Chapter 97: The Time Has Come

The sparring matches of demons are different from those of humans. They use magic and transform their bodies, so there’s no way the rules would be the same as the ones I know.

I hesitated to apply the rules of the Human Realm, fearing their collective annoyance. My lips twitched as I racked my brain for a moment.

‘First… even if this is the Demon Realm, one of the participants is a legion commander, so killing should be out of the question, right?’

Alright, let’s just say something. This silence is getting awkward.

The pressure to speak mounted, and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, without really thinking it through.

“…Killing is off-limits.”

Despite tailoring my words to their perceived nature and habits, the atmosphere turned strangely cold.

The legion commanders stared at me with slightly stiff expressions, and a murmur rippled through the crowd.

It was obvious something was wrong.

“If killing is the only thing off-limits, then…”

“…How terrifying. He’s ruthless.”

“So, it ends when one side yields or becomes unable to fight?”

“I wonder if Demon-nim will even accept a surrender…”

They spoke quietly, trying to keep their voices down, and several were talking at once, so I couldn’t make out the exact words, but I knew they were talking about me.

‘What’s wrong? Is this a deathmatch? Is that why they’re acting like this?’

As I worried whether I should take back what I said, a booming laugh erupted from one side.

“Pwahahaha! That’s more like it! Now this is going to be fun! You really know your stuff, Demon-nim! What do you say, Derniban? Still going through with it?”

“I have no objections.”

“Great, that’s the spirit! Sparring should always be like this! I’ll show you some of the magic I’ve been working on, so pay attention!”

Trober, who had been spouting nonsense, looked at me with a wide grin.

His eyes gleamed, clearly expressing what he wanted, so it wasn’t hard for me to give him the answer he was looking for.

“St… Start.”

As if he’d been waiting for it, Trober stomped his foot hard on the ground. A bizarre shout followed.

“Earthquake!”

Kwaaaang!

The training ground floor cracked and trembled outward from where he stood.

Clinging to the hand that steadied me, I managed to keep my balance, but I couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief.

‘What kind of magic is that?! He just slammed his foot on the ground like an idiot!’

No, wait, demons don’t even say magic incantations when they use magic, so what’s with that unheard-of spell name…!

Anyway, who’s the demon holding me?

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, Ed? Why are you here…”

“Now that Demon-nim has returned, isn’t it natural for me to come and greet you?”

I… suppose so? He is an adjutant. But do the other adjutants do this?

Unsure how to respond, I just stared blankly at him before sneaking another glance at the training grounds.

Meanwhile, Derniban, his nails now sharp claws, was charging at Trober. Trober wasn’t just going to stand there and take it.

He raised his index and middle fingers, aiming them straight for Derniban’s eyes.

“Blind!”

He even remembered to shout the magic incantation in the middle of all this.

Is that… is that allowed?!

Before my silent shock could even register, Derniban lowered his head, intending to take the fingers to the forehead. But Trober retracted his hand just in time and swung a fist instead.

The muscles in his forearm bulged.

“Physical Enhancement!”

“…Isn’t that just flexing your muscles?”

Trober throwing a threatening punch with all his might, and Derniban actually dodging it….

I shook my head.

‘Let’s just not think about it. It’s easier to give up.’

With a resigned attitude, I watched them, then suddenly turned to look at Ed.

He was nervously watching the fight, worried about stray attacks, but he immediately met my gaze.

Seeing his attentive posture, I didn’t hesitate to ask, “Ed, don’t you spar with Trober?”

“Excuse me? If it’s an order, I will, but… my abilities aren’t really suited for sparring, so I try to avoid it.”

“…?”

“It’s difficult for me to hold back enough not to kill someone.”

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, sending a shiver down my spine. That gesture was so ordinary, which made it all the more unsettling.

Right, he’s a demon too. His appearance is so close to a clean-cut human that I momentarily forgot.

‘…I’m just going to quietly curl up in a corner.’

I quietly sat down, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

Ed, oblivious to my feelings, took a half-step back, as if to stand guard behind me, and turned his gaze back to Trober and Derniban, who were still fighting.

“Did you know that the Commander of the 9th Corps wasn’t unable to use magic from the start due to a lack of magical power?”

“…Then?”

“His endless pursuit of amusement was the problem. Magic power doesn’t regenerate, so you need to use it sparingly when necessary, but he wasted it on trivial things just for fun and entertainment.”

Just as sacrifices are needed for sorcery, magic power is needed for magic.

Just as the sacrifices used in sorcery cannot be recycled, magic power consumed by magic cannot be recovered.

That alone is enough reason to conserve magic power, but Trober didn’t even have a large amount of it to begin with.

Hearing that, only one word came to my mind.

“Crazy….”

“Yes, he’s a madman.”

“…I didn’t say that.”

Though I almost did.

Ed didn’t seem to mind, but I felt a strange sense of guilt and quickly changed the subject.

“Then the Commander of the 9th Corps can’t use magic for the rest of his life?”

Fortunately, Ed’s attention focused on my question.

“That’s not the case. Even the demons with the least amount of magic power have a last resort magic.”

“What…?”

“You know the origin of the demons’ existence, don’t you?”

Of course, I do.

“The Demon King’s power.”

“Yes, from another perspective, the demons’ bodies are made of the Demon King’s power.”

The Demon King’s power can be translated to magic power.

A magic power stronger and purer than any other demon’s.

“They use that magic power.”

“Then… don’t they die?”

“Yes, so the magic they use at that time is usually the most powerful magic they can use in their life. It’s like paying with their life force.”

