Pastel, who had just been scolded by the truly angry Ellie, rushed straight to her private dormitory after spending a terrifying time alone in the carriage.
“Uwaah!”
Ellie is so bad!
Totally bad!
If at that moment, at that timing, in that moment, she had such behavior, such judgment, such thoughts, she should be praised!
Of course, Ellie doesn’t know that Mr. Penguin is a spy, and thinks that simple-minded Pastel just blurted out the confidential information that the Demon King is fake!
Yet, while doing so, she gave a skeptical look as if to ask what kind of scheme the schemer Craft had concocted and whether he had intentionally (gasp) spoken it out loud!
—Could it be that he had some intention behind exposing it?
—Gasp, no way!
—Gasp…?
—No way!
Though it was true that Pastel deliberately said it to escape from Mr. Penguin’s sinister web, it wasn’t to concoct any scheme!
What does she think, that I’m always hatching wicked plots?
…I am Craft, though!
Anyway, the angry Ellie is bad!
Bad! Bad! Totally bad!
“Uwaah!”
Pastel dashed through the garden of her private dormitory. She flung open the front door and ran into the familiar kitchen.
“Uwaah! It’s a demon!”
Bursting open the kitchen door, she found the inside deserted.
Oh?
Her pink eyes scanned the interior.
No one here.
She softly closed the door and ran to the study this time.
“Uwaah! It’s a demon!”
She flung the door open. The smell of books wafted in, and there were only bookshelves without a human shadow.
Oh?
No one here either.
Pastel blinked in confusion. Swinging her arms around and glancing about, her eyes sparkled at a sound from the garden she had set up behind the private dormitory.
The garden!
She quickly turned and ran.
“Uwaah! It’s a demon!”
She flung open the back door of the mansion.
A demon in casual gardening attire was looking suspiciously at some roots.
Not giving a glance, Pastel shouted again.
“Uwaah! It’s a demon!”
Upwards! Upwards!
『How many times are you going to shout the same thing?』
“Why do you keep making me shout the same thing!”
Just stay in the kitchen!
『That’s absurd.』
The demon bent down and fiddled with the roots. Surprisingly, the roots were purple.
『Little Craft, look at this. The chicory that I planted yesterday has all turned purple.』
It was just as he said. Among the various vegetables planted in the magical garden, the chicory line alone was particularly all purple.
“Oh?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Did the demon finally realize a demonic fall? Is it perhaps time for Pastel to take her turn?”
Gasp, the horror of the cuckoo.
Then Pastel suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“Huh? Could it be? I think I know! The chicory friend sneaks into delicious salads to provide a strong bitterness! Finally, it’s revealing its true colors for that wicked act!”
The girl’s finger pointed accusingly at the chicory.
“Just as I thought it was purple! I knew from the start that you were a wicked minion of the Demon King! I, the governor Pastel, will banish you from the garden!”
Absolutely banish!
『Oh?』
The demon was impressed.
『I didn’t know. Chicory was a minion of the Demon King.』
“That’s right!”
Pastel nodded vigorously.
“If it weren’t a minion of the Demon King, it wouldn’t be added to salads just tasting bitter! And that too, it stands out so much!”
Pastel began her wicked chicory act.
“I only taste bitter! But you must eat it all without leaving any~! To shamelessly confess like that!”
I can’t forgive it!
『Oh?』
The demon, next to the chicory, took a handful of the similarly purple-dyed soil and sniffed it.
『I thought someone secretly sprayed disguise dye in the chicory field overnight.』
Oh?
“Is there really someone like that? That’s impossible.”
It’s surprising.
『But I think the culprit didn’t know.』
The demon pulled out the purple chicory, storing it directly in the vegetable basket without discarding it.
Oh…?
『The Craft family’s dye has been edible dye for generations. The crafty ones, who pretend to care for appearances, wouldn’t put anything harmful for their hair. So this chicory is safe to eat.』
What did you say?
The purple chicory was piled high in the vegetable basket.
Gasp.
Pastel’s pink eyes trembled with shock.
That’s impossible.
The chicory has evolved into doubly wicked purple chicory.
『A chicory salad would be nice today.』
A chicory salad.
Not just any salad, a chicory salad.
A salad featuring the wicked purple chicory…!
“Uwaah!”
Pastel buried her head in her hands.
“I think using chicory in a salad is a disqualification for a chef…!”
『Originally, vegetables are meant to enjoy bitterness. And the slight bitter taste of chicory heightens the appetite and adds depth to the possibly monotonous flavor.』
The demon casually approached the back door and passed through towards the kitchen.
“Don’t do it!”
Pastel clung to the demon’s leg.
“I’m not the culprit, but out of the culprit’s goodwill, please don’t make the chicory salad!”
『It’ll probably taste better than you think. If you use a dressing focusing on salty flavors, the bitterness will surely reduce.』
A glimmer of hope appeared in Pastel’s pink eyes.
