Home/ The Demon King Took Off His Little Horns/ Chapter 78
The entire Eastern Region was in a state of extreme poverty. As soon as he had any spare money, he would immediately invest it in the construction of Suberbian city. Words like “salary” and “annual salary” seemed so distant to Ansel as if he had heard them in a previous life.
Of course, he wasn’t a stingy tyrant. He was content with living frugally himself and had no reason to mistreat his ministers who had fought alongside him to conquer the Eastern Region. So at first Ansel made up a fake salary slip, with his name at the top with the largest number, showing that His Majesty received the highest salary.
All the ministers accepted this as perfectly reasonable, until they discovered that His Majesty was secretly reinvesting his own salary back into construction of Suberbian city.
It was discovered by Bululu. As a former ruthless lord who once possessed mountains of gold and silver, Bululu was very sensitive to numbers, which was why Ansel had appointed him as Finance minister. Initially, the accounts didn’t match, and the former lord was furious, ordering the entire ministry of finance to investigate immediately, otherwise they would all be eaten!
As a result, the accounts were checked and it was found that the money had increased rather than decreased. After further investigation, it was found that it belonged to His Majesty.
Although His Majesty the Demon King stayed up all night to falsify the accounts and even lost a few precious strands of his white hair in order to conceal this sum of money, he could never hide it from Bululu, who has been dealing with money all his life.
Bululu is so cruel to others, but when it comes to matters related to His Majesty, he was really helpless. He bounced back and forth to seek help from Prime Minister Andre.
The great demon was holding a glass of red wine, which was a high-end consumer product purchased with the salary bestowed by His Majesty. In fact, the ministers were all doing well.
In the slanting dim light, Bululu, who had turned as green as a bitter gourd due to worry, looked at Andre. Suddenly, he saw the other person pour over the wine cup, allowing the precious wine to spill onto the ground. Then came the crystal cup, which shattered into countless pieces upon hitting the ground.
The Great Demon, with peacock feathers in his hair, covered his face and laughed.
Bululu was very confused. In his opinion, this wasn’t the time to laugh. Andre, use your brain and think about what to do now!
【Stop laughing! What’s so funny!】
The Finance Minister squirmed in displeasure.
【I’m happy, very happy, Bululu.】
The Great Demon still covered his face with one hand, so Bululu couldn’t see his expression. He only heard his low and gentle voice.
【 Extinguish the fire of “anger” and put an end to your “greed”… The supreme, powerful, and honest demon king is almost like a gift to us from the demon god across the ages.】
【Don’t you feel the joy, Bululu? Such a king is leading us forward.】
The slime gradually returned to his original pink color, but small flowers bloomed one after another on his body, like a spring scene, revealing his joyful mood.
【Of course I’m happy, Andre.】
The Finance Minister said, as his body turned completely translucent.
【But I laugh when I’m happy, unlike you…】
【You even cry.】
The Great Demon looked up upon hearing the words, his lips still curved in a smile, but tears welled in his demonic pupils. He removed his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.
The fire of anger in his heart never flared up again.
And from that day on, the fire belonging to His Majesty was ignited in his heart.
This matter was ultimately resolved through a joint petition from all his close ministers, led by Andre. The ministers jointly petitioned that until the Eastern Region’s GDP reached a certain level, they, like His Majesty, would no longer receive any salary.
Anyway, there is usually extra income and a lot of food and expenses go through the Demon King’s Palace, so money becomes unnecessary. They couldn’t let His Majesty enjoy such frugality alone; they should follow in his footsteps.
Ansel couldn’t persuade them at all. As a result, that pay slip was completely turned into a fake one and posted in the Demon King’s office. In fact, none of the ministers on the list received salaries; their salaries were all invested in the construction of Suberbian City.
Remembering all this, Supervisor Vassago’s smile became real.
“Although it doesn’t count as an annual salary, we can be considered a joint-stock company, running our own business.”
“Oh!” Joey understood, “A family business!”
Ansel’s family is so rich! So awesome!
Ansel remained silent in response to Joey’s praise.
…So rich that he only had one gold coin in his pocket.
Because there would inevitably be some dust rising when tidying up the convenience store, Vassago asked Ansel and Joey to take a break in the back warehouse and come back to the front in three minutes. Before starting, he slowly pulled down the rolling shutter, and under the warm light of the convenience store, his shadow gradually twisted into a huge, entwined shape.
The scaled tentacles shimmered with silver light, orderly arranging the items one by one at a speed so fast that it was almost like a shadow. Two huge tentacles pushed the shelves to rearrange them, while small tentacles classified the products on the shelves. Some tentacles swept the dusty ceiling, and some tentacles dragged away the dust on the ground…
Amidst these huge and ferocious tentacles, the silver-haired and gray-eyed supervisor stood tall and straight. He gently picked up a ladle and stirred the prepared broth. The milky-white broth shimmered with tiny golden glints of oil, then he added various colored dumplings one by one. The main hot food sold in the convenience store is now being cooked.
Three minutes later, the supervisor retracted all the tentacles and politely opened the door.
“Your Majesty… please take a look. Is it to your taste?”
He served Joey and Ansel some hot soup and a few dumplings, mainly to let them taste the new broth. Ansel took a small sip and felt that the food quality had finally returned to the standard of the Demon King’s Palace. Joey, on the other hand, drank the soup until tears streamed down his face.
