Chapter 79: Back to the Demon Realm

I can confidently say, the Demon King’s castle is incredibly vast. Even when divided into the outer and inner sections, they are unbelievably enormous.

Would it be easier to understand if I said the Demon King’s castle could be considered a city in itself?

Therefore, my getting lost here is inevitable. It’s not because I’m stupid, you see.

“Where exactly am I…?”

I’m certain this is the inner section.

Cursing my aimless feet, I looked around.

An empty training ground. The dirt floor was quiet but meticulously maintained. Weapons were scattered around.

“……”

Before my mind could process what these things meant, my body reacted first. I reflexively took a step back and swallowed hard.

Why do I feel cold sweat trickling down my back?

“This doesn’t look good….”

“Demon Hart?”

A flinch.

“What are you doing here?”

“……”

I froze. The only thought that crossed my mind at this moment was:

This is bad. Really bad.

I had realized it was someone’s training ground, but never imagined it would be the Commander of the 1st Corps’ training ground. Out of all the Corps Commanders, why did it have to be the Commander of the 1st Corps?

With a creaking neck, I turned to find the source of the voice. Jaykar, holding a sword in one hand and drinking water, made eye contact with me from outside the training ground.

“…It’s been a while.”

“Indeed, it has. I heard you returned. So, what brings you here?”

“……”

“……”

I moved my lips a few times but decided to keep them tightly shut. Jaykar’s gaze followed me as if demanding an answer, but I deliberately looked away.

Come on, what else could I say? That I came out because I was bored and got lost?

Just as an awkward silence settled in,

“Ah.”

Jaykar nodded as if he understood something.

“The training grounds for the Commander of the 0th Legion are in that direction. It seems you’re confused about the location since you haven’t used it in so long.”

“Ah….”

“You can get there faster by cutting through the 5th Corps’ training grounds.”

That’s not it.

It’s true I haven’t used it, but I do know where my own training grounds are. …Probably.

However, Jaykar seemed absolutely sure, looking at me with a satisfied expression.

“I was worried since you didn’t seem to be training much. Of course, I know your skills, and you’re the type who gets stronger through real combat, but… still, not practicing at all is a different matter.”

Where did you hear such nonsense? Me, the type who gets stronger through real combat? I’ll die if I experience real combat, you damn demon.

“If you aren’t lost, did you perhaps come for a spar with me….”

“The direction is that way, you said? Thank you.”

“The 5th Corps’ training grounds will be easy to find. They made quite a ruckus holding some kind of celebratory party. The party might be over, but they probably haven’t cleaned up the mess yet.”

“Yes….”

Lingering any longer would probably lead to an actual spar with the Commander of the 1st Corps, so I hurriedly left.

As Jaykar said, finding the 5th Corps’ training grounds wasn’t difficult. I walked straight in the direction he pointed, and a chaotic vacant lot appeared.

Chairs were scattered haphazardly, trash littered the ground, and the table was covered with empty plates and alcohol bottles.

Judging by the fact that no one was around, the members of the 5th Corps must have gone to rest. Thanks to that, I could comfortably examine everything in detail.

For instance, the alcohol bottles.

Ah, it’s not that I particularly want to drink. Well, that’s partly true… but this is a type of alcohol commonly found in the Human Realm.

It’s not very expensive, and although it’s a bit strong, that’s actually its selling point among commoners, rivaling beer. Even nobles occasionally enjoy it, and since I also used to drink it, I can be sure.

Why is this here….

“It’s the Commander of the 5th Corps.”

I picked up an alcohol bottle with a bit of liquid still sloshing inside.

If Oel has returned, then this alcohol, and the unidentified objects scattered everywhere, make perfect sense.

Her curiosity is something even the Demon King can’t handle.

That’s probably why the Demon King sent her outside. The stated purpose was reconnaissance and information gathering across the Demon Realm, but in the end, it was to let her indulge her boundless curiosity outside and not bother the other demons.

