Chapter 77: Back to the Demon Realm

“Apparently, there’s some guy in the First City blabbing about Demon-nim to outsiders.”

!

“Ah, no…! H-Hel-nim!!”

Before his adjutant, startled, could even get a word out, Hel vanished. Literally, as if sinking into the ground.

My surprise was fleeting, quickly replaced by a nod.

‘Right, he was from the shadows.’

Not a figurative expression, but literally from the shadows.

The Demon King’s power doesn’t just coalesce on its own to create demons. If it settles in an ogre, a demon of ogre descent is born, and if it settles in an object, a demon in the shape of that object is born.

The Commander of the 8th Corps, Hel, is a demon born from the Demon King’s power settling in a shadow.

That’s why they say he has a three-dimensional shadow-like appearance where you can’t even see his face, but who knew he had this kind of ability too.

…But why did he disappear?

“Someone who hasn’t even finished their own duties doesn’t deserve to eat Demon-nim’s cookies. So, Demon-nim.”

“Yes? Yes?”

“Could you give me both of them?”

“Develania-nim!”

Before I could even answer, the adjutant, who had been kneeling where Hel disappeared, staring blankly at the floor, snapped. It was me who was terrified by his outburst.

An adjutant yelling at a corps commander. And not even his own direct superior, but another corps commander.

Is he crazy, for real!

‘Don’t do this here, go fight outside, you bastards….’

Not in my room, please.

***

Deon, perhaps uncomfortable with the two demons growling in his territory, gave Develania and Nine, Hel’s adjutant, a bag of cookies each and sent them outside.

No, to be precise, the two, sensing ‘Demon Hart’s’ displeasure, restrained themselves and backed down first.

Any more and things would definitely escalate.

They both knew how terrifying his anger could be. Just because he was usually mild-mannered didn’t mean they were foolish enough to underestimate him.

However, a fight temporarily halted by one person wouldn’t simply end there.

As soon as they were outside the room and the door closed, Nine clutched the bag of cookies tightly to his chest and glared fiercely at Develania. Amusement flickered in Develania’s eyes.

“Oh my, are you glaring at me right now?”

“Stop tormenting our Hel-nim!”

“Me? Why? I just said what was true, didn’t I?”

“He already has low self-esteem, do you have no conscience?! You’re being too much!”

The Commander of the 8th Corps, Hel. A master of weaponry who can handle any weapon as if it were an extension of his own body.

Being from the shadows, his unique abilities seemed suitable for infiltration-related missions, so initially, even the Demon King wanted to place him as the Commander of the 2nd Corps, but he had one fatal flaw….

His self-esteem was ridiculously low.

‘There’s no way they’d entrust me with such an important task,’ ‘There’s no way someone like me could do this,’ ‘Is it really okay for someone like me to do this?’

And then, if he failed even a little, it would be, ‘As expected, trash like me should just go die,’ ‘Why am I even alive?’ ‘Someone like me doesn’t even deserve to breathe….’

“Trash… I really am trash….”

Nine wore a troubled expression as he watched his superior suddenly emerge from the shadows at his feet and sit down, burying his face in his hands.

Blood droplets were still falling from the hem of his clothes, indicating he had finished his task quickly.

He had explained countless times how amazing it was to finish a task this fast….

“No! The fact that you finished and came back now is what’s important! Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is how you handle the aftermath. In that sense, Hel-nim handled the situation admirably! You did a great job!”

“…Really?”

“Of course! If Hel-nim had really done something terribly wrong, Demon-nim wouldn’t have given you these cookies! Look.”

“Is this really mine…? Demon-nim gave this to me…?”

“Yes!”

Though he had desperately obtained it while arguing with the Commander of the 2nd Corps.

Nine, feigning innocence, shook the bag of cookies as if to show off, drawing his attention.

“So, please don’t do this here and get up. Let’s go to your room and eat these cookies while you rest.”

Seeing this scene, some might wonder why the Commander of the 8th Corps is blaming himself over mere news of gossip about Demon-nim circulating outside.

But this was natural.

Before the monster-related commotion, the 8th Corps, whose assigned missions were unknown and drew no attention, making it seem as if it didn’t exist, was currently in charge of the public duty of ‘guarding the major cities of the Demon Realm’.

However, even before that, he had a secret mission.

A mission he had been tasked with from the moment Demon Hart joined the Demon King’s army.

[To prevent information about Demon Hart’s appearance from leaking into the Human Realm.]

Why isn’t the story of the Commander of the 0th Legion widely known?

Why is the Empire completely clueless about the 0th Legion Commander’s appearance?

Did all of this truly feel like a coincidence?

Hel had been constantly on the move since the moment he received the mission.

When a servant taking a break outside the Demon King’s castle tried to talk about ‘Demon Hart’s’ appearance to an acquaintance, when Demon went out monster hunting and his identity was exposed in the First City’s gambling den, even when he fought a hero at the border with the Human Realm.

He consistently chased down the traces, killing and silencing.

Contrary to his low self-esteem, his skills were flawless.

Look now, no sooner had the 2nd Corps Commander reported it, he immediately moved, dealt with the target, and returned. Since he said the target was ‘blabbing,’ he must have dealt with those who heard the story as well, and the time it took to accomplish all of this is absurd.

‘If only we could do something about that self-esteem… sigh.’

