The Sweet Taste of Reward
The time had come for sweet rewards.
“S… sa… save me! Please… please spare me!”
The Cyclops, a general of the Racial Alliance, begged for his life while trembling in terror. He had once earned considerable fame as a one-eyed commander, yet at this moment, the once-valiant warrior was pathetically pleading for mercy before the small ‘girl’ straddling him.
And the demon girl with silver-white hair and blazing red eyes looked down at him. She wore a chilling smile as she spoke in a voice thick with excitement.
“Spare you? That’s a difficult request. How many of our demon kin have you killed so far? Just die quietly like a good boy!”
“GAAAAAAAH!!!”
With those words, the demon girl drove her blade straight into the Cyclops’ remaining eye. No… Elisa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s personal guard, savored an utterly refreshing feeling as she watched the Cyclops die screaming, his body drenched in blood from the dagger buried in his skull.
Watching this scene, Ilios, Elisa’s mother, began to smile warmly, her face filled with the same pride a mother lion might feel watching her cub successfully complete its first hunt.
‘Honestly… she’s my own daughter, but she’s grown up so wonderfully. Is this what they call a parent’s joy?’
Elisa showed neither blood nor tears when facing humans. In truth, considering her actual age, she was already an adult and held a position equal to her own as a member of the Demon King’s personal guard. Even so, Ilios couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride in her heart whenever she saw her daughter like this. It seemed there was simply no escaping it as a mother.
‘Well then, I suppose we can say this war is more or less over. There are still some loose ends, but those are nothing more than mopping up the remnants.’
Thanks to the successful execution of this operation, they had successfully reclaimed roughly seventy percent of the Demon Kingdom’s territory that had been occupied by the enemy. Although thirty percent still remained, those regions were either coastal areas or isolated mountainous terrain. With their main forces essentially vaporized in a single moment, there was almost nothing left for them to do. Cut off from supplies as they were, they couldn’t hold out for long.
Unless they somehow managed to bring in another large army, which seemed highly unlikely at this point. In other words, through this operation, the Demon Kingdom had completely reversed the unfavorable war situation and seized a decisive advantage.
‘Of course, it will still take more time to completely drive out the remaining enemies, but at least we no longer need to worry about the blade pressed against our throats. If we take a little time to reorganize our troops, completely expelling the Racial Alliance Army from this land will only be a matter of time.’
Ilios felt genuine joy at the fact that they could finally see the end of a war that had once seemed endless. However, at the same time, the greater her joy grew, the more a subtle feeling took root in her heart.
It was about the ‘Hero’—the one who had achieved the greatest merit in this war and had once again proven his undeniable capability, forcing her to acknowledge him.
‘Even up until we captured Rob, I was still doubtful…’
Ilios had moved according to the plan they had established together, but deep down she had continued to suspect that the Hero might have some other scheme in mind. Yet after witnessing how perfectly and decisively he had resolved the situation, she had no choice but to admit it.
The man known as Hero Elan had sincerely abandoned his humanity and chosen to walk the path of the demons.
‘Since even my daughter has acknowledged him, it would be strange for me to keep doubting him… even if he did nearly kill me once in the past.’
If it had involved her beloved daughter, she wouldn’t have let it slide so easily. However, her personal discomfort toward the Hero was limited to herself alone. As a result, Ilios decided she needed to let go of her ill feelings toward him and began considering several possibilities.
‘The Hero has become our ally… In that case, there is nothing left for us to fear. Of course, we will need to focus on recovering our strength and healing the wounds of war for a while, but if things go well, we might even aim for something greater…’
The details of such matters were probably too much for her to handle alone. She would need to discuss them with Belzebeuty, the brain of the Demon Kingdom and someone wiser than herself.
In any case, for now, Ilios held both the joy of victory and anticipation for the future in her heart as she offered a bright smile to her daughter, who was approaching while holding up the severed head of the Cyclops. She made a silent vow to herself that, if nothing else, she would protect that bright smile on her daughter’s face forever.
In Antioch, now completely transformed into demon territory after driving out the Racial Alliance Army, Samson and the other commanders were enjoying a lively banquet with perfectly timed deliveries of alcohol and meat.
“Gulp! Gulp! Kaaah… Now this is what I’m talking about! Victory wine really is the sweetest thing in the world!”
“Indeed, General! The alcohol tastes absolutely incredible today!”