“Then you won’t use it?”
Is that where the demon’s super ultra cooking skills come in?
The demon chuckled.
『There’s no way I won’t use it.』
“There’s no way you wouldn’t…!”
Pastel clung tightly to the leg. The already adapted demon dragged Pastel along as he walked.
“Master Demon! This is not okay! Absolutely not! I just got scolded by the truly angry Ellie! The wicked purple chicory at this timing is just unacceptable!”
『What did you do to make that princess angry?』
Ugh.
“There was an unavoidable measure. Mr. Penguin was actually Emperor’s spy, you see. So I confessed that the Demon King was a fake to escape urgently.”
『Oh?』
The demon was impressed.
『Without context, I can’t understand at all. Who is Mr. Penguin?』
“Mr. Penguin is partially Ellie’s aide. A brother I’ve known since childhood? Since she is a princess, I suppose all major figures would know each other, but that’s the case.”
I heard it from the truly angry Ellie.
Thinking about it, the reason for her anger seemed understandable.
Being discovered by another demon about the creation of the Demon King was a political blow, but being discovered by an older brother she knew since childhood was a psychological blow.
『If a close aide was a spy, it’s understandable that the princess would be shocked and angry.』
“That’s not it. Ellie doesn’t know. She’s angry because I blurted out that the Demon King is fabricated. I thought about telling her, but since Ellie struggles with acting a bit, I dropped it.”
『Hmm. I must remember this too. What was the name of that Mr. Penguin again?』
“Red, Redmoney…?”
That’s not it.
Still clinging to the demon’s leg, Pastel was dragged along the floor while pondering. The white hem of her dress brushed against the spotless corridor.
“Red, Red wine…?”
That’s not it either.
Pastel recalled Mr. Penguin.
Not Mr. Penguin, just the penguin popped into her head.
Penguin: Hello!
The penguin friend waved a wing in greeting.
Penguin: I love chicory!
What?
Pastel clung tighter to the demon’s leg, the hem trailing behind her.
“Anyway, Mr. Penguin is a penguin.”
They arrived at the kitchen.
Puu.
Pastel continued to cling until she was halfway across the kitchen floor before giving up and settling onto a chair.
Her chin rested on her arms, and her legs swung lazily.
“Master Demon, am I living wrong lately?”
The demon turned to wash the vegetables but only tilted his head.
『There are indeed many things wrong. First, it might be better to stop that greedy crime. You shouldn’t suffer from a lack of magic stones anymore, yet it’s only getting worse.』
“Even before Ellie got angry, I was a bit sulky. I guess I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt as a friend because I was sorting things out.”
『Hmm.』
“Ellie would feel it particularly strongly compared to others. I told her I would be honest enough not to let the Craft family be an obstacle during the railway concession auction…”.
Pastel shifted her chin to the other side.
“But due to my position sitting in a high place, being completely honest felt like a violation of duty, and I only gave hints that could be inferred, which made her feel it more strongly.”
Pastel slouched over the table.
One cheek puffed up slightly.
“It’s a little unfair. Ellie made it clear with a brightly colored handkerchief so I could guess. But then she insisted on asking rudely.”
In that case, it was only natural that as governor, I had to draw a line.
“If I were really trying to deceive Ellie, I wouldn’t use a conspicuous colored handkerchief for signals.”
If I signaled by tying my hair back at the window, there would be no way of being caught. I didn’t do that because I was worried that real Ellie might be horrified.
Ugh!
Pastel flopped halfway over the table, flailing her arms.
“Power and popularity are contradictory!”
Governor Pastel and popular Pastel have the same number of letters!
Gasp.
Inadvertently having the same number of letters.
The demon stopped washing the vegetables and pondered. He crossed his arms and spoke calmly.
『You are not doing anything wrong. Those who seek to protect their power suffer, and those who record power ponder, but the answers are questions that can’t be recorded. There’s no need to blame yourself for something impossible.』
Pastel lifted her head enthusiastically.
“So at times like this, it’s indeed right to quietly do what I should be doing?”
『Yes, you know well.』
The demon smiled.
“Hehe.”
Pastel got up from the table where she had been sprawled and stretched her body.
“Whew! Then from now on, I need to choose a flying scoff to head to the Demon Realm. The wicked Demon King’s minion is causing terror in the Demon Railways!”
Absolutely wicked.
“Though I secretly left it with Ellie, I must return to the Student Council and work hard!”
I am busy Pastel~.
There’s no time to catch my breath~.
Pastel rose from the chair, humming, and turned around.
『Hmm? What about the salad?』
The demon looked perplexed.
Pastel only turned her upper body to glance back.
“Master Demon, enjoy it a lot~.”
Her pink tongue peeked out.
Aha!
Pastel hurriedly dashed away.
Let’s go to the Demon Realm!
To catch the wicked Demon King’s minion!
Yay~!
