Chapter 4: Commander of the 0th Legion, Deon Hart

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard you’re the gardener, taking care of almost all the plants in the Demon King’s castle?”

A friendly voice, full of warmth. Hien, forgetting his own position, dared to lift his head and stare blankly at him.

…That incredibly low probability actually happened.

The Commander of the 0th Legion showed a level of kindness that far exceeded expectations.

“The Demon King’s castle is quite large, you’re amazing.”

Hien felt a sense of awe towards him.

This was someone acknowledged by the Demon King, holding the esteemed position of the Commander of the 0th Legion. He had every right to be arrogant.

Yet, he was using polite language and showing respect to the other person.

‘Is this what they mean by a strong person’s composure… or something like that?’

The more insecure someone is, the more they exaggerate their abilities and raise their voice, trying to put others down.

In that sense, it was clear from the 0th Legion Commander’s words and actions that he was confident in himself.

Whether he was aware of it or not, it elevated his presence.

“I’m curious about the plants in the Demon King’s castle. Would you mind giving me a tour?”

Not only did he acknowledge a mere incubus, but he even asked for a favor instead of just ordering him around.

At that, Hien’s blank expression melted away, and he smiled.

[What was his name?]

[What was it, I vaguely heard it, it was hazy…]

“Demon. Demon Hart.”

A name even more demonic than the demons themselves.

That day, Hien repeated the name countless times in his mind.

After that, he tried to become closer.

No, he didn’t dare to hope for closeness. He was merely concerned about the health of someone who stayed in their room all the time, hoping they would take a walk in the garden, so he diligently tried to talk to him.

As expected, unlike the other legion commanders, Demon didn’t ignore him. There was no violence or harsh words.

With a stoic expression, he consistently replied and often strolled through the garden.

Furthermore, despite having every right to chase him away or at least want to be alone, he considerately allowed Hien to walk alongside him whenever he strolled.

It seemed he had become conceited because of this.

An incubus daring to….

‘To make such a mistake.’

Today, he had crossed the line.

***

I still regret what happened that day.

Initially, it was just a coincidence. Before entering the Demon King’s castle, I saw the garden from afar, and while talking to the Demon King about it, I learned about the gardener’s existence.

I should have just thought, ‘I see,’ and moved on.

But, being ignorant, I was happy. A gardener? Such a wholesome job existing in the Demon King’s castle?

In this place swarming with bloodthirsty demons, there was a normal person like an oasis. I found him as soon as I finished all the necessary procedures.

And sooner than expected, I met a man with a gentle demeanor.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard you’re the gardener, taking care of almost all the plants in the Demon King’s castle?”

This place is a den of demons. Even if they seem insignificant, they’re stronger than me, so using honorifics is a must.

If I carelessly offended them and got hit, I’d be done for that day. That kind of death would be too meaningless.

“The Demon King’s castle is quite large, you’re amazing.”

Still, using overly formal language is not good. If I’m underestimated, that will also cause problems. I just need to show that I’m giving a certain level of respect. And of course, I should add some flattering compliments so they don’t get upset.

Ahem, anyway, my words keep speeding up because I’m glad to meet him.

I paused for a moment, cleared my throat as if nothing was wrong, and continued speaking.

“I’m curious about the plants in the Demon King’s castle. Would you mind giving me a tour?”

A radiant smile bloomed on his face, which had been blank for a moment.

He gladly agreed.

—And I saw hell.

Demons are just demons after all!

That’s a painful proverb etched into my life’s philosophy.

Since that day, Hien had been suggesting garden walks to me every time we met. If I refused, I didn’t know what kind of harm those terrifying plants might inflict, so I couldn’t refuse and reluctantly strolled through the garden.

Of course, Hien, the one suggesting the walks, always stayed by my side.

What if those horrible plants tried to eat me while he wasn’t there? I can’t die alone! Let’s die together! Well, something like that.

…For some reason, as the days went by, he seemed to be acting more and more friendly.

***

I looked at Hien, who was repeatedly apologizing, with a troubled expression.

Why was he apologizing again? I couldn’t figure out the reason, so I rolled my eyes and started retracing the previous events.

Before he apologized, what happened?

…Nothing.

‘Really, nothing happened.’

I was silent, and he was silent. The silence just lasted a little longer than usual.

Then, our eyes met, and he suddenly apologized….

‘…Could it be?’

Was he trying to say that he would apologize so sincerely, even if it took some time, to get me to walk in the garden with him?

It’s hard to refuse like this, isn’t it?

I thought he was subtly clever, but now I see he was blatantly skilled.

Well, fine. I’ve always managed to come back alive, so if there aren’t any major problems this time, I should be able to return unscathed.

After mentally preparing myself for a moment, I looked down at Hien, who was still bowing.

“There’s no need for that. Please raise your head.”

He slowly raises his head. Seeing his still stiff expression, I shook my head inwardly.

I’ll go, I’ll go. I’ll go, so please loosen up your expression.

“So, where are the new flowers you got this time?”

“…Huh?”

Was my answer insufficient?

As if to show him, I took a step towards the garden. He followed hesitantly, and I spoke clearly, as if to reassure him.

