< 197. The Relationship Between Hero and Demon King >
Rozel Charnt groaned as she opened her eyes.
She expected to find herself in a lush forest teeming with trees, birds flitting about, and spirits darting through the underbrush.
But no.
"...A wall? A ceiling?"
She was inside some kind of building.
Rozel clutched her throbbing head, piecing together her fragmented memories.
Her magic. A hand bursting through the flames. The fire hadn't scorched it at all.
"...Fail."
She ground her teeth in fury.
How was that even possible?
It was her spell—a masterwork etched with no fewer than seven engravings. Flames hot enough to melt anything.
Yet not a single scratch on him.
What the hell is he?
One thing was clear: he wasn't human.
Of course. No human could wield mana that pure.
So then... what?
"What're you doing?"
A voice cut in abruptly.
"What does it look like? Thinking. What about you, Princess?"
"You."
"You came looking for me? Why... me...?"
Rozel's casual reply froze on her lips. Hadn't Ravinia Akan gone missing?
She whipped her head around. It wasn't a trick. There stood the real Ravinia Akan.
"Why are you here, Princess?"
"Just."
"Weren't you missing?"
"Maybe?"
"What are you even doing right now?"
"Persuading."
"Persuading me? What the hell does that mean, Princess?"
Ravinia silently pointed. Someone had been watching her all along.
"Ah... tsk!"
Rozel jolted. It was Fail.
"You bastard!"
She hurled a burst of flame. But with a casual flick of his hand, Fail snuffed it out without a spark.
"You've experienced it already. Flames can't touch me."
"Bullshit! Who the hell do you think you are? Some dragon?"
"On a grand scale, not entirely wrong."
"...What?"
"No."
Ravinia shook her head.
"Demon King."
"...Huh?"
Their eyes met—Ravinia's and Rozel's.
"Demon King?"
"Demon King."
She nodded.
"Hold on, Princess. I'm not following."
"Demon King."
"You mean that guy's a Demon King?"
"Yep."
"...A Demon King?"
Rozel's gaze crept cautiously toward Fail.
"Allow me a proper introduction."
He rose to his feet.
"My name is Berge Dayas. Demon Dragon of the Demon World. You call me the Flame Demon King."
From this moment on.
"Your master."
"Master?"
"Maaasssteeeer?"
Demon King? Master?
It made less sense than an eighth- or ninth-tier high spell formula.
Because it was nonsense.
"You're a Demon King, and you're saying I'm going to serve you?"
Fail—no, Berge—didn't bother replying. Instead, he shifted his mana-like aura to raw magic power.
The erupting magic power triggered a violent backlash from the dimensional interference dormant within Rozel.
"Still doubt me?"
"...Impossible. Earlier...!"
A Demon King would nullify dimensional interference. But in that basement, she'd sensed not even a trace of magic power. The interference hadn't worked.
"Does that matter?"
"...No. It doesn't."
She unleashed a torrent of fire. Interference kicked in this time. But the result was the same.
"How?!"
"I told you. Flames can't harm me."
"...What do you plan to do with me?"
"You swore an oath."
If he provided the tail of Lust, horn or essence of Frost, and scale of Flame.
"You'd serve me as master."
"...!"
It was a hero's oath. Breaking it meant losing dimensional interference—stripped of hero status.
Rozel bit her lip. But composure returned swiftly.
"Fine. Let's see it."
Fail being the Flame Demon King was shocking. But Lust and Frost? How could the Flame Demon King obtain other Demon Kings'...
"That's why? That's why you called me?"
A demon approached from afar, radiating lustful energy—and immense magic power.
Rozel's instincts screamed: another Demon King.
"You trash! You already cut my tail and stuck it on that Titan freak! Now you want more?"
"I'm your master."
"So?!"
"It grew back. It'll grow again."
"Just 3cm! You want that? Might as well eat a flea liver!"
"If needed."
"Aaaargh! How did I end up as kin to a maniac like you?!"
Vivian wailed.
As Rozel struggled to process the theatrical scene, another demon appeared.
One radiating chilling frost—her natural opposite. Her power rivaled a Demon King's. She was one.
"You seek this lady's essence. I can provide if needed, but your cunning astounds. To extract such an oath from a Star hero."
"No one deceives like a human convinced they're right."
"Is that so."
Three Demon Kings before her. Rozel's mind reeled.
What the hell is happening?
Run? Her legs wouldn't move. Her body creaked like a broken machine.
Princess...?
She scanned desperately for Ravinia. But the princess was already at the Demon Kings' side.
"Tail."
"Don't touch!"
"Grows?"
"Grows or not, not for you! You stuck it on your damn chimera already!"
"No?"
"Hell no, you bitch!"
Was that casual banter with the Lust Demon King really the princess she knew?
Well, Ravinia could pull it off...
Then the Flame Demon King stepped forward. Scales erupted on his skin. A dark red one clattered before her.
"The promised Flame scale."
The Frost Demon King plucked a frozen shard from within.
"Small, but pure essence."
"No way! I can't!"
Slice—
Vivian's thrashing tail-tip—about 0.5cm—dropped before Rozel. Unmistakably Lust demon tail.
"Aaaah! My tail!"
And it didn't end there.
"That covers the Demon Kings' byproducts."
Berge clapped.
Elves appeared, carrying something. Elves. Obeying the Demon King's orders in his tower.
"Where to put it, Demon King?"
