"Isn't it too much for you to do? We fed him, put him to sleep, and taught him! You ungrateful...!"
"Master was the one who fed me and put me to sleep. It was also Master who gave me the opportunity to receive teachings."
"Anyway, we were the ones who taught it directly!"
"I appreciate that. But my owner is Master."
The stiff-necked people just gaped as if they had nothing to say, and were eventually pushed out helplessly.
Before the crazy dogs were chased out of the room and the door was completely closed, one person seemed to remember something and shouted urgently through the crack in the door.
"Captain! You can't just do medicine without us!"
"..."
As expected, this situation happened because of the medicine. Worry was admirable, but... Apart from that, Dan coldly closed the door and turned around. Deon Hardt, who had suddenly become lethargic as if he hadn't just run amok with a dagger, was crawling into bed.
As he was looking at that, he felt irritated for no reason.
"... How long are you going to be like this?"
A slightly cold voice came out.
Deon, lying on the bed, turned his head and looked at Dan. The mysterious red eyes repeatedly disappeared and appeared through the languidly blinking eyelids.
Dan took the steps he had stopped and approached him.
"Just looking at your attitude, it seems like you've achieved your goal."
"..."
"It's okay for you to hang out like this in front of me, but it's problematic if you hang out so much that outsiders notice."
What he saw was okay. As long as he kept my mouth shut, there would be no problem.
However, it would be difficult for others to see issues that could be a weakness like the one he was currently experiencing.
He stretched out his hand. He felt a lower-than-average body temperature at his fingertips, and soon his entire palm was filled with someone else's lukewarm body temperature.
Was it because he knew that he had no intention to kill, or was it simply because he was confident that he would not die? The disaster before his eyes obediently surrendered his head without a single protest.
"Do you know that?"
He put a little pressure on his hand as if threatening.
"This attitude of yours irritates me. If this goes any further, it will turn into hatred."
"..."
"I endured a lot. This is enough, so take it in moderation."
He slowly released his hand and stepped back.
Deon, who was watching Dan roll his eyes and walk away, slowly opened his mouth. A calm voice asked an unexpected question.
"How is the situation in the human world?"
"..."
"I bet you went to the human world while I was taking a break. Even small things are good, so tell me. How was it?"
"... The Lowfel family was completely destroyed. I heard that everyone in that family suffered a tragedy."
As rumored, they said it was a disaster, but Dan knew. Deon Hardt probably knew it as soon as he heard it.
That's what Stigma Primero did. Anyone who handled information couldn't possibly not know. How must it have felt to be killed by an illegitimate child whom one regarded as insignificant? It's not something you make like that carelessly. Who knows what the other person will be like in the future?
'It's not what I want to do.'
Right now, Deon Hardt was in a situation where he was wondering whether or not he will make an enemy with his current actions.
Dan clicked his tongue and focused again on Deon, who continued speaking.
"Now that the rivalry has collapsed, your guild must have formed a complete monopoly."
"There are some minor flaws... but for now, we can see it as that."
"Then that's enough. Make sure to keep it that way."
"..."
Dan stopped and looked at Deon. The red eyes that meet the shaking pupils were drowsily curved. In contrast, an unusually clear voice filled the room.
"Did you say that just by looking at my attitude, you feel like I've achieved my goal?"
"..."
"That can't be possible."
That can never happen.
He's not tired. Even if he wanted to be tired, he couldn't because he still has a long way to go to do that.
"I'm just waiting."
He hoped that the Demon King would make some move when he heard about his condition.
Make him consume more magical power in the process.
Even if he didn't make him use up magical power, he had nothing to lose because he could fight while resting. And.
Deon got up like lightning and immediately grabbed Dan by the neck and pushed him away. As if he was retaliating for what had happened to him, he spoke by squeezing his neck slightly and putting pressure on it, just enough to not suffocate.
"You endured a lot? Too bad. I guess you'll have to endure it a little longer."
"... Haha."
Added pressure with a warning not to move.
He was worried for no reason. Dan raised his hands in obedience. A smile that could not be hidden appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"If that's the reason, it's fine."
***
There is no monarch who would stand by and watch someone as powerful as the General Commander sit idle for two weeks. In the end, the Demon King called Deon Hardt.
'It took longer than I thought.'
I endured it for as long as 2 weeks. Was this the first time we were meeting face to face since returning to the Demon King's Castle? What should I say?
I faintly raised the corners of my mouth as I crossed the hallway toward the Demon King's office.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
As soon as permission was given, I opened the door and went in and stood in front of the desk where the Demon King was. It's been a while, but his office was the same as before, so there was no need to look around again.
The Demon King, who was sitting in front of his desk, clinking his pen, raises his head and looked at me. The first words flowed out, which I couldn't believe were being addressed to a person who watched and skipped whatever he wanted, locked himself in his room, and let go of everything.
"You're here?"
Should I say it was as expected or unexpected? It was a simple and clean voice that did not even show irritation, let alone anger.
Of course, that thought was overturned by the remarks that soon followed.
"Maybe it's because you became a warrior, but it's hard to see your face."
"..."
"What should I do? You are a noble warrior. Yes?"
Ah, this was a little unexpected. I never thought it was sarcasm and not anger.
I opened my mouth hesitantly.
"You didn't call me."
"That's right."
Even though it was a lame excuse, the Demon King obediently accepted and pointed to a sofa on one side with the tip of his pen.
"I still have work to do, so wait a bit."
I always make people wait when I call someone. Could this be revenge?
As I was told, I sat down on the sofa and watched the Demon King process the documents. As soon as I saw that face, I was worried that he might have murderous intent, but it's better than I thought.
'I've never seen that before.'
