I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 15

Chapter 15

The park that day felt strangely quiet. The wind had stopped, and even the rustling of the trees had vanished, leaving an almost vacuum-like silence. The pigeons seemed to have fled somewhere — not a single one was in sight.

I tilted my head as I walked toward the usual bench.

The air felt heavy.

It was the kind of prickling pressure on the skin that comes right before a thunderstorm. Thanks to Bel’s “charm,” my body felt perfectly fine, but I couldn’t shake the heavy atmosphere of the place.

I reached the bench. But the usual hooded woman wasn’t there. Instead, one other woman stood in her place.

I stopped walking. Her presence was simply too beautiful.

She was tall and slender, like a model. She wore a flawless black pantsuit. The perfect tailoring and the complete absence of a single wrinkle spoke of her meticulous nature.

And above all, her appearance drew every eye. Her straight silver hair reached down to her waist, the color of frozen moonlight. Her skin was so pale it seemed translucent, like cold marble. Her narrow eyes were a deep indigo blue, reminiscent of the ocean depths.

Behind silver-framed glasses, her sharp, intelligent gaze clearly announced that she was no ordinary beauty — she was a sharp-minded figure at the center of an organization.

Cold. Strict. Obsessively neat. She was the very image of an “ice beauty” who walked around wearing those words like clothing.

(…Wow, she’s stunning. Like the textbook example of a career woman.)

While I stood there admiring her, she slowly turned toward me. Her heels clicked as she took one step in my direction. The eyes behind those glasses pierced straight through me.

“…So you are Kazuya.”

Even her voice was beautiful. An alto tone carrying the chill of absolute zero.

“Yes, that’s me. And you are?”

“…I will not give my name. But let me say only this: I am the one who serves closest to ‘that person.’”

That person. The moment the words left her mouth, the air around her shifted slightly. Respect and reverence flickered across her expression.

In that instant, the pieces connected in my mind. This silver-haired beauty was definitely connected to Bel. “The one who serves closest.” And that perfect secretary aura.

She must be a subordinate from Bel’s workplace.

(I see. Bel has been skipping work lately to come here and rest. So this woman came either to drag her back or because she was worried…)

From the way she spoke, this woman was probably Bel’s right hand. Having such a free-spirited boss must give her constant headaches. She was surely the type who never went anywhere without stomach medicine and a schedule book.

I relaxed my guard and gave her a friendly smile.

“Ah, you’re Bel-san’s secretary from work, right?”

“…Secretary? I hold no such clerical position. I am that person’s shadow, that person’s mind…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re her excellent partner, right?”

I sat down on the bench and patted the spot next to me.

“Standing around talking isn’t great. Why don’t you sit? Bel-san should be here soon, I think.”

She remained on guard but finally said, “…I am Zest, the foremost of the Demon King Army’s Four Heavenly Kings,” and sat down beside me.

De… Demon King Army!? Well, right now the Demon King Army runs the government. Even the government offices where Bel works must be a mix of humans and demons.

“I will ask directly. …What exactly do you intend to do with that person?”

“Do with her?”

“Don’t play dumb. That person has changed. The once untouchable, freezing aura that would ice over anyone who came near has faded… and lately, during work, she even lets out this creepy… pardon me, gentle ‘fufu’ and smiles softly.”

Zest adjusted the position of her glasses while biting her lip in frustration.

“This is an emergency. It concerns the discipline of the army… no, of the entire organization. If you have fed that person some kind of ‘poison,’ I must eliminate you here and now.”

Her glasses glinted sharply. Killing intent. But to me, it only sounded like the worried consultation of an overly serious subordinate anxious because her boss had suddenly changed.

(I see, I see. So Bel-san used to be a terrifying demon boss back in the day. Now that she’s softened up, her subordinates are freaking out, thinking, ‘Is there something shady going on?’)

The more serious the person, the more they fear change. She was genuinely worried that Bel’s change might lead to the collapse of the organization — because she respected her so much. What a loyal, earnest subordinate.

I opened the basket and took out one box wrapped in silver paper, a flat, slab-like item.

“…I understand what you’re saying. She has changed a little lately, hasn’t she?”

“…You admit it.”

“Yes. But that’s not a bad thing. She’s been pushing herself too hard for too long.”

I tore open the wrapper and broke off a piece. A crisp pak! sound rang out. Inside was dark chocolate, almost black in its deep brown shade.

“Here, please.”

“…A black slab? A cursed tool?”

“It’s chocolate. But not just any chocolate. This is the adult kind — low on sweetness, strong on bitterness. I thought someone hardworking like you would especially enjoy it.”

