The Daily Life of the Demon King

Hephaestus Manor...

After Alex left the Hephaestus manor, the three drunkards who had celebrated their first raid yesterday were still in a deep sleep, unwilling to wake up. Alex had promised that today would be a day off, so they drank themselves into a state where they had forgotten about yesterday's raid. The first to wake up was Cassandra, who was being hugged by Daphne like an octopus.

When Cassandra woke up and disentangled herself from Daphne, she rubbed her eyes and squinted from a severe hangover, trying to remember what had happened yesterday. She remembered the raid and coming to the Hostess of Fertility, but after that, her memories were blurry. Cassandra decided to drink some water to soothe her parched throat. She got up and, with unsteady legs, headed for the room's exit, trying not to wake anyone. But fate played a cruel joke, and Cassandra, not having gone far, tripped and fell with such a crash that it could have woken up half of Orario.

Hearing the sound of the fall, Daphne and Lili groaned and began to wake up, clutching their heads. Their angry eyes looked at Cassandra, who was lying on the floor in a ridiculous pose, awkwardly smiling at the two girls.

"Couldn't you be quieter?" Daphne asked, holding her head and trying to suppress her nausea.

"Ugh, my head," groaned Lili, trying to get up from the couch.

"Sorry! It's not my fault my legs won't listen to me," Cassandra said, trying to stand but still swaying.

"Does anyone remember what happened yesterday?" Daphne asked, holding her head and trying not to fall back onto the bed.

"I only remember our raid, then coming to the Hostess of Fertility, and after that, everything is a blur," said Lili, trying to recall, but the headache wouldn't allow it.

The girls sat and tried to remember last evening, but nothing came to mind, so they decided to leave it for later when the headache subsided. After sitting for a while, they decided to get up. Groaning and like a group of zombies, the girls trudged to the dining hall to drink water and eat something. Tsubaki, who was sitting at the table at the time, saw the three girls walking shakily and grumbling and couldn't help but laugh at their appearance. Hearing Tsubaki's laughter, the girls groaned and grabbed their heads. Hearing their groans, Tsubaki laughed even harder as it looked comical, with everyone acting in sync.

After the girls reached the table, they just collapsed onto it, not wanting to move anymore. Tsubaki shook her head and decided to help them.

"Here you go, girls, this really helps with hangovers," Tsubaki said, placing glasses with a drink in front of them.

"What is it?" Cassandra asked, lifting her head and looking at the glass.

"It really helps with hangovers. Sometimes I overdo it too, and this drink is just right in the morning," Tsubaki said with a smile, looking at the three groaning girls.

After the girls drank the beverage Tsubaki gave them, they began to feel better, and their headaches started to subside. Deciding that the headache had passed along with the nausea, they decided to eat. Tsubaki, seeing them starting to feel better, shook her head, recalling that her first hangover was just as bad. Tsubaki served them food and sat at the table, continuing to read requests and orders for weapon crafting. The girls ate, slowly enjoying the food Tsubaki had brought them.

After breakfast, Lili began to look around and noticed that Alex, who was usually home by this time, was not there, and neither was Hestia, who usually lazed around the house.

"Tsubaki, where's Alex?" Lili asked, noticing his absence.

"Alex went to the guild to take care of some matters and find out something. He won't be back until evening, so you can relax," Tsubaki said, glancing up from her orders.

"And what about Lady Hestia and Lady Hephaestus? Where are they?" Cassandra asked, knowing that Hestia usually woke up around this time and came for breakfast.

"Hephaestus went to her shop for some business and took Hestia along to keep her from lazing around at home, according to Hephaestus," Tsubaki said, remembering how Hestia had cried and protested about leaving.

"So what should we do today?" Daphne asked, looking at the others at the table.

"You can rest. Alex gave you the day off to relax. You can go shopping or just unwind at home, it's up to you," Tsubaki said, her eyes still on the orders.

Hearing Tsubaki's words, the girls exchanged glances and realized they had a free day. They began deciding what to do. Cassandra suggested just relaxing at home. Hearing her suggestion, Lili and Daphne shook their heads. Daphne proposed going shopping. Lili thought for a moment and agreed to go shopping. Daphne and Lili then looked intently at Cassandra. Under their gaze, Cassandra gave in and agreed to go shopping too, even though she secretly wanted to stay home and lie down.

Seeing that Cassandra didn't want to go anywhere, Daphne decided to tempt her in her own way and started whispering about a new pastry shop that had opened. Cassandra, who didn't want to go out, quickly changed her mind upon hearing about the new pastry shop and was now unstoppable. Cassandra hurried to her room to get ready and go for sweets. Seeing Cassandra rush off, Daphne shook her head and went to get ready as well. Tsubaki watched this scene and laughed, saying, "It's good to be young."

