The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King Chapter 72

Another World Dictionary

We were in Jeanne's room.

It was smaller than I was expecting.

Apparently, Eve had tried to assign her a larger room, but Jeanne said that she found them unsettling.

She didn't have much in the way of clothes or hobbies. She just wanted a room to pray in that also protected her from the rain.

That was a Saint. A servant of god had no interest in luxury.

Still, there was something feminine about the room as well.

It smelled nice, for one.

The smell of flowers and the smell of a woman.

It was nothing like the sweat of men. It smelled of citrus and was quite comforting.

Eve changed the flowers in the room every day. I could also smell the scent of her hair oil.

(…I've been thinking about nothing but the smell…)

I was starting to look like I had an aroma fetish, and so I stopped and looked at the room.

The only thing that caught the eye was the sword stand, desk, and bed.

There was nothing else.

Well, there was a trunk for clothes in the back, but it was very small and contained the bare minimum, it seemed.

"Those who serve God should not drown in greed."

Jeanne often said. In terms of being frugal and reserved, she and Eve were quite similar. However, Jeanne did have a greed when it came to eating.

She spent much of her salary on food and enjoyed walking through the town and eating at restaurants.

When I pointed this out, she replied, 

"God told me that a healthy appetite is proof of good health."

There was something shifty in her gaze that suggested this wasn't quite true, but it also wasn't very important.

"Now, it is time that you learn some words."

"Thank you. What are they, anyway?"

"A collection of letters. So, try putting C, A, and T together."

"Ca..t?"

"Yes. A cat."

"Oh, cats. I like cats. You look like a cat, Demon King."

She meowed.

"So, how about D, O, and G?"

"Hmm. Dog?"

"Correct."

"I knew it!!"

She said happily.

"Learn enough of these, and you will be able to read books. It's very similar to Latin. And Latin and French are similar."

"Yes, I will learn as many as I can."

"Good. By the way, I have a present for you."

I pulled out a dictionary that I had prepared.

"Ah, that is the book your maid was reading."

"Yes. It has the definitions of all of the words of this country in it. Learn the simple ones for now."

I said as I handed her the book. She accepted it and hugged it tightly to her chest.

"I will take good care of it as if it were you, Demon King!"

"Well, think whatever you like. But you must open the dictionary every day and look up words that you don't know."

"Yes. There is a word I've been thinking about."

She started to flip through the pages.

By the way, the word 'impossible' was not in it.

As Jeanne was French, I thought it would be amusing to make Napoleon's imaginary book, but it would probably be lost on her.

Or so I thought, but she quickly seemed to notice that something was wrong.

Was she going to point out the absence of 'impossible'?

No, she had been looking through 'A.'

"It has Ashtaroth, but the definition is wrong."

"Where?"

"Here."

She pointed.

Born in the Demon Year of 6547. One of the 72 Demon Kings. He is young and has the weakest army.

It read.

"That sounds pretty accurate to me?"

"Not there. Underneath it."

"Underneath?"

I looked and the only thing I saw was 'Unmarried.'

"It's not wrong?"

"But you are engaged."

Clearly, I was not. But it was obvious where her mind was.

She closed her eyes again, leaving her lips unguarded.

I was taken aback for an instant.

Unlike the previous time, she a calm and serene expression.

Like a noble Saint that was offering herself to god.

I was in danger of being controlled by her.

Or so I thought.

But then Eve banged twice on the open door.

"I'm sorry to disturb you while you're so busy."

It sounded like sarcasm at first, but it wasn't.

After all, she wasn't carrying a tray of tea. That suggested there was some matter of urgency.

She looked very serious as she looked at me.

"Master. Your plan has succeeded. Demon King Decarbia had his men attack the merchant wagons carrying the fake gold. And as you foresaw, he is using the money to hire mercenaries."

"He's not wasting any time then. It must have been because he knew I was going to declare war."

"I believe so."

"We will act sooner, then. I want you to send a messenger out and demand the return of the gold and to be compensated."

"They will likely be driven out or killed."

"Indeed. Send a prisoner as the messenger. And say that the sentence will be shortened if he comes back alive."

"Certainly."

Eve started to prepare.

Jeanne seemed to have been roused by Eve, who was now moving briskly, as things had started to move. Her expression turned serious and she prepared herself for battle.

And like that, the time of rest ended.

It was time to switch gears. I headed to the throne room.

Eve and Jeanne followed me.

They were back to their usual selves.

The faithful maid, and the ferocious warrior.

They were like polar opposites but were similar in how different they were on and off the battlefield.

—Of course, neither would ever admit to this fact.

Chapter end