Chapter 282: A Physician’s Unusual Duty

“Ah, right. Honestly, it’s just that I don’t want to believe it.”

I know it’s a futile hope, a way to avoid the truth.

Deon had already anticipated how Lirinel would react.

This was, well… a last chance for Lirinel, and time for himself.

‘Because it’s not too late, even now…’

Every time you genuinely care for me, I feel suffocated.

If I fully utilize the time I have now to force you into the mold of a demon and sort out my feelings, I might even end up trying to use your life.

So, I’d rather you turn your back on me. I hope word gets back to the Demon King.

‘Run.’

Let me push you away.

Deon smiled, masking his true feelings, and Lirinel, seeing this, immediately agreed.

“Just trust me!”

“…”

Anyone could see she was completely taken in by his looks.

***

A competition that doubled as a great demon subjugation was being held. And they said a banquet would follow immediately after it concluded.

Unusually, all legion commanders except for the Heroic 0th Legion Commander were participating. This news turned the face of Setter, the official physician exclusively for legion commanders, pale as he was dragged out without any idea why.

“…Then what about the border?”

“If you’ve heard about the situation in the Human Realm, you’d know. They don’t have the luxury of daring to set foot in our territory.”

“What about the defenses of the four cities…?”

“Lady Lirinel and her legion have taken precautions with temporary barriers, I heard.”

“…That’s going to consume a lot of magic power, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s only for a few days anyway…”

Setter, whose face had been changing color with every word Ben spoke, now wore a determined expression, as if he’d made up his mind. He began gathering his weapons.

Ben, peering around, wondering what was happening, had a question mark practically floating above his head.

“Why are you packing weapons…?”

Ben, whose only patient was Deon Hart, could pack weapons and follow him around without issue. But Setter, who was responsible for all legion commanders except Deon Hart, was supposed to stay put and treat patients who came to him. So why…?

The question was immediately answered by Setter’s murmur.

“If there are casualties, they’ll come to me…”

“…?”

“These are legion commanders with terrible tempers. It’s obvious they’ll threaten my life if I don’t treat them properly.”

“…”

“So, rather than that, if I just eliminate the demons causing all the trouble beforehand…”

“…You’re insane.”

Could it be because a situation where all legion commanders might get injured had finally come about? He’s lost his mind.

Ben, feeling a sense of camaraderie, grabbed Setter as he tried to rush out.

“Hey, snap out of it. We’re physicians.”

“Let go! Let go of me!! As a physician, I’m just trying to prevent things that will cause injuries, why!”

“That’s not exactly what a physician should be doing…”

…Is it?

Just like we prevent patients from taking harmful drugs, wouldn’t removing demons in advance—the very source of patient injuries—also fall under a physician’s purview?

“Right… what ‘right’? That’s not a physician’s role!”

I almost fell for it.

“Why don’t you just take your place and wait for patients to come?”

“The world needs proactive physicians!”

“…Completely lost it.”

He must be really worn out from dealing with those legion commanders…

Fortunately, their pointless argument was cut short as the legions began to gather.

Each legion lined up in formation, and the legion commanders took their positions in front. Soon after, the Demon King and the 0th Legion Commander arrived.

The Demon King, seated at the head of the platform, scanned the assembled troops filling the vast courtyard of Demon King’s castle, then gave a curt nod. Mana stones were placed before each legion.

“Have each legion place their hands on it.”

“…?”

“Those recognized by a single mana stone will be counted as one entity—you’re on the same team. Every demon you kill will add to your team’s score.”

This meant they didn’t need to bring back physical proof.

‘Making this was a bit of a pain.’

The Demon King chuckled softly.

Even though it was only designed to last for twelve hours, and not meant for long-term use, it consumed a considerable amount of magic power because it had to be linked to the life force of the demons. Moreover, I had to make twelve of these, one for each legion except the 10th, so I had to enlist Lirinel’s help.

If she hadn’t lent a hand, I might not have been able to finish it.

He spoke to those who were lined up, taking turns placing their hands on the mana stones.

“You have twelve hours to hunt freely and return. The results will be announced when everyone is back.”

This statement, effectively announcing the start of the competition, made each legion commander turn to face their troops.

The first to speak up was Belitan, Commander of the 6th Corps.

“6th Corps! Demon extermination is our legion’s specialty! We should excel in this area more than any other legion. Therefore, defeat is unacceptable!”

“!”

“Hunt with your pride on the line, with the resolve to die!”

“Waaaah!!”

Isn’t having the resolve to die for a competition… a bit much?

But the 6th Corps members were actually responding to that. What are they? Deon, standing beside the Demon King, wore a look of utter exasperation.

Perhaps the 6th Corps’ enthusiastic response spurred on the other legions, because next, Lirinel stepped forward.

“11th Corps! What’s the stigma we always hear?!”

“?”

“—Shut-in demons!”

Shut-in demons… That’s a new one.

It seemed Lirinel wasn’t lying; the eyes of the 11th Corps members changed at the term ‘shut-in demons.’

“The time has finally come to shed this stigma! Let’s show them we’re not shut-in demons who hide in safe rooms and only cast barriers!”

“Waaaah!!”

“11th Corps! 11th Corps!”

At this point, the other legion commanders couldn’t stay silent.

Caught up in the atmosphere, each of them addressed their legions.

“4th Corps, my babies, let’s just beat the guys from the 3rd Corps.”

“…3rd Corps. Don’t lose to those 4th Corps guys who just handle intel.”

“I probably don’t need to say anything to the 1st Corps. Just do your best.”

Among them, one legion commander was about to leave without a word, but his adjutant poked him in the side, forcing him to finally speak.

