Akatsuki Translations

“Waaah! This is really delicious!” -Roux

The joyful exclamation echoed from the dining table, the voice belonging to Roux.

Currently, Roux was delighting in a stew made with an entire chicken, a kind of Pot-au-feu, a homestyle dish from the northern part of the Valois Kingdom.

Other dishes included a croquette-style fried dish made with small shrimp, gratin, rabbit meat and dried plums stewed in beer, mashed potatoes with vegetables, and even chocolate and waffles for dessert.

At first glance, it seemed too much for one person to eat, but the Wolf Demons were a race known for their hearty appetites.

The food before Roux disappeared bite after bite into her small mouth, and Palmina watched with a joyful smile.

“My, my, Roux-chan, you really do eat a lot. Actually, this dish was made by Julia-onee-chan.” -Palmina

In fact, many of the dishes arranged on the table were homestyle cuisine from the northern part of the Valois Kingdom, which Julia had unusually taken the initiative to make.

This was Palmina’s idea, likely aimed at closing the distance between her and Roux.

Farsa also went along with it, claiming he wanted to taste Julia’s home cooking and encouraging her to take action.

Watching Roux enjoy the food, Julia wore a somewhat smug expression, despite her mouth being set in a pout.

“Really? Julia-onee-chan, you’re a great cook. Thank you!” -Roux

“W-Well, I only cooked because Far-nii said he wanted homemade food. It’s not like I made it for you or anything! Oh, I just can’t!” -Julia

Roux’s pure smile of gratitude shone brightly like the sun, revealing her childlike sincerity.

Her fluffy tail, covered in fur, wagged back and forth, reminiscent of a pleased animal that had been fed.

Julia, though slightly bewildered, didn’t seem to mind. She turned her face away in a feigned huff, but her eyes kept flicking back to Roux.

Farsa felt relieved. Although it might take more time, it seemed things were moving in the right direction.

Julia’s hatred for the demon race was not a minor issue, but her feelings toward Roux were clearly changing.

After all, Roux, when calm, was just a normal child. Except for being a demon, she was not the kind of person Julia would normally show hostility toward.

Julia was likely confused by the discrepancy between her memories of the hateful demons and the reality before her.

“This one is delicious too!” -Roux

“Ara, that one was made by Farsa-kun.” -Palmina

“Farsa-onii-chan, even though you’re a man, you can cook. You’re just like Mirage-onii-chan.” -Roux

Roux had finished Julia’s dish while no one was looking and had moved on to the next.

Hearing Roux’s words, Farsa was reminded that he had also cooked in the Wolf Demon village.

While treating the Black Skin Disease that was rampant in the Wolf Demon village, he also prepared meals tailored to the recovery status of each patient.

Food could not be underestimated. In the East, there was a concept of medicinal cuisine, which was considered closely related to health.

In the case of demons, it took hundreds of years for the effects to become clear, so it was difficult for this concept to penetrate, which was one of the issues for the Demon Lord’s army.

“Mirage-dono, the person you were talking about earlier? From what Roux-dono says about him, he seems to be quite a respectable figure, even for a demon.” -Zenobia

“I learned a lot from Roux-chan too. He seems like a wonderful person.” -Palmina

Zenobia and Palmina had each had similar conversations with Roux when they were alone, and had heard a fair amount about Mirage.

Farsa almost wanted to pull his hair out, wondering how in such a short time both women had learned so much. He wished they wouldn’t spread it around too much.

The information about Mirage, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, like the teleportation magic, was hardly known in the Valois Kingdom.

As a result, the identity of the masked demons who appeared with Roux at the south gate was still unknown.

While Farsa didn’t mind if Mirage’s appearance became known, from the human perspective, it would mean that one of the Four Heavenly Kings had infiltrated the royal capital.

If that happened, the shock to the royal capital would be much greater than it is now, and it would certainly increase the hassle.

Especially for the people of the Valois Kingdom, the image of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord’s Army was synonymous with Cruel the Barbarous, and Farsa desperately hoped that they would not be seen as the same.

