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

r>“Yup! It’s nice to meet you too, Nell!”

The adorable, doll-like girl sat herself down in front of a wash bin and hastily began to clean her body.
Seeing her act caused the rest of Nell's tension to leave her.
She understood that there was no more danger, so she allowed herself to sink back into the bath.

“Wait, did you just call the demon lord your brother?”
“Yup! We're not related, but he's like a big brother to me.”

Oh, so she just calls him that because she's attached to him.
Nell nodded to herself before addressing the little girl and asking one of the questions that'd been on her mind since she first met him.

“Say, Illuna.”
“Yeah?”
“Uhm… What kind of person is your big brother anyway?”
“I'm super glad you asked!” The little girl's eyes sparkled as she responded to the question with unexpected fervor.
“He's super cool! He saved my life! He plays with me all the time and makes sure I don't get lonely! I really love him! He acts kinda silly sometimes, but I like that part of him too.
It's really cute!”
“I-I see.” Taken aback by the little girl's excited response, Nell could only nod along as she listened.

Just why is this little girl so attached to the demon lord? Could it be that he sometimes craves children?

“Has the demon lord ever touched you anywhere weird?”
“Nope! But he does act kinda weird.
Sometimes, he'll suddenly start shouting about something while bursting out of his room and running off somewhere.”
“O-Oh.
So he's just weird?”

Illuna's description of the demon lord left the hero confused.
She didn't understand him at all.
The encounter led Nell to lose sight of what demon lords were.
The image of the stereotypical evil mastermind she had built up throughout her life had totally crumbled away.

***

“And what, precisely, are you plotting this time?” Lefi crossed her arms as she regarded me with a piercing glare.
“Nothing, really.” I responded with a casual shrug.
“She's not set on attacking us anymore, and it's already late.
We have a crap ton of extra rooms, so there isn't really any reason not to lend her one.
Plus, I've been meaning to learn more about the humans, and this is as good a chance as any.”
“I see.
So you intentionally created a set of circumstances such that you would have all the excuses you needed to rope yet another girl into your 'dungeon.' I cannot believe you.” An intimidating aura began emanating off of Lefi's body as she spoke.
“I know that I am the one that instructed you to initiate contact, but I meant not that you should sink your fangs into her.
And to think that you even added a trio of wraiths to your collection while I remained none the wiser.”
“To be fair, it's not my fault that all three wraiths are girls.
They just kinda ended up that way!”

***

The first thing Nell saw as she exited the bath and entered the grand hall that led to it was the demon lord.
He was sitting on his knees, as a silver haired girl lectured him, her tone stern.

“U-Uhm… T-Thanks for letting me use your bath.
It felt really nice and warm.”
“Hmm?” The girl turned away from the demon lord upon hearing the hero's voice.
“Oh hello, crybaby hero.”
“First the bullied girl, now this!? Why do you guys all seem to think of me as something to pity!?”

Nell couldn't help but yell as she was once again reminded of her cowardice by a young girl that she'd never once seen in her life.
Speaking of, the blonde girl that she met in the bath had already gotten out and headed off to bed.
A horned sheep demon that looked to be something along the lines of a maidservant entered the bath to pick her up right as she was starting to nod off.
The maid had thanked Nell for playing with the girl before escorting the little blonde, who'd barely managed to squeeze out a tired “bye bye,” away.

Behind the demon girl had been another maid, a beastkin.
Though Nell failed to understand why, the Beastkin seemed to think the demon was in some sort of danger, as she urged her to quickly return the moment she picked the young blonde up.

“A-anyway, the guest’s here.
S-Sorry Lefi, but I gotta entertain her.”
“Surely you jest.
That is a task that Leila is more than capable of handling, and you've not the time for it.
After all, you and I are about to spend a long night together.”

Nell was having a hard time processing the scene playing out right before her eyes.
The demon lord, who'd initially come off as mysterious but kind, was being scolded by a girl even younger than she was.

I really don't know what I'm supposed to believe anymore…

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