Chapter 27: New Hero

Of course, I’d experienced situations like this before, so my heart remained calm and unperturbed.

‘If a dagger won’t work, then a trap it is.’

I pulled out a strand of spider silk, painstakingly extracted from monster hide. If set up tautly, it was a thread so sharp it could slice through anything it touched.

I got to where he was headed and set up the spider silk, waiting for him to arrive quickly. He had been walking along fine, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, letting out a sigh that reeked of annoyance.

He didn’t need to say it outright for me to know.

‘He noticed.’

There’s no way him stopping right before the spider silk was a coincidence.

It was something practically invisible to the naked eye, yet he found it even with his whole body wrapped in a robe and black cloth. So he wasn’t a pushover after all, huh?

I watched with bated breath, wondering how he’d react. After standing there looking irritated for a moment, he turned and grabbed a random soldier.

“Do you know where Ed is?”

“He’s probably in the barracks. Shall I call him for you?”

“No, I’ll go myself.”

Crap, he’s trying to expose the intruder.

I need to fall back.

Knowing that his skills weren’t a complete fabrication meant that retreating now wouldn’t be a total loss.

‘But…’

A strange sense of defiance welled up within me.

Just a little more, I felt like I could succeed if I pushed just a little more—a baseless confidence, yet it was there.

Knowing full well that this kind of confidence was the most dangerous, the assassin couldn’t bring himself to give up, driven by a gnawing sense of what could be, and continued to tail him.

“Ed.”

“Demon-nim?”

The Commander of the 0th Legion lifted the flap covering the entrance and stepped inside. A handsome man sitting at a table looked up with surprise and quickly stood.

I recognized his face from the documents about the Demon King’s army’s key figures. I knew instantly who he was.

‘The adjutant of the Commander of the 0th Legion, Ed.’

A man who was even being considered as a future legion commander.

Two dangerous individuals gathered in one enclosed space. The risk of being discovered doubled, no, tripled. The assassin tightened his focus and held his breath.

Fortunately, the Commander of the 0th Legion didn’t seem to notice anything as he sat down across from him and casually spoke.

“Do you know anything about the new hero?”

I thought he was going to talk about the intruder, but why is he asking about Cruel-nim?

‘What’s his angle?’

Could he have realized that Cruel-nim directly ordered the assassin to be sent?

But why? His Majesty could have ordered it, or maybe it was a decision made by one of Cruel-nim’s subordinates acting on their own.

Cold sweat trickled down my back. The assassin took slow breaths, focusing intently on their conversation.

“No. I heard the Commander of the 2nd Corps is investigating. Because he wears a helmet, no one can see his face. All we know is that his swordsmanship is exceptional…”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. But what’s that?”

Although his eyes were hidden by his robe, I could tell the Commander of the 0th Legion’s gaze had fallen on a bottle on the table.

Ed seemed to notice too, letting out a short ‘Ah,’ and standing up. He took another glass from a bag on the side and placed it in front of the commander, saying,

“It’s alcohol. Would you like some?”

“…May I?”

“Yes, this is a battlefield after all. A little drinking to unwind is fine.”

“If you say so.”

The Commander of the 0th Legion picked up the bottle.

As the glass was being filled, the assassin flicked a small stone he had in his pocket towards the corner of the barracks.

Clink.

The small but distinct sound echoed inside the barracks. Both of them turned their heads in unison.

Yes, now’s the time.

With a flick of his fingers, he sent a dose of poison into the glass the Commander of the 0th Legion had instinctively set down. Ed’s glass on the table got a dose as well, just for good measure.

“What’s that sound…?”

“It seems something in my bag bumped against another item. I just took out a glass, after all.”

“Is that so.”

The Commander of the 0th Legion seemed unconcerned as he lifted his glass to his lips.

He tilted it slightly, but before the liquid reached the edge of the glass, he set it back down.

“Ed.”

“Yes, Demon-nim?”

