Hate
"Alright! Everyone, start cleaning!"
"Yes, Demon King!"
The monsters, who should have been gripping weapons, clutched cleaning tools instead. The battle cries they ought to hurl at enemies were now aimed at the dust and trash inside the castle, their fighting spirit dyed a pure "Let's clean the castle spotless!"
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
[Clack! Clack!]
"Everyone's working hard."
Kim Sung-tae watched the monsters with a satisfied smile. But his grin faded quickly, replaced by worry as he scanned the surroundings, half-expecting something to pop out. His gaze fixed firmly on the floor—he was still fretting over cockroaches.
"Ugh... cockroaches... No way any more are gonna show up, right?"
He'd thought the Demon King Castle was a cockroach-free sanctuary up until now. For one to appear out of nowhere—and in his food, no less. Unforgivable. Spotting a single cockroach meant there were really over a hundred lurking around, so Sung-tae had ordered the monsters to kill every visible bug while they cleaned.
"I wanna head to the Ramian Mountains, but taking care of my house comes first."
"Demon King, we're all done!"
"What? Already?"
It hadn't even been an hour since they started, yet the monsters proudly lined up before Sung-tae. Were they cleaning masters or something? Sung-tae inspected the area.
"......"
The corridors, which had been fairly clean despite some dust, were now a total mess. Potted plants placed here and there lay overturned and shattered. Cracks spiderwebbed the walls, and minotaur fur fluttered everywhere. It had actually been cleaner before the cleaning began.
"Minotaurs... don't clean anymore. Just the skeletons!"
"D-Demon King!"
[Clack! Clack-clack!]
Thrilled at their master's approval, the skeletons hopped around excitedly as they resumed cleaning. Sung-tae watched with a long sigh.
"Haa... At least cleaning's sorted now. So what next?"
"You seem bored, Demon King."
"Whoa!"
Gepelt had snuck up behind him and spoken out of nowhere. No matter how many times it happened, Sung-tae couldn't help jumping, his face turning sullen.
"Heh heh. If you're at loose ends, would you mind helping me out a bit?"
"Sure, why not. What's up?"
"I was hoping to borrow a little of your life force magic, Demon King."
"My life force magic?"
This wasn't the first time. Ever since Gepelt learned to handle life force magic, he'd come asking Sung-tae for it several times. Sung-tae had always happily infused it wherever Gepelt needed.
'Mostly into magic circles. Probably all for the castle's benefit, right?'
"Sure. Where to this time?"
"Not a magic circle this time. This way, please."
Gepelt led him to the castle's brand-new forge. Inside, Smith Black sweated profusely as he smelted Black Oriharcon.
"Oh, Kim Sung-tae. You've come."
"Yeah. Whatcha making?"
What Smith was smelting didn't look like a weapon or armor. It seemed more like some kind of machine.
"This? Well, it's......"
"Ahem."
"Ah, nothing at all."
Gepelt cleared his throat pointedly, snapping Smith out of it. It was obvious they were hiding something, but Sung-tae let it slide.
'Making something helpful for the castle again, huh?'
Yeah, that had to be it. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother. Still, he was getting curious about what it was. When would it be done?
"Heh heh. It's almost ready, Demon King. So, if you could infuse life force magic into what Smith's making right now......"
"Got it. But finish it quick. I'm dying to see it."
"Understood!"
Sung-tae granted Gepelt's request. Stepping back outside, he checked the cleaning progress.
"......"
It was a disaster. Not like the minotaurs shedding fur or smashing stuff—everything was just gone. Curtains, chairs, desks—every single item had vanished.
[Clack!]
[Clack-clack!]
What were they saying? Begging for praise? Unable to understand skeleton speech, Sung-tae could only tell from their tone that they were in high spirits.
"......Yeah, good job. Since you cleared everything out, let's do some mopping."
Mopping ought to wipe out the cockroaches for good. With that thought, Sung-tae raised his right hand.
"Come forth! Crassus!"
For mopping, water was key. Water meant Crassus! Ice would do—he could adjust it fine.
"Huh? Why isn't he coming?"
The purple glow on his right hand was steady. He could clearly feel the contract link. But Crassus wouldn't summon—like a massive dog resisting its leash.
