That's How It Happened
"......That's how it all went down."
Azid nodded after listening to Han Ji-woo's long explanation.
"Got it all."
His face said he hadn't understood a single word. Or maybe he hadn't even tried. The question about how he'd ended up in the Demon Realm felt like mere politeness.
Yeah, from a demon's perspective, this guy's anything but normal.
A regular demon would freak out just seeing a human strolling through the Demon Realm. Their next move would be charging in to rip him apart, like all the others had tried.
But Azid showed zero hostility.
Is it because he's half-human?
His mother's genes must've caused this mutation.
"Anyway, you can come and go from the Demon Realm whenever you want?"
Yeah, he definitely hadn't listened properly.
"Not quite. I told you it's only possible when certain conditions are met occasionally."
"Picky."
"But...... will you be okay?"
Since Azid was just rambling on about himself, Han Ji-woo shifted to the issue involving them both.
"Huh? With what?"
"You killed a fair number of demons. Aren't you worried about a bounty on your head?"
And the last one was supposedly one of the 72 high-ranking demons. Killing such a noble figure in the Demon Realm? If word got out......
It'd turn the whole place upside down.
Demons would hunt him with bloodshot eyes.
Han Ji-woo didn't really expect Azid to handle it. This self-absorbed guy rarely listened to others, so he wouldn't care about anyone else's problems.
"By the way, you got some kinda subspace or something? Food kept coming out nonstop."
Predictable as ever.
If the guy were human, Han Ji-woo would've snapped. But he couldn't afford to. One wrong move, and his head might detach in pursuit of freedom.
First, I gotta hook this one.
Against a normal demon, he'd never even consider it. But this half-mad demon prince? There was a way.
Han Ji-woo started building it up.
"Not exactly a subspace, but something similar."
He tossed out the bait.
The demon prince nibbled curiously.
"More food in there?"
"Plenty."
At Han Ji-woo's reply, the prince flashed a genuine grin.
"Then dump it all out."
The bite was coming. But reel too soon, and it'd slip away. Han Ji-woo waited patiently for a solid hook.
"Can't give it all away, though...... Wanna try one first?"
He slipped into casual speech, pulling out an apple.
Something told him this guy wouldn't mind the familiarity.
Sure enough, Azid ignored it completely, eyes locked on the apple.
Crunch.
"......!"
Azid's eyes went wide after chomping a huge bite. Sweet juice he'd never tasted burst from the crisp flesh.
Gulp!
He swallowed and blurted in shock.
"What the hell is this?"
"Apple. Good?"
"Fucking delicious."
His eyes sparkled as he devoured the rest, spitting pits ten times over.
"This is exactly what I want. Not that tasteless low-demon crap you eat just to survive. We should be eating stuff this good! Why choke down those poor low demons? Tastes like shit anyway."
Was this saintly compassion or a kid whining about side dishes? Hard to tell.
"More?"
Azid licked his lips, hand outstretched.
Time to reel.
"Sure. But you can't come empty-handed. You know what they say—gotta give to get."
"Possible? Guys who pissed me off went straight to the afterlife and never came back."
"......Not that kinda thing. Point is, if I give you something, you give me something back."
"I'm giving already."
"What?"
"My 'favor.'"
Oh right—when they first met, he'd spouted that chuuni crap: 'You've earned the favor of the Tyrant Demon Prince!'
"Words alone don't prove shit."
"Then what?"
Now yank hard!
"Prove it. Say you killed Andromalius and his goons. I'll buy it."
He knew it wasn't an easy sell. Even for a lunatic like Azid, taking the fall for murders? But he'd helped in that final clash, so he had a stake in Andromalius's death.
If Azid balked, Han Ji-woo planned to shove that fact in his face and arm-wrestle it out.
"Sure. My kills."
Jackpot!
"......For real?"
"Yeah."
Easier than expected. Now Han Ji-woo worried for him.
"You cool with that?"
"That bastard stepped on my turf. Made me pissed enough already, then he goes after my low demons."
Azid pointed at the huddled low demons rubbing their full bellies.
"Those are my rations—er, my assets. And he tries messing with 'em? Deserves death by me."
"Right, totally."
Han Ji-woo nodded vigorously. Sure, treating low demons as food was weird, but whatever. Not his circus, not his monkeys.
"Alright. You proved it, so I'll hold up my end."
Crash!
"Whoa!"
A flood of food piled up before Azid: fish, meat, veggies, fruits! Enough for one person to last three days.
