If You Can't Win, Join Them
After some deliberation, I realized that while I was unconscious or passed out, my senses remained intact. It seemed the Demon King wasn't aware of this peculiar trait. Even if it was an unintended side effect of the special body he had given me, there had to be another reason he kept tearing me apart so deliberately. Perhaps the trigger that restored my body cleanly was being ripped to shreds completely. But that didn't mean I could recklessly charge at just anyone—maybe only the Demon King could activate that trigger. The Demon King was the only one who could kill me? No, the Demon King was the only one who wouldn't kill me. The latter seemed far more convincing. If that were the case, perhaps the Demon King, wanting to watch me suffer, had used the surgery Jemma mentioned on the first day to make my body immortal only in relation to him. Wait a moment. Did that mean I could fight the Demon King over and over, resurrecting until he died? No, no. That couldn't be right. The petty Demon King would simply use his magic to tear me halfway apart and prevent resurrection if I kept throwing myself at him. Damn it. I felt like I was grasping something, but it kept slipping just out of reach. The truth about the Demon King and my current self dangled right at my fingertips, yet refused to be caught. What the hell did the Demon King even see in me? Why bring me here instead of just letting me die? It would have been better to die, even if it meant facing my comrades in shame. But thinking that way made the oath I swore while unconscious feel pathetically fragile. Damn it, don't give up, Belberman.
Yet as I sat alone, lost in thought, I felt an oppressive gaze fixed on me from beside the bed the moment I opened my eyes. It felt even more burdensome than before, as if the watcher had drawn closer. Eventually, unable to endure it any longer, I carefully rose from the bed and turned toward the source, calling out a familiar name.
"Jemma?"
The woman whose face had grown quite familiar hopped into view, greeting me with a bright expression. "hop hop, Correct. I am Jemma."
She looked perfectly fine and healthy, dressed in her attendant's uniform, showing no signs of having been punished during her exile. Relieved, I let out a long sigh. "I'm glad you're safe."
Despite the rabbit-like mannerisms, Jemma suddenly stopped and asked in her usual deadpan tone, "Why would you show me such kindness?"
Her voice remained emotionless, yet somehow brighter than before. "I'm no philanthropist who loves every being in the Demon Realm, but... you seem like a good person. I wanted to return the kindness you showed me first."
I answered with a genuine smile. For a fleeting moment, it almost looked like Jemma smiled too—though it vanished instantly, returning to her blank expression. She stood still for a while, as if mulling over my words, then began moving again. "hop hop, hop hop." She approached, tilting her head as if asking to be petted.
"What are you doing now?" I asked, awkwardly patting her head with a sheepish grin. Jemma replied while being stroked, "I was imitating a rabbit. I learned that rabbits die without affection, so I thought I might die if I didn't receive your love."
Her voice stayed flat, making the sincere yet embarrassing words oddly amusing. "Is that really okay?" I asked, slightly flustered, worried about the Demon King's wrath. The previous exile had clearly been due to his jealousy, even if he hadn't shown it outright.
"Yes, it is fine." Jemma stepped back slightly and gave a thumbs-up with a subtle eye-smile. "The Demon King himself has ordered that I may now serve as your attendant."
Hearing that, I pictured the Demon King's fierce face and muttered, "That's unexpected..." It seemed he had some sense of fairness after all. I stayed by the bed, continuing to pet Jemma as she sought more affection. Even so, I wondered if this was truly all right. If the Demon King had genuinely permitted it, perhaps it was fine. "Do you like being petted?"
Jemma's hair felt less like human strands and more like the soft, well-groomed fur of an animal. With escape long abandoned and nothing else to do, I spent time stroking her. "I didn't realize it before, but being petted feels truly wonderful."
Her response made it seem as though this was her first time being petted. She looked no different from a newly tamed, docile rabbit. Had she really tried it just out of curiosity about the sensation? Somehow, that felt exactly like something Jemma would do. As an attendant, she probably didn't receive much praise even from family. Did monsters even have families? There was still so much I didn't know about the Demon Realm. To survive here and seize any opportunity, I needed that knowledge. I had known solitude was difficult, but after decades with comrades, being alone like this felt like it might kill me.
"Hmm, hmm-hmm..." Still, I was fortunate to have someone like Jemma by my side. Of course, if I attacked the Demon King, she would point a weapon at me too. Her true master was someone else, and that master's master was the Demon King. As a temporary, passing master, it was only natural that I could be discarded. Even so... the real reason I had wanted Jemma back was because I needed a sanctuary for my heart. Having lost everything—my comrades, myself—and being dropped here alone, realizing the Demon King was the one who had taken it all, I couldn't possibly be sane. Yet the reason I could still hold onto some sanity was undoubtedly Jemma. If her kindness wasn't genuine, then I truly had nothing left. No one to lean on, no support, nothing—just a weak female waiting to be taken by the Demon King. But with Jemma, everything changed. If she offered me kindness, I could rely on her. Even if she was like a magpie that could leave at any time, knowing she existed, feeling that warmth, let me hold onto hope again.
