I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 11

Chapter 11

Even several weeks after the Demon King’s army took the capital without bloodshed, the royal capital remained surprisingly peaceful.

Demons walked openly through the streets, but instead of causing trouble, they were carrying heavy bags for old people or fixing broken roofs.

Apparently, the Demon King had given them a strict order: “Get along with the humans. Otherwise, your pay gets cut.” I don’t know what kind of face he made when he said it, but he seemed like a surprisingly reasonable type of Demon King.

I was walking through my usual back alley, holding a freshly baked baguette. Peace was wonderful. Prices had stabilized, and wheat had become much easier to get.

My daily life hadn’t changed at all. The only thing different was that thanks to the pickling stone Bel had given me, my old-style cucumber pickles had become so delicious they practically glowed.

Bel was sitting on our usual park bench. The tense, murderous atmosphere from before was completely gone. She sat with her legs elegantly crossed, reading a book. She was fully in off-duty mode.

“…Bel-san. Hello.”

When I called out to her, she snapped the book shut and smiled brightly, like a flower blooming.

“…Kazuya, huh. I’ve been waiting.”

“You’re looking really relaxed today.”

“Mm. The city has settled down too. …Thanks to ‘divide and rule’ and ‘sweet honey,’ the paperwork has decreased a lot.”

Bel slid right up next to me and naturally leaned her shoulder against mine. Lately she had become much more touchy-feely. Well, it was probably just the rebound from being released from her heavy workload. Nothing deeper than that. She was simply someone with a strange sense of personal space, that was all.

“What’s that today? It smells good.”

“It’s a bit chilly today, so I brought something warm.”

I took out a thermos container from the basket. Inside was cream stew — chicken, carrots, potatoes, and broccoli simmered in thick, creamy white sauce.

And supporting the main dish was bread.

“…White soup, is it? And that long bread?”

“It’s a ‘baguette.’ I didn’t bake this one myself today — I bought it from the bakery nearby.”

“Oh? A shop you approve of, then.”

“Yes. It’s called ‘Marie’s Shop.’ The bread that the sign girl Marie-chan bakes there is absolutely amazing.”

I tore off a bite-sized piece of the baguette, dipped it in the stew, and brought it to Bel’s mouth.

“The outside is nice and crispy, and the inside is soft and chewy. Marie-chan gets up really early every morning to work hard. She’s seriously such a good girl.”

“…………”

Bel’s mouth stayed closed. The soft smile she’d worn just moments ago had frozen solid, and the highlight had vanished from her purple eyes.

“…Bel-san? What’s wrong?”

“…Did you say Marie?”

“Yes. Marie-chan. She always gives me extras too. She says things like, ‘Kazuya-san, you like making bread too — we’re the same, aren’t we〜'”

Piki. A nasty cracking sound came from the paperback book in Bel’s hand. It felt like a crack had appeared on the cover.

“…I see. Extras, huh… Is she a young girl?”

“Yeah, probably a little younger than me. She said she’s about to turn nineteen. She’s really friendly — practically an idol around the neighborhood.”

“Idol… friendly… chewy… popular… soft and chewy…”

Bel kept muttering the words under her breath, repeating them. Then she slowly opened her mouth and ate the baguette — stew and all. Her chewing sounded heavier than usual.

“…Hmph. …It’s ordinary.”

“Huh? Really? I think it’s delicious though.”

“Hmph… To my tongue, it’s a little ‘floury.’ Too much salt, and it’s both salty and hard.”

Bel openly showed her displeasure. She crossed her arms and turned her face away with a huff.

This was… that thing, right? The occupational disease of bureaucrats. She probably couldn’t openly favor one specific shop, and she might be worried about things like unlicensed business or hygiene management.

“Well, someone with a refined palate like you, Bel-san, might find it lacking. But it’s a really popular place.”

“…Popular, is it.”

Bel shot me a sharp glare.

“Kazuya. Do you go to that shop often?”

“Yeah, about three times a week.”

“…Three times!? You’re meeting Marie three times a week!? That’s possibly more than you see me!”

I swear the temperature around us dropped about three degrees. Bel muttered in an ice-cold voice.

“…I cannot leave this unchecked.”

“Huh?”

“It’s for the protection of the citizens’ health… That shop may require a little ‘investigation.'”

Of course. A hygiene inspection. Her seriousness really was admirable. Since it was a popular shop, she probably wanted to check it strictly to prevent any food poisoning incidents.

“Please go easy on her, okay? Marie-chan gets scared easily.”

“Hmph. Gets scared easily, does she? Don’t worry. I won’t do anything rough. I’ll simply… ‘keep very close watch.'”

After finishing the stew in one go, Bel stood up.

A terrifying pressure — or rather, a pitch-black aura of jealousy — rose from her back.

…She’s just really serious about her job, right?

“Kazuya. Next week, bring something you made yourself. Absolutely.”

Bel tore off the remaining bread carelessly and hurled it toward the pigeons.

“Okay, okay. Any requests?”

“…Something sweet. I want the highest-class sweet thing — something that girl Marie could never make.”

With those final words, she vanished through spatial transfer.

I nibbled on the leftover baguette while tilting my head. Maybe a sense of rivalry? Or perhaps the pride of the government office.

◆

Starting from the very next day,

The small bakery in one corner of the capital, “Marie’s Shop,” came under twenty-four-hour siege by the Demon King’s strongest personal guard unit, the “Black Knights.”

Jet-black full-plate armored knights stood motionless in perfect formation around the shop. Every time a customer approached, they would release murderous pressure while saying things like:
“…You there. Do you have the qualifications to buy bread approved by the Demon King?”
“…Don’t speak improperly to Lady Marie. We are watching.”

It was an utterly abnormal situation.

Marie screamed “Hiiiiii! Why are the Demon King’s elite troops surrounding my shop!?” and trembled in fear. Customer traffic was supposed to drop sharply… or so one would think.

But instead, the rumor spread: “It must be an incredibly delicious shop if even the Demon King is watching it.” As a result, huge lines formed instead.

It seemed Bel’s report had gone all the way up to the Demon King. The Demon King apparently took a liking to Marie’s bread — which was great for her.

◆

Demon King Verzaria. In the throne room, while listening to her subordinate’s report — “The complete encirclement of the target shop has been completed” — she gripped the torn-off end of the baguette Kazuya had brought like it was a cursed straw doll.

“…That Marie girl. To dare cast flirtatious glances at Kazuya… you’re a hundred years too early. I will keep you in plain sight and slowly kill you with attention! …However, this baguette is delicious. I can understand why Kazuya would fall for it… but I won’t forgive you!”

The Demon King’s “shadowless strategist,” Kazuya. With one single casual remark, he had pushed a single girl into becoming the most famous baker in the capital… and at the same time, he had completely flipped the Demon King’s yandere switch.