I casually dropped by the bookstore. I was supposed to come to buy novels and magazines to read, but my feet instinctively headed straight to the job-hunting section.
The shelves were lined with interview manuals and civil service exam prep books. Several people around my age were browsing through them. Everyone had a serious look on their faces as they contemplated their futures. I guess I should be doing the same.
I picked up a book at random and started flipping through the pages.
It was a book introducing various professions. There are actually a lot more jobs out there than I thought. The image of me working in any of them… honestly, doesn’t really come to mind.
Seriously though, why does job hunting feel like it’s set on a predetermined path? Liliana really managed to influence me.
Liliana wants me to become a civil servant and work for the country and its people. Eventually, she hopes I’ll become a central figure in politics or the military, like my father. It’s an endless dream, isn’t it? I wonder how many hurdles there are to climb from being a shut-in to reaching such heights.
In the end, I only ended up buying a few new novels and left the bookstore.
As I pondered what to do next, a girl approached me from the side.
“Oh, Maou-sama1!” (Stephanie)
It was Stephanie. Her twin tails bounced up and down happily.
“Hey now, call me by my name properly. It’s the handsome Wilhelm-kun.” (Wilhelm)
“Eh? You don’t look handsome at all, though?” (Stephanie)
“Oof. You don’t have to say it out loud…” (Wilhelm)
Lately, it feels like I get more negative comments than compliments. Is it just my imagination?
“Maou-sama, I have some candy here.” (Stephanie)
Indeed, there’s candy. It’s on Stephanie’s right palm.
“You’re giving it to me?” (Wilhelm)
“Place your left hand over here, and I’ll show you a miracle. I’m going to turn candy-chan into a dove!” (Stephanie)
“Huh? But I’d prefer it to stay as candy. Wouldn’t it taste better that way?” (Wilhelm)
“Taste has nothing to do with magic tricks! One, two, three, and here comes the dove!” (Stephanie)
I was completely ignored.
Stephanie moved her left hand and revealed her right palm.
There, surprisingly, was just one piece of candy.
“Is this supposed to be the dove?” (Wilhelm)
“Ugh… Ugh… It wasn’t supposed to go like this…” (Stephanie)
Stephanie’s face was filled with embarrassment. She looked so embarrassed that she had tears in her eyes. Cute.
“Ha! You thought it was a dove, but it turned out to be candy-chan. This is the miraculous power of cute Stephanie-chan!” (Stephanie)
“This definitely wasn’t the right moment for your catchphrase.” (Wilhelm)
“It’s the perfect moment! Here you go, have the candy!” (Stephanie)
Perhaps it was an apology for the failed trick or something. I accepted the candy. This candy is actually quite good, it might be my new favorite.
I wonder where the dove went. Maybe it’s off somewhere enjoying something tasty. Perhaps even the dove didn’t want to indulge in Stephanie’s not-so-great magic tricks.
“Maou-sama, are you going somewhere today?” (Stephanie)
“Nah, I’m done with what I needed to do. Just wandering around for now.” (Wilhelm)
“In that case, I’ll wander around with you.” (Stephanie)
Stephanie followed along. I really was just aimlessly wandering around… But now it feels kind of hard to just go back home. Maybe I should find a place where the two of us can spend some time together.
We walked along the bustling street. This street has all sorts of shops. Surely there’s a shop that will catch Stephanie’s interest.
We passed by several young women’s clothing stores, but Stephanie didn’t show any interest. She didn’t seem interested as we passed by the fancy shops either. No reaction to the toy store either. Oh, as we passed by the restaurants, she looked like she wanted to eat at every single one.
“Hey, Stephanie. Have you had lunch already?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, I did.” (Stephanie)
Huh. I thought she looked like she wanted to eat, but maybe not.
I wonder if she really isn’t hungry, even though she seems interested in eating at the restaurants.
“Stephanie, do you eat properly every day?” (Wilhelm)
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” (Stephanie)
“Really? Can you actually make a living from magic tricks?” (Wilhelm)
“Oh, about that. I’m fine because I have plenty of money. I brought a lot with me when I left home.” (Stephanie)
“Home? Is it a foreign country?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, it’s an island nation across the sea called the [Seagull Principality].” (Stephanie)
“That’s far away. I can’t believe your parents were able to send you out so far alone.” (Wilhelm)
“Well, they didn’t really send me out… Ah, that looks so delicious!” (Stephanie)
Stephanie seemed interested in something. Following her gaze, I saw several young women lined up. It’s a crepe shop. A pleasant aroma wafted through the air.
