Pen and Paper Translations

A few more days passed after that.

Reinhild recovered quickly under Xion’s care.

Huh? Come to think of it, hasn’t this happened before?

It definitely had and not just once or twice.

How many times had he ended up being nursed by Xion!

For a Demon King, it was disgraceful: a Demon King who keeled over at the drop of a hat.

It was enough to make him ashamed to call himself a Demon King. No, even a demon at all.

Still, he did like how Xion stayed glued to his side whenever he fell ill.

Since I bounced back so fast, maybe it wasn’t as serious as it felt.

Lying in bed, Reinhild clenched and unclenched his fists. They moved just fine.

The problem was his mana.

He rested a hand on his stomach and stared blankly into space. To check his mana, he should have put his hand over his chest, not his belly, but he was too lazy to lift it that far.

Even though his limbs worked, lazing in bed had left him drowsy and sluggish.

“Are you hungry, Rein?”

“That’s not it.”

With his hand on his belly, Xion might think he was hungry. Reinhild grabbed his sleeve before he could hop up and run to the kitchen.

“Don’t go.”

“I’ll stay right here.”

In the past few days, Xion had finished repairing the house and prepared a new bed much bigger and better than before.

But Reinhild still clung to him, using Xion as his pillow.

“Is it okay not to work?”

“Rein doesn’t need to worry about that.”

Xion smiled gently and brushed Reinhild’s fringe back from his forehead.

He seemed to be misunderstanding something.

Xion appeared to have taken his question to mean, “Can you afford not to work?”

That wasn’t it.

“You like working.”

“I enjoy being at Rein’s side more.”

Reinhild had misunderstood and thought farm work was Xion’s hobby.

After all, the man was rich. What other reason was there to work so hard?

But if Xion’s hobby had shifted from farming to him, Reinhild couldn’t help grinning.

Wait. Me being a hobby is weird, isn’t it?

It sounded odd for someone’s “hobby” to be a Demon King. Hard to answer if anyone asked what his hobby was.

Then how should he define Xion’s hobby? Looking after Reinhild? Feeding Reinhild?

Somehow that sounded even stranger.

“Rein.”

“Huh? Yeah?”

“I think it’s about time we stepped outside.”

“To work?”

He’d just been happy to be put above work, and now he was leaving?

After saying there was no need to worry.

Reinhild stared at him, all wounded eyes, and Xion laughed aloud.

“I meant we should go for a walk together. Or do you not want to?”

“A walk?”

A walk with Xion.

Not a bad idea.

Except moving was a hassle.

Reinhild expressed his reluctance by burrowing under the covers.

“Not moving at all isn’t good for your health.”

“Can’t we go tomorrow?”

“Will tomorrow make you want to get out of bed?”

“No.”

“How honest.”

How dare he insult a Demon King by calling him honest!

Reinhild gaped at Xion in shock.

Ah. Xion doesn’t know I’m the Demon King.

He shut his mouth again.

He seemed to recall that among humans “honest” was a compliment… or maybe not.

He didn’t see how being honest—only to be deceived all your life—could be praise, but if Xion meant it that way, he was pleased.

Fine. He’d be an honest Demon King.

Reinhild rested his head against Xion again.

“Let’s go out after a little longer.”

“Good idea.”

Putting off the walk, Reinhild sank into thought.

He had a dilemma.

One he’d had since before the cellar incident.

Whether to tell Xion who he really was.

I should tell him I’m a demon.

The latest incident had only firmed his resolve.

At the very least, Xion should know.

So he wouldn’t be too shocked if something like this happened again.

I don’t want Xion finding out some other way.

Thinking about it after nearly dying, the real disaster wouldn’t be death.

What if Xion had taken collapsed Reinhild to a temple? Root had no temple or priest, but there was no guarantee Xion wouldn’t seek one in another town.

Humans had the bad habit of running to temples whenever anything happened.

Reinhild was not human but demon.

Going to a temple wouldn’t be for healing; it would be as good as going to die.

