I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 29

Chapter 29

I came to the park today carrying my secret weapon of the day.

It was piping hot “special hojicha.” And as a snack to go with it, I had also prepared “chestnut monaka.” Under the cold sky, warm tea and sweet monaka. Enjoying these with Bel was today’s mission.

“…Hm?”

When the bench came into view, I stopped walking. The small figure that should have been sitting there neatly was missing. In its place sat a mountain of a man.

He wore a jet-black coat, his white hair swept back. Countless old scars marked his face, and his gaze was as sharp as winter storm waves. In a word, he gave off the full aura of someone who was definitely not an ordinary person—an old man radiating menace.

“…Move aside, youngster.”

As I approached, the old man growled low. Just from that voice, the pigeons around us all took flight at once, and it felt like leaves were fluttering down from the trees.

“This is my seat. A fledgling like you has no business coming near.”

I see. I understood the situation.

This park lay along the route back from the neighborhood gateball court. The old man had probably lost a match and was in a bad mood—or maybe he was just one of those stubborn, old-fashioned grandpas.

Every neighborhood has at least one eccentric local legend of a grandpa, right?

Still, having him take over Bel’s spot was a problem. He might say “stay away,” but this was public space, so I didn’t need to hold back.

“Hello. It’s cold today, isn’t it?”

I greeted him with a smile and sat down right next to the old man.

“…Oh?”

The old man raised one eyebrow.

“You sit next to me… Aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid…? No, not really.”

“…”

The old man fell silent. It seemed small talk wasn’t his strong point. I paid it no mind and took out the thermos.

“Would you like a cup? It’s hojicha. Low in caffeine, so it’s good for the body.”

When I poured the tea into the cup, a fragrant roasted aroma drifted gently through the air. The old man stared hard at it, then twitched his nose.

“…Poison?”

“Please don’t say rude things. It’s just tea.”

“Hmph…”

Looking deeply suspicious, the old man took the teacup and sipped once. In that instant, the deep crease between his brows twitched slightly.

“…Warm.”

“Right? Tea drunk outside just hits different.”

The old man drank a second sip, then a third in silence. His expression seemed to soften just a tiny bit.

◆

“G-Grandfather…!?”

A voice like a scream suddenly rang out. When I looked, Bel stood there, out of breath. Her usual cool expression had completely collapsed; her face had gone pale and her body trembled.

“Why… why are you here!? Weren’t you supposed to be retired…!”

“Bel-san, do you know him?”

When I asked, Bel nodded frantically up and down.

“Y-Yes… He is my grandfather… the former…”

“Former?”

“The former… former bureau chief!”

I see. So this old man used to be the top boss at Bel’s workplace. No wonder he carried such presence. And it made sense why Bel had shrunk down like that.

He must have been a strict superior. Even after retiring, he still came to “inspect” like this—what a sly old fox… or rather, what a dedicated man.

“Hmph. It’s been a while, Bel.”

The old man set the teacup down and slowly fixed his gaze on Bel.

“I heard your work has been getting sloppy lately. So I came to inspect… and what is this spineless man doing here?”

His spear turned toward me.

“To let yourself get distracted by such a weakling and neglect your grand ambitions…”

“Hii…! I-I’m terribly sorry…!”

Bel stood ramrod straight and apologized. This was textbook power harassment. I felt a little annoyed. Sure, Bel might slack off during work sometimes, but she still gave her all every day in her own way. I didn’t think a retired bystander had any right to criticize her like that.

“Excuse me, sir.”

I cut in from the side.

“Please don’t bully Bel. She really does her best every day, you know. She only comes here to rest.”

“…What did you say?”

The old man glared at me. It felt like physical pressure shot out from his eyes. The air around us grew heavy, and the ground seemed to creak. I could see Bel’s lips forming “Kazuya! Stop, he’ll kill you!” but I ignored it and kept going.

“Besides, sir, keeping your brows knitted like that is bad for your health. …Ah, see, just as I thought.”

I reached toward the old man’s shoulder.

“It’s rock-hard right here.”

My fingers touched the trapezius muscle on his shoulder. It felt less like muscle and more like a steel plate.

“You… don’t touch my body so casually…!”

“Yeah, yeah, hold still. No wonder you get headaches. Your circulation is terrible.”

I pressed my thumbs in. Compared to kneading bread dough, this was easy.

“Guh…!?”

The old man let out a groan.

“That spot… that’s where the dragon’s fang pierced me… an old wound…”

“Dragon? Oh, you mean rheumatism. That must hurt a lot.”

Even though I misunderstood, I accurately pressed the pressure point.

