Chapter 214: Unspoken Words

Only after the Fairy King promised to provide herbs and the Dwarf Chief weapons at a lower price, and the Vampire leader pledged that the Demon King and all demons would bear no responsibility for magical beasts crossing into vampire territory, were they finally released from their confinement.

The Fairy King, visibly gaunt, stumbled out, then belatedly frowned as he noticed the merfolk leader beside him.

“Demon King, why didn’t you demand anything from this one?”

“Because he was the only one who wasn’t impudent.”

“……”

“Originally, I only intended to demand something from the vampires, but you guys were too insolent.”

One was causing a ruckus with the vampire in the meeting room, and the other was cheering loudly as if watching a game.

How could I let that slide? If I did, they might take such matters lightly. So, I had no choice but to punish the vampires, who were the most presumptuous, along with them.

“Consider yourselves fortunate that I didn’t demand the same pledge from you as from the vampires.”

The treaty she signed is poison to the vampire race.

Even if the demons struggle to handle magical beasts and deliberately push them into vampire territory, the vampires have to deal with it themselves and can’t complain to the demon side.

Of course, they won’t do it openly out of courtesy, but the possibility of doing so ‘by accident’ is very high. They’ll have quite a hard time in the future.

“……”

He expected an immediate rebuttal, but it was quieter than expected. The Demon King asked the silent Fairy King teasingly.

“Looks like you know you were impudent too, huh?”

“……Tch.”

The Fairy King turned his head sharply, opened the door, and walked out. He met eyes with a few people waiting in front of the door.

His gaze briefly touched a human, not Deon Hart, before the Fairy King turned his eyes to a tall demon. Their eyes met naturally, and silence flowed.

“……”

“……”

Pointed ears and originally pale black skin.

The Fairy King looked at his twin brother, once a proud warrior of their race but now a demon influenced by the Demon King’s magic, with an unreadable expression before slowly opening his mouth.

“It’s been a while.”

“……Yes.”

“Is this place livable?”

Jaykar, who had been staring intently at the Fairy King without even blinking, finally shifted his gaze. His lowered eyes blinked once, and his head nodded slowly up and down.

“I am very satisfied.”

“……Is that so.”

An indescribable expression flickered across the Fairy King’s face for a moment.

“Disgusting.”

Outright contempt and disgust surfaced on the Fairy King’s face.

Startled by the ominous atmosphere, Dan slipped away, pretending not to hear anything. The Fairy King didn’t even glance at the receding presence, glaring at Jaykar.

His lips, which had been twitching as if about to lash out, unexpectedly failed to utter a word and eventually closed.

Tch, he clicked his tongue and passed Jaykar, exuding coldness. It was a clear gesture of cutting off the conversation, but a low voice followed from behind.

“I believe you didn’t have a chance to properly appreciate the central garden because you came in such a hurry.”

“……”

“Please take a look around before you leave.”

The Fairy King did not answer.

***

Jaykar. Commander of the 1st Corps of the Demon King’s army and the Demon King’s proxy. He uses the most basic form of sword and mainly seizes enemies’ weapons due to his aggressive fighting style dulling blades quickly.

This is probably the commonly known information.

‘And….’

At the entrance of the greenhouse-style central garden, where he arrived to return to his territory, the Fairy King briefly closed his eyes. Was it because of their reunion after so long? Useless information flashed through his mind in a string.

A race tainted by demonic energy and a disgrace to the race. The Fairy King’s former right-hand man and twin brother. A collection of suppressed killing intent, unlike any other of his kind, and so on….

Memories that kept going back to the past eventually returned to the present, focusing on their most recent conversation.

‘He said he is very satisfied with his life here.’

Of course, he would be. A sneer escaped him.

Unlike when he was in the Fairy territory, he doesn’t have to suppress his killing intent while living here.

In any case, now that he has become a demon, his relationship with me is over. Dismissing him lightly, the Fairy King stepped into the central garden. The scenery he had missed because he was rushing after that damned vampire filled his vision.

“……Huh.”

The Fairy King couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

He had no idea what to call the emotion he was feeling at this moment. He just blinked blankly, as if he had arrived in a strange world.

The garden was filled with human realm flowers, the only things he had ever shown interest in.

***

Dan, pushed out by the ominous atmosphere, did not return to his room immediately.

Measured steps crunched on the dirt floor. He headed towards a secluded spot, once an abandoned training ground, sorting out his thoughts as he walked.

He hadn’t answered that he would stand in front of the screen just to act like a puppet and do as he was told. There was another reason why he accepted the Demon King’s offer. That’s why he had already thought about where to go after leaving the meeting room.

‘Originally, I was going to escort Master to his room first and then go, but given the situation, he would understand.’

It seemed like the waiting time would be long. There was no time to waste, so it couldn’t be helped.

……It’s definitely not because he was overwhelmed by the uncomfortable situation and ran away.

‘I didn’t hear the exact date, but I’ll be standing in front of the screen soon.’

He had to finish all preparations before that.

In the distance, the mad dogs, no, the Lofty Knights’ exclusive training ground came into view. As if they had nothing else to do, they were playing here all day long. Today, too, the training ground was noisy.

“Derniban, the baby smiled at me again!”

“Is that so.”

……I don’t know why those demons are there, though.

Dan, with a sullen face, glanced at the 5th Corps Commander and her adjutant, then shifted his steps towards the Lofty Knights. As if they had already noticed him coming, the knights greeted him with bright smiles.

“Dan!”

“It’s been a while! Why don’t you come more often?”

“Yeah, you always chase us away whenever we come, but you only come when you want to!”

“Boo, unfair!”

“That’s because you guys are noisy…!”