Hearing her own words, Tsubaki made a face and thought that she was still young herself, being a girl in the prime of her life. Lili, seeing Daphne and Cassandra getting ready, also followed them. As Lili was about to leave the dining hall, she decided to invite Tsubaki to join them, to which Tsubaki shook her head and said she still had work to do. Lili, hearing her response, said that she could come with them next time. Tsubaki smiled and said she would definitely go with them next time.

After the girls got ready and set out to enjoy their day off, they had to decide where to go. Here opinions differed: Cassandra wanted to go straight to the pastry shop, Daphne wanted to look at armor and weapons, and Lili wanted to buy clothes and check out a new couch she had saved up for. They hadn't gone far from Hephaestus's house before a dispute broke out about where to go. No one wanted to compromise. This argument continued for a while until Lili found a way out of the situation.

"Daphne, why do you need armor?" Lili asked, posing an obvious question.

"I need armor because I play the role of the vanguard in our team," Daphne replied, indicating that she needed to ensure the group's protection.

"You don't need to buy that subpar armor. Alex can make you something much better than what you can buy, and you won't spend any money," Cassandra said, with Lili nodding in agreement.

"And why would he make me this armor?" Daphne asked, not believing that Alex would just make her armor for free.

"Didn't you listen when he was talking? You're a member of his family, which means you're his responsibility," Cassandra said, recalling Alex's words from the dungeon.

"That doesn't change the fact that he might not want to make armor for me," Daphne continued to deny.

"If he refuses, I'll ask Lady Hestia to persuade him," Lili suggested. Daphne thought this could work if Alex declined.

"Well, if you agree, then we're heading to the pastry shop on the shopping street," Cassandra said, seeing that Daphne was no longer arguing.

"No, we're going to look at beds first. I'm tired of hearing Lady Hestia brag about her soft bed. I want one too, and nothing will stop me from getting it," Lili declared, not giving Cassandra a chance to object. "Or do you want to sleep on the floor when we move into our renovated house?"

"Are you saying there are no beds for us?" Daphne asked, not understanding how that was possible.

"When we moved to Lady Hephaestus's place temporarily, Alex didn't plan on taking in new members. So nothing was prepared," Lili replied with a wry smile. Lili's words caused a collective sigh as the girls realized that ordering new beds was a priority.

"But where will we put them if we buy them immediately without waiting for delivery?" Cassandra asked, understanding there was nowhere to put the beds and no point in leaving them at Hephaestus's house.

"That's easy to solve with the bag Alex gave me," Lili said, showing the brown backpack on her back.

Seeing the small backpack on Lili's back, the girls didn't understand how it would solve the bed problem. Lili, seeing their confusion, decided to explain what kind of bag it was by pulling out various small and large items to show that the backpack could hold many things. Cassandra and Daphne were amazed by the backpack and decided they should ask Alex for one too.

Seeing that the conversation was over, Lili said they should head to the shopping street.

Upon arriving at the shopping street, the girls first went to the store selling home furniture. Entering the store, they began looking around and choosing furniture for personal use. Daphne was unhappy that Alex hadn't thought of this earlier, as new members could join their family at any time, and there would be no place for them to stay. While browsing typical room items like beds and nightstands for personal belongings, each girl picked what she liked best. But Lili had another goal—a soft bed like the one Hestia had ordered. Not seeing a similar bed, Lili decided to ask the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, hearing Lili's question, pondered for a moment, trying to remember if they had any more of those beds in stock. While he thought, Cassandra and Daphne came over to Lili and decided they also wanted such beds.

"Yes, we should have those beds in stock unless they've already been sold," the shopkeeper said after some thought.

"If we buy items in bulk and pay upfront, will we get a discount?" Lili asked, having already calculated the total and, being thrifty, eager to negotiate a discount.

"It depends on how much you plan to purchase," the shopkeeper replied, seeing that the girls were interested in more than just the beds.

"We're buying three beds, three nightstands, three wardrobes, and other small items for setting up rooms," Lili listed.

"Hmmm. If you're buying that much, I can offer you a 10% discount on your entire purchase," the shopkeeper offered.

"I want a 20% discount," Lili countered, holding up two fingers.

The shopkeeper shook his head and refused to give such a discount. A negotiation ensued: Lili insisted on 20%, but the shopkeeper, experienced with such customers, stood firm at 10%. The haggling continued for a good ten minutes until the shopkeeper finally conceded and offered a 15% discount. Lili proudly smiled at her victory. Daphne and Cassandra were impressed by Lili's bargaining skills and decided to always take her along for shopping in the future. Although the Hestia Familia might have plenty of money in the future, saving money whenever possible is always beneficial.

