The story so far!
The journey embarked upon by Pastel and her companions to capture the evil Demon Lord has finally brought them to the Demon Realm!
However, the bizarre political situation of the Allied Kingdom of the Demon Realm has left their minds reeling, and in the end, Ellie enters as the Demon Realm Princess, leading to an extreme crisis situation…!
But the great Governor Pastel, whom all subjects admire, still has a trump card left!
Specifically, she has captured the radical Demon Race member who had terrorized the previous meeting, the self-proclaimed noble Nathaniel Priestley!
Can the great Governor Pastel obtain evidence from Nathaniel to discipline the radicals…!
Yes, yes!
Possible! Possible!
Pastel pointed decisively at Nathaniel, who was tied tightly to a pillar.
“Quickly reveal the connection between the radicals and the cult! You committed a tremendous diplomatic offense by committing murder right before the eyes of Pastel, who was commanded by His Majesty the Emperor! I already know all about your planned crime with the cult! You might as well tell me since I already know everything!”
It’s true!
I don’t know what you think I know, but it’s true!
Nathaniel’s eyes gleamed.
“What murder are you talking about?! And who do you think would speak for you! I have not a word to say to someone like Craft! You ought to get answers from the traitors!”
It was a cry of patriotism against evil foreign powers.
But it wasn’t entirely an inaccurate analogy.
Aaaah!
Impossible! Interrogation impossible!
Unyielding patriotism that does not waver even under the great Governor’s questioning!
“Why! Just tell me! Tell me!”
Pastel, feeling lost, attempted to whine.
After all, the Demon Lord, a fellow adult man, usually yielded when she did this.
However, Nathaniel just scoffed, clearly of a different caliber.
“Is that really what you call interrogation?”
Ugh, the whining doesn’t work.
Shock.
Pastel held her head and stumbled.
Leonard, panicking, supported her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t do it. The opponent is too resolute. At this point….”
There’s no choice but to resort to evil means.
Pastel closed her eyes and then opened them again. Her playful demeanor vanished, and her serious pink eyes glared at Nathaniel.
“Are you forgetting your situation? If you don’t behave, you’ll suffer dire consequences.”
“What?”
One of the Knight Corps members, who was observing from behind, brought various sharp tools whose use was unclear.
Nathaniel’s pupils widened at the sight.
“You wouldn’t dare…!”
“That’s right!”
Pastel perked up.
She pointed at him dramatically.
“If you don’t behave in time, I’ll attack the currency weakness of the Allied Kingdom and ruin the economy! If you claim to be such a patriot, you definitely can’t accept such an economic crisis!”
It had long been confirmed that an archaic stock market existed in the Allied Kingdom!
Exploiting the immature system to create an economic crisis would be a piece of cake for the competent Governor!
If Ellie were present, it would be a threat so significant that Pastel wouldn’t even mention it, but she had banned her from coming in, so it’s all good!
Silence fell.
Leonard, who was getting ready for something, and the Knight Corps member stopped and stared blankly.
“Wha, what? Currency weakness…?”
Nathaniel’s eyes widened in horror.
Pfft.
“Yes! I’ve already determined that the major trading guilds between the Allied Kingdom and the Demon Realm have incurred significant debt for the sake of high-efficiency growth! With my brilliant Craft intelligence, I’ve come up with ways to torment you!”
Ahahaha!
Economic plundering! Economic plundering!
Pastel is going to get rich~!
“If you are a true patriot, you should be at a loss for words at this kind of threat?! Hurry and surrender, and confess your evidence! Then there will be no need for me to take risks and launch an economic attack!”
Pastel became twice as confident.
Nathaniel, bewildered and silent, hesitated.
“What’s the currency…?”
Gah!
Pastel’s mouth gaped open.
An unexpected obstacle.
Nathaniel, who had been pondering, observed her reaction and seemed to remember something, smirking as he did.
“I understand what your intent is! You’re trying to intimidate me with fancy words I don’t know?! But it won’t work on me, Nathaniel of the noble Priestley family! Try your economic attacks! People will always eat bread; messing around with gold coins they can’t even eat won’t bring about any catastrophe whatsoever!”
“What?!”
Aaaah!
What a completely ignorant statement…!
This person just doesn’t get it…!
Pastel clutched her head and wildly shook it. Her pink pigtails flailed about, slapping Leonard beside her.
Impossible! Interrogation impossible!
Interrogating the great Governor is far too difficult!
“Haha! I’ve got it right! The Craft family is nothing special after all!”
Nathaniel swelled with pride.
Hyaaaah!
Pastel has lost…!
Pastel sank down.
Thud.
Leonard was left speechless.
“What are you doing?”
#
On the hotel terrace.
Pastel was scooping out ice cream from a glass with a spoon, groaning.
“The patriotism is so scary.”
Despite having captured someone who might know the radicals’ secrets, she couldn’t glean any useful information.
“What’s so hard? Just torture him.”
Leonard, who was leaning on his chin and merely watching her eat, clicked his tongue.
Gah.
Pastel trembled in shock.
“Leonard, are you a bad person?”
“No, hey. What good does it do to catch him if you leave him perfectly fine?”
Pastel scooped up a big spoonful of magic stone milk ice cream and exclaimed, “Wow~!” as she put it in her mouth.
Then she muttered with a mouthful.
