Chapter 238: Unexpected News During Training

The Demon King’s lips curved into a smile.

“……Right.”

Cheeky, aren’t you?

“You really do have talent.”

“……Because I’m the Hero, after all.”

“Indeed.”

It was definitely not the move of a beginner. Clumsy as it was, the attack almost perfectly mirrored the Demon King’s movements.

He even remembered the follow-through, a clean finish. A Hero is a Hero, indeed. The Demon King, watching him quietly, approached Deon and grasped the spear shaft just above Deon’s hands, lifting it slightly.

Deon, thinking the Demon King wanted the spear, loosened his grip, but the spear remained firmly in his grasp. A low voice then rumbled.

“Don’t let go.”

“……”

“That last thrust was good, but the spear tip wobbled a little when you pulled back. I’ll show you again slowly from your angle. Pay attention.”

The thrust itself was clean.

To reach this level in just one try… How much effort must ordinary humans put in to get here? With a fleeting thought about life’s unfairness, the Demon King slowly moved the spear shaft, demonstrating a thrust and recovery in the air.

He didn’t need to explain at length that the spear should be twisted during recovery at this point. The Demon King, having shown it through action, simply said.

“Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Now, repeat this ten times with perfect form. Once you’re done, I’ll show you how to block. Do that twice, then you’ll spar with Myers.”

“……”

“Why? Blocking is best learned through sparring. Nothing beats real combat, of course, but that’s not an option right now. And since I can’t spar myself, wouldn’t sparring with the Commander of the 12th Corps, whose main weapon is the spear, be ideal?”

That wasn’t the issue.

Common sense would dictate that no one spars right after just ten thrusts and two blocks.

But Deon, realizing his own talent with the spear for the first time, didn’t object. It really did feel like that would be enough, just as the Demon King said. No, it was definitely enough.

“……Oh, right.”

Watching Deon execute thrusts flawlessly, the Demon King spoke as if something had just occurred to him. His next words were unrelated to the lesson.

“I heard the Imperial army raided the Demon Church and wiped them out, is that right?”

Deon froze. The spear’s recovery faltered for a moment.

Unperturbed, the Demon King’s lips curved into a smooth smile. A question followed, light yet weighty, laced with subtle amusement.

“Heard almost everyone was wiped out, just a few stragglers left. You alright?”

“……As long as the contractor is alive, it’s… acceptable.”

He’d heard that as soon as the contract was sealed, Lirinel had spirited away the contractor, Sia, for both protection and surveillance.

Besides, if the contractor had died, the Commander of the 8th Corps, Hel, would’ve been forcibly reverse-summoned. But Hel was still alive and kicking, leading the charge. Rumor had it he’d even navigated traps to reach the city walls of Sanguo and was now wreaking havoc.

‘Using his unique ability, he’d infiltrated the city, caused chaos, and even opened the city gates, or so the story went.’

The King of Sanguo was apparently holed up in the next city, so Hel hadn’t been able to declare checkmate, but the sudden shift in the stagnant situation was impressive nonetheless. The last report mentioned they were heading to the next city immediately.

Which meant the contractor was safe.

‘They’re… almost overwhelmingly enthusiastic.’

Deon’s expression soured.

Hel, Lirinel… even Ben and Ed. Every demon he could think of was bursting with enthusiasm. Was this just a demon racial trait?

‘Especially the feeling when he’d belatedly learned of Lirinel’s swift actions.’

The image of that young-looking demon, proudly boasting about spiriting away the contractor, flashed through his mind: “You didn’t mention it because it was too obvious an order, right?” A hollow laugh escaped him.

It was a subtly indescribable feeling.

It was fortunate that the pawn to control the Revolutionary Army leader was still alive. But it was also a little disappointing that the pawn who’d unleashed the less-restricted 8th Corps Commander into the Human Realm hadn’t died. Calculations, however, showed it was more beneficial for him to remain alive.

In any case.

“Now that the legion commander’s been summoned, the Demon Church in the Human Realm has served its purpose. As long as the contractor’s safe, I couldn’t care less if they all die.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Not really.

It would’ve been better if they’d been quietly dealt with before the legion commander was even summoned. Keeping them around just in case had backfired.

How to deal with the remaining stragglers? And what about the contractor? Even as he pondered this, Deon completed his ten thrusts and handed the spear to the Demon King. The Demon King casually twirled the spear like a pen before settling into a stance.

“Now, I’ll show you how to block. Watch closely.”

The spear shaft moved with clean precision.

“This one’s to push outwards.”

“……”

“And this one’s to press inwards and downwards.”

Though his movements seemed almost casual, they were clear, precise, and easy to mimic. Deon took the offered spear and copied the Demon King’s movements, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Now I see why he said to only do it twice.”

It was almost too easy.

Seemingly finding no fault with his stance even on the first try, the Demon King simply told him to repeat it twice more.

While practicing, Deon glanced at the Demon King. Never one to miss a gaze directed at him, the Demon King immediately shifted his eyes from the spear tip to meet Deon’s, grinning. The irritating sight immediately cooled Deon’s gaze.

“About the Demon Church’s expansion into the Human Realm…”

“Oh, right.”

“……?”

Cutting off the Demon King, Deon started his own sentence in the same manner the Demon King had just used.

Surprise flickered in the Demon King’s eyes, replaced by a hint of confusion. Deon allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.

“What about the monster problem? Has that been resolved?”

He cut him off, knowing exactly what the Demon King was about to say – a pointless question about what he planned to do next. Just a jab to provoke and pressure him, nothing of substance.

No need to indulge such pointless banter. Deon spoke to the Demon King, who still wore a puzzled expression.

“If you, Lord Demon King, were to personally intervene, the deployable forces would increase dramatically, making this war much easier, wouldn’t it?”

