There Was a Cute Girl in the Hero's Party, So I Tried Confessing to Her: Daily Life at the Demon King's Castle
Youki used to be a mid-boss in the Demon King's army—right up until the hero's party stormed the castle and ended his boss's reign. But instead of finishing him off, the party's priestess, Cecilia, gave him a second chance at life among humans. And somewhere along the way, he fell for her. Hard.
So he did the only logical thing: he confessed. Dramatically. With a "I am the one who rules the darkness—" speech and everything.
She shot him down so thoroughly it echoed.
Now, six months later, You
There Was a Cute Girl in the Hero's Party, So I Tried Confessing to Her: Daily Life at the Demon King's Castle - The Mansion's Strange Flowers and a Reunion with the One Who Rejected Me
Morning in the royal capital of Minerva began with the clatter of boots on cobblestones and the hearty shouts drifting up from the market. The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the white walls of the buildings caught the morning sun and threw it back, until the whole city seemed wrapped in light.
Youki stood before the request board at the Adventurers' Guild headquarters, arms crossed, studying the sheaf of papers. His short black hair stuck out every which way, as usual, and his deep violet eyes were utterly serious. White shirt, dark brown leather vest, black trousers—his usual light gear. A small black earring on his left ear caught the light and glinted.
(Those black-robed bastards from that night... still not a single lead.)
He couldn't get the scene in the underground waterways out of his head. The unnatural magic sigils carved into the monsters. The group in black robes hauling cargo through the sewers at night. That disciplined, coordinated movement—they were no ordinary thugs.
(Lina didn't believe me, but there's definitely something going on.)
Youki let out a small sigh.
"Hey, Youki. What's with the long face first thing in the morning?"
The voice came from behind him—leisurely, with a hint of mockery. He turned to find Clayman, the vice-guildmaster of the Adventurers' Guild. Mid-forties, a drooping mustache, a rumpled shirt. At first glance he looked like a middle-aged man with no motivation whatsoever, but his eyes alone were sharp.
"Clayman. Morning."
"Yeah. So what's up? Found another weird sigil?"
Clayman grinned. Unlike Lina, this man had at least lent an ear when Youki told him about the black-robed group in the sewers—one of the few who had.
"Something like that. No leads since then."
"Hmm. Well, don't rush it. Anyway, I've got a job today that's just right for you."
Clayman waved a request form back and forth.
"An urgent request from the noble Aquarain family. Some strange flower's bloomed in their garden. A servant touched it, and their hand temporarily turned into something like a monster's."
Youki's heart gave a sharp thump.
"The Aquarain family...?"
He fought to keep his voice from cracking. The Aquarain family. That was Cecilia's family home.
"That's right. They're a distinguished noble house. And the flower seems to have come from the Demon King's Castle, apparently. So they wanted someone who knows demons—and the arrow landed on you."
"On me."
"You used to be a mid-boss in the Demon King's army, right? Nobody knows demons better than you. And you've got the skill to back it up—B-rank now. You're the right man."
Clayman said it without a care. This man knew exactly who Youki was, and still treated him like anyone else. That was why Youki trusted him.
"...Understood. I'll take it."
(So I'm going to see Cecilia...?)
Something began to stir, restless, deep in his chest. Six months since she'd turned him down. He could still picture her face perfectly. Kind, serious, with a core of steel.
(No, wait. Just because I go to the estate doesn't mean I'll see her. A servant might handle it.)
He told himself that, but his heart only beat faster.
"Good, settled then. Here's a detailed map. Be careful."
"Thanks."
Youki took the request form and the map and left the guild behind.
The noble quarter of Minerva had a different air from the commoners' district. The cobblestone streets were more carefully maintained, the building walls polished white. Guards stood at the gates, and carriages passed quietly to and fro.
Youki walked with the map in hand, taking deep breaths again and again.
(Calm down. It's just a job. Investigate, report, done.)
The more he thought it, the heavier his feet felt.
At last, an especially large gate came into view. Vines were carved into the ironwork, and beyond it stretched a vast garden. Beside the gate, a brass nameplate reading "Aquarain Family" gave off a weighty gleam.
"...Huge."
The honest words slipped out. The grounds were dozens of times the size of the apartment where Youki lived. Flowers of every color bloomed throughout the garden, and there was even a fountain at its center.
(This is the house where Cecilia was born and raised...)
Youki swallowed hard and walked toward the side entrance beside the gate.
"Um, excuse me. I'm here from the Adventurers' Guild on a request."
The small window in the side door opened, and an elderly gatekeeper peered out.
"You're from the guild, then. We've been expecting you. Please, come in."
The gate swung slowly open. Nervous, Youki stepped through.
The garden was immaculately kept, the colorful flowers glistening with morning dew. Birds sang, and a sweet floral scent hung in the air.
(Incredible... it's like another world.)
As Youki looked around, wide-eyed, a servant came walking from the direction of the mansion.
"You're from the guild? This way, please."
"Ah, yes."
Led by the servant, Youki headed for the mansion's front entrance. Polished wooden doors. Silver handles. Everything was elegant, utterly removed from Youki's everyday life.
(Am I way out of place here...?)
The worry crossed his mind.
The front door opened.
"We've been expecting you. Thank you for accepting the request."
The moment he heard that voice, Youki's whole body went rigid.
Standing there was unmistakably Cecilia.
Her long silver hair shone softly in the light from the windows. Translucent white skin. Deep blue eyes. She wore an elegant dress in white and blue, her back held perfectly straight.
She hadn't changed at all from six months ago. No—she seemed even more beautiful than she had then.
"...Youki?"
Cecilia's eyes went round with surprise.
