In the peaceful and tranquil Demon King’s Castle, an exquisite young girl dressed in lavish clothing sat on an open-air balcony.
She gracefully sipped the black tea beside her while basking in the sunlight.
Her snow-white hair fell softly over her shoulders.
A blood-red necklace hung at her chest, reflecting against her crimson eyes that looked like flickering flames.
—Beautiful, enchanting, and untouchable.
This was the noble existence second only to one and above all others in the entire Demon King’s Castle.
She was the daughter of the Demon King, the Blood Demon Princess—Histori Klein Historia.
‘Tsk, even after saying this name hundreds of times, it still feels like such a tongue-twister…’
The silver-haired girl shook her head silently and tossed the ceramic cup back onto the round table.
She placed both hands behind her head and crossed her legs, gazing toward the spire of the Demon King’s Castle.
It had already been sixty-two days since she had been sent to this different world by a large truck.
Aside from the lack of internet and video games, her current life was practically paradise.
Every morning, she woke up to a dozen succubus maids attending to her.
She enjoyed luxurious feasts prepared by top-tier chefs at a 10-meter table.
In the mornings, she would pretend to study books and practice magic.
In the afternoons, she would go to the demon training grounds to watch the soldiers practice archery and target shooting.
On Saturdays, she attended banquets and accepted rare treasures that the Four Heavenly Kings had plundered from all over the world.
On Sundays, she would laze in bed all day, reading the Complete Collection of Otherworld Dwarf Jokes while learning how to apply makeup and dress herself from her handmaidens.
Sighing, she remembered how she initially felt it was a bit of a shame that someone with such an upright personality as hers hadn’t been reincarnated as a Hero.
Now, it seemed the life of the Demon King’s daughter only grew more enticing.
She would be perfectly content living like this for the rest of her life!
As she thought about it, Histori’s gaze drifted down toward her chest.
As for the only annoyance in her life, it was probably this body, which was the polar opposite of her previous one.
Seriously, she had tried it for the sake of novelty at first, but the makeup skills she learned from the succubi were basically useless.
Even if she could make herself look exquisite and glamorous every day, it brought no benefits other than drawing gasps of admiration from low-level lackeys.
Besides, given her status, there was no one she actually needed to please.
Going forward, she might as well use that time spent on makeup to read novels instead…
*Knock, knock. Knock, knock.*
Just then, a sudden, hurried knocking sound came from the glass doors behind Histori.
‘Forget it. A demon’s life can’t be perfect. Let’s see what treasure the Four Heavenly Kings have offered me this time…’
Histori let out a faint yawn and beckoned toward her back before picking up her teacup again.
“Report, Lady Histori! That Hero has already fought his way into the Demon King’s Castle!!”
“Pfft—!?”
A single sentence shocked her three times over.
No longer caring about her dampened skirt, Histori immediately stood up from her chair.
She spread her hands in shock toward the Minotaur behind her.
“Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? What Hero? Where did a Hero come from? I’ve never even heard of such a person! And what do you mean he’s fought his way into the castle?! Isn’t our royal city a full 1,000 kilometers away from the border?! He—”
“Lady Histori, the Hero appeared suddenly a few weeks ago.”
The Minotaur scratched the horn on his head and said timidly, “The fellow has long black hair and wears a suit of pitch-black heavy armor. The first time he stepped onto the battlefield, he shattered the Third Heavenly King’s horn and cut off the Fourth Heavenly King’s head.”
“…Tsk. I was wondering why I only received three gifts at the banquet last week and didn’t see that other guy for ages.”
‘That useless Fourth Heavenly King. I knew a horse-head wasn’t up to the task.’
“Fine, where exactly has the Hero reached now? I’ll go talk to the Demon King and handle this as a formal matter.”
Histori was about to step into her role as the Demon Princess to stabilize the army’s morale, but at that moment, a grand voice suddenly resounded within her mind.
“There is no need, my beloved daughter. I have already sensed it. That weak Hero will likely arrive at the main gate of the Demon King’s Castle in a matter of moments.”
“Then… then what should we do now? Should we pack up our valuables and prepare to run?”
“What a joke. I possess power that is immortal and peerless. Even if that Hero has many divine protections, what kind of waves can he possibly stir in the Demon King’s Castle?”
“Really? That’s great! Then you should quickly—”
“However…”
The Demon King’s tone suddenly shifted.
“This Hero is indeed a bit unusual. I need some time to make certain preparations.”
“…”
Hearing this, an ominous feeling suddenly rose in Histori’s heart.
“Um, Lord Demon King, what do you mean by that?”
“Histori Klein Historia, as my beloved daughter and the strongest, most talented Blood Demon Princess of this castle, go and stall the Hero for a while before I am ready. Ensure that my victory this time is absolutely certain.”
“…Huh?”
‘Me fight the Hero? Are you serious?’
The corners of Histori’s mouth twitched silently, but a royal command was a royal command.
Fine.
Her magic combat classes over the past two months hadn’t been for nothing.