"Isn't this contract supposed to be absolute?"
Shouldn't resistance be impossible? How was he pulling this off? Had something happened to Crassus?
"I need to mop......"
"My lord, there you are. The castle inspection is complete. No bugs."
"Good. But... cockroaches could be hiding anywhere. Let's search again. I'll come too."
"Yes, my lord."
Relieved at first by the no-bugs report, Sung-tae decided to postpone the mopping.
'Should be fine. What could happen to a guy like Crassus?'
Unfortunately, his assumption missed the mark.
＊＊＊
Six hours earlier, before Sung-tae began the big clean-up. In the mansion hosting the Demon Kings' gathering, three kings stared at flickering candlelight with dejected faces. Demitrian, their usual host, was absent. Only the other three remained.
"Haa......"
"Hoo......"
"Kra......"
The trio sighed in unison. Excluding the hero threat, their lives had been enviable—until one man ruined it all.
"Kim Sung-tae......"
"Kim Sung-tae......"
"Kra......"
Forced into contracts by Demitrian, each had been summoned by Sung-tae and suffered in turn.
"He called me out of nowhere and made me play the demon. Sure, I'm a Demon King, but... he just beat me senseless."
"He had me gather ore. Me! With my mighty strength, reduced to fetching rocks!"
"Kra! Krakra! Crassus!"
As they swapped stories, they noticed something odd and questioned each other.
"Hey, why're you speaking so formally? You totally submitted to him?"
"Indeed. I don't love how he treats me, but... I've realized I can't beat him as a warrior. And you? No anger at all?"
"Eh, not really hating it. Kinda bored lately, actually."
Demoniac gave a wry smile. He'd stopped bothering humans recently. Though he needed blood, he'd substituted with animal blood.
"Humans are pretty fun. They freak out and call me a demon on sight without knowing me. Been observing them lately—it's not bad."
"Kra!!!"
"But what's with you? Looking all young, muttering just your name. Overdoing the self-promo ain't cute."
"Kra! Kra kra!"
Demoniac and Iron no longer saw Sung-tae as an enemy.
"Kraaaaa!!!"
Crassus was the exception. What he'd endured was on another level—his body forcibly warped, speech crippled. He couldn't swallow that rage.
Forgiving Sung-tae after that would've made him a saint, not a Demon King.
"Anyway, good seeing you all after so long. Tough times, huh."
"Yeah. Gotta head out—promised to deliver Black Oriharcon ore and Sunstone today."
"Krahaha! You a merchant now?"
"Kkhuk. Kahaha!"
Iron and Demoniac burst into laughter, eyeing each other. They departed for home, leaving Crassus alone to bounce around, unable to contain his boiling fury.
"Kra...... Kra! Krakra! Kra!"
[These so-called Demon Kings submitting to a human! Pathetic! He's human! How can you bow to trash like that!]
He'd hoped for much from this gathering—borrow the others' power to revert his form, or challenge Sung-tae again together. But they couldn't understand him and held no grudge anymore.
"Kraaaaa!!! Kra!"
[Damn iiiit! Grrgh!]
Fueled by solitary rage, Crassus clutched his chest in agony, as if his heart might burst, collapsing to the floor. Rage had festered into hatred, turning to bile that devoured him from within.
"Kra....... Kra......"
[Kill him...... I want to kill him......]
[You want to kill him?]
A voice echoed from the ceiling. To Crassus, it felt like a fuse ready to ignite his rage and hatred.
"Kra!?"
[Who are you!?]
[Does who I am matter? Pitiful Demon King. Foolish Demon King, burning yourself up without venting your rage and hatred!]
The voice boomed harshly. Crassus trembled at its power. Though altered, his Demon King pride remained intact. Yet the voice's strength terrified him—stronger even than a hero's.
[You can grow stronger. Entrust your body to me. I'll awaken the power dormant within you!]
"K-Kra!?"
[You didn't know? You have power. Immense, unprecedented power! With it—and our hatred to amplify it—you can defeat him!]
The voice was savage yet cautious. Without caution, it would've charged the target blindly after its brothers' deaths.
[What say you? Will you entrust your body to me?]
"Kra......"
