I'm Quitting My Job as a High-Ranking Officer in the Demon Lord's Army
The Four Heavenly Kings pulled some dirty tricks, and I never became the Demon Lord.
So I quit my post as a high-ranking officer in the Demon Lord's army and headed for Oxford Academy, where the heroes train.
But then they started coming after me.
*The cover image was AI-retouched based on a commissioned commercial illustration. Any issues related to it are the author's responsibility. The commissioned commercial image used is from the other serialized work "Avoid the Yandere Constellation."
I am quitting my job as a high-ranking officer in the Demon Lord's army.
My name is Taegi.
Once upon a time, I was one of the top executives in the Demon Lord's army. A so-called Four Heavenly King.
But after getting caught up in all sorts of political scheming and backstabbing, I realized something important.
This place is completely rotten.
The Demon Realm was already a mess of factions and power struggles, but the moment the previous Demon Lord died, it turned into a complete shitshow. The Four Heavenly Kings—including me—were supposed to support the next Demon Lord, but instead we spent all our time stabbing each other in the back.
In the end, I got pushed out of the succession race. The position of Demon Lord went to some half-baked puppet who was easy to control. As for me? I was left holding the bag for every failure and blamed for things I never did.
So I burned my bridges and walked out.
I didn't want to spend the rest of my life rotting away in that toxic hellhole. I wanted to live for myself for once. Maybe open a quiet café somewhere, or become a teacher. Anything but more of that endless, soul-crushing overtime.
That's why I crossed over to the human side.
The human kingdom's capital had this famous institution called Oxford Academy. It was where they trained heroes and elite mages. The perfect place to start over. No one would recognize me if I kept my demonic aura suppressed, and I could finally live like a normal person.
Or so I thought.
"...Why are you all here?"
I stared at the four women standing in front of the academy gates, my face frozen in disbelief.
Liris, the seductive succubus queen and former colleague. Seira, the ice-cold strategist who could freeze blood with a single glare. Miel, the cheerful yet terrifyingly strong warrior. And Van, the quiet assassin who never spoke more than three words at a time.
All four of them—the entire Four Heavenly Kings—were standing there in human disguises, looking at me with eyes full of... something I really didn't want to identify.
Liris smiled, her crimson eyes gleaming with dangerous affection.
"Did you really think you could run away from us, Taegi?"
Seira adjusted her glasses with a cold smile. "Your resignation letter was rejected. Effective immediately, we are all transferring to Oxford Academy as exchange students."
Miel bounced on her toes, grinning brightly. "We're gonna be classmates! Isn't that exciting?"
Van simply nodded once, her dark hood casting shadows over her face. "...Staying by your side."
I felt a migraine coming on.
I just wanted to quit my toxic job and live a peaceful life, damn it.
But it looked like my former subordinates had other plans. Plans that involved following me across continents, enrolling in the same academy, and probably causing absolute chaos in the process.
This was going to be a long year.
"The contract has been sealed."
"No matter where you run, we will follow."
⟨ Eternal Obsession ⟩
I sighed deeply and rubbed my temples.
Maybe I should have just stayed in the Demon Realm and dealt with the paperwork after all.