Chapter 250: Unforeseen Attachment

The commotion quickly died down.

It wasn’t just because Dan couldn’t stand listening to the Lofty Knights’ absurd rambling.

Of course, him stepping in was part of it, but…

“That’s enough. I don’t know what kind of blinders you have on, but can’t you see all the intelligent beings listening are dumbfounded and speechless?”

“We’re intelligent beings too,”

“You guys are intelligent beings?”

“… …”

Milan clutched at his chest as if he was hurt.

Of course, no one paid him any attention.

“And of course, the people involved are excluded. Besides, frankly, even as a fellow human, I don’t think Master was ever pure, even back in those days you’re talking about. If anything, his personality was probably even worse…”

“Oh, really?”

“… …!”

… …No wonder they had been awkwardly avoiding eye contact from the middle.

Crap. Dan, turning his head sharply towards the voice, met the red eyes that were right in front of him and made an awkward expression.

Deon grinned at him. It was a smile that looked quite dangerous.

‘He looked so haggard after such a short time, I was going to demand an explanation from Ed.’

Thanks to that, that thought completely vanished, huh?

‘Okay, let’s just let it slide.’

I’m letting it slide without saying anything, so it’s okay to be this petty, right?

He turned his head away sharply. Dan’s gaze followed, surprised that Deon was letting it go without any visible pettiness or reproach. Deon, however, ignored him and looked at Ed who was loitering nearby.

He seemed to be gauging the situation, as if a simple send-off wasn’t the only purpose.

‘… …!’

At the signal to speak if he had something to say, he took out a communication stone from his chest and connected to someone. The communication stone lit up as if the connection was successful, and Ed immediately held it out to Deon.

A cautious answer followed the gaze that questioned what it was.

“Lord Demon King has given orders.”

“… …”

Deon didn’t immediately take the communication stone, but glared at it for a moment.

‘I wondered why he wasn’t seeing me off today…’

So he’s contacting me like this after all. What on earth is he trying to say?

As the silence grew longer, Ed glanced up at him. Knowing that they couldn’t stay like this forever, he slowly reached out his hand.

As soon as the communication stone passed from hand to hand, the Demon King’s voice flowed out as if he had been waiting.

– Hello, Deon.

“… …What is it?”

– I couldn’t see you off in person today because I had something to do, right? And I have something to say.

“… …”

– It’s not that serious, so you don’t have to be nervous.

His voice was light as usual.

But if the Demon King was simple enough for him to believe that directly, he wouldn’t have had any reason to come here in the first place. After a short silence, Deon spoke again in a stiff voice.

“What do you want to say?”

– Well, it’s nothing much…

Wah- Oohp.

For a moment, an out-of-place noise mixed in from beyond the communication stone.

It was such a short time that he wondered if it was his imagination, but it was definitely…

But before Deon could open his mouth, the Demon King spoke first.

– Take this opportunity to practice your spearmanship in real combat there. Maintaining distance is more useful to experience in actual combat once than explaining it a hundred times, and sparring is out of the question, right?

“… …”

– Ah, and…

About the First City.

Deon’s shoulders stiffened. As if knowing everything, his voice filled with laughter echoed softly.

– I’m letting it slide just this time because you’re going to war.

There won’t be a second time.

“… …”

– Well then, have a good trip.

And don’t die.

With those short farewells, the communication was cut off. Silence descended.

‘… …I expected him to know, but hearing it like this is more… than I thought.’

Annoying, isn’t it?

Deon stared silently at the communication stone. It wasn’t quite anger, just simple annoyance, but it was quite fierce, so the people around him, who were watching his mood and waiting for someone to step forward, flinched and quickly checked his expression when he sighed.

Ed was the first to cautiously call out to him.

“… …Sir Deon…?”

“… …Yes.”

Deon tossed the communication stone to Ed and turned around. The troops lined up in perfect ranks under the bright three moons filled his vision.

Just looking at this, it seems like there’s no need to check, but still, just in case, he should ask one last time. He opened his mouth.

“Gaisitel, the preparations are perfect, right?”

“Yes, Sir Deon. You can depart at any time.”

He went and stood in front of his direct subordinates.

He’s the least legion commander-like among the legion commanders, but still, he’s taking a fairly reliable stance as if he is a legion commander, so Deon nodded, feeling he could trust him and turned away without hesitation.

“Dan.”

“Yes, Master. There are no missing items. I’m sure. If there are, you can cut off my head.”

Ed nodded approvingly from the side. Dan’s eyes, laughing haha, were almost like dead fish eyes, but Deon chose to ignore it.

“… …Milan?”

“Prepared, Captain! Besides, we’re the type to tear with our hands if we don’t have teeth! Even if we miss something, you don’t have to worry!”

The fact that you missed something is the problem.

No, rather than that… Dan, who was listening from the side, made a subtle expression.

“Isn’t it originally ‘if you don’t have teeth, use gums’…?”

“Gums are weak, though.”

“… …”

Then it seems everyone is ready.

Mad dogs are originally like that. Deon nodded and mounted his horse. There was no extravagant departure ceremony or anything.

… …It’s a relief because having one would only ruin the mood.

“Let’s go.”

A short, curt order was given.

***

The Demon King put down the communication stone that had turned off.

‘He’s probably annoyed right now, huh?’

Imagining Deon glaring at the communication stone, he chuckled lowly, and then belatedly noticed the sensation on his finger and lowered his gaze.

A ‘human baby’ was sucking on his finger.

“… …Hmm.”

A meaningful voice echoed.

Someone standing in front of him flinched and clasped their hands tightly, but the Demon King didn’t even look at them and just looked down at the baby sucking on his index finger.

