Chapter 77: A Cruel Smile

“Haaah! That was nerve-wracking!!”

That was the first thing Ivern said upon returning from the meeting with the Demon Kingdom.

“Oh, welcome back. Good work.”

I offered him some words of encouragement, but he just shot me a deadpan look.

“What?”

“No, I mean… Think about it. A normal guy like me having a meeting with the Demon King? That’s ridiculous. Even he was like, ‘Who the hell are you?’ And honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”

Hearing that, I placed a hand on Ivern’s shoulder and shook my head.

“What are you talking about, Ivern? Everyone starts out unknown. From here on, your name will spread across the world.”

I exaggerated my words for effect, and Ivern slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“This guy… He’s totally planning to keep putting me on the frontlines…”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to force yourself. I’ll go next time.”

“Nope, I’ll do it! Please, just let me handle it!”

Feeling bad about making Ivern shoulder so much of the burden, I had offered to go myself. But he immediately, and desperately, shut that idea down.

“Seriously, Ivern, it’s fine. I feel guilty making you do all the work. From now on, I’ll handle the talks directly.”

The moment I said that, Ivern grabbed my shoulders—hard.

“L-listen to me! I’ll keep handling it! The Demon Kingdom is after Meyleen and Leon! Do you really think you can stay calm dealing with them!?”

After blurting that out, Ivern suddenly froze.

“Oh? So the Demon Kingdom really is after Meyleen and Leon?”

“…Damn it.”

Realizing his slip-up, Ivern shut his eyes for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

“Well, there’s no point hiding it anymore, so I’ll be honest. The Demon Kingdom is convinced that Meyleen is alive and hiding here. And they’ve also more or less guessed that she had a child with you.”

“Oh? Did they actually say that?”

I asked, curious if the Demon Kingdom had been that blunt. But Ivern shook his head.

“No. Instead, they asked something else.”

“Something else?”

“Yeah. They asked if Kenta had any intentions of world domination.”

The moment I heard that, I understood their intent.

In other words, if Meyleen’s child—Leon—who carries the bloodline of the Demon Kingdom’s royal family, were to be used as a figurehead, a new ruling dynasty could be established.

They were worried that I might use Leon to take over the world.

How ridiculous.

“What a stupid conversation.”

Why do rulers always seem obsessed with world conquest?

Did they really want to see all of humanity bow before them?

“Well, I told them that you had no interest in something so troublesome. Whether they actually believed me or not is another matter.”

“That’s fine. But if they’re that worried about Meyleen and Leon, doesn’t that mean their king actually sees Leon as a threat to his throne?”

“Could be. He seemed like an impressive warrior, but as a king… he kinda gave off an idiot vibe.”

At that, Meyleen, who had been listening nearby, suddenly let out a snort of laughter.

“Pfft. Haha… Ivern, I totally get it. That’s exactly right. He’s great at being a general and following orders, but leading people himself? Not so much.”

The fact that Ivern formed the same impression in just a short meeting as Meyleen had over years of knowing him as siblings… That must mean the guy was incredibly easy to read.

Now I was getting curious.

As I pondered the Demon King, Yulia, who had been sitting beside Meyleen, leaned in, looking concerned.

“What’s wrong, Yulia?”

“Um, Meyleen, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Well… Just hypothetically, okay? If everyone got fed up with your idiot little brother being king, and they begged you to take the throne, would you become queen?”

Ah. That’s a common enough story. Someone being an excellent general but a terrible ruler.

But Yulia’s concern was unnecessary.

“I wouldn’t.”

“…Really? Even if the people of the Demon Kingdom were struggling and desperately begged you?”

“Even then.”

Meyleen spoke as she gently stroked Leon’s head while holding him in her arms.

“They cast me out. They called me useless, worthless. And no one defended me. No one protected me. The only one who helped me escape was Mona, who’s here with us now. That’s why she’s the only one I allow to stay by my side. The rest? They mean nothing to me.”

With that, Meyleen softly covered Leon’s face with her hand, shielding him from seeing her expression.

And then…

“They should just die.”

Meyleen spoke with a thin smile. She looked beautiful—yet utterly terrifying.

As she gently removed the hand that had been covering Leon’s face, the usual soft smile had already returned to her expression.

“So, you see, there’s no way I’d ever go back to the Demon Kingdom. You don’t need to worry, Yulia.”

“I see! Then that’s a relief!”

Despite having just witnessed Meyleen’s cruel, icy smile, Ivern looked utterly horrified. Meanwhile, Yulia, reassured by Meyleen’s firm declaration that she wouldn’t return, beamed with happiness.

It seemed like Yulia didn’t even notice Meyleen’s dual nature, which was probably for the best.

“By the way, now that Meyleen and Leon’s existence has been exposed, do you really think the Demon Kingdom will just back off?”

I wasn’t great at these kinds of political matters, so I turned to Ivern—who, for some reason, knew a lot about this stuff—and to Meyleen, who was a former queen.

“Hmm, hard to say. From what I gathered, as long as they don’t step into the spotlight, it might not be a big deal.”

Ivern seemed to think there was no problem. But Meyleen had a different opinion.

“We should be careful.”

The room instantly tensed at her words.

“I doubt there’s a single person completely satisfied with my brother’s reign. Sooner or later, voices will rise, calling for a new king. And when that happens, this child will be the perfect figurehead for them to rally behind.”

Leon, sensing Meyleen’s gaze, tilted his head in confusion.

Meyleen chuckled at his innocent reaction and continued.

“Mekido… My brother might not care as long as Leon stays hidden. But he can’t control what those around him think. It would be wise to remain vigilant.”

“Got it.”

Now that I thought about it, there were factions in the Demon Kingdom that were dissatisfied with the current royal family.

I’d heard that those groups had been wiped out, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others lurking in the shadows.

Just as Meyleen warned, we’d better stay on guard.

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