The Demon King Who Was Supposed to Lose Ended Up Defeating the Targets, and Now the Heroine Has Been Sent as a Sacrifice - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Demon King Supposed to Lose, Skips a Beat

The day after Elsia and Mana thoroughly drained me, I returned to the city of Avan as the captain of Elsia’s royal guard, accompanied by a certain individual.

It seemed that Elsia had given prior orders, as her deputy, Maron, had taken control of several key roads that connected the kingdom with other nations, effectively blocking them off.

Because this operation was carried out simultaneously in multiple locations, the kingdom was unable to respond effectively. For the Kingdom of Alvera, which relies heavily on food imports from other countries, this would be a significant blow.

Elsia laughed.

“Fufu. It might be interesting to let the people’s discontent build up and cause a rebellion.”

But then, her smile quickly faded.

It seemed that when she imagined the outcome of such a rebellion, it wasn’t as satisfying as she had hoped.

“…No, never mind. I suppose it wouldn’t be meaningful unless I personally kill them. Don’t you agree, Lord Diablo?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right. But, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

In one of the rooms of Avan Castle, probably the one where the former lord of the castle—whom Elsia had likely taken care of—used to live, I found myself feeling uneasy.

The reason for my discomfort was that someone was glaring at me and Elsia as she sat on my lap, enjoying our time together.

It was Misha von Avan, the daughter of the noble who originally governed this city. For some reason, Elsia had decided to bring the brainwashed Misha to the city of Avan.

However, bringing a human like Misha back to the demon-populated city of Avan could result in someone eating her when we weren’t looking.

Even though it felt like a bit of a waste considering the special leveling method we’re using…

Misha had to stop being human.

I still can’t forget the radiant smile on Misha’s face when I handed her the Rebirth Stone.

I had asked her if she had any reservations about ceasing to be human, and her response was shocking.

“If it’s my brother’s command, I have no regrets about being human!”

And so, Misha eagerly gave up her humanity.

Now, Misha had become a small demon, a lower rank in the demon hierarchy—a type of imp.

Proof of this transformation was the small tail and wings she now had.

That same Misha was silently staring at me and Elsia as we flirted. There was no malice or hostility in her gaze; she was just watching us.

But perhaps because she’s the counterpart to Elsia, the heroine of an otome game, as a villainess, her appearance is far more striking—making her quite intimidating.

“…Brother.”

“W-What is it, Misha?”

“…It’s nothing.”

We’ve had the same kind of conversation a few times now.

I’m dying of awkwardness, not knowing what Elsia’s intentions are. Then, out of nowhere, Elsia speaks to Misha in a gentle tone.

“Misha.”

“…What?”

“Would you like to switch places?”

“!”

Maybe Misha took Elsia’s words as a provocation.

Misha’s mood clearly darkened.

The way she looked, like a small dog growling, was a bit cute.

“…Not really.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll just keep flirting with your brother even more.”

Elsia deliberately teased Misha. Misha clenched her teeth in frustration.

“Fufu, just kidding.”

“…?”

“Misha, I want to get along with you.”

“I don’t.”

“Please don’t say that. At least hear me out until the end.”

Elsia continued talking to Misha, who was now looking away, still smiling.

“Misha, I feel the same way as you. I love Lord Diablo so much I can’t stand it.”

“…I love my brother more.”

“Hmm, that’s something I can’t concede. I love Lord Diablo more.”

“I do.”

“I do more.”

Elsia’s cheek twitched slightly as she and Misha exchanged intense glares.

H-Hey? Are they about to start a fight!?

But before anything happened, Elsia quickly muttered, “No, no,” and shook her head.

“Misha, let me be direct. Would you like to be friends?”

“…I don’t understand.”

“Both you and I love Lord Diablo. But if our relationship is tense, it won’t make him happy, right?”

“Well, yes, I suppose that’s true.”

Hmm?

“That’s why we should become friends. If you truly care about Lord Diablo, you wouldn’t refuse this suggestion, would you?”

“Hmph.”

This time, Misha furrowed her brow.

Then, she shifted her gaze from Elsia to me.

Her expression was blank, making it hard to read her emotions, but I sensed a bit of rivalry with Elsia.

“Fine. If it’s for my brother’s sake, I suppose we can be friends.”

“Thank you. Now, there’s something I’d like your help with right away.”

Elsia leaned in and whispered something to Misha.

“…Alright. That does sound like something my brother would enjoy.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“Hmm. We’ll discuss the details later.”

With that, Misha left the room.

I turned to Elsia with a question.

“What were you talking about?”

