“Since I can’t go outside today, I should go brag to Grandma and Grandpa.”
After saying that, my sister picked me up.
“Come on, let’s go~”
It wouldn’t be so bad if it’s to receive praise.
I was carried by my sister and taken to the elders’ room.
In the quiet elders’ room, Void was kneeling, raising both hands, and standing in punishment.
“Why did you touch that? What are you doing? Do you want to die?”
“Calm down, Anuket.”
“Let go of him, I need to kill that thing.”
Anuket was angrily shouting at Void, who was on the verge of tears.
His disciple, Damian, was sitting in a corner eating popcorn, watching the scene unfold.
He knew how scary his new master could get when she was angry, so he wisely stayed out of it.
“Why are you eating that? Are you crazy!? Who told you to pick up random things to eat?”
“…Sorry…”
“I’ll teach you properly.”
“Why are you covering for him? He even stole my name! Why are you protecting him?!”
“…Ahem.”
Hader seemed to have no words and cleared his throat.
“You learned it when you were little! From your parents! I spent days making this for our disciple!”
“…Demons are born without parents…”
“So what.”
Anuket knew well that demons were born from dungeon mana.
“This is an age-extending potion… What are you going to use it for?”
“…I’m thirsty…”
Suddenly, Anuket’s furious body slumped.
“…Fine, you can’t spit it out anyway.”
At that moment, Void could finally relax.
No matter how high-ranking the Demon King was, they didn’t have the power to face the Dragon Elder.
‘I almost died.’
Almost dying because of drinking one wrong beverage was frustrating, but Void had no choice but to endure.
The elders here were just too scary, even for the Demon King.
“Hey, hand.”
“Eek.”
Anuket gave a cold glare as she saw Void’s arm start to lower.
“You’re in punishment, so keep that up until dinner.”
“…R-really?”
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“…No.”
Damian felt a sense of camaraderie watching this scene.
When they first met in the underground prison, his impression had been bad, but recently, after facing them more often, he found them surprisingly decent?
It must be because of his demon heritage.
Even being scolded by the master felt similar to how he himself would be treated, so this was like making a new ally.
“Damian.”
“Yes.”
“Keep an eye on his hand and make sure it doesn’t drop.”
“Yes.”
Damian put the popcorn into the void space and approached Void.
“Sigh…”
Void sighed, unhappy about being watched by a human, but soon, Anuket’s cold voice made him break into a cold sweat.
“Oh, no, that’s not it.”
“I’ll let you off this time.”
“…Yes.”
Void kept a neutral expression and looked at Damian.
‘What are you looking at?’
‘Screw you.’
Even though Void mouthed those words, Damian didn’t react at all.
With the shield that Anuket had cast, no one could stop him.
Damian smirked and got his revenge on Void.
‘Bastard.’
“!?”
Damian, who had grown up on the streets, might have a warm heart, but his mouth was definitely wild.
Void, caught off guard by the unexpected harshness from Damian, soon resumed mouthing words.
‘You. Like. Heroes. Don’t. You?’
“??”
‘I’ll deal with him one day.’
The rest was truly crude and vulgar language only a demon would use.
Damian, shocked that such words came from Void’s pretty face, was left speechless.
Void puffed out his chest, feeling victorious.
The joy of defeating a human and the pride of standing above humans as a demon, this action came from that mix of emotions.
“What’s going on with you two?”
“..It’s nothing.”
Anuket, who was standing by the door to leave, asked Damian, who was strangely deflated, but Damian, his pride hurt, just casually dismissed her question, saying it was nothing.
At the moment Anuket tilted her head and opened the door: “Tada.”
“Oh my, Your Highness the Princess!”
“Hehe.”
Han Yuri, who had been waiting by the door, thrust a fresh Minho into Anuket’s face.
“Hello.”
“…I guess the lab can wait until later.”
As Minho dangled in the air and greeted them, Anuket muttered to herself and went back into the elders’ room.
Of course, she didn’t forget to let Han Yuri have Minho.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. I held him for a long time.”
“How do you speak so prettily! Two such cute babies, how wonderful!”
Anuket, with the happiest expression on her face, drooled as she hugged Minho and Han Yuri tightly.
“Aaaah… I should’ve just quit being an elder and gotten married when I was younger….”
Anuket murmured as she hugged Minho, but no one really paid attention.
She often talked like this by herself.
Except for one person.
A person who loved to challenge her:
“Anyway, you couldn’t do it, could you? Lake had no one but you left.”
“…I know.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Anuket, used to such challenges, just sighed and hugged Minho and Han Yuri more tightly to relieve her stress.
