Chapter 65 – Oni Banquet
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With the battle festival ending came the grand Oni banquet; a yearly tradition like the battle festival most didn’t miss. It was a time spent talking about the bright youths who showed the qualities of warriors during the earlier battles. The end of the battle festival was when the adults congratulated or consoled the youths who participated in their festival. How else would one spend the end of the battle if not gleefully or miserably eating the night away for two days?  

OniMachi, found in one of the worlds situated perfectly at an optimal distance from the Great Tree Yggdrasil, served as the capital city to the Oni Leader’s domain. Serving as the abode of the terrifying warmongers, one would assume that their territory would be a barbaric and uncivilized world where only the strong survived. The accuracy of that is only partly true. Their homeworld and capital city was a bustling, great world that flourished in the art of war and manufacturing.  

OniMachi, the city where first-time visitors from the other races visiting would feel disproportionately small compared to everything else. Covering an area of 50 000 square kilometers, it was one of the largest cities around with a living population of 400 000 people. Houses towering at several meters compared to other places, similar-sized shops that received visitors even during this festive time as they near the year’s end and the many decompressed, tall Onis walking through the streets with their average height of Oni being around 5 meters, are a few of the sights unique to the place.  

Architecturally, the city spoke for the race’s reputation as one of the major manufacturing races. Filled with some of the most advanced magic arts and technologies out there, they proved themselves worthy of being rivals of the famous dwarves with their unique forges and furnaces, weapon and artifact shops, and various restaurants where all sorts of items were sold. Cursed artifact production is one of the race’s specialties thanks to their unique form of magic that few can practice; blades being their top-selling products.  

Thanks to their magic, OniMachi is also constantly referred to as ‘The City that Needs no Walls.’ With their strong bodies, tall stature, and threatening visages, their natural talent for wielding various weapons and ‘Curse’ magic: a unique form of darkness magic sometimes referred to as the ‘true dark magic’, capable of bringing forth blessings and curses, they were a race very few dared to attack, even with the massive success they possess. People were simply scared of the place and the city’s presence made it no better.  

The fumes from the smithies where various artifacts were produced daily, and the constant magical activities of its inhabitants left swirling dark and ominous clouds over the city, further increasing its dark and menacing appearance.   

To outsiders from afar, it looked like an ominous hell that needed no introductions. The dimensional rift leading directly to their battlefield; a still uncleared SS-class dungeon located between their leader’s massive palace and third arena made it even worse.   

Oh, did I forget to tell you that they have 15 battle arenas in this city? They’re used for the many battle festivals held each year, with the last one for the youths happening right before winter. It was the time for the young to show their improvement over the past year.  

  

Starlight, the guardian of autumn, flew through the skies, ushering in the darkness soon to come. The frigid winds blew, bringing change. The few plants left in the industrial city held on to dear life, counting the remaining days before the end arrived in dread. Soon, the greatest hurdle to natural life would arrive, carrying with it the ancient sorrows of Demeter. The entire world seemed to slowly prepare itself for the arrival of the most powerful seasonal guardian. Winter’s slow crawl from his mountain’s cave would soon begin.  

In these brisk winds blowing in OniMachi’s city square, the giants sat, with no regard for the constantly dropping temperature. Their thick skins shielded them from nature’s many cycles. During this time every year, Oni from far and wide, traveling across multiple dimensions would come back to their homeworld for this sacred tradition. The battle festival and following banquet in the city’s square was a must-attend.  

Many, familiar races and foreign, would return every year for the eventual letdown that is a group of people devouring the feast; others, for the chance to meet the special VIP and the Oni Leader's ginormous and absurd family. This place they gathered every year filled them with nostalgia. It even shaped a big part of their young lives.   

The noise of chatter that drowned out one’s own conversations, the sweet whispers of rumors, and men and women laughing heartily at each other as they listened to each other’s predicaments, discussing various topics as they ate and drank filled the cold air with some warmth. So much was happening all around.  

