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 2

The Demon King’s Nursing Is a Mille-Feuille of Healing and Terror

A fluffy bed; the sheets as smooth as silk. A faint scent of some sweet flower I had never smelled before.

As I slowly opened my eyes, what jumped into my view was an extravagantly luxurious canopy bed and a sparkling chandelier unlike any I had ever seen.

“…Where am I?”

I tried to sit up, but a groan escaped me as pain wracked my entire body.

That’s right. I had fled from the Saintess, reached the Demon King’s domain, and then…

“You’re awake, human.”

I snapped my head up at the dignified yet somehow endearing voice.

The Demon King—Lucilphia—sat primly on a chair by the bedside. She swung her legs back and forth while desperately crossing her arms in a haughty pose. She was ridiculously cute.

“D-Demon King… I…”

“Rest easy. We protected you in my castle. You slept soundly for a full day.”

“A whole day… Thank you. You saved me.”

I bowed deeply, and she turned away with a “Hmph.”

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea. I helped you because I heard you were being chased by the Saintess. I can’t stand that woman. It’s just irritating to let her have her way.”

Her ears turned bright red. She was an easy-to-read tsundere.

Compared to the Saintess’s yandere tendencies, this was nothing more than a reward. It felt like it was cleansing my soul.

“Besides, you must be hungry. I had a meal prepared.”

Lucilphia snapped her fingers, and the room’s door opened as a goblin maid pushed in a cart.

Oh, talk about hospitality. As expected of the Demon King.

I wondered what kind of feast would appear.

“Here, eat. It’s a soup renowned even in the demon realm for its nourishing and invigorating effects.”

I froze at the sight of the contents in the bowl she proudly offered.

Inside the bowl, a purple liquid swirled thickly, with unidentified tentacle-like things and eyeball-like orbs floating around.

Every now and then, they seemed to twitch convulsively—was that just my imagination?

“…Um, what is this?”

“It’s ‘Crawling Chaos Keios Crawler’s Eyeball Soup.’ They say drinking this will heal any wound in an instant.”

“The name alone kills my appetite!”

I couldn’t help but retort with full force.

Crawling Chaos? That sounds absolutely dangerous.

“W-What’s with that reaction! Are you trying to throw my kindness back in my face?”

“No, I really appreciate the kindness! But it’s just too much for a human stomach to handle…!”

The Demon King puffed out her cheeks in a huff. She was cute, but this was a matter of life and death.

As I racked my brain for what to do, she suddenly looked as if something had occurred to her.

“Oh, right… I hear humans are frail. In that case, this one.”

What she pulled out next was a pitch-black pill, about the size of a fist.

“This is a ‘Manticore Gallstone.’ It’s a bit bitter, but swallow this, and you could run for a week without food or water.”

“That’s not nutrition—that’s just doping, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t even medicine anymore. And a gallstone, really?

As I stared off into the distance, Lucilphia drooped her shoulders dejectedly.

“S-Sorry… I don’t know much about humans… What do I need to do to make you feel better…?”

The earlier dignity had vanished; she gazed at me anxiously with moist eyes.

…This won’t do—she’s too cute.

Unlike the Saintess’s twisted goodwill, hers was pure, clumsy, and straightforward. Just that much made the frayed edges of my heart from the fugitive life warm up gently.

“Um, if it’s all right, something warm like porridge or fruit… something normal like that would be…”

“Porridge? Fruit? Got it—I’ll prepare it right away!”

At my words, Lucilphia’s face lit up, and she dashed out of the room in a flurry.

Left alone in the room, I let out a sigh.

(She’s an interesting person, the Demon King.)

It felt foolish to have imagined a terrifying Demon King. She was just a kind girl who was a bit naive about the world and purely innocent.

A short while later, the Demon King returned, out of breath. In her hands was a tray with steaming porridge and colorful fruits.

“H-Hah… I brought it, human!”

“Thank you. You went and got it yourself?”

“N-Not at all! It’s not for you! It’s a taste test—for poison!”

As she said that, she handed me the bowl of porridge. Her hand trembled slightly.

I clasped my hands and said, “Itadakimasu,” then scooped some porridge with a spoon and brought it to my mouth.

The gentle salty flavor and the sweetness of the grains soaked into my body. Since I hadn’t had a proper meal in days, it tasted so good that tears nearly came to my eyes.

“…It’s delicious. Thank you so much.”

When I voiced my honest impression, Lucilphia turned her face away bashfully and murmured in a small voice, “I-Is that so… Then, good.”

Each of her gestures healed the weariness in my heart.

That’s right—this was what I had been seeking.

Not the suffocating affection that tried to dominate someone. Just pure, warm kindness that thought of the other person.

Fleeing from Saintess Erixia had been the right choice.

“…Is that woman really that terrifying?”

After I finished eating, Lucilphia asked quietly.

At those words, that beautiful face floated into my mind. The image of her, smiling with overflowing benevolence while trying to take everything from me.

“Yukina, I love you. So, give me all of you, all right?”

“…!”

My whole body bristled with goosebumps. My body started shaking unconsciously.

This is bad—just remembering it has me like this.

It’s beyond trauma level.

“A-Are you all right, human!?”

In my state, Lucilphia hurried over in a panic. Then, for some reason, she hesitantly reached out and gently stroked my head.

“T-There, there… You won’t have those scary dreams anymore. This is the Demon King’s domain. I won’t let that Saintess do as she pleases.”

Her small hand clumsily stroked my hair.

In that warmth, I felt the last of my tension melt away.

—Ah, I’m really being healed by this Demon King.

As I basked in the pure Demon King’s kindness, I wondered if there was anything I could do to protect this warm place.