Going back to Millishion for a bit, specifically what happened two days before the day Isolde and I officially got together.
After returning from that detention incident, I was finally released. Generally speaking, I met quite a few influential figures during that time. Some respected me, while others looked down on me right to my face. They even viewed me as nothing more than an inferior species. It was quite a contrast. Specifically, they corresponded to the current Pope's pro-demon harmony faction and the opposition faction.
Because I had a rather amicable attitude toward the Demon Race, and my title was even 'Demon Dragon King' after all. No wonder those who hated the demon race saw me as a thorn in their side when they learned I defeated the Ultimate Four and Atofe and was honored as a hero, yet didn't look down on demons but actually spoke well of them. On the Pope's side, they viewed me as a potential ally. They even offered me a high position in their political apparatus.
Specifically, some Vice Captain of the Holy Guard position. Like the Vatican's Swiss Guard or the Roman Praetorian Guard, I guess. In terms of strength, I was rated well above standard since I had already sparred with them; team combat experience could be trained, plus I was someone the Pope wanted to be allied, not to mention the members of the Holy Guard seemed to like me. All in all, I was a good fit.
I refused, of course.
Not because I looked down on it or anything. The issue was that I didn't think I should get involved in these power struggles full of schemes. After all, I was originally an Asura noble, had been a demon king for nearly two years or something, and it was clear that entering politics or managing territory was something I didn't want to do for the rest of my life.
Even though I'm actually pretty good at that stuff, whatever... I'd rather swing a sword around all day fighting S-rank monsters.
However, the Pope—a thoroughly respectable man—who extended that offer to me right inside the holy cathedral, said this after I refused:
"If you change your mind, we still look forward to your support. For the future of both humanity and the demon race. I hope both sides can still cooperate even after I pass away. You understand, don't you?" He said with a benevolent smile.
Sounds pretty heavy. But he was actually right; if the opposition won the papal succession war, it would be a huge pain. Especially since places like the Lighthouse Academy would have their aid cut off, for instance. The Holy Kingdom's detente with the rest of the Great Forest would also be disrupted. All in all, a real nuisance.
But don't expect to guilt-trip me that easily. I'm still wide awake.
"Yes. I will think about it..." That's how I answered. "Right now, I want to hone my experience more. As you know, I'm still quite young to take on such a heavy responsibility. Perhaps after a few more years or something, it would be more appropriate."
"As powerful as you are, you still want to go further?" the Pope asked, looking rather surprised.
"Yes. I have an even bigger goal." I clenched my fist and replied confidently. "I want to be strong enough to make it onto the Seven Great Powers list!"
"The Seven Great Powers you said? Youth truly is full of ambitions." He smiled. "By the way, I heard you prefer magic over swordplay. So I suggest you go to Sharia; the Ranoa Academy of Magic there is excellent. My grandson is also enrolled there. If needed, I can write a letter of recommendation for you."
That was an honor. More than an honor, actually. Maybe I'd even get a scholarship or some crap. But I had to refuse.
"I do intend to go there at some point, but receiving a recommendation from the Pope himself is a bit too much, I'm afraid..."
"I think that's still not enough." He smiled. "I was planning to sponsor all your expenses, but you'd probably just refuse again."
"Yes... Just a letter of recommendation is fine."
With him putting it like that, I had no choice but to fold.
According to what Philip once taught me about negotiating with someone you want to maintain a relationship with, if you have to refuse something, it's best to accept an easier alternative. From what I could 'read' from the Pope, he seemed to want me to make friends with his grandson. That wasn't anything too unreasonable, so I had no reason to refuse.
On the other hand, hearing that he's a magic genius made me curious to meet him too.
And so, I got a letter of recommendation for the Ranoa Academy of Magic in Sharia; if they find me suitable, I'll be admitted as a special student. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but whenever I have time and after finishing my knight training, I'll try enrolling there for a while. That's the plan.
And after that, we shifted to talking about what has been happening on the Demon Continent. The Pope and I drew up plans for linking trade and developing culture between my territory and Gaslow with Millis Continent through intermediaries. Basically, dry political stuff, so I won't dive deep into it for now.
In the end, I had a pretty good impression of the Pope, and he probably felt the same way about me. We even prayed together, had lunch, and then I was seen off from the Holy Cathedral.
You could say this meeting was the most interesting event for me since arriving in Millishion, at least so far.
…
After returning to the inn, I was attacked.
Not by a gang or some political faction looking to eliminate me.
"Meow!"
It was something far more terrifying: A Larry.
And even worse than terrifying, it was an angry Larry, an angry black one.
