Chapter 2
Ariella had imagined the Demon King would be old and scary.
But… this was totally different.
Just by looking at him, he seemed… seventeen or eighteen at most?
He had black hair and red eyes—the opposite of Ariella’s own red hair and blue eyes.
His pointed ears and two horns sticking up from his head clearly showed he wasn’t human.
Not that she needed those to tell—his face made it obvious.
His features had a smooth, beautiful shape that humans couldn’t have.
And those sharp, slanted eyes gave off a wild and otherworldly charm.
But then…
‘What is he wearing?’
Shouldn’t the Demon King be dressed in something all black, maybe with a cape?
‘Did he just come from working in a field?’
He was wearing a light, breathable shirt, rolled-up pants, a straw hat, and…
Was that a ukulele around his neck?
‘Is this a joke?’
Ariella glared at him, full of doubt.
She had risked everything on this magic. She couldn’t do it again.
What if it failed? What if this wasn’t the Demon King, but someone—or something—else?
‘I put my life on the line for this!’
Her eyes burned with intensity.
Then—
“….”
The boy’s red eyes slid away awkwardly, as if he was uncomfortable under her stare.
‘Did he just… look away from me?’
An awkward silence filled the room.
Shouldn’t the Demon King have said something dramatic by now?
Like, “Are you the one who summoned me?”
But he said nothing. So Ariella, getting impatient, broke the silence.
In a voice full of disbelief, she asked,
“Hey… Are you really the Demon King?”
The boy nodded silently.
Ariella was getting annoyed.
“Then… what’s with the outfit?”
The boy answered bluntly.
“…I was on vacation.”
Vacation? The Demon King goes on vacation?
That definitely wasn’t in the spellbook.
But… since he said it himself, she had to accept that she summoned the real Demon King.
It didn’t feel right, but she decided to move on to the next step.
With confidence in her voice, she declared:
“O Demon King! My name is Ariella Capelle Oinos. I am the one who summoned you—and I have a request!”
His sharp red eyes scanned her carefully.
Ariella stood tall and spoke proudly:
“Please… kidnap me!”
“…?”
The Demon King blinked, confused.
Ariella pointed out the cabin window.
A large imperial warship was following at a distance.
“While you’re at it… burn that ship down too!”
“Burn it?”
In Ariella’s cabin, she stood in a tightly-buttoned dress—fitted to imperial tastes—and the Demon King stood across from her in his beachy vacation clothes.
He tilted his head like he heard something strange.
“You want me to… burn it?”
Ariella paused.
Was he seriously saying he couldn’t? Wasn’t he the Demon King?
She was already suspicious because of his clothes and attitude. Now she was even more nervous.
Then the Demon King asked:
“How did you know… I can control fire?”
Fwoosh.
A small flame appeared at the tip of his finger.
No words. No chant. Just a gesture.
A normal human could never do that. He really was a demon.
“…I just guessed.”
Ariella wasn’t sure. It just came out naturally.
While she hesitated, the Demon King stared at the magic circle.
“Ah… Is it because of the circle? We haven’t even made a full contract, but maybe our minds are already linked?”
He looked deep in thought as he studied the symbols.
“This isn’t a normal magic circle. It feels like it’s packed with complicated binding conditions…”
…Like it is?
His words weren’t confident. Ariella noticed it right away.
Shouldn’t the Demon King be able to see right through a human’s magic circle?
Still, he looked impressed.
“This thing has serious force behind it.”
He frowned slightly as he said it. Even the way his brows creased was oddly beautiful—too perfect for a human.
But Ariella didn’t have time to admire his looks. She was running out of options.
So she blurted out:
“So… about my request—”
“No.”
Thud.
Her heart sank.
That fast?! He didn’t even listen to the whole thing!
He just said the magic circle was strong… But was he saying he could still ignore it because he was the Demon King?
He crossed his arms.
“I’m busy. My domain is already a mess, and now I’m supposed to deal with human drama too?”
So basically, he had too much going on already.
Ariella stared at him—no, stared at his outfit.
“You said you were on vacation.”
“……”
The Demon King flinched.
He really did look like he had just been sunbathing on a tropical island.
He snapped, frustrated.
“Yeah! I was on vacation! My first vacation in a whole year!”
He pointed at her furiously.
The ukulele on his back gave a weak plink! sound.
“And you ruined it! You! Human!”
“What are you talking about? I ruined it? …Didn’t you come here willingly?”
“Willingly?! I was dragged here!”
Ariella’s eyes widened.
So he didn’t even want to come? He was just pulled here against his will?
No wonder he was angry.
But still, she couldn’t let him go.
She had to convince him somehow.
Then the Demon King said,
“If we’re done here, I’m going back.”
“Wait! We’re not done!”
He couldn’t leave now!
If he left, Ariella’s life was over.
She felt panic rising in her chest.
But the Demon King ignored her and began drawing another magic circle.
Was it a return spell?
Again, his ukulele strummed a lazy note.
He mumbled under his breath,
“Not even a proper contractor, and already bossing me around…”
Contractor?
Ariella’s eyes lit up. That was the word she was waiting for.
“Then let’s talk about that now!”
“…What?”
“The contract. Make one with me—an official contract.”
“Why would I? What’s in it for me?”
“There’s a lot in it for you!”
“…What are you scheming?”
The Demon King raised an eyebrow. Now he was curious.
This was her chance.
Ariella straightened up, her face serious.
“Demon Kings share their magic with their contractors, right? At first, it looks like a loss for you—because you give away your power. But think about it.”
He said nothing. His expression was hard to read.
Still, Ariella kept going.
“Why do so many Demon Kings in history make contracts with humans—even if they lose some of their own power?”
He stayed silent, waiting for more.
Ariella smiled inside, but kept her voice calm.
“Because it makes you stronger too.”
A human contractor grows fast. Their magic power increases. Their soul becomes stronger.
And the Demon King, linked to them, grows as well.
“It’s like 1 + 1 equals 10—or 100! You both win.”
“…I know that already.”
He spoke with a half-skeptical tone.
“But that only works if the human has serious potential. Do you have proof you’re worth 10, or 100, or 1000?”
“There’s your proof.”
Ariella pointed to the magic circle beneath them.
The Demon King looked down at the complex symbols.
“This is my first time summoning a Demon King. And look—perfect results. You said it yourself. It was strong enough to drag you here against your will.”
She didn’t stop for a second.
“If I could do this in the human realm, imagine what I can do in the demon world, where magic is stronger. I’ll grow even faster. And you’ll benefit too. Think of this as a smart investment. The return will be huge.”
“…It is a powerful circle. I’ve never seen anything like it—even in the demon world.”
Then he asked casually,
“Where did you learn this?”
“Self-taught. I studied it from a magic book.”
“You learned this… just from a book? By yourself?”
His eyes widened.
Honestly, it didn’t make sense.
Magic circles weren’t just lines—you had to control your magic perfectly as you drew.
It was almost like art.
Doing it alone was nearly impossible.
Mentioning the magic circle worked.
At first, he rejected her instantly.
Now, he looked like he was seriously thinking about it.
They were almost there.
Finally, he looked her up and down and asked,
“You’re wearing nice clothes. What do you do?”
“I’m a princess. From the Kingdom of Oinos.”
“A princess? Then… have you ever managed a country?”
Not all princesses are trained to rule.
But Ariella had been. She had studied law, budgets—even helped with royal decisions.
“Yes.”
After that question, the Demon King stayed quiet for a long time.
Ariella’s mouth was dry. Her heart pounded, but she kept her calm.
She forced a confident smile.
And finally…
The Demon King opened his mouth.
To be continued
