The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 149: The enemy of your friend does not necessarily become your enemy too

Chapter 149: The enemy of your friend does not necessarily become your enemy too

"Your Excellency,"

I stood up as Issa and the other elves came to the greenhouse the next day. They had asked to meet me during the banquet, but thanks to yet another mishap on my day, I couldn’t receive them yesterday. So I invited them to my private space as an apology.

"Oh, you don’t have to stand," Issa hurriedly extended her arms and grasped my hand. "I heard something bad happened yesterday."

I looked at the smooth, fair hands clasping mine, wondering when did we become this friendly? But the genuine concern on their face made it impossible for me to retract my hand. Well...not that it was uncomfortable.

"Ah, it’s just...a little mishap," I told them with an awkward smile.

"A little?" one of the elves gasped. "The vibration even reached our lodging."

Oh, wow--I didn’t know that. After talking with Natha in the greenhouse, he told me not to think about the accident anymore. He just told me he’d repair the place so casually as if all I did was just flipping a cart or something. So I had no idea of the full extent of the accident.

But to think the explosion could be felt from the mansion that the elf used--which wasn’t really far from the main castle, but it was still outside the castle nonetheless.

[That’s right, Master! Yesterday big boom! So big! Jade surprise and scare! Nightmare scare too!] the little bird chirping in agreement from my shoulder.

"Oh, I’m sorry," damn...how many people were in a panic yesterday? Natha grounded me in the private quarters for the rest of the day as punishment for being reckless, so I had no idea about the situation outside. "I was testing a new magic contraption yesterday, and it was greater than I thought."

Yeah, so much greater. I wondered what would happen if we did it outside, without the safety net of the barrier formation within the chamber’s frame. How big of an explosion would it be? Might it be enough to destroy a part of the castle?

Haa...my foolish, foolish plan. I was glad I didn’t bring Jade yesterday. I was glad I came to my senses and stopped the production.

"Oh my, were you caught in a blast?" the elf lady immediately observed me with her shining golden eyes, probably looking for injury. "Were you wounded?"

"No, Natha always put a barrier on me," I told her with a smile. Of course, I would never cease promoting my Demon Lord’s awesomeness if there was a chance.

Issa looked at the brand on the back of my hand then, before letting out a sigh. There was a relief, but also a little regret. Perhaps she still thought it would be best for me to live in the realm of nature, but I hope she started to see that Natha was treating me so well here.

"Yes, it’s fortunate," she finally said with a smile, and I took it as a signal to pull my hands off her hold, and spread my arms toward the chairs.

"Please,"

Issa took a seat then, and so were the other elves. It was clear from their gesture and expression that they were more comfortable in this place than in the pavilion. I could see their eyes gleaming as they saw the exotic plants, and enjoyed the view of sparkling lake water surrounded by the red curtain of autumn leaves.

"This is a good place, Your Excellency," Issa said, with immediate agreement from the other elves. "I never thought we’ll chance upon a place like this in the heart of Demon Realm."

It wasn’t just the comfortable place with temperature magic, or the great view. Contrasted with the black marble and dark stones that dominated the castle’s aesthetic, the greenhouse was made with me in mind. The frame, the furniture, it was painted in white and decorated in the carving style of the Nature Realm. While sitting here and watching the lake, they could imagine themselves back in their home. The drink that Panne served was also the one I consumed daily--the mixed herbal drink with watered-down ambrosia--which was a royal drink in their land.

"It is, right?" I replied cheerfully, with a dash of bragging. "Natha made it as a gift for me, so this is technically my place. No one can come here without my permission."

"Even the Lord?"

"Well, Natha is an exception," I shook my head. Are they crazy? He was the one who built this place, of course he had a special privilege. "But he can’t bring someone here without asking me first."

The elves were looking at each other in silence for a while, until Issa finally spoke. "I see," she smiled. This time, the relief carved in her lips was greater than the regret. "You are very loved, Your Excellency."

"Yes," I didn’t mind giving her my genuine smile now. "I’m glad you can see it that way."