After paying for the order, the shopkeeper offered delivery, hoping to earn a bit more from these customers. However, he was stunned when Lili simply packed all the items into her small backpack and left with a triumphant smile. The shopkeeper couldn't believe his eyes for a long time until his colleague called him for lunch.

After leaving the furniture store, the girls decided to stroll a bit before visiting the pastry shop. While walking through the shopping street, they bought various trinkets and small items for their home, knowing that they might not have free time for a leisurely walk anytime soon. Cassandra kept asking Lili where she learned to haggle. Lili thought for a moment and decided to share her story since they were now family, and there was no point in hiding her past. Lili had found the home she had always dreamed of and a family that cared for her.

Lili recalled her first meeting with Alex, the person who had saved her. It was hard for her to believe how he could change his demeanor like flipping a page in a book: at one moment serious, and the next moment acting sweet and innocent. Lili shared her entire life story, except for the part where she had caused trouble with Alex to avoid being overheard. While Lili told her story, their group arrived at the pastry shop.

"You must have suffered a lot," Cassandra said, hugging Lili.

"Yes, you've had a tough life, but now we're family, and we won't let anyone hurt you," Daphne said, patting Lili on the shoulder for comfort.

"Everything is fine now. Alex and Lady Hestia helped me cope. Alex is helping me become stronger," Lili said with a smile. She no longer worried about her past, focusing on the future as Alex had advised her.

"It's right that you've been able to let go of your past to look toward the future," Cassandra said wisely, continuing to hug Lili.

After Lili shared her story, it brought them even closer and strengthened their friendship. Cassandra, who was eagerly anticipating the new desserts, was ready to rush to the pastry shop, but their path was blocked by a group of adventurers.

"Isn't this our little thief? We were wondering where our wallet disappeared," one of the adventurers said, approaching Lili's group.

"You'd better step aside and go your own way," Daphne said, stepping in front of Lili to protect her.

"What's this? The little insignificant helper found herself some friends and got braver?" the adventurer mocked, eyeing Lili's group. "Though, they're not bad. How about spending some time with us, and we'll forget this girl's debt?" he added with a lewd smile, causing his group to laugh.

"I'm warning you for the last time: you'd better leave if you don't want any trouble," Daphne said sternly, ready to draw her weapon.

"And what if we don't leave? Are you going to beat us?" the adventurer asked mockingly.

"You're right!" Daphne said, landing a punch on the adventurer.

Seeing their leader attacked, the other members of the adventurer group joined the fight. However, they didn't expect the group of girls to be so tough. Despite the numerical advantage, the adventurers faced opponents who had trained under Alex and fought hordes of monsters in dungeons. Even Cassandra, who was a healer, could hold her own against her attackers. Lili, who had trained the longest with Alex, sent enemies flying with her fists, leaving them unable to get up after her blows.

The battle lasted for a while, but the girls managed to defeat their opponents. Looking at the defeated foes, the girls were proud of themselves. However, Daphne didn't forget the adventurer leader's words and approached him to give him a kick in the groin, making sure he knew not to mess with the girls.

Afterward, the girls noticed they were covered in dust and dirt with a few bruises on their arms. Realizing they wouldn't be able to go to the pastry shop in such a state, they decided to head back home. Cassandra, pouting, wanted to cry, but Daphne promised that she would go buy her a cake tomorrow. Cassandra could only give in and cast a sad glance at the pastry shop one last time before leaving, her final thought being, "I'll come back, I promise."

Hephaestus' Mansion

Let's return to the moment when the girls arrived home and found a group of people discussing their future plans. The girls decided to share their story.

"Hold on, hold on. I asked you to tell me how you got into this mess, not to recount your entire day," Alex said, having listened to Cassandra's account.

"And what's with the monologue at the end where you say you'll come back?" Alex continued, looking at Cassandra oddly, who looked away.

"You asked for the story, so what's the problem?" Daphne retorted upon hearing Alex's words.

"Alright, that's not important. What's important is that you were attacked by Soma's family," Alex interrupted, not allowing Daphne to continue complaining. "So, what are we going to do about this situation?" he asked, looking at the girls. Everyone in the room noticed them, observing that they were covered in dust and had a few bruises.

"Alex, you need to teach them a lesson for attacking my children!" Hestia exclaimed, unaware of the commotion this would cause.

"Tell me, Lili, do you want revenge? Do you want to go back and beat the foolishness out of them? Do you want to make them suffer? Do you want to beat them so badly that their own mother wouldn't recognize them?" Alex began, his smile growing wider with each word, creating an unsettling feeling among everyone in the room. Those who heard Alex's words and saw his mad grin took a step back. No one had ever seen Alex like this before. Alex continued to look at Lili with his crazed smile, waiting for her response. Lili looked at Alex and nodded resolutely. In response, Alex laughed maniacally and began preparing for a crusade.

To be continued...