Chapter 24: Open Your Mouth and Eat the Candy
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
After once again dismissing that ridiculous book as nonsense, the Demon King thought for a moment and asked, “So, you’re really telling me that because of that book, and because other people agreed with it, you decided I must be lying when I said I didn’t like you?”
He stared straight at the Hero. “You decided that, even though I said I didn’t like you, deep down I actually did?”
Being reminded of the Hero’s multiple layers of misunderstandings about his supposed feelings for him, the Demon King sat up straighter.
That first coincidence had already been troublesome enough. Then, after regaining his magic and leaving, he’d accidentally given the Hero the chance to come up with an entirely new story and spread even more rumors. What was next? Another useless, poorly written book? A few more people nodding along with it, “proving” the Hero’s assumptions and stamping it in his mind as fact?
The Demon King rejected that possibility outright. Hearing about that book again, he glanced at the Hero. The Hero, faced with this direct question about his feelings, flushed red. “Um… actually, that was just one of the things that confirmed it for me,” he mumbled. “I don’t think you liked me very much at the beginning,” the Hero said. The Demon King nodded.
“But later, little by little, you started to change your mind.”
—No, I didn’t.
“When we were in Eso Town, you walked with me for a long time.”
—Not gonna lie, I seriously considered ditching you.
“When I got into conflicts with people, you thought about me when you resolved things. You told me not to cause trouble for myself.”
—That was called tactical manipulation. Intimidation, bribery, anything I could use to shut you up.
“And when we argued, even though you were angry, you still put your pride aside and made peace with me because we might have had to separate.”
—…If I told you I was just planning to mark the location so I could kill you later, you probably wouldn’t believe me, huh?
“When I talked about my childhood and my hometown, your eyes lit up. You seemed really interested in my past.”
—You honestly don’t find it bizarre—or hilarious—that you’ve been getting lost since you were a kid?
“But those things alone only proved that you didn’t hate me. Or… that you might even have a little bit of affection for me.”
Finally, a sentence that made sense. After silently complaining through half that monologue, the Demon King nodded. “Mm. And then?”
The Hero’s face reddened even more as he lowered his head. “And then… you confessed to me.” The Demon King: “… So, after I supposedly ‘confessed,’ you connected that with the fact that I wasn’t overly cold to you before, decided I liked you, and then had the nerve to just… accept it?”
The Demon King, unwilling to waste his breath explaining all of this to a Hero who would just forget again tomorrow, swallowed down everything he wanted to say and looked away.
The Hero had moved closer while talking, and now sat beside him, cheeks red. In a soft voice, the Hero added, “‘The moonlight’s beautiful tonight.’” Then, even quieter: “And when you left, your back looked so lonely.”
The Demon King froze. …Lonely? Me?
The Hero continued, “So I figured you must like me—especially if it’s fate.”
The Demon King, fated-to-kill-this-idiot: …What? What kind of “fate” leads to that conclusion?
“So, since it’s destiny, and you like me, I decided I should like you too.” The Hero gave him a small, gentle hug, lightly circling his arms around the Demon King. “I decided I like you. And the more I got to know you, the more certain I became.”
The Demon King smacked the Hero’s hand.
“You keep me company. You change your schedule for me. You do things you don’t like for my sake. You wait for me in secret even after walking far ahead… So yes, you like me. And I want to treat you well.”
The Demon King stared. He smacked the Hero’s hand again. “Be honest—how many times have you been hit in the head? Because otherwise, how do you explain the fact that your memories and mine don’t match at all?” Or maybe… maybe we’re not even living in the same timeline? At that moment, the Demon King seriously began to question his entire existence.
“And also,” he added, “what kind of so-called destiny makes you conclude I like you, and then convinces you to start liking me back even though I don’t?”
…
Ah, the so-called fated lover. After the Hero finished explaining his “intuitive warning” and a long string of family proverbs, the Demon King smacked the hand that was loosely wrapped around him and snarled, “Actually, I am your intuition’s other kind of warning sign: the Demon King.”
Smack— The Hero finally let go, glanced at his palm… and then laughed. “Pfft.”
The Demon King shot him a cold glare, too tired to explain again. Explaining would only be pointless, since by the next day the Hero would forget everything anyway. With a low sigh, he slowly slumped forward onto the table. This so-called “intuition” really was full of surprises—and not the good kind.
As he buried his head in his arms, the Demon King silently cursed the Hero’s intuition, along with however many generations of ancestors had apparently been overly concerned about their descendants’ love lives.
The Hero, seeing him turn away in clear frustration, called softly, “Joshua?”
The Demon King immediately turned his back to him. The Hero, convinced the problem lay with him, added, “Actually… I didn’t just decide to like you. I think I really do like you.”
The Demon King stayed perfectly still, lying there as if he’d fallen asleep.
“The flower seller said that liking someone means they feel different from everyone else,” the Hero continued. “The blacksmith said it’s when just thinking about them makes your heart race. The innkeeper said it’s when you want to give your whole heart to them. The mercenary I met on the road said it’s wanting to earn more money so you can buy them gifts…”
Without turning his head, the Demon King said flatly, “And which one of those do you actually meet?”