Silently petting her, I suddenly pulled Jemma into a tight embrace. Even if her kindness wasn't sincere, denying it myself would leave me with nowhere to stand. I desperately hoped her feelings were real. Her playful antics lifted my spirits, so this hug was simply something my heart wanted to do.
With a soft pop, a small impact hit my chest. "Master... you can't suddenly do that..." The Jemma from moments ago was gone. In my arms now wriggled a small, embarrassed creature. It was a familiar being—a long-tailed rabbit I had occasionally seen during the war in the Demon Realm. So she really was a monster? The transformation magic had worn off, and Jemma seemed aware of it. "Jemma... does that mean all the other human-looking monsters here are like you?"
I stroked the soft back of the rabbit-like monster curled up on my lap. Jemma flinched, then suddenly stood, and with another small pop, she returned to her human form while lying across my knees. She covered her reddened face with her fist, coughed lightly, and muttered, "You didn't know..."
When I smiled awkwardly at her, Jemma, still lying down, finally answered my question. "That is correct. All the human-shaped attendants and executives here have been trained to transform into human forms to better please the Demon King."
"Hmm..." As I pondered the Demon King again, wondering if he simply liked humans, Jemma took my wrist with both hands, placed it atop her head, and explained gently, "The Demon King's true identity is not something a mere attendant like me can know." It was as if she had anticipated my question. When I cautiously resumed petting her, Jemma closed her eyes and began to think. "However, if what I know is correct..."
Just as she finished deliberating and prepared to answer, the door burst open. Beyond it appeared a familiar figure. "I only ordered you to attend her, not to cling to her side and act coy." The Demon King, radiating killing intent toward Jemma, who had been lying in my arms, slowly entered the room and glared at her. Sensing danger as the Demon King approached, I followed Jemma off the bed and stood in the way. "No, Demon King. I told her it was fine. She climbed onto the bed to attend to me."
The Demon King stared at me for a moment, just like Jemma had. When Jemma, heading for the door, gave me a moist-eyed look of gratitude instead of words, the Demon King snapped in an irritated voice, "Get out, now." Jemma carefully closed the door as the Demon King shouted. Of course, I waved goodbye to Jemma even from beside the Demon King. Naturally, this only made the Demon King more agitated. He roughly tore off his outer clothes, hung them in the wardrobe, unbuttoned his shirt, and climbed onto the bed with rough movements. Leaning back against the pillows and wall, he let out a heavy sigh. Then, looking down at me, I climbed onto the bed after him and slipped into his embrace. "..."
The Demon King watched me quietly for a moment. When I offered an awkward smile after settling in, his expression softened considerably. Without hesitation, he began vigorously stroking and kneading my body with both hands. This time, however, it didn't feel like simple curiosity about my body. It seemed as though he was checking something. "Um... Demon King... there's something I want to ask..."
Startled by the ticklish touch, I grabbed the Demon King's much larger hand and spoke. Silently, the Demon King interlaced his fingers with mine. Just as I began, "About my body..." he pressed down hard on my lower abdomen with the hand that had been on my stomach. "Eek...!?"
Perhaps because of the mark Jemma had given me before, my lower body trembled uncontrollably. "No, that's..." As I tried to continue while gauging the Demon King's reaction, he closed his eyes and squeezed my now-enlarged chest. "Eek, ah... Demon King..." This time, he gently bit my neck without pain and began licking it with his tongue. Flustered, I wondered what was happening. Was the Demon King really not going to tear me apart? Yet I kept calling his name, desperate for an answer while he seemed unwilling to harm me. "Eek, ah... Who is the Demon King?"
The Demon King teased me playfully, his touch growing more intense and sticky as his hands roamed my body. "Ah... ahh... this... no..." Watching me panic as my voice faltered from the overwhelming ticklish sensation, the Demon King whispered in an ambiguous tone near my ear, "You just need to stay as you are." Whether referring to my current state or answering my question, the words scattered by my ear. Then, with a flop, he pushed me down and carefully covered me from behind in that suggestive position. His chest pressed against my back, and my hips met his thighs. My entire body tingled, my stomach fluttered, and an odd feeling kept rising, bringing with it a man's anxiety. But before I could suppress it, the Demon King held one of my wrists and continued biting along my nape and neckline. "Ah, mm..."
