Chapter 6: Corps Commander Deon Hart

His tone was as light as if he were asking about lunch. So casual and trivial that I almost answered without thinking, I hastily shut my mouth and took a step back.

The Demon King cocked an eyebrow, seemingly finding my reaction odd, but I didn’t have time to worry about that now.

Someone’s life hung on every word I spoke. I’d never been able to speak comfortably since coming to the Demon King’s castle, but this moment required even more caution than usual.

Honestly….

“This is driving me nuts.”

“Huh?”

“I said it’s a done deal.”

The Demon King murmured as if he’d heard something strange, then focused on my last words.

“So, what did you decide to do?”

“We’ve decided not to grow that plant.”

“It’s too weak.”

“Pardon?”

Discontent flickered across the Demon King’s face.

“It attacked you. This isn’t something that just ends there. You’re a valuable asset, and as such, you shouldn’t be underestimated by anyone. It’s unlikely, but what if you were careless and got hurt? Then your perceived level would plummet. From an opponent you absolutely couldn’t defeat to someone you might be able to beat if you played your cards right. And you’re just letting it go? No matter how much I respect you, this won’t do. At the very least, we should sever its limbs.”

I didn’t even know where to begin pointing out the flaws in his logic. The part about severing the gardener Hien’s limbs, or the part about him respecting me.

Hearing such absurdities made my blood pressure spike.

…Seeing that I’d gotten a nosebleed, it wasn’t just a feeling.

“Demon?!”

Flustered, the Demon King tossed Hien aside and approached me.

Having been unceremoniously dumped on the floor, Hien…

“Lord Demon!”

Why you? Just stay down.

As if determined to reach me, he even performed a somersault and stood up abruptly, rushing towards me.

The ground seemed to be swaying. Now that I thought about it, I’d been hung upside down against my will by that damn plant earlier. It was no wonder blood had rushed to my head.

I covered my surely ruined lower face with my hand and tried to regain my collapsing balance.

My delicate skin was burning, my eyes stung from facing the flames. My vision blurred, and my ankle, where the plant’s tendrils had gripped me, throbbed belatedly.

Wow, this body is really something.

“Get… a grip!”

“Lord Demon… can you… hear… me?”

This has to be some kind of new record. Damn it.

Amidst the faintly heard voices, I cursed my frail body and slowly closed my eyes.

Just before my eyes shut, I thought I heard Ben’s voice from behind me, but I didn’t have time to confirm its veracity before darkness enveloped me.

Well, it must have been my imagination. His room is quite a distance from here; how could he have known? Even if someone had called him, it would be impossible to get here in such a short time.

***

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a very familiar ceiling. A quick scan of the walls revealed huge, perfectly fitted puzzle pieces framed and hung—definitely my room. Okay.

I tried to sit up without thinking, but a dull ache washed over me, causing me to hiss and curl up.

Then, from within the room I thought was empty, a familiar voice spoke.

“You’ll be quite uncomfortable for a while.”

“…Ben?”

“Yes, Lord Demon.”

Ben, who had been sitting at the table in the middle of the room making medicine, pushed back his chair and stood up.

He approached me, checked my eyes, sighed softly, and conspicuously grabbed my arm, lifting it. My arm was meticulously bandaged up to my fingertips.

“Can you see this? You have minor full-body burns.”

“…….”

“Your eyes are also a little damaged from staring at the fire for too long. Fortunately, it’s within your body’s ability to recover; otherwise, they could have been permanently damaged.”

“…Oh, um.”

“Someone whose skin flares up red after just twenty minutes in the sun, why would you set something on fire? If you were angry, wouldn’t it have been easier to just kill the person responsible?”

Has he always been this… extreme? Wasn’t he usually more… docile?

However, the atmosphere wasn’t right for saying anything. Look at those eyes. They’re burning brighter than the flames in the garden. And the emotion they hold is… anger?!

Although I felt a little wronged, it was best to steer clear of this topic. I desperately racked my brain and brought up a nagging memory.

That time, I thought I’d faintly heard Ben’s voice.

“Ben, back then, when I was bleeding from the nose, were you in the garden?”

“Excuse me? Why the sudden question? You even had a conversation with me.”

“…Huh?”

***

It was only after talking with Ben that I could roughly grasp the situation. In short, I’d lost my mind.

I’d faced the Demon King while half out of my wits, and as a result, Hien survived with all his limbs intact.

According to Ben, I’d spoken confidently in front of the Demon King.

I’d asked if he respected me, if he could show me that respect just one more time.

“To be precise, you said, ‘Did you say you respect me?’ and when the Demon King affirmed, you said, ‘Then, could you respect me just one more time?’”

When the Demon King asked, ‘What for?’ I pointed at Hien with my finger, adding the impudent remark, ‘What else could it be?’

Ah, the ‘impudent’ part is my own addition. There’s no way Ben would use such harsh language.

Anyway, the fact remains that I dared to say and do such things to the Demon King.

Unable to openly despair, I could only twitch my facial muscles and barely manage to say to Ben, who was observing me with a curious expression,

“…You have a good memory.”

“Thank you. In truth, among those present at the scene, there isn’t anyone who will forget that moment. No matter how much time passes.”

It must have been quite a spectacle. Ah, I want to be alone. Everyone, just disappear.

I quietly buried my face in the pillow.

