Chapter 280: Hostage Situation

When Deon snapped back to reality, he found himself in the middle of a scolding.

What was this? What in the world was happening? Surrounded in an instant by a group of burly men, he tilted his head, a bewildered expression on his face. The men who met his gleaming red eyes flinched, taking a step back.

“E-Even if you look at us like that, we won’t let this slide!”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right, we can’t let it go! First, put down those documents, Captain!”

But as if they’d never retreated, they surged forward again.

One of the knight order members, who had abruptly lifted Deon from his desk chair, wrinkled his nose at the sharp smell of cigarette smoke. Someone spotted a hole burned through the thigh of Deon’s pants and pointed a finger.

“Captain, did you use your cigarette to burn yourself again?!”

“You said you were taking your meds… and you still reek of smoke! How are you going to take responsibility for this?!”

“Why should I take responsibility for that…? More importantly, why don’t you put me down, huh?”

“Ah.”

The knight order member carrying him wordlessly walked over to the bed. He gently placed Deon on the mattress as if setting down a doll, then fixed him with a stern look.

If it were just one person, Deon wouldn’t have paid them any mind. But he rolled his eyes, glanced at the guys surrounding him, sighed, and lowered his gaze. As if on cue, a barrage of nagging rained down on him.

“You’re not even fully recovered yet, so why are you pushing yourself so hard?”

“……”

“The paperwork… okay, I can understand that, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But the cigarettes, that’s a no-go.”

Kleter took the lead, launching into a tirade, while the others around him nodded in agreement.

The current situation wasn’t exactly to Deon’s liking, but he couldn’t really argue back. He knew their nagging came from concern, so he couldn’t just snap at them to shut up. Instead, Deon wore a sullen expression and simply waited for the lecture to end.

*They never nag about the same thing twice. Just endure this moment…*

But when did life ever go according to plan?

“Besides, you’ve said you don’t plan to live long anyway.”

“What?!”

Dan, who had been listening quietly, jumped into the conversation, adding fuel to the fire. Instantly, the mad dogs’ gazes turned sharp and menacing.

*That damn bastard?* Deon’s head snapped up, glaring at Dan, but when he met the intense stares of the mad dogs, he subtly averted his eyes.

“Captain! Is that true?!”

“Did you really say that?!”

“Captaaaain!!”

“…Shut up.”

His attitude of letting their words pass in one ear and out the other was crystal clear.

This wouldn’t do. Kleter’s face twisted in frustration.

If they let things slide like this again, their Captain would continue to recklessly disregard his own well-being, just as he always had. He’d been lucky to survive until now, but there was no guarantee it would last, and they couldn’t just stand by and watch.

“Captain.”

“……”

“I think… I think we need to talk about the past for a moment.”

The Lofty Knights had already resolved to commit suicide if ‘that time’ ever happened again. To prevent such a tragedy, Deon Hart needed a serious wake-up call.

So, Kleter began coldly.

“Back in Sanguo, when the Heroes targeted us, why did you rush to our aid?”

“As your superior, protecting my subordinates is only natural…”

“No. Normally, you’d only do that after ensuring your own safety first. But back then, Captain, you clearly had enemies at your back. You were under attack. And yet!”

Perhaps because the scene from back then resurfaced vividly in his mind, Kleter’s emotions surged, and his voice suddenly rose. Realizing he’d almost crossed a line, Kleter abruptly shut his mouth.

…No. This was in front of ‘the Captain.’ Even so, he had to maintain some boundaries.

*I know. I know, okay? I get it, so stop poking my side.*

Annoyed, he swatted away the hand poking his ribs and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress his rising emotions. How much time passed? After a brief silence, he slowly opened his eyelids and continued his interrupted train of thought.

His voice was calm, as if he’d never been agitated.

“…And yet, Captain rushed to us without a second thought for his own safety.”

Already under attack, with enemies potentially launching more assaults from behind, he’d run straight towards them. Their hearts had nearly stopped at that moment.

He drew the sword from his hip. Amidst the startled gazes fixed on him, he deliberately slashed his own arm.