During the yearly grand banquet following the last battle festival, the streets of OniMachi, especially the town square, became the venue for the large two-day-long feast. Cooks would work in their stations to deliver freshly cooked food to keep the two-day-long banquet going, the streets becoming the meeting grounds for various sumptuous and mouthwatering aromas. Large, long tables where many sat were a frequent sight; the Oni Leader and his family sitting behind the largest.   

On a large, long table to the right of the spread, sat the big man, his body decompressed to the average 5-meter height, with a lot of people sitting with him. The special VIP was on his right, the competition’s champion sitting right beside the VIP, followed by the other finalists, semi- and quarterfinalists in terms of rank in the battle festival. At this table, it was merry with chatter, giggles and laughter were all around. Everyone was enjoying themselves now that the battle festival was over, the outsiders and inhabitants altogether.  

The champion sat beside the VIP; her expression solemn now that she’d won. The serious expression she’d maintained for almost the entire day was gone now, and she looked at the food on the table with a grievous appetite.  

Speaking of the champion, why did she fight so hard to win when the competition had almost nothing to do with her?  

The answer’s simple! It was so she could keep her chef. Allow me to explain!  

Silva loved Marcel’s cooking so much that she was almost willing to reveal some of her secrets for it. It was always nutritious and sumptuous. Simply the act of having Marcel cook it made the meal taste so much better than when others did it, as if he could add some special touch to it. What was this touch? One could almost call it the premium or exquisite touch.   

She tried so hard to win the competition because she had this strange idea that whoever won the battle festival was going to claim exclusive rights to her personal chef’s cooking. Sure, her idea to win was a bit illogical and in the spur of the moment but who gets to judge her now, except for the entire Oni race whose youths lost to a foreign little lady, that is.   

Anyway, she won, which means she gets to keep Marcel, her chef. Now, she also gets three free wishes from him. Is that a sweet deal or what?  

Beginning to gorge herself on food while imagining even more food cooked by Marcel, not her friend who sometimes makes her question their friendship, Valeria, happy tears streamed down from her cheeks, and she ate happily. The fight was worth it in the end.  

Looking at the young lady looking happier and relaxed compared to before, the Oni Leader wondered what it wanted so much, so he asked. Her answer surprised him.  

“My first wish is to have Dave prepare food for me whenever I ask for it. He can’t say no if he’s not busy, in the middle of a battle or being kidnapped.” The lady replied, taking another bite of her food right after.  

“What about the other two wishes?” He asked.  

“Well, more food for when I am not with him and even more food when I eventually plan to go home.” The young lady added, returning to her food again right after. It seemed like food was all on her mind.  

“Um, aren’t those three the same thing? And why are you so obsessed with his cooking?” The Oni Leader asked her. After all, she was wasting precious wishes that could have been used for something like sticking to the hero like glue for extra luck, or even just asking to get engaged if she had feelings for him. The foodie threw him for a loop.  

“Mm-hmm~” Her friends nodded; Marcel included. He wanted to know why he was being turned into a personal chef because of her wish. If it was up to her, she’d lock Marcel in a kitchen and have him cook meals day and night until he finally kicked the bucket.  

“Haha, you haven’t tried his cooking before. When you finally do that, come speak to me about this.” She spoke to the Oni Leader with the same nonchalance she used when she spoke to anyone, her expression still solemn. She looked at him like he was ignorant about a fundamental truth of the world. This little lady wasn’t scared that the terrifying Oni was going to get angry at her, her words sharp and brisk with no care for others’ feelings as always.  

“Really? Is it that good?!” The big man asked. Now that this lady was confident enough to talk back to her, he wanted to know if she was right. If Marcel’s cooking was the reason, she was willing to fight and win a tournament, all while carrying a grave expression like she’d lose her entire world if she lost, then he had to try it.  

