While I was seriously contemplating it because I was belatedly doubting it, someone suddenly appeared next to me.
I was wary – in fact, startled – and took a step back, not even casting a glance at the other side, but instantly ending the seemingly endless war of nerves between the two.
"Yes, Dvelania. You have to prepare for any unexpected situation."
"...Tsk."
Dvelania clicked her tongue and stepped back, and Ben lowered his head as if it were natural.
Only then did the Demon King turn his head and look at me.
When our eyes met, the black colored eyes were slightly curved.
"You said you wouldn't take the 0th Corps?"
"...Yes."
"Is it because they're in the way? Or is it that you don't want your share taken away?"
"Yes?"
The alarm bell that had been sounding quietly before began to ring randomly.
When my instincts warned me that it was too late, I cursed under my breath and slowly retreated without being able to reply.
Going shopping for clothes was just an excuse, and no matter how you look at it, it felt like going to a fight. Should I jump out now?
But my feeble attempt immediately went to waste.
"Then hurry up and go. Everything is ready, all you have to do is set off."
Whether by accident or design, a pale hand with impressive black nails was placed on my shoulder. I looked at the hand and then looked at the Demon King with an expressionless face.
And once again, the Demon King, noticed my presence and waved his hand telling me to get on board.
"Of course I can't give it up... Of course I can't."
....
For the first time after departure, nothing happened.
It's just that I was quite tired after watching the nervous battle between Dvelania and Ben.
Rattle. In the badly shaking carriage, I was busy withstanding two types of attacks: motion sickness and a fight between two demons.
"Doctor, why don't you get off and run now?"
"I'm sorry, but the attending physician must be within distance to take care of the patient at any time."
"Then why don't you go up on the roof? If something dangerous happens, I'll give you a signal–"
"The carriage is spacious, so I wonder if it's really necessary to go that far."
Never mind. It has nothing to do with me. It's nothing to worry about. So ignore it... Wow, motion sickness.
'Oh God.'
Why are you putting me through this ordeal...!
For your information, I am an atheist. These evil bastards made an atheist cry out for God.
Dvelania, who was completely upset and unaware of my feelings, folded her arms and spoke with her characteristic drawl.
"You must be very arrogant to say that you were once the Demon Lord's personal doctor, right?"
"I am currently the doctor of Commander of the 0th Corps. It's natural that I have a high standard of opinion."
"The Commander of the 0th Corps has the right to summary disposition, so if you don't want to be the target, why don't you come to your senses?"
"If you are confident that you can safely touch the doctor of the Commander of Corps 0, why not give it a try? I will show you how scary a doctor is."
Oh, can you please stay still? I'm already feeling nauseous and my head hurts like crazy.
Contrary to the ominous omen, I was relieved at first because nothing happened... but now I really wished something would happen.
Anything was fine, so someone please get me out of this mood. Please.
Kwagwagwang!!
"Demon, Dvelania! It's a monster!"
Not like this.
'No matter how bad it is, can't it be something I can handle?'
I quickly opened the window and checked outside.
A wave of black monsters rushing in. Fortunately, the ankles were cut off by the thread thrown by the 2nd Corps members and the body collapsed, but it could be seen at a glance that this alone was not enough.
As I was looking around at the situation outside, I found a particularly large monster crawling on the floor and was able to easily recognize the identity of the roaring sound from earlier.
'It would be strange if a big person like that fell and there wasn't that much of a loud noise.'
If I fight there, I will definitely die. There doesn't seem to be a hole to escape through, right?
I looked around inside the carriage wondering what to do, and for a moment my expression hardened.
Dvelania, leisurely looking out the window, and Ben, who was rummaging through the bags he had packed, were so calm that they did not suit the current situation.
As if they had expected it.
'...Aha.'
Judging the situation was quick. I gritted my teeth quietly.
Is this what they meant to take the outskirts?
For some reason, the reactions from the moment I left were strange. If I had suspected and thought a little more, I would have been able to notice.
'No, actually, I wasn't even expecting it.'
Hoping it wasn't the case, I just pretended not to know and thought, 'No way.'
They said that the number of monsters was increasing day by day. Even before I went back to the Empire, there were so many things that we had to fight to defend the city, but what about now that time has passed?
If it increased, it would increase, not decrease.
And since I was the Commander of the 0th Corps, one of the news that I constantly heard even when I was confined to his room came to mind.
'After the city defense battle, a Corps Commander was stationed there.'
And it was said that the movements of the monsters had changed.
There were still monsters knocking on the city walls, but they instinctively sensed difficulties and moved to seek easier prey, invading the territories of other races. It was because of this that there were protests from the heads of different races.
Monsters were lumps of error born from the power of the Demon King.
So, of course, the responsibility lied with the Demon King.
It had to be cleaned up. Circling the edge of the demon realm to prevent the demons from invading the lands of other races.
The border that bordered the territories of other races. If that wasn't the 'outskirts of the demon realm', then what was it?
Now I was moving around the edge of the 'demon world'. To clean up monsters!
'When he told us to turn around and go to the outskirts of the demon realm, he meant to ask us to clean up the monsters on the way.'
Being naive, I quickly accepted this. Shit.
'I cannot.'
Look at that. That's almost at the level of a monster wave.
Black waves were rushing this way at random, and you want me to deal with them?
I can never do it. No, I won't.
The conclusion was reached without even thinking.
'Let's just bounce.'
