Like a fragment of a saint’s soul. The two who absorbed it should share the saint’s memories, and there shouldn’t be any need for explanation.
Surely, they will understand that I am a harmless [Demon King]. It has a different element from [Demon King], after all. I’d rather not say, so please just infer it yourself.
Although, I’m in a state of prostration and groaning. Well, I’m tracing the memories of a kidnapped acquaintance, so I guess it can’t be helped. Unlike me, they’re probably really empathizing with the situation.
Alright, I should think of a way to manage the house while I can. Just standing around isn’t productive.
The old house—well, it’s been destroyed, hasn’t it? Damn you, Hero!! Stop suddenly coming in and wrecking my home!
It can’t be helped; I might as well have it demolished. I wonder if the hero will compensate me for this? I doubt they will. Even if they repay me with labor… no, it seems like a hassle, so please just go home immediately.
For the demolition, I’ll first remove the sliding doors and take up the tatami mats—recover them individually and somehow deal with the house’s framework. If I dismantle it, it will be hard to reuse later. I’d like to at least polish the surface if possible, but that sounds like a hassle.
I need to dismantle and collect the thatch or straw from the roof, but how do I take this apart? I can’t tell without getting on the roof, but it seems obvious that I’d start from the top, right?
If I’m going to demolish it, the best condition of the old house has already suffered damage. What should I do? Should I switch to the western-style house instead? But I have a lot more items from the old house, so repairs would be easier.
Should I stick to the old house, with a basic wooden floor, living with chairs, and lounging around on the porch and tatami? The tanuki would prefer an old house over a western-style one. I hope they can introduce me to a good tanuki.
“Demon King… I thank you for returning Rui’s soul. How can I repay you—”
The hero kneels and speaks while keeping their face down.
Huh? The hero shouldn’t be addressing the Demon King with honorifics.
“Rui caused trouble—however, thank you for bringing her back,” says the tanuki.
Well, I didn’t send her back, but for now, I’ll acknowledge that I protected her so she wouldn’t disappear.
“If you’re grateful, then please forget that you ever met me and leave me be. I have no intention of harming humans, nor do I plan to actively meddle with monsters—I’ll hunt the aggressive types, but I won’t bother you on purpose.”
That’s dangerous. I almost said that I wouldn’t harm monsters, but then I wouldn’t be able to create magical tools. If I don’t suppress the magical essence like now, I’d normally get attacked.
“You are the [Saint], aren’t you?” the hero confirms.
Stop saying it like that.
“The power of the [Saint] has now become mine as well. The magical essence probably won’t disappear, and as long as there’s magical essence, it’s humans who will be troubled if the power of the [Saint] disappears. It’s complicated, so just leave me out of it.”
I emphasize the fact that I have the “power of the [Saint].”
Why do I have the “power of the [Saint]”? Because the saint was sacrificed to the Demon King. Moreover, it was voluntary.
The saint’s soul is now mine to the point where it cannot be separated.
It’s not like I wanted to take the power of the [Saint]. The same goes for the [Demon King].
It’s all good; I’ll just be lazy and lounge around. As long as I don’t do anything special, the powers of the [Demon King] and [Saint] will balance each other out, resulting in no problems.
“[Saint]…”
Tanuki!!! Stop looking up at me while murmuring that!!!! Just because you’re a tanuki doesn’t mean it’s okay!!!! Even if you’re round, it’s not okay!!!! And besides, you’re not round right now, so that’s also not okay!!!!
“If you are the [Saint], I pledge my loyalty,” the hero says, placing a hand on their chest and kneeling.
“If you are the [Demon King], I pledge my loyalty,” the tanuki says, placing a hand on their chest and kneeling.
The same gesture, truly twin-like. Also, their speed in making that odd decision and choice is quite impressive for twins. They might just have been stirred up by the memories of the saint they just saw.
“Well, that’s fine, but please introduce me to the tanuki.”
Since this seems troublesome, can we just overlook the fact that they destroyed the old house and let them go?
If the tanuki wants to stay true to being a tanuki, that’s fine, but if their human side is stronger, they can leave Wolf-kun behind. It’d probably be tough to lounge around together, right?
Please feel free to do as you like. It’s great that you’re a tanuki and that you’re round, but I’ll give up on that. I’ll try to change my perception of you as the tanuki to Yuhi in human form. The first impression of the tanuki being too large makes it quite difficult, though. I’ve ended up calling you a tanuki again before I knew it.
“…”
The hero remains silent, wearing a smile.
“…”
Yuhi remains silent, with furrowed brows.
“…”
I wonder if they’ll go home? I want to eat, so I look at the two of them.
“…!”
The tanuki, who transformed into a human, suddenly leaps toward me.
“…Tanuki!”
I reach out my hand toward the tanuki. I believed it was a tanuki!
“What are you doing?”
Before my hand can reach, the tanuki is abruptly slapped down by the hero.
“Stop it with that face, which is just like mine.”
The hero says to the tanuki, who fell to the ground.
“That’s my tanuki!”
I rush to collect the tanuki.
“When did it become your tanuki? And that’s not a tanuki, you know?”
The hero remains ever so cheerful.
“It’s my tanuki.”
I part the tanuki’s fur to prominently show the collar of the summoned creature.
“…Yuhi, is this really okay for you?”
“Even aside from Rui, I owe a debt of gratitude.”
The tanuki answers the hero’s question.
“You’ve always been stubborn and rough, yet you show strange loyalty in some places…”
The hero sighs and looks away.
So, even a tanuki can speak. If it has a clear will, I can’t just confine it like a tanuki.
“Feel free to do as you like. If you’ve claimed to be the Demon King, you must have things to do, so if you could occasionally lounge around here with me…”
It seems they have subordinates. I look at Wolf-kun, who is still lying down, and the boy.
When I glanced over, they both flinched. Isn’t that a bit harsh? I haven’t done anything, right? In fact, you two barged in out of nowhere!
—That’s a lie; I turned Wolf-kun into a taxi. Just for a day, just for a day. I’ve negotiated for another day, but I’m sorry?
