“I…”

  She can't finish.

  The blue-skinned female demon in front of me opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again like a broken NPC who had just lost her dialogue tree.

  I waited. Patiently.

  Very patiently.

  Too patiently.

  “…I see,” I said at st, smiling in what I hoped was a calm, wise, Demon Lord who definitely has his life together smile.

  “So, you don’t actually know how to manipute the system.”

  Her shoulders twitched.

  The demons around us leaned in.

  I tilted my head slightly. “That’s… disappointing.”

  Her green eyes darted away.

  I stepped closer.

  The crowd audibly sucked in their breath.

  I lowered my voice. “Then that means…”

  I met her eyes.

  “…you were lying?”

  Her lips trembled. “I... I...”

  Nothing came out.

  Not a single word.

  The murmurs exploded.

  “WHO IS SHE?”

  “SHE DARED QUESTION THE LORD!”

  “IS SHE A TRAITOR?!”

  I raised a hand, and the noise dimmed just enough for me to think.

  Good. Authority still worked. Sometimes...

  I leaned in again, intending to finish this cleanly, when something caught my eye.

  “Huh...?” Her arm. Specifically, her sleeve. Or rather, the way she was very aggressively trying to keep it down.

  I narrowed my eyes.

  She noticed immediately.

  She yelped and yanked her arm back, clutching it to her chest. “W–WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

  I blinked. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

  “DON’T COME CLOSER!” she yelled.

  “I’m literally standing still.”

  She pointed at me with her free hand, face red. “P-PERVERT!”

  The word echoed.

  Silence followed.

  I froze.

  “…Pervert?” I repeated slowly. “Me?”

  “Yes! You pervert demon!” she shouted, voice cracking. “Staring at my arm like that!”

  The demons gasped with judgment.

  “Oh no,” I muttered. “No! I just saw your—” I started.

  “PERVERT!!”

  “I WAS GOING TO SAY ‘YOUR SKIN’—”

  “STOP MAKING EXCUSES!!”

  The crowd erupted.

  “THE DEMON LORD IS A PERVERT?!”

  “IS THAT PART OF THE PROPHECY?!”

  “I DIDN’T READ THAT PART!”

  “MAYBE IT’S A SECRET CLAUSE!”

  I rubbed my temples.

  This day was cursed. Absolutely cursed. Before I could regain control...

  BWOOOOOOO—

  The stupid, dramatic, world-ending horn.

  I stiffened.

  “Oh no...” I knew that sound. I felt that sound. That was the sound of consequences arriving at full speed.

  “SIR! NO! MY LORD! MOVE!” A red blur smashed through the crowd.

  Sparks exploded.

  Stone cracked.

  “MY LORD!!” Sparky shouted, skidding to a stop in front of me, spear raised, eyes bzing. “I HEARD SOMEONE SHOUT ‘PERVERT’!! WHO DARES?!”

  Every demon pointed.

  ...

  At me.

  Sparky’s head snapped toward me.

  Her eyes widened, “M–MY LORD?!”

  “Sparky… I wasn’t,” I said weakly.

  She turned slowly toward the blue-skinned demon.

  “And YOU?!” Sparky roared. “EXPLAIN YOURSELF!”

  “I... I...” the girl stammered.

  The crowd started arguing.

  “No, it was her!”

  “No, it was the Demon Lord!”

  My headache hit legendary levels.

  [Announcement: Demon Lord Stress Level, Catastrophic.]

  “Oh shut up,” I muttered.

  I needed a distraction.

  A big one.

  A loud one.

  A me one.

  ACHOOOO!!

  Light exploded outward.

  Gasps turned into screams.

  [ACHOOOO!! Skill Activated!]

  [Transforming…]

  [Announcement: Demon Lord successfully transformed into a male!]

  The world blinked.

  My center of gravity shifted. My voice dropped about an octave.

  The crowd froze. Dead silent.

  Sparky stiffened so hard sparks shot up her spine.

  The demons fell to their knees. “GLORY TO THE DEMON LORD!”

  Even the blue-skinned demon froze, staring at me like she had just seen a myth punch reality in the face.

  Good. Attention regained.

  I straightened, rolled my shoulders, and raised my voice.

  “LISTEN UP!" My deeper voice echoed across Zone 3.

  The crowd quieted instantly.

  “I am not letting a random demon accuse me without reason.”

  I turned sharply toward her and pointed. “I noticed something strange on your arm.”

  She flinched.

  “You,” I said, “have blue skin. Correct?”

  Her jaw tightened. “W-what about it?”

  “ANSWER CLEARLY.”

  “Yes!” she snapped.

  I stepped forward.

  Fast.

  Before she could react, I grabbed her wrist and lifted her arm.

  She gasped.

  The crowd leaned in.

  “There,” I said, pointing to a small patch near her elbow. “That.”

  The skin there was... Not blue.

  It was pale. Human pale.

  The demons screamed.

  “WHAT IS THAT?!”

  “HER COLOR IS WRONG!”

  “SHE’S PEELING?!”

  “IS SHE MOLTING?!”

  She trembled violently.

  I turned to her, lowering my voice.

  “Be honest,” I said. “Who are you?”

  She stared at me, eyes wide, lips shaking.

  I leaned in closer.

  “You’re not a dem—” I didn’t finish, because suddenly she grabbed my colr.

  Pulled me down.

  The next thing I felt was something moist, soft, and warm pressing against my lips and I caught a faint, sweet scent that was absolutely not demon like at all.

  The world exploded.

  “M–MY LORD?!” Sparky screamed.

  [Announcement: The Demon Lord has experienced first kiss.]

  The demons lost their minds.

  “K–KISS?!”

  “SHE KISSED THE DEMON LORD!”

  “IS THIS A RITUAL?!”

  ““I’VE NEVER SEEN A DEMON LORD KISSING SOMEONE!”

  I froze.

  Brain empty.

  Soul buffering.

  She pulled back just as fast, face burning red.

  Zone 3 descended into total chaos.

  And somewhere deep inside, I knew...

  This was only the beginning.