A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss

ty to Lefi’s antics.
But the circumstances being what they were made her usual theatrics infinitely more exciting. You know, now that I think about it, Lefi has always had a bit of an impish side to her.
She’s always loved poking fun at me and teasing me whenever I’ve given her the chance.

“N-nothing important,” I said.
“Really?” She cocked a brow.
“Well, whatever the case, I must say that it is too bad you have lost the form you obtained this morning.
You had become quite the adorable thing.
But now, you are not.
It has once again become impossible for you to be described as cute in any capacity.”
“Oh, well, I’m sorry I’m not cute anymore.” I rolled my eyes.
“I can try acting like a kitten and meowing or something if you really feel like you’ve missed out.”
“You have my curiosity piqued, but I must refuse.”

The other girls had finished showering and started heading over, so she let go of me with a laugh as she got into the tub and on my lap. Nononononono! That is NOT a good idea right now!

“H-hey!”
“Hey what?” she asked.
“What do you mean, what? I should be the one asking you that! What the hell are you doing on my lap!?”
“I fail to see the issue.
Is this not precisely what we have always done?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s not!”

I could feel it.
I could feel every curve, every muscle, every last bit of her firm perky butt as it pressed itself against my legs.
I couldn’t let her sit in front of me.
For reasons that didn’t need explaining.

“I’m starting to get a little bit jealous of how close you two are,” said Nell.
“I think that’s just somethin’ we gotta expect,” said Lyuu.
“Lefi’s known Master for much longer than we have.”

Both girls slipped into the bath as they spoke.
Unlike Lefi, they’d at least kept their towels on.
That, however, wasn’t exactly helping.
The only thing the thin layers of cloth did was serve to emphasize the girls’ chests, especially since they sat right at the waterline.

Thinking of chests reminded me that there was, in fact, a leaderboard for that too, one from which the kids were naturally excluded.
It went as follows:

1.
Leila
2.
Nell
3.
Lyuu
4.
Lefi

Leila’s top seat was as indisputable as it was when it came to board games.
She was simply unrivalled.
There was nothing any of the others could do to even come close to putting up a fight.
Nell seemed fairly slender when she had clothes on, but actually had a decent pair of knockers.
The competition was actually fairly tight when it came to Lefi and Lyuu.
Both their chests were of a much more moderate nature.
It took a careful side by side comparison for me to discern that Lyuu’s were very slightly bigger. …I’m glad none of the girls can read minds.
‘Cause if they could, I could easily see myself ending up six feet under.
Hell, they’d probably take it a step further and bury me in the middle of the forest just to make sure I’d never be heard of ever again.

“A-alright girls, you mind telling me what is going on? Because this is really embarrassing, and I’m really fucking confused.”

The bathtub was one of the larger models.
While the four of us did in fact fit, it was starting to get a little too cramped for comfort.
The way everyone’s bodies were basically glued to mine only made things worse.
Or in this case, harder.

It felt like I was in the middle of a minefield.
Even the slightest movement would lead to me touching something I wasn’t supposed to.

“W-we’re probably just as embarrassed as you are, but…” Nell’s voice trailed off in the middle of her explanation, so Lyuu took over the role of explaining the status quo.
“It ain’t everyday that we get the chance to spend some time in private with you, Master.
I ain’t complainin’ about how things normally are.
I still think livin’ here’s real fun, but this, this is different.
It’s special, y’know?”

The two girls exchanged a glance before smiling shyly.

“That, in essence, summarizes my intention,” said Lefi.
“I chose to invite them after coming to the realization that this would be one of the few rare opportunities we would have to speak in private.”
“…Fair enough.”

Looking back, I realized that our family had grown far beyond my expectations.
At first, it had just been Lefi and I, and I’d honestly expected it to stay that way.
But things changed as time came to pass.
The number of residents had only continued to grow.
Personally, I didn’t mind the noise that accompanied the change in the dungeon’s population.
We were, in effect, all one big family.
We ate together, played together, and lived together.
But that was precisely what made it so difficult for the girls and I to find time alone.
It was almost never just us.

“Speaking of everyone else, how are they? Did Illuna and Shii get to bed?”
“They’re both sound asleep,” said Nell.
“And Enne’s off playing shogi with Leila.”
“Yeah, I figured as much,” I said.
“Man, I owe Leila big time for all the shit she puts up with.”
“Indeed.
this abode of ours likely would not function without her.
It is she that keeps lives in line, and she who has allowed us to put this event together,” said Lefi.
“Ah, yes.
That reminds me, were you not going to wed her? I see little reason for you to leave her as the sole adult estranged.”
“Lefi’s got a real point there, Master.
Were you just not gonna marry Leila?”

The tone in which they made the suggestion was so casual that I couldn’t help but allow it to elicit an awkward chuckle.

“I don’t think it’s right to marry someone because you don’t want to make them feel left out.
That just isn’t how that works,” I said.

Plus, I’m pretty sure wives are the type of thing that you’re only supposed to have one of.
I’m getting the feeling that the girls are starting to get a bit desensitized to this whole harem thing.
And I’m not sure I like where this is going.

“I think that you two make a good point, but Yuki does too.” Unlike the other two, Nell still seemed to be in possession of her common sense.
“I think that this is more about how he and Leila feel about it than how we feel about it.”

You tell ‘em girl.
See, this is how normal people are supposed to react.

“Nell, I’m just going to go ahead and say that I’m really glad you’re here right now.”
“Huh? Where’d that come from?” she asked, puzzled.

Rather than answering the question, I chose to laugh it off as I went back to facing the forward direction.

Warmth embraced me from all sides.

It was comfortable.

Extremely comfortable.

Just having them near me put me at ease.

Even my heart, which had been beating at a thousand miles a minute, had slowed itself down to something just a tiny bit faster than its usual pace.