His other hand lingered on my chest before pressing firmly on my abdomen and sliding between the two mounds. A chill ran down my spine, making my whole body shiver. "S-stop... hngh..." This was trouble in a different sense from being torn apart. At least when being ripped, the pain overwhelmed everything else, allowing some mental victory. But this... this, as a man, I couldn't endure. At least until now, as a man, I hadn't lost yet...! But the Demon King's lips approached my ear and whispered right beside it, "Just stay still... exactly as you are..."
"Eek, mm..." Though my ears itched and I couldn't stay completely still, the Demon King wrapped an arm around my head to prevent me from squirming away, binding me tightly with his entire body. "No matter what I do, no matter what you're curious about... you just need to stay still..." His voice, unbearably ticklish, stimulated my ear relentlessly. "From the moment you were defeated and kidnapped by me, you became my slave..." He roughly grabbed and kneaded my soft, feminine parts. "No one else can touch you. You are mine alone..." Damn it. Had his voice always been this sweet? My willpower shattered completely under it. Though I still clenched my teeth, my eyes had gone completely unfocused, and drool trickled from my mouth. My body had lost all will to resist, fully covered by the Demon King and prepared to submit. "Eek... mmph..."
Tragically, there was no trace left of a man's pride. Having completely surrendered to the Demon King, I met a humiliating end. The thing I had wanted to find out flew completely beyond consciousness. The Demon King, who had pinned me down and was moving his hands wildly, looked at my face with an expression of greater pleasure than ever before. "Heek, hweeek...!" He enjoyed watching my face crumble in real time. I couldn't endure that moment with a clear mind. No, my mind had already been completely conquered, so I couldn't even think about my own existence. All I could think about was the Demon King destroying my body with those vicious hands and mouth. At least in that moment, there was nothing I could do. Fortunately, a single time hadn't completely shattered my pride as a man, but in that instant, I wasn't myself. A beast. Yes, I felt like an animal... When I was a man, it hadn't been like this at all. How... how could this happen? Swept away by stimulation and pleasure, I couldn't resist even for a moment and was completely violated by the Demon King's touch, showing every unsightly side of myself. Even that mark on my lower abdomen glowed with each burst of pleasure, reheating my entire body whenever an opportunity arose. It was the perfect time to understand exactly why that mark had been placed on me.
But once the intense commotion finally ended and the Demon King was satisfied, he lay down beside me to rest. Not long after, he pulled my now-conscious self into his arms, enveloping me in his generous embrace. As I gradually calmed my excitement within that hold, I glared at him with a face mixed with some resentment. "Are you embarrassed?"
The Demon King looked at my flushed face with a faint smile. When I pursed my lips and averted my gaze, he said casually, "Don't be so upset. I'll let you experience much more from now on." The spine-chilling words made me flinch and stiffen. Staring at him again, I blurted, "P-pregnancy is impossible..."
"What? Puhaha—" The Demon King laughed for the first time, freely and genuinely, without any force. "No matter how much of a Demon King I am, I don't know any magic that creates seeds that don't exist." In that moment alone, the Demon King's touch as he held me felt incredibly warm. "Then... that's fine..." An inexplicable, fluffy feeling bloomed in my chest—something I couldn't understand at all with who I was now. My face burned red as I felt a strange sense of relief. After finishing the act, I couldn't fight off the drowsiness and drifted off to sleep. Even though I wanted to keep my eyes open a little longer because of that pure laugh I still couldn't believe, there were still so many things about him I didn't understand. Unlike before, he looked truly happy now, and this seemed like the moment I should ask. In truth, there were many more things I wanted to know besides those about my body. Having grown weaker without realizing it after becoming a woman, I couldn't even overcome that drowsiness and fell asleep while calling out, "Demon... King......"
Yes, there was still so much I hadn't figured out. So much that I wondered if this was as far as a mere human like me could reach, and it all felt like some trick of fate. But there was one thing I could be certain of. That night, the Demon King who had held me so preciously checked several times that I was asleep, then tore me apart without fail. Clearly, whether he wanted to or not, the Demon King had a reason he had to tear my body apart. After that, my senses grew even duller. The next morning, when I opened my eyes, the Demon King was still not by my side, and my clothes weren't on my body. I was completely naked, yet somehow the blanket that had been covering me still carried the warmth from last night. Just like this... maybe living as the Demon King's slave like this wouldn't be so bad. The thought was terrifying, but I knew. I had to find out. To make him taste the anger I was swallowing, to avenge my fallen comrades and everything I had lost. There was still something I was curious about. Demon King, do you really think that just because you took everything from me and changed my body to suit your tastes, I would break? I will definitely kill you. Definitely.
Of course, that resolve of mine was immediately shattered that very night.