A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss-Chapter 603.2

"Hey, Sakuya. If you ever fight, you need to be properly equipped, alright?" (Yuki)

"Hau?" (Sakuya)

"Yuki-san, you're jumping the gun. How many years from now do you think that will happen?" (Layla)

“Haha… Yeah, I guess you’re right. First he needs to learn to crawl. That one’s coming soon.” (Yuki)

“…Hmm. Sakuya’s body is getting stronger. Maybe in just a little more time…” (Layla)

Once that happens, we would have two crawling babies. Just imagining how cute it would be made me happy.

"After learning to crawl, they will learn to stand and then walk, right? Looking at them as they grow up makes me feel warm and fuzzy somehow." (Layla)

"Illuna and everyone in our family have that feeling as well. They're always smiling, and I can tell that they're having fun." (Yuki)

"I can really see from this interaction how the Demon Lord spends his time at home. Layla, you've completely taken on that style too. That's good." (Eldogalia)

"Layla used to be a carefree person as well… but she has certainly changed a lot." (Emyu)

"… I can change too." (Layla)

Layla looked away with a rare, embarrassed expression that she usually didn't show.

Haha, she really showed all kinds of expressions when she was with the Sheep Horn Clan, especially around her Master and Emyu. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

You're the best wife.

◇◇◇

After a light meal and a short ten-minute rest, we resumed our exploration, heading up the great staircase.

As expected, my guess that we would soon reach our goal was correct.

At the end of the staircase was a dead end…

Surprised, we all stepped inside, thinking there would be some hidden passage or something, but the floor suddenly began to move…

The floor was moving upward, and soon the dungeon world outside became visible through the window, which we could see as we steadily rose higher.

–I see, this place was like an elevator.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like this mechanism was powered by electricity, but by magic… I'd like one of these too. It added to the atmosphere.

… But well, with my teleportation doors, using an elevator was rather pointless. I could basically warp anywhere instantly.

The unfamiliar mechanism made the Sheep Horn Clan members nervous, and the atmosphere became tense, but I simply laughed and reassured them.

"Calm down, everyone. This is just an elevator – a transportation mechanism, or rather a floor that moves. It's currently moving up. There's nothing dangerous about it, so don't worry." (Yuki)

"… Demon Lord, have you ever ridden something like this before?" (Eldogalia)

"Well, yeah, just a little while ago." (Yuki)

The elevator eventually reached the top floor of the castle and stopped.

What we could see up ahead was a large door.

An elegant, elaborate door with many decorations.

From the look of it… this was probably the end stage.

"Phew… let's go, everyone." (Yuki)

And with that, I put my hand on the door handle.

"…Ah?" (Yuki)

The door didn't open…

No matter how much I pushed or pulled it, it stayed shut. It felt like it was sealed by some kind of magic mechanism.

… Looking more closely, there was a depression at the center of the door.

Maybe you could get through by putting something in there, but of course, we didn't have anything that could be placed there.

Maybe we’d missed an item somewhere in the castle? Was it because we didn't thoroughly explore other areas?

No way, I never thought we'd come all the way here and realize that we didn't explore enough.

Sakuya's directions had been accurate up until this point, but maybe we skipped too many steps?

… No, Sakuya had done a great job. I guess this was simply the price of relying on him too much.

"Auh, ah!" (Sakuya)

Just as I was thinking that, Sakuya's radar reacted.

Right, Sakuya must have some idea of ​​how to get through here–Huh?

But when I followed the direction of his tiny, outstretched hand, I blinked in confusion.

He was pointing… at the Demon King.

"Ah, I see… So it's for this moment, huh?" (Demon King)

Demon King muttered, as if he understood something, and after patting the head of Sakuya, who Layla was holding, he took something out of his pocket.

It was a decorated jewel.

Demon King approached the large door and placed the jewel in the recess – and it clicked into place.

Instantly, the edges of the door began to glow faintly, as if something had been turned on.

It was probably possible to pass through the door now.