Translated by Jyzciel

It's been 34 days since I started my rural life.

There's a delightful aroma of freshly baked bread. For today's breakfast, I have freshly baked croissants, and, of course, homemade jams. There's strawberry jam, orange marmalade, and honey.

I made a mixed juice using oranges, peaches, and grapes from the secret orchard in the backyard. I've also prepared coffee and tea separately.

Seasonal salad with smoked salmon, omelets with crispy bacon and sausages on the side. For dessert, there's yogurt with plenty of fruit.

I aimed for a somewhat extravagant hotel-style breakfast.

Why, you ask? Well, it's because the Demon Lord, who was feeling utterly mortified, is joining me at the breakfast table.

That's right, the Demon Lord stayed. He stayed overnight without waking up once. Throughout the night, I exchanged the cold packs multiple times and kept an eye on him.

The dogs helped by warming his bedside and feet. It seems the efforts paid off as his fever has completely subsided.

However, shockingly, he has almost no memory after he arrived at my place and had hot wine.

That seductive mode seems to have been an action driven by his fever, after all.

When I gently informed him about the situation at that time, some fragments of his memory seemed to return here and there. He had been blatantly gazing and appeared extremely flustered.

Even when I told him that I didn't mind at all, the Demon Lord looked even more apologetic.

"I'm truly sorry."

"You were tired. Now, please enjoy your breakfast; I put a lot of effort into making it." I said, smiling.

The Demon Lord devoured the entire breakfast heartily, and then Little Bat came to pick him up, and he returned to the Demon Lord's castle.

This happened when they were about to leave.

As usual, when I handed him a bento, the Demon Lord took out a small leather pouch from his pocket.

"As an apology, take this. It seems something interesting is in the courtyard. Try giving this to that thing."

I accepted it and, upon inspecting the contents of the leather pouch, I found many shiny fragments resembling rock candy.

"What is this?"

"This? They are fragments of magical beast souls."

"Huh?"

"Well, in a way, you could call them fragments of life. Each of these contains a concentrated amount of magic power. They are highly desirable for weaker creatures, they'd do anything to get their hands on these."

I still didn't quite understand, but it seemed to be a valuable item.

"The thing in the courtyard seems to have quite a fiery temperament. So, it's best to use these to control it. Think of it as a mix of rewards and punishments." As I suspected, that demon plant in the courtyard was a handful...

It seems that the plant from the demon realm in the courtyard is indeed quite unruly. I had that feeling all along.

As I contemplate about the plant in my garden, the Demon Lord suddenly gently pulled me closer.

"..."

"Even if I was feverish. It's true that I truly care about you." He whispered in a seductive low voice into my ear.

"Demon Lord..." I didn't know how to respond and just blushed.

"Then, remember this then, I won't forget the kindness of offering me a place to stay and a meal. If you ever run into trouble, I'll definitely lend you my assistance. I'm grateful, I'll come again." With those words, the Demon Lord disappeared.

He's truly a heart-pounding person... I gazed at the empty space where the Demon Lord had been and blushed uncontrollably.

-----

Unbeknownst to Rinsakura, there was someone who had witnessed the entire affair from the shadows - none other than the Knight Commander.

He had come early in the morning to catch a glimpse of Rinsakura's face, but what he stumbled upon was a situation beyond his wildest expectations.

"That man is the Demon Lord! And he spent the night at Rinsakura's house!" The shocking reality left him visibly shaken. He widened his eyes, blinked repeatedly, and seemed utterly bewildered.

And that man! Chronos bared his fangs and growled. It was as if he was gloating, wearing a triumphant expression.

It seemed he had been provoking the Knight Commander behind the scenes, which only infuriated the him further. Unaware of what was transpiring behind the scenes, Rinsakura happily played with her dogs.

"Rinsakura... and that man..."

The Knight Commander couldn't help but entertain unpleasant thoughts, and he grew increasingly disheartened.

Meanwhile, on the Demon Lord's side...

「Kyu...!」 Little Bat made a slightly exasperated sound.

"Kukukuku... Did you see that man's face? That's the renowned Knight Commander who can make 1000 magical beasts tremble."

「Kyu...」 It was almost as if Little Bat was sighing, expressing how truly exasperated he was.

"In matters of love, it's better to have some ups and downs, you know?"

「Kyu...!」

"Don't be so mad. I'll go easy next time."

With that, the Demon Lord seemed to be enjoying himself, his eyes narrowing with a mischievous glint.

Jyzciel~

Aight. I'm now going to upload 2 free chapters per week starting next week. As for the schedule, I'll upload it at 6 pm on Sunday?

Btw, just letting you know I'm now going to upload a new project called "Let’s Start the Sengoku Diner – Pouring Hot Water over Brown Rice? I’ll Make Something Even More Delicious!"

If you like this story, you might as well try this one! Please continue to support me!

If you like my translations, please support me on ko-fi!