Chapter 56: A Husband’s Embrace

‘Heh heh… I’ve found your source of magic, haven’t I! This time, I’ll properly seize your magical energy to get myself energized.’

Wade grabbed her wrist tightly. Lamia concluded that the area he was protecting so fiercely must be his most vital spot.

‘The place he’s protecting so much must be his most important spot!’

‘How can I take his power? A human body isn’t refined like my armored body, which can be disassembled at will.’

‘—Disassembled at will?!’

At these words, Wade’s heart skipped a beat in terror.

“What are you talking about disassembling of mine?! That’s absolutely not allowed! No way…!”

Wade’s strength was indeed formidable; as a superhero, a degree of superhuman power was to be expected. Yet, Lamia was no slouch either.

Though she appeared to be a delicate young girl, she was, after all, the Demon King’s true form. Her strength was naturally not inferior to Wade’s.

‘Protecting it so tightly… it really must be an important spot! Let me see!’

Lamia intensified her struggle. Initially, their movements seemed like a tangled embrace, but as the power escalated, they both began to exert their true strength.

Wade’s arm visibly bulged with veins, and Lamia’s brows furrowed in concentration.

‘This momentum… is she planning to crush me to bits, or what?’

‘This—this is a battle I absolutely cannot lose!!’

‘To think you’d resort to your true abilities, White Knight, you scoundrel… It seems this King must also take you seriously!’

Seeing White Knight clench his jaw and exert his full power, Lamia respected her opponent’s effort. She, too, continued to pour more strength into her grip.

“Take this, White Knight!!!”

“Gah! Don’t grab there!!”

Wade was still human, after all. Even as an exceptional individual among his kind, the racial disparity was undeniable. When it came to a pure test of strength, he was truly no match.

He was more of a burst-type fighter, capable of unleashing immense power with incredible speed in a single surge. However, in a prolonged struggle like this arm-wrestling match, Wade found himself at a disadvantage.

Furthermore, Lamia had just given him a beating outside, and his injuries persisted. Every time he exerted himself, his bones and muscles screamed in pain.

It was painfully clear that Wade was on the verge of losing this contest.

‘But no—this isn’t just about what happens if I lose.’

‘This is a struggle against the Demon King. I cannot lose!!’

It was unclear what kind of passion these two were fueling in the middle of the night. Wade even borrowed the power from White Knight’s gauntlet, solely to turn the tide of battle.

[Oh? I just felt a faint trace of magic… What a pity, this King cannot expose my power here, or he would surely notice my true identity.]

Knowing that Lamia was already aware of his identity, Wade no longer intended to hide so meticulously.

By bringing out White Knight’s power, Wade quickly realized something. He knew that Lamia couldn’t use her full Demon King powers, fearing she would expose her identity in front of him.

‘Therefore—this was his chance!’

‘He would unleash his formidable burst power and—turn the tables!’

‘—?!’

With a muffled thud, Lamia’s body suddenly fell backward onto the bed. Wade had forcefully pushed her down, reversing their positions.

Her long purple hair fanned out across the white sheets, and her pair of red eyes stared up in surprise at her husband, who was now leaning over her.

The balance of power instantly tipped. Even the lamp, which had just been placed on the table, trembled from Wade’s sudden surge of strength.

It toppled over with a clang, plunging the room into immediate darkness, leaving only the cool, clear light of the moon.

Wade firmly pinned Lamia’s hands, pressing both of them together above her head, as if she were surrendering.

‘The Demon King’s hands were massive, black armor forming terrifying claws.’

Yet Lamia’s hands were small, so small that Wade could restrain both of her wrists with just one of his own.

Initially, Wade had been facing away from Lamia. Due to her formidable strength and the recent fierce encounter with her Demon King form, he had instinctively perceived the Lamia behind him as the Demon King.

However, when he subconsciously decided not to cause too much commotion at home and to avoid attracting attention by pinning her to the bed, he came back to his senses.

Looking down at Lamia, at his wife, he was struck by the petite contrast of the girl beneath him.

The domineering Demon King, who had once sent him flying with a single sword strike, now appeared merely as a young girl. Having overexerted herself, she was still panting heavily, her face faintly flushed with embarrassment.

Even her cheeks bore a blush, as if she had just finished a warm-up.

****

Lamia, it seemed, had never anticipated such a turn of events.

She knew Wade’s strength, and she was well aware of his powerful, instantaneous bursts of energy. As his opponent for so long, she understood all of this.

Yet, when Wade pinned her beneath him this time, when his shadow fell over her as he leaned down, she suddenly realized something.

For her current self, Wade was actually considered one of the tall ones.

‘—This feeling, it’s rather strange.’

In her past as the Demon King, while she might not have been the tallest demon, she had held the highest authority.

In the Demon King’s castle, she had always been the one to look down upon others. No demon would dare treat her with such disrespect.

But now, as she was enveloped by Wade’s shadow, she suddenly felt herself shrink.

So small that she could easily hide behind someone else, effortlessly evade the heavy responsibilities placed upon her, and shelter under another’s protection without a struggle.

This feeling was truly bizarre; despite being the Demon King, she constantly longed to escape.

‘No… it wasn’t exactly escape. What she truly desired was simply rest.’

‘If she could become small, would she then have a long, long time to rest?’

‘Or perhaps, if she could be a little more selfish, and simply rely on those taller than herself—’

‘Ah, no.’

‘She was the Demon King; she was born to be the Demon King.’

‘Therefore,’

[—I cannot escape.]

‘—!’

Before Wade could fully recover, Lamia exerted her strength once more.

[—The Demon King is a superior being; I should be the one on top of you!…]

“—Lamia!”

Just as another round of their struggle was about to begin, Wade suddenly called Lamia’s name. Then, instead of matching her renewed force as she tried to sit up, he simply opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace.

A warm, firm embrace instantly enveloped Lamia.

It wasn’t suppression, not a struggle, not a battle.

It was simply a hug.

Simple, direct, and even somewhat unexpected.

“…Lamia.”

His voice, compared to his previous urgency, now carried a profound tenderness.

The anticipated resurgence of their power struggle did not occur.

The Demon King’s majesty, ‘on top of him,’ did not materialize.

There was only this embrace.

So warm… it left her a little bewildered.

Wade softly called her name. After confirming that her struggles had ceased, he gently patted her back, his chin resting lightly on the crown of her head.

His breathing gradually calmed, and this steady rhythm seemed to guide Lamia, instilling a peculiar sense of peace.

“…Why don’t you rest for a while?”

These words were Wade’s concession in their ongoing struggle.

Lamia had won, prevailing with her unspoken plea, which was almost a surrender itself: ‘I want to rest, to become small, to be a little more selfish.’

In the Demon King’s castle, no one would likely indulge the Demon King in such a way. But here, things were different. This was Wade’s home, and she was Wade’s wife.

As a husband, he had to indulge his wife.

Amidst the chaotic thrum of his own heart, pounding from their clash of strength, he had heard her words. He had heard Lamia’s silent cry for help.

And so, he responded to her plea.

Superheroes were always like this; they always responded to others’ expectations.

‘So—rest well. Though, perhaps this small embrace I’m giving you might not mean much.’

‘But… since I’ve already come to terms with “I will be your husband,” and used the old man’s words as a justifiable excuse, then even as you are the Demon King, you are still my wife.’

‘While I remain wary of you, I will also, as I’d previously envisioned… care for you a little.’

‘Even though you just gave me a severe beating, even though you just tried to extract my “source of magic,” even though you nearly dislocated my wrist—’

‘Ah… what can I do?’

‘It’s my fault for being a despicable guy who can hear your true thoughts.’