Published: January 17, 2026
“My mana, my mana is running out... ugh.”
“Lord Van...!?”
“Are you alright!?”
Arte and Til rushed over as they saw me collapse forward from a kneeling position. Kamushin, with ninja-like speed, ran up and supported my body.
“I-I might not make it... Arte, Til, Kamushin... please, take care of this Seato village for me...”
Barely able to breathe, I said that and let my body relax. Then, Kamushin’s grip on my shoulder tightened. Arte dropped to her knees beside me, and Til tackled my torso with force.
“Lord Van...!”
“No way...!”
“Vyan-sama...!”
Everyone’s voices cracked with emotion. Til was probably even sniffling as she shouted. My stomach ached. The diligent genius boy Van-kun, who worked tirelessly for Seato village’s sake. His saintly efforts would be remembered forever and one day become legend.
As I lay there, feeling weak, a cough came from behind.
“...Are you satisfied? Now then, we have five more buildings scheduled for today. As lord, you still have duties to attend to, so let’s hurry and finish them.”
A whisper from the demon reached my ears. How terrifying. Has God died?
Sweating coldly, I pretended to faint. Arte glanced back toward Espada with teary eyes.
“L-Lord Espada... it seems truly that Lord Van has reached his limit. He’s been working day after day without rest...”
As Arte pleaded, Til—still holding me—turned to Espada with a sudden twist of my upper body, squeezing all the air from my lungs.
“Hyuu...”
I might really die. It was painful.
While my beautiful yet fleeting life seemed about to end, Til spoke through tears.
“Lord Espada is a demon! Lord Van is only ten years old! And he hasn’t even grown much taller! This is all because Lord Espada and Lord Dee make him do such things every day...”
I understood Til was trying to protect me, but this was going to be a long story. Moreover, Espada silently listened to Til’s words. This was bad. Also, I wasn’t sure how my height was relevant to this conversation.
While pondering this, I reached my limit.
“…! cough! cough cough...”
Choking, I struggled to breathe and composed myself. That was close. I was probably just moments away from seeing a beautiful flower field.
“Lord Van...!”
“Consciousness...!”
“...Thank goodness.”
Arte and the others voiced their relief. Everyone was so kind. As for the Demon King Espada...
Thinking so, I looked up at Espada, who, expressionless, seemed to be contemplating something. Then, he nodded lightly and spoke.
“...Well, very well. There’s still been no news on the third day. It’s expected to be at least tomorrow or later. Today will be a half-day holiday. Let’s work hard again starting tomorrow.”
“Huh...?”
The word ‘holiday’ came from Espada’s mouth. Had something like this ever happened before? Even the legendary genius boy Van-kun needed time to process such an unexpected situation.
Then, Espada cleared his throat again without expression and turned his back.
“Well then, all afternoon plans will be postponed until tomorrow or later. I will handle some tasks myself on your behalf. I will arrange for a sufficient holiday.”
Saying this, Espada tried to leave. Watching his back, I called out instinctively.
“If I get a holiday, then Espada should have a holiday too, right?”
When I asked, Espada stopped, furrowed his brows, and turned his head slightly to look at me.
“...That’s difficult. Currently, there is much work left undone while we were away. Also, we are responding to requests from fortress city murcia and fortress city cayenne...”
Espada calmly explained the present situation. Somehow, I felt a trace of fatigue in his expression. So, I decided to assert my authority as lord.
“Of course, I know the situation. But there’s nothing that absolutely must be done today, right? So, Espada, you get a half-day off too! This is an order from Viscount Van Nei Feltio, so you can’t refuse!”
I said this with a smug face. Espada’s eyes went wide and he froze. For one or two seconds, the usually composed Espada was caught off guard, but then he moved again.