The Demon King's Bewildered Gaze
I had slain the enemy commander… or so I thought?
The moment I heard the order to retreat and abandon me, the so-called Hero Party warriors—no, the porters—turned tail and fled without a backward glance. Those two-faced bitches had planned from the start to use an innocent man like a tool and then discard him. In all honesty, a small part of me hoped they would get thoroughly beaten by the Demon King’s officers. But unfortunately, that modest wish of mine was never going to come true.
Though the Demon King’s officers weren’t weak by any means, they still weren’t strong enough to defeat those bitches. In the end, just like the original story, the Demon King—who was already at a slight disadvantage against the hero—would see her officers fall, then get ganged up on by the rest of the party and lose. That gap in power was exactly why I had chosen to act as I did now: to end this battle with our “defeat” as quickly as possible. If I dragged things out and the officers lost, allowing the snowball to start rolling, the situation would become truly hopeless.
As a result, after exchanging only a few blows, I deliberately let the Demon King take one of my arms. I immediately urged those stunned women—who were clearly shaken by my sudden defeat—to run. Just as I expected, they overestimated the Demon King’s strength, turned tail, and retreated before they could even put up a proper fight.
And after I mocked those people who had used me and then fled with their tails between their legs, I could no longer endure the unimaginable pain and lost consciousness. All while praying that this final gamble of mine would succeed…
The hero lost an arm to the Demon King’s blade. Yet instead of the joy of victory, a deep sense of bewilderment bloomed inside the Demon King’s heart.
The instant their swords clashed, the Demon King had been certain. This man’s power was greater than any foe she had ever faced. He was the strongest enemy in history… a being so powerful that even she could not defeat him.
Yet even as she thought that, the Demon King swung her sword once more with all her strength, fulfilling her duty. That was when an utterly unexpected sight appeared before her eyes.
It was the very moment their life-or-death duel had just begun. The man—the hero—was smiling as if pleased, offering his arm without any defense whatsoever.
From the Demon King’s perspective, it was a scene she could not possibly understand. But her already-swung blade had already severed the hero’s arm. He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Immediately afterward, the hero spat out the words that the Demon King was an opponent they could not defeat and ordered his comrades to flee. The Demon King was once again struck by a massive shock. After every warrior in the hero’s party had run away, she stood alone, staring at the bleeding hero before her, and asked,
“…Ha… hahaha…. Ah…”
The hero merely let out a hollow laugh in response to her question. Then, overwhelmed by severe bleeding and pain, he collapsed completely. Watching him, an even deeper sense of doubt and confusion began to fill the Demon King’s heart.
Why? Why would he do something like this? What on earth is this man thinking…?
The Demon King had already realized how terrifyingly strong the hero’s party was. That was why she had evacuated everyone living in the Demon King’s Castle and chosen to face the enemy head-on with only herself and her direct subordinates.
The moment the enemies finally appeared before them, after they had finished preparing for their final stand, the Demon King sitting on her throne could only feel despair. With her ability to gauge the enemy’s strength, the cruel reality reflected in her eyes was clear: the foes matched the number of her officers exactly, yet each one was a step stronger. And above all, the overwhelming aura of the hero, whose power might even surpass her own.
She could not reveal that truth, however. It would shatter the morale of her subordinates, who had resolved to fight to the death with nowhere left to retreat. But even before the battle began, the Demon King had already been forced to accept it. There was no chance of victory for them. The strongest forces of the demon race—including herself—would be annihilated here today by the hero’s party, the strongest force of the allied races.
Yet that expectation of hers had been shattered in a completely unforeseen way. The hero had fallen to her blade, and his comrades had fled like rats. An incomprehensible victory in a war that should have ended in certain defeat.
Caught in deep confusion, the Demon King could only stare at the unconscious hero. Seeing him fallen, her subordinates began to cheer in celebration of victory.
“Ugh…”
My eyes slowly opened amid thick fatigue. What I felt next was the hard surface of a bed. And the burning pain from my shoulder, which had been crudely treated and wrapped tightly in bandages.
At least they reattached the arm… but the condition isn’t great.
It wasn’t a complete recovery—just emergency first aid. Still, thanks to the magic they had used, it would heal with time. Using this arm for a while, however, would be impossible.
Even so, the fact that I had overcome the greatest hurdle brought me a deep sense of relief.
Thank goodness. I was seriously worried they might just cut my throat right there, but they didn’t…
What I saw before me was a heavy iron door fitted with a magic-infused iron grate. I could tell at a glance that this was a prison cell. Still, the fact that they had treated my wounds to this extent before locking me up meant they had no immediate plans to execute me.
Of course, if that Demon King turned out to be some kind of extreme pervert who enjoyed healing people just to torture and kill them later, I’d have nothing to say. But in the original story, things had ended rather cleanly…
Please, let none of the things I’m worried about actually happen…
Just as I was feeling both relief and a faint anxiety over that slim possibility—
Clang!
The iron door suddenly began to open. I tensed up instantly and looked toward the figure entering through the doorway. The moment I saw who it was, I forgot for a second that I was even in a prison cell and could only stare in a daze.
What stood before me was a woman… no, to be precise, a female demon.
She possessed massive, obsidian-black goat horns that gleamed like jewels. Her skin was white as porcelain, her eyes sparkled with a golden hue, and her long, lustrous purple hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her captivating red lips completed a goddess-like beauty rooted in grace and maturity. The black dress that clung to her body revealed a perfectly voluptuous figure with no flaws whatsoever.
The instant I saw her, I couldn’t help but feel my face grow slightly warm. Even though it was our first meeting, her appearance was enough to steal a person’s heart at least a little. It was a foolish thought given the current situation, but speaking coldly and honestly, her beauty was so overwhelming that even the women of the hero’s party would have to admit defeat.
But my entrancement with her beauty lasted only a moment. I quickly calmed my pounding heart and tried to maintain as much composure as possible in this urgent situation.
Who is this person? She doesn’t look like an ordinary demon…
It was said that the power and authority of demons were revealed through the horns on their foreheads. From that perspective, the large and magnificent horns she possessed meant she was undoubtedly a high-ranking demon. The fact that someone like her had appeared here might mean that my fate now rested in her hands.
As I waited with deep tension, mentally preparing myself to give the best possible answer to whatever question she might ask—
“…Pardon?”
The demon woman spoke words I couldn’t understand as she looked at me. For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying and could only stare back with a blank expression.