Instead, the voice sought another power—like that of the sacrifice who slew its brothers. It had finally found one. Smaller, yes, but hatred would multiply it manyfold.
"Kra! Krakra! Kraaaa!!"
[Good choice.]
Red energy descended from the ceiling, seeping into Crassus's body. His eyes glowed crimson, and a voice burning with newfound fervor emerged.
"I, Hate. I shall fulfill your wish—and my purpose!"
＊＊＊
"Hmm. Why won't he come when I call?"
Sung-tae muttered, staring holes into his right hand. Purple light flowed from it, but the Demon King he wanted refused to appear.
"Demoniac."
"Heh heh. Lunch is sheep's blood today... Huh? Called again?!"
"Dismissed."
Demoniac came instantly. Seeing him mid-meal every time, Sung-tae muttered "Big eater" before trying another.
"Iron."
"Hoo. To meet the deadline, gotta work my bones off... Uh!? Deadline already?! No way! Time flew......"
"Dismissed."
Iron came perfectly too. His diligent work ethic made him seem a full loyalist now, warming Sung-tae's heart. Finally, he tried the one causing his headache.
"Crassus."
The purple contract light held, but silence mocked his call. No matter how long he waited, no Crassus. A broken contract shouldn't glow purple—the link endured, but summoning failed.
"Hmm. Something happen?"
Uncharacteristically worried, he glanced around. Skeletons finished cleaning the now-empty space, tugging at his heartstrings.
"Need to mop."
......Was this worry? Regret? A lonely mix of both? Sung-tae considered summoning the others to ask about Crassus's home.
But then, someone burst through the door.
"My lord! We're under attack!"
"What!? Attack!?"
Sung-tae jumped up in shock. An attack? What the hell? He'd adventured plenty without making enemies. The only guilty memory was Leblanc, but those culprits had all gone to the afterlife, right?
"Who the hell's invading?"
"......Best see for yourself."
"Got it."
Sung-tae followed Garba outside. At the Demon King Castle's entrance, the changed landscape stunned him speechless.
"What the......"
A white world stretched out. The lava zone's bubbling sulfur springs and geysers were long gone. Only glacial earth and raging blizzards from the sky remained. The lava pit under the castle had frozen solid into rock ages ago. Watching snow pile on the castle, Sung-tae thought, "Could it be?"
"There."
"Crassus?"
A figure pierced the blizzard from afar. Blue-haired, handsome—Crassus in his original adult form.
"What's with that guy all of a sudden?"
He'd resisted summoning before. Now, he didn't pierce the storm—he led it. His icy blue eyes were gone, replaced by blazing crimson against the snowy backdrop.
"Lost his mind? Nah, I did go pretty hard on him."
A twinge of conscience hit. From their first brutal beatdown, to nearly killing him as a proxy, to trapping him saying only "Crassus." He hadn't lifted that curse.
"Hmm. Pretty pissed, huh. But this is too far."
Trashing someone else's turf like this. Time for a beating.
"I'll head out first!"
As he kicked off toward Crassus, Garba grabbed his ankle with her voice.
"Wait, my lord!"
"Huh? Why?"
"No need for you to step in. I'll handle it."
"Hmm......"
Sung-tae watched the kneeling Garba quietly, recalling the past. At his first Demon Kings' meeting, her humiliation. She'd been no match, freezing stiff at their mere mana.
Time to give her revenge?
"Alright, Garba! She's yours!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
Garba shot toward Crassus like an arrow. Revenge was sweet but dangerous. She'd matched hero Rubert, so defeat seemed unlikely—but just in case, Sung-tae checked Crassus's life force magic.
"Huh? What the. That guy's got a ton."
Blinking, he looked again. No change. Just a normal Demon King. Yet his life force magic towered like a pillar to the heavens.
"Right. I gave him some of my life force."
A tiny amount—how so much now? Merged with his own?
"But I never gave Garba any. Why's she got it?"
Sung-tae eyed Garba's back. He knew his life force magic was denser than others'. Hers shone like angelic wings—his.
"Dangerous."
Both bore his life force magic. But Crassus had more sheer volume. Mana wasn't everything, but his felt ominous. Tinged red—was that his imagination?
"Gotta back her up if needed."
Sung-tae watched their battle silently.