I’d Rather Be Healed by a Pure-Hearted, Beautiful Demon Lord Than by a Yandere Saintess! ~Even if I Run Away, the Yandere Saintess Keeps Coming After Me. If I Get Caught, It Seems Like I’ll Be Forced Into an Engagement!?~ - Chapter 12

Resolve for Those We Must Protect

In the forest’s silence, we looked down at the unconscious holy knights.

The exhilaration from the battle moments ago had faded, leaving only the cold reality behind.

The saint’s forces had already come so close.

Our peaceful daily life had crumbled away all too easily.

“…What do we do with these guys?”

“We’ll take them prisoner. We could kill them, but keeping them alive might make them a source of information.”

Lady Lucilphia’s profile, as she stated this calmly, was truly that of a demon king.

As she approached one of the captured knights to bind him, a single envelope slipped from the leader’s pocket and fell to the ground.

It was an ordinary white envelope.

But the moment I saw the address written on it, I caught my breath.

“To My Dearest Yukina♡”

There was no mistaking it. It was Saint Erixia’s elegant yet somehow cloyingly obsessive handwriting.

With trembling hands, I picked it up and broke the seal. Lady Lucilphia leaned in worriedly from beside me to peer inside.

What was written there was a string of words as sweet as honey and as corrosive to the heart as poison.

―――――――――――――――――――――

My dearest Yukina.

I heard that you’ve been led astray by that wicked little demon girl. It makes me so sad, but it’s all right. I’ll come to save you soon, my love.

You might resist a little, but that will just be the spice in our love, won’t it♡

I’ll purify every last one of those filthy demons trying to defile you with my own hands, and we’ll start a new world just for the two of us.

So be a good boy and wait for me.

From Erixia, who will love you forever

―――――――――――――――――――――

“Ah… ah…”

The letter slipped from my shaking hands.

No good. There was no escaping anymore.

She knew everything. That I was here, that I was with Lady Lucilphia.

And she intended to destroy it all to take me back.

“It’s over… She’s serious… This castle, everyone—it’s all because of me… They’ll all be slaughtered…!”

Terror and despair dominated my heart once more.

Before the absolute madness of Saint Erixia, I was far too powerless.

At that moment, strong hands gripped my shoulders.

When I looked up, Lady Lucilphia was staring straight at me with her crimson eyes burning like fire.

“—Don’t tremble, Yukina!”

Her resolute voice rang out, shattering the weakness in my heart. She picked up the letter, glanced at it once, and snorted derisively.

“…What an arrogant woman. Love? The world? Don’t make me laugh. This is nothing but selfish possessiveness. She wanted to fool you. Don’t believe this.”

She crumpled the letter in her fist and turned back to me.

“Who said I’d hand you over to her? Who said I’d let her do as she pleases in this demon king’s territory?”

There wasn’t a shred of fear in her eyes.

What burned there was the anger of an absolute sovereign and an unwavering resolve.

“I’ll make that self-righteous saint regret picking a fight with this demon king down to her very bones.”

Then she softened her voice just a little and tightened her grip on my shoulders.

“I’ll protect you… Didn’t I say that? Would you believe me? No?”

Those words pierced through my despair like a single ray of light in the darkness.

That’s right. I wasn’t just running away alone anymore.

Someone who promised to protect me was right here.

We bound the unconscious knights and returned to the demon king’s castle.

The executives waiting in the throne room caught their breath at our unusual appearance and the sight of the prisoners.

When we reported what had happened and showed them the letter from Erixia, even those hardened warriors fell silent at its mad contents.

“Th-This… It’s no love letter anymore! It’s a curse itself!”

“Oh my… More cloying than even I am… Honestly, it’s quite off-putting…”

“Hm… An extremely valuable sample on the threshold between love and madness in human psychology…”

Tension filled the entire castle at the premonition of the unavoidable battle.

At its center, Lady Lucilphia slowly rose from her throne.

“Hear me, my proud subordinates!”

The demon king’s voice echoed through the throne room.

“That human saint has declared war on us! And the reason? To seize one of our comrades—Yukina—for her selfish desires!”

She stood beside me and gripped my hand tightly with her small one.

“We will never forgive those who try to take our comrades, our family! Send word to the entire army! From this moment, prepare for all-out war and ready yourselves for interception!”

At her words, Borgannon, Lilith, Necros, and every demon in the castle roared their assent in a mighty chorus.

“””ROOOAAARRRR!!!”””

The cheers rumbled like an earthquake. Their eyes blazed not with fear, but with loyalty to their king and the fighting spirit to protect their comrades.

So many people were ready to fight for my sake.

That pure, awkward demon king was staking her body to protect someone like me.

—No more running away.

I gripped back at Lady Lucilphia’s warm hand, this time squeezing it tightly of my own accord.

It wasn’t just about being protected.

I wanted to protect these people too, this precious place, this gentle demon king.

The yandere saint and the pure-hearted demon king.

The battle over me has just begun.