Chapter 228: The Weight of Loyalty

“Ah, Ed.”

Deon, who had been conversing with the plant with a relaxed expression, immediately hardened his face. Ed offered a bitter smile at the clearly drawn line and wary attitude.

Should he be grateful that it wasn’t hostility? In the past, he would have asked about the painting and attempted a casual conversation… but a strange sense of intimidation made him cautiously reach out.

“Please give me the painting. I will hang it on the wall in the room.”

“You don’t have to go to the trouble…”

“…Perhaps you have another storage method in mind?”

“It’s not that, but… fine, do as you wish.”

The painting was handed over.

…Come to think of it, didn’t he mention in the hallway earlier that the paint wasn’t completely dry?

Just before his hand reached it, Ed, with his keen eye, noticed that the paint was still wet. He quickly adjusted his grip to carefully receive the painting without damaging it, and said,

“It seems the paint isn’t completely dry. I’ll dry it first and then put it in a frame later.”

“Suit yourself…”

“If I leave it in the room like this, it will smell and I’ll have to open the window for ventilation, so after drying it elsewhere, I’ll hang it in the room…”

“…No, just leave it in my room. My room’s window is open 24 hours anyway, and the smell of paint is better, isn’t it?”

Better than the smell of blood.

Deon, muttering almost inaudibly, waved his hand dismissively as if to say to handle the rest, and opened the door. Dan, who had been waiting inside, immediately greeted him.

“You’re here. Did you have a good meeting with Lord Demon King? Seeing that you have a painting now, it seems you even had a portrait done.”

The confident glint in Dan’s eyes, sure that he wouldn’t be rejected, landed on the painting Ed was holding.

“I didn’t know there were demons with such outstanding painting skills in Demon King’s castle. Who painted this?”

“Lord Demon King.”

“How… versatile.”

Leaving Dan and Deon’s conversation behind, Ed scanned the room filled with completed puzzles and picked out a suitable spot to hang the painting.

His gaze, which had risen to check the angle, soon fell with a touch of sadness.

‘Why…’

Why is he drawing a line so clearly with me?

Although it’s closer to Dan’s one-sided rambling, Deon is still listening to him and responding well. Perhaps because of that, Dan’s voice, which he usually just brushed off as unpleasant human babble, grated on his nerves.

To the point where he couldn’t even make his usual light-hearted sarcastic remarks.

Ed was aware that if he opened his mouth now, he might cross the line. Crossing the line with that human was irrelevant, but he couldn’t risk displeasing Sir Deon.

“…It’s done.”

Finally adjusting the angle properly, he took a step back.

Only then did the crimson gaze land on him. His pupils held a detached light, contrary to their intense color.

“Good work. You can leave now.”

“…Yes.”

The dismissal was as natural as the familiar answer.

Ed gave a self-deprecating smile and deeply bowed his head to hide his expression before retreating. Dan, who had been watching him, turned to Deon as soon as the door closed.

“Um… Master. Are you taking good care of your adjutant?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Seeing this, it feels a bit off. Even though he’s not someone we can trust, wasn’t he a demon who served Master with all his heart before I came? Even if we can’t trust him, at least some decency…”

“Dan.”

A firm voice cut him off.

Dan shut his mouth, and silence descended. Deon, instead of immediately speaking, leisurely fiddled with the carnivorous plant still clinging to his side before detaching it and placing it on the table.

Soon, a nonchalant voice, carrying heavy content, pressed down on the space.

“I’m going to kill the Demon King.”

“…!”

“It’s true that Ed served me with all his heart. And it’s obvious that he’s still trying to do so. But he’s also fiercely loyal to the Demon King. In a situation where the Demon King and I clash, would he really choose me?”

“…”

Deon, reading affirmation in the unanswered silence, smiled bitterly.

He remembered discussing the topic of Ed before. Back then, he had said that Ed served ‘authority,’ not ‘Deon Hart’.