“You told me to go see the flowers. Aren’t you going to guide me?”

“Ah, yes! I will!”

Hien hurriedly looked for a torch.

Unlike demons who are used to the dark, I’m human, so I need a torch to observe the plants in detail.

Honestly, I don’t really want to observe them in detail, but that demon always asks me to examine them closely.

Did he say it directly? Of course not! But the term ‘silent pressure’ exists for a reason.

After excitedly explaining about the plants, he stares at me with those sparkling eyes. How can I not take a closer look?

“Then, please follow me!”

Hien, who had recovered his energy, smiled brightly as if nothing had happened, holding the torch.

He recovers quickly. I was about to absentmindedly follow him, thinking about why he had apologized earlier, when I paused and looked down at my empty hands.

I took the torch from Hien, held it firmly, and followed his guidance into the west garden.

As always, it’s abnormal, disgusting, and scary.

The chill I felt when the eyeball plant I saw from the hallway stared at me….

I quickened my pace to get out of its sight, and its eyeballs rolled to follow me. It was so terrifying that I almost dropped the torch.

“Excuse me, Demon.”

“Yes?”

“The torch… is for me….”

“It’s alright.”

Uh-huh, trying to snatch my weapon. I subtly tightened my grip on the torch.

They may be man-eating plants, but in the end, they’re all ‘plants.’ Whether they eat people or not, they can’t handle being burned.

So, here, this is my weapon and my lifeline. I can’t just hand it over.

“More importantly, how much further do we have to go?”

My sanity is slowly reaching its limit.

Maintaining a calm facade also consumes mental energy. Just when I thought I might actually faint while standing, fortunately, Hien pointed somewhere, meeting my expectations.

“We’re almost there. It’s right there.”

My gaze followed his fingertip.

“…Oh….”

My mouth dropped open, and a gasp of admiration escaped.

Actually, it wasn’t admiration. It was a suppressed scream. My mind, overwhelmed by the immense shock, went blank and issued the loudest possible scream it could muster.

‘What the hell is that! Is that a plant?’

Crazy! Where does that look like a plant?

This is wrong. This place isn’t normal. I need to get out of here immediately….

“Demon?”

“…Ah.”

I barely stopped myself from taking a step back.

I’m grateful that my face is naturally pale, so even if it got whiter, it wouldn’t be that noticeable. If my complexion were normal, it would definitely look deathly pale.

My reaction was understandable. Perhaps any other human would have reacted the same way.

That’s not a plant! It’s an animal!

It looked as if someone was struggling to pull their feet out of the ground, thrashing around – that’s how actively the plant was moving.

“Kieeee!”

…Correction. It was going berserk.

“What kind of plant screams?!”

Oops, I accidentally spoke informally!

Contrary to my worries that he might get angry, Hien focused on the content rather than my way of speaking.

“It’s a man-eating plant. It’s probably too insignificant for you to notice, but that shriek contains a weak fear. Average people would freeze and wouldn’t even be able to run away.”

“……”

“I guess it’s a relief that it’s a ‘man-eating’ plant. It doesn’t eat demons, so the servants of the Demon King’s castle don’t have to worry about being eaten.”

No, I think it’s the opposite. It’s not that it’s insignificant, but that I’m too insignificant to feel the fear.

And you seem to have forgotten….

‘I’m human, you crazy bastard….’

Could you please remember that I’m not a demon? No, more than that, that thing, water is dripping from the flower, isn’t that saliva? Isn’t it?!

Whatever it’s so angry about, that boneless monster, no, plant, is shaking its stem wildly. It bends so easily, it might even reach this far….

Wham!

‘Eek!’

I barely dodged it!

“What’s with that range!”

“Haha, it seems like you were surprised, Demon. It certainly has a long reach, doesn’t it? It can probably cover a radius of 10 meters. We’re working hard to breed them, so soon we’ll be able to completely cover the Demon King’s castle. You can look forward to it.”

Then how am I supposed to get around! Are you trying to kill me?

I should have submitted my resignation back then, even if I coughed up blood. No, instead of this, I should submit it right now. I need to get out of this crazy place as soon as possible. This is not a place for humans to live.

Not being able to feel the monster’s fear seemed to have worked in an unexpected way.

A matter I would normally hesitate on for a long time, gathering courage, I was now trying to do without any hesitation. In other words, I’m not in my right mind right now.

‘Let’s go. Where is the Demon King right now?’

If my body were strong, I might have relied on that and held out. But unfortunately, my body is below average. For someone like me, who needs to be especially careful to survive, the Demon King’s castle is the worst possible environment.

That’s why I was about to go submit my resignation, but for some reason, one of my feet felt like it was stuck to the ground and wouldn’t move.

“Demon!”

“…Huh?”

Whoosh!

The sound of wind brushed past my ears. My vision seemed to spin, and when it stopped, the world was upside down.

Ah, I’m hanging upside down. But why?

“…Crazy!”

A flower bud the size of a person split open in front of my eyes, revealing disgusting teeth. The stem was tightly constricting my ankle to prevent me from escaping.

So, this situation is, yes. An opportunity to explore the inside of a man-eating plant’s belly.

…Forcibly.