The Demon Princess Was Defeated and Captured? Sorry, That’s the Role I’m Playing

Chapter 76

"Pfft... Sheffy, don't make me laugh. Marco? He’s fine... because Her Highness Livra sneaked out, right? She definitely wouldn't dare to openly ride a carriage, she’d get caught and brought back... No, wait!! You’re changing the topic again! So, tell me, why exactly did you say you want to compete? Sheffy, it’s obvious that this isn’t good for you!"

"No benefit? No benefit? No benefit?!"

"Eh?!"

After putting on the light blue dress from top to bottom, Sheffy’s tone rose with each repetition of the deadly triple question, making Xiarette panic.

Xiarette thought, since Sheffy asked so forcefully, maybe there really were a lot of benefits?

Does that make me the idiot again?

Sheffy pinched her thumb and index finger together, as if pinching the air.

For a moment, Xiarette didn’t understand this gesture.

But then Xiarette suddenly thought, was Sheffy hinting that "there’s money to be made in the competition"?

She reached back to fasten the chain of her long dress, then scooped all the hair wrapped behind her back into her hands, letting her three thousand strands of golden hair cascade down.

There was no time for Sheffy to admire this beauty.

A phantom hand chop lightly knocked on her head.

"Ouch...! What was that for! Was I wrong? Competitions rain gold coins! Last time Sylatrella won, we made a fortune."

"You little money-grubber... Is this really about money? Aah... Sheffy, you’re not even lacking money. Why do you like gold coins so much?"

"Jealous of the coins? Actually, I prefer big fish and donuts."

"I am not!"

In bed, Sheffy might get pinned down.

But when it came to banter, Sheffy Harl never lost ground.

That mouth of hers was invincible.

"Ah... I can't outtalk you. But Sheffy, your reason doesn't hold water. If it’s just about making money, I can give you as much as you want. But I don’t want you entering the arena for a few mere coins. That would just play into Firex’s hands, wouldn’t it? I don’t want you being manipulated, absolutely not. This feeling of mine... do you understand?"

"Ah... oh no, if you say it like that, I might fall for you again... What a despicable woman."

"Sheffy?"

"Pfft... alright, alright, I’m not teasing you anymore! Seriously, do you think I don’t know what you mean? To be honest, though I, Sheffy Harl, do like gold coins, I’m not the kind of greedy person whose eyes are blinded by money to the point of not seeing the mountain ahead. I’m just a little greedy... ahem! That’s not important, anyway, joining the competition isn’t just for money."

Seeing Sheffy stand with her hands on her hips, confidently raising her head with a hum...

Xiarette suddenly felt her own wit might not be enough again.

"Sheffy, you mean... oh, don’t keep me guessing, my reactions aren’t as quick as yours. If you don’t explain clearly, I won’t feel at ease."

"Damn it... that’s why I said you’re despicable..."

Sheffy covered her small chest, which was pounding and skipping a beat, suppressing the flutter in her heart with a very natural tone.

Then she put both hands behind her back, tapping her steps as she circled around Xiarette.

While circling, she raised an index finger to carefully explain everything to her.

"So, this is called turning their plan against them. Xiarette, think about it, even you can figure this out. This whole thing isn’t even Firex’s idea, but the Pope’s. The Pope is eager for me to step forward—why do you think that is?"

"That’s hard to say... the Pope operates from the shadows, we don’t yet know what he’s thinking."

"Exactly!" Sheffy stopped and clapped her hands, giving a mischievous smile. "Since he hides in the dark, and now he finally wants to step into the light, should we just give up this chance and let him stay hidden and carefree? Dream on!"

"What do you mean... ah...!"

Though Xiarette could be dense, she was still part of the Wright Family. Her reaction might be slow, but not hopeless.

After thinking it over carefully, she gradually understood the meaning behind Sheffy’s words.

"Sheffy, you want to use this chance to investigate what exactly the Pope’s intentions are, don’t you...!"

"Ho, you’ve finally caught on. That’s right. Since he’s organizing this competition, I suspect the Pope himself will show up at the arena. If he has any schemes, he’ll have to reveal them openly. If we refuse to participate now, he’ll probably resort to even more underhanded tricks, and by then, we’ll be caught off guard. But now that the Pope wants to step forward and talk openly, why shouldn’t we let him speak? If he wants to talk, let him talk."

That did make sense...

Getting a read on the Pope’s cards beforehand was much better than being forced to face danger unexpectedly later. It was a way to be prepared.

But this still didn’t address the fundamental concern Xiarette worried about.

"Can we be certain there’s no danger? As for what hidden powers the Holy Theocracy might have, honestly, we don’t know."

"And yet, what hidden powers we have, the Holy Theocracy doesn’t know either."

"Eh?"

Sheffy shrugged as she said this, and the faint shadow of eight wings appeared behind her, as if to verify her words.

She slowly walked up to Xiarette.

Even though she had to look up to meet Xiarette’s eyes, her smile made Xiarette feel exceptionally at ease.

"Bluff and reality... perhaps they have their trump cards, and we have ours~ In the end, is it really an adventure if it’s for the sake of a peaceful life? I actually find it rather fun! The unknown itself is a kind of joy! Don’t you think so, Xiarette!"

Xiarette didn’t much like gazing at the stars in the night sky.

But fortunately, there were stars in Sheffy’s eyes.

"Sheffy... ha... why is it that whenever I’m with you, I always feel like I’m not myself, and somehow feel that going along with your mischief is only natural?"