Because no emotion could be read, an even more chilling gaze was fully revealed between his narrowed eyes.

“It’s already amazing that a ‘human’ I didn’t allow is in the Demon King’s castle, but ‘this thing’ dared to almost interrupt the Demon King’s communication…”

“… …”

Oel lowered her head deeply.

She couldn’t believe this situation. No, honestly, she didn’t want to believe it.

How surprised she was when she left Derniban outside and came in. It was unpleasant to see Trober inside, but it was bearable. Apart from the unpleasantness, his presence was a bit unexpected, but it wasn’t that surprising either.

The problem was the creature sitting on the desk in the Lord Demon King’s office.

[Why… …]

She felt like she had stopped breathing for a moment.

Her fingertips trembled slightly. She could feel her lips vibrating.

She felt dizzy and faint, as if the abyss had opened its jaws from under her feet and was about to swallow her.

Words she couldn’t bring herself to finish came out again, filled with endlessly falling despair.

[… …Why.]

If the first question contained the question of why her baby was there, this time it was mixed with confusion, unable to understand her own reaction and emotional state.

[… …]

Oel closed her mouth. The questions that used to come out habitually disappeared with the previous question.

Being curious about everything and asking many questions is not synonymous with being stupid. Oel, looking back and forth between Trober, the baby, and the Demon King, quickly derived the answer to her first question.

‘… …Damn Trober.’

She should have killed him, even if she had to be punished later. It would have been better to kill him even if it was forced.

If she had done that, at least this situation wouldn’t have happened.

[Judging by your reaction, it seems there’s definitely a connection.]

[… …]

She had to answer. She knew it as soon as she heard those words.

She had to deny it right now, pretend to be unrelated, pretend not to know.

If she, a legion commander, abandoned the baby, the extremely biased Lord Demon King would likely ignore it. He probably wouldn’t punish her either. The Lord Demon King surely knew Oel hadn’t brought in the human baby with any ulterior motive, and had likely guessed it was simple curiosity. Given his personality, punishing a legion commander severely over a mere human baby, not even an adult, would seem excessive to him.

So, she had to give up the baby.

But.

‘Then that baby…’

Her mouth wouldn’t open easily.

Oel, who had been moving her lips to answer several times, finally couldn’t say anything and closed her mouth again. The Demon King’s gaze calmed down slightly.

[… …You…]

Even though he waited patiently, when the desired answer didn’t come, the Demon King opened his mouth as if to say something. No, he opened it, but had to close it again before he could even speak.

The communication stone had lit up.

[… …Hmm, okay. Giving you a little more time might not be bad.]

After thinking for a moment, he put his hand on the communication stone and said.

[Think carefully about how you should answer while I’m on this call.]

Oel couldn’t answer in the end.

And back to the present.

Disappointingly, even now after the Demon King’s communication ended, despite the opportunity he had given, she still hadn’t sorted out her feelings.

In fact, when the baby had made a sound during the call, her heart had leaped into her throat. When the Lord Demon King silenced it by placing his finger in its mouth, she’d flinched, terrified he might actually kill the infant.

‘If it were Derniban… he would have abandoned the baby without a second thought.’

I thought I would be the same. Oel lowered her head deeply.

Had the Lord Demon King ordered her to discard one of her warehouse collectibles, she would have done so, albeit reluctantly. She’d initially approached the human baby with the same detached mindset.

‘… …’

She met eyes with the baby who was sucking on the Demon King’s finger.

Oel groaned inwardly at the sight of the baby smiling brightly as if it had been waiting.

Ah.

‘Derniban…’

I can’t do it.

Even if she had to remain silent, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words to abandon that baby.

She didn’t know the reason. Even she didn’t understand why she was like this and was frustrated. However, she was certain about one thing: she desperately needed a demon to speak for her in her confusion.

Therefore, she habitually looked for her adjutant and lover, but he was outside the door right now. As she was completely alone, she just glared at Trober who was grinning and looking this way once and chose to avoid the Demon King’s gaze.

At the edge of the silence, the Demon King sighed.

“… …You kill it.”

“… …Pardon?”

“I won’t punish you separately for bringing in a human without permission, so kill it with your own hands and dispose of it.”

He took his index finger out of the baby’s mouth and wiped his finger with a handkerchief. The baby, who had its pacifier taken away after a long time, whined, but the Demon King only glanced at it and didn’t take any special action.

Rather, the way he looked at the baby was so terribly dry, as if he were looking at a cumbersome object that got in his way, and Oel, feeling a chill, hurriedly approached and picked up the baby.

The Demon King, watching her skillfully patting the baby’s back, said.

“I can take that action as a yes, right? You took the baby.”

“… …”

“‘That thing’ isn’t so precious that you have to risk your life for it, is it?”

His voice gradually cooled down.

“Oel.”

“… …”

“You must know how much I’m letting you off right now.”

In a situation where they are at war with humans, she brought in a human secretly from the Demon King.

Its age is irrelevant; young or old, it doesn’t matter. Given the circumstances, this act warrants death. That he’s even considering letting this slide is miraculous.

“So, answer me.”

His gaze, never warm to begin with, now lost even its pretense of amusement. The faint smile vanished from his eyes entirely.

Oel reluctantly nodded, feeling like both she and the baby would die in this place if she didn’t. She felt like she heard a creaking sound from her neck.

Only then did the Demon King relax the atmosphere and smile gently.

“Good. Since there’s been some affection over time, I won’t tell you to kill it right away. A week should be enough time to cut ties, right?”

“… …”

“You just have to show me the corpse within a week. And of course, don’t damage the face so there’s no confusion with anything else.”