Chapter 12: Hero, Meeting, and…

The chaos was brief. The legion commanders, having quickly calmed themselves, stood up in unison.

Soon after, the door opened, and the Demon King and the Commander of the 0th Legion, Demon, entered.

Idelia subtly observed Belitan’s expression.

His face was, unsurprisingly, sour. Honestly, it was satisfying. Who told him to mess with Demon? He was the most respected figure in the Demon King’s castle after the Demon King himself.

The Demon King, casually seated in the highest, most luxurious chair with his legs crossed, lightly waved his hand.

“Everyone, sit.”

Once again, a perfectly synchronized movement occurred.

The Demon King scanned those seated and slightly curved his lips as he looked at Deon, who was sitting closest.

“As you know, there was an intruder. The Commander of the 0th Legion here apprehended him admirably.”

All eyes turned to Deon.

Given that everyone present was a force to be reckoned with, such attention could have been overwhelming, but he merely kept his eyes downcast, fiddling with a cube.

…A cube?

Eyes darted back and forth among the legion commanders.

‘Hey, is that…?’

‘Yeah, it seems he’s quite interested in this matter.’

‘But that also means we’ll get definitive results….’

‘It could be risky, so we should be careful.’

During wartime conferences, he always twirled the cube, listening to everyone’s opinions.

If he liked an opinion, the cube would spin smoothly and align perfectly, but if he didn’t, it would click and clack loudly enough to fill the barracks.

Whether it spun smoothly or roughly, the best conclusion always emerged with the cube’s completion. The problem was, when it spun roughly, something big was bound to happen.

A subtle tension lingered as the Demon King continued.

“The investigation revealed that this wasn’t just any intruder. Of course, breaking into the Demon King’s castle, especially the inner section, means they couldn’t be ordinary, but this one is particularly special.”

A hint of animosity flashed in his eyes as he scanned those seated.

His eyes seemed to look through the legion commanders, as if searching for someone beyond them. The Demon King spoke with a faint edge of murderous intent.

“It was a remnant of the Hero.”

“…Are you saying it was a Hero?”

“Yes, not many left. One of those the Empire is desperately trying to gather, sent here as a sacrifice.”

Thump!

A heavy sound echoed. The legion commanders didn’t bother looking up to find the source of the noise.

It was obvious who was responsible.

With his clenched fist still resting on the hilt of his weapon, the Demon King leaned forward.

A heavy pressure descended upon the entire conference room.

“What could their purpose be?”

“….”

“The Empire’s movements are unsettling. Moreover, we’ve recently lost contact with the Commander of the 9th Corps who was stationed at the front. Something is definitely wrong.”

The Demon King was powerful.

So powerful that he didn’t need to overthink things. His choices were always simple yet carried immense weight.

This time was no different.

“Commander of the 1st Corps.”

“Yes.”

“You go.”

He was contemplating an all-out war.

Jaykar was the Demon King’s proxy. No one in this room was foolish enough not to understand the implications of him personally taking action.

Jaykar paused briefly, then lowered his head, his eyes flicking up slightly to look at the Demon King.

But only for a moment. Without any argument, he lowered his gaze again and calmly replied.

“Yes.”

A subtle undercurrent of impending war began to fill the conference room.

Even though war wasn’t breaking out right now, the tension was palpable. The Demon King clapped his hands together as if to change the atmosphere.

The silence broke, and a lighter voice followed.

“Now, it seems we’ve more or less finished this topic. Before we move on to the next issue, there’s something we need to address.”

“……?”

“What kind of reward should we give to the Commander of the 0th Legion for single-handedly capturing a remnant of the Hero?”

The hand that had been constantly turning the cube stopped.

Red eyes, which hadn’t once lifted from the desk throughout the meeting, slowly rose to meet his gaze.

Meeting those red eyes, the Demon King grinned.

“Perhaps we should let the person in question decide.”

***

I hate legion commander meetings. I hate them so much it’s awful. The reason is obvious.

They’re scary!

The commanders’ exclusive dining hall was bearable since some people didn’t eat there, but the conference room was a place where practically everyone attended. How terrifying is that?

‘I don’t want to go….’

The reason I was always late to meetings was because I dawdled, not wanting to go. If the Demon King hadn’t come to pick me up, I probably would have been late again this time.

Ah, am I already late?

I was about to rub my sweaty hands on my clothes… but stopped. What’s this?

‘A cube?’

A cube? Sure, I bring a cube when I have a meeting, but that’s only for meetings ‘where I’m the focus’.

For meetings that run perfectly fine without me, I just fiddle with a cube to avoid eye contact and pass the time, just in case someone asks for my opinion….

The meeting I’m going to attend now is a meeting where the Demon King is the focus!

Why didn’t the Demon King point this out?

I want to go back and put it back where it belongs, but it’s too late.

“The Demon King and the Commander of the 0th Legion have arrived.”

The conference room door opened with a rather grand and solemn voice.

With the dread of a cow being led to slaughter, I hesitantly stepped into the conference room.

And not long after the meeting began, my opinion of the cube completely changed.

‘I’m glad I brought it.’

I would have felt awkward if I hadn’t brought it.

The atmosphere is intimidating, and no one looks at me, making it the perfect environment for twirling a cube.

I was mixing the sides of the new cube, having solved it halfway and then mixing it again, when suddenly the Demon King said something out of the blue.

“Now, it seems we’ve more or less finished this topic. Before we move on to the next issue, there’s something we need to address.”

Until then, I had been thinking it had nothing to do with me.

“What kind of reward should we give to the Commander of the 0th Legion for single-handedly capturing a remnant of the Hero?”

I was startled and looked up.

It was too obvious to dismiss as a mishearing; the Demon King’s gaze was clearly directed at me.

