The Demon King's Sword
“My room is never going to be mine.”
Riel spoke each word with deliberate force.
Serca’s crimson eyes narrowed.
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“It’s my room, so I decide. Who else would?”
“For the sake of guarding His Majesty, hand it over.”
“I don’t need it.”
Sihyuk cut in this time.
Serca turned with an incredulous expression.
“But Your Majesty, the security here is far too lax.”
“The door locks, and there are Association members standing below.”
“Do you truly believe those people can protect you?”
“I never asked to be protected.”
Serca’s mouth pressed shut.
Riel let out a small snort.
“You heard that?”
“Shut up.”
Watching the two sharpen their words at each other once more, Sihyuk set a plastic bag on the desk.
“For now, check out the room you’ll be staying in. You can’t keep living in my room.”
Riel gave a displeased look and pulled out her phone.
After a short call with the accommodation manager, she learned there was one empty room at the end of the corridor on the same floor.
It had originally been left for a new returnee, but the Association had said Serca could use it temporarily until identity verification was complete.
“Perfect.”
“It can’t be done.”
Serca cut in firmly.
“Why?”
“You’re too far from His Majesty.”
Sihyuk glanced beyond the open entrance door.
It was only a little over ten steps to the end of the corridor.
“There?”
“It’s a sufficient distance to respond to ambushes.”
“My body is protected by me.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Exactly. It’s not that kind of issue.”
Riel interjected with her arms crossed.
“If someone can ambush and kill that guy, having you next door wouldn’t make much difference.”
“Want to test it?”
Serca’s hand rose toward the sword hilt.
“Stop.”
Sihyuk said it in a low voice, and the hand fell back down.
He pointed to the door at the end of the corridor.
“Stay here today. Go to the Association tomorrow and come back, then think about it again.”
“…Yes.”
Though it was clear she was displeased, Serca didn’t push further.
Sihyuk suddenly recalled tomorrow’s plans.
“Ah, and when we go to the Association, don’t talk about things like ‘Demon King’ or ‘Throne’.”
Serca lifted her head.
“Why?”
“It’ll make the explanation longer.”
“There’s no reason to hide it.”
“It’s not about hiding, but about saying only what’s necessary.”
Sihyuk added casually.
“We’ll do some ability tests too, so tone down the strength a bit.”
Serca’s eyes narrowed.
“Even Your Majesty said that?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“If I show too much, you’ll make me do things.”
“…”
“Why.”
“It’s nothing.”
After settling the room issue, Sihyuk opened the plastic bag before the food got cold.
He took out the fried chicken box and canned drinks, and the sweet-spicy smell spread through the narrow room.
Serca stared more strangely at Sihyuk’s hands naturally unfolding the bag than at the unfamiliar food.
“Is this all for the meal?”
“I bought it to eat simply at night.”
“Who prepared it?”
“From the store.”
“Did Your Majesty go personally?”
“I have to buy what I’ll eat.”
Serca’s face became serious again.
Sihyuk picked up a piece of fried chicken with a wooden skewer and offered it to her.
“Try it first.”
Serca stared at the skewered fried chicken for a long moment.
After checking the smell like someone wary of poison, she cautiously put it in her mouth.
When she bit into it, the sweet-spicy seasoning seeped thickly between the crispy fried coating.
Her red pupils slightly widened.
“How is it?”
“…Not bad.”
“It means it’s delicious.”
Riel, standing near the open entrance door, picked up a piece.
Serca didn’t deny it.
Instead, she looked back at the fried chicken in the box.
“Is this food eaten by the nobles here?”
“No. Anyone can eat it if they pay.”
“At midnight too?”
“Yeah. It’s sold right in front.”
Serca picked up the second piece without answering.
Sihyuk opened a can, and with a short sound, carbonation rose.
This time he didn’t grab the sword hilt, but Serca’s gaze quickly went to the can.
“What is this?”
“Cola.”
“Did you put gas inside on purpose?”
“That’s what carbonation is.”
Sihyuk took a sip first, then handed her another can.
Serca followed his actions and opened the lid.
A sip.
Right after, her brows furrowed slightly.
“The inside of my throat feels prickly.”
“If it’s your first time drinking carbonated drinks, that’s how it is.”
“It’s a peculiar way of drinking beverages.”
Even so, she didn’t put down the can.
For a moment, only the sound of chewing filled the air between the three.
Serca was still in her armor, and Riel stood near the entrance door ready to leave at any time.
