Chapter 3

“We’ve arrived. This is my mansion.”

Using Lord Albert’s teleportation magic, we jumped straight to the front gates. It felt like less than a second—one moment I was wrapped in light, the next, the scenery had completely changed.

The mansion in front of me looked like something straight out of an RPG.

White walls. A reddish-brown roof. Surrounded by a stone wall. The front doors were pitch black and taller than a person. There were no unnecessary decorations—just a strong, solid design that spoke of function over flash. But most of all—

(“It’s huge!”)

It really was. How many of my old apartments could fit in there? I found myself doing the mental math without meaning to.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“Ah—yes!”

Lord Albert gave me a puzzled look as he stood by the gate, calling me over.

Rrrrrumble...!

The moment I stepped in front of the gates, they began to open on their own. Automatically. Like some kind of high-end sliding door? I caught myself thinking something ridiculous as I passed through.

Inside was a sprawling garden. It was hard to see clearly at night, but I could tell that exotic flowers bloomed along the edges of the straight stone path. Everything was perfectly maintained—no weeds in sight. Lord Albert walked on ahead without even glancing back.

I followed behind, glancing around nervously, practically tiptoeing. I mean, if I accidentally damaged anything in this garden, I’d probably be hit with a bill that would end me. That’s how expensive the place looked. Lord Albert, watching me out of the corner of his eye, tilted his head slightly—then seemed to realize something.

“…? Ah. I see now. Don’t worry. There aren’t any man-eating plants here. They’re kept somewhere else because they get in the way.”

“Hi—what!? There are man-eating plants!?”

“Of course there are. Where do you think we are?”

“Um… good question. Where exactly are we?”

To that, Lord Albert replied without hesitation, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Where else? The Demon Realm, obviously.”

“…The Demon Realm.”

“Well, technically, it’s a world that exists between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm.”

“…A world between realms.”

I ended up just repeating him. But I mean, come on. That sounded like something out of Dragon Quest or something. Then again… he is the next Demon King, isn’t he. Right. So I’m seriously going to be living in another world now. …Wait. Hold on a second.

What’s going to happen to my apartment?

“Um, Lord Albert?”

“What is it?”

“What should I do about the apartment I was living in? And also… where exactly will I be living from now on?”

“Just cancel the lease. You’ll be staying here at the mansion from now on.”

“Wha—what!?”

“What? You got a problem with that?”

“I’ll have to pay a penalty fee for breaking the lease early!”

Normally, to cancel an apartment lease, you need to notify the management company at least a month in advance. If you don’t, you get hit with a cancellation fee.

“…Just tell them you’re moving out tomorrow morning, but phrase it like you’ll vacate the place in a month. This isn’t the human world, so their rules don’t matter here.”

Oh—right. If I just say I’m moving a month from now, that solves the issue. But what about all my stuff?

“Would it be alright if I brought my belongings here?”

“I don’t mind. Though, if you’re talking about appliances, you won’t need things like a fridge, washing machine, or microwave—we already have those in the mansion. For anything else you need, just let one of the familiars know and they’ll move it for you.”

“Oh, there’s a fridge here?”

Surprisingly modern. I was expecting some kind of old-fashioned icebox.

“It’s modeled after human technology, yes. But it runs on magic instead of electricity. A very convenient invention.”

He’s not wrong. Fridges and washing machines are lifesavers. I’d just gotten so used to them that I’d forgotten how useful they really are.

While we talked, we arrived at a set of massive doors. They radiated a heavy, imposing atmosphere that made me tense up.

“We’re going in. Ready?”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

And with that, I stepped into the mansion alongside Lord Albert.