31 – The Language of Flowers

“You’re the Demon Lord after all”

No doubts about it.
She looks at me silently and smiles.

Her smiling face the exact same as the one I saw on Nuruhachi long ago.

“When did you notice?”

She stands beneath the large tree, a smile still plastered on her face.

“Since I saw your true body in the labyrinth”

Thinking back, the Demon Lord probably wanted me to notice from the start.

“Would you like some tea? This is a deluxe herb tea made from blue rose from the west that has a strong fragrance”

The herb tea she made when I first met her while preparing for the Meeting of the Ten Greats.

The blue flowers that bloomed around the Demon Lords frozen body as if to protect her.

Blue rose.

The smell immediately reminded me of that herb tea.

“How should I refer to you? Demon Lord? or would you rather…..”
“If possible, let’s keep things the same as before”

She removes her glasses and bows before me.

“Please call me Linden Lindburg”

Why would the Demon Lord infiltrate the guild and become a secretary.
Was it to have Chairman Barbaroy mistake me as the Demon Lord I wonder.

“Calculating the odds of Takumi-sama being the Demon Lord at this time with the information available.
It took two seconds, the result is 99.9999%”

Even in the Conference of the Ten Greats, she was unusually focused on passing me as the Demon Lord.

But that’s not all.
The guild rankings too.
Although I hadn’t done anything, I was credited with completing many missions alongside Alice.
Reaching Rank One must also have been the result of the Demon Lord manipulating things in the shadows.

“Linden-san, just what do you want me to do?”

Hearing my question, the Demon Lord does not respond and pulls something out of the air.

A blue rose.

She holds the single blue rose to her chest dearly.

“Do you know what this flower means in the language of flowers?”

I tilt my head.
I feel like Nuruhachi brought up that story in the past but I can’t remember at all.

“Long ago, blue roses did not exist.
It was said that creating a breed of blue roses was the dream of rose enthusiasts around the world and the blue rose came to have the meaning of the [Impossible]”

I don’t see where this story is going.
Is the Demon Lord trying to change the topic to avoid answering my question?
However the her serious expression makes me keep my mouth shut.

“When I first learnt the meaning of the flowers that Nuruhachi left me, I felt sadness.
In the end, it reminded me that I could not live amongst the world and had no choice but to live alone”

So Nuruhachi left behind those flowers huh.
‘Impossible’ in the language of flowers.
So Nuruhachi rejected the Demon Lord?

“However that was incorrect.
When blue roses were brought into this world, a new meaning was born.
Achieving what was said to be impossible, the blue roses’ meaning in the language of flowers is…..”

” “Dreams come true” “

Their voices overlapping, I look behind me.

So you came after me.
Standing behind is Chiharu.
From the atmosphere, it’s not the usual Chiharu.

“I see, you intend to be his guardian even in that form.
But could you let the two of us be alone for now”
“Is your change of heart due to the influence of the main body I wonder.
Sorry but please don’t get involved with Takumi any more”
“He should have been given to me by you in the first place.
The change of heart goes both ways doesn’t it?”

There is a strange mood between them.

“Chiharu.
It’s okay”

I force my way into that space and stop them.

“The two of us will talk this out properly.
Don’t worry”

“…..Understood”

After a long silence, Chiharu speaks a single word and closes her eyes.

“You’re practically out of mana.
Even though if you saved it up you could return to normal.
Have you been using it in small amounts”
“What do you mean by that…..”
“You should catch her”

As I’m about to ask her a question, the Demon Lord points her finger at Chiharu.
With her eyes closed, Chiharu falls over.
I catch her in a panic and hear her sleeping softly.

“How cute.
Reminds me of when Alice was a kid”

The Demon Lord is gazing at Chiharu resting on my lap.
The two of us sit beneath the great tree.

“So in the end, what does Linden-san want from me?”

She seems somewhat happy that I refer to her as Linden-san and not Demon Lord.

“Let’s see.
I want you to continue doing nothing”
“Nothing?”
“If I left you alone, you were planning to make an announcement during the second round right.
That I’m the Demon Lord not you”

That was the reason I participated in this tournament.

“You want me to play the role of Demon Lord forever?”
“That’s right.
Not just the Demon Lord.
The guild’s rank one and master of Alice, humanity’s strongest.
I want you to remain the universe’s strongest Demon Lord”
“Why do you want something like that……?”

The Demon Lord stares intently at me.

“That’s a secret.
I’ll tell you if you beat me”

There’s no way I could.
It seems that it will be impossible to learn the Demon Lord’s objective.

“Then my answer is no.
In the second round I will reveal Linden-san as the Demon Lord and retire from the tournament”
“I see, that’s too bad”

The Demon Lord stands up silently and looks down to me.
Negotiations have broken down.

…..or so I thought.

It was a true surprise attack.

The moment I noticed her hair touch my face, something was touching my lips.

The smell of blue rose wafted into my nose.

I only realised that something was the Demon Lord’s lips after the scent had passed.

“Huh!?”

My first kiss was stolen.
I don’t understand whats going on at all.

“It’s a ‘please don’t tell anyone’ kiss”

The Demon Lord smiles happily with a mischievous look.
Then she turns her back to me and leaves.

Unable to stand up, I sit beneath the tree touching my lips while Chiharu rests on my lap.

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