“Hehe, baby smell.” “Me too?”
“Yeah, Yuri too~” Anuket, riding the momentum, spoke casually, but no one noticed.
“Even you have baby smell?”
“Because I’ve been with you, huh?”
“I knew I had baby smell, but I didn’t expect it from you, sis.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really~” Anuket’s grandmother spoke while petting us affectionately.
Yuri, embarrassed by being treated like a baby, turned bright red.
“…As a half-dragon, I guess I am still a baby.”
Yuri muttered as if trying to comfort herself to lessen the shock.
Something about hugging both Yuri and Anuket’s grandmother felt warm and nice.
“…Hehehe.”
“Oh, Minho melted?”
“Grandma~”
“How cute.”
Anuket’s grandmother looked at me with such honeyed eyes.
It was a bit embarrassing, but I just smiled broadly.
Then, I noticed Void, who was standing with her hands up in punishment, but for some reason, her expression looked happy.
…?
Did she pick up some strange taste while playing with Grandpa?
It seemed quite possible.
“Grandma, why is Void acting like that?”
“Huh? Oh, Damian stole some medicine.”
“She stole medicine?!”
I had trusted her to be a good Demon King.
I felt betrayed.
No, was all that kindness just an act?
Where did the Void, who used to smile warmly at me, go?
Where did the sister who always greeted me cheerfully when I went to the underground prison disappear to?
She had a kleptomaniac tendency…
I stared at Void, shaken by the shock, my pupils trembling.
Void must have heard our conversation because she started explaining to me, saying it wasn’t what it seemed.
“No, it was just lying on the desk, so I drank it!”
“…Ugh.”
Void lowered her head deeply in response to Anuket’s stern reprimand.
How long had she been acting like this?
“Has she been like this since morning?”
“Yeah, she has.”
“Ugh.”
That was a bit much.
“Please don’t torment my friend too much………….”
“Minho!”
“Huh, what?”
Anuket’s grandmother looked surprised, and Void sent me a look full of emotion.
Still, since I was the one who brought this girl, I had to take responsibility.
“Can you stop punishing her?” When I gently tugged at Anuket’s cloak, Anuket’s grandmother groaned
‘Ugh…’ and glanced at Void and me alternately.
Then she sighed once.
“…Okay, dear. I understand, I’ll let it go this time.” “Hehe, thank you!” I was so grateful to have Void released that I ended up hugging my grandmother tightly.
Grandma smiled and patted my head.
“…I’m jealous.” “Have you been here?!” “Yes, I have. Your Highness the Princess.” Grandfather Hader was sitting in the corner, scraping the floor in a stern manner.
Though I was a bit reluctant to hug a man, I just ran over and hugged him.
Grandfather Hader then looked at Void and smiled a satisfied smile.
It was a clear sneer.
Void, still massaging her numb arm, heard the sneer and snorted, then suddenly reached out her arm toward me.
I knew exactly what it meant.
“Hehe.”
“Oh my, our Minho~~”
Void slowly opened her eyes, checked my face, and hugged me, rubbing her cheek against mine.
Then, suddenly, Yuri, who had been silently standing by, huffed and snatched me away from Void’s embrace.
“Why does Minho belong to you? What if you dirty her?” Ugh, that was harsh.
“Is that something a half-dragon should say?” Ugh, that was even harsher.
Yuri, holding me in her arms, taunted Void, showing me off in front of her.
She even tugged at my cheek while grinning.
“Ughhhhhhh…” “How about this?! You’ve never done this, right?!”
“Ugh! So cute. But I bet you’ve never seen this before?!”
Void used her magic to play a video of me, a little me, stuffing my cheek with jewel jelly and munching on it.
It seemed to be a video from when we were at the Demon King’s castle.
“How embarrassing.”
“What!?”
“Hehe.”
From there, their petty fight continued, the topic being how much they had seen of my unusual appearance.
The person who had been taking care of me was Damian.
“Thank you, Damian.”
“Why am I not your brother?”
“Ugh.”
“Say it. Brother~”
“Ugh, no.”
“?!”
Damian looked very shocked at being rejected.
…Sorry, but calling you brother after you saved my sister doesn’t feel right. It’s too much.
“…This is fun.”
“This is a spectacle.”
Anuket’s grandmother and Grandfather Hader, watching the fight from the corner, caught my attention.
Right now, the elders’ room was a complete mess.
The chaos only stopped after Grandma Lavender arrived.
“What the hell is this?!”
That was the first thing Grandma Lavender said when she saw the room, now a mess.