Word would spread that the Demon King is here, the hero and priests would swarm in, and I’d be exterminated in no time.

There was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.

And if, with time, the ousted hero gathered companions and returned, it would be far worse.

At the least, if Xion had some inkling of his identity, he could respond when crises arose.

Not long ago Reinhild had been focused only on immediate survival. Now he was imagining a future with Xion and planning for it.

Will Xion hate it?

He’d wrestled with the same question countless times before, held his tongue, and ended up with this mess.

If Xion treated him even a little differently after he confessed, it would hurt. But it was better than Xion discovering the truth some other way.

Because then it wouldn’t end with a change in attitude.

He’d feel betrayed.

I don’t want that.

He had to say it himself.

Reinhild clenched his fist as if steeling himself.

“Xion.”

“Yes, Rein.”

When it came down to it, the words wouldn’t come.

Shouldn’t he pick up on it by now?

It would be great if Xion would go first and say he knew he wasn’t human.

Having to say it himself was agony.

“Rein?”

Seeing him groan and fidget after calling his name, Xion asked gently:

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing!”

Ugh. He should’ve blurted it out when asked.

But he couldn’t exactly answer “Yeah, actually, I’m a demon!” to “What’s wrong?”

Reinhild clutched his head in agony.

Xion wondered what cute little scheme that small head was cooking up this time.

Whatever it was fine as long as it didn’t get Reinhild hurt.

“Fine, let’s go for a walk!”

After a brief struggle, Reinhild chose the walk.

Xion sensed that wasn’t what he’d meant to say but didn’t press.

Whatever choice Reinhild made, he would simply stay by him to keep him safe.

Xion caught him around the waist as he hopped off the bed.

“It’s dangerous to move suddenly after lying still so long.”

Sure enough, Reinhild wobbled and tipped into Xion’s arms.

“My legs…”

He wiggled his toes with a grave expression.

His hands moved fine; he’d thought his body was okay.

Apparently, the incident had taken a bigger toll than he thought.

“How am I supposed to walk if my legs won’t move?”

“If you move slowly, it’ll be fine.”

“What if I fall?”

“I’ll stand by you, so you won’t.”

“Always?”

“From now on. For as long as it takes.”

In that case, it would be fine.

Reinhild loosened up, wriggling at a very slow pace.

In the meantime, Xion brought warm clothes and bundled him up.

Swaddled in an instant, he stepped outside with Xion.

No, this isn’t it.

He needed to say he was a demon.

A walk wasn’t what he’d meant to do.

It had slipped out in the moment, but time with Xion was enjoyable.

As promised, Xion stayed right by his side. Moving around did make him feel a bit healthier than before they left.

Probably just a feeling, though.

Oh!

Just then, a patch of grass caught Reinhild’s eye.

Wasn’t that the plant where you plucked the leaves one by one—“confess, don’t confess”—and whatever you landed on last was fate’s choice?

It was the method the human Rebecca had taught him before she was cursed.

Reinhild wasn’t on good terms with the Patron Deity, but at the moment no other method came to mind.

And he lacked the courage.

He yanked up a sprig on the spot.

“Rein?”

Xion stopped, watching as if to ask what he was doing, but Reinhild focused on plucking leaves.

Confess, don’t confess, confess….

Even on second thought, it was a ridiculous method.

Confess.

He muttered it inwardly as he plucked the final leaf, leaving only the stem.

“Rein, are you all right?”

“I’m… actually not human.”

Gasp. He’d said it.

Reinhild startled at his own words, eyes going round.

That wasn’t how he’d meant to say it!

This had to be the Patron Deity’s scheme.

Tricking a Demon King with talk of “fate’s choice.” This was why you shouldn’t listen to humans who believed in…

“I already knew.”

“…Huh?”

Xion gave the rigid Reinhild a calm smile.

A smile so beautiful that even if this, too, were the deity’s scheme… it made him want to take Xion’s hand.