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 24

Victory Banquet

“”””Cheers to Lord Yukina!!””””

…The grand hall of the Demon King’s castle buzzed with an excitement rumored to surpass anything since the nation’s founding.

The Demon King’s army, having repelled the absolute threat of Saint Erixia with an unprecedented bizarre strategy, now reveled in the midst of a grand victory feast.

“Did you hear? Lord Yukina washed away the Saint’s ultimate spell with just plain water!”

“Yeah! That was true holy water! The real stuff that purifies evil!”

“He’s no mere strategist anymore! Lord Yukina is our god of war!”

Among the soldiers, tales of my exploits spread with ever more embellishments. No one believed anymore that I was just an ordinary villager.

Seated at the seat of honor, I could only manage a wry smile amid the endless refills of ale and Borgannon’s overly vigorous shoulder slaps.

Incidentally, the captive Captain Gideon and his men had been released after Erixia’s withdrawal. To the end, they pondered philosophical questions like “Is Lord Yukina a saint we must save, or a devil surpassing even the Demon King…?” as they departed with unsteady steps in utter confusion. My condolences.

“Lord Yukina, you’re quite the hit♡”

Lilith poured wine into my glass with a seductive smile.

“But then, you utterly demolished a woman’s pride like that. The Saint will surely never forget you for all eternity.”

Those words sent a chill racing up my spine.

Yes. It was not over.

Considering her personality, she would not simply back down like this…

“…I’ll step out for some air.”

I slipped quietly from the noisy hall and headed to the balcony of the main tower, where Lady Lucilphia and I had talked before the decisive battle.

The cool night breeze felt soothing against my flushed face. The nightscape of the Demon King’s territory spread out below, serene and peaceful.

“—So this is where you were.”

I turned at the quiet voice to find Lady Lucilphia standing there, though she should have been the feast’s centerpiece.

She did not seem fond of the clamor either.

“You must be tired too. Get some good rest tonight.”

“You’re the one who needs it, Lady Lucilphia. …But I’m truly glad we won.”

“Yes. …Hey, Yukina.”

“Yes?”

“That last bit… the water. What exactly…?”

She asked with a puzzled look, apparently unable to believe it had been a calculated strategy.

This was my chance to tell the truth.

“That was, well, just a coincidence. I panicked and acted on impulse…”

“…No, don’t say it.”

Before I could finish, Lady Lucilphia quietly shook her head.

“It would be presumptuous for someone as ordinary as me to try to comprehend every thought of a strategist. …Whatever your intent, the fact remains that you saved us.”

She must have overlooked my bluff out of consideration.

Or perhaps the misunderstanding had reached such heights that everything I said or did appeared profound and strategic.

Likely the latter.

“…I’m truly glad you’re here, Yukina.”

She turned her gaze back to the nightscape and murmured it from the bottom of her heart.

Her profile was not that of the usual arrogant Demon King but of a single girl, relieved.

Seeing that expression made me feel as if all my past struggles had been worth it.

“But…”

I voiced what had been nagging at me.

“She’ll come back, won’t she?”

At those words, Lady Lucilphia’s expression reverted to that of the Demon King.

“…Yes. After such humiliation, we cannot underestimate a woman’s tenacity.”

“What will she do next…”

“Who knows. But one thing is certain.”

She fixed me with eyes alight with fierce resolve.

“When she comes again, it will not be with an army. It will be something more cunning, more insidious… and far more personal, aimed at stealing you away.”

Those words rang like prophecy.

◆◇◆

Meanwhile, deep in human territory, in the grand cathedral of the Holy City.

Saint Erixia stood alone before the mirror in her private chamber.

The humiliation of that drenched day had etched itself into her heart as an indelible scar.

(…So force alone won’t work.)

She had reached her quiet conclusion.

(That Demon King has Yukina utterly enthralled. And Yukina himself has been seduced by monsters, his judgment impaired… If I try to annihilate them with my army, he will surely shield the Demon King with his own body.)

That would serve no purpose.

She did not want to hurt him. She did not want him to hate her.

In that case, only one path remained.

(An army cannot save his heart. Then…)

Erixia offered a faint smile to her reflection in the mirror.

That smile was no longer the saint’s but the face of a single “woman” who would use any means to win the man she loved.

(I must become wiser. More cunning. …Yes, this time, not a “war” but a battle of “love.” I will surely wrest your heart back from that monstrous little girl.)

A brief peace descended upon the Demon King’s territory.

But it was merely the prelude to the next storm—the more personal, more obsessive schemes of the yandere Saint.