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 8 & 9

The Holy Church’s Emblem

Ever since that incident in the castle town, the distance between Lucilphia and me had shrunk just a little.

She remained as prickly as ever, but I had become completely captivated by the glimpses of her genuine smiles and her clumsy kindness toward me.

I hoped these peaceful days would continue just like this.

I truly believed that.

—But I had forgotten.

The reason I was here.

And what I had fled from.

A few days after that day, I visited the castle town again.

My purpose was to procure new spices for cooking. For me, now transformed from “strategist (provisional)” to “head chef (provisional),” shopping for ingredients had become one of my important duties.

“Yukina, leave the baggage carrying to this Borgannon!”

“Oh, Yukina. I shall accompany you as well. I want to look for fabric for a new dress.”

For some reason, executives Borgannon and Lilith had tagged along too, turning a simple shopping trip into an overly imposing party, but this was just daily life now.

Necros lurked in the shadows, observing us while muttering something about how “field research on live humans is intriguing”—I really wished he would stop.

The market brimmed with energy as always.

While I negotiated with the spice vendor, Borgannon showed off his biceps to a crowd of children, and Lilith listened enraptured to a bard’s melancholic song of love.

It was a scene of utter peace.

I had secured the spices successfully, and as we crossed the square on our way back to the castle, that was when it happened.

In the corner of my vision, a familiar emblem—one I never wanted to see again—flashed into view.

“—!?”

My heart clenched as if crushed in ice water.

At the edge of the square, a traveling merchant had set up a stall. The pendant hanging from his neck bore, unmistakably, the Holy Church’s emblem—a white lily intertwined with a sword.

Why was someone from the Holy Church in a place like this?

This was the Demon King’s domain. Wasn’t it supposed to be the one sanctuary beyond the Saintess’s reach?

“What’s the matter, Yukina? You suddenly look pale…”

“Yukina? Is something wrong?”

Lilith’s and the others’ voices sounded strangely distant.

My mind went blank with terror and confusion.

Had the pursuers already reached this far?

Was that merchant a scout sent by the Saintess?

Did they already know I was here?

One dire possibility after another surged through me, making my breaths shallow. Blood drained rapidly from my fingertips and toes, and standing became a struggle.

Saintess Erixia’s fanatical eyes resurfaced in my mind.

“I found you, my Yukina. ♡”

“H… Ah…”

No, I had to escape.

Quickly, deeper in. To a safer place.

But where? I had thought this was the last refuge.

As I froze in panic, someone unexpectedly called out from behind me.

“—Yukina? What are you spacing out for in a place like this?”

At that voice, I turned around as stiffly as a broken tin doll.

There stood Lucilphia, arms crossed in her usual haughty pose. She must have slipped out of the castle secretly to check on us.

“L-Lucilphia… ma’am…”

“What’s with that pathetic voice? …Your face is ashen. What on earth…”

She noticed my abnormal state, and worry clouded her expression.

I tried to point at the merchant with the Holy Church emblem using my trembling finger.

But at that moment, my body reached its limit. My legs buckled, and I began to collapse right there.

“Watch out!”

Lucilphia grabbed my arm on instinct.

And in the next instant, something soft and warm enveloped me.

…Huh?

It took a few seconds to grasp the situation.

Lucilphia was hugging me.

With her slender frame, she desperately supported my weight as I nearly fell.

“A-Are you all right, Yukina? Pull yourself together!”

Her panicked voice rang in my ear.

Her face, buried against my chest, was surely bright red.

But I had no room to think about that—her desperation reached me so intensely. The warmth from her seeped into my heart, frozen by fear.

It was the same clumsy yet utterly pure kindness as that night when nightmares had plagued me.

“…Sorry, I just lost it for a moment…”

“I won’t ask why. But you don’t need to tremble like this.”

Still holding me, Lucilphia spoke in a low but firm voice.

“This is my domain. No matter who it is, I won’t let them have their way with you. Not the Saintess. Not even a god… I will protect you.”

Those words calmed my heart more than any comfort could have.

That’s right—I was not alone.

This little Demon King had promised to protect me.

I took a slow, deep breath and steadied my racing heart.

…Calm down, me. It’s not confirmed as a scout yet. It might just be coincidence.

As she sensed me regaining composure, Lucilphia pulled away in a fluster.

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea! I only did that because you were about to fall—no choice! There was no other meaning!”

Her face flushed crimson as she rattled it off in a rush—that was her usual self.

At the sight, I managed a small laugh.

“Thank you, Lucilphia. …You saved me.”

**

The Provisional Strategist’s Advice

Ever since that incident in the town below the castle, the shadow of the saint weighed heavily on my heart once more.

Was that traveling merchant really just a coincidence?

Or perhaps—

The more I thought about it, the more my imagination swelled toward the worst possibilities. Ignoring my anxiety, a certain agenda had arisen in the demon king’s castle.

