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

Chapter 19

That day, for a change, a flea market was open on the main street of the capital.

On my way back from the bakery, I stopped by one of the stalls on a whim.

Among all the junk—or rather, antiques—crowded together, I spotted a wooden carved strap that had a strangely charming feel.

It was shaped like a really plump pigeon.

“…It looks just like her.”

I muttered the words without thinking.

The image that came to mind was the woman who always sat with me on the park bench, the one with the perpetually grumpy face.

Bel always looked worn out from work, her brows deeply furrowed. I didn’t know if she was some official at the royal castle or what, but her job clearly kept her extremely busy.

Still, the only times her expression softened were when she ate the anpan I offered her, or when she was quietly watching the pigeons like this.

That indescribably dopey look on this pigeon.

Somehow, it reminded me of the way she looked when she stuffed her cheeks with anpan and got red bean paste stuck at the corner of her mouth.

“How much for this one, mister?”

“Three copper coins.”

I took some small change out of my wallet.

Before I knew it, I had bought both of the pigeon straps they had.

One for myself. The other one as a little thank-you to her for always keeping me company.

Well, she gave off such a noble aura. She might get mad if I handed her something this cheap.

If that happened, I could just play it off by saying, “Use it as a paperweight for pickles or something.”

◆

The bench that had become our regular spot already had someone waiting.

A woman wrapped in a deep hood and a black robe. It was Bel.

As usual today, she was glaring into empty space with a face that looked like the end of the world had arrived.

The pigeons around her kept their distance, clearly intimidated by the dangerous aura she was giving off.

Just getting close made my skin prickle. She seemed seriously on edge.

“Good work today, Bel.”

When I spoke, Bel’s shoulders jumped with a start, and she slowly raised her face.

“…You’re late, Kazuya.”

“Sorry, the market was pretty crowded.”

I sat down next to her and pulled the usual coffee out of my bag.

“Here you go.”

“…Mm. You’re thoughtful.”

Bel took the “black bitter water” from me and downed it in one go.

“Pwahhh…! I’m alive again…”

“You drink it like a middle-aged man.”

“Who are you calling middle-aged! How rude.”

Bel pouted, pursing her lips in annoyance.

That gesture made her look like a girl her own age.

“Oh, right. Here, this is for you.”

I took the wooden carved pigeon out of my pocket. Bel frowned suspiciously.

“…What is this?”

“I saw it at the market and just had to get it. It’s a pigeon.”

“I can see that. What I’m asking is why you’re giving it to me.”

As always, she overthought everything.

There was no way I could say, “Because it looked like you.”

“It’s kind of a thank-you for always eating my bread… and, well, sort of like a charm against evil. I got one for myself too.”

I gave a vague answer.

Bel stared hard at the clumsy wooden pigeon resting on my palm.

Her deep purple-blue eyes trembled just a little.

“A charm against evil… huh.”

She hesitantly reached out and picked up the strap.

Her fingertips gently stroked the wood, as if checking its texture.

“…Hmph. The carving is crude. There’s no magic in it at all—just an ordinary piece of wood.”

“Haha, well, it’s just a cheap market stall item.”

I gave a wry smile, thinking she probably didn’t want it after all.

But at that moment, Bel suddenly gripped the strap tightly.

“Still… it’s not bad.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll accept it. As a special favor.”

Bel turned her face away as she spoke, but I didn’t miss how the ear visible under her hood had turned slightly red.

So she actually liked it, surprisingly.

Feeling happy about that, I showed her the matching pigeon strap I had attached to my own bag.

“Actually, I bought matching ones. Look.”

In that instant, Bel froze.

She kept looking back and forth between the one on my bag and the one in her hand.

As if she had seen something impossible.

“Haa… m-matching…?”

“Yeah. They gave me a discount for buying two.”

“Matching… a pair… proof of a contract…”

Bel began muttering under her breath.

I suddenly felt a sharp drop in the surrounding temperature and shivered.

“Bel?”

“…Kazuya.”

She called my name in a low voice I had never heard before—one filled with heat.