For thirty? Gone in one meal.
But Han Ji-woo knew Azid wouldn't share. Cerberus had tipped him off—low demons survived on "demon grass."
So Azid would hog it all.
As expected, he glared murderously at the creeping low demons, scooping the pile into his arms.
"Wanna eat this? Or be eaten by me?"
The low demons scattered in fear.
"Ungrateful shits. Maybe I should eat you all."
His furrowed brow dripped with betrayal.
Made sense. He'd held back from devouring them till now, found a substitute, and they eyed that?
Not satisfied with one curse, he grumbled on. Han Ji-woo warned him.
"That food? Leave it out in this heat, it'll spoil fast."
"Spoil?"
"Rots. Tastes like crap."
"Gotta keep it cool then."
Azid spread his hand. Black demonic energy enveloped the food—probably a preservation spell.
Then he shoved a whole grape cluster in his mouth and chomped.
Gulp!
"This shit's insane too?"
"Grapes. But from now on, just eat the berries. Like this."
Han Ji-woo demonstrated. Azid mimicked and lit up.
"Delicious. So damn good."
"For meat, see that salt? Sprinkle it, cook till the inside's white. Beef turns brown outside—slice and check for pink inside. Perfect then."
"Got it."
"Alright, time to head out."
Azid sounded like a friend hearing his buddy leave.
"Coming back?"
"If you guarantee protection from other demons."
"Yeah. You're safe."
As he spoke, Azid pressed his finger to Han Ji-woo's forehead. A strange energy seeped in.
"What're you doing?"
"Marking you. Now I know where you are in the Demon Realm."
A GPS tracker, basically.
"Nice."
Wherever he dropped next, Azid would track and meet him. Solid safety net.
Azid, having demolished another grape bunch, spat seeds into his palm and stared.
"Mom mentioned this. Eat fruit, get hard things inside—seeds, right?"
His gaze shifted to Han Ji-woo.
"Plant these, get more of the same fruit?"
"Yeah. But not here. Wrong environment for seeds."
Azid's face fell visibly.
"......Oh."
He mumbled dejectedly after a pause.
"I want demons self-sufficient. Humans farm and raise livestock, right? Wanted that here. So demons don't eat each other. But no seeds for crops, no animals to raise. Even if there were, no one to teach farming. And now......"
His head drooped.
"Even the environment won't cooperate? What? Was it all a pipe dream?"
Han Ji-woo felt a twinge of pity. Sure, the guy seemed nuts, but his earnest effort to stop low demons becoming lunch boxes......
"My grand dream of filling bellies with tasty food."
"Damn, you keep flipping the script. Never a dull moment."
"Should I give up?"
As Azid sulked in despair, Han Ji-woo racked his brain and reignited the fading spark.
"Might be possible."
"......What?"
"Farming here. Could be impossible, but too early to quit."
"You got a way?"
"Yeah. Won't explain—you wouldn't get it. Don't ask."
Azid nodded vigorously.
"Won't."
Han Ji-woo saw the potential in the quest's direction.
Title: The 7th Demon Prince of the Demon Realm Was a Tyrant.
Reward: Dirke Village Revitalization Increase.
Goal: Turn this wasteland village prosperous under the tyrant prince.
And it wasn't one-off. A "1" after the title meant sequels: 2, 3, etc.
Why a Demon Realm revival quest out of nowhere? No clue how it tied to dungeon survival.
But one thing was clear.
I'll keep coming here anyway. So.
One reward—"Dimensional Gate to Demon Realm Reinforcement"—might transform this barren land overnight, depending on how it worked.
Azid poked Han Ji-woo's shoulder, eyes blazing with renewed fire.
"What do I do?"
Simple answer.
"Protect me from other demons. From start to finish, that's it."
Azid puffed up confidently.
"Guaranteed."
"Good. See you next time."
As Han Ji-woo and Cerberus turned to leave—
"Come back soon!"
Azid yelled.
Not content with charming countless otherworldly beings, Han Ji-woo had now ensnared the demon prince of the Demon Realm as well.
To my grateful readers who take the time to read through my writing, I have one thing I'd like to say.
From now on, the demons appearing in the Demon Realm will reference only the names and a few standout features from Solomon's 72 Demons; everything else is purely my own creation. So even if there are many differences from what you already know, I kindly ask for your understanding and leniency.
I hope my story can serve as a small shelter for you all. Stay healthy and happy always. You are the benefactors of my life. Thank you.