If I went straight towards the second city without looking back, there was a good chance of survival. You might not know from the horses of the human world, but the horses here were not horses but closer to monsters.
The problem was how to convince the dangers in this carriage and make them jump out of it... I was wondering how to express my opinion.
Dvelania, who was looking out the window and playing with a transparent thread in her hand, grinned and jumped up from her seat.
"Then I will go out and deal with them first, so Demon, please come out at your leisure."
"...Yes?"
What? No, wait...!
Without any time to say anything, the carriage door opened and closed.
I froze, reaching awkwardly toward the door.
As I turned my head, I saw broken monsters falling down every time something sparkled outside the window... Yes, the 2nd Corps Commander's main weapon was a thread pulled from a monster's skin. That's cool. It's cool, but... damn. This ruined my plan to ignore everything and race to the city.
I withdrew the hand that was still outstretched and looked back at the person remaining in the carriage. Our eyes met and there was an awkward silence.
"..."
"..."
Ben was the first to break this awkward atmosphere.
He naturally looked down, rummaged through his bag again, and spoke in an indifferent voice.
"I understand Demon's feelings."
"..."
Probably not.
First of all, it's definitely not a good idea to say something out of the blue in this situation.
"Since it was a long-awaited battle, you probably wanted to dominate it. However, the number of monsters is bearable, so I don't think there is any need to stop the 2nd Corps Commander."
See, that's not true. I wasn't even expecting it in the first place.
I was just watching Ben's actions with a look that said, 'Okay then,' and as if he had found what he was looking for, he took something out of his bag. My eyes shook slightly for an instant as I confirmed what it was.
"Of course, I'm sorry that Commander Demon's excitement was ruined because of that. So I prepared this to help you get excited."
What was in his hand was none other than alcohol.
With a blank face, I looked at the drink and the visitation bag in turn. I swallowed down the words that seemed to come out at any moment.
Why... is that out there?
"This is all there is to drink anyway, so I won't say anything no matter how much you drink. All you have to do is drink as much as you want and feel better."
Well... looking at the current situation, it seems like this damn battle can't be avoided, and if that's the case, it might be a good idea to have a drink to relax... With complicated eyes, I looked down at the glass being filled in my hand.
...Well, even if I died, it's not good to die with a sober mind, right? It won't hurt.
I drank it all at once.
***
The attending physician, Ben, tenaciously followed Demon Arut, who had left behind his adjutant because he wanted to go alone with the 2nd Corps Commander Dvelania. This was because he received orders from the Demon King.
The ostensible reason was for his health, which could deteriorate at any time, and the secretly received order was...
"He may show signs of hesitation in battle."
"...Are you talking about Demon?"
"Yes. Of course, if he thinks it might be dangerous, he will change and wipe out the threat, but even if he is usually moderate, he is too moderate. To be honest, rather than being weak, I would rather call him gentle... No, it would be better to call him weak rather than gentle."
"That..."
It was true. Unless there was a special reason, such as drinking or fearing for his life, he always avoided battle.
Needless to say, if demons who didn't know his true nature saw him, they would probably see him as food.
Ben couldn't reply and just licked his lips, and the Demon King sitting at the head of the table smiled silently and waved his hands.
The servant who had been standing the whole time quietly walked over and set down the tray he was carrying in front of Ben.
As he naturally followed it with his gaze, a liquor bottle came into view.
"It's clear that he likes fighting, but he usually endures more than necessary even though there is no reason to endure it. But at some point, even the smallest thing can cause an explosion, causing more blood than necessary."
So wouldn't it be better to make sure they solve it when they can?
His contradictory actions flashed through his mind. The Demon King spoke softly to Ben, who was silent.
"Maybe if we had more time like during the last city defense, but right now, time is too precious to wait until we can move on our own. But I don't want to intentionally put myself in danger either."
"..."
"So, I order you."
In a dark space bathed in soft moonlight, the Demon King rested his chin and tapped his temple with his index finger, grinning.
The lips, the only ones exposed under the moonlight, rose in perfect symmetry.
"If you feel that Demon is hesitating to fight, give him a drink."
Ah. Ben closed his mouth.
In the end, he was the Demon Kord.
The Lord of the Demon World who utilizes what is available to the most extent possible.
In front of the smooth smile that was hard to tell, Ben just lowered his head and quietly took the bottle. 'Actually, I was a little worried, but...'
It would be a big problem if he went on a rampage without distinction.
When his drunkenness reaches its peak, there was danger of disaster.
However, the Demon King seemed to have anticipated his concerns and even told him the exact standards.
Even if drunk, only up to 5 bottles of alcohol with an alcohol content of 25%. If you go beyond that, drunkenness begins.
And now again.
"It's alcohol..."
Exactly. Just right. Just right. Just right.
Pale fingers tapped the carriage seat at regular intervals. A strange smile lingered on the corner of the mouth, and a red eye that was different from usual flashed.
The cup he was drinking from was thrown onto the floor of the carriage at some point.
Demon, who had been twirling the bottle with his gaze down, tilted his head crookedly and slowly raised his eyes to look at Ben.
The moment their eyes met.
His fingers stopped.
"..."
"..."
The silence was so persistent that even the air seemed to be oppressing it.
Demon, who was looking at Ben motionlessly in the suffocating silence where he couldn't even breathe, grinned.
At the same time, all sorts of unpleasant emotions began to overflow from his blood-red eyes, as if the suppressed madness exploded.
He spoke.
"Did you use your brain?"