“Yes?”

“Can I take this as a vow?”

“A vow? Well, if it’s a promise to take good care of it, then sure.”

When I answered casually, Bel gave a deep nod.

“…Understood. Then I too shall repay this ‘offering.’ With my entire life.”

“You’re being way too dramatic.”

She probably just needed to let off steam with those exaggerated phrases when stress built up. I was pretty good at playing along.

I never dreamed that she would end up attaching that strap to a national-treasure-level magic staff capable of destroying the world.

◆

Demon King Castle, throne room.

A tense atmosphere filled the space.

The top of the Four Heavenly Kings, Zest, along with the other high-ranking officers of the Demon King’s army, had gathered to await their master’s words.

Today’s Demon King Verzaria—Bel—was in an unusually good mood.

No, it went beyond just good.

Those absolute-zero eyes now glowed with a sweet, melting light, and an irrepressible smile played on her lips.

To her subordinates, that was terrifying.

(The Demon King is smiling…! Could it be that the plan for humanity’s extinction is finally complete!?)

(No, I heard she was stressed from the recent skirmish with the Hero… Could she have finally lost her mind…?)

While the officers trembled in fear, Zest stepped forward with resolve.

“Y-Your Majesty. Regarding today’s regular meeting…”

“Mm. Do as you see fit.”

Bel answered absentmindedly. In her hand she held her favorite “Staff of the End.”

The most wicked artifact, passed down from the age of myth, said to be able to sink entire continents with a single swing.

Something was dangling from the ominous black obsidian handle.

Something round, brown, and with a dopey face.

Zest doubted her own eyes.

There was no way such a ridiculous thing would be attached to the dignified Demon King’s staff. This had to be a hallucination. Surely an enemy’s mental attack.

But no matter how many times she blinked, it was still there.

“…Y-Your Majesty? That… thing attached to your staff…?”

When Zest asked timidly, Bel went “Hm?” and lifted the staff.

The wooden pigeon swung gently back and forth.

In that moment, the air in the throne room froze solid.

“This? Kazuya gave it to me.”

Bel flicked the carving fondly with her fingertip.

“Kazuya… that human!”

Zest gasped.

“That man… he’s done it again with something bizarre…!”

“Silence.”

Bel’s voice dropped back to absolute zero in an instant.

A crushing physical pressure filled the throne room.

All the officers dropped to their knees at once.

“T-That was a slip of the tongue…! Please forgive me!”

“…Hmph. Very well.”

Bel turned her gaze back to the pigeon with a dreamy expression.

“This isn’t just decoration, you know. It’s a sacred cursed tool that symbolizes the bond of our souls—mine and Kazuya’s.”

“S-soul bond…!?”

Zest shuddered.

So that man had even reached into the Demon King’s soul.

And with a cursed tool shaped like such a dopey bird, he was trying to control Her Majesty’s mind.

What blasphemy. What terrible taste.

“And look at this, Zest.”

Bel continued happily.

“He has the matching one. That means Kazuya and I are always connected through these pigeons… Hehehe.”

Behind Bel, I thought I saw dark heart-shaped illusions floating.

Zest understood.

This was marking.

That man had branded the Demon King as “his possession,” and at the same time made her carry the matching one, completing a mutual surveillance curse.

(That damn Kazuya…! What a terrifying man…!)

Meanwhile, the other officers reacted differently.

“H-hey, look at that pigeon’s eyes…”

“Yeah… those empty eyes that don’t seem to focus on anything…”

“It’s like they’re staring right through our souls…”

“That has to be the newly developed ‘mental corruption weapon’!”

The officers buzzed excitedly.

Some felt madness in the pigeon’s eyes, others saw the round shape as a sign of some unknown explosive.

“Your Majesty! Please show us the power of this new weapon in the next battle!”

Confused by the officers’ wild enthusiasm, Bel just tilted her head.

“…? What are you talking about? This isn’t for attacking.”

“Ah, of course! Then it’s camouflage to lower the enemy’s guard… or perhaps for brainwashing!”