The effect was good. It’s just that every time she comes back, she brings a pile of strange things and introduces them.

But even that is better than being bombarded with endless questions, so they keep sending her out.

“Alright, let’s hurry up and finish cleaning up.”

I was startled by the sudden voice and quickly looked up. Two servants, carrying tongs and trash cans, were entering the area to clean.

Judging by their demeanor, they hadn’t noticed me yet. If they had, they would have definitely made a fuss in some way.

I need to slip away before I’m seen.

I was about to turn around when,

“Isn’t it quite a while since the Commander of the 5th Corps returned? Why suddenly have a party now?”

“Don’t you know the Commander of the 5th Corps’ personality? All this time, she’s been so engrossed in introducing and using strange objects from all over that she kept postponing the party. And this isn’t just a simple welcome back party.”

“Then…?”

“You know Derniban, right? Commander of the 5th Corps’ adjutant, Derniban.”

“Of course, I know him.”

“Well, I heard the Commander of the 5th Corps and him are dating. So, she’s holding a celebration party for that too.”

“Cough.”

Oh, dear. I coughed from the shock… did I cough up blood? Hmm, thankfully I’m fine.

I know Derniban. He’s the complete opposite of Oel, who is a ball of curiosity. I remember him being a demon so emotionless that an undead would have more feelings.

But that Derniban and Oel are dating?

The scene was so unimaginable that I was momentarily stunned. Then, a voice pulled me back to reality.

“Excuse me… Commander of the 0th Legion…?”

A voice trembling with fear. Startled, I looked up and met the eyes of the servants I had momentarily forgotten.

What’s wrong with them?

They were too terrified to be simply bowing out of respect for my position. Their complexions, which had been fine just a moment ago, had turned deathly pale upon seeing me.

The servants’ gazes went to the alcohol in my hand, then scanned the empty bottles scattered on the table in front of me.

One, two, three… as the number increased, their pupils, which had been shaking violently, widened to the point of almost passing out after five, and then they seemed to give up counting altogether, their conversation continuing in whispers.

“Out of all the bottles on the table… how many originally had alcohol in them?”

“How would I know that?”

“I see….”

“……”

“……”

As if on cue, they closed their mouths and exchanged glances.

I was about to speak, unable to wait any longer, when suddenly,

“Emergency! Emerrrrgency!!”

“Commander of the 0th Legion has consumed alcohol!!”

……?

I could only stare blankly at their retreating figures as they screamed and ran away.

“What the… ?”

***

-Special alert, special alert. Commander of the 0th Legion, Demon Hart, has consumed alcohol. All units to defensive positions.

-Repeating the alert. Commander of the 0th Legion, Demon Hart, has….

The alarm began to blare from the communication stones with amplified magic installed throughout the Demon King’s castle.

The alarm echoed throughout the entire Demon King’s castle, both inner and outer sections, causing everyone to draw their weapons without hesitation.

This included even the stable boy.

A rookie, who was feeding the horses, tilted his head, watching his senior hastily grab his weapon.

Isn’t the Commander of the 0th Legion an ally? Why is everyone so tense just because an ally drank alcohol?

This is like preparing for war.

“Senior, why the weapons…?”

“What? Hey, didn’t you read the duty regulations?”

“Huh? No, not yet….”

“Are you crazy?! Are you trying to die!”

There are so many duty regulations; when would I have time to read them all? They started assigning tasks as soon as I arrived.

I was planning to read them all tonight.

Seeing his senior’s agitated state, an uneasy feeling crept into the rookie’s heart, and he pursed his lips to hide it.

“I was going to read them all today.”

“Sigh… well, given the current situation… let me explain the important parts. Listen carefully.”

The senior glanced at the rookie’s waist and back, then rubbed his forehead.

This idiot didn’t even bring a weapon. The duty regulations clearly state, ‘Always carry a weapon for self-defense.’

