I'm Quitting My Job as a High-Ranking Officer in the Demon Lord's Army (1)
As one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord's army, Liris the Succubus Queen was inwardly horrified by the sudden turn of events. The man who had always treated every member of the army with genuine kindness was now furious. Just why is he so incredibly angry?
The position of Demon Lord was something any demon might dream of claiming at least once. But it was hardly a desirable role. For all the grandeur of the title, it meant shouldering every burden alone. History had never seen a single Demon Lord live a carefree life. The previous one had even warned them outright: never become the Demon Lord. That was why Liris, unable to comprehend Taegi's rage, asked with pure curiosity.
"Taegi. Why are you so angry? Just because you didn't become the Demon Lord..."
"What? Fuck? You think that's just anything?"
Taegi cut her off with a piercing glare. He dragged a hand through his hair, brow furrowed deeply, then swept his gaze across the room. His eyes narrowed to slits as his voice dropped to an icy tone.
"Hey. You all planned this together, didn't you?"
"What?"
The question made the rest of the Four Heavenly Kings, Liris included, frown. Seeing their reactions, Taegi felt his suspicion harden into certainty.
"Yeah, that's it. You bastards planned it. Otherwise there's no reason to pick a maniac like him."
"Watch your words. You've certainly produced results, but are you seriously accusing us of doing something so cowardly in a fair vote for the next Demon Lord?"
The speaker was Seira, the Vampire Queen. Her waist-length crimson hair matched her red eyes and fangs. Her delicate features stood in sharp contrast to her voluptuous figure. She refuted him in a cold, quiet voice.
Taegi narrowed his eyes at her and pointed.
"Then why the hell did that bastard get three votes when we agreed to choose based on achievements?"
The rule was that no one could vote for themselves. Three out of five votes had gone to that maniac Heavenly King. It was obvious the others had all chosen him.
"T-That..."
Seira pressed her lips shut tightly, at a loss for words.
At that moment, another voice cut in.
"Enough. No matter how much favor 'that person' showed you, you're still a newcomer who barged in as an executive unlike the rest of us. So we simply didn't think you were suitable. Is that so hard to understand?"
Miel, the Dark Elf with sun-kissed brown skin and a beauty so breathtaking it could steal one's soul, answered with arrogant arms crossed over her chest.
Taegi let out a hollow laugh.
"So we agreed to decide based on achievements, but because I've only been an executive for a short time, you decided I wasn't suitable for Demon Lord? That's ridiculous. Don't you see the contradiction in your own words, you bitch?"
"Ugh."
Miel bit her lower lip hard, unable to respond. Their excuses finally severed the last thread of Taegi's reason.
"These bastards have no conscience at all. They screw everything up and then have the nerve to act like the victims?"
The more he thought about it, the more his blood boiled. He had ignored the final achievement to chase the hidden one for one reason only: to return as quickly as possible. The final achievement required the hero to personally defeat the Demon Lord. Unfortunately, the hero hadn't even entered the academy yet. Wanting to go back even one day sooner, he had aimed for the faster hidden route instead. He had been so close to success, yet...
Because of those damn trolls, it's going to take even longer now.
While Taegi was pressing Miel, a voice rang out beside him.
"Stop."
It was Van's indifferent tone. Taegi turned. The man wore a smug, triumphant smile.
"No matter how much more you rage, will the result change?"
"What?"
"I'm asking if no matter how hard you struggle, the outcome will change."
He was right. Getting angry here wouldn't change a single thing. After all...
The failure message was still floating in his vision. But hearing those words from that bastard of all people made his reason threaten to snap again. It had already broken once, and now Van was pouring fuel on the fire.
Just as Taegi tried to swallow his fury, Van spoke again.
"If you continue insulting us, as the next Demon Lord I will subdue you by force if necessary."
That was the final straw. Taegi's reason shattered completely. He turned his head with the stiff, jerky motion of a broken doll.
"Oh really? You'll subdue me by force? You?"
"That's right. I haven't been idle either."
"Then fuck it. Let's see you try."
The moment the words left his mouth, Taegi kicked off the ground and shot toward him.
Of course, the result was my overwhelming victory.
"Guh!"
Van's hair was clenched in my fist, his face a bloody mess. I looked down at him and spat.
"Not idle my ass."
Despite talking like he could take me easily, he hadn't lasted even a minute before collapsing. I stared coldly at the pathetic sight.
"This is ridiculous. You people chose this bastard as Demon Lord? All of you except one?"
I turned my quiet gaze on the women. They hung their heads, as if their consciences had finally caught up with them.
Troll-like bitches.