"U-um... i-it's been a while."
Youki's voice cracked spectacularly. His face went red in an instant, and he had no idea what to do with his hands and feet.
(Crap, crap, crap! Why am I this nervous?!)
He scolded himself inwardly, but his body wouldn't obey.
"I never imagined you'd be the one they sent from the guild. What a surprise."
Cecilia smiled softly. That smile squeezed at Youki's chest.
"Y-yes. I'm surprised too..."
"Heh, you haven't changed. But I'm glad. If it's you, I know you'll investigate this flower thoroughly."
Cecilia spoke gently, yet firmly.
"Leave it to me. I'll do my utmost."
At last, Youki managed a proper reply.
"Then let me show you to the garden. Follow me."
Cecilia turned lightly and started toward the garden. Youki hurried after her.
(Calm down. This is work. Focus on the work.)
He told himself that as he watched Cecilia's back. Her silver hair swayed softly with every step.
(...Damn. She's exactly my type.)
The old catchphrase slipped out in his mind.
At the far end of the garden, past a rose arch, the flower was there.
"This is the flower in question."
Where Cecilia pointed, an especially bizarre plant was growing.
Deep purple petals. Black stamens extended from the center, writhing like the tentacles of a living thing. It gave off a poisonous air, clearly alien to the flowers around it.
"...This is..."
Youki's expression turned serious in an instant.
"The servant who touched it had their hand turn into something like a monster's, temporarily. Fortunately, it went back to normal right away."
Worry colored Cecilia's voice.
Youki approached the flower and observed it carefully. The shape of the petals. The structure of the stamens. And the quality of the ether it gave off.
(No mistake. This is the same species as the monster-inducing plant that was in the Demon King's Castle garden.)
His memory told him so, clearly.
"Cecilia. This flower is the same species as the one that was in the Demon King's Castle garden."
Youki spoke in a low voice.
"...So it really is."
Cecilia's expression tightened.
"But something's off. The Demon King's Castle was sealed after it was defeated, and every plant in the garden was supposed to have been burned. So how is this here...?"
Youki crouched at the base of the flower and examined the soil carefully.
"...!"
Something was buried in the earth. Youki gently dug it up.
There were fragments of stone. Complex patterns were carved into their surfaces.
(This sigil... it's the same one I saw in the sewers.)
The magic sigil that had been carved into the monster's corpse that night. The exact same pattern was carved into these stone fragments.
"What's wrong?"
Cecilia noticed something off and asked.
"...Cecilia. Look at this."
Youki showed her the stone fragments.
"This is... a magic sigil?"
Cecilia stared hard at the fragments.
"Yes. And it's the same one I found recently in the royal capital's underground waterways."
"In the waterways?"
Youki gave her a brief account of what happened that night. The group in black robes hauling something through the sewers. The magic sigils carved into the monsters.
Cecilia listened in silence. Her deep blue eyes took on a serious light.
"...I see. In other words, it's highly likely someone deliberately brought this flower into this garden. And that someone is connected to the group operating in the sewers."
Cecilia spoke quietly, but with force.
"That's probably right."
"Someone is scheming to use demons for something. That's what this means."
Anger was in Cecilia's voice.
"Cecilia..."
"Youki. I have a favor to ask."
Cecilia looked straight into Youki's eyes.
"Will you investigate where this flower came from, together with me? If someone is trying to misuse demons, I can't just let it go."
Youki's heart surged.
(Cecilia wants to investigate with me...?)
He couldn't believe it. The girl who'd turned him down was asking him to investigate together.
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
Youki's voice cracked with joy. His spirits shot straight up.
(Crap, I'm so happy. Of course this gets me hyped!)
And then those words burst out of Youki's mouth.
"I am Youki, ruler of the darkness. With this jet-black power, I shall annihilate every enemy that dares threaten you!"
He struck a pose and declared it grandly.
Silence.
Cecilia stared at him, mouth hanging open.
"...What?"
That single word brought Youki back to himself.
(Ah... I did it.)
His face grew hot as if it were boiling. Red to the tips of his ears, he waved his hands frantically.
"N-n-nothing! Forget what I just said! No, I mean, um..."
Stammering, Youki tried desperately to cover for himself.
Cecilia just watched him.
And then she let out a small laugh.
"Heh."
"Huh?"
"That chuunibyou thing... I've thought so for a while, but I don't dislike it."
Cecilia lowered her voice and said it.
Youki's heart gave a great leap.
(D-did she just...?)
He thought he must have misheard. No—he'd definitely heard it.
"I don't dislike it"—the words echoed over and over in his head.
"U-um, does that mean..."
"Come, let's continue the investigation. We need to check the garden for any other flowers in bloom."
As if nothing had happened, Cecilia briskly walked off.
"Ah, yes!"
Unable to contain the pounding in his chest, Youki followed after her.
(She doesn't dislike it... she said she doesn't dislike it. Cecilia said that.)
Youki's heart was full of joy. But at the same time, a cool-headed part of him sounded a warning.
(Wait, calm down. That might just have been politeness. Don't read too much into it.)
Even so, he couldn't stop grinning.
The two of them walked the length and breadth of the garden. They found several more of the same purple flowers blooming.
"Five in total."
"Right. I'll dig up the roots."
Youki carefully dug up the base of each flower. Beneath every one, he found stone fragments with the same sigil.
"So they all have the sigil..."
"Which means someone deliberately planted these flowers in this garden. And even worked magic sigils into them."
Cecilia's expression turned serious.
"If left alone, this flower turns the living things around it into monsters. That's why the servant who touched it underwent a mild monster transformation."
"A dangerous f
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