He quickly handed over a dagger.

“Take this weapon first. When the Commander of the 0th Legion drinks more than a certain amount of alcohol, he indiscriminately slashes at anyone who catches his eye. You better hold onto that if you don’t want to die.”

“Yes? Yes….”

“There are three things you need to remember. First, if the Commander of the 0th Legion asks if you are an enemy, immediately answer no. Second, don’t stop there, explain why as clearly as possible. Third, if he doubts your answer, immediately go into a defensive stance.”

“Yes… but why a defensive stance? To survive, wouldn’t attacking be better than defending….”

“If you injure the Commander of the 0th Legion, the Demon King will kill you.”

“Eek.”

That means we can only use minimal defense. If we overreact and accidentally injure the Commander of the 0th Legion….

He instinctively grabbed his neck and shuddered.

But if we don’t, we’ll die! The opponent is the Commander of the 0th Legion. Even giving it our all might not be enough, and hesitating will just get our heads chopped off without us even realizing it.

So, this is practically telling us to die…?

Seeing the rookie’s eyes filled with fear, injustice, and the desire to live, the senior chuckled and adjusted his own weapon.

“The Demon King will subdue him. Our goal is just to survive as long as possible.”

If we just buy enough time, the Demon King will come and subdue him.

As he said that, his neck was drenched in cold sweat.

***

How would you feel if a ‘special alert’ suddenly went off throughout the Demon King’s castle, and you found out the reason was ‘you’?

What do you think? It feels like I’m screwed, no question about it.

What’s worse, the reason is completely false, making me feel frustrated to the point of madness.

I drank alcohol? No, the fact that an alarm went off because I drank alcohol is already absurd, but what’s even more absurd is that I haven’t even touched a drop. Not only did I not drink it, but I didn’t even smell it!

“Should I just drink it now?”

Thinking that, I stared intently at a bottle that still had a relatively large amount of alcohol left, when a group of people with shields rushed in from afar.

They ran with grim expressions, as if a war had broken out. They stopped around me, maintaining a certain distance, forming a circle, and then simultaneously slammed their massive shields onto the ground.

Thump!

The ground vibrated.

“……”

Before shock, the emotion that surfaced was bewilderment.

What did I even do… They set it up perfectly without a single gap. I’m completely surrounded, ha ha ha.

This scene feels familiar, is it just my imagination?

Right, it’s like when villagers in the countryside hunt wild boars that have invaded the village, narrowing the encirclement like this….

Seriously?!

“Am I a wild boar?!”

I was about to furrow my brow in anger, but quickly composed myself.

Getting upset in this situation won’t solve anything. It’ll probably just increase the chances of getting killed by them. Look, they flinched just because I frowned a little. I can see their vigilance rising.

To overcome this damn situation, I need to ease their警戒 first. Only then can I try to reason with them or do something.

So, suppressing my annoyance, I forced a smile, but,

“Eek.”

“H-He’s smiling, right? Are we going to die now?”

“D-Don’t back down. If even one person retreats, we’re all dead. Hold your shields tight and stay alert.”

It backfired.

……Aren’t you guys from the 8th Corps? With those ridiculously large shields, you must be from the 8th Corps.

Why are these shieldbearers so timid? Is it because of their Corps Commander? Did their Corps Commander influence them?

They’re tense no matter what I do… what do they want me to do?

“Should I just kick them away?”

Looking at the iron wall of shields, I shook my head.

No, if I do that, I’ll only break my ankle.

I’m angry but can’t express it freely. Instead of physically expressing my frustration with this damn situation, I glared at the shields.

This caused a bit of an uproar again, but it was brief.

“Is Demon Hart beyond those shields?”

A familiar voice came from beyond the shields.

“Oh, crap…?”

Unlike the situation, the voice was full of leisure, but it made my heart plummet to the ground.

It’s the Demon King. The person I met in the library just a moment ago is here.