Oops, almost got dragged in.

Dan pinched his brow and took a deep breath, then gestured to the knights.

“Gather around, everyone.”

“Huh?”

“What is it? Do you have something to give us?”

“What? Dan is giving us food?”

“But he’s empty-handed?”

“That’s not it!”

The deep breath he had taken was in vain.

He raised his voice in a burst of anger, then realizing it, he raised his hand and massaged the back of his neck. Stay calm. Getting angry here will only hurt his side.

Even though they say that, they gathered properly. He should just be grateful for that. That’s the way to keep peace of mind.

“……By the way.”

Dan lowered his hand, his gaze directed somewhere in the crowd. The knights, sensing the question in his action, followed Dan’s gaze and turned their heads. They could easily spot a being mixed in with the crowd.

A being who was definitely not human.

“?”

Suddenly focused attention made her blink. Each time, compound eyes like an insect’s hid between her eyelids and then reappeared.

Dan barely swallowed a sigh that was about to burst out and asked.

“Why are you here, 5th Corps Commander?”

“You told us to gather.”

“I called only the knights.”

“Why? I’m curious too. Can’t I be here?”

Instead of answering, Dan looked at her adjutant.

As if he had developed sharp senses to compensate for his superior, Derniban, who was holding the baby, immediately called her.

“Lady Oel, it would be better for you to go in now.”

“Why?”

“It’s time for the baby’s baby food.”

“Ah! I see. Let’s go.”

As expected of the adjutant. His skill in handling his superior is top-notch.

He subtly raised his thumb in respect. Despite clearly seeing it, Derniban turned his body to follow Oel without any change in expression.

Completely ignored, Dan shrugged once and looked at the knights. As if they had noticed that he had something to say separately, those who were watching the two demons walk away turned their heads and focused on him.

Not missing the chance in the silence, he immediately opened his mouth.

Subtly, as if whispering.

“Don’t you want to do something for the captain?”

***

After the other leaders left and Deon even managed to shake off the clinging Dwarf Chief and send him back, he quietly picked up the cube on his desk and took out a cigarette from his pocket.

His mood was at its absolute worst.

‘To say things like ‘I have to kill him in front of the person involved’….’

That was an act of not just looking down on me, but of being certain they could kill me.

Well, I understand. They probably couldn’t imagine that the Demon King would protect a human, especially her nemesis. They must have thought that with a little persuasion, she would easily agree to cut off my head. In fact, I do harbor killing intent towards her, and they must have noticed it to some extent, which reinforced their belief. So, there was no need to consider the feelings of a guy about to die.

But too bad for them.

The Demon King chose me.

‘It’s a relief. If they had tried to kill me, I would have overturned everything.’

I’m not an idiot, and there’s no way I would have just died obediently.

Does she even know that the Demon King’s choice saved her?

If the Demon King had tried to kill me as the vampire leader intended and a conflict had erupted, she would have been caught up in it and died as well. In a do-or-die situation, there’s no way I would have spared someone who spoke to me like that in front of me. I would have killed her first for sure.

Anyway, it’s annoying.

The unpleasantness and boiling emotions didn’t subside easily, so he finally put a cigarette in his mouth.

Come to think of it, I didn’t take drugs while I was in the Human Realm. Is this going to be my first time smoking again in a while? He was thinking such thoughts when a hand suddenly popped in and snatched the cigarette away.

He raised his head to see the Demon King winking and shaking the cigarette as if showing it off.

“I understand you’re stressed, but drugs are not good in the long run.”

“……”

It’s not like I have any desire to live long anyway.

As if reading his thoughts from his sullen expression, the Demon King crumpled the cigarette and smiled brightly.

“It would be a problem if you died without achieving your goal.”

Deon’s eyebrow twitched.

Looking at the situation alone, it seems like she’s saying it for ‘Deon Hart’, but the tone is ambiguous.

Whether that goal is the Demon King’s goal or Deon Hart’s goal…. As he was watching with suspicious eyes, her voice continued.

“I think you need something else to focus on. Like a hobby.”

“……”

“Coincidentally, I promised to teach you the piano, didn’t I?”

The Demon King whispered.

“Follow me.”

***

[Demon King.]

[A being created by the world to kill the Hero.]

Straight fingers traced down the short sentences. The Demon King lowered her gaze as if lost in thought.

The Hero is born to kill the Demon King, and the Demon King is born to kill the Hero.

Then, what if the Hero and the Demon King become allies?

‘……’

The sound of the piano is gone. The Demon King, who had removed her hand from the sentences, lifted her gaze.

Her eyes met Deon’s, who was sitting in front of the piano, turning to look this way with a sulky face.

“Did you play it ten times?”

“Yes.”

“Liar. You only played it eight times.”

“……”

The Demon King chuckled softly, closed the book, put it down, and stood up from the sofa she had been sitting on. Deon’s gaze fleetingly touched the title of the book the Demon King had put down.

[About Heroes, Demon Kings, and Heroic Spirits]

[Author: Kaber]

It was a book he had read in the library. The Demon King had taken it away in the middle of reading. Has she still not returned it?

His trivial thoughts about the book didn’t last long. Just as he was thinking, ‘Overdue period, abuse of power─’, the Demon King, who had approached him before he knew it, rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Piano doesn’t seem to be your taste. But seeing how quickly you learn, you seem to have talent.”

“……Because I’m the Hero.”

“That’s right. The Hero is a collection of talents, after all.”

“……”

Instead of saying anything, he turned his head to the front and looked down at the keyboard.

The Demon King, fiddling with the ponytail tied behind her back as if contemplating, said.

“There are many other instruments. Would you like to try touching them? You might find something you like.”