Chapter 281: Internal Affairs

Despite the Demon King’s orders, the mad dogs lingered, watching Deon, gauging his reaction. Only when he nodded did they finally scatter out of the room, Dan and Ben among them. Ed, about to follow, paused when Deon called out to him.

“Ed, you stay out here and wait.”

“…?”

It had been a while since Deon last addressed him directly, and Ed froze, unsure how to react.

Had he heard correctly? Was he the one being summoned? Confusion clouded his face, etched with question marks. Deon seemed to notice his hesitation and elaborated.

“I have something to say to you.”

“…Understood.”

Ed stepped out, and the door closed behind him.

The Demon King, who hadn’t broken eye contact with Deon since ordering the noisy group out, glanced down at the white hand still gripping his wrist. His free hand then rose.

“…!”

Deon flinched, his wrist now caught in the Demon King’s grasp. Ignoring his reaction, the Demon King gently peeled Deon’s fingers away, then spoke slowly.

His voice, deceptively sweet, was like a soft whisper.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“……”

“Round two can wait. We deserve a bit of downtime to regroup, don’t you think?”

Or is the Human Realm weighing on your mind?

His tone was gentle, like soothing a child, but his gaze was sharp, cold as moonlight as it fixed on Deon. It softened in an instant, replaced by a playful smile.

“Besides, the Human Realm is too busy licking its wounds to bother with us. Our Heroic Spirit did wipe out almost half of their heroes, after all.”

“…I’ve heard there are heroes hidden in Rweche. We need to keep them in mind, even though we don’t know their numbers yet. And wouldn’t it be better to press our advantage instead of giving the Human Realm time to recover…?”

“With the damage we inflicted, they won’t fully recover in just a day or two. Maybe in a few months, but not with a short break. Even if there are hidden heroes in Rweche, they can’t be as many as before.”

Being generous, they might be half as strong as before.

And even then, Deon was only pushed back because of the hostages holding him back. As long as we are careful about that, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“More importantly…”

Releasing Deon’s wrist, the Demon King perched on a nearby chair, a hint of displeasure creasing his brow. Propping his chin on his hand, his eyes, still fixed on Deon, curved into a familiar smile.

“The magical beasts are getting out of control, you see.”

“……”

“My magic power is starting to run low, and I can’t handle it all alone anymore.”

Was it an exaggeration, or the truth?

Deon frowned, unable to gauge his sincerity. The Demon King couldn’t possibly miss his blatant skepticism.

‘Oh, it’s true, really.’

Well, believe it or not, it’s your choice.

He shrugged casually, then picked up where he left off.

“So, I was thinking of organizing a massive magical beast extermination, mobilizing all legion commanders. I’m even considering making it a competition…”

“…Huh.”

A competition at a time like this? Deon couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Of course, a competition would be more effective than a simple extermination for the prideful legion commanders… Still, wasn’t this too laid-back?

The Demon King responded to his bewildered laughter with an unconcerned shrug.

“It’s one of the few times we can leave the border unguarded, isn’t it? It would be a waste to let this opportunity pass.”

Even if the border is open, the Human Realm wouldn’t dare to invade our territory.

Only a fool, cornered as they are, would abandon their advantageous position to step into enemy territory without thorough preparation and resources.

So, there’s no need to rush. Taking a breather isn’t a bad idea. While we’re cleaning up, we might as well take a look at our internal affairs too.

‘Actually, we don’t need to worry about magical beasts anymore…’

How much longer would he even remain in the Demon King’s seat to be genuinely concerned about magical beasts? Magical beast extermination is just an excuse.

An excuse to prepare to welcome the teacher, an excuse to force Deon, who is in a precarious state, to rest.

Why else would he willingly pour magic power into something as trivial as magical beasts?

Lack of manpower? No. If he wanted to gather manpower for magical beast extermination, he could easily supplement it. He could have just picked any legion from the Demon King’s castle and added them.

Is it because Deon Hart wished for it? Not entirely wrong, but to be more precise….

The Demon King had bet everything on this Heroic Spirit.

Therefore, Deon Hart must not fall.

Humans, so stubbornly strong yet endlessly fragile, were beings one couldn’t take their eyes off even for a moment.

The Demon King met Deon’s gaze. Deon’s lips parted, and a reluctant, somewhat displeased voice broke the silence.

“…Do I have to participate too?”

“Why, you don’t want to?”

“If I say I don’t, will you let me off?”

“When have I ever won against you?”

Never, Deon thought, falling silent.

Come to think of it, the Demon King had always yielded to him. Even the drug issue, which he had strongly opposed, was eventually resolved by temporarily lifting the ban, glossing over the matter.

…Why though? As Deon’s expression subtly shifted, the Demon King muttered, loud enough for him to hear.

“It’s not like we aren’t short on legion commander positions anyway, so manpower is already lacking…”

“……”

“Just kidding. It’s a competition involving all legions, it’s not like your absence will make that much of a difference.”

No, ‘Heroic Spirit’ being absent will definitely make a difference.

But it’s not like the legions would be crippled just because Deon Hart is missing. If they were that weak, they’d be better off gone. Lately, the legion commanders have been dying off, and their prestige isn’t what it used to be, but that’s just ‘prestige.’ The Demon King’s legions were not that weak.

“For the sake of fairness in the competition, it’s better for the Heroic Spirit to sit this one out anyway. So, it works out nicely. You should rest. Just waiting around would be boring, so how about learning archery until the competition ends?”

