[Q) What should I do if I encounter Hero Himmel?]
[A) Congratulate yourself, as you have just met one of the only genuinely good humans alive.]
Himmel smiled as he read the text from the book he had just borrowed from Linie.
Apparently, she carried extra copies of it and happily gave one to him after he asked.
'I didn't know Sukuna thought so highly of me...'
He felt embarrassed, believing he didn't deserve such praise.
Still, the fact that Sukuna had gone through the trouble of creating an entire book dedicated to human-demon harmony made him let out a sigh of admiration.
"Sukuna is a kind person..."
Himmel paused as his gaze landed on the next page.
[Q) What if Hero Himmel tries to kill me?]
[A) Die. You deserved it. It's 100% your fault.]
"..."
Well...
He was a bit extreme.
Still...
"Frieren, this book is really comprehensive. Do you think we can help add something to it?"
Himmel asked as he looked back at his companion.
Only to see her pouting.
----
The next day.
Inside Sukuna's office.
"I advise you not to do something stupid, Frieren."
Sukuna spoke in a calm tone, looking at the tip of the wooden staff pointed directly at his face.
Standing opposite him was the embarrassed Hero Party, with Himmel and Heiter hurriedly trying to calm Frieren, who stubbornly kept her staff aimed at Sukuna.
"Only a dead demon is a good demon... isn't it?"
Frieren said in her usual flat, quiet voice, her cheeks slightly puffed.
Sukuna ignored her and turned toward Himmel.
"How have you been, Himmel?"
Himmel finally managed to push Frieren's staff downward before replying.
"Mr. Sukuna, we've been doing well, especially thanks to your funding. It helped us immensely..."
"You can put your hand down, Solitaire."
Hearing Sukuna's voice, the Great Demon calmly lowered the hand she had been pointing toward Frieren.
If Frieren had shown even the slightest intention of attacking, Solitaire would have blasted her apart without hesitation.
Frieren quietly glanced at the demon from the corner of her eye, silently assessing her strength.
A Great Demon...
Sukuna suddenly asked Himmel in a casual tone.
"So... have you and Frieren done it yet?"
"W-What?!"
Himmel nearly jumped out of his seat.
"You know... intercourse, sex, sexual reproduction... the thing most adults do in private."
Sukuna formed a circle with his left hand before pushing a finger through it in an exaggerated attempt to explain.
Himmel's face instantly turned bright red.
He hurriedly grabbed Sukuna's hands.
"M-Mr. Sukuna.... there's really no need to demonstrate....."
Sukuna stared at Himmel's pitiful expression before letting out an audible sigh.
He had already received his answer.
"Are you kidding me? Even after I gave you such a head start, you still haven't made any progress?"
"Mr. Sukuna, can you please hold back a little?!"
Himmel nervously turned to look at Frieren.
Only to find her wearing a small, victorious smirk.
Huh?
What did that expression mean?
His question was answered the very next second.
"You are a demon after all, Sukuna. You cannot understand how a human heart feels."
Frieren lifted her chin proudly, as though she had just won some grand victory.
"I already asked Himmel, and he said he didn't love me! Which means you were mistaken! You don't understand the human heart!"
Sukuna: ...
Heiter: ...
Eisen: ...
Himmel: (༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ)
Solitaire suddenly stepped forward, stopping directly in front of Frieren with her usual gentle smile.
"It is you who is mistaken, elf."
"Sukuna has already understood how humans feel."
"He is the greatest demon of our time."
"I will not allow your limited imagination to second-guess his work."
Frieren quietly met her gaze before glancing back at Sukuna.
Indeed...
She knew Sukuna was different.
He had built an entire city where humans and demons could live together.
He dedicated his time to helping demons understand humans.
He never hesitated to punish demons who harmed innocent people.
Sukuna truly was...
Different.
Though...
She had only been joking.
Frieren quietly opened her mouth.
"I'm sorry."
"..."
Everyone froze.
Frieren...
Apologizing to a demon?
Even Sukuna looked genuinely surprised.
Then a wide grin slowly spread across his face.
He leaned closer and turned one ear toward her.
"What did you say?"
"I couldn't hear you properly."
"Can you repeat that?"
Frieren tightened her grip around her staff, barely suppressing the overwhelming urge to smack him across the head with it.
Taking a slow breath, she repeated herself in the same calm voice.
"I said... I'm sorry."
"Good."
"Now repeat it another 998 times."
"...."