"That just proves it is only natural! Besides, I still have my most reliable insurance."

"You have another trump card?!"

"Uh-huh, what else?"

"What is it...?"

"It’s right in front of me, near at hand."

"!"

Sheffy raised her finger.

Pointing straight ahead of her.

And standing in front of her was none other than Xiarette herself.

Xiarette looked left, looked right, and seeing nothing else, finally had to accept that Sheffy was pointing at her.

Sheffy’s greatest insurance... was me?

Yes, indeed.

Strength wasn’t everything. Sheffy’s confidence in being foolproof didn’t come from self-assurance.

It was because by her side, behind her, there was Xiarette.

"If anything really happens, I believe Xiarette will handle it. And if the two of us work together! That’s something truly formidable!"

Xiarette was completely convinced.

Sheffy, you might not be able to persuade me with anything else, but when you say ‘you believe in me’, then I really have no reason to doubt myself.

"Honestly... whose mouth is actually despicable here..."

With a relieved, gentle smile on her face, Xiarette tilted her head and used her finger to poke Sheffy’s little hand.

"Say, Sheffy... your words are very touching, but don’t you think you should move your hand a bit?"

"Oh oh, my bad."

Because of the height difference, Sheffy’s outstretched hand was directly pointing at Xiarette’s chest.

And because Sheffy wanted to show that her short arms weren’t actually that short, her finger had poked straight into the soft spot in front of her.

And since the sensation of the poke felt quite satisfying, she had forgotten to pull her hand back right away.

By the time Sheffy retracted her hand, the matter was already settled.

Xiarette helped Sheffy tidy up her dress and collar, smoothing out the wrinkles in the hem of her skirt, then turned her gaze toward the window.

"Since we’ve decided, let’s make preparations early. We still need to think about how to explain this to the king. For now... we should catch up to Her Highness Livra."

"No need, no need~ let her go on ahead. We’re not in a hurry; we can take our time getting there and walk a bit more on the way. Speaking of which, you might not believe it, but last night when I was chasing Belith out of the arena, I saw they were selling grilled big fish outside! Don’t you think we should go check if they still have some?"

"You were flying that fast and still noticed big fish?! Hmph... no fish, how about checking out some donuts instead?"

"That works too!"

Damn it... Xiarette actually felt a bit jealous of the fish right now.

Next time she eats fish, she’ll dip it in vinegar!

As for the matter regarding the Holy Theocracy they discussed just now, there was still some time before it would begin.

Right now, the most pressing matter was what lay ahead.

Sheffy and Xiarette headed out, rushing to the same destination as Livra.

——Royal Capital Cormier’s Royal Council Hall.

Today was a nerve-wracking day for all of humanity.

The Demon Clan’s envoy delegation had come aggressively from the Demon Domain, bearing orders from the Demon King and Demon Queen, to negotiate with the human leadership regarding whether the First Demon Princess could be released and allowed to return home.

This negotiation concerned whether war between humans and the Demon Clan would reignite.

In other words—

It concerned the shared future of both humans and the Demon Clan.

........................................

"Lady Sheffy! Can we eat something now? I want to eat sweet rolls too."

"They’re called donuts, not sweet rolls! You can’t even get the sacred name of this divine food right, and you want to eat? Forget it, stay hungry!"

"Ugh... staying hungry feels good. If Lady Sheffy wants me hungry, I like being hungry."

"Seriously ruthless... you pervert."

Inside the Holy Sword, Sylatrella was howling for food. Though Sheffy said she wouldn’t give her anything, she wouldn’t truly starve her.

She would give her some donut crumbs once they got home. And when Sylatrella could correctly pronounce the name "donut," she would get the donut’s crust.

Want to eat a whole donut? There was still a long road ahead for that!

"Ha... here we go again, Sheffy. You say that, but you’ve already prepared a portion for little Sylatrella, haven’t you?"

"Wha...! Nonsense! How could that be!"

"Lady Sheffy is the best!"

"I said no! Say one more word and I’ll sell you to a blacksmith! Look at you... a talking sword, how scary. Luckily it’s noisy here. If a passerby heard you, think how bad that would look. Try to have some awareness, will you!"

Whenever Sheffy, Xiarette, and Sylatrella went out together, it was always this lively.

The little Holy Sword, constantly getting verbally bullied, only grew more excited. Their banter was endless.

This was the road leading out of Cormier Castle toward the outskirts of the Royal Capital.

The Council Hall was set some distance behind the castle. It was said to ensure discussions of major affairs would remain quiet and undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the capital.

Sheffy walked briskly forward with big strides, hands behind her head, whistling tunelessly as she grumbled.

"Honestly, today’s meeting doesn’t really need us, does it? Let them talk if they want, it’s got nothing to do with us. I’d rather go back to sleep."

"Sheffy, how can you say today’s discussion has nothing to do with you... when it's clearly about... ah, forget it. Anyway, we absolutely have to attend today. This is a major national affair, a huge one. If the Hero doesn’t show up, the Demon Clan might think the Kingdom doesn’t take it seriously, and then the Kingdom will be on the back foot right from the start of negotiations."

"Is that so... well, whatever. Let’s just see what they say when we get there. I am a bit curious about what Father and Mother are thinking right now. Uh... hold on, is something going on up ahead?"

"Hmm?"

With Sheffy’s reminder, Xiarette also stopped and looked ahead.

——Indeed, something was happening.

Because...

Someone seemed to have flown off at an angle.

And that was just an ordinary person. Ordinary people couldn’t fly.