The instincts for battle still flowed through this body.
Even against the battle-hardened Four Heavenly Kings, she could sense that they were no match for her.
In other words, as long as she took it seriously, there probably weren’t many people in the entire world who could defeat her, right?
‘…Heh. Is my first opponent after coming to this world the Hero himself? Interesting.’
Histori lightly flicked her fingers, and five blood-colored blades instantly appeared between her fingers out of thin air.
After that, she simply gave a light wave toward the space in front of her.
—*Rumble!!*
Looking at the five pitch-black spatial rifts before her, she nodded in satisfaction.
Even though the Demon King only told her to stall for time, if she just insta-killed the Hero, it wouldn’t count as disobeying orders, right?
Next, she would let this Blood Demon Princess taste the flavor of a Hero’s blood!
“Lady… Histori.”
“What is it? Don’t bother me now. I’m thinking about what kind of entrance I should make in front of the Hero. A low-level lackey like you should hurry to the battlefield to fill the lines—”
Histori turned around impatiently, preparing to scold the messenger Minotaur.
However, a massive hole, nearly dozens of meters wide, had suddenly appeared in the luxurious Demon King’s Castle that had stood before her moments ago.
As for the Minotaur soldier, only the upper half of his body remained.
He was being held up by his head by a tall figure, his internal organs stained with black demonic energy spilling through the hole beneath him.
—Iron armor stained with countless layers of blood.
—Long black hair fluttering wildly.
—A cold, lethal, and exquisite face, with a violent gaze that seemed to have just crawled out of hell and a terrifying aura that looked ready to devour anyone at any moment.
…So this was the Hero they spoke of.
*Gulp.*
‘No, there’s nothing to be afraid of. The scene is just a little bloody, that’s all. I am the daughter of the Demon King!’
She couldn’t stay frozen.
It was her turn to speak.
‘Let me think. First, I’ll cross my arms over my chest, then lift my head haughtily and say to the Hero: “You’ve worked hard to make it all the way here, but unfortunately, today is the day you die—”‘
*Clang.*
Tossing the Minotaur’s remains aside, the Hero swung the blood-stained two-handed greatsword back onto his shoulder.
Then, he turned a pair of gloomy black eyes toward the pitiful-looking silver-haired girl.
Stern and indifferent.
Despite facing an exquisite and seductive beauty, the Hero’s eyes made it feel as though she had already become a corpse.
“…Hie!?”
‘No, that’s impossible!? How could I defeat a monster like that!? Even if I’m the Demon King’s daughter, it’s impossible!?’
But the Demon King was still preparing.
If she didn’t stand up now, who would?
‘Good luck, Big Sis who fights with her nails! You can do this! You carry the glory of the entire demon race on your back right now…’
Histori swallowed hard and prepared to manifest the blood blades on her other hand to fight the Hero to the death.
—*Thud.*
The Hero took a step toward Histori.
At the same time, a heap of shattered bricks poured down behind him, creating a clattering noise on the floor.
‘Uwah, so scary!? So scary, so scary, so scary!? Can I fly? Can I fly?! Even though I haven’t really used these wings since they grew, I’m the Demon King’s daughter, so I should be able to fly fast, right!?’
—*Thud, thud, thud…*
‘It’s over! My back is frozen!? Is my life as a demon going to end like this! Is it going to end without warning on a perfectly ordinary afternoon!?’
‘That sword looks so heavy. If he actually swings it, I’ll probably die pretty fast, right? There shouldn’t be much pain, right?’
The Hero’s hand holding the sword was unexpectedly white and slender.
‘I hope he grips it tight and gives me a quick end…’
‘…No! I can’t give up like this! Maybe the Demon King will be ready in the next second! I still have to work hard to stall!’
‘Even if I have to use some lowly rhetoric! Is there… is there any topic that could interest the Hero? Anything to let me live just a little bit longer?’
“Um, Lord Hero…”
Histori squeezed out a strained smile and raised her hands.
“You must be tired after walking all this way, right? Would you like to rest for a bit? Maybe take a break here? Or… let me do your nails for you? Your hands are shaped very nicely. They’ll look even more beautiful once I’m done!”
‘Wha—What am I saying to the Hero!?!?!?’
Sure enough, upon hearing those words, the Hero seemed to become even angrier.
Carrying the sword, he walked silently to the front of Histori and raised the heavy blade high.
‘I’m going to die. I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die…’
‘Whatever! Just consider it an extra two months of life. I’ve been happy and comfortable during this time, so even if I die now, I have no regrets!’
‘Come on, Hero! Aim for the head! You’d better kill me in one hit, or I’m going to have to run into your blade myself!’
*Cracked.*
In the next second, accompanied by a crisp sound, the Hero thrust his greatsword into the ground beside Histori.
After that, he sat down across from Histori and flattened the back of his hand on the round table.
Then, a somewhat dry yet unexpectedly cold and pleasant female voice came from the Hero’s throat.
“…Okay.”