“I recently thought of a way to repay my debt to you, Lord Diablo. I figured, while I’m at it, I could have Misha help me with that as well—not just use her as a tool for revenge.”

“Repay a debt? You really don’t need to…”

“I’m so grateful to you, Lord Diablo. Please, let me do at least this much.”

“…I see. Then I’ll gladly accept it.”

“Thank you. Please wait just a few more months.”

When she says a few months, I really have no idea what she’s planning to give me.

Well, I’ll just look forward to it.

“But still, becoming friends with Misha, huh.”

“Misha is incredibly talented. And she has the guts to try to assassinate anyone she doesn’t like, so I thought it would be better to bring her into the fold.”

“Ah, I see. That does make sense.”

Misha is like a ticking time bomb.

Considering she sees me as her brother, who knows what she might do if she sees me getting close to Elsia.

The way she was intensely watching me and Elsia being affectionate was downright scary. She might even try to plan an assassination someday. 

Leaving her unchecked would be dangerous, so using the excuse of doing it for my sake, Elsia skillfully took control of her.

I can’t decide if I should call it clever or ruthless.

I’m genuinely relieved that Elsia isn’t my enemy right now.

“Technically, here she’ll be treated as a subordinate of Lord Diablo—no, of Adelo. Also, if I may ask one more thing, if possible…”

“Hmm?”

“If you ever feel like doing something intimate and my mother or I aren’t around, please use Misha.”

I see, it’s also a way to keep me from straying.

Setting that aside for now, I decided to correct Elsia’s choice of words.

“Don’t say ‘use.’ That’s not appropriate.”

“…I don’t like Misha.”

“W-Well, I don’t expect you to like someone who once planned to assassinate you, but…”

“If I’m being honest, I think we could have become friends before she even considered an assassination plan. But Misha’s brother got in the way.”

It seems Elsia believed they could have gotten along from the start.

Actually, there’s a similar scenario in the game.

Misha has two potential routes: the assassination plan exposure and exile route, and the reconciliation route. Elsia ended up on the former, but the latter is the happy ending where no one gets hurt.

If you keep Misha’s brother, who’s a potential love interest, at just the right level of affection—not too high, not too low—you can enter the reconciliation route.

In that route, Misha adores Elsia as her “big sister,” and her brother gives a slightly sad smile at the end.

Considering that ending, it’s true that becoming friends with Misha wasn’t impossible.

So really, it’s the fault of the love interest for liking Elsia too much. Yes, that’s it.

“Wait, did I ever tell you that Misha tried to assassinate me, Lord Diablo?”

“Uh…”

Crap, I slipped up.

Elsia did mention that Misha has the guts to try to assassinate someone she doesn’t like, but she never specifically said that Misha tried to assassinate her.

How should I cover this up?

I can’t exactly say, “I know because I played the otome game in my previous life.”

“…Well, I won’t press you for details.”

“…Is that really okay?”

“Of course, I feel a little sad about it.”

Elsia smiled mischievously, and that smile made my heart skip a beat.

“But if that’s the case, I’ll just work hard so that one day, you’ll feel like sharing it with me.”

“…Just to be clear, it’s not that I don’t trust you, Elsia. It’s just… a bit complicated.”

I’m worried that if I tell her, she won’t believe me.

I do trust her.

But if I were a third party, I’d definitely recommend seeing a therapist the moment someone started talking about reincarnation and stuff.

If someone close to me reacted like that, I’d be deeply hurt.

I’m confident Elsia wouldn’t react that way, but the whole reincarnation story is so unbelievable that it wouldn’t be surprising if she laughed.

So, for now, I’d rather keep it to myself.

In the end, what I really need is the courage to tell her, not whether she’ll actually laugh or not.

“When I’ve made up my mind, I’ll tell you. Just give me a little more time.”

“Fufu, okay.”

Elsia’s smile made my heart skip a beat once again.

“Oh, but please keep it a secret from my mother that Misha plotted an assassination, okay?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Knowing my mother, she’d likely start a fight if she found out. I wouldn’t want a valuable piece to get destroyed.”

“I-I see.”

Elsia’s casual remark about treating Misha as a tool gave me a different kind of shock this time. 

It was terrifying.

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Afterword: Just a little side story

Author: “I want to have a beautiful girl sit on my lap too…”

D: “That’s an impossible wish, LOL.”

Author: “I’ll f◯kin K◯ll you.”

If you thought, “Elsia has such a great personality, lol,” or “I agreed with the author’s wish,” or “The afterword had some serious murderous intent, lol,” please leave a comment, bookmark, rate, or review!