“The guy’s here! Why not just let him prove himself to you? I’ll tell you now. You will regret it if you take a bite at his current level.” The girl warned the Oni Leader. Her words felt more like taunts to him but before he did something about it, there was something else he had floating around in his mind. This girl’s partner of speech was ringing too many bells in his head.   

He knew this tone very well; like he was hearing his old childhood friend speak again. Her provocative and frank tone as well as the disregard for his reaction at her strange boldness and the familiarity he feels when talking to her. Although they looked nothing alike, Silva’s mannerisms were ringing all the right bells like she was this person.  

“You know, you talk a lot like a certain person I know from a few worlds over. She talks like you, is just slightly taller, and oozes divinity like there was no tomorrow. Are you in some way related--” He stopped himself from saying more. If he dared to, he was afraid that ‘that emperor’ was going to be very mad when he found out what he’d done. He didn’t want to piss off that Ruler.  

Now that the Oni Leader had talked, everyone looked towards Silva, waiting for answers. They didn’t get any, however, as she silently gorged herself even more on food with an indifferent expression. There was an awkward silence that filled their portion of the table as everyone looked at her. They all waited for someone else to do something about the awkwardness. It was the person who brought about the silence, of course.  

“Hey, Ma- Dave! How about you prove to me that the little lady was right?” The Oni Leader quickly diverted the vicinity’s attention back to Marcel’s cooking. Things would get complicated if the atmosphere stayed the same.   

If he did nothing, rumors about tonight’s awkwardness and the matter regarding that would soon spread to ‘them’ and it wouldn’t be good. He needed a distraction; something big to distract them from his stupid actions just now.  

“Sorry, Marcel! Be my distraction just this once!” He hoped that Marcel would take the bait and save him from the wrath of ‘that person’ and ‘that husband’.  

“Sure, but, um... isn’t there already a lot of food at this banquet? That's all I can see when I look around.” Marcel took the bait, the awkward-feeling boy. He spoke, a bit worried about what would happen to all the food already around if even more was added to the mix.   

“Have you seen the people around you? Literally more than half of my entire race is in OniMachi today. The entire city’s a big party. I’m afraid our food reserves won’t last the night. My husbands and I are working hard on that problem,” he said, pointing to the cooking station where four of his husbands cooked desperately to prevent the upcoming disaster.  

“I would appreciate it a lot if you added more food to the table.” The Oni Leader almost begged the little guy. He remembered how his sons emptied their food supply before midnight on the first day last year too. His sons... were the upcoming disaster. Everyone was pissed and he had to deal with a lot of apologies in the days that followed. It was a nightmare!  

“Understood, but I don’t have much to work with. The only ingredients I have are the few I usually bring with me.” Marcel answered.   

“Don’t worry! Like I said, people are already on it. There should be more ingredients coming right away. I’ll have some brought to you.”  

“Ok!”  

“Say, how much can you cook before midnight? I’m sorry to have you do this, but this party is going to go on for two days straight before the afterparty begins. Depending on something unexpected that might happen, you might work all the way until tomorrow.” The Oni Leader desperately wanted this year to be different. He didn’t want to deal with another ‘Frenzied Glutton’ incident like last year where his youngest son, the 315th, and his elder twin ate everything and fell into a food coma afterward. They’re only three centuries old but they eat like millennials.  

“I will do my best. Before that, I need some help.” Marcel said, thinking about helpers to be used while cooking. He’s going to need a lot of hands for the night.  

“Darling, I can help you!” Shalia was eager to help Marcel with cooking. She’d improved a lot, not really, and would like to try and impress Marcel even if it’s just a little bit.  

“No need, woman who can somehow shoot an arrow but misses the vegetable on the cutting board. In fact, I won’t be needing any of your help tonight. It’s finally my time to shine, so leave me be.” Marcel got up from his seat and grabbed an apron from his spatial storage. The hero was looking very ‘wifely’ with his hair all tied up in a bun and his tools all prepped up for cooking.  

