“But your son, Lunarsion… is he into men? Or half-demons? I’d always thought he was such a cherished child before…”
“No, it’s just plain love. I hadn’t even noticed it myself, but my Sweetheart was like, ‘Hah, lol—isn’t it so obvious when they’re together? Yet you didn’t notice? Lol, I’m cracking up!’ ”
“That woman is as infuriating as ever.”
“Don’t you dare call my eternal Love, my Sunshine, and wife Theodora ‘that woman.’ She’s the queen, after all. You’ve always had such a foul mouth.”
“The pot calling the kettle black.”
The conversation derailed. The two middle-aged men fell into thought again, but an answer soon emerged.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Have Lunarsion and his Tsukihana Rikyū begin their newlywed life together.”
“Yeah, that’s probably how it’ll go…”
And so the conclusion was reached. With a marriage recognized and blessed by the saint—and with dignitaries from all over the country gathered—if anyone were to declare, “Let’s cancel the marriage after all!” the royal family’s prestige would plummet. In the worst case, it could even lead to a conflict with the church. That had been clear from the start.
It was nothing but a waste of time—a futile struggle, and what’s done cannot be undone.
“Ugh… if you make Lunarsion cry, I’ll kill you.”
At the thought of such a situation—one of those “it happens to other people, not to me” cases of a beloved child marrying a dear friend—Baldred’s eyes welled up. Honestly, it was irritating.
Because it was so annoying, Dagan decided to console him.
“Soon enough, Lord Lunarsion will be the one to say he wants to part ways. Don’t worry—I won’t stand in his way.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a half-demon. Right now, I’m celebrated as a hero—a warrior who defeated the Demon King—but in the end, I’m nothing more than a monster. And a battered old man at that. Look at reality and you’ll lose your appetite… Hey, pull back that murderous aura.”
With a face twisted as if he had chewed on a bitter pill, Baldred growled, “You idiot.”
“Is there any other kind-hearted, caring monster like you? You’re human—my best friend. Don’t ever say that again.”
“…Uh…My bad.”
Dagan turned away to hide his embarrassment. Baldred remained unchanged since the day they met—still Dagan’s dear friend, “Pugilist Bald.”
However, being scorned as a half-demon—a monster—has been the norm since forever. While many come to accept Dagan as they get to know him, it’s only natural that strangers, on first meeting him, are intimidated and repulsed.
The only ones who never called him that, who never shrank in fear or looked upon him with disdain, were Baldred, Theodora, and Lunarsion. Without those three, Dagan would never have become a hero. (Though, admittedly, Baldred and Theodora have sensibilities far beyond those of ordinary folk.)
“So, what do you think of Lunarsion? I know you’ve always kept an eye on him, though.”
“Ah… His Highness Lunarsion is far more exceptional than any of you.”
Dagan would never forget the day he first met Lunarsion.
Author: Yohan O
A bit of this, a bit of that, a bit of everything except straight