“Has anyone been here?”

“No. Besides you, Demon-nim, no one has.”

“Is that so…”

My heart plummeted.

I really need to leave. Staying here any longer…

Driven by an intense urge, whether from reason or instinct, I began to retreat stealthily.

As if he had expected it, a casual voice brushed against my neck.

A calm voice that sounded like he could catch someone like me anytime.

“The flies are particularly bothersome today.”

No one here was stupid enough not to understand the meaning of those words.

Ed’s expression hardened as he stood up. Almost simultaneously, the assassin bolted.

Fighting here would be a guaranteed loss.

He had a reason to return alive.

‘I need to report this.’

The Commander of the 0th Legion’s skills weren’t just for show.

‘He’s actually a dangerous individual who toys with assassins…’

***

“Th-This is the Commander of the 9th Corps?”

Those were the words that involuntarily escaped my lips as I stared at the corpse of the Commander of the 9th Corps.

My face was undoubtedly pale as I looked down at it.

The Commander of the 9th Corps I knew was definitely a female demon with straight black hair. Her personality was quite boisterous, and I thought of her rather favorably.

Where is the straight black hair on ‘this’?

Where is the face that always wore a hearty smile?

Just a pile of minced meat.

Looking at it, which was nothing more and nothing less than that, I was momentarily speechless.

First came shock and disbelief, followed by a surge of worry.

‘Am I going to end up like this too?’

No. If I participate in the battle like this, I’ll ‘definitely’ end up like this.

Hero or not, I just want to go back.

I desperately want to go back.

I fled the tent where the bodies were laid out. I was in such a hurry that I almost tripped over a rock.

“Why is there a rock here…”

Don’t these guys even clean up the paths?

They should at least tidy up the paths inside the military camp.

Even as this irritation welled up inside me, I was scanning every corner of the camp, looking for a place to hide.

Then, in an instant, I stopped dead in my tracks as if waking from a trance.

‘There’s no way that’s possible.’

A faint sigh escaped my lips.

The truth was, I knew it too. In a situation where so many eyes were on me, there was no way hiding was possible.

‘But I can’t just stand still either.’

My decision was swift.

If there’s no best option, then the next best. If it’s between the worst and the second worst, then the latter.

If I can’t run and I can’t hide, then the choices are limited.

I grabbed a nearby soldier and asked.

“Do you know where Ed is?”

“He’s probably in the barracks. Shall I call him for you?”

“No, I’ll go myself.”

I finally managed to get rid of the guy who wanted to follow me. I can’t ask him to come back now; it’s like making him run errands for no reason.

Ed’s barracks weren’t far away.

Stepping inside, Ed, who was sitting at the table, looked surprised and stood up, calling out my name.

Sensing the question in his voice about why I was here, I cut to the chase as he wanted.

“Do you know anything about the new hero?”

“I heard the Commander of the 2nd Corps is investigating. Because he wears a helmet, no one can see his face. All we know is that his swordsmanship is exceptional…”

Damn it. If there’s no information, how am I supposed to survive?

As I racked my brain for another way, Ed must have thought I was angry. He cautiously observed me before slowly bowing his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright.”

The people around me seem to have a knack for apologizing for things that aren’t their fault. They don’t even realize it makes me feel more awkward.

Anyway, I figured the atmosphere was about to get uncomfortable, so I cast my eyes around for another topic of conversation.

That’s when my gaze landed on a bottle on the table. And a half-filled glass, as if it had been recently used, was flaunting its presence as if to say, ‘Look at me.’

‘…Alcohol? Wow…’

He wouldn’t let me drink, but he drank it himself?

“But what’s that?”

“Ah.”

He let out a short exclamation and went towards his bag, soon returning with another glass.

And, kindly enough, he placed the glass in front of me, saying,

“It’s alcohol. Would you like some?”

Isn’t the order backward? Shouldn’t you ask if I want to drink first, then bring the glass?