“Say, how much food should I cook at a time? How fast will it leave the table, and at what speed should I work?” Marcel asked.  

“Uh... do as much as you can for as long as you can without burning out. You just have to survive until midnight, and you can cook however much you want before that, I think.”  

“Okay!” Marcel answered, but wait! Why did he say he needed no help? Well, it’s because of something he’s been experimenting with since he started learning extreme magic control. I told you it was important.  

Since learning to control and manipulate magic within objects as instructed by Sephana, he’s found different ways to implement the control he learned into several magics. His first success... is one that he’s about to show: Elemental Clones magic.  

When the ingredients were teleported along with an equipped workstation as ordered by the Oni Leader close to where they could watch Marcel work, he began. This time, he was going to push his magic to the limit. Oh, wait, Marcel doesn’t have any! What I meant to say is, he’s going to push his body and magic control to the limit.  

“[Shadow Elemental Clones], appear before me!” His words were followed by the magic he imagined appearing before him. Behind him appeared 12 shadow clones, identical to their caster who followed his orders. Quickly, he divided up the work that should be done on the ingredients. Unfortunately, that was the limit of his multitasking abilities. His control was still very limited. It’s not like Vitalis had answered any of his calls for parallel thinking abilities, so he was currently stuck with this much. He was going to be doing the cooking all by himself while they prepped everything else for him.  

By his orders, the Oni Leader set up another seven fires for him to work with aside from the workstation’s. He had the rest start the prep and began cooking when the first ingredients were done.   

For the first magic other than his clones, he called upon the power of Blitz, the lightning living inside his body. He called upon it for enhancement; to help him move around quickly.   

With a turn on that fire, then the next, then back to that one, and the other at a speed in sync with his quick-working clones, he managed to get the first meals to the table.   

Everyone behind the big table where his group previously sat and others, quickly came around to watch the C-ranked adventurer hero getting meals to the serving table, a mini show of sorts. There wasn’t much surprise about how fast he was moving but rather, when the synchronization between the clones and their owner would fall out of order, watching him work in high motion.  

His innate skill, [Adept Comprehension], assisted in quick processing and comprehending information. Although it wasn’t a skill meant for piloting clones along with magic control like he was, they still counted as masses of information and were treated as such. He divided the information between his multiple clones and took in within this little network he’d created, he managed to keep everything working in sync with each other. It made the night’s cooking a grand success, and he’d regret it!  

What surprised the onlookers even more was the constant supply of magic power between the caster and his clones. During the time he spent cooking, none of his clones were left starving for magic nor did the caster show any signs of exhaustion, be it magically or physically, thanks to his unique composition and resistance skills. He cooked meal after meal and the delicious aroma brought many more guests over.  

When the first meal arrived on the table on the big serving plate, everyone was astonished.   

“I think I’ve seen the light!” Someone cried, tears flowing from their eyes as they gobbled it up. He looked so uncivilized after his first bite, wanting to finish it as fast as she could. He desperately wanted his next serving. The others soon understood why when they also sat down to eat his food.  

“This is delicious!” Allan cried, grabbing a bite of the dish. Now he looked like the glutton.  

“Marvelous, haha! The lady was right! This is worth fighting an entire day with a scowl on.” The Oni Leader gave his honest opinion. He had to admit, only his hero husband could beat this. The magic inside subconsciously poured into the food by the chef somehow made the food bring warmth and enhanced his olfactory and gustatory senses for a short time. The little guy’s food... had powerful effects on him and everyone else.  

“I didn’t lie, now did I? In just two years, he’s improved enough to bring tears to the eyes of people who eat it. Look at that mess of an adult crying his eyes out.” She pointed at the first sobbing mess who tasted the food. He looked exceptionally ugly as his menacing face was soiled with tears and snot and he still ate.  

People enjoyed his cooking in the end, and it made him happy, however, he was soon going to regret feeling happy that night. He even thought that he wouldn’t mind doing it multiple times, not imagining that he’d have to do it until the banquet’s end two days later.   

