I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 05

Chapter 5

A few days had passed since the orc army’s shocking victory. The capital was wrapped in a strange excitement.

The streets buzzed with forced cheer to cover the fear of the demon king’s army’s eerie strength, and the return of “him” to the capital added to the noise.

“Hero Leon, it’s your triumph parade!”

“Look at the shine of the holy sword! The demon king would go down in one hit!”

“Leon! Look over here!”

Cheers loud enough to split ears echoed from the main street, along with the sound of fanfares.

Hero Leon. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall and slender handsome man, the kingdom’s star of hope.

But to me, he was nothing more than a “source of noise.”

(…So noisy. On my rare day off, too.)

I hurried through the back alleys to escape the clamor that made me want to cover my ears. What I wanted wasn’t yellow screams or the glow of a holy sword.

It was quiet sunlight filtering through trees, the cooing of pigeons, and peaceful time with her waiting on that bench.

Deep in the park, on the usual bench, Bel was there. But today, she was clearly in a bad mood. Arms crossed, foot jiggling restlessly, she gave off an aura close to killing intent from under her hood.

“…Bel. Hello.”

When I called out timidly, she glared sharply in the direction of the cheers and growled low.

“Yeah… The city is noisy today.”

“Ah… You can hear it too? The hero’s parade.”

“That ‘gold shiny’ guy… Acting all high and mighty, raising his shrill voice. Does he plan to pollute my eardrums?”

Bel grimaced as if the sound hurt her ears. For a busy official like her, silence was the greatest luxury. Noise disturbing it was a crime deserving death ten thousand times, even if it came from a hero.

I sat next to her and smiled to ease the tense air.

“Come on, it’s the privilege of young people. It’s good to have energy.”

“Too much energy… I want to erase him from here right now.”

“That’s extreme… Here, we’re in picnic mood today, so eat this and distract yourself.”

I opened the basket I brought. Inside were colorful ‘mixed sandwiches’ with beautiful cross-sections. Soft bread stuffed with egg, ham, lettuce, tomato, and cutlet for a hearty dish.

“…What is this? Stuffing between bread?”

“It’s called a ‘sandwich.’ Easy to eat with one hand, so great while reading a book or during work breaks.”

“Oh…”

Bel picked one up with interest. Ham and lettuce. She took a bite. The crisp sound of lettuce and the softness of bread made a perfect harmony.

“…Hm. Not bad.”

“Right?”

“Refreshing, I could eat as many as I want. And the colors are pretty.”

Some of the sharpness left her face. I quickly poured tea from the thermos into a cup and handed it to her.

“Try the cutlet sandwich too. It’s hearty.”

“Mm… Meat. I’ll take it.”

Bel stuffed her cheeks with the cutlet sandwich and chewed. When she ate something delicious, she was defenseless and really cute. Birds chirping, trees rustling in the wind, and a beauty eating sandwiches next to me. A perfect holiday afternoon.

That was when it happened.

‘Dear citizens of the capital!! As long as this Hero Leon is here, the demon king’s army is nothing to fear!!’

The hero’s speech, amplified by speaker magic, shook the park’s air with vibration. The volume was so loud that pigeons flew up in surprise all at once.

“…”

Bel’s hand stopped. The cutlet sandwich she held creaked under her grip. A crackling aura like black lightning rose from her whole body.

“…That guy… My healing time…”

“B-Bel? The bread will get crushed.”

“I won’t forgive him. Absolutely won’t forgive him.”

Bel’s pupils dilated. This was bad. Work stress and noise combined, pushing her past the limit. I quickly pulled her body close.

“Wah!?”

I wrapped my arms around her surprised back and pulled her face into my chest. With my free hand, I covered both her ears over the hood.

“K-Kazuya…!?”

“Shh… See, this way it’s a bit quieter, right?”

Close enough for her to hear my heartbeat. Bel stiffened in my chest at first, but slowly relaxed.

“…Your heartbeat is noisy.”

“…Ahaha, sorry. Holding a beauty, so I’m nervous.”

“…Hmph. Smooth talker.”

Bel gripped the hem of my clothes tightly. The slight tremble was from anger, or maybe embarrassment. But the hero’s speech didn’t stop.

‘Demon king! Wash your neck and wait! My holy sword will—’

The volume seemed to go up even more. Even in my arms, I felt Bel’s irritation flare again. She lifted her face and glared sharply out of the park from my chest.

“…Kazuya. Covering ears isn’t enough.”

“Eh?”

“I need to physically block that ‘noise source.'”

Still in my arms, Bel slipped one hand from her robe and pointed fingers at empty space. I could somehow sense immense magic gathering at her fingertips, even without magic power.

“W-Wait, Bel? What are you…”

“…Give back the silence.”

The moment she snapped her fingers. From outside the park, in the direction of the parade street, a huge boom echoed: DOOOON!!

Then, something sparkling flew far into the sky with a pathetic scream: “KYEEEEEE!?”

“…A shooting star?”

“…Who knows. Maybe garbage.”

Bel lowered her fingers with a cool face and buried her face in my chest again. As if the earlier noise was a lie, silence returned to the park.

“…Phew. Finally quiet.”

“Bel, what did you just do?”

“I just deployed a ‘soundproof barrier.’ Set the elasticity a bit high, though.”

Elasticity. I put my hands together for the “gold shiny something” that vanished into the sky. Well, she probably used her office connections to activate some noise regulation magic. As expected of an elite bureaucrat.

“Kazuya. Can we stay like this a bit longer?”

“Yeah, sure. There are still sandwiches.”

“Mm. Your scent calms me more. I just want to live in peace.”

“Same here. Hero or demons or demon king. I don’t care about any of that…”

“…Really.”

Bel rubbed her cheek against my chest and purred like a cat. We enjoyed the quiet afternoon just like that. Without knowing the hero had become a star in the sky, we immersed ourselves in our peaceful world for two.

◆

“Uwaaaaaah!? What was that shockwave!?”

“Hero!? Hero Leon flew into the sky!?”

The parade venue fell into chaos. A sudden localized gust had blown Hero Leon away, parade float and all.

Far in the sky, spinning as he fell, Hero Leon shuddered in his fading consciousness.

He didn’t know. That it was the demon king’s small “noise countermeasure” to enjoy a picnic with a friend-not-yet-lover. And beside her was the only man in the world who could hold the demon king’s reins, smiling and saying “energetic young man” as he let it pass.