But Ed knew me too well.

What idiot would refuse alcohol when it’s not easy to get your hands on?

Of course, I couldn’t just say yes right away. I hesitated, pretending to be reluctant.

“…May I?”

“Yes, this is a battlefield after all. A little drinking to unwind is fine.”

“If you say so.”

With my face hidden, I grinned without restraint and reluctantly took the glass.

Ed poured me some alcohol, and the moment I picked it up,

Clink.

A small but distinct, unidentifiable sound struck my ears.

I instinctively turned my head to find the source of the sound. It was just an ordinary-looking space.

“What’s that sound…?”

“It seems something in my bag bumped against another item. I just took out a glass, after all.”

“Is that so.”

So I didn’t mishear it. For a moment, I thought it was a hallucination.

Relieved, I brought the glass to my lips. But before I could tilt it, I stopped. The back of the hand holding the glass felt hot.

I almost drank without even taking off the cloth covering my lower face.

‘How embarrassing.’

Wouldn’t Ed think I’m an idiot? It’d be bad if he thought I was pathetic.

…Let’s change the subject.

Hiding my embarrassment, I called out to Ed as calmly as possible.

“Ed.”

“Yes, Demon-nim?”

“Has anyone been here?”

You must have your own private life, and you probably meet people.

So, to change the subject and as an opportunity to learn more about you, let’s talk about that. Like if you had any former colleagues among these soldiers, or something like that.

But unfortunately, Ed had an extremely clean personal life.

So clean, in fact, that he had no close acquaintances here.

“No. Besides you, Demon-nim, no one has.”

“Is that so…”

Poor guy.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and looked at him with pity before frowning.

Ever since I got here, the buzzing of flies has been driving me crazy.

Of course, this is a battlefield, so crows and flies are bound to swarm, but maybe because it’s been a while, I just can’t get used to it.

I felt like I couldn’t hold back my irritation any longer, so I casually remarked in an offhand tone.

“The flies are particularly bothersome today.”

“!”

Something about my words must have bothered Ed because he suddenly shot up from his seat. His stiff expression made me flinch inwardly.

What’s wrong? I didn’t sound that annoyed, did I? I used polite language, and my tone of voice was fine, wasn’t it?

He strode around the barracks, inspecting every corner. And finally, he picked up his glass on the table, focused for a moment as if using magic, and then called out to the people outside with a cold, hard expression.

He crushed the glass in his grip, muttering under his breath.

“There was an intruder.”

Alcohol and shattered fragments dripped from his hand.

After that, all hell broke loose.

Ben, having heard the news and rushed over, saw the shattered pieces and the alcohol staining the floor. He immediately started scolding Ed for destroying the evidence before taking the glass still in my hand to check for poison.

No sooner had he confirmed the presence of a deadly poison than the entire camp was thrown into chaos under the command of the Commander of the 1st Corps, Jaykar.

All the soldiers were undergoing identification checks, and those who were cleared were running around searching for the intruder.

And on top of that, I was receiving apologies from Ed for not noticing it sooner….

“It’s because of my incompetence that I didn’t recognize the signal you gave me sooner. I apologize.”

Wait, I didn’t even know? What signal did I give…? How did you even notice that? He’s a strange one, that’s for sure.

Well, anyway, in this situation, there’s only one thing I can say.

“It’s alright.”

Words I’m sick of saying while staying in the Demon King’s castle.

If I had really known beforehand, I could at least accept the apology with a clear conscience, but man, my conscience is killing me.

Anyway, Ed also went out to join the search, leaving me alone again, sitting blankly at the table, staring at the alcohol bottle.

Even though there was an intruder, there was ultimately no damage, so my mind was perfectly calm.

So calm, in fact, that I was having thoughts that would have earned me a scornful look from anyone who knew.

‘I wonder if this bottle is poisoned or not?’

Yeah, I still couldn’t let go of my desire for alcohol.