“Mm… It seems the ferocious magical beasts known as wild boars inhabiting the nearby forest are ravaging the fields, and the people are in distress.”

In the throne room during the regular meeting, Lady Lucilphia said this while glaring at the report with a troubled expression.

She usually puffed out her chest to maintain her dignity, but her concern for the people was genuine.

A look of worry floated on her face.

“Then it’s simple! This Borgannon will charge in alone and slaughter every last one of them!”

Borgannon clenched his fists and shouted.

It was a straightforward solution, as expected from a musclehead.

“Oh my, surely it’s not all about brute strength. Poison, traps… we should resolve it more elegantly.”

Lilith said this while fluttering her fan.

“No, capturing them to observe their ecology and elucidate their breeding mechanisms would yield long-term benefits… heh heh heh.”

Necros was as off-kilter as ever.

The three offered wildly different opinions, each with its merits and drawbacks, and there was no sign of the discussion reaching a consensus.

Amid this, for some reason, everyone’s gazes gathered on me, seated at the very end of the table.

“…Lord Yukina, what do you think?”

When Borgannon addressed me like that, I jolted in surprise.

Before I knew it, my participation in the demon king’s executive meetings had become routine. Of course, my position was “Advisor (Strategist—Provisional).”

(Don’t ask me…!)

I screamed inwardly. I was just a random villager who could cook a little.

I had no idea about countermeasures for magical beasts.

But everyone looked at me with eyes full of expectation. The atmosphere didn’t allow me to say, “I don’t know.”

I desperately racked my brains.

Wild boar… that meant boars, right? Ravaging the fields…

I recalled knowledge from my previous life—or rather, something my grandpa in the village had said back then.

“Um… well, I don’t think extermination by force is the only option.”

“Hoh…?”

The executives’ voices harmonized. Even Lady Lucilphia leaned forward with evident interest.

I had no choice but to continue bluffing, sweat dripping down my back.

“How about identifying their paths—y’know, the ‘animal trails’—and planting plants with scents they hate there, or setting up fences, to keep them away from the fields? It prevents damage without killing the enemy. That’s the basics of ‘strategy.'”

The bit about ‘strategy’ at the end was pure bluff.

But those words had an astounding effect on the executives.

“What! Not weakening the enemy, but cutting off their objective entirely! Victory without bloodshed… this is true strategy!”

Borgannon trembled with emotion.

No, it was just basic pest control for wild animals.

“Oh, how wonderful… Not overpowering with force, but gently leading the opponent where we want… It’s so like you, Lord Yukina, so elegant♡”

Lilith gazed dreamily.

Wasn’t she mistaking it for romantic maneuvering?

“Hm… Intervening in the ecosystem without disruption, controlling behavioral psychology… The applications seem broad. Excellent…”

Necros started taking notes. Please don’t apply this to weird experiments.

And then Lady Lucilphia looked at me with eyes of deep respect and said,

“…Amazing, Yukina! I never would have thought of such a method! As expected!”

“N-No, it’s nothing special…”

The misunderstanding was spiraling out of control. Whatever, I thought in resignation.

In half-desperate abandon, I made another suggestion.

“A-And… if we guide the wild boars properly and catch them, they can become food. Smoking them for preserved rations could help prepare for winter, I think.”

“Wha…! Turning pests into resources!?”

“Turning an enemy that brings harm into sustenance that nourishes the people…!”

“No waste… there’s far too little waste…!”

The executives’ astonishment had reached the level of worship.

No one realized I was just a glutton. However, my suggestion ended up producing an unexpected side effect.

“Yukina’s plan is truly splendid! We’ll implement it at once, but… who is best suited to identify those ‘animal trails’?”

At Lady Lucilphia’s question, the three executives smirked and chimed in unison.

“Of course, it should be the plan’s originator, Lord Yukina, and the demon king to oversee it—you two together!”

“Eh?”

My voice and Lady Lucilphia’s harmonized perfectly.

“Y-Yes! Why must it be me and Yukina!”

Lady Lucilphia protested, her face flushed red, but Borgannon nodded vigorously.

“No! It should be the demon king herself, to inspect on behalf of the people! It’ll also be a fine opportunity to learn Lord Yukina’s wisdom up close!”

“Indeed♡ Alone in the forest, working together… something delightful might happen♡”

“Hm, ecological data from their outdoor activities… most intriguing…”

The executives’ flawless teamwork left no room for argument.

For some reason, my advice always seemed to roll toward advancing my relationship with Lady Lucilphia.

“U-Ugh… F-Fine! We’ll go if we must, we’ll go!”

In the end, Lady Lucilphia conceded, and it was decided that she and I would investigate the forest together.

I wanted to cry for help, but the executives’ beaming smiles—as if to say “Good job!”—left me speechless.

And so my position as “Advisor” in the demon king’s army grew ever more unshakable.

Utterly regardless of my own wishes, hurtling at full speed down the rails of misunderstanding.