“Leonard, were you a bad person?”
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
“If you really don’t want it to be known that you gave the order, then just act as though it was my authority.”
“Leonard, were you a bad person—”
As Pastel spoke, the cold ice cream made her teeth tingle, causing her to shudder.
“Ugh.”
Winter ice cream is super cold.
Her friend approached quickly.
“Pastel! Here’s cocoa!”
A steaming cup of cocoa was placed down. Magic stone powder sparkled inside.
“Thank you, friend!”
Hoo! Hoo!
Slurp, slurp.
“Huh.”
Pastel set the cocoa down.
She scooped up a large chunk of ice cream with her spoon, opening her mouth wide.
“Wow~!”
Nom.
Mumble, mumble.
Then her pink eyes gazed at Leonard.
What were they talking about again?
Oh, right!
“Leonard, were you a bad person—”
“I get it, stop talking.”
“Yes, yes.”
Pastel finished off the remaining ice cream. The glass was cleanly scraped, leaving no trace.
She set her spoon down and was about to speak when she noticed Leonard’s untouched ice cream and her pink eyes sparkled.
“Oh! Are you not eating?”
“You eat it.”
“Thanks!”
Pastel eagerly seized the ice cream and sprinkled magic stones on it as she nibbled.
The glass quickly became empty.
Pastel felt a pang of regret and bit down on her spoon. Sounds came from between her teeth.
“I just wanted to clarify so no one misunderstands; I’m not really trying to hint at you to exercise authority. It’s just that torture is a bit much.”
The spoon flicked.
“It’s very detrimental to my fragile sensibilities.”
Yeah, yeah.
Leonard frowned and crossed his arms.
“What are you getting all worked up over something trivial?”
Hehe.
But some things just can’t be helped.
“But the great Governor Pastel has her thoughts, so it’s all right! There’s already a way to make that Demon talk!”
The spoon landed in the glass with a clear sound.
“Everyone disperse! The great Governor needs some alone time right now!”
“If you need anything, just call for me.”
“Yes, yes!”
Leonard and her friend left the terrace.
Pastel casually inspected the terrace to confirm that they had all gone.
No one around!
She also checked to see if anyone was observing from the outside in the open air.
Only a few pedestrians were present, nothing suspicious!
“Fu fu fu.”
Surely, Leonard and her friends thought I’d come up with a brilliant method to solve everything, right?
But Pastel knew.
Intelligence is needed by the unlucky.
For the fortunate Pastel, it was unnecessary.
She cupped her hands like a megaphone and quietly shouted.
“Lord Fairy~!”
Black energy stirred within a decorative pot. The Lord Fairy, who had been hiding behind, peeked out from the top.
—Did you call for me?
“Fairy! I called for you! I did!”
The Lord Fairy perched on the pot, her expression tinged with arrogance.
—I already know what you desire. I can grant that much. Feel free to make any wish to this fairy.
The Lord Fairy crossed her legs and leaned on a small bonsai tree.
As soon as the tiny bonsai touched the fairy’s body, it creaked and twisted grotesquely, its surface drying and cracking.
—But it’s a bit difficult for me to keep indulging your whims, so perhaps a slight cost will be necessary from now on? Just a little.
Rotten leaves fell around the fairy.
—Still, I’m a kind fairy, so it shouldn’t be anything much!
The Lord Fairy smiled sweetly.
“Eh?”
Pastel felt that the fairy was saying something important, but something caught her attention instead.
Pointing at the bonsai tree with its decayed leaves.
“This is the hotel’s pot….”
If damaged, she would need to compensate.
—Huh?
The fairy turned to look at the bonsai tree behind her. All the leaves were withered and fallen, and the tree had become grotesquely dry and twisted.
—M-maybe. Is this expensive?
The fairy examined the tree clumsily. Her little hands touched the decayed tree for a moment before stopping.
—What should I do…? It’s dead.
The bonsai tree (expensive) is dead.
“Aaaah. I think that’s worth a whole countryside house!”
—Really?!
Shocked, the fairy was taken aback by its value surpassing her worth.
Pastel, with a sullen face, approached the bonsai tree. As she gently touched a branch from which all leaves had dropped, it broke easily.
Gah, it’s ruined.
The compensation would be a million times the hotel’s accommodation fees.
Her pink eyes, now devoid of spirit, looked down at the fairy.
“Fairy, could I possibly use a wish to revive the plant friend?”
—Reviving the dead is usually very difficult, and animals and plants aren’t that different…
Gah.
The shrunken fairy averted her gaze.
Pastel’s head drooped.
“I’m fine. These things can happen. I’ll compensate since I have the money.”
Starting today, her lunch money, which was already emptied from snacking (managed by the demon lord), was about to get even emptier.
—A….
The fairy silently broke out in a cold sweat.
It wasn’t on purpose, so Pastel decided to change the topic for the fairy’s sake.
“By the way, what were you saying? I think you mentioned something about a cost for wishes or something.”
The fairy’s eyes rolled briefly.
Then they suddenly became very confused.
—Huh? What cost?
What? A surprise.
—Since a kind fairy doesn’t seek a price for granting wishes?! Did you misunderstand?
“Really?!”
It seems I misunderstood!
Well, the kind fairy wouldn’t ask for a price!
Yay!
Long live the fairy!
