## Chapter 204 – District 5 (2)
After spending much longer than anticipated having a delightful time with Rowoon, Ryu returned to the mansion, appearing more drained than usual. Additionally, a hint of worry was etched on his face. Fully accepting Rowoon’s pent-up desires required considerable energy, and he was unsure how to address the fact that he had stayed out for two nights because of it.
Had opening the mansion doors ever felt this daunting? While he had indeed eased his emotions by talking with Acer, this was the first time he had acted on them, wasn’t it? Despite his attempts to shake off the nervousness, it persisted. Still, he couldn’t just stand idly in the mansion’s courtyard forever.
Steeling himself, Ryu opened the mansion door and cautiously stepped inside. At this hour, Acer would likely be occupied with work. He decided to drop off his luggage in his room to avoid disturbing her, then quietly made his way to the drawing room.
As he opened the door to spend some time in the drawing room, he was greeted by someone he least expected.
“Oh my, it’s been a while.”
A gentle, caressing voice.
Before he could even identify the voice, his body was lifted into the air.
What was happening? All Ryu could see was light purple hair and something swaying.
It didn’t take long to understand the situation. Clara, unable to contain her excitement, had rushed over and grabbed Ryu’s hands, shaking them vigorously. Her strength was so immense that Ryu felt like a paper doll fluttering in the air. Was his arm about to be torn off? Just as that terrifying thought crossed his mind, Acer appeared.
“You’ll break him if you handle him too roughly.”
Thanks to Acer, who arrived like a savior, he was spared the separation of his arm from his body. He knew Clara meant no harm, but the difference in strength was overwhelming. Clara finally showed a hint of apology on her face and gently stroked Ryu’s shoulder.
“Sorry, I guess I got too excited again. Are you okay?”
“Y-yes, I’m fine.”
He felt like one of his arms had been stretched out, but he decided to keep it to himself. Leaving the now calmed-down Clara, Acer approached Ryu. She leaned in slightly and whispered in his ear.
“You were out longer than I expected, weren’t you?”
Here it comes. Ryu lowered his head and said in a trembling voice.
“I’m sorry…”
Acer widened her eyes in surprise and asked back.
“Sorry? Why? You can just make it up to me later, right?”
Ryu was taken aback by her reaction. He thought, ‘Can someone’s feelings really change this much?’ Ryu nodded and replied, trailing off.
“I guess so. I’ll make it up to you later… a lot more…”
Ryu’s gaze then shifted to Clara. He felt like he had been seeing her often lately. Reading Ryu’s gaze, Clara smiled and opened her mouth.
“You said you wanted to go to our district, right? If possible, I wanted to guide you myself.”
Having the Demon Lord personally guide him was an extravagant luxury. However, one question popped into his head. Ryu stood on tiptoe, brought his face close to Acer’s, and whispered again.
“Isn’t it possible to go there directly with Acer’s ability? Is there really a need for Clara to personally guide us…?”
Ryu’s question was reasonable.
Clara, hearing the whisper, answered in a bright voice instead of Acer.
“It doesn’t quite work that way. Acer’s ability requires knowing the exact location, right? But that’s difficult in our district.”
Until now, Acer had never failed to move to another district. However, the following explanation made everything clear. According to Clara, District 5 boasted the largest area among all the districts, roughly the size of three districts combined. Considering it was responsible for food, which was arguably the most important aspect of people’s lives, it was perhaps only natural.
In other words, there was a risk of ending up in a strange place and getting lost, so Clara’s guidance was necessary. Ryu listened to her explanation and then asked a question that came to mind.
“Isn’t it inconvenient to manage if it’s that large?”
“Ah, it’s okay. We have a lot of capable kids.”
In the districts he had visited so far, he hadn’t seen any aides assisting the Demon Lords like Acer and Charlotte. But on second thought, this was only natural, and Jane and Orca were the exceptions.
While he was having such trivial thoughts, a familiar voice came from behind.
“It seems like you’re done talking, so shall we go now?”
Charlotte, who had somehow entered the drawing room, was holding several bags, including Acer’s, his, and her own. Before he could even wonder about the unusually large amount of luggage compared to when they went to other districts, Acer opened a portal.
