Chapter 299: A Question of Love

“I wonder if the 1st Corps was the same.”

“Well, them…”

They rolled their eyes.

…They definitely didn’t hunt by the book, did they? The legion members were pale and crying, after all…

“…Got any other snacks?”

“Ah, how about this one?”

Hmm, never mind.

It’s not important, and it’s got nothing to do with me anyway.

Resting today was the main goal anyway. Deon took another snack from someone and leaned back against the pile of blankets, relaxing fully.

As always, rest time was short-lived.

The three moons, which had been stretched across the sky, merged into one, and night fell. Deon, who had been staying in the Lofty Knights’ accommodations until then, had to rise to greet a small, cute night visitor.

Lirinel was hovering nearby, looking around cautiously.

“Hello, Sir Deon.”

“Hey Lirinel, fancy seeing you again. The hunting competition’s over, I presume?”

“Yes!”

“Which corps took first place this time?”

“Well…”

Lirinel had started to speak confidently, but her face fell with dissatisfaction. Deon smirked.

“The 1st Corps again?”

“Yes…”

Figures. Impressive. The legion members must have been the only ones who suffered again.

Small talk drifted in the peaceful air. Lirinel, who had been glumly muttering about wanting to win, suddenly clapped her hands together, as if struck by an idea.

“Oh, but there’s also an unofficial winner!”

“?”

“‘Winner’?”

Not a corps, but an individual? And unofficial…?

“Setter, you remember him, right?”

“The legion commander’s personal physician?”

“That’s right, apparently he hunted almost all the magical beasts by himself.”

Come to think of it, he was covered in blood last time too.

Considering the dark circles under his eyes, where did he get that kind of energy?

“Unexpected. You’d think a guy that looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion…”

“Well, stamina and attack power are different things, right? You were like that yourself back in the day, Sir Deon.”

…….

Whatever, let’s just leave it at that.

He didn’t bother to correct her misunderstanding and stood up. As if the peaceful moment was over, his gaze turned to Lirinel, cold and serious.

“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s move to another room.”

Lirinel wouldn’t have come for no reason. She always gushes about how much she likes Sir Deon, but she’s not one to visit unless it’s important, afraid of bothering him.

Especially since she’s coming while I’m with my subordinates, it must be about ‘that matter’.

Just as he was about to head to his room, an urgent voice called out from behind him.

“Captain…!”

“?”

Deon turned to look at the mad dogs. The knight order members, meeting his questioning gaze, gave awkward smiles.

It sounded like more than one or two voices called out, so it couldn’t be for no reason. Deon tilted his head in question.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just…”

It just looked like the captain was rushing headfirst towards death. A chill ran down their spines, and they’d called out without thinking. It was a reflex, like calling out to someone in danger, so it was hard to explain.

But they couldn’t keep him there without any real reason. So, the Lofty Knights just smiled and let him go.

“We just called out to tell you to be careful.”

“Watch out for the rocks, Captain.”

“Uh, yeah…”

***

As soon as Lirinel arrived at Deon’s room, she meticulously closed the door and windows, just like before. Deon’s brow furrowed slightly for a moment, but she didn’t notice because her back was turned.

Lirinel even checked if the soundproofing magic was properly cast, then turned to face Deon. The man sitting on the edge of the bed faced her with his usual expression, as if he’d been expecting her.

…….

“…Lirinel?”

“Ah.”

For a second there, I almost fell for it. She quickly looked away and began to speak.

“I, I’ve found out the scale of the Heroes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, there are more than you’d think.”

It’d probably be easier to show you a summary document and just answer any questions, rather than going through everything point by point in conversation.

She quickly rummaged in her robes and pulled out a document, handing it to him.

“The details about the core of the arrays are all in here too. Take a look.”

…….

Deon silently began to read through the document.

…The number of Heroes is definitely larger than expected. Maybe just a bit less than the number from the last battle?

Conversely, considering that the number of Heroes gathered by all the other kingdoms, excluding Rweche, was only slightly more than what’s listed here, it’s clear Rweche has been working hard to build up its strength.

“‘Right, the King was planning for the future, as a king should.'”

Even when the Demon Realm wasn’t bothering Rweche, the King of Rweche clearly understood his kingdom wasn’t completely safe just because their conquest ranking had dropped, and focused on building up military strength.

Anyone responsible for a country should look to the future and prepare, rather than just resting on their laurels. So, it’s the right move, but…

“‘This is going to be a bit of a pain.'”

With a subtle expression, he lowered his gaze further down the page. He came to the section about the core of the arrays that Lirinel had mentioned.

「The core isn’t just one point, but several. Specifically, if you’re entering through the city gates: under the first brick at the bottom right; the center brick at the base of every even-numbered watchtower; the fountain in the central square…」

Deon, having identified the locations of six core points, looked at Lirinel with a stunned expression.

“…I didn’t expect you to find them.”

“The core points? Yeah, they were really hard to find, probably because they’re top secret.”

“It’s a critical weakness, there’s no way security would be lax.”

But how did you find them?

Taking his stunned and weary look in stride, Lirinel smiled, almost shyly.

“I wouldn’t have found them without the help of a sorcerer.”

