Episode 24

 I Tried to Find Out What the Person I Love Likes, but I’m Not Very Good at Figuring Out People’s Feelings

This time, the story goes into a serious mode.

I was confused. I was in love. Not a carp. I didn’t intentionally fall in love. No, wait, calm down, this is not the time to be escaping reality by thinking of a pun in Suzuna’s language. (TN Note: Koi is love and Koi is also carp fish.)

Without knowing how I felt, Suzuna asked me innocently.

“You’re too embarrassed to say, hey, can you at least give me a hint? Was she a participant in the last marriage party or something?”

“No, she wasn’t …..She was a participant.”

I was about to deny it for a moment, but thinking about it, I remembered that Suzuna was also participating, so I affirmed it.

“Huh.”

Suzuna put her hand on her chin and looked at the rest of the room, thinking with a serious look on her face.

Eventually, she mumbled, “Well, that’s okay,” and then turned to me and smiled.

“If you don’t want to tell me now, I won’t ask. But if you’re serious, you’ll have to make a proper confession at some point. When you do, you’ll have to tell me. Also, I’ll at least consult with you. I’ve only experienced heartbreak myself, and if I don’t know the person I’m talking to, I’ll just be talking in general terms, but I can at least tell you how girls think.”

“Uh-huh, thank you.”

I said yes, but no matter how I thought about it, there was no way I could ask Suzuna about how to impress her. Even if I ask her, how should I ask her?

“I like you, can you tell me how to get you to like me?”

No matter how I look at it, I am an idiot. No, well, I’m certainly an idiot, but I’m certainly not… Wait, isn’t there some way we can discuss this?

“For example, what do you think would make you happy?”

“What kind of place would you like to see?”

Mm, yes! Suzuna has said that she will teach you in general terms. As a case in point, I can find out what Suzuna likes and what makes her happy.

Fortunately, I can converse with Suzuna without any problem. Then, I should ask her first! Didn’t Suzuna also say, “You have to be proactive!”

“What would make you happy and make you fall in love with someone?”

When Suzuna heard my question, she grinned and answered. It was a grin, not a smirk.

“You’ll have to guess about that, Demon Lord. It’s been more than four months since you met me. I’m sure I have said and done things that gave you some hints, so try to guess from that. If you practice like this, you should be able to guess what other party really likes from her normal behavior and words.”

It’s a good argument. It’s a good argument, but for me, it’s my least favorite thing to do. And if I could do that, I wouldn’t be using mind-reading magic to read my opponent’s mind.

In the first place, I was bullied as a child not only because I was poor. Some people, even if they are physically weak, have the talent to take advantage of the strong and take care of them. However, I was the exact opposite.

“You have a lot to say, huh.”

“Why are you so serious?”

“Inflexible”

“Don’t you understand how people feel?”

“Read the atmosphere of the place a little!”

This is something that I have been told a lot, starting from my childhood and even during my time in the monastery.

It seems that I am not very sensitive to the feelings of others. I like principles and rules, and I don’t like to deviate even a little from them.

People don’t like this kind of individuals.

What I have learned in my monastic life is that silence is golden. You don’t have to say anything. Only you should follow the principles and rules. Don’t worry about others. If you don’t, at least you won’t be offended.

We only need to match the top surface. I could understand that with reason.

But it was painful. It was excruciatingly painful.

Therefore, I fled to the mountains. Twenty years of loneliness, forty years of loneliness, and three hundred and eighty years of loneliness. I don’t know what that means to others but for me, it was more like peace.

Then I became the Demon King. I gained the power to do whatever I wanted. It was because I had gained such power that no matter what I did, others could never complain, that I was able to make the decision to descend the mountain.

When I came down here and actually interacted with people for the first time in three hundred and eighty years, I was surprised to find that I was not as concerned about following principles and rules as I used to.

The immense power gave my own mind room to breathe.

This is why I wanted to work for the world and for others. However, it was not for “anyone” in particular. If it had not been for the abstract purpose of “for the sake of the world”, I would not have taken the actions I have taken thus far. Even if I had faith at the root of it.

That’s right, the reason why I was so attracted to faith, that is, to the Savior’s teachings on “God’s love,” was because I thought that God was the only one who loved me, the one who was unloved. Wasn’t it because I was able to believe that at least God loved me?

In the end, when I came down from the mountain, I avoided socializing with people. I talked to the Kings and ministers of the countries I conquered, but in the end, it was only about business and policy. I never had a heart-to-heart talk with them. Also, they don’t have the courage to talk with a powerful man like me on equal terms.

The only “person” who appeared in front of me was Suzuna. A hero from another world. A person with power comparable to mine. In other words, the only one who is equal to me.

Yes, that’s right. I avoided people, and because of that, I became the Great Demon King, and because of that, I couldn’t interact with people, and the only person who interacted with me as a “person” was Suzuna. It was inevitable that I would be attracted to Suzuna.

All right, all right. I have to get it back. I must regain the 380 years of time that I have lost. I must regain the feeling of communion with others.

I can’t say that I’m not good at it. If you are not good at something, you have to train. If you don’t know how to do something, you have to learn.

“Yes, I understand. Suzuna, I will find something on my own that will make you happy, something that you will like. Wait for me!”

When I announced this, Suzuna’s smile changed from a grin to a smirk and she opened her mouth.

“That’s the spirit. Good luck with that.”

The smile on her face caused my heartbeat to spike again, but the next moment, Suzuna’s face turned serious again and she nailed me.

“Oh, but no mind-reading magic. It’s like cheating. It’s like stealing answers.”

In response, I held up one finger and waved it from side to side as I answered.

“No, no, no. It is almost impossible to read your mind with mind-reading magic in the first place.”

“What?”

I explained to a puzzled Suzuna.

“I can read minds, but I can’t read defensive magic. Of course, if I strengthen my magic and penetrate your defensive magic, I can read your mind. However, your defensive magic is equal to my maximum offense. You can instantly convert all the magic elements in this world into magic power and use it to strengthen your defense magic. In order to penetrate a defensive spell with that much power, I would need to have enough magic power to destroy the world. Therefore, the only thing I can’t read in this world is your mind.”

“I see.”

After hearing my story, Suzuna’s expression became half satisfied and half relieved.

But in the first place, I have no desire to read Suzuna’s mind. Suzuna gets angry at me for reading other people’s minds, calling it an invasion of privacy, so I’m afraid that I can’t read her mind. Even if everyone in the world hates me, I don’t want to be hated by Suzuna alone.

Then, I once again made a declaration to Suzuna.

“Well, let’s get started then. My love life is just beginning!”

But when Suzuna heard my words, she replied with half-lidded eyes.

“Demon King, it hasn’t even begun yet.”