"Calm down, you damn cat! I was locked up, it's not like I wanted to run away!" I tried my absolute best as a widely respected Demon Dragon King to hold the black cat's front paws. And tried to keep my distance to avoid getting bitten. "Gah!"
Only to have its back legs unleash a kick that scratched my head raw.
If anyone finds this strange, let me tell you that Larry's claws scratch right through battle aura; it's a terrifyingly omnipotent weapon. It even knows how to fly. No wonder its species is at the apex of the food chain in the Death Jungle. Its only weakness right now is me, or more accurately, the meager mana of mine that it's using. And my life could absolutely be extinguished if I fail to provide enough mana for it.
And after I disappeared for several days, not getting any sunlight also meant Larry was starving for mana to the point of going insane.
So no matter how hard I tried to explain, it kept attacking me as if it truly wanted to eat me alive.
"Kitten! Ah! Don't attack people like that!"
And just like that, following a female shout, Larry stopped his claws.
It casually turned its face toward the source of the voice.
"Meow~" Look at it fucking meowing. It was like it transformed into something else entirely.
You two-faced piece of shit.
The girl who made Larry less crazy ran over. But when she saw me more clearly, she immediately stopped in her tracks and took two steps back as if she had seen something terrifying.
"S-Sorry," she said, taking another step back, looking genuinely terrified. "Um... ah..."
And for some reason, Larry glared at me as if I had done something terribly wrong. What the hell?
Hold on. This timid, short-haired girl with a thoroughly gloomy face looked pretty familiar. If I remembered correctly, she was present at Paul's inn. So she must be part of the search team. If I remembered correctly, Lilia called her...
"Shierra! Where are—Ah! There you are. Did you find Kitten too?"
Suddenly another person appeared. This girl's name was Vierra; I remembered her quite clearly because her attire consisted solely of a single bikini armor. I hadn't had any release for three days, and now I'm seeing this scene. Before anything else, my little brother was already standing up in protest.
If I remembered correctly, those two girls were sisters. Vierra was the older sister, Shierra the younger.
"But hm? Why is Kitten biting your head... wait, you're Paul's nephew, right?" Vierra seemed to recognize me instantly.
"Yes..."
I nodded while glancing at Shierra, who was shrinking timidly behind her older sister. For some reason, she still seemed terrified of me even though I hadn't done anything to her. But whatever, I had other things to worry about.
"By the way, sorry. I'm not sure if you guys got the wrong cat, but this thing isn't a cat." I pointed at Larry, who was biting my head and causing it to bleed, and spoke flatly. "It might not look like it, but it's a Night Panther, an S-rank monster."
Vierra raised an eyebrow, one hand on her hip, clearly showing her dissatisfaction. "Did you go crazy after getting your head bitten by a cat? Is this what people call getting rabies?"
"No, no... rabies means drooling and going around biting other people. And rabies doesn't manifest immediately after getting bitten; it takes at least a few hours for the virus to attack the central nervous system." I didn't know why I was explaining this, but whatever. "Anyway, I'm perfectly normal. And this demon's name... I mean monster's name is Larry, not Kitten. It might look small, but it's highly dangerous. See? Look at it attacking me. If I were a normal person, I'd have bled to death by now. If you want to stay safe, stay away from it."
Even though Larry was restricted from attacking others unless I permitted it. But I didn't really trust the magic circle I had drawn all that much. After all, summoning a dangerous monster like a Night Panther was already a mistake; I didn't want to gamble with other people's lives.
Yet now, not only Vierra but even Shierra behind her looked at me as if I were a lunatic. Ah no, for the younger sister, she seemed more worried than repulsed. Truly a good person, but because of that, I had to help them stay away from this dangerous, girl-crazy thing.
"Sigh..." The older sister sighed and reached out her hand. "Kitten, come here."
Then the unexpected happened.
Actually no, I should say I knew this would happen anyway.
The moment Vierra reached out her hand, Larry launched himself straight from my head onto her, settling comfortably in her palm, looking relaxed and thoroughly respectful. As if it had been her pet for years.
"It seems you've been to the Demon Continent so much that you're getting confused," Vierra concluded. "Not everywhere is dangerous like your place."
"Meow~"
This damn cat…
At this point, I was completely at a loss. I literally don't know what else to do except admit defeat and even look like a crazy kid in those girls eyes for the rest of my life.
I also knew that Larry was clearly looking for trouble with me. Absolutely fucking certain. Either way, it wasn't the first time something similar had happened, so I didn't intend to blow things out of proportion.
Actually no, I'm joking—this was clearly the perfect time to blow things out of proportion. For the lol.
"Flame on."
I burst into flames, while Vierra ended up pinned under a super-sized Larry.
The whole town burst into chaos just like that.
…