A customer receives her crepe and starts walking away. It looks delicious, filled with plenty of fruits and cream.
“Let’s grab some too. My treat.” (Wilhelm)
“Really? Maybe the Maou-sama is kind of handsome after all.” (Stephanie)
“See? I knew you’d get it.” (Wilhelm)
I put on a smug face, but Stephanie doesn’t seem impressed. If it were Tony, Stephanie would probably be swooning. How did the two of us end up so different?
We buy two crepes and sit on a bench in a nearby park.
Children are playing with a ball, but there’s enough distance that it’s unlikely to come flying our way.
“Wow, this is so good! I love this country; it’s full of delicious food.” (Stephanie)
“Glad you like it.” (Wilhelm)
Stephanie is enjoying a crepe with banana and chocolate, while I have one filled with plenty of baked apples. Mine is delicious too.
Stephanie happily wiggles her feet and sometimes touches her cheeks with her hands. Her twin tails bounce with joy.
“This is really delicious. Thank you, Maou-sama. I might start worshiping you.” (Stephanie)
“Please refrain from worshiping.” (Wilhelm)
But she looks genuinely happy while eating. It’s amazing how much joy a simple crepe can bring. I feel happy too, having treated her.
We quietly savor our crepes for a while. I finish mine first, and Stephanie seems reluctant as she takes the last bite.
After finishing, Stephanie looks up at the sky. Summer-like clouds drift slowly. It seems like it’s going to get even hotter from now on.
“Maou-sama, you know, when I was little, there wasn’t much to eat, and it was really tough.” (Stephanie)
She suddenly starts talking about her past.
“My hometown, the [Seagull Principality], has unstable weather and lots of land unsuitable for farming, so we’d run out of food about once every ten years. When that happened, we’d end up fighting over food, and it would turn into a brutal civil war with bloodshed everywhere.” (Stephanie)
“I remember learning about that in school. The civil war ten years ago was quite extensive.” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah. Both my mom and dad died back then.” (Stephanie)
Stephanie is about fifteen years old. Ten years ago, she was only around five. Surviving in a country in a state of civil war at such a young age must have been incredibly difficult.
“I was entrusted to various people and moved around to different places for various reasons… Because I was a demon, wherever I went, I was treated poorly.” (Stephanie)
In this city, demons live together normally. So, it’s hard to understand, but in other countries, demons are often disliked. There are many problems caused by this. I learned about such things in class.
“During those tough times, what saved me was…” (Stephanie)
“Magic tricks, right?” (Wilhelm)
“No. It’s the previous Maou-sama who saved me.” (Stephanie)
“Really? But hasn’t the Demon King been dead for over a hundred years? Can they really be your savior?” (Wilhelm)
Stephanie clapped her hands and then spread out both palms. On them… there was nothing. But something was perched between Stephanie’s hat and her head.
“Ah, it failed again…” (Wilhelm)
“Ugh…” (Stephanie)
Stephanie, looking embarrassed, showed me the book. It was a sturdy hardcover book. The cover was pitch black, and the title read “Scripture”.
“What’s this?” (Wilhelm)
“It’s a sacred writing which compiled the thoughts of the previous Maou-sama.” (Stephanie)
“Seriously? Looks like the kind of book that would get confiscated if anyone saw it.” (Wilhelm)
“I found salvation by reading this scripture and understanding the thoughts of him. Even in times of hardship, even when I wanted to cry, I could keep going because of the teachings in this book. I’m truly grateful.” (Stephanie)
Stephanie pressed the scripture against her chest and hugged it gently. It was clear just how much the scripture had been a source of comfort for her.
“That’s why, I want Wilhelm-sama to be our next savior.” (Stephanie)
“Huh?” (Wilhelm)
I couldn’t help but ask back loudly.
“Right now, there’s an unprecedented food crisis happening in the [Seagull Principality]. It’s the worst one so far. There’s bound to be another civil war… If that happens, there will be many more children like me. I can’t even imagine what would happen to other demon children… It’s too horrifying to think about.” (Stephanie)
Stephanie’s expression darkened. Was she recalling the hardships of her childhood, or was she worried about the tragedies yet to come?
