Chapter 4
At that moment—
“These arrogant humans…!”
A voice echoed from high above. It came from the top of the ship’s mast.
But most people on the deck didn’t hear it. Only one priest, who was a little more sensitive, sensed something.
“Did anyone else feel something strange just now?”
“Come on, Priest. What could be strange out here on the sea? Probably just some seagulls flying around for scraps.”
But the priest tilted his head and kept listening.
“No, I’m sure I heard something. And… I have a bad feeling.”
“You’re just not drunk enough. Here, have another drink!”
While they were being treated like seagulls, Ludwig and Ariella stood atop the highest mast of the Empire’s warship.
It was late at night, and no one noticed them up there.
Even when Ludwig raised his voice on purpose, no one paid attention.
Ariella frowned.
‘This is bad.’
They were about to stage a fake kidnapping.
More precisely, a fake kidnapping by the Demon King.
If Ludwig just made her vanish quietly, it wouldn’t work.
They needed witnesses to believe that Ariella had truly been taken by a dangerous demon—like a natural disaster in human form.
That way, the Empire wouldn’t try to come after her.
And her kingdom wouldn’t be blamed.
So she planned a big, dramatic scene.
“How dare you step into the Demon King’s domain without fear!”
Ludwig recited the line she had given him, but his voice barely reached beyond the mast.
He was totally monotone and uninterested—his acting completely lifeless.
Not scary at all.
Ariella’s face twisted in frustration.
“Are you whispering? No one’s going to hear that!”
She jabbed him in the side.
“Get angry! From the gut! Use your diaphragm!”
The stage was set. The script was ready.
All that was left was a passionate performance.
But with acting like this, no one would even glance their way.
“Again!”
She urged him to try once more, but Ludwig looked annoyed.
He was the Demon King, after all, yet here he was taking orders like some actor.
Why am I even doing what this human tells me?
Still, for some reason, he followed her instructions.
“Humans dare invade my domain…!”
Ariella made him try several more lines.
Then she thought to herself:
‘Who’s going to believe this guy’s a Demon King? I need a new plan.’
Instead of bad acting, maybe a flashy explosion would catch more attention.
She turned to Ludwig and asked,
“Can you blow something up?”
Ludwig’s eyes lit up a bit.
He clearly preferred that kind of task over reading lines.
“Blow something up? Where?”
“Let’s start with one of the barrels down there.”
Ludwig didn’t answer.
Instead, he raised a hand and pointed at the wooden barrels stacked on the deck.
And then—
BOOM!
“Aaaaah!”
“What the—?!”
“Kyaaa!”
A barrel full of alcohol exploded into flames.
Fire shot up into the night sky, scattering sparks like red stars.
The flaming liquor sprayed into the air as the barrel shattered.
Screams echoed across the deck.
The peaceful party turned into chaos in seconds.
“What’s happening?!”
“Who’s launching fireworks out here?!”
“Someone put that fire out, now!”
Ariella watched the chaos and finally smiled.
“Good. That’s more like it.”
Ludwig, now encouraged, used magic again—this time without being told.
FWOOOSH!
Flames shot from his hand in a sharp arc and struck the deck.
But the fire didn’t stop there—it moved.
At his gesture, it followed his command, racing along the deck like a living serpent.
Wherever the flames passed, they left black scorch marks behind.
Ariella’s eyes widened.
That was the fastest, cleanest fire spell she’d ever seen.
Meanwhile, Count Igor let out a terrified scream.
“AAAAAAAH!”
The fire passed so close, he thought it might hit him.
Sweat soaked his wig, which shriveled and singed from the heat.
“H-Haa…”
His legs gave out, and he collapsed.
When he reached for his wig, the leftover heat made him jerk back.
Holding his burning hand, he mumbled,
“What… what is this?”
The flames had clearly come from above.
Everyone on the ship instinctively looked up—
—toward the mast.
“Up there! Look!”
What they saw made their jaws drop.
“Who is that?!”
“No way… Princess Ariella?!”
“And who’s that man with her?!”
The princess—who should never have been up there—was standing high atop the mast with a strange man.
Everyone was confused.
Who was he? Why was Ariella with him?
The man stood calmly under their gaze, draped in a long black cloth.
It was silk taken from Ariella’s dowry to cover his too-casual island outfit.
He was tall enough that the cloth looked like a proper cloak.
But it wasn’t his clothes that drew everyone’s attention.
“Look—his head!”
A priest pointed, his hand shaking.
Horns. Sharp ones, growing from his head.
That was the sign.
“He’s a demon!!”
That scream was the signal.
Panic exploded.
“A demon kidnapped the princess!!”
Just as Ariella had hoped.
“Save the princess!”
Soldiers rushed forward, drawing bows and aiming toward the sky.
But no one could fire.
Someone stopped them just in time.
“Wait! What if you hit the princess?!”
The wind was strong, and it was dark.
It was too dangerous to attack.
So the priest stepped forward.
“Oh no… a demon?”
His face, already red from drinking, turned pale.
He began to pray, voice slightly slurred.
“O Goddess of the Moon… punish this wicked creature!”
Silver light flashed from his body.
The beam of light shot straight toward Ludwig and Ariella in the sky.
But—
“Hmph.”
Ludwig frowned slightly and flicked his fingers, like brushing off lint.
The light vanished, as if it had never been there.
It didn’t affect him at all.
The priest’s eyes bulged.
“It didn’t work! He’s not an ordinary demon!”
“Wait—if he’s not ordinary…”
Real fear spread through the imperial guests.
Then Ludwig, face stiff and voice even stiffer, shouted his line:
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Now do you understand, foolish humans?! You dare challenge the Demon King?!”
Ariella felt another headache coming on.
That wasn’t even the line I gave him…
But oh well.
Everyone was already panicking.
They weren’t going to care if the acting was bad.
“The Demon King?!”
As the chaos reached its peak, Ariella leaned in and whispered in Ludwig’s ear, like a director coaching an actor.
“Now!”
FWOOOOSH—
Ludwig floated up into the sky, taking Ariella with him.
Ariella was amazed.
He could fly without even chanting a spell?
But then—
“Ghk!”
She let out a choked gasp.
Ludwig had grabbed her by the back of the neck and yanked her up with him.
His grip was rough—completely without care.
Her throat tightened. Her eyes bulged.
She swung through the air like a fish on a hook.
Angry and struggling to breathe, Ariella flailed and punched him hard in the stomach.
The pressure on her neck loosened.
“Are you crazy?!”
She shouted the moment she could breathe again.
Sure, she told him to carry her and fly—but not like this!
“You’ll kill me before we even get away! Who grabs people like that?! Is this your first time kidnapping someone?!”
Ludwig scowled.
“Then how should I carry you?”
“Change the position—aaaack!”
Ariella never got to finish her sentence.