He continued cooking that evening, people enjoying the meals he put on the table with a smile. He expected to stop at midnight but never did. The ‘Food Frenzied Twins,’ the disaster arrived.  

When the gluttonous twins arrived at the working station, everything thought all hope was lost. Like last year, they were going to choose a chef and be fed by them until none of the food supply was left. Marcel was the unfortunate chef this year, as they arrived with the large commotion forming around him.  

They took seats, eagerly waiting to devour and demand more food, but when the time arrived to do so, they didn’t. All hope wasn’t lost after all.   

Unlike what they usually did, this time, everyone was left with shocked expressions, including the Oni Leader. His twins... had enjoyed their food instead of devouring it like usual.   

“Father... mm... th-this- is delicious!” One muttered between their lips as they ate. The other simply nodded with tears on his face. He didn’t seem any better than his brother, leaving the onlookers just as surprised as his brother did.   

The twins ate slowly and savored every bit of it, leaving something for others to enjoy this time. Their eating pace made it possible for others to eat Marcel’s food too and everyone seemed happy, however, this came at a huge cost for the chef.  

For the first time in almost a century, the twins were not in a frenzied state, acting like all-devouring monsters. They remained slightly civilized, something that helped everyone else. 

Marcel’s food had somehow averted a crisis and his name, Dave, would spread across many dimensions because of his actions that day. Unfortunately for him, the twins, having eaten his meals slowly, craved more. The others did too. Even when midnight finally came, he was still left cooking. For this party, the VIP had become the cook. His sacrifice... was worth it and would always be remembered by those who attended that year’s banquet.  

To summarize, Marcel’s agreement to cook until the first day’s midnight got prolonged further until eventually, he saw it through to the banquet’s end. His sacrifice made everyone happy, except his very tired body which left him feeling drained. In the end, he didn’t even get the chance to eat anything from the banquet during those two nights and one day. So unfair!  

After burning out, he slept for two entire days. His body’s loss of energy compared to his magic power was a constant reminder of how weak he still was. Was it really going to be like this even after he ‘grew up’? Ah, how much longer does he have to wait for?!  

Anyway, from that day onward, Marcel gained one of the many titles he’d become synonymous with. On the days that followed the festival, he earned the title: ‘Silver Chef Who Slew the Disasters,’ amongst the populace. This was the first of many ‘Silver’s to come in the future thanks to his current hair color. 

  

* *  *  

Having burned himself out to help the Oni Leader contain his sleeping beasts who awoke during the few past battle festivals, Marcel deserved a reward for his help. Since he had spent all his time at the banquet cooking instead of enjoying it, he decided to make it up to him. It was a private nighttime feast his large family held in Marcel’s honor, the day after he woke from his slumber.  

On this night, he ate, drank more wine as he had on the terrace a few days ago, and made merry. He was so happy and his easygoing, affable nature and strange presence made it easy for the Oni Leader while eating and drinking until his body succumbed again.  

Before he did, however, he remembered a dialogue he had with the Oni Leader.  

  

“Hey Dave, you are a really nice guy. If it wasn’t that my husbands would kill me, I wouldn’t mind marrying once more.” He faintly implied something that Marcel wasn’t sure he understood.  

He asked about it and the man ruffled his hair and answered,   

“Don’t worry too much about it! Ha, it’s too much of a shame though...” The man sighed, relenting to fate that they just weren’t meant to be, but suddenly, he had this idea in his head.  

“Say, Marcel? Would you like to have one of my sons?” He asked jokingly, but to his surprise, he got an answer from the half-gone Marcel.  

“Sure, I’m always up for gaining a new friend. I wouldn’t mind having one of your sons in my party as friends.” He replied.  

“But I’m not talking about you guys being friends~” The man corrected Marcel.  

“I will be giving you my son for the purpose of living with you with the consideration of marrying him on the side.”  