The first thing he noticed was the scent of grass reaching his nose.
Along with a refreshing breeze that made his hair flutter, what unfolded before Ryu was a vast field. He couldn’t take his eyes off the pure and lush greenery that stretched beyond the horizon. Numerous cows, goats, and other livestock roamed freely, grazing on the grass. One notable point was that there were hardly any people managing them.
He stood there for a while, speechless, with his mouth open at the sight of the most peaceful district he had ever seen. As if satisfied with Ryu’s reaction, Clara approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“What do you think? Amazing, right?”
Perhaps because of her strong attachment to her own district, Clara kept asking for confirmation. Ryu gazed blankly at the scenery and then honestly expressed his feelings to Clara’s question without exaggeration.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before… I didn’t know there was a district like this in the Demon Realm. I’m glad I could see it in person.”
Clara smiled brightly at Ryu’s praise and stroked his head.
“I love how honest you are. If it weren’t for Acer, I’d want to take you with me!”
Charlotte, hearing those words, said with a smile.
“That would be a problem. I don’t want to see the Demon Lord crying and making a fuss with tears and snot.”
Acer bristled at Charlotte’s words and retorted.
“W-when did I ever do that!”
“Oh? Did you erase what happened two years ago from your memory?”
It was fortunate that they could now laugh about painful memories from the past. Or perhaps it was the influence of the unique, cozy atmosphere of District 5.
Certainly, the aura emanating from Clara was different from that of other Demon Lords.
Behind Clara, who was walking ahead, Ryu grabbed Acer’s sleeve to get her attention and whispered.
“Clara feels different from the other Demon Lords.”
“Really?”
“Honestly, Acer, Jane, and Rowoon were all scary at first… but Clara seems very kind.”
The fact that her kindness came across as violence was scary, but he could understand it since she had no ill intentions towards him.
However, Ryu realized he had made a mistake after finishing his sentence. Sure enough, Acer pouted and turned her head away as if sulking.
“Oh, really? Sorry for being a scary woman.”
Charlotte was the first to show her teeth and laugh loudly at those words.
“It’s true that the Demon Lord has a slightly scary face. How nice would it be if you smiled more often in front of other people?”
He decided to keep the fact that he found Charlotte the scariest a secret until the end. Anyway, Acer was the priority now.
“But not now! I think Acer is cuter than anyone else right now!”
He was desperately trying to lift Acer’s spirits. Nevertheless, Acer remained silent. Was she really sulking? Thinking so, he turned his gaze to Acer and noticed that Acer’s ear, which was turned away, was noticeably red.
“I-it was a joke. It’s embarrassing to say that in front of others…”
Clara, who had been quietly listening to the three of them, smiled enviously and opened her mouth.
“You guys get along well. I’m jealous.”
Acer, still blushing, fanned herself with her hand and replied.
“You get along well with your people too, don’t you?”
“Even so, it’s hard for all of our kids to gather in one place and meet. I’m sometimes envious of you and Charlotte always being together so closely.”
“You have someone like that too, don’t you?”
“That’s right, they were originally supposed to come out to greet us, but they’re a bit late…”
After finishing her sentence, Clara thought nothing of it and started walking again. Where exactly was the end of this field? The thought of having to walk to the end of that horizon sent a slight shiver down his spine. Acer belatedly answered Ryu’s earlier question.
“Well, Clara is a bit unique. You can tell just by seeing her taking care of the livestock here, but it’s like she has maternal love? She feels that way towards all living things?”
The word “maternal love” was familiar. Hadn’t he just been filled with that feeling by Rowoon earlier? The only difference from Rowoon was that her maternal love was limited to Ryu, while Clara truly felt the same way towards all living things in this district.
That wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, being around Clara made him feel at ease, and he couldn’t help but want to rely on her.
Acer’s words that it was a perfect place to come for a vacation were by no means false. Ryu’s pace gradually quickened at the thought of being able to relax and rest for the first time in a while. Of course, they didn’t know it yet. They didn’t know what would happen in District 5, which they thought would be a simple vacation.
