About two weeks had passed since the demon lord decided to keep me.

They realized it would be hard for me to live in a cage, so they freed me from it. And today, I was peacefully working out, as had become the usual.

“181… 182…”

I had my feet anchored on the extravagant decorations sticking out from the walls, doing hanging sit-ups.

The weather in the demon realm was always changing, but there was a clear sky today. It didn’t matter to me since I couldn’t leave the room, but it somehow improved my mood.

Also, a black, string choker hung around my neck.

This choker was a magical tool I had to wear in exchange for freeing me from the cage, and completely sealed off my magic. My equipment was never returned to me, so currently, I only had approximately the same combat power as an ordinary human.

Naturally, I didn’t enjoy being in pain, so I didn’t dare defy the order to not leave the room, and spent my days idling around instead.

Incidentally, the toilet and shower were just beyond a door, inside the room. I also had meals, three times a day. A large, one-eyed bat-like monster would skillfully float the tray of food to me.

Apparently, these bat-like monsters that could only speak in broken language, were the servants in this castle.

I even named the bat that was ordered to take care of me, so it would come to me whenever I called it. They were hardworking, and really cute, flapping their wings around.

Though, I felt a little bad about letting them take care of me when they were so busy. And, since the only other soul that would enter my room was the demon lord, I was becoming a hero who was getting better at playing by himself.

Yes. The demon lord, who ran off screaming during our first meeting, didn’t show up for a week since then.

He finally started to drop by, about three days ago. On our second meeting, he gave me his usual murderous glare, and for some reason, he scolded me, “Don’t ever do that to anyone but me. Ever. Because you’re mine, up to the very last drop of your blood!”

I guess he didn’t want his treat to diminish fast. Yeah, that must be it.

The demon lord would come here to drink my blood, but he would also talk to me every time.

—Demons are savage, cruel and ruthless; the enemy of humankind.

That was what I had been taught, yet surprisingly, my life as livestock was peaceful.

Clack.

“Nn–”

I heard the door open, so I took my feet off the decorations and jumped down onto the soft carpet.

It caught my body as I landed, and I turned towards the door, while wiping the sweat off my forehead.

There, I saw a familiar man. He glared at me with his usual murderous look, then momentarily approached me.

Is he being careful, because I’m a hero? The way he’s approaching me so cautiously makes me feel like a stray cat.

With those thoughts, I ended up laughing.

“You, don’t do that. You look indecent…!”

“Huh?”

The snarky demon lord pointed at me, as I fanned my face with my hand while regulating my breathing.

How, exactly?

If I was just as he said, then his face that was much flashier than my plain one, looked more indecent to the ladies. He was an extremely rude demon lord.

“I don’t really get what you’re saying, but all I ever do is work out. You wouldn’t even let me leave the room. It’s pretty comfortable in here, considering it’s a prison, but… it’s boring. In the first place, is it even alright for me to be in such a nice prison like this? It’s quite different from the ones I know.”

“Uhh, t-this is how prisons for demons are like. It’s different from the culture of you, humans. This is without a doubt, a prison in the demon lord’s castle.”

“O-Okay… I see. So, it’s a cultural difference…”

I felt like it was not a good idea to point out the cultural differences between other races that much, so I decided to accept his explanation.

Back in the kingdom, the prisoners were held in a cold, dark, sturdy, and inescapable prison. They only had two plain meals, and the guards were always on the lookout. I somehow felt guilty.

I was in a luxurious room, with no restrictions other than magic. And, even though the room had a barrier where humans couldn’t pass through, three meals were being provided to me, with snacks in between, and even naps. So, the prison’s principles were completely upside down.

The demon repeatedly glanced at me, as I was quite doubtful of what he said. He probably wanted to avoid the topic, so he bluntly said, “It doesn’t matter!”

“You’ve been calling me ‘Demon Lord’. I think it’s unfair. I’ve been calling you ‘Shal’, and yet…”

“Is that so? Then, you can call me ‘human’. ‘Hero’ is also fine.”

“That’s not what I meant, you idiot!”

An ominous aura came out from the demon lord. He was on the verge of transforming to his second form, since his eyes flashed for a bit.

“My name is Azelidias Nilegown! I will specially allow you to call me Azel!”

Apparently, he wanted me to call him by his name.

He stomped his feet in frustration and growled. He was a demon lord, but he seemed to have an adorable side to him, despite being hard to understand, just like a junior high school student.

Rather, he was a junior high school student with the potential to conquer the world by force.

And, I thought that demons had to keep their true names a secret, since it would be quite a disaster if priests were to do something with it, but…

This blockhead of a demon lord seemed a bit cute, and I ended up chuckling.

“Hauu, ahh, your smile… I’m being purified… ugh!”

“Hm? Well then, I’ll take you up on your offer and call you by your name, Azel.”

“AUGH!”

I told him that I would call him by his name, and when I did, he covered his mouth with his hand, and turned his face away. Then, he trembled again.

“…Should I stop?”

“Wai- no, this is just a seizure, just an attack of a chronic disease, just wait a minute…!”

He seemed to have a seizure. I guess the demon lord also gets sick… Somehow, that made me feel strangely sad.