I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 10

Chapter 10

That morning, the scenery of the royal capital had completely changed.

From the castle walls and spires to the windows of ordinary houses, white cloth was hanging everywhere throughout the city.

Countless white flags fluttered in the wind.

They carried a strange kind of freshness that swept away the heavy, oppressive mood of the long siege.

“Extra! Extra! Full surrender! His Majesty the King has declared unconditional surrender to the Demon Lord’s army! The war is over! No need to be afraid anymore!”

The boys’ voices rang out somewhere bright and cheerful. Surrender. In other words, admitting defeat.

Normally this would be a moment filled with tragedy and grief, but relief was clearly visible on the citizens’ faces. After being shown those stakes raining down from the sky, everyone had realized that fighting to the bitter end would just be suicide. Above all, word had spread that—contrary to the rumors—the Demon Lord’s army did not kill pointlessly, and even after surrender they would leave human self-governance in place.

Carrying a small bag of slightly cheaper wheat flour, I walked through the back alleys where white flags were flapping. Finally over, huh. Prices should stabilize now, and I can bake bread without worry. For me, peace doesn’t mean the hero’s victory—it means stable market prices.

(…Bel-san, is today a celebration?)

She was the person in charge on the ground. There’s no doubt she played a big part in bringing about this peaceful resolution. I checked the contents of my basket and headed toward the park with lighter steps.

Bel was sitting on our usual bench. But today she wasn’t wearing her usual “exhausted government official” expression.

She sat with perfect posture, looking up at the sky with a strangely refreshed and bright look on her face. The side profile under her hood looked as beautiful as a goddess.

“…Bel-san. Thank you for all your hard work.”

When I called out, she slowly turned toward me and gave a gentle smile.

“…Kazuya, huh. You came.”

“The whole city is covered in white flags. Does that mean your work has finally settled down a bit?”

“Yes… That single ‘stake’ strike seems to have worked. Even the stubborn higher-ups finally gave in.”

“That’s great. The best part is that no more unnecessary blood was shed.”

When I sat down beside her, Bel turned her whole body toward me and looked straight into my eyes with a serious gaze.

“Kazuya… everything was thanks to you.”

“Huh? Me? I was just bringing bread as a little gift, that’s all.”

“That ‘little gift’ saved me… and changed the world.”

Bel gently took my hand and wrapped it in both of hers. Her hands were warm and weren’t trembling.

“I’ve been wanting to thank you… Would you accept this?”

From her pocket she took out a single “stone.” It was about the size of a fist, rough on the outside, but from within it gave off a burning deep-crimson glow. It was a mysterious stone that seemed to pull your eyes in just by looking at it.

“It’s a beautiful stone. Are you sure I can have it?”

“Yes. It comes from my homeland… well, just a little souvenir. It should at least work as a charm against evil.”

“Wow… thank you.”

I accepted the stone and felt its weight. It was surprisingly heavy. Either the density was high, or it simply felt heavier than it looked. It was cool to the touch, yet somehow gave off warmth.

“Perfect timing. I’ve been wanting to start pickling vegetables lately, but I didn’t have a good heavy stone for it.”

“…Pickles… stone…?”

“Yeah. This weight and shape are perfect. The cucumbers and cabbage are going to turn out really tasty.”

When I said it with obvious delight, Bel’s mouth fell open in shock, and then she burst out laughing.

“Pfft…! Ahahahaha!”

It was the first time I had ever heard her laugh so loudly.

“I see! A pickling weight! Turning the Philosopher’s Stone—one that could buy an entire country—into a vegetable press…! You really are something else!”

“Huh!? Is this stone really that expensive?”

“I’m kidding. It’s just a pretty rock. Use it however you like.”

Bel was laughing so hard that tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. It seemed she really liked my reaction. I carefully put the stone away in my bag and opened the basket.

“Then this is my celebration gift. Today I went with something everyone can share—pizza.”

What appeared from inside was a round flatbread. Four kinds of cheese were piled generously on top, melted together into beautiful white and golden marbled patterns. Quattro formaggi.

“…It’s round. How do you eat it?”

“Like this—we cut it into pieces.”

I lifted a slice, and the cheese stretched in long, gooey strings. Bel’s eyes followed the threads.

“And then, for the finishing touch, we do this.”

I drizzled golden honey from a small jar over the cheese. The salty aroma of the cheese mixed with the sweet fragrance of the honey.

“Here you go.”

“…Honey on cheese? Does that actually go together?”

“The sweet-salty combination is really addictive. Just try it—you’ll see.”

Bel took a slice, eyed it suspiciously, and took a cautious bite.

“…Mm!!”

Her eyes sparkled.

“…Delicious! The saltiness and richness of the cheese are wrapped up by the sweetness of the honey… What perfect harmony!”

“Right? They seem like they’d fight, but actually they bring out the best in each other.”

“They don’t fight… they enhance each other…”

Bel ate the pizza eagerly. The cheese stretched again and stuck to the corner of her mouth. When I reached to wipe it, she leaned forward on her own, pressed her lips to my finger, and licked it clean.

“Mmm. Sweet.”

“…Bel-san, you’re pretty bold.”

“…It’s your fault.”

Her face turned red as she reached for another slice.

“Kazuya. Is it proper etiquette to cut this ‘pizza’ and share it?”

“Yeah. Trying to eat the whole thing by yourself would be too much. Cutting it up and sharing with everyone is the most delicious way.”

“…Sharing, huh.”

Bel stared at the half-eaten pizza and suddenly looked serious.

“Right now I was worrying about how to govern the capital… Should I rule with force, or…”

“Force is no good. That’ll just give everyone indigestion.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Like this pizza—just cut it into smaller pieces. Don’t concentrate all the authority in one place. Divide it up by region and let each area handle its own things. And then…”

I shook the little jar of honey.

“Don’t forget to drizzle on something ‘sweet’ at the end. If you’re only strict and harsh, it won’t work. But if you also give them sweet rewards—tax cuts, festivals, things that make the citizens happy—everyone will accept it and cooperate.”

Bel’s eyes opened wide as if she had just realized something.

“…Divide and rule. And a carrot-and-stick policy of appeasement…”

“Well, basically, when everyone can share delicious things, that’s peace.”

Bel gave a bright smile and rested her head on my shoulder.

“Understood… Just like you said, I’ll ‘cook’ this country until it’s delicious.”

“Please make it tasty.”

While looking up at the peaceful sky over the capital, we shared the rest of the pizza. Pigeons gathered at our feet, pecking at the bits of fallen cheese. The perfect happy ending.

Of course, the very next day—after military rule by the Demon Lord’s army was established in the capital—they announced a three-way division of governance: former royal lands, noble lands, and temple lands. On top of that, they handed out a “special Demon Lord coronation gift to all citizens (honey).” The people ended up cheering wildly, “Long live the Demon Lord! Way better than the old king!”

But at that moment, we had no way of knowing any of that.

The peaceful everyday life was only just beginning.

(To be continued)