He’d started it, but now wore a slightly surprised expression, as if he hadn’t anticipated this.

‘If you’re going to provoke me, you should be ready for a taste of your own medicine.’

Deon smiled brilliantly, almost tauntingly. Only then did the Demon King, blinking a few times, mirror his smile. Undisguised amusement flickered in his eyes.

They’d finished the practice reps without him realizing. Taking back the now-limp spear, the Demon King spoke, his voice a near-whisper laced with amusement.

“With the Hero right here, what use is a Demon King who’s off gallivanting somewhere else?”

Meaning: what reason would he have to trust Deon enough to leave his post?

Though phrased indirectly, it was practically a direct statement. Deon chuckled at the uncharacteristically blunt reply.

“You wouldn’t happen to dislike the idea of an easy war, would you?”

“Hmm.”

The Demon King just shrugged.

Though both knew and tacitly ignored the truth, the Demon King wasn’t waging war to completely conquer the Human Realm. His main goal was simply to amuse himself with his toy, Deon Hart. Easy wars that ended quickly held no appeal.

‘…Huh?’

Before, he would have retorted with a ‘No way,’ and flashed a showy smile.

Had he decided to be honest for once? Deon blinked, surprised by the unexpected answer. What had gotten into him?

In the meantime, the Demon King calmly continued, pulling out a communication stone from his robes.

“Alright, let’s call it quits for today’s lesson. Shall we call for Myers now?”

“……Isn’t the 12th Corps busy with monster hunts?”

Besides, they haven’t been gone that long.

He’d heard the Commander of the 8th Corps had set out, and then the 12th Corps had left that afternoon for monster hunts.

Asking them to come back now seemed a bit much. The Demon King chuckled, amusement flickering in his eyes.

“Not saying we’re sparring right now, let’s just consider it scheduled for later.”

“Ah…”

As Deon nodded in understanding, the Demon King’s communication stone flickered to life.

He hadn’t even tried to contact them yet. Both their gazes snapped to the communication stone. Deon murmured in surprise.

“A call…? Already?”

Direct calls to the Demon King’s communication stone were rare. What on earth was going on? Doubt clouded his eyes.

The Demon King glanced at Deon, then lowered his gaze to answer the call. A slightly shaky voice then echoed through the training grounds.

– Greetings, Lord Demon King. This is the communication relay team. We have urgent news and dared to contact you directly.

“What is it?”

– We regret to inform you that the support troops dispatched a few days ago have been annihilated.

Deon froze. His hand, which had been pushing back a stray lock of hair, stilled mid-motion.

He quickly grasped the situation.

…Ah. So, that’s it.

His mood instantly plummeted.

In the ensuing silence, the Demon King slowly spoke, as if piecing together his memories.

“A few days ago… you’re talking about the troops led by the Commander of the 8th Corps, right?”

– Yes, that’s correct.

“Annihilated…”

The Demon King’s eyes turned cold.

“Does that mean… the Commander of the 8th Corps is also dead?”

– …Yes, that’s correct.

So, he’s dead after all. Deon reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

The Demon King’s gaze snapped to him, but Deon ignored it, lighting up. The Demon King watched the smoke curl upwards for a moment before refocusing on the call.

Questions poured forth.

“Source of this intel? I heard they’d linked up with the vanguard and were doing well. Why are we only hearing about the support troops being wiped out? What about the vanguard? Are they safe?”

– We received a direct call from Nine, adjutant to the Commander of the 8th Corps. They were ambushed by the Hero while traveling split into organized and disorganized routes for efficiency.

Organized routes were trapped, disorganized routes were narrow and difficult to navigate. Splitting up made sense, especially since larger groups moved slower.

– We’ve confirmed the vanguard’s survival as well. They’re all safe.

“That’s… somewhat fortunate. But the adjutant contacted us directly, you said? Doesn’t that mean it’s not annihilation, but rather, a single survivor?”

– He used the word ‘annihilation’ himself. Contact was lost shortly after, amidst urgent circumstances.

…He must have sensed his impending death.

Deon stubbed out his finished cigarette on his neck, then pulled out another. The Demon King’s eyes flickered between the new cigarette in Deon’s hand and the completely healed scar on his neck before he reached out.

“Any intel on the Hero they encountered?”

*Crackling sound*

Index and middle finger snatched the cigarette, thumb extinguishing the lit end. Deon’s hand loosened its grip slightly, surprised by the unexpected move.

– Based on the description – green hair, brown eyes – we believe it’s Stigma Primiero, the Empire’s second Hero, presumed missing.

“Green hair isn’t exactly common. And if he’s strong enough to kill the Commander of the 8th Corps, contract and all, it’s gotta be him.”

Not missing his chance, the Demon King smoothly plucked the cigarette and grinned.

“Good work. If we don’t hear back from them by tomorrow, officially confirm and announce total annihilation.”

– Understood.

***

Nine, having delivered the news of the support troops’ ‘annihilation’ and ended the call, lifted his head.

The corpse of his superior, lying at the green-haired Hero’s feet, came into view. The three-dimensional black shadow, utterly still, made the reality of death sink in even more, a stark contrast to Hel’s desperate struggle to the very end.

He clenched his jaw. The tangled mess of anger and despair twisted within him, threatening to overwhelm him completely.

…Originally, he’d intended to report two survivors and request backup.

[Urgent backup request. Location…]

He would have, if the survivor count hadn’t dropped to just one.

Thud. A sickening sound. Hel, who had clung to life to the very last moment, was finally dead. Witnessing it, Nine’s words died in his throat.

[Adjutant?]

[…]

[…Adjutant? Can you hear me? What’s happening?]”