The sight of the two who had just been aiming their swords and bows at each other reaching out to the same box was quite strange.
Sihyuk liked nights like this.
If he wanted, he could buy food right in front, and after eating, he didn’t have to do anything.
Serca quietly watched such Sihyuk.
It was a comfort she rarely saw in the Sihyuk she remembered.
“Your Majesty.”
“Why?”
“Does this place please you?”
Before answering, Sihyuk picked up the last piece of fried chicken.
He put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, then placed the empty skewer down.
“It’s not that I know much yet.”
Sihyuk said while folding the empty box.
“Up until now, it’s been good.”
It was a light response.
Serca didn’t ask about the meaning in the words.
Instead, a little strength entered her hand holding the can.
Even as she left the entrance, Serca looked back at Sihyuk several times.
“It won’t disappear.”
Finally, Sihyuk said it first.
Serca’s steps halted.
“If the door opens, we’ll go to the Demon Realm together. So go and rest.”
“Is it because you’re giving up the throne?”
“We’ll talk about that when we go.”
It wasn’t the answer she wanted.
But it wasn’t a lie that they would go together.
Serca finally lowered her head after a while.
“Rest well.”
After the door closed, Sihyuk lay on the bed as is.
The next morning.
Before the phone alarm rang, there was a knocking sound at the door.
Sihyuk buried his face in the pillow for a while.
Knock.
The sound rang again at exactly the same interval.
“I’m awake.”
It was a lie.
But the presence outside the door didn’t disappear.
Finally, she opened the door after getting up.
Serca was standing there as if she hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Her armor and the sword at her waist were exactly the same as yesterday.
“You were there all night?”
“I was inside the room.”
“Then why did you come out so early?”
“It’s been a long time since the sun rose.”
“So?”
“You said you were going to the place called the Association today, right?”
Sihyuk checked the phone screen.
8:10.
To arrive by 9, she had to wake up soon.
“Yeah. I need to prepare.”
Serca’s expression softened a little.
After a simple wash, Sihyuk joined Riel who was waiting from the next door.
Before leaving for the Association, Sihyuk extended his hand to Serca as promised.
“Give me the sword.”
Serca alternated between the sword at her waist and Sihyuk’s hand.
It was something she had already heard last night, but when it came to handing over the sword, her hand didn’t easily fall away.
“I’ll hold it.”
“Your Majesty doesn’t need to take my sword.”
“It’s not about carrying it.”
Sihyuk’s hand touched the scabbard.
The sword disappeared without a trace.
Serca’s eyes widened.
“Did the Bigo come with it too?”
“Yeah. I didn’t check if everything was there.”
After arriving at the Association, the first thing received was a necklace-shaped translator.
The device attached to the end of the string was a bit larger than a fingernail.
The language Serca used was already registered when Riel returned. It was the common language used in both the human world and the Demon Realm.
Adjusting the small magic stone embedded in the necklace to Serca’s magic, the setting was done in no time.
“Now, can you hear me?”
Serca asked, and Korean came out a beat late from the necklace.
When the staff answered in Korean, the necklace changed the words to the common language and relayed them.
Serca looked at the necklace with wonder.
“From now on, if you wear that, you can communicate.”
She slowly nodded her head after understanding Sihyuk’s words.
The mechanical sound was a beat late, but there was no hindrance in conversation.
The procedure after communication started was surprisingly quick.
Serca answered in order about her origin, name, and purpose in coming to Earth.
She omitted the story about the Demon Realm’s throne and throne, and only revealed that she had come to find Sihyuk.
When asked about her relationship with Sihyuk, Serca answered without hesitation.
“He is my lord, and I am his sword.”
The investigator’s pen stopped for a moment.
Sihyuk added from the side.
“Like a guard knight.”
“It’s not completely the same.”
“It’s similar.”
Serca had an displeased expression, but remembering what Sihyuk said last night about not talking about unnecessary things, she didn’t pursue further.
The investigator wrote “former guard knight” in the document.
The incident of attacking Riel yesterday was summarized briefly as it stemmed from a misunderstanding, and Riel, the party involved, confirmed she didn’t want punishment.
After the statement ended, ability measurement was conducted.
Serca, as instructed by Sihyuk, suppressed her strength and poured her magic into the device.
The measurement result estimated her ability to be equivalent to A-rank.
Formal hunter registration was postponed because she had no intention of activity.
After all procedures ended, a temporary residence permit was issued to Serca.
