No, it didn’t make sense. If he’d been a slave, he wouldn’t have been able to come to the Demon King’s Castle at all. The more they conversed, the more a strange feeling emanated from Beni.
“Yes, so I’m so happy to be able to work at the Demon King’s Castle like this.”
James had never particularly thought that working at the Demon King’s Castle made him happy. He’d gotten the job because the treatment was better than other places, but that was all. Seeing Beni grinning, he felt an inexplicable feeling. It was an ambiguous feeling, like realizing the somehow obvious fact that for someone, his position might be desperately desired.
James reached out and lightly tapped Beni’s head.
“Yeah, good job.”
When Beni was bewildered at the unexpected praise, James just chuckled.
“Beni, I’ll start selecting things worth planting in the greenhouse now, so go get a cart.”
“Yes!”
Only after an explanation lasting over 2 hours did Beni and James begin moving the seedlings and seeds. Before long, enough load was filled to fill three large carts. One was two-tiered, so Beni wondered if he could really pull this.
I’ll be exhausted and pass out at night today too.
Beni, who was heading toward the cart that looked lightest, happened to discover boxes piled in a corner. Thinking they were odds and ends, he was about to turn his head when he saw letters that had become hazy with accumulated dust.
Surface… herbs…
There were torn parts too, so he couldn’t see properly, but it definitely said ‘Surface.’ James, who was coming out of the cultivation room inside the warehouse with seedlings, walked toward Beni and spoke.
“The seedlings will be hard to plant all at once anyway, so set those aside separately and just take the ones to plant right away… What are you looking at?”
Following his gaze, there were boxes of Surface species seeds and seedlings piled in the corner.
“Are you interested in Surface plants?”
Since he’d been distracted by the boxes, he hadn’t noticed James approaching. Beni flinched and nodded slightly.
“I heard that even fruit from the Surface rots quickly in the Demon Realm. Can they be grown?”
“No, they all failed. Some species do grow, but they end up becoming demon-realmified and all that fresh, cute feeling from the Surface disappears. You know Bonvine Blossom?”
“Yes, I know it. It was covering almost the entire greenhouse. I’ve removed it all now, though.”
“That was originally a plant brought from the Surface.”
It was a fact he’d never expected at all. That was a plant from the Surface.
“Originally it was called Andong vine—a pretty plant with golden flowers. But after coming to the Demon Realm, the species changed and now it’s become a nuisance that even harms crops.”
“I had no idea…!”
“It was quite a while ago, after all.”
“Then I should be careful planting the species over there too.”
Having secretly wanted to take just a few and try planting them in the greenhouse, regret dripped from Beni’s eyes as he looked at the boxes. There was no way James wouldn’t notice the clearly revealed emotion. He put down the basket he was holding and gestured as if to say follow me.
“What’s here has already been tried and failed…”
When James moved the almost empty boxes this way and that, a small storage container covered in dust appeared at the very bottom. On the storage container lid was written ‘Half-breed.’ James held it out to Beni.
“This is on the weed side, so I didn’t really plant it. The mutation tests have already all passed for these items, so there shouldn’t be much problem planting them. Probably… they won’t even grow. But if you want to try growing them, take this.”
Receiving the seeds, Beni’s face became delighted even over mere weeds. His expression was flushed as if he seemed to be excitedly fluttering.
“Thank you so much! If even one grows, may I show it to you, James-nim?”
James cleared his throat unnecessarily.
“…Do as you like. And just call me James. We work together at the Demon King’s Castle, so what’s with the formality.”
“Yes, James!”
The harmonious atmosphere continued only briefly before James walked to the cart and knocked up the bottom. When Beni just stood there dumbly, not knowing what he was doing, James grinned and jerked his chin. Seeming to tell him to pull the cart, the moment Beni grabbed and pulled it.
“Ah!”
The cart was pulled much lighter than expected.
James caught Beni from behind as he almost fell and giggled.
“It’s a cart with a lightening spell on it. It reduces the original weight by 1/3.”
Such a useful spell! With this much weight, Beni could move it without problem too.
“Still, since there are several, it’ll be hard for you to go back and forth alone, right? I’d like to help, but only permitted demons can enter the Demon King’s greenhouse, so I won’t be able to enter. Though I think he’d permit it for a little while.”