Just then, in the corner of my vision, Trober, who had been trading blows with Derniban, picked up a boulder lying at the edge of the training grounds.

Startled, I stopped talking to Ed and watched him. As if proving he was a madman, he casually crushed my ‘surely not’ hopes and threw the menacing rock without hesitation.

“Euryaaaaa! Meteor!”

I vaguely saw Derniban’s nails become even sharper as his knuckles were covered in gray fur.

Kwaaaang!!

Thick dust obscured my vision, and fragments flew in all directions.

What just happened? I think I saw the boulder shatter. Is Derniban alive?

Coughing from the dust irritating my airways, I hacked. Then, I saw a fragment the size of a human head flying towards me. Judging by its speed, I could see my immediate demise.

‘…Shit.’

I had to get out of the way, but my leg had cramped up from sitting for too long. To make matters worse, I started coughing uncontrollably, reopening a wound in my throat and drawing blood.

“Cough, cough… Ugh! Kh, khluck!”

Have you ever been caught in a vicious cycle where the dust makes you cough, and the coughing makes you cough more?

How about the disaster where the blood from coughing makes you nauseous, and the nausea makes you cough up more blood?

“Demon-nim!”

Ed casually swatted away the unusually large fragment that threatened my life and rushed to check on me.

It’s almost comical how little my brush with death means to these guys.

Just as I was starting to feel a bit hollow, Ben appeared out of nowhere and shoved Ed aside.

He waved his hand to clear the dust and pressed a damp handkerchief over my nose and mouth, his frustration boiling over. Thankfully, it wasn’t directed at me.

“What is this dust?! Who brought Demon-nim to this godforsaken environment?! This is why he’s coughing up blood! Are they insane? Brainless? Is this some new assassination method? They deserve to have sand poured down their windpipes!”

Um… most of the people here are legion commanders….

It seemed like the physician was extremely displeased with the dusty environment. No, at this point, it was outright disgust.

Trober flinched, clutching his neck, at the words dripping with anger, and Derniban quietly returned his hands to their normal state.

Even Asild, the Commander of the 3rd Corps, who had nothing to do with it, nervously rubbed his own neck.

Ben’s anger didn’t subside even after silencing the two who had been displaying such tremendous fighting power moments before, and he sought another victim.

“Ed, what were you even doing?! Leaving Demon-nim in a place full of dust like this! Are you even a proper adjutant?”

“…”

Ed’s expression twisted in disbelief.

He had a right to be upset. Honestly, what fault was it of his? All he did was come here after hearing I had returned.

If we were to find fault, it would be that he didn’t immediately take me away from this place? But since I was present as a judge, it would have been difficult for a mere adjutant to do so.

Before his justifiable anger could turn towards me, I quickly stepped between them.

“I’m fine. It’s not Ed’s fault.”

“But!”

“Ed just arrived a moment ago.”

“…Let’s return to your quarters. The environment here is not good.”

Fortunately, Ben seemed to prioritize getting me away from this place, taking a step back with a disgruntled expression.

Afraid he might target another innocent demon, I forgot about the cramp in my leg and hurriedly tried to stand, but the sudden muscle pain made me grit my teeth and stagger violently.

Ed immediately caught me as I nearly fell, his expression hardening as he looked down at my leg.

“Perhaps you were struck by a fragment?”

“No….”

“I’ll give you a piggyback ride!”

…What?

“It’s also my fault. Meteors are meant to be used on the battlefield… I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Before I could even doubt my ears, Trober reached out and hoisted me onto his shoulders.

I looked around blankly, trying to process the situation, and my expression stiffened as I realized the ridiculous position I was in.

Put me down, you lunatic.

“M-My legs are fine.”

“I know you’re lying!”

“I’m serious!”

“You don’t have to be considerate of me.”

“I’m telling the truth!!”

Why are this guy’s shoulders so broad?!

I tried to jump down, but his broad shoulders made it difficult, and Trober was holding my legs tightly, preventing me from moving.

I sent a pleading look to Ed, but he said something infuriating, completely missing the point.

“Speaking informally suggests the injury is quite serious. Commander of the 9th Corps, would you please hurry?”

“Why the sudden formality? Just talk to me like you usually do. It’s creeping me out.”

“How could I speak informally to a legion commander when I’m just a lowly adjutant?”

“You’re no fun.”

He grumbled but increased his pace. Ed and Ben followed behind, and as I struggled to get down, I noticed the Demon King’s castle staff staring with shock and horror. I quietly buried my face in my hands.

This is so embarrassing, I want to die.

“…Ah, just a moment.”

A thought suddenly struck me, and I quickly raised my head and looked back. Even though we had moved quite a distance from the training grounds, the legion commanders were all still looking at me.

They must be angry. Or at least annoyed. Their impromptu entertainment was ruined because of me.

Before leaving, I needed to appease them somehow, so I quickly spoke up.

Trober, surprisingly considerate, stopped, so my voice barely reached them.

“Let’s call it a draw for today. We can continue this another time.”

Seeing their expressions change, I immediately turned back around.

Having somewhat salvaged the situation, another worry surfaced.

The Commander of the 9th Corps, Trober. That madman.

He saw me cough up blood, so he wouldn’t actually want to continue the sparring in a week, would he?

‘…Surely not.’

A chill ran down my spine, making me shiver. I didn’t notice the subtle shift in the legion commanders’ expressions, or the slight twitch in Trober’s hand holding my leg.

Or the murmurs coming from behind.