“Sure-sure! I don’t mind at all!” What the hell did he do? Well, what if not getting himself roped into another accidental engagement, this time, drunk and kind of on his own accord.  

On that night, he got engaged to one and all of the Oni Leader’s sons, with the lucky one he chooses when he finally comes to, becoming his fiancé.  

He woke up the next morning, atop a pile of Oni lying around the hall. No one had gone to their bed after the banquet and slept right there, as all drunks do. The alcohol was too strong, and he woke up with his memories very blurred except for remembering a few clues here and there. Alverona’s systematic memory-backing up and the Oni Leader also made sure he remembered everything.  

“Congratulations on your engagement!” With a sly smile, the man said like Marcel had fallen into another carefully laid trap, much to his vexation. Now what was he to tell the Demon Lord when he finally returned to the castle. His pain only worsened when his clueless friends congratulated him on his engagement when they heard about it. Damn Allan and Shalia laughed happily about the situation he found himself in. He wasn’t happy, at all!  

After becoming fully aware of his situation, Marcel wanted to punch himself from last night. However, he had no temporal powers so he could only deal with the consequences of rambling while drunk. Because of last night, he would have to choose one of the trickster’s sons later.  

  

A few days passed uneventfully in OniMachi, except for his title spreading like wildfire because of his actions. Marcel, or Dave, was famous now for what he did. It was finally time for him to choose which of the sons would be his fiancé.  

Lining up his sons up in an arena, (yes, he did that!), he brought Marcel in to choose one of them.   

Looking at them, he couldn’t decide for a while. He walked by them, waiting for something to happen, and it did.  

Everyone looks so much younger in the demon realms, compared to humans, even the Oni. Their red skin, especially blood-red, and black metal string-like hair, were some of the features most of the race carried that people normally thought of Oni with slightly different variations from their regular appearance as an almost different race. Walking by many Oni now, he could see all the variations between them.   

Some had slightly pointy, longer ears compared to others. Their horns were also shaped differently, their hair different shades of dark, one or two having white and even silver hair. Some had brown eyes, others, black, red, chestnut, and even beautiful golden eyes. The color of their skin also differed from each other. He saw the conventional, familiar, blood-red, but also lighter tones like peach, pink, and fuchsia like his eye hidden behind the contacts making it appear red. The Oni are incredibly diverse when it comes to appearances, like the elves and dragons.    

The Oni who caught his eye at first glance, becoming his choice, had the most different skin tone amongst the Oni’s sons.  

The man had jet-black locks like his father and his many brethren, his skin, dark purple, surrounded by a dark-menacing air. His face wasn’t the friendliest either, exceptionally beastly. How one would describe him was a raw, unrefined, beast capable of ripping people apart, sort of like a ticking-time-bomb. For some reason, Marcel’s entire being instantly locked unto him the moment they crossed eyes. Every cell in his body, gut-feeling and intuition he had was telling him that he’d found his choice. It was like when he first met Ains.  

“That one!” He pointed at his choice to the Oni Leader. He didn’t expect the man’s reaction, however.  

“No, you shouldn’t take him. He’s dangerous! Can’t you feel it?” The Oni Leader refused him.  

“Why can’t I take him?”  

“Because he’s what our race calls a Berserker, an Oni with raw, unrefined, physical and magic power in his body that he has no control over. He hasn’t been able to evolve for a while, thus he’s highly unstable. The dark, threatening aura oozing from his being should tell anyone that much.”  

“Huh? Oni evolve too?” Marcel was shocked to hear this. This was the first time.  

“Of course! We evolve with time. How do you expect us to stay on top of the game as warriors? Our bodies change with time and ability, but for some, it isn’t so easy. We have three major evolution patterns: the Oni, High-Oni, and Oni-Spirit evolutions respectively. For us, evolution is kind of like growing up over time, like the elves, but our abilities can also influence our evolution. Most from our race are born Oni; with superior body strength and as we grow, we develop more abilities, slowly evolving until we become High-Oni where our bodies become able to transform and our true sizes can be altered via compression. My children normally start showing signs of evolution after reaching 500 years old, with some having already evolved. He’s different, however.”  