Even their guilty expressions looked utterly hypocritical. They had argued back so fiercely moments ago, yet now they sat there with faces full of remorse. Part of me wanted to beat them the same way I'd beaten him, but I knew it wouldn't make me feel any better.
It would probably just make me angrier.
As that thought crossed my mind, a groan rose from the floor.
"Ugh..."
Van was regaining consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes and spoke.
"If you lay another hand on me, I will dismiss you from your executive position by order of the Demon Lord."
"What?"
Had this bastard still not come to his senses? He wore that same smug smile, convinced he'd landed a decisive blow. I looked down at him with freezing eyes.
"Do it."
"What did you say?"
"Dismiss me."
"......"
He clearly hadn't expected those words. His mouth fell open in shock. The women around us looked equally stunned.
"E-Even now, if you correct yourself, I'll overlook it. Or I'll appoint you as my second-in-command. So..."
"What the hell are you talking about? I said dismiss me, you fucker. Stop changing your tune."
His pupils trembled violently. At the same time, the women spoke up.
"T-Taegi?"
"Y-You're joking, right?"
"D-Don't lie to us."
They sounded like they were begging me to stop joking. It seemed they still hadn't grasped the situation. I let out a hollow laugh.
"What? A joke? Do I look like I'm joking right now?"
"""......"""
They fell silent. I continued, staring at them.
"Did you think it was easy for me? Never sleeping, cleaning up all your messes, always stepping onto the front lines whenever danger appeared? Did you think none of it was hard, you bastards?"
I had worked without rest, rushing from one task to the next. There were times I genuinely wanted to die. When the front lines nearly collapsed, I had no choice but to go because of the achievements, but that night the guilt of killing humans made my hands and feet shake uncontrollably. No matter how strong I became, I was still human. My mind had been wearing away.
"If any of you had cared about me even a little, your conscience would never have let you choose that bastard."
"W-We're sorry."
The next moment, Seira bowed her head deeply and apologized. Her words felt like oil poured onto my burning rage.
"Wow. Fuck, so saying sorry fixes everything? You must have seen me as a complete pushover."
"N-No, that's not it. I just thought of you as a reliable, trustworthy friend..."
"M-Me too."
"S-Same here."
They waved their hands in frantic denial. Their excuses were so absurd I could only laugh bitterly.
"You thought of me as a trustworthy friend and comrade, yet you couldn't even manage a fair vote? Just how much of a pushover do you take me for?"
Guilt flooded their faces. Then Van, still on the ground, suddenly shouted.
"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, my father would have acknowledged me!"
It was so ridiculous I couldn't even laugh. I looked at him with eyes like ice.
"The reason your father never acknowledged you is because you wasted money on luxuries while the treasury was barely staying afloat, and spent all your time fooling around with succubi. That's why, you bastard."
"Don't make me laugh! From the beginning, my father always..."
"Cut the bullshit."
I sliced his words off. My voice dripped with killing intent.
"If you say one more word, I might actually kill you. So shut your mouth."
"......"
He finally seemed to understand the situation. He hung his head and clamped his lips shut.
Part of me still wanted to tear that damn bastard apart. But if I did, I might never be able to return.
That was the one thing I couldn't allow.
I couldn't lose my last hope. For now, I had to endure.
"Huu..."
I let out a long, heavy sigh. At the same time...
Vwoong!
I pulled a quill pen and a single sheet of paper from my subspace ring. The moment they saw it, a bad premonition must have struck them. They rushed toward me, apologizing desperately.
"I-I'm sorry, Taegi. It must have been so hard for you all this time. I'm sorry I didn't notice."
"We're sorry. We had no idea you were suffering that much."
"F-From now on we won't do it again. I'm sorry."
What meaning could their apologies have now? Just as Van said, no matter how angry I got, he would still become the Demon Lord. My fury had burned so hot that my mind had grown strangely calm instead. I spoke in a voice completely devoid of emotion.
"It's meaningless now. Looking back, it was my mistake to naïvely believe you wouldn't betray me just because I'm a demon."
"No. It's not like that, Taegi."
"Please don't say that."
"I-I'm truly sorry."
Tears welled in their eyes. But the "apologize and win" tactic only worked in the modern world. To me, it looked like nothing more than crocodile tears.
"Ah, don't apologize. It was my fault for being a pushover. Yeah. Anyway, give this to that bastard."
I handed them the resignation letter. At the same time, I declared to the fallen Van.
"I'm quitting my job as a high-ranking officer in the Demon Lord's army."
With those final words, I tore the few teleportation scrolls I had left, ignoring their desperate, pitiful gazes.