Chapter 120: An Uncomfortable Daily Life (1)
Chapter 120: An Uncomfortable Daily Life (1)
At this time, Deon Hart was absent. The Duke crumpled the note and frowned slightly.
'Of all times, now...'
How long had it been since they started the bet? They had to eliminate him at least before the war with the demon realm really broke out.
He glanced at Cruel, who stood expressionless as always. Seeing him looking so calm, the Duke's mood soured, so he deliberately curled his lips into a smooth smile.
"At this point, I'm truly impressed. They say Deon Hart vacated his post on His Majesty's orders."
"......."
"How can he be so lucky."
Was the world granting him its protection?
Every time they failed and missed the timing, his competitive spirit slowly grew.
"I hope he returns soon."
His purple eyes gleamed eerily. Watching this, Cruel silently lowered his gaze.
In the space with just the two of them, the Duke, who had been irritably scratching his pen across the documents, suddenly stopped as a thought occurred to him.
"Come to think of it, I hear there are more people who will be annoyed by Deon Hart's absence this time..."
Those idiots who came to see me the evening the emperor announced the war with the demon realm, spouting nonsense.
They genuinely believed the rumor that Deon Hart was a vampire and insisted on conducting a thorough investigation. To think such people were from the Noble Faction—how utterly dumbfounding.
Whether Cruel looked at him with an indecipherable gaze or not, the Duke curled his lips into a full sneer and muttered.
"Truly... he's lucky."
***
The Empire declared a cessation of war. The notice that war with the demon realm would likely begin was a bonus.
The news spread across the continent in an instant. The reactions of each kingdom varied.
"Th-Thank goodness..."
"We're alive! We're alive!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
There were kingdoms that cheered in relief that the terrifying emperor had halted the war.
"How shameless. Starting a war on a whim and stopping it on a whim. What exactly do they take us for?"
"If they say they're stopping on their own, do we have to listen? Arrogant bastards."
"Our kingdom will not provide any support to the Empire."
There were also kingdoms that, pushing the demon realm issue aside, were simply enraged by the shameless and arrogant behavior.
"We dislike the Empire, but in the current situation, preventing the Empire's collapse is the top priority. We can't just sit back and watch it clash and crumble while not at full strength."
"The Empire is the primary and most powerful defense wall of the human world. If the Empire falls, it's as if the entire human world collapses. It must have expended considerable supplies and troops in the war so far; we can't just sit idly by."
"Even if we hate the Empire, we must act for its sake now. We must do something."
There were kingdoms that thought a little deeper.
And surprisingly, a commonality was found among all these kingdoms. The emperor, who first discovered this through the reports, bared his teeth in a low laugh.
"It seems the Duke's scheme worked quite well."
Among the many top officials of a significant number of kingdoms, at least one might have made 'that remark'.
Truly astonishingly, even the kingdoms that showed intense hostility towards the Empire never once uttered, even as empty words, anything like 'I might as well side with the demon realm'.
***
I threw away the tonic.
Rememver had really packed it for me. Because of the absurd anxiety that if I threw it away in the human world, the terrifying butler would find evidence and interrogate me, I came over to the demon realm to throw it away instead.
Maybe because it was liquid, it was ridiculously heavy.
Anyway, I arrived at the Demon Castle without much trouble. I verified my identity at the entrance and walked in confidently... But what's this? As soon as I entered the castle, almost all the demon-race passing by turned their heads toward me.
It had happened before, but they hadn't sent such blazing, fervent gazes. Just as I wondered what was going on—
"Lord Demon!"
"It's Lord Demon!"
"Lord Demon has come!"
"Welcome!"
"De-se."
"De-se."
Wh-What is this. What is this. And what the hell is 'De-se'?
The demon-race around me gradually gathered. At the ominous atmosphere, I involuntarily hesitated and stepped back. Ignoring that, the demon-race wearing red heart-shaped brooches on their chests raised both hands and chanted 'De-se.' Fuck, it was terrifying!
I didn't dare push through them and flee to the inner castle, so I just froze and trembled, and then the crowd parted and a young girl appeared.
"Lord Demon! Welcome!"
"...Lirinel?"
"Yes!"
Oh my god, Lirinel! You came to save me!
Since the 11th Legion Commander had arrived, this crazy mob would disperse, right? As I thought that and looked at Lirinel, something caught my eye. Something red on her chest...
My brain froze for a moment.
'...What? Why is Lirinel wearing a brooch on her chest too?'
And that wasn't all. Her outfit was also a bit strange.
In the center of the black hat she wore, a red heart shape was embroidered. On the black cloth she held, red embroidery was faintly visible, which made me quite uneasy...
"The cult leader! It's the cult leader!"
"Ooh, the cult leader!"
...Cult leader?
No way. Surely not. That cute kid wouldn't do that. Even though she's a demon.
Stomping lightly on my hope that there was some mistake, Lirinel unfurled the black cloth in her hand. The cloth with a red heart emblazoned in its center fluttered, and simultaneously a tremendous roar resounded.
"Waaaaah!"
"De-se."
"De-se!"
So these guys really were Demon Cult members?!
They seemed fairly normal until just a while ago. When the hell did they turn into such cult-like fanatics? What was the Demon King doing while they got like this?
I looked back at Lirinel, who seemed to be the root of all this. She was watching the demon-race chanting 'De-se' with a contented smile.
