, even if she was a succubus…

‘Don’t ask; if you must, call it a maiden’s modesty!’

“What do you intend to do?!”

Yunajin cried out to Ramola in terror, shrinking back, her hands cupping her burning cheeks, her eyes already blurred with distress.

She couldn’t bear another glance; even a second longer would feel like a betrayal to Lord Hero!

“Your Majesty the Demon Lord, are you not here to feed? For one of your kind, a succubus, these are all prime ingredients: healthy bodies, abundant vitality, and aesthetically pleasing appearances to stimulate your appetite.”

Ramola, utterly engrossed, detailed her meticulously prepared “food,” confident that this meal would forge a friendship with the Demon Lord.

“N-no… don’t!”

“Hm?”

“Take them away, take them away, take them away! I won’t eat them…” Yunajin pressed her lips together, struggling immensely to suppress her emotions and keep herself from overturning the table.

‘—Strange? Is this little succubus not interested in food? Could it be that she, like me, has a ‘picky’ constitution?’

At Ramola’s gesture, the attendants escorted away the “food” presented to the Demon Lord.

Once Yunajin had somewhat calmed down, Ramola inquired again, “Your Majesty the Demon Lord, what do you prefer to eat, or rather, what ‘type’ of food?”

“Coq au Vin…”

“What?”

“I want Coq au Vin.”

****

Within Madal Castle, Ramola’s private bathhouse.

Despite the rather discordant interlude during the Demon Lord’s banquet, Ramola’s subsequent offerings had ultimately pleased Yunajin immensely.

As a blood relative of the Third Demon Lord, and the last surviving Abyssal kin on this continent, Ramola had lived for over four millennia.

Yet, this was her first time encountering a succubus who enjoyed cooked food.

Coq au Vin, of all things—what a jest!

Such fare was for mortals, for lesser races who consumed such refuse merely to replenish their stamina and nutrients!

‘—We of the Soul-devouring race can directly absorb the energy, souls, vitality, and physical essence we require… Your status as Demon Lord aside, as a young succubus in your developmental stage, with a robust appetite, how can you not eat something ‘proper’?

And now you tell me you want Coq au Vin…’

“I truly wonder how Meredith educated you. Honestly, how could a Demonkin be entrusted with teaching a succubus?”

Shedding her garments, she gazed at Yunajin, who was bathing in the pool, and murmured.

“Do you often interact with Almilina?” she asked, sitting by the edge, her smooth legs elegantly crossed.

“She is the Demonkind’s Chief of Intelligence, frequently traveling across the continent, so opportunities to see her are rare.”

“You should consider swapping Almilina’s position with Meredith’s. The values of the Demonkin are entirely different from those of the Soul-devouring race. They can never truly comprehend the exhilaration of plunder!”

Ramola excitedly clenched her fists, her toes splashing water.

Yunajin’s gaze, however, followed the exposed curve of Ramola’s lithe waist, ascending along her alluring figure, until it settled upon a pair of modest breasts that still seemed to be developing.

‘—They don’t look very big. Given her actual age, they should be quite a bit larger, shouldn’t they?’

“What are you looking at?”

“My kind…” Yunajin gurgled from beneath the water.

‘—That little imp…’

Ramola perfectly understood Yunajin’s double entendre, yet she suppressed the anger bubbling within her.

She reminded herself not to lose her temper with a friend; after all, she had finally made one, even if the process had been convoluted and fraught with minor disagreements.

Fortunately, the outcome was good.

Besides, isn’t mutual understanding the very essence of friendship?

With a splash—

Ramola plunged into the water, unconcerned that her hair, not yet pinned up, was instantly soaked, and swam to Yunajin’s side.

“Your Majesty the Demon Lord…”

“Just call me Yunajin, little frosty one.”

“Alright, wait… what ‘little frosty one’?!” Ramola’s expression, poised to erupt in indignation, slowly twisted into a smile, causing Yunajin to swim a little further away in alarm.

“Your ability is to nullify magic in your vicinity, isn’t it? Even the flow of magical power is affected.”

“That’s right, but I can’t use magic either. Everyone’s the same.”

Yunajin, however, kept her guard up, carefully withholding the fact that she possessed no magical power herself.

‘—So, after all that elaborate preamble, she’s actually interested in my abilities.’

“Every generation of Demon Lords possesses unique and formidable talents. I never imagined your power would be so extraordinary—it’s practically unassailable.”

“Are you… complimenting me?” Yunajin offered an awkward smile.

“Indeed I am, my dear Lady Yunajin. I find myself in dire need of such power right now.”