It's already dark around us.
　When you live in the city, there are places where the lights are on and the streets are busy even at night, but there is nothing like that in the countryside.

　We were given a ride in a horse-drawn carriage to the entrance of the village, and then it was time to walk.
　We thanked the guru and walked side by side with Mira.
　We didn't lose our way because we were familiar with the path, and it wasn't completely dark by starlight.

　Mira-san is muttering something in an inaudible voice.
　When I listen carefully, she seems to be practicing her greetings.

　She is squeezing a bag of hand-me-downs.
　It's been a long time since I've been home, so I've been shopping for souvenirs along the way. I was in a hurry to leave, so I didn't have enough time to buy them in the town where the castle is located. I've packed a lot of things into the backpack I carried.

''Mira-san, it's all right.''

No, we've already blundered, we can't afford to fail this time.

　You fought off those three guys?　I guess it's a matter of what I did.
　From Mila's point of view, it seems to be a blunder that my first encounter with my parents is in a state of entanglement with me.

　...Well, I understand. If this had been an opportunity to meet Mila's parents, I would have been in a quandary if the situation had been the same.
　I'm not sure if I would have been thought of as the kind of person who sticks to you regardless of where you go..." "It was a misunderstanding," he said.

It was a misunderstanding, I'll explain it to you. I mean, I think he already knows.

Ugh....

　The trio didn't seem to notice the shock, but with a little thought, they could see that everyone was concerned. Even more so since even Ex-san and Arthur-san had come down from the carriage.　
　Someone in the village who was watching that exchange has probably already explained it to you.
　It's a small village, so information travels fast.

　In the meantime, we arrived at the house.

'We're here,'

　
　The [Queen of Vampires], who greets any adventurer with a strong heart, is scared to greet a middle-aged couple living in the countryside.
　I could feel the feelings she was putting into this matter once again, and I could feel the heat in my chest.

　I hesitate a bit, then rub her back.
　As she looks at me, I say jokingly.

''You're not a stronger foe than Helu-san, so you'll be fine.

　Carmilla-san, Mira-san had dismissed that third-ranked World Ranked [Demon Sword Hero] Helvall.
　This degree, it's not enough to be feared.



　

Let's go.

Yes....!

　And then we open the unlocked door.

"Leme...!　I'm glad you're back!

　My vision went completely dark.

''Leme-san...!

　I can hear Mira's surprise.
　The soft touch and the flowery scent. The slight pressure of a hug.
　I quickly realized who this was.

'I'm home Mr. Canary.

"....!　This is so uncharacteristically distant!　 ........I'm crying.......

　Ms. Canary is Pheonix's mother.
　I was a good friend of his, and inevitably, I was close with his parents. I was very close with them.
　It's so close that our parents treat each other's children as if they were their own.

　Fighting back a choking feeling, I put my arm around Canary's back and softly gave her a hug.
　I'm not very good at this kind of communication, but if I didn't do this, Canary-san wouldn't let me go.

　Satisfied, she opens her vision.
　But she was puffing out her cheeks.

''You won't change your mood with a hug, will you?　I'm going to cry.　You're going to get it?

　I'm sure my mother and I are not so different in age, but from the looks of it, I can't believe it.
　She is young enough to be believed even if she were told that she is in her early twenties. In fact, even if I told you my real age, you wouldn't believe me.

　She has fluffy yellow hair and eyes of the same color. She's a slender beauty, and she hasn't aged since I was a child.
　She has an honest way of expressing joy, anger, and sorrow, and it's easy to understand her emotions at the time.
　She's a [singer], and before she got married, she went around the world. At banquets and festivals, Mr. Canary sings to the delight of the village's adults, who are enthralled by his singing voice.

'No, but I'm not a child anymore either...'

　Mr. Canary's eyes glazed over.

"'I'm not your kid anymore'?

I didn't say it.

'So you still think of me as your mother?'

　I nodded my head.

'So let's start over with the reunion.

　I feel my face heat up and I call out to her like a child in shame.

''I'm home, Aunt Kana,''

　Poof, her face glowed with joy.

'Welcome back, Leme!

Geez.

　He hugs me again.

''I'm ... embarrassed, Aunt Kana.

'What's wrong with holding my child, who hasn't seen his face in a while!　Yes!　It's not my fault!　Leme and Fenix are bad boys!　Don't come back at all, it's not good!

I feel bad about that, but...

You've grown up. Oh, you've worked out too. Yes, you look like you're eating well. And what's the new job all about?　And she won't tell me about it either. Is this a job you can't even tell your parents about?

Well no, I'm not saying that. I just need to be prepared for anything. And, you know, I've been busy...

　After all, I went from being an adventurer who wanted to be brave to a mage who wanted to be a demon hero.
　It's not something that can be written smoothly in a letter.

''Even if you're busy, you can still contact me.......!　She'll give me one a month, okay?

　That's because he knows that his own mother will be in a lot of trouble with 'anger' and 'pity' if he neglects to contact her.

''I'll be careful........''

You promise?

　d*mn I wasn't told this guy was coming. But I should have predicted it. My father may have invited him, and even if he didn't, I could have imagined him coming.
　Maybe it was just me, and I was nervous about introducing Mira-san to him.

'Hey, hey, Kana. Reme and the lady you're with must be in trouble.

　That said, the one who softly pulled Mr. Canary away from me was Mr. Hawk, Fenix's father.
　He has darker red hair than Fenix, and both eyes of the same shade. He's tall and stocky, but his gentle nature is not intimidating, perhaps because it shows in his atmosphere.

'Hawk........uncle, it's been a while.'

It's good to see you, Leme. It's good to see you.

　He didn't give me a hug, but he grabbed me by the shoulders. I was patted down with a happy face.

