Chapter 50

Yuki’s Ambition: Finale

The castle I constructed ended up proving itself far too out of scale for our everyday use . Of course, its size was entirely intentional . Half the structure's dignity came from its sheer mass . Unfortunately, dignity and practicality didn't always go hand in hand . I failed to realize my failure at first . I was too busy basking in everyone's praise to notice that I'd made a mistake .

The corridors were too long; the amount of distance between any two locations was ridiculous . Living in the newly constructed castle was nothing short of an obnoxious inconvenience . A good bit of time had passed since its creation, but not a single one of its many rooms had been claimed for personal use . In fact, all the adults had basically stopped visiting it altogether . Illuna visited it with Shii and Mofrir to play and explore every day, but that was it . They were the only ones that'd gleamed even the slightest bit of benefit from my efforts .

All the dungeon's residents still lived in the throne room, and not the newly constructed one . Having two throne rooms made it pretty difficult to distinguish which was which, so I decided to call the castle's throne room "the throne room," and the dungeon's original throne room "the true throne room . "

Fortunately, not all my effort had gone to waste . Anyone that ventured into the cave containing my dungeon would see a massive castle looming in the darkness, and I was certain it would at least intimidate them enough to deliver a blow or two to their confidence . To that end, I'd also given the castle a bit of decoration . I lined its halls with western-styled suits of armour and even used my earth magic to craft a beautiful garden . The castle's courtyard and interior served the exact same purpose as its exterior . It was all there for the sake of grandeur; it only existed to crush the resolve of any that dared to intrude .

Thinking back on it, I should've known that the castle wouldn't see much use . The Demon Lords in JRPGs didn't wander about their domains or use their own facilities . They simply remained seated on their thrones and majestically awaited their challengers . It would only make sense for the demon lord and their close companions to reside within the throne room .

Creating the castle was an idiotic decision . But I was fine with that . I understood and accepted it as fact . The only reason it'd come to be in the first place was because I'd wanted to create something fantastical . Fantasy was something that existed to make people's hearts flutter with excitement . Like D*sney Land and many other places that delivered on fantasies, my castle was built to entertain . No one lived in Disn*y Land . Thus, it was only natural for my castle to be free of residents as well . That was all there was to it .

Okay, yeah no . Dis*ey Land, my ass . I'm just trying to convince myself that all that time and effort hadn't gone to waste .

I heaved an exasperated sigh as I slumped down onto my throne .

"There is no need for you to be so depressed, Yuki . I can attest that your castle is the most magnificent I have ever laid eyes on," said Lefi .

"You don't have to lie to me, you know? I can tell that you're just dying to ask why I decided to make it so needlessly large . "

Hearing my reaction caused Lefi to stifle a giggle .

"What?" I groaned .

"This is the first time I have ever seen you in such a withered state . Admittedly, it is quite amusing to observe . "

I saw her lips momentarily curve up into a smile as she turned around and plopped herself onto my lap . She then relaxed and naturally allowed her slackened back to fall against my chest .

Both the touch of her skin and her pleasant, familiar scent filled me with a sense of warmth .

"W-What's up?"

"Do you mind it?"

"E-Er… I don't . "

She sounded really calm . A part of me felt that getting flustered would be akin to losing some sort of unexplained challenge, so I tried my best to put up a front and pretend that nothing was wrong .

Neither of us said another word .

We were silent, but it wasn't awkward .

In fact, it was comforting .

"How warm," Lefi suddenly broke the silence .

"Well yeah, I'm alive, so…"

My awkward reply caused Lefi to chuckle .

"Indeed you are . "

I didn't quite get where she was trying to take the conversation, so I lowered my gaze and looked down at her face . She seemed to notice, as she promptly half turned towards me and returned my stare .

"You know, Yuki?"

"Yeah?"

"The time I spend with you is enjoyable . You are a very interesting man, and you bring me no shortage of amusement . "

"What's this all of a sudden? Are you trying to cheer me up or something?"

"Precisely so . You've spent the better part of the last few days sulking . I believe that, as your elder, it is my duty to revitalize your spirits . "

She shrugged, as if to say that she'd spoken the line in jest .

"Well then . I didn’t think you’d actually admit to it . "

A wry smile appeared on my face .

"Though you tend to remain level-headed, it is impossible for me to deny that there is an idiotic side to you as well . That is why I will continue to watch over your actions in a manner befitting my status as a responsible adult . "

"Says the person that starts throwing a tantrum every time they lose at anything . "

"T-That has nothing to do with maturity!" Lefi shouted . "Taking a game seriously is a wholesome part of the fun!"

Her lips twisted into a pout as she started indignantly glaring at me . My response was to snicker as I dropped a hand onto her head .

"Hey Lefi . "

"What?"

"Thank you . "

She smiled as she turned more towards me and pressed a cheek against my chest .

"No fair! I wanna get on Onii-chan's lap too!"

Having returned from her expedition, Illuna interrupted us with a shout .

"I fail to see the unfairness of which you speak, Illuna . There is enough space for two . "

"Yay! Then I want a hug too!"

Illuna pitter pattered down the hallway before kicking off the ground and transitioning into a leap with all her momentum still intact .

"What the!?"

I blinked a few times in surprise as she suddenly crashed right into me . I went from supporting one person's weight to two in an instant .

"I-I dunno about having both of you on me at once . This is starting to get kinda weighty . "

"You are a man, Yuki . Act like one . "

"I know right! You're not supposed to call girls heavy!"

"You guys say that, but this chair is hard, and getting my legs pressed into it is kinda painful," I groaned .

"Don't worry, Onii-chan! I'll hug it better!" Illuna wrapped her arms around my waist . "Pain, pain, go away!"

"Wow, that was really effective Illuna! I'm all better now," I said as I forced a smile .

"Pedophile," Lefi's eyes narrowed in disapproval .

"I'm not quite sure that's the kind of thing you're supposed to say to someone's face…"