~CHAPTER 15~
“Is it good?”
“Ppi!”
We were now at the shop Jahar had recommended.
What Bosongi was eating this time was a proper bowl of oatmeal porridge, unlike the charcoal that Jahar and Sian had made earlier.
We had tried giving it some bread too, but it didn’t seem to handle that well and spat it out after a bite.
The small dish filled with oatmeal porridge disappeared into Bosongi’s beak in an instant.
It was hard to guess just how hungry it must have been.
Watching it devour the porridge with its beak covered in food was both pitiful and endearing.
I carefully stroked Bosongi’s head with my finger.
“Bosong, eat slowly so you don’t get a stomachache.”
“Bosong?”
At Jahar’s questioning tone, I answered lightly.
“Ah, yes. I named it. I thought it should have a name.”
“Wow, Bosong? Did you ask its opinion before deciding that?”
…As if that were possible.
If Bosongi could communicate, I would’ve asked, but unfortunately, all it could do was chirp like a bird.
It seemed cute enough and fitting, so I thought the name Bosong wasn’t bad.
But Jahar clearly didn’t think so, since he started teasing me for quite a while about my naming sense.
“You didn’t have any other ideas? You must’ve thought of a few.”
“Well, I did, but…”
“Say it.”
“Hmm, since it has red feathers… maybe Rose…”
“Stop. I think I’ve heard enough.”
I had only mentioned one of the few names I’d thought of, but Jahar waved his hand dismissively.
The most shocking part was that Sian didn’t even object — he seemed to agree.
“Bosong? Even my dog wouldn’t get such a simple name. Right, Bosong? You don’t like it either, do you?”
“Ppa?”
Bosongi didn’t seem to care much though.
Is it really that bad?
“Then what name would you prefer?”
Jahar paused when he heard the discouragement in my voice.
“I haven’t really thought about that yet.”
What, so you’re no better?
Just as I gave him a disapproving look—
“…How about Latia?”
It was Sian’s quiet voice that slipped in.
“Latia?”
“It suits Serena.”
He answered plainly and sipped his tea.
“What does it mean?”
“…In a foreign tongue, it means ‘hidden flame.’”
I’ve thought this before, but this man really takes naming seriously.
And… he must really like fire, huh?
My own name meant “flame,” and now the new name for Bosongi meant “hidden flame.”
The one who got most excited about Latia was, of course, Jahar.
“Not bad! Let’s go with that! It matches the feather color, and it sounds cool!”
“…Really? Do you like it too, Bosong?”
“Ppiya!”
Bosongi—no, Latia—spread its wings wide and pranced across the table.
It seemed to be expressing approval.
I liked Bosongi… it was cute.
I nodded, though a little reluctantly.
And just like that, Bosongi’s cute name became Latia.
***
A heavy gloom filled the office.
“Illay, I believe it’s time to make a decision.”
Illay’s serious face remained silent.
“The Demon King…”
The demon speaking to Illay shut his eyes tightly before continuing with effort.
“The Demon King appears to have… passed away.”
Even he sounded pained as he said it.
It had been several days since the newly born Demon King disappeared two days after ascending.
If only I had taken better care of her…!
To think she had faced an assassination attempt so soon after taking the throne — how frightened she must have been.
Deeply distraught, she had gone for a walk and vanished.
Even after mobilizing demons to search the area, the only trace found was scattered bloodstains at the outskirts of the demon capital.
Illay, it seems the Demon King has…
That’s impossible.
The demons had begun whispering that she must be dead.
The talk of selecting a new king had grown too loud to ignore.
No matter how Illay dismissed it, insisting she couldn’t be gone, there was a limit.
Now even his aide was saying it.
Even demons who never dared speak of her death are starting to lose faith.
Has she truly passed away?
Illay clenched his fist and glared down at the document before him.
「…Therefore, the phoenix egg our house has guarded for generations has been lost…」
Just what I needed — more bad news.
Suppressing a sigh, he dropped the document.
What do they expect me to do about a lost phoenix egg?
As if things weren’t already difficult.
The state of the demon realm was far from good.
Humans continued pushing in from the borders, and demons were increasingly losing their sanity, unable to tell friend from foe.
For now, it only affected lower demons, but who knew how long that would last.
Even if she left for leisure, this would still be a problem. But missing?
Naturally, all blame was falling on Illay for failing to protect her, and the call to crown a new king was growing stronger by the day.
Where have you gone…?
Illay tried to picture her face.
The woman who had said softly that he was the only one she could trust had been so listless, so unlike any Demon King before her.
She was the fifth he had served in his long life, yet she was the least ambitious of them all.
Why did she seem so lonely?
That was why he had felt drawn to her.
Unlike those who had reveled in slaughter or lost themselves to indulgence, she was different.
“Illay?”
His aide called gently after he had sat silently for too long.
As loyal as he was, the aide had many things left unsaid.
The demons wanted a new king.
And the most likely successor was none other than Illay himself.
He had long served as the second-in-command of the demon realm, strong and deeply devoted to it.
“Yes… I suppose it’s time to decide.”
He finally spoke.
“W-what do you mean?”
The aide’s eyes widened — he hadn’t expected Illay to say that.
“We can’t leave the throne empty forever.”
“Illay!”
“But.”
He bit his lip — his habit before saying something hard.
“But… just once.”
“What?”
“Just once, I’ll search for her.”
After saying that, Illay rose to his feet.
“Handle the paperwork I was reviewing and deliver it to the western front by tomorrow.”
“Right. You’re my aide — that’s what you’re here for when I’m away.”
“Wait, away? Where are you going?”
“To find the Demon King.”
“W-what?”
The shocked aide raised his voice.
“W-where?”
“The human world.”
“Do you have any clues?”
Clues, huh.
Illay recalled what had happened before.
‘Illay, do you think a demon could ever fall in love with a human?’
That was what she had asked the very day she woke and became the Demon King.
‘No. That’s impossible.’
‘Really? I thought so too.’
She had turned her head as if it were the most natural answer.
It was natural indeed — though Illay didn’t remember, she had asked him that question many times in previous cycles.
The human world was the only thing she ever showed interest in.
Even when she went to the anthill, it was right after hearing that human paladins had entered a dungeon.
Maybe… she really was in the human world now.
But to call that a clue would be too generous.
Illay didn’t want to give his aide false hope.
The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment.
So he simply shook his head.
“No. I’ll just trust my instincts.”
“Illay! If you disappear too, what will happen to the demon realm?”
“I won’t disappear. I’ll write letters.”
The aide looked desperate to stop him, but Illay was unmoved.
With a resolute face, he strode out of the office.
“Then I’m off. Handle the paperwork properly while I’m gone.”
