I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 26

Chapter 26

Birthdays are events that lose importance the older you get. When you’re a kid, it feels like the whole world is celebrating you, but once you’re an adult, it’s about as meaningful as a driver’s license renewal deadline.

So on that day, I was doing the usual—sitting on the park bench, tossing pieces of bread crust to the pigeons.

“…Hmm. So today is the day you came into this world.”

Bel, sitting beside me with an anpan in hand, narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah, pretty much. But I’m not really at an age where people celebrate it anymore.”

“What are you saying? This is the sacred anniversary of your existence being established in the world.”

Bel nodded dramatically, then looked at me with a serious face.

“Kazuya. Is there nothing I can do? To celebrate your birth.”

“No, really, just the thought is more than enough. You even ate anpan with me.”

“That won’t do. My heart won’t be satisfied.”

Bel stood up, picked up a fallen tree branch from the ground, and began scratching something like a map into the dirt.

“Look. This is the world map as I currently understand it.”

“It’s pretty rough.”

“Here is the Eastern Commercial Union, here is the Northern Theocratic State, and over here is the Southern Resource Zone.”

She tapped each spot with the branch and spoke as casually as if she were showing someone a shopping catalog.

“Which one do you want?”

“Huh?”

“Name the place you desire. For your birthday gift, I’ll carve out one for you.”

Carve out. She was offering a whole country like it was a slice of cake. I gave a wry smile.

“Bel-san, that’s quite the extravagant joke. Are we talking about a diorama model or something?”

“…This is no joke. I’m serious.”

Her eyes were fixed and unwavering. This was bad. With her authority, she might actually be able to transfer land deeds like it was nothing. This was taking mixing business with personal matters way too far.

“N-no thanks, I don’t need a country. The property taxes alone would be a nightmare.”

“Taxes? I’ll simply exempt you from them.”

“Managing it would be a hassle, and the language barrier would be impossible.”

“Language can be unified with magic.”

The conversation wasn’t getting through. She had already started laying out a concrete invasion plan, saying, “How about the southern resort area? It stays warm even in winter.” While cold sweat ran down my back, a black shadow slipped out from behind the park bushes. It was Zest.

“Lady Bel! That’s enough!”

She burst forward with a face drained of color. Today she was dressed in camouflage outdoor gear. Being a stalker… no, a bodyguard must be exhausting.

“Zest. Perfect timing. I was just about to ask your opinion on a gift for Kazuya.”

“I heard everything! Please stop offering him an entire country! The aftermath would be far too complicated!”

“Hmm… I see. Then how about half a continent?”

“That’s even worse! The balance would collapse completely!”

Zest threw herself into persuading Bel with desperate determination.

“Kazuya-sama… no, a modest person like him would never wish for something so grandiose! He would surely prefer something heartfelt, something handmade!”

Zest shot me an urgent look, signaling ‘play along.’

“Y-yeah! I love handmade stuff. It’s got that warm feeling.”

When I agreed, Bel pouted her lips in dissatisfaction but reluctantly tossed the branch aside.

“…Handmade, huh. If that’s what you want, I suppose I can consider it.”

She folded her arms and muttered to herself, sinking into deep thought. For now, the crisis of the world map being redrawn had been averted. Zest and I both let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

◆

A few days later. In the still-sweltering afternoon heat of the park, Bel held out a paper bag to me with a somewhat proud expression.

“Take it, Kazuya. This is the handmade item you wished for.”

“Thank you. May I open it?”

I opened the bag excitedly. Inside was a clump of yarn in a vivid, almost poisonously deep purple.

“…What’s this?”

“A muffler.”

Bel puffed out her chest. But right now it was still the season when cicadas were desperately crying their last songs.

“…You’re getting a head start on the season.”

“Mm. Zest said ‘knitting is the ultimate symbol of love.’ So I poured my magic into knitting this.”

I picked up the muffler. It was surprisingly heavy. Not just the weight of yarn—it had a dense, almost lead-like feel. And when I listened closely, I thought I could hear a faint, low growling sound from the muffler, like “…protect… ABSOLUTELY protect…” Surely my imagination.

“I wove defensive barriers and automatic counterattack spells into every single stitch.”

Bel explained calmly.

“Physical attack nullification, enhanced magic resistance, mental interference blocking, and as a bonus, I added an instant-death avoidance blessing. If you wear this, even a dragon’s bite won’t leave a scratch.”

“That’s… incredibly high-spec.”

I was amazed at how versatile Bel was. Apparently even government workers could be good with their hands. The only problem was that it was way too hot for a muffler. Still, she had stayed up nights knitting this for me. Not wearing it now would be unmanly.

“Well then, right away.”

After wiping my sweat, I wrapped the thick purple muffler around my neck. Instantly, a cool, refreshing sensation brushed against my skin.

“Huh? It feels cool.”

“Of course. I also added a ‘constant comfortable temperature maintenance’ function. Cool in summer, warm in winter.”

“That’s amazing!”

I was genuinely moved. It looked like a bulky, heat-trapping muffler, but the feel against my neck was as smooth as high-end silk, and it was like a cool mountain breeze was blowing just around my throat.

“It suits you, Kazuya.”

Bel smiled in satisfaction.

“That color is ‘Dominion Purple.’ The shade that marks you as one of my kin.”

“Kin…?”

“…Never mind. Anyway, don’t take it off. Not even when you bathe or sleep.”

“I’ll definitely take it off for baths… but thank you. I’ll treasure it for life.”

When I stroked the end of the muffler, I could have sworn it tightened happily around my neck. …Maybe a little too tight? Well, it was brand new, so that was probably normal.

“Bel-san, didn’t your shoulders get stiff from all that knitting?”

“Hm… a little. It was something I’m not used to.”

Bel cracked her neck with a few pops. I naturally placed my hands on her shoulders.

“Let me give you a massage as thanks.”

“R-really…? Very well, I won’t punish you for insolence. Go ahead.”

When I pressed my thumbs into her tense shoulders and started kneading, Bel let out a soft, dazed “Fwaah…”

“Right there… ahh, more…”

The Demon King was melting into a puddle on the park bench. Around her neck dangled the pigeon strap I had given her, and around mine was the high-function muffler she had made.

It was a strange exchange of gifts, but I thought it was a pretty good birthday.

◆

From the shadows, Zest watched the scene while biting down hard on her handkerchief.

“Thank goodness… Kazuya-sama chose the muffler instead of a country…”

Tears of relief streamed down her face.

“But that muffler… the materials were the fur of the legendary magic beast ‘Fenrir’ and fibers from the ‘Binding Vines’ that bloom in the Abyss of the Demon Realm… Once worn, it’s the same as an ‘absolute subjugation collar’ that cannot be removed without Lady Bel’s permission…”

Zest looked at Kazuya calmly wearing the muffler in the heat and shuddered again.

“He… nullified the curse with just one word, ‘cool’…? Truly, that man’s depths are unfathomable…”

Around Kazuya’s neck, the muffler—radiating a menacing cursed aura—had become as docile as a loyal dog. Zest jotted a note in her notebook: “Even curses melt for Kazuya-sama.”