And now, reaching the present, seeing the white gloves he still wore, he honestly wavered a little. When he heard that the reason was because they were a gift from you, Sir Deon, he thought perhaps he served ‘Deon Hart,’ not ‘authority.’

But so what?

He could see the future of a guy who wouldn’t be able to choose between the Demon King and Deon Hart.

“In a game board where life and death are at stake, I can’t keep such an ambivalent guy by my side.”

It’s better to induce him to fall away.

The demon he encountered most frequently while staying in Demon King’s castle was Ed. Even during his timid and withdrawn days, Ed was by his side, so Deon had unknowingly come to understand Ed.

And the Ed he had come to know could be defined in one word: ‘soldier’.

A soldier of the lower ranks, faithful to his duties, and drastically indecisive when there are no duties he must undertake. He seems flexible at first glance, but when a situation arises where he must make a decision entirely on his own, he’ll break down. In critical situations, he’ll be useless.

“Do you think I’m comfortable with this either? If he were a complete enemy, it would be easier and better for both of us.”

Being unnecessarily kind for a demon.

Blood was overflowing from all directions as if demanding attention. Deon ignored it and reached out to the backrest of the chair to sit at the table… then paused.

“Kkyiek.”

“Oh… uh… thanks…”

“…Is that a plant? It’s too gentlemanly for a plant.”

The vine that stretched out had pulled out the chair and waited. To Deon’s bewildered expression, it even pushed the chair back in after he sat down.

At Dan’s word ‘gentlemanly,’ the plant brought a thin vine to a thick vine and lowered its flower bud. The action, like placing a hand on its chest and bowing its head, made Deon and Dan’s expressions subtle.

“…Is it really a plant?”

“I don’t know either…”

In any case, thanks to it, the atmosphere was refreshed.

Now that the conclusion to not keep the adjutant close was completely settled, continuing this topic would only spoil the mood without gaining anything, so Dan thanked the carnivorous plant inwardly and changed the subject.

The next minor conversation topic they decided on was the painting currently hanging on the wall. A portrait of himself that Deon, who had gone out empty-handed, had brought back.

“A portrait of yourself in your own room, your tastes are quite unique.”

At the playful, sly remark, Deon leaned back in his chair with a slightly relaxed expression and replied.

“It’s better than having a portrait of someone unrelated hanging there. Besides, the Demon King drew it himself, so I can’t throw it away, and I happen to like the smell of paint.”

“The smell of paint… are you talking about that? To me, it smells a bit toxic…”

“That’s why I like it.”

Because it masks the smell of blood.

Deon, swallowing the unspoken words, ignored Dan’s puzzled expression and tapped the carnivorous plant on the table. Not getting an explanation even after waiting, Dan noticed that he had no intention of explaining and smoothly changed the subject.

“Then should I take it that once the smell of paint disappears, it will just become luggage?”

“Well… maybe?”

“Then can I take it and use it as I please then?”

“…Where are you going to use it?”

Anxiety laced his voice.

Deon, taking his eyes off the plant, looked at Dan. Dan met his gaze directly and smiled broadly, as if to show off.

“Not right now, but I thought of a place that seems suitable to use it later.”

“…”

“Well, I won’t do anything weird. Probably.”

“Probably?”

“I might spit on the painting depending on the opponent, though.”

“…What are you planning to do?”

Spit? It’s a painting of my face, identical to the real thing, though not me personally. It feels a bit strange if it’s used for something weird. The slightly trembling red pupils turned to Dan as if demanding an answer.

He had teased him enough at this point. Dan shrugged.

“I’m going to use it for trade.”

“No, why spit when you’re trading…”

“Ignorance is bliss. Let’s just move on. Anyway, I’ll take it as permission.”

“…”

It doesn’t seem like something to just move on from.

Still, with the conviction that Dan wouldn’t do anything harmful, and the judgment that even if he did cause harm with the portrait, it wouldn’t be that significant, Deon let it slide without making a fuss.