The fact that he might meet the Demon King wasn’t very pleasant, but the distance from the greenhouse to this farm was quite far. If it was that scrawny guy, it would obviously take forever to move just one. It was the moment when James was pondering how to get permission without meeting the Demon King.
Beni rummaged in his green apron pocket and took out a small round egg—a magic communication device. James’s pupils trembled faintly. It had already been quite a while since that communication device rang.
White fur that had fluttered before James’s eyes floated up like an afterimage. The weeds the rabbit had left after eating had already dried up in his room, and he couldn’t even touch them for fear they’d crumble.
If he’d known he wouldn’t be able to see it like this, he would have treasured and stored it more carefully. No… no, the rabbit will come back…
James had rapidly become gloomy again, but Beni didn’t notice and cheerfully connected communication to the Demon King.
When he pressed according to the operation method he’d been taught, a beep-beep signal sounded and was immediately cut off.
— Beni?
A voice slightly lower and cracking than hearing it directly—it was unfamiliar and fascinating. There really are so many good things in the world! Beni smiled brightly, and James, who had become depressed thinking about the rabbit, froze. The person that guy is contacting right now… surely not…?
“Yes! It’s Beni! Is that you, Your Majesty the Demon King?”
Oh, my goodness. James let out a hushed sigh.
— Yeah. It’s me. Did something happen?
“No, no. Nothing happened. I came to Acre Farm right now to get things to plant in Your Majesty’s greenhouse.”
— So that’s where you went, leaving me behind as I tried to hold you back.
“Ah… I’m sorry about that…”
— It’s okay. No need to apologize. More than that, what are you planning to plant in the greenhouse?
“Huk, do I need to get Your Majesty’s permission first? I’ve loaded so much onto the carts right now…!”
— No, no, you don’t need to. I’m just asking out of curiosity.
“That’s a relief. Can I explain what I planted one by one later after I finish all the work?”
The call didn’t end easily. James, who had initially stiffened hearing the Demon King’s voice, looked with absurd eyes at Beni chattering excitedly with the lord of the Demon Realm. For a conversation between a mere servant and the Demon King, there was no formality whatsoever, and rather, there were clear signs that the Demon King’s side was trying to continue the conversation.
What on earth is this?
Beni, who had been exchanging small talk with Ruan for a while, belatedly noticed the gaze fixed on his face. It seemed quite a bit of time had passed, yet he hadn’t even brought up the reason he’d contacted Ruan.
“By the way, Your Majesty.”
— Yeah, Beni.
“Would it be okay to let James-nim, who works at Acre Farm, into the greenhouse for a bit? There are too many carts, so I think it’ll be hard for me to move them alone…!”
Even knowing that Ruan wouldn’t get angry now, Beni unconsciously tensed up. The moment when the silence seemed to lengthen.
— Should I come?
Beni brightened and James turned deathly pale, starting to shake not only both hands vigorously but also his head. It was such vigorous movement that he couldn’t help but see it, so Beni found such a James puzzling. Wouldn’t it be better if His Majesty the Demon King came? Among the demons Beni had seen so far, the Demon King was the strongest and knew how to do many things.
If he came, he would surely move those carts to in front of the greenhouse in an instant…
Why is he telling him not to come? Beni, who had been thinking alone, realized. That he was too naturally about to make the Demon King do labor!
To James who had stopped him from committing rudeness, Beni bowed his head and spoke urgently.
“No! This is work that I, a servant, should do. Besides, James-nim said he’d help too, and the carts aren’t very heavy thanks to the lightening spell, so it’s okay.”
— …
“Your Majesty?”
— I understand. I’ll permit that James person or whatever to enter the greenhouse just for today.
Since there were only two people in the space, the Demon King’s voice echoed clearly in the large warehouse. “James person or whatever…” James muttered quietly, but Beni didn’t hear and conveyed his thanks to the Demon King. James, who was watching with disbelieving eyes, suddenly recalled the words he’d exchanged with Beni earlier.
“No! I couldn’t even go outside.”
He couldn’t even go outside, yet he had knowledge to write and read to some degree. Though he wore crude servant’s clothes, his skin was fair and he had no calluses on his hands. Though thin, he didn’t seem to have health problems.
The discordant feelings that had been accumulating one by one since meeting Beni. When all that information overlapped as one in James’s head, goosebumps rose chillingly over his entire body.
‘A hidden child!’