“That’s why we need a savior. And conveniently, there’s a new Maou-sama right here beside me.” (Stephanie)
“No, there isn’t.” (Wilhelm)
“Yes, there is.” (Stephanie)
“There isn’t! Besides, isn’t the Demon King supposed to be a completely different type of person from me?” (Wilhelm)
“That’s not true at all.” (Stephanie)
“It should be! Can I take a look at that scripture you have?” (Wilhelm)
Stephanie handed me the scripture without hesitation. Just holding it, I could sense how much it meant to her. I carefully flipped through the pages, making sure not to dirty or damage them.
Skipping the foreword, I went straight to the pages where the Demon King’s teachings were written.
Let’s see… what’s this?
[The Demon King’s Teaching No. 1: When things get tough, just shut yourself in! It’s the world’s fault, not yours. So don’t hesitate to shut yourself in and let others take care of you!]
I widened my eyes in disbelief.
Th-This teaching… Is it really okay for such a teaching to exist in this world? I feel incredibly affirmed. Isn’t this amazing?
“Hey, Stephanie. Isn’t this teaching kind of incredible?” (Wilhelm)
I said excitedly, and Stephanie happily agreed.
Let’s read the next teaching. I can’t wait to see what it says.
[Demon King’s Teaching No. 2: Skipping class? Go ahead! Skipping school? Why not! Work? What’s that, something tasty? Instead, let’s all become neets together, yo!]
“Damn, I totally resonate with this! This is amazing!” (Wilhelm)
“If it’s Maou-sama, I knew you’d definitely say something like this!” (Stephanie)
I’m not the Demon King, but whatever. Let’s move on to the next one.
[Demon King’s Teaching No. 3: Actually, all modern saints used to be delinquents, yo!]
“Even Edel-nee is being dissed in a place like this—! Wait, didn’t the Demon King write this? The time setting is all messed up. Why is it talking about modern stuff?” (Wilhelm)
“Oh, this is the recently released revised edition. I’m devoted, so I always carry the latest version with me.” (Stephanie)
There’s a revised edition? I’d like to meet the person who did the revision work.
[Demon Lord’s Teaching No. 4: The eldest son of the Wondersky family is definitely the next Demon King, right? Come on, let’s all endorse him to be the Demon King! If he becomes the Demon King, the world will definitely be happy, YO!]
“What the heck is thisssss!” (Wilhelm)
This is ridiculous. Give me back the excitement I had when I was looking forward to it.
I took the scripture in my hand and swung it high. With all my magical strength, I threw it as far as I could—
“Ahhhhhh, stop, stop! That’s my treasure!” (Stephanie)
Stephanie desperately clung to it.
Oops, that was close. Too close. I almost threw it beyond that mountain over there.
“Stephanie, what part of this scripture did you resonate with? It didn’t say anything good. Especially the fourth teaching.” (Wilhelm)
I handed the scripture back to Stephanie.
Honestly. If I ever meet the person who wrote this, I’ll give them a piece of my mind. Heck, I’ll even rewrite this entire scripture myself.
“I felt like this scripture told me it’s okay to live true to myself. I mean, even a former delinquent managed to become a saint. That saint used to ride around town on a horse blowing a trumpet in the dead of night—such a nuisance, right? But despite living such a troublesome life, she became a saint. So why should we care about what others think? It’s better to live true to ourselves. I’ve experienced that era, so I know.” (Stephanie)
“Ah, that trumpet incident was all over the newspaper… It was beyond annoying, and it was more than just troublesome…” (Wilhelm)
I gazed into the distance.
Edel-nee was safe at that time because her family was a powerful noble house. Her underlings were properly disciplined, too.
Well, Edel-nee was very righteous, so much so that she even wanted to save her underlings the next night.
No, let’s not revisit that night. Trying to calm and convince Edel-nee was hellish. Yeah, I was the one who stopped Edel-nee that night. It was incredibly tough.
“Anyway, I don’t think this scripture is suitable as educational material for young people.” (Wilhelm)
“But, isn’t Maou-sama a splendid and good person?” (Stephanie)
“Don’t say that while looking at me. I’m not the Demon King.” (Wilhelm)
“Then what are you?” (Stephanie)
“I’m just an ordinary shut-in.” (Wilhelm)
Stephanie’s eyes sparkled like the evening star.
“So, you’re practicing teaching number one, huh? I respect you even more from the bottom of my heart!” (Stephanie)
“That’s totally not it! Don’t give me that look of respect!” (Wilhelm)
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
This is some funny shit. I would like to imagine that the previous Demon King really did write all those dumb shit, that would be even more hilarious. Maybe MC was really the reincarnation of the Demon King.
The only way to confirm this is to ask Feene, if she said yes and this is how the Demon King was, I would be laughing my ass off.