I never saw him working, because he always stopped his paperwork to deal with me when I visited.
Because of this, even though I had the opportunity to observe it leisurely, I couldn't find out much, but I do know that the amount of documents had increased significantly compared to before.
This was probably because there are more things to worry about as the war progresses.
'... I'm sleepy.'
I rubbed my stuffy eyes.
It seems that my body has adapted to this position as it continues to stretch. It was absolutely not a mental issue.
'How long has it been since I woke up?'
I'm really sleepy. To the point where I felt like I was going to fall asleep like this.
I don't want to sleep here because I get nightmares when I sleep anywhere other than my room, but when was this guy going to finish the paperwork and deal with me?
I was convinced as I ate the snacks on the table to catch up on sleep. It's clear this was revenge.
And I slept.
I suddenly opened my eyes and reflexively grabbed the hand extended to me and blinked blankly. I have no idea when I actually fell asleep.
Although I was embarrassed, I felt an incomprehensible compulsion to say something, so I raised my head and opened my mouth a beat late.
"... What is it?"
"I felt like you were having a nightmare."
"Ah."
Weird. I don't remember having any nightmares. Rather, I slept soundly as if I had slept in my room. Or maybe even more than that...
"I guess you're ready to talk now, right?"
"... I was already ready to talk."
Now was not the time to focus on such trivial things. I shook off my thoughts and got up from not knowing when I had been lying down. Suddenly, the blanket on top fell off.
'... Blanket?'
The Demon King grinned as his gaze fell on me.
I was looking at the blanket and the Demon King alternately, but decided to skip over the trivial things this time.
"Demon King, do you really have time to talk now?"
"Time was there from the beginning. I just postponed it because I felt like you needed more time than me."
"...?"
"When you just came back, you didn't have much free time. Yes?"
Should I call it age? The Demon King just knew.
After returning to the Demon King's Castle, I must have needed time to gather my devastated mind. That's probably why I instinctively took some time to relax and relax.
He thought I would be somewhat better by now, so he called me, but when I opened the office door and came in, I was somehow sharpened. Even if we talked in that state, the bad feelings would easily grow. So he gave me time.
"... Don't say anything else, just tell me the main point."
It seems like the vigilance was still there.
Still, compared to when I just entered the office, I felt a little more relaxed and my shoulders were feeling less relaxed.
If you say so. The Demon King lightly shrugged his shoulders and said.
"Now I hope to get back to work soon."
"..."
"It would be difficult if you completely gave up on conquering the human world like you are now. Isn't our deal to help each other sincerely?"
"..."
"Furthermore, the number of demons has decreased significantly due to the war with the Empire, but the number of monsters has increased significantly. In short, we are in a situation where we are short on troops."
I had been fiddling with the blanket in silence and raised my head. Our gazes met, and red eyes hid between narrow, curved eyes.
"I thought about it before."
As I looked at his face up close, the murderous intent that I had forgotten came rushing back.
But I must not show it even in the slightest. The being in front of me won't miss even that brief moment. I suppressed the murderous intent and hid my eyes that could reveal my true intentions under a smile. I strengthened my expression.
"If it doesn't work out, can't the Demon King himself come forward and deal with the monsters? Last time I saw you, it seemed like you got it done in no time."
When demons invaded the realm of the fairy tribe, where the heads of each race gathered, the Demon King personally came forward, easily dealt with them, and returned.
"Because it's better to conserve magical power as much as possible."
"Since when did you start saving your magic power? Is magic power so important that it needs to be conserved even in the current situation? More than the demons?"
"..."
"No, the Demon King can't do that... It looks like some personal circumstances have arisen."
... I'm looking at it.
Not to be outdone, the Demon King smoothly raised the corners of his mouth. He spoke, folding his eyes like a crescent moon and hiding his anger with a smile.
"It's a personal matter... Let's say I'm preparing for when an unexpected enemy appears. We're at war now, right?"
"The Demon King's only archenemy, the warrior, is on the same side, so is there any unexpected enemy? Even if it were there, it wouldn't be that threatening."
"I don't know how the World will work. Rather, it looks like the hero has lost his motivation to conquer the human world..."
The Demon King, who was sitting on the arm of the sofa while calmly changing the subject, looked at me without hesitating his smile.
A somewhat playful voice filled the office.
"What should I do to regain the warrior's motivation?"
"... It's not like I had a desire to occupy the human world in the first place."
The words came out in tears at the remark, which contained a strange sarcasm.
He knew it from the beginning. This condition was simply put forward by me in the hope of making the Demon King more happy. Without any grand reason, the Demon King simply chose the place where he could use me most actively.
Nevertheless.
"But a promise is a promise."
If you say it like that, I have nothing to say. I said meaningless words in dissatisfaction.
"But..."
"Deon."
... The atmosphere has changed. The Demon King briefly interrupted and stood up. Took a step, narrowed the distance, and extended his hand.
"I thought I brought in an obedient dog."
"..."
The fingertips touched the place where the original brand should be. Now that I have become a warrior, it was a smooth place with nothing on it.
As if he was dissatisfied with it, he raised his fingernails and pressed it hard. A relaxed voice followed along with a tingling sensation.
"Where did the dog go and why is a fox here?"
"... So."
The stinging pain that should have subsided by now persisted.
I was injected with crazy magic power. Whenever you insist on conserving your magical power, you end up wasting it just to cause a small wound that will heal easily.
... No. If it were the Demon King, it might have been an experiment to gain confidence. This was an experiment to confirm that the warrior's body would not heal easily if it were wounded with magic.
Either way, I felt bad all the same, but I smiled and said something I once said.
"Are you going to kill me?"