The Demon King's Resolve
The hero is a baby! Babies need to be taken care of!
Elan Savior, nestled in her embrace and swearing his loyalty. Watching him fall so completely for her clumsy attempt at seduction — something she honestly hadn't expected to work — the Demon King began to recall a crucial truth she had momentarily forgotten.
'That's right... Hero... There was already nothing left in your heart...'
The hero who had returned with dazzling military achievements. Yet behind those brilliant feats lay only the shredded, broken heart of a man abandoned by his comrades and his country.
He had endured the humiliation of bowing his head for the sake of revenge. He had slaughtered his own kind — the very people he once swore to protect — without hesitation. And when he saw the woman who had betrayed him reduced to a beast-like state, he had simply smiled in hollow resignation.
His heart, folded over with misfortune and brutally torn apart, was — to borrow Belzebeuty's words — riddled with holes to the point where simply standing upright seemed difficult.
And to a hero already reduced to such a wreck, even the Demon King's clumsy blow would have struck with fatal force regardless of how awkward it had been.
'To a man wandering lost in the desert, even the rotten water inside a skull would seem like holy water... I had forgotten such an important fact...'
Having reached a reasonable conclusion about why her utterly dry and tasteless "seduction" had succeeded, the Demon King felt a sharp pang in one corner of her heart the moment she recognized the truth.
From the perspective of national interest, the current situation could certainly be viewed positively. However, on a personal level, the guilt she had always carried toward the hero grew even heavier.
'I already knew... I knew how much pain this man had endured... Yet I became so focused on national interest that I momentarily forgot...'
The Demon King felt that stinging ache in her heart. Yet soon after, another clear resolve began to bloom within her — one tied to both this guilty conscience and the national interest she could never abandon.
'Yes... In the end, the most important thing is for me to simply do well.'
Moving the hero for the sake of the nation. Giving him the treatment he deserved. In the end, all of it rested in her hands. That was the conclusion the Demon King reached.
'I will use the hero in the right place at the right time for this country, and when he returns having accomplished great deeds, I will comfort him with everything I have, just as I am doing now.'
Ultimately, the reason the hero's heart had been wounded was because he had been betrayed by those to whom he had devoted himself. Conversely, the only way to heal that wound was to offer him the proper reward and consolation his devotion deserved. Through that, the hero would once again be able to trust someone and swing his sword with all his might.
Having reached what she believed to be the best possible conclusion, the Demon King looked down at the hero trembling lightly in her arms and made a firm vow.
'Hero... You who are stronger than anyone yet endlessly fragile... From now on, I shall take care of you. I will grant you eternal happiness worthy of your undying loyalty... with my own two hands...'
"And so it came to pass."
"In the end, the hero swore eternal loyalty to me, and I accepted it."
“You have truly worked hard, Your Majesty. I can only offer my deepest gratitude for how magnificently you have completed this humble subject’s inadequate plan.”
The Demon King spoke from her throne in a dignified voice. Before her, Belzebeuty knelt and cried out with deep relief and gratitude.
Though it wasn't enough to completely set her mind at ease, if the Demon King herself guaranteed the hero's eternal loyalty, Belzebeuty could at least place some trust in it.
'Of course, one can never be completely certain of another's true heart... but at the very least, this should block most of the excuses he might use to openly cause trouble.'
The deep-rooted distrust toward that bastard hero, buried deep in Belzebeuty's heart, had not completely vanished. Still, since they were now allies who would have to join forces for battles that risked the fate of the nation — and perhaps aim even higher if the situation allowed — excessive suspicion would only prove poisonous.
'Well... even if I have to cut him down with my own hands later, for now I'll stop here. That's not what matters right now.'
In a situation where immediate action was required, she could not afford to dwell on mere possibilities forever. Having decided to tie up the matter of the hero for now, Belzebeuty turned her attention to the Demon King, who spoke to her in a calm voice.
“Let us leave this matter here. Now, I would like to hear the real reason you came to see me, Belzebeuty. Speak.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish.”
Since she had urgently requested an audience early in the morning, the Demon King already knew Belzebeuty had not come merely to inquire about the hero.
In response to her lord's request, Belzebeuty put on the serious expression befitting the chancellor of this nation and presented a single letter she had brought.
The Demon King received the letter through the waiting servant's hands and began to read its contents. Immediately afterward, a grave expression flashed across her face. Seeing this, Belzebeuty spoke in a serious tone.
“This information arrived just this morning. It is a report that something has happened in the Falcon Empire — the leader of the racial alliance and the largest human nation.”
The Demon King examined the contents with a cold face as she listened to Belzebeuty's explanation. A moment later, she set the letter down and spoke in a voice as cold as ice.
“If this information is true, then we no longer have any reason to hesitate, do we?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. Thanks to the hero's exploits, their supply lines have already been cut off, leaving them in dire straits. With a problem like this erupting at such a time, we believe there could be no better opportunity.”
Belzebeuty answered the Demon King's words with a voice full of conviction. After receiving confirmation from her most trusted subject, the Demon King rose from her throne and issued her command.
“Immediately send orders for all royal guards, legion commanders, and the hero to assemble. This time, we will see the end of this war once and for all.”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Your command will be carried out!”
Belzebeuty bowed her head to the Demon King and immediately moved to relay the orders. Watching her retreating figure, a cold smile slowly formed on the Demon King's lips.
'The time has finally come... The time to make them pay for all the blood and tears my people have shed over the years...'
Burning with the hatred and rage she had accumulated until now, the Demon King once again examined the contents of the letter before her. The letter's message had played a decisive role in sweeping away the hesitation that had lingered in her heart.
It detailed a large-scale bloody incident that had broken out within the racial alliance — how the long-dormant "seeds of conflict" buried deep within the alliance had finally begun to bloom magnificently due to a certain trigger.
All events began several weeks ago.
It started from the moment the hero and Elisa began preparing their attack on Rob.
The former members of the Hero Party who had sold Terra in exchange for canceling half their debt and returned to their homeland. However, resolving the immediate debt collectors did not mean the situation was over.
The debt had only concerned the excessively borrowed expedition funds. Before Torare and his women still remained the punishment for their "original sin" — the crime of failing their mission and fleeing in disgrace.
“T-Torare-sama?”
“Everyone stay calm. Just say exactly what we discussed beforehand.”
The soldiers who had come to arrest them after their defeat. Looking at them, Torare spoke in a cold voice. In response, Aileen, Amelda, and Shude exchanged glances while breaking into cold sweats.
'We've already matched our stories perfectly on the way here. There's nothing to worry about.'
'I'm not sure if this will work... even if we do this...'
'There is no problem. We simply must not make any mistakes.'
Doing their best to calm their tense hearts, they offered no resistance and were quietly dragged off to the royal palace. Their minds were filled with thoughts of how to sell the corpse of the hero — who was not even present — for the highest possible price.