"Me too, so.........

Well the whole thing about leaving the party...

'I don't care I'd be lying if I said I didn't care, but I've convinced myself to do it. Besides, I like my life right now.

　Hawk-san's expression twisted for a moment, but he smiled mildly, as if he thought my words weren't lying.

'Well..... If you've met a lady as beautiful as this one, it's a no-brainer.

　Finally, the topic of conversation shifted to Mira.
　My father came out of his room when he heard the noise, and my mother, who was quietly cooking in the kitchen, must have heard the series of conversations.

'This is Mira-san. We met at work and now--

'Cute!　She's a very pretty girl, isn't she!

　Ms. Canary's eyes lit up and she took Mila's hand in both of hers.

'My name is Canary. I'm like Reme's mother. I'll give 'mother-in-law' to the real thing, but it would be nice if you could call me 'mom'...!

Well, Mom, is it?

'Yes!　Ugh, I'm so glad my daughter wanted one too. Speaking of which, Leme, how is that girl doing in that area?　I asked and they wouldn't tell me.

　That's not the kind of thing you want to talk to your own mother about. No, it depends...?

I can't tell you what to do if he doesn't.

''Eh~. ........Speaking of which, Reme, you've really become 'me', haven't you?　I used to be 'me' and that was already cute. Is she an imitation of me, acting like an adult, too?　Hmmm.

　I think not.........
　When Canary-san is around, the place is swallowed up by Canary-san's atmosphere.
　Normally it's not a problem, but thanks to that, Mira-san is left confused and her eyes are black and white.

'For now, sit down. You two must be exhausted from your long journey.'

　At my father's words, Mr. Canary squirmed with a 'shucks' look on his face.

'That's right I'm sorry, Reme, girlfriend-chan. Come on, relax!

Oh, excuse me.

　Mira, who finally said it, looked like she could say it.

This is, well, I mean, if you don't mind.

　Mila-san handed over the souvenir to me.
　I'm sure she didn't have time to prepare for it, as I did, but the demon king said, "This will certainly make her happy!　Trust me! It seems to have been prepared for me.

"That's very kind of you.

　My father took it, and Mr. Canary approached him with a twinkle in his eye.

'Well, what is it?　What exactly is in it?　Let's open it up, shall we?

Hey, hey, Kana.

　Hawke says chidingly.

'It's okay, Hawk. You said Mira, right?　May I?

Yes.....

　When I took it out of the paper bag, it was a candy in a rectangular box.
　To be exact, it was the Demon King's Castle's centerpiece product, Demon King's Castle Floor Boss Chocolate.
　Since the structure up to the tenth layer was revealed in the battle with the Fenix Party, it was one item that was commercialized as there was no reason to hide it at the earliest.

　【Beard of Hell】 Naberius, 【Dead Spirit Leader Brave General】 Kimaris, 【Vampire Queen】 Carmilla, 【Werewolf's Chieftain】 Markosias, 【Demon of Love】 Citry, 【Ruler of the Waters】 Wepal, 【Eloquent Thrush Lord】 Kaim, 【Cutting Knight】 Fulkus, 【Devil of Time】 Agares, 【Dark Mage of the Ship's Horn】 From Remegeton. It is a popular product with a rich variety of variations, containing a total of 20 bite-sized chocolates with the image of the front face and profile of each of the ten bodies that are
　They are sold at the Demon King's Castle shop and several other stores.

　Incidentally, there is also a version called "Cute Chocolate, supervised by [Devil in Love] Citry," which is sold only at the Demon King's Castle shop, and this one is made only for female demons among the demons in the Demon King's Castle.

　In addition to the rare demons that are not included in the floor boss chocolate, the 【Dream Demon】 maids of the fifth layer are also included, but they sold more than expected and are currently out of stock.

''Oops~. Is this the chocolate from the Demon King's Castle where my child's party was wiped out?

"....!　I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't think much of it, and I...

"Whaaaat? I'm just kidding, Mila. I want to eat Sitri and Carmilla. And then.........maybe Remeghton.

　I manage to suppress my reaction to the word "Remegeton" and overhear Mira.

'It's okay. Aunt Kana's facial expressions and emotions are in perfect harmony with each other. When she's smiling, she's not angry.'

　Mira put her hand on her chest as if relieved.

'Cana, no Remegeton,'

　Father said, and Mr. Canary puffed out his cheeks.

'Eh~. I'll take Wepal then. I'll just eat all the pretty girls.'

Well it wasn't a gift for us in the first place.

　Chitty-chitty, wagging his finger at Canary.

'This is a gift for Leme's parents. So we have the right to eat it. You don't understand, Hawk, do you?

You're such a...

　Mr. Hawk said dismissively, but his lips were soft and loose.

'Miss Kana?'　It would be nice if you could come back to help me soon.

'Wow!　I'm sorry, Mr. Tia!　I was so happy to see my child again that I forgot about it...!　Oh, is that okay with you, Tia?

I'm cooking.

He's not being honest, you know.

　I can only see the back of my head from here and can't read my mother's emotions.
　Tension sets in between Mira and I.

'Wow, let me help you with something.'

'Well, well, well, you heard that, Tia. You've had the opportunity to fulfill your dream of cooking with your daughter, right?　Let's grab it, this dream!

You can't make a customer do that.

Hmmm. Hmmm........well, it's almost finished. Mila-chan, that's what I'll do next time. This isn't a social call, you know?

Yes, sir.

　Mira-san, who was about to sit up, sits down again.

''Ah, I brought a bunch of stuff too but we'll talk about it later.

　In terms of timing, putting things on the table would get in the way of the food.

　So, that's why.
　Finally, the food was finished on the table and my mother sat down in her chair.

'Mira-san,'

Yes.