“……!”

Deon shot up from his seat.

At first, only a thin red line appeared, but half a beat later, the wound split open, and blood began to well up. Blood-red eyes, witnessing the long gash oozing crimson blood, trembled with unease.

“…Are you out of your mind?”

A chilling voice finally broke the silence.

“I didn’t think Captain would take this seriously otherwise. From now on, if Captain gets hurt, we’ll get hurt too. Ideally, we should aim for the same injuries, in the same area, and of the same scale.”

“You…”

“Now, where exactly was Captain injured back then…?”

“……!”

“Ah, right.”

His stomach had been pierced.

The chilling murmur filled the room. Amidst the frozen silence, Kleter raised his sword, hilt up, and pointed the blade at his own stomach. As if snapping out of a trance, chaos erupted.

“Hey, hey! Stop him!”

“No! Are you crazy?!”

“You’ll die! You’ll actually die!”

“You’re supposed to do that when we’re a hindrance to the Captain, why are you doing it now?!”

Ignoring his clinging comrades, Kleter tried to pull the sword towards his stomach. Horrified, the others grabbed the hilt from the opposite side, barely managing to stop him. A desperate tug-of-war ensued, lives hanging in the balance, over whether to take the sword or not.

The absurd farce finally ended when Deon, who had been frozen in place until then, barely managed to open his mouth.

“…Stop.”

“……”

“I get what you’re trying to say… so just stop.”

*I’m exhausted.* He felt like he understood how they’d felt back then. …*But I’m the Hero, aren’t I? Unlike them, I heal quickly…*

…No, forget it. Arguing back would only backfire. Deon sighed inwardly and scrubbed his face roughly with his hands, as if dry-washing it. Then, he paused.

*…Wait a minute.*

Among the shouts of the guys trying to stop Kleter just now… wasn’t there something about, ‘You’re supposed to do that when we’re a hindrance to the Captain’…?

Sure enough, as if things weren’t over yet, Kleter’s voice continued before Deon could even gather his scattered thoughts.

“Captain, we’ve decided that if something like ‘that time’ ever happens again, we’ll commit suicide without hesitation.”

“……!”

“We mean that rather than being a burden and causing you to get seriously injured like before, we’d rather just die.”

Shock was etched onto his wide, bloodshot eyes.

Seeing that expression, the young Deon Hart from the Eight Years’ War overlapped with his current self, and a sharp pang of conscience hit him… but Kleter didn’t stop. The next words were the most crucial. If he stopped here, everything said and done so far would be meaningless.

“Of course, if Captain prioritizes his own safety over ours, then there’s no need for that, but…”

“…Okay.”

A slightly choked voice cut him off.

“I said, okay.”

Unlike his trembling voice, barely audible through gritted teeth, his dry eyes glared fiercely at Kleter. Kleter, clearly reading the ‘resentment’ in his gaze, gave a wry smile.

“So, just shut up already.”

“…Yes, well.”

“…Shit.”

Deon finally buried his face in his hands. In the heavy silence, where no one dared to speak, a voice choked with suppressed emotion rumbled.

“Damn bastard.”

“Captain knows best that we’re just worthless mutts, doesn’t he? No need to act surprised now.”

“…Shut up and heal your arm first.”

In moments like these, even against his will, he was forced to acknowledge it. He had let these guys burrow so deep into his heart that he was utterly helpless when they took their own lives hostage to threaten him.

Come to think of it, he’d met these guys during the Eight Years’ War, when he had nowhere else to turn. Back when he was emotionally exhausted, convinced he’d been abandoned by his family.

Initially, he’d protected them out of a commander’s sense of duty—if he lost subordinates, he’d be held accountable. But what child could resist guys who persistently approached him, trying to take care of him even on a personal level?

“[Captain, have you eaten? You need to eat something to survive.]”

“[Are you sleeping well? You’re still growing, if you keep staying up all night, you won’t grow any taller.]”

“[Captain, what’s with the state of your clothes? Come here, let me fix them.]”