“All of them,” the Hero declared confidently. “You’re different from everyone else. My heart beats faster every time I see you. I even got you out of bed and took you out to clear your head when you were in a bad mood, and… if there’s anything you want, I think I could work hard for it.”
The Demon King: … One lifelong nemesis. Just one. That’s all it takes. Did you forget your “intuition warning” already? Maybe try remembering that. How about recognizing your chronic inability to mind your own business while you’re at it?
The Demon King’s thoughts were sharp and cold: The only things I need from you are to either clear up this misunderstanding or shut your mouth completely. Oh, and hurry up and get your memory back. “Oh.”
After systematically dismantling every single one of the Hero’s so-called reasons, the Demon King gave that single curt response. Then he committed every word to memory, determined to use it all against the Hero later—once he’d finally gotten his memories back—to destroy every last one of his delusions.
“I understand,” the Demon King muttered. With that, he buried his face deeper into his arms.
The Hero stared at him for a moment. When no other response came, he called again. “Joshua?”
“Joshua?”
“Joshua?”
After several calls, the Demon King, eyes closed, said, “I have a headache. Shut up.”
The Hero only reached out his hand toward him.
…
That day, while the Hero was taking his medicine, there was always a faint, subtle hint of negative emotion lingering around him. Because of that, the Demon King didn’t manage to get much medicine into him.
When night fell, the Demon King, slightly displeased, shoved the Hero back into his neighboring room. Feeling drained, he pushed him inside and, when the Hero turned to look at him, closed the door.
“Good ni—”
Bang! The Hero’s goodnight was cut short by the sudden slam of the door.
And then— Bang! The wind swept through the hallway, slamming the Hero’s door shut as well.
The wind: Double kill. Two doors, one gust. The Demon King: …
Only after the fact did the Demon King realize that the Hero’s goodnight had been rudely interrupted. He stepped back out, glanced around, and when he didn’t see the innkeeper anywhere, he returned—
Knock knock.
“Owen,” he called. The Hero opened the door. “Joshua?” He blinked, then, as if finally finishing what he’d started earlier, smiled. “Were you here to say goodnight? Goodnight.”
The Demon King shook his head. “No.”
…
Instead, with the innkeeper apparently off somewhere drinking heavily, the Demon King dragged the Hero out to find him. After searching around town, they eventually ended up outside a noisy tavern. A very noisy tavern.
The Demon King: … Not exactly eager to go inside.
The Hero, noticing this, said, “I’ll go in and find him. You wait here, okay, Joshua?”
The Demon King nodded. And so, in the middle of the noise and chaos he hated, the Hero went in alone and actually managed to drag out the drunken innkeeper. Then, after hauling the man back, he found the right key and unlocked the door to his room.
When it was all over and the night had grown dark, the Hero smiled and said, “All done.” After saying goodbye, he sent the innkeeper safely back inside. Leaning against the doorframe, the Demon King silently observed the entire ordeal, watching the Hero patiently handle everything without complaint.
He thought about it.
All that effort—going out to find the innkeeper, dragging him home—it was exhausting and troublesome, but the Hero didn’t seem upset at all. Yet earlier, when he’d been coaxing the Hero to take his medicine—such a simple task, something they’d done just yesterday—the Hero had been full of subtle negative emotions. He’d kept sneaking glances at him like he was being mistreated. The contrast didn’t make sense. The Demon King frowned, deep in thought, recalling what the Hero had said before. And then—
“You don’t like taking medicine, do you? Or… do you feel like you’re being terribly wronged because I’m making you do it?” the Demon King asked bluntly as soon as the Hero returned.
***
The next day, when the Hero ran into the Demon King again, overjoyed as always, he was stunned to find himself suddenly being fed a pile of… things.
“Open your mouth.”
“Open your mouth.”
“Open your mouth.”
“Open your mouth.”
“Open your mouth.”
“Open your mouth.”
…
After casually rewriting the Hero’s “script,” the Demon King simply repackaged the medicine and tossed it into the Hero’s mouth one piece at a time as if it were candy.
The Hero, after being force-fed a handful of strange things, gulped down water to ease his thirst. He glanced at the Demon King and at the disguised “treats” with obvious confusion. “What are these, Joshua?”
He had run into Joshua unexpectedly the moment he stepped outside. Then, during their conversation, he learned that Joshua had been rescued by the princess, that he had come to find him, and that, by sheer coincidence, they had met. And now… Now he was being constantly force-fed?
He didn’t know what exactly they were, but they didn’t taste very good. After eating too many, his mouth felt dry and bitter.
And because he was being fed nonstop, he didn’t even have a chance to talk. After finishing another sip of water, the Hero continued to look at the Demon King questioningly. The Demon King’s expression didn’t change. “Strange-flavored candy,” he said.
Then, without hesitation, he popped one into his own mouth before ordering, “Open your mouth.”
Another piece of medicine, disguised as candy, was promptly dropped between the Hero’s lips. The Demon King casually tossed another into his own mouth. “Interesting.”
The Hero: …It really… really tastes like medicine.
“Open your mouth.”
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