“I used chopped pickled mustard greens and the original bone broth as the base for the soup, supplemented with shrimp, soy sauce, pepper, and sugar,” Vassago murmured softly with a hint of regret in his voice. “You had to eat such a simple meal due to the limited ingredients. Once you take over this store, I promise that I’ll never let such crude and unremarkable food appear in your store.”
Joey, who had been shedding tears over the soup, suddenly remembered something upon hearing Vassago’s words.
“Ansel, are you planning to take over this convenience store?”
Ansel nodded.
“Yes.”
“Ah…then perhaps you should call Miss Sylvia soon. I heard that, to give us both more freedom, Miss Sylvia was planning to buy this convenience store under the club’s name. I wonder if the talks have gone through.”
This was important news, but Ansel didn’t think Sylvia would covet the store; a simple word would likely be enough for her to buy it. It was already late at night; he’d make the call after getting off work tomorrow morning.
***
In the clean and spacious hospital room, the silver-haired girl had awakened. The wound on her abdomen had been carefully treated; only slight pain lingered, but it was within her tolerance. Such a large wound wasn’t suitable for being treated with healing magic all at once, as it would damage her natural healing abilities, so she still needed to rest for a while.
Sylvia looked towards the window, and sure enough, the person leaning back in the chair beside her was the one she had been thinking of. This person was no longer young; time had left its mark on his temples, but it had only added to his composed charm. Sylvia wasn’t worried about his age; powerful demon hunters could live for a very long time.
She slowly sat up using her own strength and the sound startled the demon hunter. The demon hunter woke up and immediately leaned forward to support her arm, and then placed a soft pillow behind her back.
But…
The hand that supported her didn’t move in the slightest, maintaining a solemn and dignified posture that was both affectionate and courteous.
Sylvia lowered her eyes in despair, knowing that she would always be just a junior and a little girl in Edward’s eyes.
“No need for the pillow.” She forced a smile. “I need to get up soon. I have an important appointment today; I need to discuss the sale of a convenience store.”
Edward looked at her disapprovingly.
“Sylvia, your injury…”
“It’s alright, the wound won’t reopen. I’ll be careful, Edward…”
The silver-haired girl paused for a moment. Then, she lowered her eyelashes, and her sparkling eyes, tinted with the emotions of a young girl, faded away.
“Uncle Edward.”
Sylvia insisted, and the demon hunter couldn’t dissuade her. So he arranged for his most reliable and loyal driver to drive, and he accompanied her. The group headed to the agreed-upon restaurant. Edward initially didn’t understand why the ownership of the convenience store was so important, until he learned it was the convenience store where both the warrior and the Holy Sword worked.
In that case, it was indeed very important.
This restaurant was also owned by the convenience store owner, who was quite wary and had a rather unpredictable personality. Sylvia had to convince him a lot before he finally agreed to meet, but the convenience store owner made it clear upfront—he wouldn’t sell the convenience store to Sylvia.
Sylvia wanted to try. Many things only come to fruition because of perseverance, and this was her responsibility as the club’s manager.
The restaurant was surrounded by flowing water, with rugged Viking-style ironware and flags everywhere. The entire restaurant resembled a large ship sailing on the sea, giving it a unique feel.
Sylvia, enduring the discomfort from her wound, entered the restaurant.
With a “crunch” sound, like a subtle signal, Sylvia met the reclusive convenience store owner.
“Crunch!”
It was the sound of him eating potato chips.
Sylvia had met all sorts of people, but she had never met anyone like this. Two large bags of snacks were piled up beside him. He sat down, intently eating each item, his mouth never stopping. He was tall and handsome, with slightly upturned eyes, and his gaze always held a hint of something unusual.
“I already said it before, but since you’re a young girl, I’ll say it again.”
“The convenience store isn’t for sale.”
Sylvia forced herself to stay calm.
“If it’s a matter of price…”
“It’s not about the price.” The convenience store owner opened a new bag of potato chips, tasted it, and seemed satisfied, so he patiently explained further.
“It’s just that I don’t want to sell to the Demon Hunter Club, that’s all.”
Sylvia tried to negotiate for a while longer, but the man’s attitude was as hard as stone. No matter the price, he was unwilling to sell the convenience store, and he couldn’t offer any significant reason for it. Sylvia almost thought he was a member of some rival organization, planning to use the warrior and the Holy Sword working in the store as leverage.
Seeing that her efforts were futile, Sylvia had no choice but to take her leave.
“Crunch!”
There was another sound of potato chips being bitten. The convenience store owner, leisurely holding the bag of potato chips, suddenly smiled.
“This human girl is quite hardworking, but unfortunately…”
He wouldn’t sell the store to anyone but Ansel.
Daylight shone in from outside the boat-shaped restaurant, casting shadows on the face of the convenience store owner. Suddenly, his golden eyes changed; the pupils elongated, becoming vertically slanted like an anomaly.
These were undoubtedly—
The eyes of a demon.
“Long time no see.”
The demon chuckled.
“Ansel– the student I am most proud of.”
Author’s Note:
As mentioned before, the Great Demon Hermit taught the Demon King Ansel.
Don’t worry! He’s one of us!
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