“[Ugh, Captain! Underwear! You have to wear underwear!]”

*I have no appetite, and you guys keep coming to me, saying you’re having nightmares. What’s wrong with my clothes? They’re just going to get soaked in blood and have to be thrown away anyway, can’t waste supplies every time. Besides, they’re uncomfortable when they get wet and stick…*

Young Deon Hart, while always gruff and irritable, had ended up letting them into his heart.

*…It’s okay.*

It was too late to push them away now, but that was okay.

Unlike Hyung or that carnivorous plant who sacrificed themselves to save him, these guys were trying to find a way for them all to survive together. So, if he just acted selfishly, like Kleter said, it would all be alright.

Blood seeping between his fingers shimmered, looking as if it would swallow him whole at any moment. Deon squeezed his eyes shut.

***

Hien had been observing all the commotion from outside.

*Th-They should at least close the door while they talk…*

Without the door closed, soundproofing magic was useless.

It seemed those crazy… no, human knight order members had forgotten to close it properly… He’d ended up witnessing a situation far more serious than he’d anticipated.

*In the end, I came because I heard that plant used the seed…*

He’d heard that Sir Deon had suffered a mental shock because of the plant’s sacrifice. He’d wanted to apologize, but—

Judging by the current situation, it seemed today wasn’t the right day. Hien gave a wry smile.

*…Maybe it’s for the best.*

To be honest, he lacked the confidence to face him and apologize directly.

He’d hesitated for a long time, knowing he couldn’t apologize empty-handed. But he also knew that offering Human Realm plants infused with magic power, like before, would clearly backfire. In the end, he’d come empty-handed and now stood with his head bowed low in front of the door.

He suddenly recalled the plant, so proud as it accepted the seed, diligently hiding it beneath its roots.

*Still… it probably died having achieved its goal.*

He remembered the ending of the bees desperately trying to fend off the wasps when the seed was purified in front of the beehive back then.

Though they had lost their lives, they had been victorious.

*…Let’s go back.*

*If Sir Deon sees me, it’ll only remind him of the plant and make things harder for him.* He turned to leave.

Then, Hien noticed a wall blocking his path and abruptly looked up. Familiar yet daunting faces met his gaze, and he reflexively gasped, taking a step back.

“Huk, L-Lord Demon King.”

“Shhh.”

The Demon King, Ben, and even Ed.

Since when had they been there? He hadn’t noticed them at all until he turned around to face them directly. Hien hastily clamped both hands over his mouth, nodding quickly as he stepped aside.

The Demon King, naturally walking past him, entered the room and clapped his hands.

Clap, clap, clap.

***

“You’ve got good subordinates.”

“…L-Lord Demon King?”

“Yes.”

At the unexpected applause, Deon’s head snapped up. Responding nonchalantly to the bewildered address, the Demon King casually approached and placed the back of his hand on Deon’s forehead. As if sensing the lingering fever, his heterochromatic eyes stared intently into Deon’s confused red eyes.

After a moment, the Demon King removed his hand and shifted his gaze to the documents on the desk.

“I received a report that you’re working while unwell… and it seems to be true.”

*…They couldn’t stop him on their own, so they brought in someone higher up, huh?*

Dan brings mad dogs, and these guys bring the Demon King… quite a spectacle. Deon glanced past the Demon King at Ben and Ed.

After another moment, as if cutting off his line of sight, the Demon King walked through their midst toward the desk. Naturally, Deon’s gaze followed.

Long, slender fingers picked up a document.

“Are you already thinking about launching an attack?”

“…‘Already’? Shouldn’t I be taking responsibility?”

*After telling me to take responsibility for the defeat in Sanguo.*

The Demon King’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t recall saying ‘as soon as possible.’”

“……”

“Anyway, put this aside for now.”

“What—?!”

He started clearing away the documents. Deon, startled, shot to his feet and approached, demanding to know what he was doing.

The Demon King glanced down at Deon’s hand gripping his wrist, then lifted his gaze. His lips parted as if to say something, then paused, before he turned his head and spoke different words.

“…Everyone, out.”