A strong emotion slowly worked its way through me.
It was bliss.
Happiness in its purest form. Alright, so I know thinking this while I’m literally surrounded by women is going to make me sound like some sort of degenerate, but I gotta do it.
Having a bunch of girls touch you all over feels super good.

I could, quite literally, feel their affection.

Their love.

Knowing that they were girls that had promised themselves to me only served to elevate the sentiment whirring about within my chest.

We were just messing around, nestling up to each other, and talking about whatever.
But that alone was enough to make it feel as if I had everything I ever needed.
Like I had been fulfilled.

After a brief moment of silent reflection, I raised my arms, wrapped them around Nell and Lyuu’s shoulders, and pulled them closer while placing my face right next to Lefi’s.
It was the exact thing she’d done to me just a little bit earlier.
Both the warwolf and the hero squeaked in surprise.
The dragon, however, had a bit more sass to her.

“One moment, you are a coward.
The next, you are suddenly acting with bravado.
How awfully suspicious,” said Lefi with a teasing grin.
“Was the change driven by a sudden urge to be fawned upon?”
“Nah, not even close,” I laughed.
“I just, you know, had a sudden thought.” I paused for a moment to smile, gently.
“I really do love you.
All of you.”

The girls’ faces turned red.
And not because they’d been in the bath for too long.

“W-where’d this come from all of a sudden, Yuki?” asked Nell,
“I-I know, right? T-That was like a bolt right outta the blue.
I’m real shocked right now, Master.”
“…I was not aware you were capable of delivering such a line,” said Lefi.

I mean, you’re kinda right.
I’m not, at least not normally.
The only reason I’m saying it now is ‘cause of the mood. There wasn’t really much I could do about the mood of all things.
Cuddling with the people I loved in a nice warm bath had basically set it in stone. Anyway, that’s enough rambling out of me.
I’m pretty sure you already more than understand just how good I feel right now.

I stopped thinking about happiness and allowed my mind to wander yet again.
A sudden thought popped into my mind, so I allowed it to give itself voice.

“…Where exactly did that potion come from anyway?” I wondered. ‘Cause that shit was weird.
Both its effect and the way it wore off were super weird.

Much to my surprise, the casual question I’d directed at no one in particular elicited a twitch.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the reaction’s silver-haired source.
“Wait a second…” My eyes narrowed.
“Why so jumpy, Lefi? You got something to tell me?”
“I-I know not what you were talking about.”
“Talk.
Now.” I said in a flat, unamused tone.
“I-I have very little of note to say.
I simply believe that I may have a slight idea as to the potion’s origins.” Cold sweat dripped down the back of the dragon’s neck as she gave her schpiel.
“I may or may not have recalled seeing it once,” she said, nervously.
“But only after you consumed it.”
“Go on.”
“Do you remember the instance in which you attempted to investigate the possibility of crafting your own potions?”

I recalled the exact experiment Lefi was talking about.
I’d felt that potions were eating a bit too heavily into my budget, so I’d done a few quick experiments in order to determine whether or not I could craft my own.
In the end, the idea had been a flop.
All I was really able to figure out was that the mana they contained was of a different nature to the mana that most living things possessed.

“Yeah, what about it?”
“The concept of crafting one’s own line of potions piqued my curiosity, so I took the opportunity to do precisely that whilst you remained away from your desk.” She laughed awkwardly as she did everything in her power to avoid my gaze.
“I poured my magical energy into a bottle alongside a random assortment of materials.
However, I soon grew bored and placed the bottle back amongst its peers without verifying the fruits of my intervention.”
“Wait.
Weren’t you the one saying that everything I did today was entirely my fault?”
“I-I suppose I was,” she stuttered.
“A-and I stand by the statement.
While I was certainly was responsible for the potion’s synthesis, it was you who chose to drink it despite lacking knowledge of its effects.”
“Oh, you know what, I think you might be righ—NOT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MY FAULT? IT’S TOTALLY YOURS!”

A series of panicked dragon sounds ensued as I shot to my feet and sent Lefi flying off my lap and headfirst into the water.

“What was that for!?” she sputtered indignantly.
“Your actions led me to consume an entire mouthful of bathwater!”
“Shut up! This whole goddamn thing is your fault!” I yelled back.
“I had to spend a whole goddamn day as a kid because of your stupid bullshit!”
“And what is wrong with that!? Did you not eventually forget your concerns and begin enjoying yourself!?”
“Enjoying myself? Enjoying myself!?”
“Precisely! You were able to not only cope, but also adapt!”
“You think I was enjoying myself!? Naw, bitch! You crazy, fool! That shit was so bad I was finna shoot someone!”
“And now you are not only in denial but also adopting an infuriating manner of speech! This is precisely what I meant when I declared that you’ve once again become as far from adorable as one could possibly be!”

Our argument was so intense that it didn’t leave much room for anyone to calm us down.
Knowing that, Nell turned to Lyuu and made a suggestion.
“…I think we should probably leave.”
“That’s a good idea, Nell.
Stayin’ in the bath for too long ain’t all that good for you anyway,” said the warwolf.

Meanwhile, I continued to shout.
“In denial!? You’re the one in denial! You can call me uncute all you want, but you know what? I don’t fucking care! I never fucking wanted to be cute.
You think anyone would want to be tiny and helpless like that? I couldn’t resist, no matter what you fucking did to me!”
“The childish charm that accompanied your form was all you had! Without it, you are but another irksome imbecile with a tongue as vulgar as a harlot!”

The warwolf and hero laughed awkwardly at one another, stood up out of the water, and left the bathroom.
But neither Lefi and I stopped.
We continued to yell at each other and demonstrate that we were the very epitome of a loving couple.

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