“How?” Marcel asked. He really didn’t want to give up on taking this Oni with him.  

“Well, he just stopped evolving, slowly turning into a Berserker at some point.”  

“Why?” He asked.  

“I have some ideas, but it’s complicated. Think of him as a resurrected child of sorts at a cost. We thought everything was fine, but apparently, his resurrection took something away from his core. He was a genius, promising child who showed potential to become a High-Oni but then one day, he suddenly stopped growing anymore.   

All the power inside him had to go somewhere, so he became a Berserker. His raw, unrefined power seeps out of his body as dark aura with nowhere to go. When this power comes out, he turns into a rampaging, killing beast who stops only when his opponent is dead and he’s exhausted.”  

“Oh!! That sounds cool!” Marcel said, glimmer in his eyes. This Oni son sounded so much like him in a sense, with immense power buried deep inside. He’s sure they’ll get along just well.  

“Again, you can’t take him. His aura will crush you if you get too close to him.” The Oni Leader warned. These were the final words he was to use to deter Marcel. He didn’t want to treat his beloved son like some beast, but he did so for Marcel’s safety. Lucky for him, something about Marcel makes this argument his win.  

“But... I can’t feel any aura.” He spoke 

“Oh....” The Oni Leader paused mid his ‘oh’ with a lot of questions.  

“What?! You mean you haven’t felt any aura since you came here or that you just can’t feel his, right?” The Oni Leader questioned.  

“Nope! None, I didn’t even know about people’s aura before coming to the demon realms. Apparently, it helps with detecting feelings and such.” Marcel said in his usual tone that made the leader question the obliviousness of the little guy. Just how many has he hurt because of his inability?  

“But really? You want this son of mine? I will tell you once again. HE! IS! DANGEROUS!” The man said menacingly. Marcel swore he could see a scowling dark mask while looking at the Oni Leader’s face.  

“But he’s cool! We’ll be fine!” Marcel answered jokingly, paying no regard to the Oni Leader’s warnings. He was going to have his way this time, however, he didn’t expect what would happen next.  

When he saw Marcel adamantly decide to take this Oni he just met away, he couldn’t laugh. This was ironic in a way.  

He laughed heartily, his true, echoing voice coming out for a moment, followed by a wave of his amused aura around the arena. Some of his children couldn’t help feeling a bit frightened as the true voice of an Oni Spirit, a being akin to an Elven Ancestor in power, held enough power to bring them all down. Others, however, were influenced enough to laugh with their father. It lasted for a short while, but one couldn’t easily forget such a display of power.  

He continued to laugh even after his true voice went away,  

“Ha! Can’t believe you chose the son of your kidnapper on a whim without knowing. How ironic!”   

He found it so funny that the husband who pressured him to deliver information about potential candidate VIPs for the battle festival was going to lose his precious, last son to his choice of kidnap victim. Now, he’ll have to comfort a certain someone after they learn of their son’s fate as a fiancé to the fiancé of the Demon Lord.  

Having picked his fiancé and ready to leave, he promised to visit again and left with the Oni and his friends back to Nephavion. As expected, Mr. Demon Lord wasn’t happy about his wife bringing another man home with him. He received a letter about Marcel like he had before his kidnapping, but this time, the giant said that he was gifting his son to Marcel. The Demon Lord couldn’t do anything about it because of the events that followed Marcel bringing home Kensuke, or Kenny as he’d soon be called by his fiancé and friends.  

Now the Demon Lord was seriously considering what he’d once put in the back of his mind when Marcel arrived; to let him have a harem. Oh well, he’ll deal with that when he’s successfully completed his goal of winning him over completely and Marcel wants to take the next step. He can assure that the future will be truly eventful for Marcel.  

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