I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 08

Chapter 8

It was a sticky, humid afternoon that made summer feel close. In the capital’s market, fish prices had shot up.

After the northern land route was cut off, the kingdom struck back at sea. The kingdom’s proud “Invincible Fleet” had blockaded the ocean, cutting the Demon King’s army’s supply lines while threatening coastal cities.

In that situation, fishermen could not fish properly, so the supply of fish had dropped.

“Extra! Extra! The sea belongs to our kingdom! The Invincible Fleet has completely surrounded the Demon King’s army’s port!”

I wiped sweat as I walked through an alley. Land and sky were lost, and now the sea too. War really did not pick its battlefield.

But my problem was this humidity and heat. When it got this damp, my appetite dropped, and my mood sank. She must be suffering too.

(…Today, let’s go with something that looks cooling.)

I hugged a glass bottle wrapped tightly so the cold would not escape and headed to the deepest part of the park.

The usual bench. Bel was there, not just drooping from the heat—she had reached the peak of bad mood.

Her hood was loosened a bit, but the expression visible through the gap looked grim. She held a piece of parchment as a fan and flapped it busily.

“…Miss Bel. It’s hot, isn’t it?”

When I spoke, she glared at me resentfully.

“…Kazuya. Hot. Unpleasant. …The sea breeze has stopped.”

“Yeah, there’s a rumor the port is blockaded. Maybe the wind can’t get through.”

“Hmph… Those ‘wooden boxes’ floating on the sea are in the way. They line up filling the horizon… Nothing could be more eyesore.”

Wooden boxes. Calling the Demon King’s army’s fleet that was typical sarcastic of her.

“Those guys built a wall on the water and squat there. If we try to attack, their bellies are armored with thick iron plates, so even Leviathan’s fangs can’t pierce them.”

“Wow, ironclad ships. Modern warships are high-tech.”

Ships covered in iron lined up forming a wall. No wonder the breeze was blocked. Bel groaned “Ugh, annoying” and slumped against the bench’s backrest.

“…Isn’t there something refreshing? Something to blow away this stifling feeling.”

“There is. Today’s is a confident one.”

I took a large glass bottle from the basket. Inside, clear liquid floated with bite-sized cuts of colorful fruits like strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, and oranges. Plus, ice for cooling clinked with a cool sound.

“…What is that? Jewel soup?”

“It’s ‘fruit punch.’ But it’s not just syrup-soaked.”

I took out two glasses and poured from the bottle.

From the poured liquid, countless tiny bubbles rose, and popping sounds echoed.

“…Bubbles? Is it boiling?”

“No, it’s cold. It’s water with gas dissolved in it.”

“Gas…?”

Bel took the glass curiously and peered at the popping surface.

“Here, drink it while it’s cold. You’ll be surprised.”

She looked doubtful but could not beat curiosity and took a sip. Slurp.

“—!?”

Bel’s shoulders jumped. Her eyes widened, and she pressed her mouth as she looked at me.

“K-Kazuya!? My tongue… my tongue got attacked!?”

“Haha, did it hurt? That’s the tingle from carbonation.”

“…It doesn’t hurt. It tingles… something pops in my mouth…”

She cautiously took another sip. This time, she savored it rolling in her mouth.

“…Mm. …It fizzes. The sweet fruit taste and this tingle…”

“Refreshing, right?”

“Yes…! The throat feel is unbeatable. My pent-up mood pops away with the bubbles.”

Bel seemed to like it and tilted the glass to drain the carbonated water. Then she struggled to eat the fruits left at the bottom.

She tried to scoop with a long spoon, but ice and carbonation bubbles got in the way, and the fruits slipped away.

“…Grr. This red one escapes.”

“Let me.”

I took the spoon from her hand and skillfully scooped a strawberry.

“Here, ahh.”

“…Don’t treat me like a child.”

Bel puffed her cheeks a little, but her mouth opened obediently. Munch. She chewed the chilled strawberry, and her cheeks softened.

“…Delicious. The fizz soaked in.”

“Next is pineapple. Here.”

I scooped fruits one after another and fed them to her mouth. Each time, Bel opened her mouth like a baby bird waiting.

Her lips touched the spoon. I scooped, she ate.

…Wait, isn’t this indirect kiss? No, it’s like siblings. I shook off dirty thoughts and cared for her.

“…Phew. Satisfied.”

After eating all fruits, Bel let out a happy sigh. Then she gazed at the little carbonated water left in the glass and suddenly turned serious.

“…Kazuya. What is the true nature of this fizz?”

“Ah, it’s ‘air’ trapped in the water rushing up all at once to escape.”

“…Trapped air, going from bottom to top…?”

Bel stared at the bubbles rising from the glass bottom.

“No matter how heavy the water pressure, these bubbles rise vigorously and pop at the surface…”

“Yeah. Even small bubbles, together, have quite some power. Enough to lift a ship’s bottom.”

I said casually. Carbonation bubbles could not float a ship, but it was just an analogy.

“…Lift the ship’s bottom, from below…”

Bel’s pupils narrowed sharply. Her gaze overlapped the bubbles in the glass with the fleet on the sea (that she could probably see far away).

“Ships armored with iron on the sides are defenseless below. …If we slam compressed explosive gas from below all at once… what happens?”

“Eh? Well, ships are weak to impacts from below.”

“Make ‘bubble’ mines rise from deep sea. On touch, they pop, and the shockwave snaps the keel… I see. That’s it.”

Bel grinned. That smile was brighter than the summer sun and cold as ice.

“…I see it. How to sink those ‘wooden boxes.'”

“Miss Bel?”

“Kazuya. Your fizz… was truly stimulating.”

She stood and gripped my hand tightly.

“Thank you. …Tonight, the sea will pop beautifully.”

“Are we going to a fireworks show?”

“Something like that. …Extra large.”

Bel pressed the cold glass to my cheek. Pit. It felt cool and nice.

“…Thanks to you, I cooled down. Wait, I’ll let the sea breeze through soon.”

She flipped her robe and vanished shimmering like heat haze. I cleaned the leftover fruit punch bottle and looked at the sky. Hope it cools down. Hope Bel’s work finishes, and she can rest slowly again.

◆

“The sea surface is bubbling!? What is this!?” “Below! It’s coming from below!!” “Gyaaa! The ship! The ship broke in half!!”

The night sea turned into hellish illumination colored with explosions and water columns. The Invincible Fleet’s iron armor was strong against side attacks but powerless against ‘bubble shockwaves’ from directly below.

A shadow overlooked the sinking ships one after another from a coastal cliff. It was Demon King Bel. Her silver hair flowed in the night breeze as she gazed raptly at the sight.

“…Beautiful. Just like fruit punch, isn’t it?”

The sahuagin captain beside her saluted with trembling fins.

“T-Terrifying… Crushing steel ships with mere bubbles… Is that ‘shadowless strategist’ a fluid demon!?”

“Not a demon.”

Bel touched her lips with a finger, remembering the spoon’s feel from daytime.

“That’s ‘mouth-to-mouth.’ Kazuya taught me. To get sweet fruit, attack gently and stimulatingly.”

“Eek…! What an adult tactic…!”

In the sahuagin captain’s mind, an imaginary giant named Kazuya scooped warships with a spoon and crunched them like a predator.