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 - Growing Suspicion and an Approaching Shadow
The morning air in the royal capital of Minerva felt a little clearer than usual.
Youki took a deep breath in front of the Aquaraine estate's gate—his umpteenth of the morning. His short black hair was sticking up in every direction as always, and his deep purple eyes shifted restlessly. White shirt, dark brown leather vest, black trousers. His usual light gear, but today he'd put in a little extra effort.
(Calm down. It's just an investigation. Just me and Cecilia, tracing where the flowers came from.)
He knew that in his head. He knew it—and yet the moment he caught sight of her beyond the gate, something deep in his chest tightened.
"Good morning, Youki."
Cecilia emerged from the gate in a pale blue dress with a white cardigan over it. Her long silver hair caught the morning light, shimmering as it swayed. She looked far more vivid than any flower blooming in the estate's garden.
"G-good morning...! Um, I mean—thanks for having me again today."
He fought desperately to keep his voice from cracking.
"Yes, likewise. Today I thought we'd visit a few gardening shops around the capital. Do you have any leads?"
"Ah, yeah. There are three bigger ones in the merchant district. Two more near the market. I figure we start there and work our way out."
"I see. Then let's be off."
Cecilia smiled and started walking. Youki hurried after her.
(Just walking side by side—why is this so nerve-wracking...?)
They walked the cobblestone streets together. The distance between their shoulders was barely anything. Every so often their strides fell out of sync and his arm nearly brushed hers, and each time his heart leaped.
"Youki, yesterday you said you saw a figure in a black robe peering into the garden, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Same lot from that night, no question. They were checking on the flowers. When I called out, they ran up the outer wall and got away."
"Ran up the outer wall...? That's not something an ordinary person could do."
Her expression tightened slightly.
"Right. It was trained movement. Someone military—or else... a demon."
"Either way, it's no mere prank. Someone is definitely after that flower."
"Which is exactly why I want to find some leads today. I can't let you end up in danger."
"...You don't need to worry about me. I'm doing this of my own free will."
She said it and looked straight ahead. Her profile was so resolute that Youki found himself staring.
(She really is strong. Maybe it's presumptuous of me to think I could protect her.)
And yet he couldn't help wanting to. She'd turned him down, and still this feeling wouldn't fade—it only grew stronger every time they met.
"...Hey, you two."
A voice came suddenly from the side of the road. Youki turned to find a fruit vendor at his stall grinning at them.
"Buy your girl some flowers, young man. Got fresh-picked lamia grass this morning. Smells wonderful."
"Sh-she's not my—! W-we're not like that...!"
Youki's face went bright red as he waved his hands frantically.
"Oh? You're not? And here I thought you made a lovely couple."
"Fufu. Youki, your face is beet red."
Cecilia giggled. At that smile, Youki's heart went into absolute overdrive.
"P-please stop...! Don't you start teasing me too, Cecilia...!"
"I'm sorry. But you really are honest to a fault."
"Th-that's... I mean..."
Seeing him fumble for words, Cecilia laughed again—gentler this time.
"Come now, let's go. The investigation comes first."
"Y-yes..."
It took a while for his heartbeat to settle.
The first gardening shop sat in an alley just off the merchant district's main street.
Beneath a sign reading "The Green Vial," potted plants in every color were packed tightly together. The leaves out front glistened with morning dew.
"Welcome. Well, well—if it isn't the young lady of the Aquaraine house."
An old man with a white beard poked his head out from the back of the shop. His back was bent, but his eyes shone with youthful vigor.
"Good morning, Master. I was hoping to ask you a few things today."
Cecilia bowed politely.
"Ask away. The young lady's always buying flowers from us, after all."
"Do you recognize this flower?"
From a small cloth bag she produced a pressed specimen of the flower in question—one she'd gathered in the garden. Even dried, the red-black petals kept their unsettling color.
The shopkeeper took the pressed flower and studied it for a while.
"...Now that's a rare thing you've brought me. This here's called 'maka-sou'—demon flower grass. It doesn't grow naturally around these parts."
"Maka-sou...?"
The unfamiliar name made Youki lean in.
"Aye. It's an invasive species that only grew in the southern marshes, originally. But about half a year ago it started showing up all over the capital. No idea who brought it in."
"Half a year...!"
The scene from that night in the underground waterways flashed through his mind. The group in black robes. The wooden crates being hauled in. Could that have been—
"Do you remember anything about the customer who bought the flowers?"
Cecilia asked quietly.
"Let me think... More than one customer bought them. But the one who bought them in bulk was a man in a black robe. Couldn't see his face well, but his voice was awfully low. Intimidating."
"The man in the black robe..."
Cecilia glanced at Youki. He gave a small nod.
"Has that man come to your shop recently?"
"No, not once since. Though I've heard rumors—they say that man's been hauling flowers toward the underground waterways. Don't know what for, but it can't be anything good."
The shopkeeper shook his head with a bitter expression.
"The waterways... So it's connected after all."
His voice dropped.
"Youki, there's a strong chance this is the same person as the black-robed group you saw before."
"Yeah. Brought into the capital half a year ago, still being carried toward the waterways now. There's no doubt that flower is being used for something."
"...Let's go. It's worth asking at the other shops too."
"Right."
They thanked the shopkeeper and took their leave.
The next shop was a small gardening store near the market.