“Hmph, I don’t know how great this Mirage guy is, but compared to Far-nii, he’s nothing. My Far-nii is the best.” -Julia

Whether she couldn’t bear being compared to a demon man or she didn’t know the details about Mirage, Julia retaliated against Roux’s claims, using an Eastern proverb to belittle Mirage.

To Julia, Farsa was a person she admired like a brother, and she didn’t want him to be treated the same as the detestable demons.

But Roux wouldn’t remain silent after such a remark. She began to argue back with a disgruntled expression.

“Don’t say careless things about Mirage-onii-chan when you don’t know anything about him. Not only his cooking but also his magic power is the best in the Demon Lord’s army!” -Roux

“Hmph, in that case, Far-nii is much more amazing! He’s called a genius magician, serving as the chief court magician of the Valois Kingdom at the young age of twenty-four. And unlike those weak magicians out there, he’s also the best in the kingdom, no, in the world at close combat using weapons!” -Julia

As Roux boasted about Mirage’s magical abilities, Julia casually revealed Farsa’s seldom-discussed talents in addition.

Farsa shifted his gaze sideways for a moment as he heard Julia’s remark. Zenobia, apparently uncomfortable, averted her eyes. It seemed that she had somehow told Julia about a duel that had occurred between Farsa and herself.

Farsa, who had defeated Zenobia, the top knight of the Valois Kingdom in a duel, could indeed be called the kingdom’s best. However, Julia mentioned this without touching on the details to maintain her boastful appearance, despite it being a tale from many years past.

“Hmmph. Mirage-onii-chan is so strong that he doesn’t even lose to our huge father! Plus, he’s popular with girls. When he came to my village, he had two beautiful female subordinates. My dad taught me that a man’s ability to entertain women is proof of a superior male.” -Roux

Julia retorted, “Compared to Far-nii, he’s still a novice. Far-nii is a natural flirt who can win over a woman with just a small conversation. And if you take your eyes off him, girls gather around him, which is annoying. Plus, he’s super rich. He has the means to support a hundred, no, two hundred women. I don’t think a man of unknown lineage can match him.”

Roux gestured enthusiastically, highlighting the impressive size of her father, Louveteau, and compared it to the grandeur of Mirage. Julia, on the other hand, was fanning the flames of rivalry, praising or insulting Farsa in a way that left room for interpretation. She then brought up Farsa’s financial strength as a new point of contention.

Farsa wanted to scream, “Enough, please! I’ll do anything, just stop! And Louveteau-san, please don’t teach strange things to your daughter!” But he started thinking about how to resolve the situation instead.

Of course, Farsa and Mirage were the same person, and Roux and Julia were bragging and competing over the same individual. There was no way to decide a winner in such a contest. If this continued, it was clear that Farsa would bear the brunt of the embarrassment alone.

However, from another perspective, Julia and Roux were arguing on equal terms, without any extra emotions based on their being human or demon. Because of this, Farsa was all the more troubled, and in the end, he decided to quietly watch the two of them boast and compete.

“I’ve even kissed Mirage-onii-chan!” -Roux

“I’ve slept in the same bed as Far-nii!” -Julia

“Erm… erm… he’s seen me naked. He must have been happy!” -Roux

“That’s a bit… risky, isn’t it? But, my body… I… I’ve also taken a bath with Far-nii!” -Julia

As they ran out of impressive feats to boast about, they started to compete over who had been more intimate with him. Roux’s kiss was just on the cheek, and the nudity was simply because of the need to remove her clothes for the treatment of a skin disease.

Moreover, sleeping with Julia was purely platonic, and they were wearing bathing suits in the bath. Zenobia was all ears to their conversation that could be taken wrongly, breathing heavily and not helping at all, while Palmina was listening to the conversation with her usual smile.

Farsa gazed somewhere far away, but he did not forget to cast his magic. He cast illusion magic on Roux and at the same time, he cast a soundproofing spell to prevent the conversation from being heard outside the room.

As Farsa escaped from reality, thinking this was a historic first step towards a friendly relationship between humans and demons, the battle between Julia and Roux continued.

There was no doubt that what was happening here was the world’s most trivial dispute between a human and a demon.