Vol. 1: Chapter 3 - Part 2

Volume 1: Chapter 3 – Part 2Author: Geraint

I stood outside Yuuka's room and gently knocked on the door.

"Hey, Yuuka. Can we talk? There's something I need to tell you."

Shiina opened the door for me. Inside, Yuuka was curled up in bed, hiding under her blanket, softly crying. Shiina was about to leave, but I stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Huh?"

"Stay with us."

I pulled her with me as we approached Yuuka. I sat at the edge of the bed.

"I'll be honest… I've been here so long, it's hard to imagine going back."

Yuuka peeked at me from under the blanket, listening.

"I don't care about the Demon King's throne anymore. I want to become a doctor—just like Dad. Everything's changed because of you all. I've gained so many important things here… I can't picture being happy if I went back."

I pulled Shiina in, and the three of us lay down together. I wrapped my arms around them, their heads resting on my shoulders. I could feel their warmth as I held them close.

Yuuka said nothing, but she nestled her face into my chest. Shiina, meanwhile, blushed so hard she fainted in my arms.

Both of them fell asleep beside me, so I stayed and drifted off with them.

Morning came, sunlight streaming into the room as birds chirped outside.

"Hm?"

"Good morning, you three," Mom said, arms crossed and frowning.

Mom and Dad were both standing by the door. Himiko-san had just opened the window, which had woken me up.

"Oh, good morning, Mom, Dad, Himiko-san."

Yuuka and Shiina sat up, rubbing their eyes.

"Yuki-kun, I heard from Lilith," Mom said with a worried tone. "Are you really going back?"

"I've thought about it… but I've decided not to. I can't bring myself to leave everyone behind."

"I see… That's a relief."

But then Mom's expression twisted into a scowl.

"Yuuka! Ayaka! What are those outfits?! You look like kids! How are you supposed to seduce Yuki-kun and keep him from leaving like that?!"

"Eh?!"

The two girls froze in place as Mom scolded them. Dad stayed quiet while Himiko-san pretended not to hear.

"Yuuka! You're in high school—why are you still wearing panties with bear prints?!"

"Mooom! Onii-sama is right here!" Yuuka turned beet red.

"And you, Ayaka!" Mom pointed at Shiina's chest. "That bra's way too small for your F-cup! You need to buy a new one!"

"F-cup?" I glanced at Shiina's chest, surprised.

"Kyaaah! Stop looking, Yuki-kun!" Shiina quickly covered my eyes with her palm in a panic.

"Uuuu... uwaaah! Uwaaah!"

Fuyumi's cries echoed from her room. I jumped out of bed immediately.

"Fuyumi! Onii-chan's coming!" I bolted from the room at lightning speed, leaving everyone stunned.

Downstairs, I cradled her in my arms, gently patting her back after changing her diaper. She was still sleepy, so I let her rest on my shoulder.

In the living room, I spotted Lilith seated on the floor, speaking to Naamah through the glowing crystal orb on the table.

"Good morning, Lilith."

"Good morning, Seir-sama," Lilith yawned, bowing half-heartedly.

I sat on the couch behind her. Naamah, visible inside the crystal, gasped.

"Seir-sama… you have a child?!"

"She's my little sister. My adoptive parents' daughter."

"Oh, thank goodness," Naamah sighed with relief. Her face grew serious.

"Seir-sama, I have bad news."

"Hm?"

"Demon King Balan—your father—disappeared two years ago. No one knows where he is."

"Don't really care. Who took over? The First Prince?"

"Yes… Prince Eligor is now the top candidate."

Eligor, my eldest brother, wasn't exactly impressive. I'd fought him a few times—loud bark, weak bite. My stronger brothers had long since stopped bothering to challenge him.

"Strange…" I muttered.

"Seir-sama?"

"We all used to compete fiercely for the throne, but one by one, my brothers backed out. It's odd that only Eligor and I remained in the end."

"Umm… Seir-sama, have you heard about the divination?"

"Divination?"

I hadn't.

"There's a prophecy… that a hero will appear—one strong enough to destroy all of demonkind. Even the Demon King would be powerless against them. I'm afraid not even you could defeat this hero."

"Someone stronger than the 'puny' heroes I've crushed in the past?" I smirked. "Sounds fun."

"This hero is unlike any before. They possess seven divine relics."

Lilith's eyes widened in shock.

"Seven?! That's insane! Seir-sama has most of the twelve relics already, and no human should be able to wield more than one or two! Every past attempt to hold two relics has ended in death! How could someone manage seven?!"

She slammed her palm on the table in frustration.

"But the prophecy came from the old demon sage," Naamah said. "And his divinations have never been wrong. This hero will appear soon. All of demonkind is in danger."

"Don't worry," Lilith said. "Seir-sama and I will protect the relics. Besides, we're in another world right now."

Even so, Naamah still looked troubled.

"I have a description of the hero," she continued. "They are a young human with long dark purple hair and glowing purple eyes. Their divine relics form radiant marks across their body. Their presence alone can destroy low-level demons. Be careful, both of you."

Something about that description... felt familiar. But it couldn't be. The age didn't match.

"Don't worry," I said confidently. "I've hidden the divine relics. No one's going to find them."

"As expected of Seir-sama! Where did you hide them?" Lilith asked eagerly.

"Heh... Most of them are sealed inside Fuyumi."

"…What?" Lilith and Naamah froze.

"Something wrong?"

Lilith pointed at the little girl in my arms.

"Dark purple hair… and purple eyes… Seir, don't tell me—how many relics did you seal inside her?"

"I think… about seven?"

My face turned pale as I looked down at Fuyumi.

"Gehehe~" she giggled innocently, snuggling closer to me. Her cuteness made my worries melt.

"As expected from Fuyumi. This demon prince has no choice but to surrender to such a cute little hero." I tickled her gently, and she laughed.

"SEIR-SAMA!!!"

(To be continued.)