“Well… putting that aside.”

He rummaged through his pockets and took out a cigarette.

-Click!

“Kkyiek!”

“…”

Pausing for a moment, he took out another cigarette again….

-Click!

“Kkyiek!”

“…”

Dan was already covering his mouth and snickering.

Deon quietly alternated his gaze between the cigarette rolling pathetically on the floor and the carnivorous plant, then fixed his gaze on the carnivorous plant. A slow voice, filled with a sense of disbelief, flowed out.

“…Are you telling me not to smoke?”

“Kulk.”

The flower bud swayed up and down. After narrowing his eyes and looking at the carnivorous plant for a moment, Deon put the cigarette case back into his pocket with a faint sigh.

“They say raising animals leads to a healthy life…”

“This guy is a plant, Master.”

“It moves. It even makes crying sounds, so it’s closer to an animal than a plant. ─Anyway.”

The atmosphere changed.

Dan, startled by the suddenly heavy air, straightened his posture.

The crimson pupils, carrying the composure of a strong being, shone languidly. Deon closed his eyes. A familiar voice brushed through his mind.

[…I hope you grow up quickly and become my teacher.]

In the gaze that reappeared, an inexplicable impatience mixed in, and a firm pressure was applied to his tightly closed jaw.

“I need to finish things as quickly as possible.”

“As quickly as possible… are you talking about conquering the continent?”

“No, the Demon Realm.”

“…?”

Too much was omitted. Dan’s brow furrowed.

The question, far from being resolved by the following order, only grew larger and became confusion.

“The 5th Corps Commander has a hidden warehouse where he keeps valuable junk.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And the 9th Corps Commander’s hands aren’t clumsy when it comes to handling things.”

“…I know that too…?”

“Leak the location of the warehouse to the 9th Corps Commander.”

“…Huh?”

Dan frowned.

He understood the intention as soon as he heard the order. Deon Hart was trying to set the 5th Corps Commander and the 9th Corps Commander against each other.

‘But why?’

There’s no reason to do that, is there? He doesn’t have any particular animosity towards either of them.

At the directly revealed question, Deon chuckled.

“Too much is as bad as too little, remember?”

The world wants me to eliminate the Demon King, so for me, who wants to screw him over, I have no choice but to wipe out not only the Demon King but even the demons.

Well, they say demons are hated by the world, so the world might even like it. Even so, I plan to wipe out the Human Realm first, so it doesn’t really matter.

“More than anything, I think it’s better to balance things out.”

“…?”

“If the Human Realm is going to be trampled and the entire continent reduced to nothingness, then shouldn’t the Demon Realm also return to nothingness to be fair?”

The sins I’ve already committed, piling them up to the point where even reincarnation is impossible and my soul is shattered and extinguished, like in the lyrics of some old song, wouldn’t be bad.

“Now, I should slowly start laying the groundwork for the Demon Realm too. If I have to target the royalty of each kingdom to trample the Human Realm, in the Demon Realm, excluding the Demon King, it would be the legion commanders.”

To handle things quickly, I need to prepare from now on.

Deon, following the warning of reason disguised as instinct, decided to finish things before he truly understood what the Demon King truly desired.

“Remember my order? There’s no need for the 5th Corps Commander and the 9th Corps Commander to fight to the death right now, so carry it out without pressure. Just sow seeds of animosity between them, and things will proceed on their own. Maybe it’ll be handled on its own without us interfering, or if it doesn’t erupt, we can look at the situation and nudge it at the right time.”

“…Huh.”

He thought it would be just killing the Demon King and ending it. Dan let out a dry laugh.

What kind of ridiculous scale is this? In other words, isn’t this intending to overturn the entire world?

A voice mixed with astonishment, admiration, and awe, slightly raised in tone, came out filled with excitement.

“Master is truly… insane.”

“Insane? I’ve been sane from the beginning, you know.”