That I would commit such an outrageous act. If I could, I’d desperately deny reality. If I had remembered what happened back then, I would have done anything to forget it. So, the fact that my memory cut off isn’t entirely incomprehensible.

Ah, I don’t want to think about it anymore. Just the thought of it makes me sick.

The only saving grace is that the number of people who speak to me in the Demon King’s castle is extremely limited. So, if I just keep my mouth shut, no one else will bring up this incident.

…Or so I thought.

“Ugh.”

I sat on the bed, hugging a pillow, and furrowed my brow with all my might.

If someone couldn’t tell I was in a bad mood after seeing this, they were completely oblivious.

Right now, I’m in a very foul mood. If anyone talks to me, be they demon or not, I’m ready to glare at them with all my strength.

The reason for my bad mood is that those few people who usually talk to me are all bringing up the incident in the garden.

Every single one of them! All of them!

[As you said, I’ve decided to spare him out of respect for you.]

Even the clueless Demon King, who came to check on me.

[Lord Demon, I’m truly grateful for what happened back then. And I’m sorry. It’s all my fault….]

Even that gardener Hien, who never had any sense to begin with.

Even Ben, my physician who comes by every day to check on my injuries, mentions the garden incident whenever he gets the chance.

[Many people were likely moved. To stand against the Demon King just to save a gardener.]

Did you guys plan this?! How can you all be so oblivious? Is it a demon trait?

“Ugh.”

“…Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Today, Ben was changing my bandages beside me.

Well, maybe I should just stop thinking about it. It seems less frequent these days.

Ben flinches whenever I furrow my brow, but I wonder where the fiery spirit he showed when scolding me after I first woke up went.

Anyway, I thought they just said ‘full-body burns,’ but I really do have minor burns all over. To get burned just by briefly being exposed to that heat, not even from jumping into the fire… it’s shameful.

If only I could forget this memory. No, since it’s from an injury, forgetting is impossible. I wish my memory would be distorted so I’d remember directly touching the fire. That would be less embarrassing.

But, sadly, no such miracle occurred.

While desperately trying to push away this embarrassment, a question I’d had for a while suddenly popped into my head.

“…By the way, Ben.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t the west garden quite a distance from your room?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then how did you arrive where I was so quickly?”

Thinking about it, it’s strange.

Ever since the day I submitted my resignation to the Demon King, whenever my physical condition was off or I was injured, Ben would somehow know and arrive like a ghost.

I thought it was just my imagination back then, but seeing him appear in the garden this time, it seems it wasn’t.

I stared at Ben with open suspicion. Seeming uncomfortable with my gaze, Ben blinked a few times before smiling as if it were nothing and taking off the necklace he was wearing.

“It’s thanks to this.”

It was a necklace with a coin-sized stone that emitted a strange light.

At first glance, it looked like a simple, crude necklace decoration, but there was something strangely captivating about it that made it more than just a jewel. Where have I seen this before? I definitely remember it.

…Ah.

“A mana stone?”

“Yes, it contains a few drops of your blood and the Demon King’s magic. If the quality, speed, or flow of the blood running through your body becomes abnormal, it sends a signal immediately. I put in a lot of effort to ensure something like last time doesn’t happen again.”

If ‘last time’ refers to when I vomited blood in front of the Demon King, there was really no need for this….

It even tells him my location. He’s trying to act nonchalant, but his pride is evident, so I couldn’t bring myself to say anything and just muttered to myself internally.

‘You crazy bastard. When did you take my blood?’

As I kept my mouth shut, silence naturally filled the room. The potentially awkward atmosphere soon softened as Ben changed the subject.

“Are you planning on eating in your room again today?”

“Well… I always have….”

“I never told you to stay confined to your bed.”

That’s right. It’s been three days, and I haven’t left my room even once.

That’s how most of my days in the Demon King’s castle went, but Ben didn’t seem to like it. He diligently finished securing the bandage and said in a firm voice.

“I checked the menu at the corps commanders’ dining hall today, and it’s not bad.”

“I’m a patient….”

“It was a minor burn to begin with. Besides, I personally asked the Demon King for permission to use the best ingredients for your medicine, so you’re almost fully recovered. Your eyes should be healed as well, and your ankle that was scraped by the tendrils shouldn’t hurt even if you run now.”

“…….”

He was making perfectly valid points, so I had nothing to say.

That’s when I realized Ben’s ‘switch.’ The switch that made the usually mild-mannered Ben unleash a torrent of sharp words.

Health.

A truly dedicated professional spirit. To be angered by nothing other than the deterioration of health.

Of course, it’s not because he likes me or is worried about me, but simply because he is faithfully following the Demon King’s orders, but it’s still somewhat touching.

That being said, something being bothersome is still bothersome.

I pouted and got out of bed.

“I’m going to change, so please leave.”

“Thank you for heeding my presumptuous request.”

He maintained his polite demeanor until the end as he stepped out.

You can’t even hate him when he’s like that. He definitely knows it. I grumbled inwardly and opened the wardrobe.

The clothes hanging neatly in a row came into view. They were all gifts from the Demon King and the 2nd Corps Commander.

Well, the Demon King, fine, but why does the 2nd Corps Commander try so hard to dress me?

To be sure, he only brings clothes that are stylish and suit me well, but I have no intention of wearing them willingly. If I wear them even once, he’ll surely hold onto me for ages, insisting on picking out more new clothes for me.

I shuddered and swept aside the clothes the 2nd Corps Commander had bought, picking out clothes from the Demon King.