“This one feels good, doesn’t it? All those years of hard work have built up so much fatigue. You’re retired now—live a little easier, okay?”

“…Gnuuu…!”

The old man’s face twisted. But it wasn’t pain; it was resistance against an unspeakable pleasure.

“Come on, relax. …That’s it, breathe in—breathe out—”

Following my rhythm, the strength gradually drained from the old man’s massive body. The rock-hard shoulders slowly loosened.

“…Ah, aaah… right there… right there…”

A voice completely lacking in dignity leaked from the old man’s mouth.

“You… what kind of sorcery is this…! It bypasses my defensive barrier… and interferes directly with my soul…!”

“It’s just a massage.”

I smiled wryly and pressed deeper. Bel watched us with eyes that couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Grandfather… the one once called the ‘Incarnation of Destruction’… is melting…?”

“Bel-san, give your grandfather the chestnut monaka. Sugar will help him relax even more.”

“Y-Yes!”

With trembling hands, Bel offered the monaka. While I rubbed his shoulders, the old man received an “aah~” feeding from his granddaughter—a scene that felt oddly like caregiving.

Crunch. The moment he bit into the monaka, the last shred of resistance vanished from the old man’s eyes.

“…Sweet.”

“Right?”

“…Warm.”

The old man sipped the hojicha, nibbled the monaka, and surrendered himself to my massage. The overwhelming aura that once made the world tremble had disappeared from his back, replaced by the gentle atmosphere of someone relaxing on a sunny veranda.

“…Fuu.”

A long, long sigh. It might have been the sound of centuries’ worth of burdens finally being set down.

“…I lost.”

The old man muttered quietly.

“Huh? Lost to what?”

“To you, youngster. …No, Kazuya-dono.”

The old man slowly turned and looked at me. His face was now that of a kindly old grandpa—completely different from the demon-like expression he had worn earlier.

“To brush off my ‘intimidation’ like a gentle breeze, to pierce my ‘absolute defense’ with a single fingertip, and on top of that to tame me with the ‘supreme offering’…”

“You’re exaggerating. I’m just glad your stiff shoulders feel better.”

“…Yes. Bel.”

The old man called to his granddaughter.

“Y-Yes! Grandfather!”

“This man… is good. I approve of him.”

“Eh!?”

Bel let out a stunned cry.

“With this man, even something I could never achieve—‘true world domination’… in other words, the ‘peaceful rule’ that melts every race into submission—might actually be possible.”

“P-Peaceful rule…!”

“Kazuya-dono. Please continue taking care of my granddaughter. …And, every now and then, would you rub these old shoulders of mine too?”

“Sure, anytime.”

When I readily agreed, the old man laughed “Kakaka!” in delight. The smile was still a little scary, but compared to when we first met, it had become quite charming.

◆

On the way home, Bel walked beside me in something of a daze.

“…I can’t believe it.”

“What?”

“Grandfather… never made such a gentle face. He always shouted about ‘survival of the fittest’ and erased countries he didn’t like from the map.”

“Old-fashioned people tend to express things dramatically. But deep down he’s a good grandpa, isn’t he? Coming all this way just to see his granddaughter’s face—that’s pretty cute.”

“…Kazuya. What exactly is a ‘Demon Lord’ to you?”

“Huh…? Like the final boss?”

“Rasubosu…? Never mind. I can’t win against you.”

Bel gave a small laugh, then tightly hugged my arm.

“That ‘God Hand’ of yours—use it only for me from now on. …It’s not fair that Grandfather gets it too.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give you plenty next time.”

We walked through the shopping street at dusk. In my pocket was a medal with some amazing crest that the old man—Granz-san—had given me before we parted.

◆

Meanwhile, at the Demon Lord’s castle. The Four Heavenly Kings member Zest greeted the returning former Demon Lord Granz.

“Great Demon Lord! How was that human?!”

“Zest.”

Granz spoke with an unusually refreshed look. His shoulders were light, his posture straight.

“He is no human. He is the ‘Healing Demon God.’”

“Huh…?”

“With one fingertip he erased my chronic ailments that had tormented me for years… If it’s that man, I can leave Bel in his care with peace of mind. In fact, I might as well entrust the entire Demon Lord army to him.”

“E-Even you, Great Demon Lord…!?”

Zest despaired. First the current Demon Lord, now the former Demon Lord too—both had fallen. There was no longer any fighting strength left in the Demon Lord army capable of opposing Kazuya.

“…That hojicha was delicious. I should go drink it again.”

As she watched the former Demon Lord walk away humming cheerfully, Zest tightly gripped her bottle of stomach medicine. Her lonely battle was not over yet. Or perhaps it had already ended long ago.