"Well then, let's go!"
The Demon King, wearing the most radiant smile, gets promptly kicked to the ground.
"How cruel! A beautiful girl comes to visit, and your welcome greeting is a kick?!"
"I didn't call you. Go home."
I kick the Demon King, who's dramatically crouching on the floor with his face in his hands, and send him tumbling out of the room.
I close the door and take a breath.
What did he even come here for?
"Hey, hey, hey! This time, take me along for real. You're heading to the Church of Divine Words, right?"
I open the door I just closed, and the Demon King strolls back in, spouting nonsense.
"This isn't the kind of place you bring a NEET to."
The Demon King recoils, practically radiating a "BA-DUM" sound effect.
"So even Shiro-chan calls me a NEET..."
Isn't he, though?
Balth does most of the actual work.
"Well, if that's how it is, I'll just destroy the world on my own!"
"Cut it out."
The Demon King could actually pull that off if he got serious.
It's a joke, but it's the kind of joke that stops being a joke.
"Anyway, jokes aside. Take me with you."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The Demon King freezes for a moment.
"Wait, Shiro-chan—you don't actually think I'm a worthless NEET, do you? ...Do you?"
His eyes are genuinely getting misty. What am I supposed to do about this?
I look to Fermina for help, but she's tidying up documents with a strong "this doesn't involve me" energy.
I can feel her iron will of non-interference.
She's gotten bold, hasn't she?
"Oh? Is that the girl Shiro-chan picked up?"
The Demon King notices my gaze and locks onto Fermina.
Fermina, upon being locked onto, raises her head and meets the Demon King's eyes.
"How do you do. My name is Fermina. I have no family name."
Despite having maintained a steadfast "not my problem" attitude until just moments ago, she offers a flawless, courteous greeting without a hint of displeasure.
Truly a former noble.
Former, hence no family name.
But all those years of training produced an ironclad lady's etiquette, and it's perfect.
Though inside, she's definitely thinking "what a pain."
"Oh. Pleasure to meet you. I'm
At the Demon King's self-introduction, Fermina freezes for a split second.
She glances my way, so I give a slight nod.
Yep.
It's Fermina's first time seeing the Demon King.
Actually, I think more people don't know the Demon King is the Demon King than those who do.
She never would have imagined this guy could be the Demon King.
Her expression is barely held together, but inside, she's probably drenched in cold sweat.
The proof? I can hear her heartbeat racing.
"So, what are you here for?"
I try to redirect the Demon King's attention by speaking to him.
A boss who worries about her subordinate's heart—what a great leader.
And yet, Fermina's heartbeat only accelerates further.
I don't get it.
"No, no, no! Shiro-chan, you've been listening, right? I've said like a million times that if you're going to the Church of Divine Words, I'm coming too!"
Oh, so that wasn't a joke—he was dead serious.
I'd assumed he'd never lift a finger. My bad, my bad.
But if even a NEET is motivated to work, doesn't that mean the world's about to end tomorrow?
Ugh, what the hell are Gyurigyuri and the rest even doing?!
It's a world crisis!
"Hey, aren't you thinking something incredibly rude right about now?"
Nope, nope.
Thinking about the facts doesn't count as rude.
Well, bringing the Demon King along shouldn't be a problem.
If I left him behind, he wouldn't work anyway.
He's a NEET, after all.
Reluctantly, I add one NEET to the Church of Divine Words assault squad.
I check with the vampire girl and the oni boy, and both say they're going.
Just to be safe, I ask Fermina if she wants to come too, and she pulls the classic Japanese "I'm afraid I wouldn't be of any use" modesty routine—clearly signaling she has zero intention of going.
Something tells me it'd be entertaining to drag her along, so I give a nod and declare, "Nonsense, let's go."
It's a death sentence with no appeal.
The only acceptable answers are "yes" and "yes."
You have no right to refuse!
The ironclad lady's smile definitely twitched—that was no trick of the light.
And so, with the Demon King and Fermina in tow, I set out to collect the vampire girl and the oni boy.
Which is when I run into the punk—Balth's little brother.
This guy's never supposed to be in this castle normally, so why is our encounter rate so absurdly high?
He's noticed me too, staring in my direction.
He probably doesn't mean anything by it, but his resting face is so hostile he looks like he's about to murder someone. Could he maybe not?
Whether my wish was granted or not, the punk's gaze shifts from me to the Demon King beside me.
His expression darkens.
So that earlier look really wasn't aimed at me.
The glare he's leveling at the Demon King—that's the real deal.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
The punk squares up on me!
"Wherever I want. It's none of your business."
The Demon King is completely unfazed!
"While our brother's burning the midnight oil working, you're off on a leisurely stroll?"
I can practically hear his veins popping. The veins bulging on his forehead are practically visible.
Where we're heading definitely isn't for fun, but even if I told him that, the punk wouldn't buy it.
Worse, telling the truth would probably make things even more misunderstood.
Because we're headed straight into what's basically enemy territory.
"Eek! How scary! Shiro-chan, save me!"
He clings to me, seeking help in a voice that doesn't sound remotely frightened.
Annoying.
But I don't have time to stand here arguing with a punk.
"Hey, you don't need to follow someone like him. If you don't like it, just say so."
"No."
I hate doing what the punk suggests, but I also hate being grabbed, so I peel the Demon King off me.
"Bwaah!"
Somehow...
Yeah, I'm just gonna leave him.
This is getting too troublesome, so I ignore both the Demon King and the punk and start walking.
"Hey, wait up!"
"Wait for me, Shiro-chan!"
Ignore, ignore.
The punk gives up and doesn't follow, but the Demon King tackles my waist and chases after me.
Hey, you're gonna break my back.
I kick him down in mild irritation.
I seriously consider leaving him there, but I give in and grab him by the scruff and drag him along.
We haven't even gotten to the main event yet—why do I have to be this exhausted already?
I dread what's to come.