"Lirinel?"
"Yes, Lord Demon!"
"What is all this? And what's 'De-se'?"
"They are those who revere Lord Demon! 'De-se' is an abbreviation of 'Demon-nim manse'! How is it?"
"How... you ask how... Ah, my blood pressure..."
Ah, no. Calm down. If my blood pressure spikes too much or I cough up blood here, my personal physician Ben will come running. I can't cause another ruckus as soon as I arrive at the Demon Castle.
I barely managed to calm myself and quietly called Lirinel.
"Who... who taught you all this?"
"I entrusted the research to the 2nd Legion Commander! She said this is what human religions are like. Isn't it?"
"Well, it's not entirely wrong..."
Dvelaniaaaaa!
There are limits to pranks! How could you corrupt a pure child like this!
First, I need to get rid of this unsettling crowd. Since Lirinel is the cult leader, if I tell her, it'll be fine, right?
"I appreciate the thought, but I'm a bit tired... Can you dismiss them?"
Right now.
Permanently would be even better.
"Oh, that's...! Of course! I'm sorry, Lord Demon. I must have gotten too carried away..."
Lirinel hastily waved her hands. As if it had never happened, the crowd vanished in a rush.
With the background now much quieter than before, Lirinel looked around cautiously and then carefully spoke.
"You're going to His Majesty the Demon King, right? I'll escort you to the door."
"...Please."
If the cult leader is next to me, those lunatics won't cling to me, right.
It was truly a terrifyingly tremendous welcome ceremony.
***
"You're here. You came sooner than I thought."
The Demon King, who had been sitting at his office desk processing documents, looked up and smiled.
But only for a moment. The smile faded from the Demon King's face as he met the red eyes. As if he had noticed something, his eyes narrowed.
He rose from his seat and walked slowly to stand before Deon.
"You..."
He bent slightly, brought his face close, and met his eyes. The chilling Inverse Eyes peered into the red eyes.
"You heard something important."
What was it? What could it be?
What kind of thing did he hear that this human child couldn't manage his expression?
It seemed he tried to manage it in his own way, but that meager effort couldn't deceive the eyes of the Demon King who had lived for so long.
He reached out, grabbed his chin, and lifted it. As if to see right through him, he met his eyes and asked quietly, almost reciting.
"Are you thinking of telling me?"
"......."
"Yes, you won't. But aren't you worried about how I might take this situation? Don't you think your life might be in danger?"
There was no answer.
Rather, the Demon King was able to get a crucial hint from that sight.
If it had been information about the Demon King or the Emperor, the demon realm or the Empire, he wouldn't be this agitated. Yet his silence was too obvious to say he had sided with the Emperor. If he had truly sided with the Emperor, he would have made a plausible excuse.
Therefore, what remained...
"The Emperor has made his decisive move."
"...Y-Yes."
"How insolent."
Well, given the timing, it's to be expected.
Did his silence mean he was wavering? Or did he simply not want to be found out by me?
Probably the latter. If I found out, I would participate as well, separately from the Emperor's insolence.
"You planned not to say anything if I hadn't noticed, right?"
"......."
"It's okay. It's not that I don't understand."
But, yes...
I'd better make this clear.
He slid the hand holding the chin down and wrapped it around the neck. Naturally, his thumb touched the mark's location and pressed it firmly. Whether from fear of the situation, Deon's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
"You know well where you should be, don't you."
Do you think I would let you go if you ran away?
No matter how freely you come and go between the Empire and the Demon Castle, it would be problematic if you forgot this.
[The place you should be is here.]
"No answer."
"......."
"Why, should I cling to your trouser leg or something?"
He curved his eyes into a thin smile.
He released the silent Deon's neck, turned around, and opened the window. An open landscape with three round moons clearly visible unfolded.
"The moons are pretty, aren't they?"
"......."
"You're weak to sunlight. So choose this place where you don't need to worry about the sun. It's always night, but with those bright moons rising, what's the problem."
He turned his back to this backdrop, spread his arms wide toward Deon, and smiled brightly. Because of the bright moonlight, a backlight cast over him.
"If you stay here, all demon-race except me will kneel before you. No, if you wish, I'll kneel too."
Objectively speaking, if asked whether Deon Hart was such an important figure to go to this extent to keep, he would shake his head without hesitation.
But to the Demon King, the person who could chase away this ennui was more important than anything, and also winning the implicit game he was playing with the Emperor was important.
So he could say without hesitation.
"If there's anything you want, I'll give it to you. If you simply choose this place, I won't interfere much with you going out to the human world as you have until now. If you want human land, I can conquer and give it to you."
Given his position, the Emperor would have many constraints in giving something to Deon Hart.
But here, the Demon King's power is absolute. He was confident he could give more than the Emperor ever could, whatever he desired.
If it were up to him, he wanted to press further and get a definite answer...
'Pressing further stops here.'
Because if he pressed further, Deon's heart might drift away instead.
The Demon King readily stepped back.
"So think it over carefully."
At the gesture that told him to leave, Deon silently turned around.
When his few steps reached the door, the Demon King added, as if he had forgotten something, to his back.
"I welcome your return, but I won't erase the mark."
"......."
Rather, knowing he should be grateful that nothing other than a location tracking function had been added to the mark, Deon answered with silence and opened the door.