Episode 11 — “The Pearl of Sloth”
Deep beneath the waters of the Cordelia Sea — a place humans could never reach, even in death — lay the mysterious depths known as the Abyss.
Inside a cave filled with glowing minerals and luminescent flowers, the Demon Lord of Sloth, Shaila, sat gracefully on a rock, humming a song without words.
Her hair, falling in soft, wavy strands to her shoulders, shimmered with a light hue that seemed to resemble the sky. Her eyes, too, were a pale sky blue — so clear they almost looked transparent.
Her tail, which formed the lower half of her body, shared that same radiant color, glimmering beautifully beneath the water’s light.
“That’s the Demon Lord’s voice…”
“It feels like my soul is being purified…”
One by one, sea-dwelling monsters gathered around her, mesmerized by her song and presence.
Then, a luminous fish covered in sky-blue scales swam toward her — a familiar emissary who handled affairs beyond the sea in her stead.
“Come here, little one.”
As Shaila dipped her hand into the water, the fish released a single pearl.
She smiled softly as she picked up the pure, flawless gem.
“When did that little one grow up so much…”
The Lehel she remembered had been just a young girl — a child burdened with too many scars for such a small body, yet admirable for trying to endure everything alone.
The pearl’s delivery meant only one thing: Lehel was planning to visit.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a guest. I should prepare. She loves shiny things… Let’s make everything as dazzling as possible.”
At her words, the sea creatures scattered to their places. Left alone, Shaila continued gazing at the pearl — as though it were something precious beyond measure.
Meanwhile, Lian once again refused to answer my confession.
He didn’t distrust me, but… he looked at me as though I were a slightly strange person.
“…Alright, but please back off. Have you forgotten that unnecessary physical contact is forbidden?”
He avoided my eyes — and now that I looked closely, the tips of his ears and neck were faintly red.
“You told me I could do whatever I wanted.”
“That was about maintaining a five-meter distance.”
So — close was fine, but touching wasn’t? What kind of bizarre torture was that supposed to be?
I looked at him, then smiled slyly.
“I haven’t made unnecessary contact. Everything I’ve done is completely necessary.”
“What are you…!”
His shirt was half open while I treated his wounds, exposing his firm abs. When my hand brushed lightly across them, I felt his body tense.
“What are you thinking? I’m just checking to see if there are other injuries.”
“And that’s how you ‘check,’ huh?”
“Anyone can see this is purely professional.”
Of course, it was anything but professional — every bit of my soul was screaming with ulterior motive.
When else would I ever get to touch Lian’s abs?
He didn’t push me away — just blushed and turned his head aside. That reaction made me want even more.
Then I shook my head.
…Enough. Any further and I’d just look like a terrible person.
Lian wasn’t accepting me — he was frozen because he didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t take advantage of that.
“I’m done teasing. Think of this as payment for healing you.”
I moved back, straightening my posture. Lian quietly adjusted his clothes and muttered:
“If you heal me twice, then…”
He stopped mid-sentence.
“Then what?”
“…Never mind.”
He buttoned his shirt all the way up, his movements composed — a stark contrast to the man who’d been caught off guard a moment ago.
“About earlier — I meant it when I said I was sorry. I knew my men disliked you, but not this much.”
“I expected as much. No one understands the rift between humans and demons better than I do.”
“I’ll talk to them. As long as you’re in the castle, no one will harm you.”
He shook his head.
“Don’t. If the Demon Lord starts showing favoritism toward a human, it’ll only cause internal chaos.”
I hated to admit it, but he was right.
Even if I cared for Lian, I had to maintain the dignity of a Demon Lord.
“I’ll handle it. Don’t trouble yourself.”
“…Alright.”
I nodded reluctantly. He was staying by my side despite everything — I should be glad for that, right?
As I looked at his calm, expressionless face, I thought:
You said you’d abandoned emotions long ago.
Then I’d just have to make him find them again. We had plenty of time, after all.
“Before you misunderstand, let me just say this — my subordinates have never harmed a human.”
“I know.”
“You… know?”
“It’s my job to monitor the Demon Lords and their subordinates. That’s why I couldn’t understand you — if you bear no hatred, why do you wish for the war to end?”
Because I don’t want you to die.
Of course, I couldn’t say that.
“Because it’s meaningless. I realized there’s no point in continuing this war. I can end it faster myself.”
“…”
“Is that a good enough answer?”
He gave a small nod. I watched him and barely suppressed a smile.
So this is what it feels like — talking to someone you like. My body relaxed without me realizing it.
“Aren’t you curious about me? I can tell you more.”
I leaned forward slightly, narrowing the space between us. His crimson eyes caught mine again.
“You’re not the kind of person who gives attention easily, so I’d like to enjoy it while I can.”
“…How do you know that?”
“That you don’t give people attention?”
He looked at me, intrigued. Understandable — you’d only know that if you’d been around him long enough.
“I know everything about you.”
“…”
“Don’t believe me? Height: 185 cm. Weight: 75 kg. Favorite color: black. Romantic experience: none—”
“Stop! That’s enough.”
He quickly covered my mouth, his face flushed bright red.
He smelled… really nice. Something warm and nostalgic.
When he realized what he was doing, he started to pull away, but I caught his hand and intertwined our fingers.
Then, gently, I pressed a kiss to his hand.
“Don’t apologize. And if you’re curious about me, just ask — anytime.”
“….”
“Anyway, I should get going. I’d love to stay longer, but I have things to do.”
Terio would scold me if I kept wasting time. Slowly, I released his hand, leaving behind a faint reluctance.
At the door, I turned and smiled.
“The medicine’s strong — your wounds should heal after a day’s rest. You’ll recover faster if you stay here.”
Here, meaning my bedroom.
The look on his face was priceless. I smiled and left.
“Still not falling for me, huh…”
Affection Level: 0 / 100
Even after all that, it hadn’t budged. I’d thought we’d grown closer today — apparently not.
Oh well. It’ll work out somehow.
My steps to the office felt unusually light.
Today wasn’t bad at all. I got to touch his abs and had a long conversation for the first time.
His affection was still at zero, but I was sure it would rise soon enough.
Rushing things never works — steady effort will eventually pay off.
Or so I was thinking when Terio entered quietly, smiling as usual.
“Lord Lehel. Here are the materials you requested for this month’s research.”
He set several glass bottles filled with demon blood and venom on the table, along with neatly tied bundles of monster fur.
All gathered from the castle’s inhabitants — except for one thing.
“Where did you get the human blood?”
“We paid humans who were in need of money. No lives were taken.”
Good. I’d suspected as much — the old notes in the lab had said clearly:
[Never offer life as a sacrifice.]
“You haven’t visited the lab lately.”
“…It needed some ventilation.”
I brushed off the question. I might be trapped in Lehel’s body, but I had no intention of joining her creepy experiments — especially the ones that seemed to use her own body.
Just thinking about it made my skin crawl.
“Keep collecting materials. They might come in handy later.”
I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t outright end the research either — so I played along.
“Understood.”
Terio beamed, clearly pleased. But I couldn’t bring myself to return his smile.
Being a Demon Lord was exhausting.
