When I arrived at Megiddo-san’s castle, where I was supposed to meet Ozma-san, he was already at the entrance. Although there were still over 15 minutes until our appointment, it seemed he had been waiting while smoking a cigarette.
[Ya, Miyama-kun, welcome.]
[Hello, Ozma-san. I’m sorry for making you wait.]
[No, no, Uncle just arrived here early, so you don’t need to worry. Well, let’s not stand here chatting. How about we move and chat?]
[Ah, yes….. Is it okay not to greet Megiddo-san before we head out?]I asked Ozma-san as he immediately started to move. Technically, we were just using Megiddo-san’s castle as the meeting place, and we didn’t have an appointment with her specifically.
However, I felt it might be rude not to greet her since we were at her castle, so I inquired, to which Ozma-san responded with a light smile.
[Yeah, Master is out today and isn’t home, so no need to worry about that. She was apparently quite moved by an artwork displayed at the ship party before, so she might be making sculptures or something by now.]
[Ahh~~ Now that you mention it, I did see her in the Art Plaza in the Northern District of Symphonia before.]
[Symphonia’s Art Plaza certainly is quite famous. There’s a similar place in the Hydra Kingdom, which is also popular among young artists, though it’s not in the Capital but in another city.]
Hydra Kingdom has a penchant for progressive things, and their artwork tends to be quite daring. It’s almost like avant-garde art, which I didn’t fully understand but seemed close to contemporary art.
Anyway, since Megiddo-san wasn’t present, heading straight to Ozma-san’s home seemed fine.[Is Ozma-san’s house close from here?]
[Ahh, errr…… Can you see that small hill over there?]
[Ah, yes…… Is it located over there?]
[Unn. To put it simply, that hill is land owned by me, and my house is located there.]
[I see……]
So the whole hill is like Ozma-san’s garden…… That’s awesome. But well, considering Ozma-san’s status as a top-class figure in the Demon Realm, being one of the Six Kings’ Executives and a Duke-rank, it’s not surprising that he owns that much land. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if he owned a mountain.
[Still, it’s a bit surprising. I thought you lived in Megiddo-san’s castle.]
[Agni-chan and Bacchus-kun live in the castle. But I prefer a quiet place when I want to relax…… Plus, if you live in the castle, saying things like “Come drink with me”, Master would regularly gather everyone and hold a party.]
[That does sound like Megiddo-san.]
[By the way, speaking of Master, she seems to like Miyama-kun even more than before recently. So much so that she talks about you all the time. I mean, she even said something about liking you in a romantic sense……. Umm, are you okay with that? I’m not sure if I can stop her, but if you’re troubled by her actions, feel free to consult me.]
[Ah, no, I’m totally fine…… Rather than that, I thought Ozma-san liked Megiddo-san……]
Since the incident with Megiddo-san’s destructive impulses, I knew she had grown even fonder of me than before…… I mean, she openly declared it herself. Well, I’m a bit relieved that she’s stopped her initially intense and aggressive approach after apparently getting a scolding from Kuro.
That said, I had thought that since Ozma-san had long known Megiddo-san’s true form, he might have feelings for Megiddo-san…… but upon hearing my words, Ozma-san looked as if I just suddenly asked about the universe.
[……Eh? Do you mean romantically?]
[Yes.]
[……You sure say something so terrifying, Miyama-kun. No, “I” have sworn firm loyalty to Megiddo-sama as my King…… but thinking about having a romantic relationship with a tyrant like that, that’s just frightening.]
Ozma-san really seemed genuinely horrified. His use of “I” (Ore) instead of “this old man” (Oji-san) made it feel like he was being completely honest.
[……If I were to have a romantic relationship with someone, I would definitely want someone calm and gentle. You see, Megiddo-sama is quite overbearing, right? Being in a relationship with someone like that is definitely quite the hassle…… Rather, are you sure you’re going to be alright, Miyama-sama? Megiddo-sama really seems to like you, and she won’t stop easily.]
[……Ah, well, about that…… I mean, among those I know, Megiddo-san technically isn’t counted among those I consider as someone I can’t properly talk with…… I have acquaintances who are much worse, so forcefulness on Megiddo-san’s level isn’t really a problem for me.]
[……You’ve really grown, Miyama-kun. Honestly, I don’t feel like I can match up to you in that regard.]
Ozma-san spoke with a sense of deep admiration, and I responded with a wry smile.
<Afterword>
Makina : [Ah, how sad. To think that there were troublesome people who could make my sweet beloved child say something like this…… I’d like to see the faces of those fools at least once.]
Serious-senpai : [……Don’t you have a mirror?]