He even emphasized it, as if hammering a nail.

“Perhaps we should let the person in question decide.”

A different kind of silence descended.

As I hesitated to speak, the legion commanders also shut their mouths, watching me and the Demon King’s reactions. The Demon King was even resting his chin on his hand, as if urging me to speak quickly.

In the silence, my eyes darted around.

‘So… he’s saying I can ask for anything?’

There aren’t many things I want. Things that even the Demon King could easily grant….

“Resignation….”

“No.”

“Then alcohol….”

“Are you serious?”

“……”

“……”

……I thought there wasn’t anything.

He cuts me off so firmly, yet his expression remains the same.

The Demon King still wears a soft smile as he waits for my next words.

The gaze that doesn’t leave me for a moment is unnerving, making me want to say anything and end this quickly, but….

I don’t really want anything else…?

“…I don’t have anything in mind right now, so can we postpone it?”

“What kind of request are you planning? It’s already making me nervous.”

He chuckled and removed his chin from his hand, straightening his posture.

His eyes swept over the legion commanders and settled on Belitan.

Instinctively, the legion commanders realized he was moving on to the next agenda and straightened up. In the re-intensifying tension, I couldn’t bring myself to look up or down, focusing intently on spinning the cube under the desk, relying on touch.

Whatever the agenda is, it has nothing to do with me.

“Commander of the 6th Corps, I heard you have something to say about the magical beasts?”

“Yes, I would like to request reinforcements.”

“Hmm….”

The Demon King, who was looking through reports, pulled out a single sheet of paper. His initially indifferent expression gradually contorted as he read.

Finally, having read the last line, he let out a soft groan.

“The situation is indeed serious. Are you and the Commander of the 12th Corps not enough?”

“The 12th Corps is currently unable to participate in magical beast hunts.”

The Demon King’s movements stopped abruptly. His eyes, which had been on the document, shot up to Belitan.

Observing his unwavering, or rather, frozen, inverse-colored eyes, I inwardly nodded.

He must be surprised. It’s only natural to be surprised. Because I was surprised too.

What could those words mean? It means the corps has suffered significant damage to the point where they can’t hunt magical beasts. The cause is clearly the magical beasts.

“So, the Commander of the 12th Corps’ position is vacant because….”

“I heard he’s recovering from injuries.”

“Injured by mere magical beasts?”

“Watch your tongue. Even insignificant creatures can become formidable enemies when they band together.”

Small voices buzzed among the legion commanders.

It’s understandable why they’re confused. The 12th Corps being defeated by mere magical beasts.

Just ‘mere’ magical beasts. In the Empire, they’re called ‘monsters,’ failed creations.

The Demon King’s power, even unintentionally, gives rise to numerous demons. This is why the Demon King is a threat, and it’s the decisive reason why the Empire—and indeed all humans—are desperately trying to eliminate him.

However, creating life is not easy.

Among the demons born, only about 40% possess reason, the true ‘demons.’ The remaining 60% are merely driven by their desires, insignificant creatures hardly deserving of the name ‘demon.’

They are complete failures, incapable of control and even trying to devour other demons. The Demon King calls them ‘magical beasts (魔物)’ and regularly cleans them up for the safety of the demons.

‘It’s all coming back to me. Have I been here too long?’

How long has it been since I last saw sunlight?

A sudden wave of melancholy washed over me, and I glared at the innocent desk.

Meanwhile, the Demon King’s voice, which had paused for a moment, resumed. I thought he might be somewhat agitated, but being the Demon King, his voice was even calmer and more composed than usual.

“Paperwork has its limits. Explain it directly.”

“At some point, the number of magical beasts surged dramatically. By the time we realized it and tried to respond, half of the small villages had already been trampled.”

“‘Half,’ you say… then what happened to the other half?”

“We evacuated them to the larger cities with walls.”

I thought Belitan was an idiot, but his judgment is surprisingly good…?

Sorry, I seem to have underestimated you. I offered a silent apology that would never reach him and quietly listened to his explanation.

“The problem is that the number of magical beasts is so high that they’re even trying to climb over the city walls. Every day feels like fighting a war.”

“…Perhaps we should start deploying legion commanders to the major cities.”

“Why did their numbers suddenly increase so much….”

The Demon King’s mutterance sounded almost like a lament.

In response, the Demon King half-interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on them, saying nonchalantly.

“It’s because the Hero is dead. The balance has been broken.”

As he said that, the Demon King glanced at me.

Why are you looking at me? It’s not my fault, is it? You’re the one who drove the Hero to his death!

Even so, I didn’t have the confidence to meet his inverse-colored gaze, so I subtly averted my eyes. As if he had been waiting for that, the Demon King flipped through some unidentified documents and said casually.

“There are four major cities… and if the 12th Corps is out of commission, it will indeed be difficult to defend them.”

“Yes, I am requesting reinforcements.”

“Now, where do we have spare manpower….”

An ominous feeling ran down my spine. To hide my trembling pupils, I quickly lowered my gaze.

I belatedly realized, under the desk, the cube was spinning like crazy.

I never knew my hands could move so divinely.

Click-clack-click-clack-.

Why am I so anxious? The reason is obvious, isn’t it?

Who comes to mind when you think of spare manpower? It’s me, of course. The ultimate freeloader who doesn’t even do the paperwork that all the other legion commanders handle! The only things I do are setting fire to the garden and overturning food trays….

“Demon, it would be best if you went.”

……Click.

My hand stopped. My breathing stopped.

‘Ugh, no! I need to breathe!’

I thought I saw someone waving from across the river Styx.

As oxygen rushed back into my lungs, my mind started working again. And for once, I resented my quick thinking.

I gripped the now-completed cube tightly in both hands and screamed inwardly.

I knew it! Damn it all!!