“Escape! Escape!”
The female, Pastel, frantically moved about on the deck of the Sky Island-bound Scoff. It wasn’t that there was any particular problem; she just flailed her arms about as she panicked.
“What are you doing?”
A devil, hands in his pockets and leaning on one leg, looked at her perplexedly.
“We need to get as far away from Central Politics as quickly as possible! It’s a suffocating place that could drive even an innocent ruler like me crazy!”
Our constitutions don’t match at all.
After pondering twice as much as her usual pondering, Pastel ran to the bow railing. This was the farthest point from the Empire on the Scoff.
White clouds and a blue sky stretched out before her.
“A little more distance feels great!”
She took a deep breath.
“The feeling of suffocation is clearing, cough! cough!”
Having inhaled the cold air at high altitude, Pastel was now in distress. She wobbled and collapsed over the railing like laundry left out to dry.
“Ugh! This pain! Could it be that the darkness of Central Politics has already infiltrated my body?!”
Am I corrupting like this?
That’s-that’s something somehow good yet bad, bad yet good, good yet bad…
“There’s no way.”
The devil approached after removing his suit jacket. He spread it out and covered her with it.
“Winter is coming. It’s a good season for catching colds. You should go inside the cabin.”
Pastel grabbed the jacket and sniffed it.
It smelled of soap.
She draped the oversized jacket over her shoulders like a cape. The suit’s sleeves hung loosely.
“Then, should I politely ask the winter friend not to let me catch a cold?”
The devil smirked.
“Try if you can.”
“Ah! That look!”
The young girl’s finger wagged at the devil.
“A look of certainty that it can’t be done! A wicked look!”
“It’s not a wicked look; I’m just like this.”
“Where’s this ‘just like this’? I’ll try to change that wicked look into a good one!”
Pastel gazed at the vast sky above. She prepared to shout while taking a deep breath.
She then coughed after inhaling the cold air.
“Ugh! Forgot how cold the air is…”
“Cough! Cough!”
Her borrowed suit jacket swayed with her cough.
“Oh dear. Looks like your nose is going to turn red.”
The devil made a pretense of pulling out a handkerchief.
“Ugh! Bad voice! Bad handkerchief! Too bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Anyway, I’m going to try and make everything good!”
Pastel inhaled. This time, she didn’t inhale too deeply, instead puffing her cheeks and sucking the air in like through a straw. Her chest began to swell and her lungs filled with air.
Preparations complete!
She raised both arms.
“Winter friend! Please come carefully so I don’t catch a cold!”
Her cry stretched out into the blue depths of the sky.
“Any response?”
Pastel looked toward the horizon and noticed something black floating with the wind.
It was the devil’s suit jacket.
“Uh?”
Pastel felt her shoulders.
It was gone.
“Uuh?”
How could this happen?
“What’s the ‘Uh?’ about?”
The devil, having failed to catch the jacket, rubbed his forehead. Now his white shirt was visible without the jacket.
Phew.
He looks less like an evil devil and more like a worn-out office worker.
My title for him now… Team Leader?
“Aaaaah! The devil has become Team Leader!”
Goodness gracious!
“This way, who will ensure the corruption of innocent Pastel?!”
It’s this! It’s this!
Pastel drew the magical sword attached to her belt. Then she hesitated, carefully re-sheathed it, and instead drew the Emperor’s sword placed beside it.
The Emperor’s sword shone brilliantly.
“Abuse of power…!”
This is Governor Pastel!
Oh yeah!
“Yeaaah! Yeaaah!”
Pastel danced a sword dance to create space. Her feet swept across the deck, her sword sliced through the air, and distance opened up naturally.
“Evil Devil! Or, Demon King!”
She pointed the Emperor’s sword at the fallen devil.
“I, Pastel, carrying the Emperor’s command, have arrived here! Not ‘here,’ but ‘here’! Prepare yourself!”
“Am I the Demon King?”
“To deny one’s own identity? Surely, this loyal servant Pastel isn’t going to say something absurd like calling you a Demon King, is she?”
“That line is too obvious.”
Pastel firmly dismissed the fabrication.
“Tsk! Look! At this truthful gaze!”
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Hooh.”
The devil looked at her with interest.
“Interesting. This gaze truly appears sincere.”
Ah?
Could I be a genius actor?
“Only excluding the pink color. If there were a surname ‘Craft’ next to your name, it would be enough to raise suspicion.”
“Aaaah! Ancestors…”
To turn acting genius Pastel into acting fool Pastel with such bad karma!
“Despair!”
Pastel collapsed onto her bottom. The deck felt cold, like her future.
Her hands trembled.
