Auraniess was fighting Melinda.
Marius, who initially thought it would be troublesome to get involved, reconsidered, realizing it would be less troublesome to let them fight it out now.
Since Iris and Sophia had agreed to stay behind as a precaution, Marius found himself free for the first time in a while.
“Ugh.”
While Auraniess was being blown away by Melinda’s magic, Marius stretched his back with all his might.
He wondered when it had been since he had been free from worrying about Auraniess.
(What should I do?)
Marius was at a loss, unable to think of anything to do. His wives and vassals handled the political matters. His titles had even evolved to “Puppet King” and “Ornamental King.”
He felt he really ought to learn, but then again, he wondered if it was right to increase other people’s workload.
(I’m not just using that as an excuse to escape work, you know.)
He made an excuse in his mind. It should be said that it was a reaction to having shouldered the burden of dealing with Auraniess alone. Controlling a Demon Lord who could, if they wished, destroy the world was an important task not only for humanity but for this world itself. Now that it was gone, Marius had no work.
(I wonder if I’ll eventually be called the “Idle King.”)
The first king of the Kingdom of Tubant chuckled wryly. He had been given various titles, but none carried malice, so he couldn’t get angry. In the country where he was born and raised, “freedom of speech,” “freedom of expression,” and “freedom of thought” were recognized. He thought that while full freedom of thought might impede state administration, the other freedoms should be fine. However, Marius couldn’t grasp the “degree of moderation” in this world, so he ended up leaving things to others, which in turn led to him being called the “Abdication King.”
When Marius returned to his room in the castle, Al was already there. The succubus, who resembled a cat, was burying her face in Marius’s bed and purring.
“Al?”
When Marius called out, she rolled off the carpet and looked at him in a panic.
“I-I demand a redo.”
To the familiar, who said this stammeringly,
“A redo of what?”
Marius replied, exasperated. Al turned bright red, looked down, and drooped her tail and ears. It was as if a teenage boy had been caught by the girl he liked while smelling her gym clothes. An awkward silence hung in the air.
(I didn’t do anything, though.)
Marius thought of something trivial. He was more the type to lift skirts and get scolded.
“Is something wrong?”
At that moment, El appeared, either by chance or pretending it was.
“Ah, no.”
Marius hesitated on how to explain. He felt he couldn’t say, “The familiar was purring and sniffing on your bed.” El looked from her master’s face to that of her comrade, then clapped her hands.
“Al will die if she doesn’t sniff Master’s scent. Please forgive her.”
“That’s not a condition I have!”
Al blurted out reflexively. Without realizing it, negating El’s attempt to help made her excuse even more difficult. Marius wasn’t particularly intent on pursuing the matter, so he quickly changed the subject.
“El, why are you here?”
“I sensed Master’s scent.”
Towards her master, who instinctively took a step back and checked his own smell,
“Just kidding.”
El smiled.
“Not funny…”
“My apologies.”
She apologized to a dejected Marius with a face that showed no remorse. The King, realizing it was futile to reprimand her, lay down on his bed.
“Master, what about Auraniess?”
The two succubi asked Marius simultaneously. They too seemed to have the impression that looking after Auraniess was their duty.
“Yeah. Auraniess is just playing around, so it’s fine.”
Marius replied with a bright smile.
“Oh, congratulations.”
El bowed gracefully. Al, not feeling the need to say as much, simply bowed in silence.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
El said, then lay down on Marius’s right side. Seeing this, Al exclaimed, “Ah,” and secured the spot on his left. Pressed from both sides, Marius thought, “This is normal,” and stared at the ceiling. Feeling it was a bit too mundane, he stroked their tails.
“Hyan.”
With a cute, somewhat alluring voice, the succubi remained passive, letting him do as he pleased.
(It’s been a while since I’ve relaxed like this…)
Marius thought this as he relaxed. Since being reborn into this body, had there ever been a day of true rest? First, it was survival, then adjusting to court life, followed by life as a “hero,” and since becoming King, it had been a daily routine with Auraniess. He couldn’t recall a single day of rest.
