I was crossing the hallway of the Demon King's Castle and heading toward my room.
Although it had been a while since I had been to the Demon King's Castle, I had no intention of wandering around for no reason. It would be troublesome if I were to wander around and run into strange people.
For example...
"...Demon...?"
"Ah."
...Hien or someone.
There was silence for a moment, as if time had frozen.
Unable to overcome the awkward silence, I carefully raised my hand to say hello, but...
Clink!
Hien absentmindedly dropped the flower pot he was holding and instead of saying hello, he was inwardly horrified and had to take a step back. A strange plant wriggled and died among the broken flower pot fragments, accompanied by a helpless sound like.
'...'
I was frozen and just stared at it, but suddenly a shadow appeared in front of my eyes.
"Demon! You're back!"
"Oh um... yes."
I know that you're happy, so can you please get rid of that face? Is there a huge sense of disparity now?
I must have been in a state of mental shock as I looked back and forth between the strange plant on the floor and Hien's bright face...
"Cough."
I ended up coughing up blood.
"D-D-D-Demon!!"
Hien made a fuss. He couldn't bear to touch my body and was just fussing in front of it. If it were just this, it would have been okay.
But the problem was...
"...Demon?"
...My adjutant Ed, who was passing by, noticed me like this.
"Demooon!!"
"..."
"I finally found you! Are you okay?! Why do we meet like this...! Oh, first, let's start with treatment..."
My doctor, Ben, came to visit me.
The quiet corridors of the Demon King's Castle suddenly become noisy, and the occasional passerby paid attention and whispered.
This beautiful event was waiting for me as soon as I arrived.
'Haha, fuck.'
I wanted to hide anywhere.
My feelings reached their peak when Ed suddenly grabbed Hien by the collar.
"What have you done?"
Why are you doing this to such a cute kid? He didn't do anything.
"I'm sorry..."
"!?"
And why are you apologizing?!
The moment I saw Hien lowering his head somberly as if he was sincere, I thought back for a moment to see what he had really done to me. All that was gained was confidence in Hien's innocence.
"Hey, Ed! Cough!"
"Demon!!"
"Don't talk!"
For your information, this was a scam. I foolishly forgot that there was still blood in my mouth. I swallowed blood by mistake.
So what happened?
The blood that had entered the airways flowed back and came out of the mouth again along with a cough.
With the catastrophe unfolding before his eyes, Ed let go of Hien's collar and hurriedly approached me. A careful hand touched me.
"Don't force yourself to stand, lean on me. Breathe slowly."
"Cough..."
"Yes, like that..."
"...Cough."
Ah, I barely calmed down.
I felt embarrassed to display such a rude attitude after meeting after such a long time.
Because of that, I couldn't raise my head and was just looking at the floor. Ed, who was looking at me like that, called Ben in a quiet voice.
"...Did you know what caused the cough?"
"Same as always. Aftereffects."
"Tsk. Then that means there is nothing to be done."
"Yeah, I don't know exactly where, how, or why it hurts, so I can't help."
Of course... I was poisoned, so I don't know where or why it hurts.
"Rather, please help Commander Demon. I have to do the rest of the treatment in the room."
"What? What else is left?"
"Uh, he also got an injury on his arm."
"!"
Ed was shocked and let go of my arm to support me.
Because of that, I stumbled because I couldn't keep my balance, and I got startled and he quickly stretched out his arms to support my waist.
His hand supporting my waist was shaking.
"I'm sorry. Did I grab your arm that was uncomfortable? If that was the case..."
If that was the case, well.
My senses sounded an alarm. A warning that if I listened to the backstory, I might not get any sleep tonight.
Fortunately, he was holding my good arm, so I quickly opened my mouth.
"No, you grabbed my healthy arm. So you don't have to apologize."
"Ah...! That's good. Then, why don't I help you quickly?"
Ed turned on Ben.
"Are you
planning on spending all your time here? Are you not going to treat Demon?"
"I am! I'm sorry Demon, please excuse me for a moment."
Ben rummaged around looking for something in the bag he always carried, and Ed walks along, supporting me as if he were holding me.
So what about Hien?
When I glanced back at Hien, who was looking depressed and drooping, Ed caught it again without missing a beat and turned his head to show his teeth at Hien.
"See you later."
No, I mean... he didn't do anything.
...
"Are the injuries serious?"
Ignoring my opinion that it was okay, he eventually helped me to the room and sat me down on the bed. He helped Ben take off my outer clothes and asked.
This time too, my intention to take it off on my own was ignored.
"No, it's healing smoothly. It's just the slight pain that comes from time to time. If it's Commander Demon, he'll ignore it, so as long as you don't move roughly, you won't feel any particular pain..."
There was something in the middle that didn't seem very serious, but I couldn't deny this. Ben, who had unbuttoned my shirts and exposed my bare shoulders, paused for a moment.
His brow furrowed rarely.
"...Are you trying to add more?"
"..."
"But why is the signal..."
Ben looked at the magic stone around his neck in annoyance and glared at it for a while, then muttered, 'Is this an error?' and changed the subject.
As I looked at the magic stone for a moment, I heard him mumbling, 'I guess it's just my mood,' but since he didn't think it was a big deal, I just ignored it.
"Demon, was there a battle before you came here?"
"Huh? I don't know..."
I don't think there was anything that could be called a battle...
"Ah, there was something similar to a battle."
"Of course! How intense…"
"Yes... well..."
It was intense. For me, it was like a life-or-death struggle. The chase with the rabid dogs.
