Mephisto also phrases it like he’d be guiding him in the world on a journey. And that wouldn’t necessarily be just mentally or emotionally either. Even physically going places would expand Iruma’s world view. And with how Mephisto’s either bloodline magic is to to have continuous rebirth or a special thing unto himself for it you got to admit his view of what he thinks of himself as is pretty ingrained (much like the many ears are ingrained to their position.) so he also kind of experiences a new view on his life and his abilities after all of this is very sweet and endearing. That he isn’t useless and he isn’t discarded or left to be discard because someone is greedy enough to carry his dreams . (iruma is the definition of both a human and a demon in terms of his greed. It’s both his virtue and his vice. He is a being of desires but also a being of ambition. He’s really fake it until you make it it’s just so amazing in my eyes)
I only thought of it as surface-level; got intoxicated by the wholesomeness I guess (￣∇￣").
Perhaps Mephisto was actually hurt. If I think about it, his life purpose is on his title himself: Kingmaker.
He saw the makings of a king when he met Delkira by chance and perhaps was looking forward to the journey or the process of it, becoming part of it. Unfortunately, Delkira said he didn’t need a guide, aka Mephisto wasn’t needed, perhaps feeling discarded (word usage related to the latest chapter).
I don’t remember if he had set his eyes on making Iruma king but it felt more of a selection process, an interview if one is fit for the position of King, unlike Delkira’s “you are the one”. However, Iruma not only uncovered Mephisto’s worry(?) for the audience but also reinforced his sense of purpose. In their convo, it seemed like Iruma meant tour guide haha but nevertheless, Mephisto seems chipper, which is also endearing to watch. (▰˘◡˘▰)
(It’s so wholesome that my brain just wants to savor it rather than analyze or do a deep dive on the story and characters, even if it’s obvious. I’m just glad the execution was done well - evoked my thinking and observation skills whilst still remaining wholesome ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~