Called "Flower Dew," it was much more modest than the first, run single-handedly by a young woman.
"Maka-sou? Oh, that creepy flower. We sold it a few times about half a year back. The one who bought it was a man in a black robe. I couldn't see his face, but his voice was so low, and just... it gave me the chills down my spine."
She shuddered as if recalling it.
"I've heard elsewhere that this man was seen heading toward the underground waterways."
"Oh, yeah—one of our regulars said the same thing. Saw a man in a black robe carrying flowers into the waterway entrance. Said it was so creepy he looked away right quick."
"...Thank you. That helps a great deal."
Cecilia thanked her politely and left the shop.
"So for half a year, he's been carrying that flower into the waterways. What on earth for...?"
"I don't know. But that flower has the power to accelerate monster transformation. If they're using it in the waterways, they might be trying to deliberately turn the monsters living down there violent."
"Turn monsters violent... What could anyone gain from that?"
"Who knows. But if monsters run wild beneath the capital, the peace aboveground collapses overnight. And then—who benefits?"
"...So someone wants chaos."
Her voice rang out quietly, but firmly.
"Exactly. Which is why we can't leave this alone any longer. If we keep digging, we're bound to get closer to whoever's behind those black robes."
"Yes. And I'll see this through with you to the end."
Cecilia looked him straight in the eye. That gaze, full of unwavering resolve, made his chest grow warm again.
(She really is strong. Even knowing the danger, she won't back down. ...I can't lose to her.)
"...All right. Let's hit one more shop."
"Yes."
The third gardening shop stood at the edge of the merchant district.
Called "Scent of Soil," it had a spacious back garden where all manner of plants grew.
"Oh, welcome. ...Wait, are you two looking into maka-sou, by any chance?"
The owner was a round-bodied middle-aged woman with pruning shears tucked into her apron pocket.
"Yes. You know about it?"
"Know about it? A man in a black robe came by just yesterday. Said he was taking more flowers from the back garden. I told him no—gave me the creeps—but he just took them anyway. Now my back garden's a mess because of it."
"A mess?"
His expression sharpened.
"Go look. That flower's growing in a whole patch in the corner back there. He planted it himself without asking. And now all the plants around it have gone strange."
"Could you show us?"
"Sure. But don't get too close. That flower'll give you a rash if you touch it."
Led by the owner, they went around to the back.
The garden was larger than expected—colorful flowers and vegetables growing in peaceful harmony. But one corner of it was wrong.
"...That's it."
In the corner, red-black flowers bloomed in a dense cluster. The surrounding plants had withered away, and the ground had turned a sickly black. Even the air felt faintly stagnant.
"So much maka-sou... And all the plants around it are dead."
Her voice went taut with tension.
"Every time that man comes, there's a little more of it. Started with a single stalk, and now look at it. It's so creepy I can't even sleep at night."
"That flower accelerates monster transformation in the living things around it. So it affects plants too... No—more importantly, a cluster this size is dangerous."
Youki took a step toward the flowers.
And that was when it happened.
*Squelch.*
The ground moved.
"—!?"
Thick thorned vines burst from the base of the flowers. They writhed like living things and lashed out at Youki.
"Youki!"
"Cecilia, get back!"
Youki spun on instinct, stepping in front of her to shield her.
*Slash.*
A vine cut across his right arm. His white shirt tore, and blood sprayed.
"Guh—!"
"Youki!"
Cecilia cried out—almost a scream. But Youki didn't flinch.
"I'm fine. This is just a scratch!"
He grabbed an oncoming vine bare-handed with his left. Thorns bit into his palm. Blood dripped. Even so, he ripped the vine apart.
*Snap, snap, snap!*
"Cecilia, burn those flowers! Holy magic!"
"R-right!"
Cecilia raised both hands at once. White light gathered in her palms.
"Lumina, Goddess of Light. Cleanse these defiled flowers—Holy Light Purification!"
Blinding light engulfed the cluster of maka-sou.
*GYAAAAAAH!*
The flowers screamed. No—what screamed wasn't the flowers. The monster-transforming power dwelling within them was being burned away by the light. One by one, the red-black petals crumbled to ash.
The thorned vines collapsed limply to the ground.
"...Is it over?"
Youki dropped to one knee, breathing hard. Blood kept flowing from his right arm. The gash in his palm was deep too.
"Youki!"
Cecilia ran to him and supported his arm.
"It's all right. I'll heal it now."
She held her hand over his wound. Warm light enveloped it.
"Holy Healing—"
The white light slowly mended Youki's injuries. Torn skin knit closed; the bleeding stopped.
"...Amazing. The pain's fading."
"Not yet. It's a deep wound, so it'll take a little time to close completely. Don't move."
Her voice was gentle but serious. Her slender fingers rested against his arm. That warmth reached his heart far more powerfully than the pain ever had.
(Cecilia's hands... they're so warm.)
"...Um, thank you. You saved me."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. If you hadn't shielded me, those vines would have gotten me."
Cecilia looked him straight in the eye.
"...Truly, thank you. Youki."
At those words and that earnest gaze, something deep in Youki's chest gave a great, hard throb.
(Oh no. My heart won't stop pounding. At this rate I'm going to blurt out something stupid again...!)
"N-no...! I just did what anyone would...! I'm the man who
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