"Present it before her."
They set down their burdens one by one.
"Dragon scales."
"Dragon tendons."
"Dragon bones."
"Dragon blood."
"Dragon eyes."
No explanation needed—the savage mana screamed dragon. She'd consumed dragon blood once before; undeniable.
"Ahh..."
Her brain overloaded from the info flood.
Unable to accept reality, it shut down.
Thud—
Her body toppled like a marionette with cut strings.
"Just like Vivian."
Vivian had fainted her first time here, right?
"That's 'cause you showed her your chimera dangling my tail! You devil!"
"Thanks for the praise."
"But will this make her your kin?"
Reina voiced skepticism. Her Demon King mindset still saw humans as enemies.
"She will. A hero's power isn't just about damaging us."
Dimensional interference had two key strengths: potent suppression on otherworldly beings, and accelerated hero growth.
Some prized suppression most. But most heroes knew growth potential was the real prize.
Different potential. Faster growth. Nothing mattered more.
"And above all."
Berge gazed down at the fainted Rozel.
"No mage would refuse Demon King and dragon byproducts laid out like this."
Especially not the Rozel Charnt he knew.
"Before that."
"Tail."
"Stop, you psycho!"
"Wings?"
"Touch 'em and lose your arm! Berge! Save me!"
"Better separate those two."
Ravinia was a relief—she never clung to him like that.
Rozel wanted it all to be a dream.
Sure, maybe the Lust Demon King showed her sweet illusions. Those byproducts were tempting.
But no.
When her eyes reopened, the byproducts, Ravinia Akan, and the Demon King were still there.
"I've upheld my end, Rozel Charnt. Your turn."
He proffered the orb.
"What's this?"
"Armani's Orb. Taking a human hero as kin means feeding them this."
"Eat."
Ravinia nodded beside her.
"Princess, do you even know what—"
"I know. She already ate it."
"What?"
"Kin."
A tiny finger pointed between Ravinia and the Demon King. She was already his kin.
"No way!"
"Way."
"Tsk tsk, denying reality. Pathetic for a top mage."
"Luize said the same."
"Me? No way!"
"You did."
New faces appeared: an armored knight, an axe-wielding dwarf, a robed woman.
"Pleased to meet you, Rozel Charnt. I'm Kaede Jespain, knight serving the Demon King."
"Luize Berft here. No clue why I gotta do this."
"I'm Elena Hildean."
"...Jespain's Ninth Princess?"
Berft's Second Princess. Hildean Kingdom's Thirteenth Princess.
All royalty reported kidnapped by the Flame Demon King.
"Now kin to the Demon King."
"A princess as Demon King kin?! And you're a hero!"
"Problem?"
"Huge problem! Insanely huge!"
"If greater ones serve him, why not me?"
"Greater ones?"
Kaede glanced at Berge. He nodded.
"Why'd you come here?"
"For Fail's blood, obviously."
"From who?"
"...Hillon Kargil?"
"He's the Demon King's kin too."
"...!"
"So..."
"That bastard lured me into a trap?"
Amid her surging killing intent, Kaede nodded calmly.
Berge could sacrifice Hillon anytime, so it'd work out.
...Isn't that Ernan's mindset?
Kaede shook her head. Ravinia poked Rozel's cheek.
"Calm."
"Princess! You're really his kin too?"
"Yep. Be good."
"Being good is the issue!"
"Yep."
"...Sigh."
"Byproducts. Want?"
"If I don't, you want the princess?"
"Yep."
Rozel eyed the treasures: Flame scale, Lust tail, Frost essence, dragon parts.
Nothing worthless. Nothing unwanted. If she could have them all...
"Become my kin, and they're yours."
"Don't tempt me."
"One promise: I won't strike Akan first. Already swore with Ravinia."
"Believe a Demon King's word?"
"I swear on the Great First Mahwang and the Demon King's Canon."
Kaede and Elena's eyes narrowed jealously.
Rozel missed it.
"First Mahwang and Canon..."
She looked up.
"You'll really give me all this?"
"And more, if you want."
"What do I do in return?"
"Not what you think. Look at Hillon Kargil. He's been my kin a while—acts more hero than anyone."
"...Ha, true. I'd never have known without hearing it."
"Time to decide. Break your oath and lose dimensional power?"
Or.
"Keep your power and claim all this."
"But lose freedom."
"I guarantee some freedom."
"If I refuse?"
"Won't kill you. But."
"But?"
"Cold cell. No magic."
"...I'll be your kin."
Rozel swallowed the orb.
Watching Rozel soar skyward, Kaede murmured.
"The Demon King has a deep heart."
"Me?"
"You summoned new demons and people one after another so she wouldn't recover her wits."
True. Brainwashing her: so many kin already, what's one more?
Other Demon Kings.
Elves.
Dwarves.
Princesses.
Even heroes.
All kin to the Demon King. Why not a Star?
"But is it okay?"
Elena asked now.
"What?"
"Hillon."
Post-Armani, Rozel got hero intel, byproducts, and left. Destination: Akan? Hildean? Her call.
"Told her not to touch him till hero business ends. Fine."
"After that."
"She won't kill him."
He'd ordered no killing.
"Warn him ahead; he'll prepare."
"Right."
Elena nodded.
"...You can just let that slide?"
Kaede's quiet retort hung unanswered.
< 197. The Relationship Between Hero and Demon King > End