The Demon Lord's Second Marriage Chapter 2

I swear I'm not trying to burn myself out!!!

This is definitely a much faster and easier series to translate, though. Summoning j.a.pan is mostly descriptive, and the dialog is much more technical in nature. It's pretty easy to feel like it's a translation slog. Maou Saikon has a lot more casual, everyday dialog that I can simply read, understand in my head, then write down in English. The first-person perspective is nice too, since it's also more natural to type out.

But also yeah, super cute!

Laetia tucked the unconscious hero into bed to sleep. The thing about heroes is that they're excessively st.u.r.dy, so she just needs to recover her strength. I only blasted her away, so she didn't have anything close to fatal wounds.

Then, Laetia actually brought out a pot of herbal tea.

"Here you go~ Ah, we don't have a poison tester here, I wonder if that might make you feel uneasy drinking it…"

She was giggling and smiling, so I think it was a joke.

"Oh, no, demon lords can't really be poisoned."

"Isn't that nice! A lot of people still think demons are evil, but being a demon lord must be hard work, isn't it?"

"Yeah… Especially in recent times, with all the administrative reforms… Um… I did technically a.s.sault your daughter, doesn't that bother you?"

"Well, that's because she's the hero and you're the demon lord~ Plus, you were such a gentleman, bringing her back home like this. You seem a lot more respectable than some untrustworthy human men, you know."

Ahh, so she doesn't discriminate between demons and humans.

That's another thing she shares with Sasaya—no, I should stop comparing them. Laetia is Laetia. She herself is fascinating, and that's why I find myself fascinated.

"We wanted Angelica to be blessed by the angels, that's why my husband and I gave her that name. However, he fell ill and pa.s.sed away. After that, she became obsessed with the feeling of 'I need to get stronger' and became an adventurer."

"I'm sure that your daughter, in her own way, was thinking of you and trying to alleviate some of your suffering, too."

That wasn't just lip service. My parents struggled as well while they raised me.

My father was the previous demon lord and spent all of his time in his work. That meant my mother had to raise me alone. This was back when it was still widely believed that "women protect the household," but she was also the demon lord's wife. She was always involved in issues of governance. Regardless, she never voiced a complaint as she raised me.

She was retired now and spent her time relaxing in the demon territory. Because of all the hards.h.i.+p she went through in the first half of her life, I sincerely hoped that she could live out the remaining years of her life in leisure.

"You may be right. She's a very kind girl, after all."

When Laetia thought of her daughter, she smiled and chuckled. Just now, I noticed that she had a mole next to her lips. It was rather bewitching.

"Um, mister demon lord, can I ask you something?"

Laetia fixed her posture a bit, breaking me out of my brief reverie with a start.

"Yes, whatever you like."

"My daughter… does she have what it takes to be a hero?"

That was a much more blunt question than I was expecting. As a mother, this must be the one thing she wants to know the most.

"The fact that she was able to reach you, the demon lord, is a good sign, but looking at you now, you seem to be in very good condition."

"Mmm, do you mind if I just give you my honest evaluation?"

"Yes, of course. No matter what you say, I won't be upset."

"I believe she does have the makings of one in her. I can also sense something distinct in her. However, it's very unrefined. It feels like she neglected the basics and fights with her instincts alone."

It kind of feels like I'm in a meeting regarding someone's promotion or something, but whatever. The demon lord is the top bureaucratic official, after all, so of course things might turn out like this.

"You can certainly improve using instincts alone, to a certain degree. However, you'll eventually hit a ceiling with that method. Once you get there, the only way to keep growing is to go back and improve your basics. The most famous adventurers of old spent much more time practicing than the average adventurer."

"I see your point. This is the countryside, so there isn't really any place for her to practice."

Laetia seemed to have come to that realization after what I said.

"She got lucky getting to me, but it was by the skin of her teeth. She should now take the opportunity to thoroughly reexamine her training, otherwise she may find herself unable to grow any further."

I probably shouldn't be the one saying this, but it feels pretty weird to be talking about this subject so seriously. I wasn't just making something up, either. I was sincere, or at least trying to be.

"Actually, although she did reach my chambers, based on my subordinates' reports, she did her best to avoid fighting anyone else. She ignored all of my other leaders and just came straight for me."

From time to time, there were people like that, who try to defeat the demon lord in as little time as possible to make a name for themselves. They were trying to do the bare minimum, or just impatient for some reason.

"If that's the approach she takes, sooner or later she'll get seriously injured. This really is the right time to find someone who can drill her on the basics. Please make sure to tell your daughter this!"

I leaned forward on the table as I said this fervently. After all, Angelica did manage to challenge me. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if, afterwards, she got herself killed because of her negligence. It really would just be a shame.

Laetia giggled cheerfully.

"Mister demon lord, the way you talk almost feels like you're my daughter's teacher or something."

"Ahh, I'm making a fool of myself…"

This was one of my bad habits.

"Having tea in the hero's home like this is a first for me…"

I sipped on the herbal tea Laetia brewed. In the demon territory, we were used to drinking spicier things, but, while it wasn't quite to my taste, the tea was still good in its own right.

"It's also my first time meeting anyone, aside from my husband, who would consider my daughter so seriously."

Aside from my husband.

For some reason, it felt like I was being stabbed in the chest when I heard those words. But from that feeling, I felt words gradually rise to my mouth from the bottom of my heart.

"That's… because I am destined to battle with her… If I were to be injured, that's something I can bear on my own, but……"

I couldn't finish that sentence.

—The face of my wife Sasaya appeared in my head. She smiled briefly, and began to speak.

(Dear, you don't need to keeping on living only for my sake. You're still young enough to try again. Don't live for me, live to protect something that's still living.)

I remember now. Those were my wife's dying words.

I never imagined that I could ever feel this way again…

"If I were to ever hurt your daughter, it would surely be a sad and painful experience for you… If that's the case, I'd rather never fight with her again…… meaning, meaning…"

Then, I once again leaned forward, and asked:

"Laetia, would you be willing to marry me?"

I could understand why Laetia's mouth dropped open. Of course it would. I rushed into it, not to mention this was a proposal coming from a demon lord. A gaping mouth should have been the one thing I could have expected to see. However, silence was a million times scarier than an outright refusal, so I kept talking.

"You, you see… that way Angelica would be my daughter too, so we wouldn't need to fight… The fighting with the demon lord army would also be suspended, so the kingdom would become peaceful too, which I think would be good…"

No, these were all excuses. I haven't said how I really felt yet.

"I'm in love with you! I fell for you the moment I saw you!"

I wanted to use my life to make this woman happy. I won't use some pretext to justify it.

Laetia blinked. A lot. For a short while, I just had to suffer through that unbearable silence. But then, she smiled warmly. It was just like Sasaya's… no; it was a smile that was Laetia's, and Laetia's alone.

"If you'd be happy with me…"

"O-Oh, thank you! I look forward to your care!"

Right then, I bowed my head to her. I was too embarra.s.sed to keep on looking at her face.

"Yes, I hope you take care of me as well."

Laetia held out her hand to me. I took it in mine and squeezed it tight.

—  — Chapter 3