I told you before, right? I’d teach you.

His eyes smiled gently, as if saying, *See? You still have much to learn from me.* *Don’t be too impatient, let’s take it easy.*

“After the competition ends… shall we throw a banquet? A three-day, three-night celebration, wouldn’t that be fun?”

“…The servants will die from overwork.”

“Those who pushed the Human Realm this far are more important than them, aren’t they? We must commend their efforts, don’t you think?”

So, the banquet is for rest and encouragement, then.

Certainly, having suffered a major defeat so close to the goal, the soldiers’ morale must have plummeted. That would be problematic.

Deon nodded in rough agreement. Of course, his agreement didn’t change his stubbornness.

“I will rest after figuring out the scale of the heroes in Rweche. It will be easier to proceed with our plans after the banquet if I do.”

The Demon King made a face of exasperation at his refusal to give up even after all that coaxing. Deon closed his mouth and averted his gaze.

He knew it himself. This was pointless stubbornness.

As the Demon King said, even if they didn’t specifically guard the border, the Human Realm wouldn’t be able to invade the Demon Realm. They didn’t have the leeway. Cornered as they were, they would try to fight a battle advantageous to them within their own territory. They would probably try to lure Deon Hart to their stage.

Just playing along with their rhythm and adjusting the situation accordingly would be enough… Deon rubbed his palm against his pants.

‘I don’t want to rest.’

He just didn’t want to rest. Didn’t want to stop. If he stopped walking, it felt like hands would rise from the blood and shadows, grabbing at his ankles.

‘Is this why the former Emperor also went on a rampage?’

It seemed he hadn’t just not stopped, but couldn’t stop.

Recalling Eudoardo Deserte, who had relentlessly waged wars and pressed forward, he focused his blurred vision at the voice he suddenly heard. The Demon King’s face came into view.

“Well… alright. So that’s why you had Ed wait outside? To ask him about the situation back then.”

“……”

“If it makes you feel better, then do as you please.”

Once again, he smiled knowingly, as if he understood everything.

***

The Demon King left, and Ed entered at Deon’s summons.

Deon rubbed his fingertips together, then irritably wiped his palm on his pants, pulled out a cigarette, and looked at Ed. He saw Ed hesitating, seemingly awkward at this rare one-on-one, and Deon’s gaze, tinged with guilt, turned colder.

“You clashed with the heroes directly in Rweche, so you must know.”

“……”

“The report on the specific number of heroes present at that time was missing. Do you know?”

Ed’s wandering sky-blue eyes hardened.

“I apologize.”

He didn’t know.

“Rweche wasn’t fighting at full strength then. I’m certain because they lacked the desperate tension unique to those fighting with everything they have. Even so, they were numerous enough to almost overwhelm us, so all I can say is that their numbers were considerable…”

Even with a legion commander candidate and the 4th Corps commander, they were almost defeated.

The scale is unknown, and the strength they showed was also unsettling….

“…Go back for now.”

He needed a demon to gather information.

The hand reaching for the communication stone paused—hovering above it. Deon, habitually about to call Develania, clenched his fist tightly in the air.

‘…I can’t trust her right now.’

Who should he contact?

After a moment of deliberation, he decided on someone and picked up the communication stone. No sooner had he attempted to connect than the other party’s voice rang out, as if they had been waiting.

– Yes, Sir Deon!

“…Lirinel.”

Deon flinched reflexively and slowly called out the name.

Hearing her voice reminded him of the incident Lirinel and Dan had rashly caused, and an uncomfortable feeling stirred within him. But in the current situation, there was no one as easily exploitable as Lirinel.

Deon hesitated, feeling uneasy, but finally spoke.

“Can you come here right now?”

– Of course! I’ll be right there!

Knock knock.

As if teleporting, a knock sounded almost simultaneously with the end of her reply. Lirinel opened the door and stepped in, her face flushed with excitement, even before he could say ‘come in’.

Deon looked at the demon staring at him with sparkling eyes, asking what was the matter, his expression complicated, and slowly opened his mouth.

“…I want you to capture someone from Rweche.”

“Yes, just say the word! Who do you want? Shall I bring you the king?”

“…That would take too long, never mind. Anyone above a regular soldier will suffice. Though higher rank would be better….”

“Ah, you want generals! Understood!”

“Wait.”

Hold on.

Her enthusiasm is overwhelming. She hasn’t even heard everything, what’s her rush? Deon urgently called out to Lirinel, who was about to dash off again.

If he loses focus, she really might just run off. He needed to get to the point before she disappeared again. Pressing his temples, he spoke directly.

“You don’t need to move personally.”

“Yes? But wouldn’t it be faster if I moved directly…?”

“This is a secret mission.”

“A secret mission…?”

“Yes. Soon, a hunting competition involving all legion commanders will be held, and if you’re seen absent, it will raise suspicion. Use your subordinates.”

It’s just capturing soldiers or low-ranking generals, it’s not something a legion commander should be doing personally. What else are subordinates for?

Lirinel lowered her eyes at the word ‘secret,’ pondering something, then raised her gaze.

“If it’s a secret… is it a secret from Lord Demon King too?”

“Yes.”

Though, it wouldn’t matter even if it was known all over town.

It’s not like this action harms the Demon Realm. This is just an order to confirm if Lirinel truly follows me.

She had always shown an extreme, blind loyalty… but that’s precisely why he couldn’t trust her.