“All of this is thanks to His Majesty the Demon King and General Samson! Your bravery in this war truly pierced the heavens!”
“Hahaha! Thank you for saying so! Come, you should have a drink too! On a fine day like this, let’s all get properly drunk!”
“Since it’s a drink poured by the General himself, I’ll gladly accept!”
Samson and his commanders drank without restraint, tore into the snacks, and spent a merry time together. At one point, Samson’s gaze turned toward the person quietly sipping from a cup across from him—toward Ilios.
“Heh heh… Now that I think about it, I almost made a huge mistake. The true protagonists of this war weren’t just us, after all!”
“…Sigh…”
Ilios let out a deep sigh at Samson’s words. Seeing her reaction, Samson smiled pleasantly and rose from his seat to approach her.
“There, there. You’ve worked hard too, Ilios. Here, let me pour you a drink.”
“…Yes, I suppose.”
Though she didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic, Ilios still held out her cup. As he poured the alcohol, Samson spoke to her in a cheerful voice.
“This is something I should say now that it’s over, but I want to personally apologize for what happened during the previous meeting. I never imagined you had come up with such an incredible plan. I’m sorry for not listening to you more calmly.”
At the time, she had honestly felt upset. But in the end, Ilios’s plan had been executed perfectly, allowing the Demon Kingdom to reclaim most of its lost territory—a tremendous achievement. Since it was necessary to acknowledge the other party’s ability, Samson offered his apology without hesitation.
“N-no, it’s… rather… um…”
Ilios trailed off, seemingly about to say something in response to Samson’s apology. However, without paying much attention to her hesitant attitude, Samson raised his full cup and looked at her.
“Then I’ll take it that you’ve accepted my apology. In that spirit, let’s make a toast. To the unity of us legion commanders and to the future of the Demon Kingdom.”
“…Yes, let’s.”
Ilios answered with a small smile at the corner of her lips. Watching the two commanders—who had once growled at each other during those difficult times—now clearing away their old grudges, the subordinate officers smiled in relief and resumed enjoying the banquet.
“Hm? Now that I think about it, it seems like one person is missing.”
“Ah… you mean the Hero? I believe he stepped out earlier saying he had something to attend to.”
“Oh dear… That won’t do. Today’s other main character can’t just disappear like that.”
“I’ll go find him. It wouldn’t be right for the Commander to be absent from an occasion like this.”
With those words, Rebekah stood up without hesitation. Unlike the time not long ago when she had openly shown wariness toward him, she now naturally called him “Commander.” Seeing this, several demon commanders couldn’t help but smile faintly to themselves.
In a small garden located in the outer castle of Antioch. This place had not suffered significant damage during the battle. I quietly walked toward her as she stood before me.
“Your Majesty.”
“You have come, Hero.”
Given the circumstances, the Demon King was wearing her violet armor with only her helmet removed. Even so, I felt my heart pound once again as I looked at her, unable to hide the overwhelming beauty she radiated.
Standing alone beneath the sparkling moonlight, she possessed an unreachable, goddess-like beauty that stood out strikingly.
And toward that Demon King, I bowed my head with sincere respect and said,
“Thank you once again for making time for me personally like this, Your Majesty.”
It was not a simple greeting, but words spoken from the heart. In response, the Demon King gave a calm yet picture-perfect beautiful smile and replied.
“No… If anyone should be expressing gratitude, it is I. Without you, I would never have been able to enjoy a joy like today’s.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty. I merely…”
I tried to continue with humble words in response to the Demon King’s statement. However, the next moment, she gently took both of my hands in hers, causing my face to flush slightly as I was forced to stop speaking.
“Truly… truly, thank you. As the ruler of this nation, I express my heartfelt gratitude, Hero.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Now then, it is time for me to keep my promise. Tell me what you desire, Hero. Do you wish for me to embrace you again as before? If not, then…”
With those words, the Demon King looked at me with captivating eyes. Seeing her like this, all sorts of thoughts began flashing through my mind. From simply holding hands and embracing each other, to kissing… or perhaps even asking for something greater that might follow.
Given the truly enormous achievements I had accomplished this time, I thought it was reasonable to aim that high.
But then…
“...!”
In the next instant, I noticed something I had failed to perceive amid my thick excitement. Upon sensing it by chance, I automatically began to calm the boiling excitement that had been rising within me.
And then… I spoke to her in a calm voice.
“…Your Majesty. In that case, I have a request.”