When I thought about it, I was pulling the bowstring like crazy. At that time, I was mentally unstable. I didn't pay much attention to it because I didn't have it, but even so, I was overworking my weak arms, so it wouldn't be surprising if the wounds got worse.
Ben, who had put on a new bandage, lightly tapped my shoulder as if giving advice and spoke.
"The treatment was completely completed, but I think it would be a good idea to remain alert and wear a bandage for a while. Since the use of magic was kept to a minimum, you never know what side effects might occur if you move roughly for no reason."
"Yes."
"Then I'll just leave..."
Knock .
For a moment, everyone's heads in the room turned toward the door. Even me.
...It's strange. Why did the sound of a knock on the door sound so scary?
This was the demon realm. Unlike the human world, in some ways there were very few people who would come to visit me, and in other ways, there were countless people. I couldn't tell who was standing outside the door. It was even scarier because it was unpredictable. Who on earth was it?
'No matter who is there, to me, it's still a scary opponent that I have to be careful of...'
While I was lost in thought for a moment, Ed opened the door slightly and looked outside.
Then, he checked the opponent. Seeing his face suddenly contort, I was strangely relieved. The fact that Ed was frowning so openly and mercilessly meant that he was at least a lower-ranking demon!
Now that I thought about it, there was one guy who came to mind... No way.
"What's going on? Hien."
I tensed and focused on their conversation.
Ed, who noticed this, stopped what he was going to say and pushed Hien out the door. Even though he was pushed away restlessly, he seemed strong in a strange way. Hien finally opened his mouth.
"I..."
"Before that, you have something to say to me."
Ed coldly pushed him away, so he had no choice but to be helplessly pushed out into the hallway without even being able to have a conversation with him.
Ugh, come on. Isn't it dangerous? It looks like Ed was trying to do it.
I'm sure they won't kill him, but Hien was basically looked down upon in the Demon King's Castle.
From my perspective as a human, all demons were the same, but what is that damn incubus succubus? Thinking that trouble might occur, I quickly opened my mouth.
"I'm sorry, Demon..."
"Ed."
"Yes?"
"Hien did nothing wrong."
"Ah..."
There was something about the reaction that was subtle.
This wasn't the reaction I expected? Feeling uneasy for some reason, I added, just in case.
"Really."
"...Yes, I understand."
"Yes..."
But why are you leaving? Do you really understand?
Meanwhile, Ben, who had finished organizing his luggage, took a step back from me, holding his bag.
"As expected, Commander Demon, you have a big heart."
"Yes?"
"That gardener was going to die right then. Aren't you being too considerate?"
"That's not true, because he really didn't do anything..."
"Yes, I know. There is no way a mere gardener would dare harm a Corps Commander. He couldn't have done that in the first place."
What did you really know? But why...
"For other Corps Commanders, just because someone saw their weak side is enough to constitute a deadly sin."
"..."
"Incubi and the like. Because it's not something anyone can dare to look at."
Oh my god. I quietly despaired at the unimaginable answer.
From now on, I have to live among those guys again.
"Then, Ed..."
"He probably already knows. There's no way he wouldn't know. He just needed an excuse."
An excuse...?
I quickly stopped what I was trying to reflexively ask. I thought it would be better for my mental health if I just didn't ask.
But despite all my efforts, Ben kindly gave me the reason.
"It doesn't make sense for a guy like that to be around the Commander of the 0th Corps in the first place."
"..."
"Of course, with Ed's personality, he wouldn't go against Commander Demon's words. As you said, he won't kill him or anything. He'll end this by warning him not to approach you carelessly again."
"Never again...?"
Hien wouldn't approach me.
It's something I was hoping for, but I felt a bit uneasy. Was it because the method didn't seem right?
I had a subtle uneasy feeling. Ben dealt the final blow to me as I remained silent.
"Didn't it bother you too, Demon?"
"..."
"...I'm sure you're tired from the long journey, so please excuse me. I'll just leave."
After Ben left and I was alone, I slowly laid down on the bed.
The familiar ceiling came into view at a glance. I'm tired. I'm tired physically, but I'm also mentally tired.
I raised both hands and stroked my face.
"Oh really..."
Ed and Ben were mistaken. It's not that I'm bothered by Hien, it's that I'm scared of him.
He's a demon. It's something I can't help as I'm a weak human being, not a warrior or a hero with the fragments.
'But...'
I thought of Hien approaching me with pure kindness. It was literally pure kindness, not with any disrespectful intentions. Of course, that kindness came across as scary to me... but it wasn't intentional. Above all, Ed. Wow, every time Ed treats Hien like that, his resentment towards him will definitely pour out towards me. It's a demon's grudge. I don't have the confidence to survive receiving something like that.
I'll tell him when seemed looks good. I'd already warned him not to kill him, so I didn't have to rush over and stop him right away.
But right now, I want to rest.
I couldn't overcome the mental fatigue, so I sighed. I slowly lowered my hand and lifted it to the ceiling.
'...Shit!'
Why won't the world let me rest? If I moved carelessly, I might get cut. I rolled my eyes, checked the sword right next to my neck, and looked straight ahead again. In front of me, the demon holding the handle of the sword was smiling with the corners of his mouth stretched out as if he was happy to see me.
"Hello, Demon."
"..."
"As expected, you are Demon. Are you saying my sword isn't even worth reacting to?"
"Dvelania."
"Yes, I'm glad to see you too. I don't even know how long it's been since we've met."
2nd Corps Commander Dvelania.
The being who I find the most terrifying smiled and greeted me.