“Lord Devil. While I initially liked my governor’s position, now I’m unsure how to follow the Emperor’s command.”
Should I handcuff my own wrist?!
Pastel mimicked putting on handcuffs.
Clank-clank.
“Aaaaah! Somebody save meeee!”
The devil looked at her, bewildered.
“Why are you only thinking about this now?”
“What do you think about this? Emperor! Upon investigation, the Demon King is a good person! Let’s get along peacefully, shall we?”
“You easily accept that.”
“Aaaaah!”
Pastel grabbed her hair.
How will I accomplish results?
Capturing the Demon King is obviously impossible.
Then, maybe capturing some underlings of the Demon King could count as results?
But…but I’m the Demon King! Offering my own underlings as scapegoats would be…
That’s completely cruel!
Pastel groaned. Then she slyly glanced at the devil. Her pink eyes sparkled brightly.
“Lord Devil.”
Perhaps you, being so wise, could suggest a way?
“When duty and position clash, there’s a very simple solution.”
“Wow! Of course, Lord Devil! What is it? What is it?”
“Abandon one side. Since being the Demon King is unavoidable, you should give up your governor position.”
Governor Pastel.
↓
Governor (Not Really) Pastel.
Pastel opened her mouth in shock.
Shock.
“Lord Devil! More characters don’t always mean better!”
Governor (Not Really) is such a weird title!
“Be honest. Do you think the governorship should belong to me?”
Now the Sky Island is mine!
“What are you asking me to do?”
The devil looked confused.
Ugh.
“My words are your words!”
Is there a way to produce results without the Emperor noticing too strongly?
Pastel ruminated.
“Let’s return to the cabin. Your nose is turning red.”
Ruminating in the cabin.
“Potato soup with bread crumbs. Though it seems plain, when you eat it on a cold day like today, it warms your body and feels very good.”
Ruminating while eating soup.
“The quality of the bedding isn’t too bad. I was worried it might be poor because this is a borrowed Scoff, but it appears we will have a good night’s sleep. It’s late, so it’s time to sleep.”
Covered up to the neck with the blanket, she brooded with round, bright eyes.
The red-eyed gaze looked down at her calmly.
“Go to sleep. Better yet, at least close your eyes to show some effort. Are you declaring you’ll wander once I leave?”
Pastel ignored him and ruminated.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through her mind. It was an idea that could solve all her problems.
But grand ideas are busy and had prior commitments, just passing by.
Brilliant Idea: Hey, I’m busy~ bye for now!
Whoosh.
“Aaaaah!”
Pastel sat up abruptly.
“Brilliant Idea friend!”
She stretched her hand out but caught nothing.
And I can’t even remember what the brilliant idea was!
“Come back, please!”
To leave me, a popular person, behind?! How important was that prior engagement? It must have been an incredible agreement with some powerful official or wealthy person!
…
Suddenly!
Pastel keenly felt her lack of authority and wealth.
She seized the white shirt of the confused devil next to her and looked up at him with mournful pink eyes.
“Lord Devil! I can’t live like this! In this state, I am so anxious that I might wake up in the middle of the night, mess around with the oven while trying to make flour cookies for the Emperor, and accidentally fall asleep, starting a fire!”
“Why are you making this so specific?”
The devil was taken aback.
Pastel gazed upward wistfully.
“This is the moment for a devilish pact. I offer you the chance to turn me purple in exchange for providing me with all the riches and power in the world.”
“Changing my hairstyle for such a labor isn’t really a reward. Nice try on pretending this is a great condition.”
The devil crossed his arms thoughtfully.
“Still, you do seem too anxious. Let’s think about it together. Hmm. Resigning the governorship is probably best.”
“Aaaah!”
What an absurd conclusion!
“There’s no way!”
Even Lord Devil doubts my proper position!
In this situation, I will prove that I am worthy of the governor’s position!
Governor Pastel ruminated.
Suddenly, a flash of brilliance came to mind.
Ah?!
A grand idea friend!
Are you back?
Ordinary Idea: I’m just an ordinary idea!
Ah.
I see!
Anyway, hello! What is your idea?
Ordinary Idea: Ahem. Listen now.
Heart pounding.
Ordinary Idea: How about grabbing any old demon and declaring them as a subordinate of the Demon King!
Oh.
Genius!
But…
That feels a bit wrong.
Isn’t this like stacking artificial achievements that only corrupt officials would do? Or, perhaps, an idea too cunning for diligent Pastel to even consider?
Ordinary Idea: Then I have a better idea!
Wow! You’re my true friend! Tell me more!
Ordinary Idea: How about grabbing some demon that’s ‘kind of bad’ and declaring them a subordinate of the Demon King!
Oh!
Genius indeed!