Zest took the offered piece with a skeptical look. She pinched it delicately between her long fingers and cautiously brought it to her red lips.

“…Ngh.”

Her slender eyebrows lifted slightly.

“…Bitter. But… deep within lies an abyssal richness and just a hint of sweetness. …A chilling flavor that sharpens the mind.”

“Right? The cocoa polyphenols are great for fatigue.”

I popped a piece into my own mouth and let it melt slowly.

“Bel-san probably has way too strong a sense of responsibility. People at the top can’t really show weakness, can they? They push themselves to always be perfect, always strong.”

I looked straight into Zest’s eyes. She gasped softly, as if struck. Her wavering eyes looked almost like a girl who had been caught off guard.

“That’s why this place is her ‘refuge.’ A time to forget titles and responsibilities, to just be herself, eat something sweet, and zone out. …Because she has this, she can go back tomorrow and be the ‘ideal boss’ in front of all of you again.”

I smiled gently.

“I understand why you’re worried. But her change isn’t ‘laxness’ — it’s ‘breathing room.’ Wouldn’t it be easier for you too if your boss could smile once in a while?”

Zest was speechless. A flush crept across her beautiful face. It looked as though lightning had struck her entire body.

“…You… no, my lord…”

Zest’s voice trembled. The hostility was gone, replaced by a heated gaze.

“You are saying… that you are prepared to share the burden that person carries…?”

“Burden? Well, if it’s just listening to complaints while feeding pigeons, I can do that as much as needed.”

“…Complaints… You call the Demon King’s curses ‘complaints’…!”

“De-Demon King?”

So that was the nickname she had on the job because she was so scary… I didn’t really want to know that side of her.

“…I have been rude. My eyes were blind.”

“Huh? No, no need to get so formal.”

“You are called Kazuya, yes. …I, Zest, offer you my heartfelt respect for your resolve and your capacity for acceptance.”

Zest lifted her face, her cheeks faintly flushed, and let out a warm breath.

“Please… take care of that person… of Her Majesty the Demon King. Someone as clumsy as I cannot give her the peace of mind you can.”

“Yeah… well, I’m just getting her to eat tasty things and relax.”

“That is the most difficult thing of all. …Then I will take my leave. Before that person arrives.”

Zest’s heels clicked as she turned to go. Her steps were lighter than when she had come. At the last moment, she looked back once, smiled seductively behind her glasses, and said, “That ‘black slab’ wasn’t bad. …I may want it again someday,” before vanishing like the wind.

“…She was really beautiful.”

I nibbled on the remaining chocolate. But she didn’t seem like a bad person. That serious look in her eyes — she really cares about her boss. Bel has a great subordinate.

◆

A few minutes later, the air rippled and Bel appeared. She seemed in a bit of a hurry today, breathing noticeably harder than usual.

“…Haa, haa. Sorry I’m late. …The meeting dragged on.”

“Good work, Bel-san.”

“…Hm? What’s with that face? Did something happen?”

“No, just that a woman who said she was your colleague was here a little while ago.”

Bel’s shoulders jerked with a twitch.

“W-woman…? Don’t tell me… silver hair, wearing glasses…”

“Yeah, yeah, tall beautiful lady. I think her name was Zest-san.”

“…!!”

The color drained from Bel’s face.

“K-Kazuya! What did that woman do to you!? Did she interrogate you!? Or…!”

“No? Nothing really. She was just really worried about you.”

“…Huh?”

I reported with a wry smile.

“She was anxious that you’ve changed lately and that it might ruin the organization. …But when I explained that ‘she needs a break,’ she accepted it and left.”

“…She accepted it? That Zest?”

“Yeah. She bowed deeply and said ‘Please take care of that person.’ …Oh, and she said she wants more chocolate sometime. Looks like you two could get along.”

“…G-get along…?”

Bel stood there with her mouth open, frozen for a while. Eventually, she pressed her temple and let out a long, deep sigh.

“…That stiff woman, won over by a piece of chocolate…? No way… Kazuya, you…”

Bel gave me a sullen stare.

“You didn’t go flashing any unnecessary charm at that woman, did you?”

“Of course not. I just treated her like a work colleague.”

“…Hmph. She’s actually pretty ‘dried up’ inside. Someone as naturally seductive as you is like poison to her.”

Bel muttered grumpily, then plopped heavily down on the bench and ground her head against my shoulder.

“…Kazuya. I’m eating chocolate too. …More than her.”

“Yeah, yeah, there’s plenty.”

Bel stuffed three pieces of chocolate into her mouth at once, pursed her lips, and grumbled, “So bitter…”