"We too are glad, we can see that you’re fine before departing,"

"Ah, is it today?"

"Yes," Issa calmly sipped the herbal drink, which was followed by the other elves. I watched them drink a little bit, maybe to respect me as the host, before putting the cup down and looking at me more seriously.

"Before then, there’s something that we’d like to talk about,"

Right--they weren’t here just for tea time. So I straightened my back slightly, and took the elven gaze. "Yes?"

"This is something that we had planned to convey during our first meeting, but..."

But I was suddenly experiencing a panic attack. "Ahaha, yeah..."

Issa smiled slightly at my sheepish reaction, before continuing. "This is also something that Lord Natha had asked us before."

"Hmm? If it was something that Natha had asked..." I pondered the subject while caressing Jade’s head in my lap. The scroll was already safe in my possession, with a little bonus. Other than that, there was only one thing that came to mind.

"Ah, about a druid teacher?"

"Yes," she nodded, lips stretched a bit wider, but eyes remained firm. "We haven’t done anything about that yet, because as you know, druids are elusive,"

They weren’t always like that, since druids liked to travel to every part of the world where nature thrived. But when the war broke out, all the scattered druids outside the tribes came back to defend their kingdom. And after the kingdom fell, they retreated deep inside the realm of nature. Their absence from the world was what made the mana corruption spread unsuppressed, birthing monsters in some places.

Ironically, this was the premise of the first novel; the human said the monsters were caused by the demons. A herd of monsters attacked a town on the border, and Lenaar blamed it on the realm of Wrath to justify their war effort. And the hero was summoned for this.

But let’s get back to the druids.

"They are unlikely to come out of the realm, unless it’s for a purification mission. So before we proceed with the request, we were planning to meet you first," Issa continued.

"I see..."

They probably wanted to see whether I was the real deal or not. Natha would have requested for a druid to come here as a teacher, but they might think it was his trick to have a druid for his own realm so he didn’t need to be concerned with purification.

"Of course, I can not vouch for the tribe’s voice, but the possibility of agreeing to this request might rely on your bloodline," Issa continued. "So we would need your permission of divulging your information to the tribe."

"Including my lineage?"

She nodded, and I fell into contemplation. There was a difference between a rumor and a fact. Telling the druid about me meant solidifying the rumor into fact, and I had no idea what the druids would do about it. Would they be happy there was a remnant of royal blood? Would they be upset that such blood had been mixed? Would there be another conflict with the fact that Natha made me his partner?

There was a possibility of complications, but even if they came without knowing, they would know about it the moment they saw me. So what difference would it make?

"Alright, you may proceed as such," I decided.

The elves smiled at my decision, perhaps because it meant I acknowledged my root and identity as the descendant of a royal druid. "Understood. In that case, we shall relay your request as the descendant of the royal family. Of course, we could not guarantee anything, but even if they refused, we’ll still inform you through the hawk."

"Thank you,"

It was the end of the serious conversation, and we spent the time enjoying the scenery and the herbal drinks, while I listened to them talking about the elvendom and the realm of nature.

"We wish you could come and visit our realm, Your Excellency," she said as we walked out of the greenhouse.

"I’m sure a chance would come," I looked around, at the beautiful garden and shimmering lake, at the joyfully flying adolescent bird, and the black castle in the distance. "This is also my first time stepping out of the human realm, and once my situation is sorted out, I would like to see more of the world."

"That sounds lovely," Issa smiled beautifully. "We’ll be sure to welcome you with the utmost hospitality."

I glanced at her, recalling feeling a little bit awed when I first look at her and the other elves. And then it was annoyance, a little bit of animosity when they insinuated that I shouldn’t be here, in a place I called home. But I didn’t know if it was because of the gifts, their genuine-looking concern, or her graceful disposition, we can surely act friendly the next time we met. Well, I knew they never meant harm, or wish upon it for me.

And...regardless of the benefit, it felt good making a new connection. Someone outside of my home.

"I pray that we’ll stay friends for long," I said, smiling at the sky where the sun shone brightly.

"So are we, Your Excellency," I heard her gentle reply. "So are we."