For the time being, she would stay in the returnee support accommodation under Riel’s identity guarantee, and when going out, Sihyuk or Riel would accompany her.
The fact that Sihyuk was recognized as a companion played a big role in the on-site video from last night.
The video showed Serca drawing her sword and blocking in front of Sihyuk, who had just drawn it, then kneeling in front of him after sheathing the weapon.
Since their movements were so fast, the video didn’t properly capture the moment Sihyuk grabbed Serca’s wrist.
Some of the on-site video spread on the internet, but because the shooting distance was far, no one had identified Sihyuk’s identity yet.
The Association asked the three to refrain from unnecessary use of force and solo actions for the time being.
Sihyuk nodded first, and Serca stamped her handprint on the document without much resistance.
When leaving the Association, it was close to lunchtime.
After moving to a sparsely populated area behind the building, Sihyuk took the broken iron sword from his Bigo and returned it.
Serca received the sword and immediately pulled out the blade halfway.
After checking the scabbard and sword hilt in turn, she pushed the blade back in.
“No one can touch it inside.”
“Checking the sword is a habit.”
Serca put the sword back on her waist and looked at Sihyuk’s waist.
“Then, does Your Majesty have a sword too?”
“Yeah.”
Only after answering did Sihyuk think it strange anew.
Until the last moment, the sword was in his hand.
He didn’t let go even when the hero’s holy sword passed his neck.
But after waking up again on Earth, it was inside the Bigo.
Since the Bigo came with it, it was strange from the beginning, so he had just overlooked it until now.
“Why is that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Sihyuk dismissed it casually.
“There should be strong people here too.”
Serca’s gaze lingered on Riel for a moment.
“It’s not about that elf.”
“I won’t ignore you either, right?”
Riel immediately countered, but Serca was already looking at Sihyuk.
“May I check the sword?”
Sihyuk hesitated for a moment and put his hand inside the Bigo.
An old hilt was caught at the fingertips.
It was a touch that had become familiar over a very long time and could not be missed even with eyes closed.
Slowly pulling out the sword, the blade that had lost its luster was revealed under the sunlight.
A crack crossing nearly half of the sword body.
Scattered cracks here and there.
Even the tip was covered with red rust.
Serca, who had been silent for a while, received the sword with both hands.
She couldn’t not recognize the sword that had passed through countless battlefields together.
From the time she first met Sihyuk, this sword had been in his hand.
It wasn’t a famous blacksmith’s creation, nor a royal treasure.
It was an old iron sword that Sihyuk had used before becoming the Demon King.
But after hundreds of years filled with Sihyuk’s magic and the blood of countless lives, it became harder than any legendary sword.
Even if the blade was slightly damaged, the magic and blood in the sword body nourished it and returned to its original form in a few days, and it didn’t break even when clashing with the weapon of the previous Demon King.
It was different now.
Serca tried pouring magic from her fingertips, but no response came from the sword.
It was just cold, as if completely dead.
“…Why did it become like this?”
“I bumped it hard with the holy sword at the end. It had been left alone for a long time before that too.”
“You didn’t fix it and left it as is?”
“There was no need to pull it out.”
Serca’s face hardened sadly.
After examining the cracked sword body several more times, she handed the sword back with both hands.
Sihyuk received the old hilt again.
Riel’s gaze also lingered long on the old hilt.
On the day she cut through her own unit long ago, the sword was in Sihyuk’s hand.
After hesitating for a moment, Riel cautiously opened her mouth.
“Someone who can fix it knows.”
Serca’s head snapped around.
“Who?”
“We’re not from the world we lived in. A dwarf from another world, and they settled on Earth earlier than me.”
“Where are they?”
Riel shifted her gaze from the broken sword in Sihyuk’s hand to Serca.
“Mullae-dong. After the gate opened, blacksmiths and weapon workshops flocked there, and now it’s a complete blacksmith district.”
“But it’s pretty dirty.”
Before Serca opened her mouth again, Sihyuk looked at the broken sword.
After retirement, he thought he wouldn’t need to take it out again.
But seeing the cracked blade, it was a bit regrettable to leave it stuck in the Bigo like this.
“Let’s go once.”
Riel looked at Sihyuk.
“You, really going to fix it?”
Sihyuk lightly flicked the cracked sword body with his finger.
Thud.
The sword that would have rung clearly before made a dull sound.
Sihyuk said while putting the sword back into the Bigo.
“First, I have to ask if it can be fixed.”