“…The 12th Corps…”

“Let’s just catch enough not to be embarrassed. You know, something like that…”

“Let’s just catch enough not to be embarrassed.”

“No, I said to say something *like* that, not to just repeat exactly what I said!”

Dahar, the adjutant, whispered almost without moving his lips… but the Hero’s ears caught the comedic scene of the legion commander perfectly mimicking his adjutant.

The adjutant clutched the back of his neck at the unfolding disaster. Deon chuckled, a sound like a cough escaping him. Instantly, the Demon King’s gaze snapped towards Deon.

“Are you alright?”

“No.”

The Demon King narrowed his eyes, as if to ascertain whether he was telling the truth. Deon quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, even legions without commanders are participating in the competition.”

“They wanted to. Apparently, the 10th Corps is facing the threat of being absorbed into other legions.”

The 10th Corps is practically beyond recovery. They’ve lost not just their commander, but a significant number of legion members as well. The fact that they couldn’t even participate in this competition, which involves all legions, speaks volumes.

The Demon King, who had no intention of ruling for long, was leaning towards the idea that it was better to disband them and absorb the remnants into other legions rather than replenish their ranks.

The 8th Corps only lost their legion commander, so they probably weren’t as worried…

“With no official decision made, it’s understandable they’re anxious.”

The Demon King propped his chin on his elbow, which rested on the armrest.

Just then, the voices of the 8th Corps members rang out.

“Let’s show them we’re still going strong!”

“Waaah!!”

“The 8th Corps is eternal!”

They’re certainly motivated. I doubt those shield-wielding guys will bag many demons, but their spirit’s high.

His indifferent, red eyes flicked over to Deon, who was still standing beside him.

“Aren’t you going to sit?”

“Was there a seat for me?”

“This is your seat.”

“…I’ll just stand, thanks.”

A chair placed right next to the Demon King? No thanks. I wish they’d put a chair a step lower, like in the meeting room or somewhere… Oh, but this is a raised platform, so there’s no way to create a height difference.

Either give up on conversation by placing a chair below the platform altogether, or place chairs side-by-side and accept being at the same eye level.

Personally, I thought the former option was better… but it seemed the Demon King disagreed.

“I made a point of it because you’re the Hero. What a shame.”

“…”

Deon didn’t answer, turning his gaze towards his legion. Even though they’d been recognized by placing their hands on the same mana stone, he could see from here that they’d already split into two distinct groups.

The 0th Legion, led by Ed, and the Lofty Knights, led by Milan, Kleter, and Dan. It looked like they were planning to move in completely different directions. Would that be alright…?

Deon’s expression hardened as he recalled the demons swarming like a black tide when they came in large numbers. The Demon King, who had been watching him, murmured.

“Worried?”

“…”

“Even legions without commanders are participating, so what’s with all the worry? You’ve got Ed on your side, after all. Your situation is much better.”

“…They’re demons, aren’t they? I’m not worried about the 0th Legion.”

“Ah, so you’re worried about those crazy… Lofty Knights?”

Honestly, I don’t think those guys are likely to die in a place like this…

They’re the type who ran wild even when Deon Hart was away from a place swarming with demons. The Demon King’s expression turned sour.

“They’re human.”

“Well… yeah, I guess…”

Humans who are practically demons themselves. And I’m not just using a figure of speech.

“…Those guys will be fine on their own. Not that it’s my place to say anything if you’re worried.”

“…”

“Surely you trust your own subordinates, don’t you?”

Deon didn’t bother to answer, just watched them leave with determined strides, his hand pressed to his forehead. He briefly made eye contact with Dahar, the 12th Corps Commander’s adjutant, but quickly looked away as Dahar departed, dismissing it as coincidence.

‘…’

A faint burning heat gnawed at his nerves. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette… only to have it snatched away by the Demon King.

“Even so, lighting up right in front of me is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“…”

“So, shall we go learn archery now?”

The Demon King stood up from his seat. He grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows from the weapon rack prepared for the legions and, taking the lead, added as if muttering to himself.

“Actually, you look like you know how to draw a bow, but I doubt you know how to shoot multiple arrows at once.”

“…You’re right.”

“Then, a few demonstrations should be enough for you to pick it up quickly. After all, the best way to learn is in practice.”

“Let’s go.”

He started running. Deon, flustered but quickly following, frowned at the unexpected speed. Even though he was pushing off the ground effortlessly, as if on a stroll, his pace was surprisingly fast.

‘Guess just taking away his magic power wasn’t enough, huh.’

After all, he’d defeated the previous Hero with just a ‘sword.’ Considering that, this level of physical ability was to be expected.

They ran past several legions hunting demons in the distance. After some time, the Demon King stopped in a suitable spot.

A place with a decent number of demons and no wind. Convinced this was the perfect spot, he raised his bow.

“Since there’s no wind, this will be easy to understand. Watch closely.”

He drew three arrows and notched them between his fingers, drawing back the bowstring.

“You just need to calculate the angle for each of the three arrows. But firing vertically like this makes each arrow fly a different distance, which is inefficient. That’s why people usually prefer to shoot horizontally. But the best approach is to mix and match depending on the situation.”

Three arrows sliced through the air and pierced each demon. When their kin nearby fell, the demons, who had been looking around, noticed the Demon King and Hero together and slowly began to back away.

Two apex predators, who couldn’t coexist, were in one place. Confusion clouded the demons’ eyes at the sensation, as if night and day were existing simultaneously.

The Demon King, sensing the guys were about to bolt, grinned and offered the bow to Deon.

“Alright, mission time. Take them all down before they get away.”

“…”

“The condition is to not let a single one escape, and naturally, to only use the bow.”