I Just Wanted A Soft Life, Not A Demon Husband

Elyn’s POV

I didn’t say it out loud...

But I was wondering the exact same thing.

How exactly did someone who carried an entire prison on his back become a golem maker?

Before I could ask, Rin answered for me.

"Honestly, Azerion," she said with an exasperated sigh, "you should know that Elder Bastion Demons are among the greatest artisans in the entire Demon Realm."

Azerion frowned.

"They are?"

"Yes."

She folded her arms.

"Golem creation comes as naturally to them as breathing. They don’t simply make golems. They practically shaped the art itself."

"Oh."

Rin shrugged.

"Then again, I’m not surprised you asked."

Azerion narrowed his eyes.

"And what’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means the only thing you’ve truly mastered is stealing snacks."

"I don’t steal snacks."

"You borrow them permanently."

"I return the plates."

"The empty plates."

"They’re still plates."

"I cannot believe that’s your defense."

Azerion rolled his eyes dramatically.

"At least I return something. When it comes to you and jewelries, you return nothing."

Before Rin could think of another retort, the enormous Elder Bastion Demon finally spoke.

His head slowly tilted toward Zorathys.

The movement alone sounded like mountains grinding together.

Stone scraped against stone.

The earth beneath our feet trembled ever so slightly.

Then his deep voice echoed throughout the valley.

"...Harbinger of Death." He paused and then spoke again. "Ruler of Shadows."

The title lingered in the air.

I instinctively glanced toward Zorathys.

His expression didn’t change in the slightest.

He merely looked back at the giant demon with his usual sleepy eyes.

"The foolish one," Zorathys replied lazily.

His voice carried just as easily despite how softly he spoke.

"Who chose the losing side."

Silence settled over the valley.

For several moments, the Demon said nothing.

Then his massive shoulders shifted ever so slightly.

"My people made a mistake."

I could hear a faint tinge of bitterness in his voice.

Zorathys simply shrugged like it didn’t affect him.

"They did."

The demon inclined his head slightly, as though he had expected no different.

Before the silence could become uncomfortable, Brixton suddenly stepped forward.

"Master!"

The demon’s head immediately turned toward him.

"Little duke," he called out. "What brings you here?"

Brixton smiled shyly.

"I was showing Their Majesties around the Golemhold Territory."

He gestured toward the rest of us.

"And I wanted them to meet you. Oh, and my friends too."

The Demon slowly turned again.

This time, his featureless face stopped in my direction.

It was strange.

Without eyes, he shouldn’t have been able to look at me.

Yet I felt his attention settle over me as clearly as if he had been staring directly into my soul.

"Human," he said with a hint of disgust.

"I am," I said proudly.

Before I could say anything else, Velira stepped forward with both hands on her waist, her tail moved around, and her wings fluttered as if in annoyance.

"Her Majesty only looks human," she said sternly. "She’s very much a demon."

The Demon remained silent.

His head slowly shifted toward Zorathys.

Then back to me.

Another long silence followed.

Finally he spoke.

"I see."

That was all he said.

Then, he began lowering himself.

The movement was unbelievably slow.

Every inch he descended produced another thunderous rumble.

It sounded less like someone sitting down and more like an entire mountain deciding to move.

The ground vibrated beneath our feet. Rocks tumbled down nearby cliffs.

Somewhere in the distance, several birds flew into the sky in alarm.

"Should we be worried?" I asked Zorathys.

"Not at all," he answered, his voice as calm as ever. "Relax, Firefly."

I wanted to.

I truly did.

Unfortunately, the Demon sounded suspiciously like an earthquake.

Aziren’s little flames flickered nervously.

His tiny eyes widened.

"Is he falling?"

Brixton immediately shook his head.

"No." He smiled reassuringly. "You’ll see."

The rumbling continued.

Stone shifted.

Something enormous scraped against rock.

The sounds echoed through the valley for several minutes before finally everything became quiet again and we were staring at a cliff.

Then a section of the cliff face directly in front of us slowly split apart.

Stone ground against stone, dust drifted into the air, and a massive doorway revealed itself.

Behind it was a cave with an entrance.

Brixton smiled proudly.

He hurried toward the entrance before pushing open the enormous stone door with both hands.

It swung inward surprisingly easily.

"Come in!" He gestured to us.

The children rushed inside immediately.

I followed after them, Zorathys still strolling beside me at the leisurely pace of someone with absolutely nowhere else to be.

The moment I stepped through the entrance, the entire cave lit up.

Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Lunacite Stones embedded within the walls glowed with a soft silver-blue light.

Their radiance illuminated every corner of the cavern without being harsh.

It was beautiful.

Tiny glowing insects drifted through the air in slow circles.

They resembled dragonflies, except their delicate wings shimmered like crystal.

Some perched upon stone pillars.

Others danced lazily above our heads.

The cavern stretched much farther than I had expected.

A magnificent spiral staircase wound upward along one side of the cave wall, disappearing into higher chambers I couldn’t even see.

Natural stone pillars rose from floor to ceiling.

Some had clearly been carved into elegant sculptures.

Others remained untouched, preserving the cave’s ancient beauty.

"...This place is incredible," I murmured.

Brixton’s chest puffed out proudly.

"I know."

He led us farther inside until we reached a long stone table.

It was covered with every kind of mineral imaginable.

Smooth stones, jagged crystals, glittering gems, dark ores.

Several pieces changed colour whenever the light struck them.

Others appeared almost alive.

I leaned closer.

"...I’ve never seen so many different kinds of stone before."

"They’re all used for making golems," Brixton explained happily.

Thalira immediately reached toward a colourful stone.

Brixton slapped her hand away.

"Don’t touch those."

"I was only looking."

"You were looking with your fingers."

"I appreciate things physically."

"You break things physically."

"I don’t always break things."

"You summoned an ancient demon less than an hour ago."

"...You’re still talking about that?"

"I’ll be talking about it next year."

As the two of them continued bickering...

I heard a splash and frowned.

Water?

Another splash echoed through the cavern.

Curious, I turned toward the sound.

Beyond several stone pillars, an underground lake stretched across an entire section of the cave.

The crystal-clear water reflected the glow of the Lunacite Stones above like countless tiny stars.

Steam rose gently from its surface.

"...There’s a lake in here?"

"It’s warm," Brixton said happily. "Master likes it too."

I stepped a little closer but then stopped myself when a figure slowly emerged from the lake.

Water cascaded down his broad muscular frame.

Long pale hair clung to the figure’s back.

For one brief moment, I simply stared, trying to figure out exactly what I was looking at.

Before I could process it though, a deafening scream shattered the peaceful silence.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

I spun around and found out Vaelory’s face had turned completely white.

Her eyes rolled backward.

Without another sound, she collapsed.

Rin looked down at her unconscious form before letting out an entirely unsurprised sigh.

"...I knew she would faint after all."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!