(Huh? Was I actually working non-stop?)
An unpleasant sweat broke out. The fact that he hadn’t felt fatigued was probably thanks to the body of “Marius Tubant.” He disliked being grateful to Nyarlathotep, but perhaps he should be.
As Marius, Al, and El lay companionably on the bed, Zofi arrived for some reason.
“Master. And Al and El.”
Her face lit up upon seeing Marius, but she scowled upon noticing Al and El on either side of him, making her feelings quite clear.
“What are you two doing?”
To the question from Zofi, her former master and current superior, El replied.
“We’re just lazing around with Master.”
The Demon Lord succubus’s temples twitched at her uninhibited manner.
“You…”
She wanted to yell at El, but hesitated because her master was right beside her. Of course, El knew this and was acting deliberately. Even if Zofi scolded her, saying “Are you borrowing your master’s authority?”, El would likely retort with “A losing dog’s bark.” Zofi knew El’s personality well.
“Master, may I join you?”
She managed to look up at him while looking down, a feat that made Marius nod with a wry smile. He couldn’t refuse Zofi alone. Having received her master’s permission, Zofi’s lips curled up happily as she climbed onto Marius.
“Please excuse me.”
Although she said this just before, her words were drowned out by the “Ahhh” from Al and El. Marius silently accepted Zofi’s soft body. The King’s bed was large enough for nighttime activities, but it was meaningless now, with three people fitting closely together. It wasn’t unusual for Marius, so he calmly stroked Zofi’s ear. Zofi’s cheeks softened with pleasure, and she closed her eyes.
“Mmm.”
Two voices sounded, and something soft pressed even closer to Marius.
(How cute.)
Marius described the competitive urge the succubi felt towards each other as such. While attacking or poisoning each other was out of the question, a competition to see who could be more affectionate was more than welcome. Incidentally, Marius was unaware of the “Anti-El Alliance” at this time. Neither El nor Auraniess had done anything to report it. Embraced by the three succubi, Marius spent a leisurely time.
(Days like this are nice sometimes…)
He thought vaguely. He wondered if this would last until Auraniess got bored of fighting Melinda. She wasn’t easily bored, so perhaps it might continue. The warmth of the succubi’s bodies, combined with the sunlight streaming in from outside, warmed Marius’s body. He felt increasingly sleepy.
(Come to think of it, when was the last time I took a nap?)
He wondered this as he drifted in and out of consciousness. At least, he hadn’t had one since Auraniess’s invasion. That meant it had been quite some time ago.
(In that case, I should do it while I can.)
Thinking this, Marius lost consciousness. The succubi, realizing their master had fallen asleep, moved away and settled into a comfortable sleeping position.
“Lady Zofi, what do we do?”
Al asked in a small voice. Zofi looked at El, who was trying to sleep without disturbing her master. Seeing this, the other two also hurried to imitate El. The three succubi eventually fell asleep. Emma, who had come looking for Zofi and the others, discovered them in this state.
“Oh ho.”
Seeing Marius and the succubi napping together, the candidate for next head maid chuckled softly and arranged for a cool breeze to enter the room. Then, she pretended not to have seen them and left. However, it did not end there. As the saying goes, one cannot stop people from talking, and somehow the story of “Marius taking a nap” spread. His wives were understanding, saying, “It’s fine to do so once in a while,” but the citizens gave Marius a new title: “Nap King.”
“It’s not like any nickname is fine, you know.”
The King of Tubant, who had accumulated more titles, grumbled. The populace had no malice; it was an expression of affection, so he couldn’t get truly angry.
“If a King of a nation can get a nickname just for taking a nap, isn’t that good enough?”
These were El’s thoughts on the matter. Marius, who didn’t think it was such a big deal, suspected she meant that he should just let it be a minor issue and therefore stayed silent.