“…Impressive.”

I only mentioned the core points casually, and you actually went and found them.

And a demon found them, with the help of a sorcerer. Imagine how much effort it took to find a sorcerer, who are already rare, and then get their cooperation.

It was an optional extra mission, only if she had time and resources. With so much else to do, she could have just said she ‘couldn’t do it’ without even trying and gotten away with it.

“‘Relentless.'”

Told to keep it secret from the Demon King, she kept it secret. Every task assigned, completed. She even said she’d still like Deon Hart even if he tried to kill her.

The blind devotion in her shining eyes as she looked at him was suffocatingly intense.

“Lirinel.”

Having lost Dan, Deon Hart’s soft heart finally allowed him to make a decision he’d been putting off.

“How far would you go for me?”

Lirinel, who had been quietly watching him at the unusual question, gave a bright smile.

“Anything Sir Deon desires, anything at all.”

“Then…”

He reached out a hand.

A hand, pale as death, cupped Lirinel’s cheek. As his eyes met her innocent gaze, Deon’s face contorted.

“…Then…”

He should smile, use this face to its full potential, just to say what he needed to say next, but his lips just trembled, unable to form a smile.

Finally, Deon forced out the words, his face a mask he himself couldn’t decipher.

“Could you die for me?”

Affection directed at me only hurts me, chokes me.

Cruel was like that, the carnivorous plant was like that, and Dan was the same. Especially with Dan, even though he’d been somewhat cautious, he’d ended up unwittingly accepting it, and look what happened.

“‘Before something like that happens again, wouldn’t it be better to eliminate the risk factors preemptively?'”

The legion commander has to die anyway. So…

I just wish you, with your blind devotion to me, didn’t exist.

“‘If something similar happens again, I really won’t be able to handle it.'”

“‘If the ‘similar thing’ victimizes the Lofty Knights, I’ll just end up giving up on everything. But if that victim is you…'”

I’d end up doing something awful to the mad dogs who’ve followed me this far. I’d be driving a stake through their hearts.

“‘They’re the only things I’m responsible for.'”

The mad dogs are already more than enough for me to handle. So, I’d rather you became hostile to me after this. It’d be better for both of us, really.

But the voice that came back was clear, without a hint of resentment or anger.

“…Before I answer, there’s something I’d like to ask you, Sir Deon.”

Lirinel calmly opened her mouth, meeting his bewildered gaze.

His words were certainly shocking, but she didn’t feel particularly negative. How could she be angry when he looked like he was about to choke on his own words?

“Sir Deon, what do you think love is?”

It was a rather unexpected question, but Deon considered it seriously, without showing his surprise. It’d be ridiculous to rush an answer after saying something like that himself.

…Actually, he didn’t really want to hear the answer.

Anyway, love… It might differ depending on who or what you love, but there’s one thing I know for sure.

“Putting their happiness before your own.”

Love is solely about the other person’s well-being; your own happiness doesn’t even come into it.

That’s how my brother died.

“It’s easy to use ‘love’ as an excuse for anything, but it’s not hard to tell the real thing. If there’s any self-interest mixed into the actions of someone claiming to love, it’s fake.”

“…I see. Then…”

Lirinel smiled. A light, faint smile, as delicate as a breath, turned towards Deon Hart.

“If I were to die, would Sir Deon be happy?”

Deon froze, his breath catching in his throat. As if struck by an unexpected blow, his lips parted and closed a few times before he finally forced out an answer.

……Yes.

“Then I’ll die for you.”

…….

“Because I want Sir Deon to be happy.”

Please be happy.

Lirinel gave a sincere smile. It was an infinitely gentle smile, belying her childlike appearance and proving she was, after all, a demon who had lived for ages.

“‘I’ve seen Sir Deon tired and worn out for too long.'”

Now I want to see Sir Deon happy.

Oh, if he’ll only be happy when I die, I won’t get to see it myself. But this desire is just my own selfishness, not for Sir Deon’s sake, so I’ll set it aside and just die.

My selfishness shouldn’t taint this noble love for my god.

“‘It’s been hard watching Sir Deon drive himself to the brink like a runaway train, so this works out.'”

Even if I die and can’t see it for myself, I’ll be content knowing he’ll be happy.

He didn’t bother questioning the connection between her death and his happiness. Lirinel asked something else.

“When and how should I die?”

……Why?

Even after saying it himself, he seemed to struggle to accept the outcome. His pupils trembled slightly. Despite his efforts to suppress his agitation, the tremor spread, reaching even his fingertips. But Deon just kept his gaze fixed on Lirinel.

Lirinel glanced nervously between his eyes and his trembling fingertips, fidgeting slightly but answering steadily.

“I told you, didn’t I? I want you to be happy.”

…….

“Come to think of it, I just realized I’ve never actually seen Sir Deon genuinely smile.”

If you genuinely smiled, it would be breathtakingly beautiful.

……Ha.

Deon finally let out a laugh that was more like a sigh, and ran a hand over his face. It was resignation, self-mockery, and maybe even a hint of absurdity.

“Who’s the demon and who’s the human here?”

Her answer was so utterly pure, it made him wonder if the demon in front of him was really a demon at all.