Chapter 19

“... Babysitting? You're telling the demon lord to babysit!?”

It was the morning of a seventday, the last day of the week. They had no class that day. Meline, Linda, and Kade were in the middle of enjoying breakfast when Linda dropped the bombshell on them.

“You don't mind, do you?”

“Of course I mind! I'm the demon lord! The highest ranking demon in all of Demon Lands! And now you're telling me to babysit a human baby?”

“I'm counting on you.”

“Listen to me!”

A knock came on the door. Linda stood up to open it. Meline and Kade shared a glance. Neither of them had invited anyone that day, nor did they have any business. It could only mean one thing.

Meline shook her head. “My goodness. Can't take a break, can I?”

Kade could only laugh. He had neither siblings nor a child back in his previous life, so he had no experience with them.

“Good luck?”

“... You do know that you're going to be helping me?”

“Good luck to me, too, I guess.”

Chatter came in the direction from the main door. Linda brought a child and her mother with her.

“This is Laura. Laura, say hello to uncle Kade and aunty Meline.”

“Au- aunty!?”

“Hello…” she waved. Both of them looked similar to Linda. Linda’s sister, the adult, was slightly taller than Linda with light green eyes and short red hair. She had a mature air around her, contrasting Linda’s confusing vibe. Her child, meanwhile, had a similar hair color, her long hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes, on the other hand, were silver, maybe from her father. Her eyes still had that precious sparkle, something that had disappeared from Linda’s.

Kade glanced at Linda. She looked both young and old. Their professor was young, and her face did show that, but somehow, Kade felt that she looked older than she was supposed to be. It was hard to believe that she wasn’t this girl’s parent.

She really has this confusing vibe.

Those who didn’t know her might be unable to tell her actual age.

“... What?” Linda cocked her head. Kade brought his attention back to the girl.

“Please take care of me…”

“... She's cute,” Meline whispered. She got down, kneeling on the floor, and patted her head. “Hello Laura, I'm Meline, and I'm the demon lord.”

Kade was shocked to hear her introduce herself that way, but neither Laura nor her mother minded. If anything, Laura’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Demon lord…? Aunt Linda said… Aunt demon lord… is good person!”

“I see, so Aunt Linda talks about me a lot?”

“Yes! Demon lord good cook, but sometimes stupid.”

With the smile still plastered on her face, Meline shifted her sharp gaze toward Linda, who pretended not to see her.

“Aunt Meline does make good food,” Kade said, bringing over a piece of the omelette she had cooked that morning. “Here, you can try it.”

Using the fork, Laura stabbed the omelette and cut a small part out of it. She brought it to her mouth.

“... Delicious! Good cook.”

Meline smiled. “That's good to hear.”

“Anyway, I'm leaving her to you.”

“Sorry for the trouble.” Laura’s mother bowed her head. “Laura, don't forget to behave, okay? Bye-bye.”

Linda and her sister left. Earlier, she had told them that her sister was passing by, so they decided to have a little catching-up. She told this to them this morning, so neither of them could get any preparation done. Kade himself didn’t mind, but he wished she had said so earlier.

“So… what do you want to do? Do you want to walk around the city?”

“Yes!”

“Alright then, let us finish our breakfast, then we'll take you around.”

“Okay!”

•••

First destination, the library. Not the kind of place one would take a small child to. Even weirder when the idea came from the child herself.

“... Is she normal?”

“Well… considering her aunt…”

At first, they planned to read her some children's books. Picture books with cute stories. What she picked surprised them. The first thing she picked up was a thick encyclopedia half her size.

“Do you understand what you're reading?” Meline asked, sitting to her left. Kade sat on Laura's right.

“... It's difficult, but yes.”

“Is there a reason why you picked that?”

“Aunt Laura is smart. I want to be smart. For world peace.”

It wasn't something one would expect a child to think about. That said, it was a commendable goal. One both Meline and Kade wanted to support.

“Is there anything you don't understand?”

“... Why demon fight?” Laura pointed toward a page detailing the second demon war. It told the story from the human perspective. Kade, already hearing the story from Meline, could point out some differences.

“Well, you see, lack of understanding can lead to disagreements. Disagreements, if not solved properly, will create lingering hatred. And, if you don't deal with that, you'll end up fighting.”

“... Are humans bad? Humans fight.”

“Well, not necessarily. You see, it's perfectly fine to disagree. It's natural, even. But you have to remember not to turn to violence. Violence leads to destruction.”

“... And destruction is bad.”

“Correct.”

Meline would help explain what she was reading, this time coming from the demon's perspective. She kept her voice down. Despite the way she acted, she understood that many were still uncomfortable with the demons. The hatred itself may have died down, and people may no longer see demons as evil thanks to Meline, but it would be best if no one heard Meline telling the story. Some truths are better kept a secret.

After spending some hours in the library, they’ve gotten hungry. Meline and Kade took Laura home.

“What do you want to eat?” Meline asked, already wearing her apron.

Wife. Kade thought, before quickly slapping his cheeks.

“What do you want me to cook for you?”

“Yes!” Laura said.

“That’s not an answer.” Meline chuckled.

Meline looked through the recipe books.

“How does macaroni soup sound?”

“Yes, please!”

Laura’s reaction was similar to before. She smiled in delight as she ate. After they ate, Meline pulled out some card games.

“It's your turn, Laura.”

“I use this card!”

Despite playing a pretty complex strategy game, Laura didn't struggle. Kade did notice Meline holding back. She played at only half her usual abilities, but considering that this is the demon lord, it was no less impressive.

In the afternoon, they took her out again, this time to the shopping district.

“That dress looks good on you.” Meline clapped. Laura did a little twirl. The purple dress fitted Laura well, looking as if it were made just for her. Laura looked like a princess of a great nation.

Her cuteness had a clear effect on Meline. Originally, they planned to buy just a set or two, but after seeing Laura try on the various clothes, it turned into a shopping spree. Both of her hands were filled with bags by the time they were done. She was forced to borrow the changing room, teleport back home to drop off all the bags, before returning. They then strolled around the shopping district some more.

•••

“I'm so sorry for the trouble!” Laura’s mother apologized profusely after seeing the sheer amount of stuff Meline bought for her daughter.

“It’s alright.” Meline waved. ‘We'll take it from Linda's paycheck.”

“Hey, I didn't agree to this,” Linda complained, which was promptly ignored.

“Goodbye, Aunt Meline, Uncle Kade, Aunty Linda.”

“Goodbye.”

“Stay safe out there.”

The three waved as Laura and her parents left. And thus, the day came to an end. It was a fun trip. Fun for everyone except one person.

“It's this expensive?” Linda exclaimed after seeing the receipts. “You’re kidding, right?”

The cost of all the clothes was the same as Linda's yearly pay. She received a lot of bonuses to account for her service with the heroes' party, but it was clear that the amount exceeded what she expected. Kade doubted she spent that much money on clothes for herself.

Linda clasped her hands together. “Please, oh great demon lord, I can't pay this.”

“Fine… but you owe me, alright?” Meline took the receipt. She had already told Kade that she had no plans on forcing Linda to pay for it. It was her decision, after all. She just wanted to see Linda panic, as revenge for this morning.

Well, because as much fun as the day was, they would really appreciate an earlier heads-up next time.

“Thank you very much!”