While Nine sighed, Hel, who had barely calmed down, cautiously got up. As if to reassure him, Nine smiled and politely extended his hand, and just as Hel was about to take it.

“Isn’t it more important not to make mistakes in the first place?”

……!

“Develania-nim!”

Hel crumbled again like a sandcastle. Develania chuckled at the immediate reaction.

This is why she can’t stop tormenting the Commander of the 8th Corps. Because it’s fun.

She turned away, leaving Nine behind, who was yelling about how it wasn’t Develania-nim’s business, why she kept picking on them, how a demon can make mistakes, why she was picking on their… subordinate, and that he would tell the Demon King.

‘This should keep them from even thinking about bothering me for a while.’

She was planning to convince Demon-nim to go to the Second City to buy clothes soon, and it would be troublesome if she was interrupted then.

Deon had no intention of going, but Develania was already happily worrying about what clothes to buy as she walked with a light step.

With a happy laugh at the arrogant cry of the 8th Corps Commander’s adjutant echoing behind her.

***

The Ireon Kingdom was a mess.

“The Imperial army has already trampled one city and is advancing towards this place! They say they will reach the next city soon. What have you been doing until this situation arose? Shouldn’t we come up with some countermeasures?!”

“If you can’t come up with countermeasures, what can we do?!”

“Are you saying we should all just die like this?!”

Those who could do nothing but raise their voices while sitting at their desks were flailing around, worried about their own lives, while innocent citizens were dying outside.

The meeting room, which should have been sacred, had long since become an arena for fighting rather than a place to devise plans.

‘What a mess.’

The King of Ireon, sitting on his throne, pressed his temples. He had clearly taken his medicine, but his head was already throbbing with a headache.

He should have listened when he said not to provoke the Emperor. He had glimpsed black flames flickering in his eyes during their chance encounter.

Not red flames. It wasn’t burning based on the usual firewood of passion, anger, hatred, or revenge.

Empty, yet a flame that stubbornly burned without losing the will to live. If he had to give it a color, it would be closer to ‘black’ than ‘red’.

Yes, black flames. He still didn’t know what they were burning for, but he instinctively knew it was better not to touch them.

‘I’ve thought this country was doomed for a while now, but….’

So this is how it falls apart.

The king’s words held no weight. The authority of the king had fallen to the ground, and the nobles were too busy filling their own pockets to care for the people.

Nevertheless, they weren’t entirely stupid, as they were still the ones managing politics, but this time, their calculations were off.

The nobles weren’t simply blinded by money when they demanded compensation from the Empire. Underlying their actions was the expectation that the Empire, even if it couldn’t immediately comply with their demands, would at least attempt to ‘negotiate’.

Logically speaking, a small battle had indeed occurred near the border, and depending on the perspective, this was enough to be felt as a threat by the Ireon Kingdom.

Furthermore, war requires a lot of money and manpower. Only two years had passed since the end of the Eight Years’ War, so it was hard to imagine the Empire easily pulling out the ‘war’ card in this situation.

Moreover, even Deon Hart, who was an excellent vanguard during the Eight Years’ War, was supposedly injured and resting, so who would expect war?

Of course, only ‘logically’.

‘They poked timidly, and a fist with all its might came back.’

Leaving the panicked nobles behind, the king covered his mouth.

He felt like he knew what the Emperor was hoping for, and he was afraid a groan might escape his lips.

‘…Was the Emperor hoping for war from the beginning?’

The cautious guess soon became a certainty.

The Emperor had been waiting for a ‘just cause’ to wage war. The Ireon Kingdom diligently provided him with the opportunity to draw his sword, and they would be the first victims of that sword.

If only he had known this sooner….

‘…It wouldn’t have changed anything anyway.’

Then and now, he was a powerless king, and his voice would be drowned out by the nobles’ pronouncements.

“Wouldn’t it be… better to surrender?”

One of the nobles cautiously spoke in the chaotic meeting room. Seeing the other nobles’ eyes light up as if they had been waiting for this, the king closed his eyes tightly.

He had expected this as well.

Those with much to lose are afraid to fight. Loyal subjects had died or disappeared without a trace, and even those who were somewhat clean had been tainted by the muddy waters.

Only sycophants remained here. He knew well that those who prioritized their own bellies wouldn’t care for the country.

Yet, why did his mouth taste so bitter?

“What are your thoughts, Your Majesty?”

Facing the eyes that were now looking at him in unison as if they had never fought, the King of Ireon smiled weakly.

“Prepare for surrender.”

***

A month had passed since I came to the Demon King’s castle.

And during that time, I was able to recall a very important fact that I had overlooked.

“I’m bored….”

The Demon King’s castle is incredibly boring! I should have brought some fun things to play with.

Click. After finishing the cube, I tossed it to one side of the bed and flopped down next to it. I turned my head, buried half my face in the pillow, and looked down at the floor.

A completed large puzzle was sitting there.

Another thing to decorate the room wall. How many pieces was that? 6000 pieces?

It’s probably around that much. It’s the puzzle I once threw in frustration, so I vaguely remember. To actually finish it, I’m really….

“Ah, whatever.”

Thanks to a month of rest, the dark circles under my eyes from the Human Realm were gone, but doing nothing is driving me crazy.

“…Should I go outside or something?”