A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss

ce your discomfort.”
“He was quite insistent…”

The mask hid the maid’s expression, but it was fairly obvious that she was wearing a troubled smile.
That said, I chose to ignore it in order to keep the program on schedule.

“Today’s first dish is going to require tofu and green onions.
Mysterious Maid Y, please chop up the onions.
Mysterious Maid X, please cheer her on.”
“Understood, My Lord,” said Maid Y.
“Sure thing, Master!” said Maid X.
“I’ll make sure I’m helpin’ her as much as I c—wait, why am I just cheerin’!? Ain’t I supposed to be cookin’ too!?”

I ignored Maid X’s protests as any decent employer would while cutting the tofu into large cubes.
On the other side of the kitchen counter, Mysterious Maid Y prepared the onions with a technique so well honed it bordered on mesmerizing.

“The next step is to plate each piece of tofu individually and put some of Mysterious Maid Y’s beautifully sliced onions on top,” I said.
“And voila! Your chilled tofu is complete!”
“…”
“…”

Silence followed.
Apparently, neither member of the audience was all that impressed.

“Oh come on, don’t just stand there! At least react or something!”

Why are you guys looking at me the same way you look at the kids when they’re playing outside!? Come on, stop it.
It’s hella embarrassing.

“It is simply that… the dish does not match the grand introduction with which you began.”
Only after being prompted did Lefi respond.
“But I suppose there was little else to expect, given the short list of ingredients.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You have a problem with chilled tofu or something? It’s super tasty!”

“I cannot deny that it is, but there is still much to be said about the presentation…”
“Hmmm… tofu is tasty and simple, but isn’t it something you used the dungeon’s powers to make?” asked Nell.
“Yup.”
“I know we’ve been eating it like it’s just any other ingredient, but doesn’t that make a rare luxury?”

Technically, yeah.
But at this point, that’s not saying much.
All the stuff we eat is high class.
And yes, I know that goes against literally everything the show was supposed to stand for.
Shush.
It’s not my fault we have access to all the high class ingredients we could ever ask for.

“Our second dish tonight will b—actually fuck it.
I’m getting sick of this.
Let’s just put an end to it and do things the normal way.”
“You are nothing if not whimsical…” said Lefi.
“Does that mean we ain’t gotta be Mysterious Maids anymore?” asked Lyuu.
“Yeah, at least not for now.
I’ll probably ask you guys to do it again when we’re playing with the kids,”
“Okay! I’ll be doin’ my best to act the part of a maid that fights for peace ‘n justice ‘n stuff when the time comes!”
“Can I take this mask off now…” asked Leila hesitantly.
“Yeah, feel free.
Alright girls, Yuki’s Kitchen is over! Now that Mysterious Maid Y’s taken her mask off and revealed her true identity, we’ll be renaming the show Leila’s Kitchen instead!”

I once again hummed the theme song to indicate that a brand new show was starting.

“What exactly is the purpose of that odd tune?” asked Lefi.
“I’m not sure… But it’s really catchy,” said Nell.

Yeah, it really is.
I’ve had it stuck in my head all day.

***

The door slammed open as three little girls marched into the throne room.

“We’re home!” Illuna was the first to announce her presence, with the other two following suit shortly after.
“Welcome home, girls.
Dinner will be ready as soon as you wash your hands,” said Leila.
“Be sure to extract any of the dirt that has been caught under your nails,” added Lefi.
“Okay!” said Illuna and Shii.
“…Mmmk,” said Enne.

As Leila had mentioned, dinner was just about ready.
We were already in the middle of setting the table, and finished right as the girls made it to the table.

“Wow! It’s really fancy today.
Are we celebrating something?” asked a wide eyed vampire.
“Nope.
There just happens to be a bit more than usual ‘cause everyone helped out,” I said.
“Oh, okay! Seeing so much food makes me super happy! It’s like we’re throwing a party!”
“I was thinkin’ the same thing,” said Lyuu.
“We don’t normally make all this food unless it’s a special occasion or somethin’.
That’s why we gotta be real grateful to all the creatures that turned into our food, to all the luck we had gettin’ them, and to the people who made it.”
“Yup yup! I’m super grateful just looking at it all!”
“Me too! I’m always great full!” said Shii.
“…Mhm.
Tasty things are important,” agreed Enne.
“Gratitude is natural.”
“Say all you want, Lyuu, but the only reason we ended up with so much is because you literally dumped a pile of salt in the pot, and we had to pad it with more ingredients in order to make it taste right.”
“I-It wasn’t just me! Lefi was makin’ the same mistake too!”
“T-There was no need for you to inform them of that, Lyuu!” stuttered the dragon.
“I demand that you cease your slander immediately!”
“Fortunately, we happen to have a fridge, so we can just chuck the leftovers in some tupperware and save them for another time,” I laughed.
“We’ll most likely be having them for breakfast tomorrow morning,” agreed Leila.

We each took our places at the table as we chatted.
And enjoyed a nice, evening meal with the family.

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