"Go on."
"What are you waiting for?"
Seeing the ancient elf's expression become increasingly sullen, Sukuna finally stopped teasing her.
He extended his hand toward Himmel.
"Welcome to Dawn City, my friend."
Himmel clasped his hand and smiled.
"Thank you... my friend."
Without another word, Sukuna naturally wrapped an arm around Himmel's shoulder.
"Come on."
"I'll show you around."
"You can tell me about your adventures along the way."
Under Sukuna's insistence, the Hero Party was effectively dragged out of the office, with Solitaire calmly following behind.
---
Dawn City
"That's the industrial zone. As you can see, we've set up several factories throughout this entire sector, producing goods in large quantities, like this shoe."
Sukuna casually picked up a blue-and-white sports shoe and showed it to Himmel.
"...It looks beautiful, Mr. Sukuna..."
Himmel commented with widened eyes as he felt the soft sole and remarkable elasticity of the shoe.
He had never seen such a comfortable shoe with such a unique design.
The color even matched his hair.
Heiter and Eisen also stared at the boots and casual clothing with shining eyes.
Seeing that these people were Sukuna's guests, the factory workers happily showed them everything.
Frieren was especially attracted to the high heels.
It seemed...
There was finally some hope for her.
Demon Solitaire calmly stood to the side, quietly reading her magic book.
Next, Sukuna showed them the most popular product these days.
Bicycles.
The four adventurers were instantly attracted by their usefulness.
They were especially left dumbfounded when the Great Demon Solitaire calmly put down her book and started showing off her BMX skills.
It was truly an eye-opening experience.
10/10 experience, not gonna lie.
As they walked toward the next area, they ran into Linie and the Slider Demon.
The moment the two spotted Frieren...
They instantly turned into furniture.
Only for Sukuna to look at them with a disappointed gaze.
---
Inside a café.
"You guys subdued the Demon Sage of Destruction? Bose the Immortal?"
Sukuna asked curiously while sipping his tea.
"Yes..."
"He was an extremely difficult opponent. We almost didn't make it."
Himmel replied with a wry smile.
He felt somewhat guilty telling Sukuna that they had just killed another Demon Sage.
Though Sukuna truly didn't mind.
It was only a pity he hadn't been able to recruit Demon Bose as one of his subordinates.
Anyway.
"So what's your plan going forward?"
Sukuna asked, watching Frieren devour sweets from the side.
"Elf, if you eat that much, your teeth will rot," Solitaire remarked.
"Leave me alone... I want to enjoy myself..."
Frieren mumbled as she stuffed another cookie into her mouth.
Himmel smiled at the scene before answering Sukuna.
"We'll continue traveling north, saving those who need our help until we finally reach our destination."
"The Demon King?"
"Hm."
Himmel nodded.
"Mr. Sukuna..."
"Do you think the Demon King will be as strong as you?"
"No."
"I'm stronger."
Sukuna answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Haha... I certainly hope that's true."
Sukuna suddenly leaned forward.
"So..."
"Why aren't you proposing to Frieren?"
"Mr. Sukuna!"
"Why do you always come back to the same topic?!"
Himmel held his forehead before letting out a long sigh.
"I..."
"I love Frieren..."
"But she's an elf..."
"And I'm a human..."
"For her..."
"My entire life will pass in the blink of an eye."
"By the time she truly notices how short our journey together was... I'll already be gone."
Himmel took another sip of his drink before continuing with a small smile.
"Besides..."
"We haven't defeated the Demon King yet—"
"So you'll propose to her after defeating the Demon King?"
Sukuna suddenly interrupted.
Leaving Himmel completely stunned.
"I asked..."
"Will you propose to Frieren after defeating the Demon King?"
"I-I mean... If we return safely."
"Let's do it then."
"...?"
"Let's go beat the damn Demon King."
"...??"
"I recently made a new toy."
"Let's use it to blast the Demon King's castle into oblivion."
"...???"
A Demon Sage...
Killing the Demon King?
M-Mr. Sukuna!
I-Isn't there something terribly wrong with that?!
---
The next day.
A massive flying ship sailed through the skies.
Chasing after a poor Demon Sage they had randomly happened to encounter along the way.
"Ahahahaha! Run! Let me see how far you can run, Aura!"
"Damn you...! Have you lost your mind?!"
*BOOM*
"H-Hiiieeek!"
"W-wait! Please! We can talk!"
*BOOM*