Wasn't this a gamble? But this was the plan from the beginning.
Esperanes' mercenary case was an empty bait, and if Remember has Cruel's body, it was his own gamble that will either succeed or fail.
'No, even if I fail, I get your money's worth, so it's ambiguous to even call it a gamble.'
If the gamble failed and the Demon King withdrew the magic, Deon planned to ask Lirinel to preserve it.
He raised his eyebrows.
"There is nothing to say even if the magic is removed. Sorry."
"Ha... Ahahaha!!"
He never thought he would do something so blatantly rude.
The Demon King, who had his head down and his shoulders shaking, couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
This is why he couldn't let go of Deon Hardt. If he's going to get bored, he'll do something fun for him! The long-standing madness of someone who had lived in boredom for a long time that no human could ever have was reflected through the eyes of the station, filled with joy.
"You found Cruel Hardt's body! The body was returned intact. You knew that before you set off! Yes?"
"..."
How dare you play pranks on the Demon King? It's so adorable it's driving me crazy.
He snapped his fingers proudly. Anyone with as much insight as Deon Hardt would have figured out what this meant. The Demon King grinned.
"The magic was cancelled just as you wanted. Now that the time I've been holding on to has started to pass, everything will return to the natural order."
"..."
"I don't know if it's because you didn't think of the possibility of tracking down that grave and raiding it or threatening it, or because you have faith, but..."
He glanced at Deon. Red eyes maintaining composure came into view.
The Demon King narrowed his eyes at the calm eyes that did not show any emotions.
"If it is a belief based on confidence, it is the right answer."
"..."
"Because I was always weak to you."
He cherished him when he was just an interesting and desirable toy before he fell into his hands, but what about now that he was in his hands and has become a hero?
What if, in addition to having the qualifications to be a teacher, he could also provide this kind of enjoyment?[1]
"You made it fun, so I'll move on this time, too."
Of course, he had no choice but to move on.
Moreover, the Demon King was not weak enough to need to destroy Cruel Hardt's tomb. Since he had no intention of doing such a lame thing in the first place, the Demon King loosely leaned his upper body against the back of the chair with the intention of relieving tension.
Deon nodded calmly. It was still a shameless attitude, as if it was natural.
"Thank you."
This was the answer he expected. That's why he wasn't shaken even when he heard that graves were being dug up.
Former Emperor Eduardo and the Demon King seemed to be complete opposites, but there were some strange similarities.
Was this a characteristic of monarchs?
This was probably because there was no need to do ugly things as one sits in a high position and holds strong power. Since you have the confidence that you can punish or crush your opponent at any time without doing the dirty act of digging up graves, you can take it easy.
'It's unlucky, but it's beneficial to me...'
He was angry that he dared to say something that crossed the line about his brother's grave, but he couldn't show it.
Deon lowered his eyes.
'The situation is different, so I shouldn't explode with anger hastily.'
Since Deon Hardt was a hero and the Demon King was a Demon King, no matter how playful and peaceful the atmosphere is, there is bound to be a strange tension underlying it. Do you explode with anger in this situation?
Not only will it instill unnecessary caution in the Demon King, but if something goes wrong, a life-or-death battle between the hero and the Demon King may break out on the spot.
He could vent his anger later when he killed the Demon King.
Until then, he can break it down into small pieces and resolve it in the form of complaining and grumpiness and adjust accordingly. Anyway, the Demon King knew that the current situation was like walking on thin ice, so he will laugh off most things like he does now.
'... No need to worry, he thinks my mishaps and arrogance are fun.'
He inadvertently looked up. His eyes immediately met the station, as if he had been looking at this place the whole time.
After a short silence, the Demon King must have remembered something for a moment and let out an exclamation of "Ah" and snapped his fingers.
"The meeting will be held in a moment."
"... Yes?"
"Break time is over, right? You promised it with your own mouth."
As a result, even if it was a lie, since he promised to move as soon as the magic was cast, it could be seen that Deon Hardt began to properly stand on the front line from the moment he set off for the human world.
So, it was not strange to participate in a meeting as soon as he returned.
Deon, who was quietly looking at the grinning Demon King, let out a dull sigh.
"All right. I'll stop by my room and get ready."
***
Deon had come a long way from the human world to here.
Knowingly or not, he was so tired that he wanted to lie down on the bed and rest for a while until the meeting, but since cleanliness was also a part of rest, Deon went into the bathroom as soon as he returned to the room.
Then, he came out wearing a gown, grabbed a towel as if it were natural, glanced at Dan who was waiting, and sat down on the chair crookedly, putting his arms around the backrest. Dan, who was standing behind him, began to dry off his hair with a towel.
A soft voice was thrown out in the peaceful silence.
"Did you say your last goodbye well?"
"... Mn."
It was a sudden and brief remark, but there was nothing that cannot be understood.
It's strange that Dan didn't notice that the wooden box he's been carrying around so much was gone. Deon closed his eyes and smiled lazily.
"When I came into the room, I saw the flower had completely withered."
"Yes? It's a little withered, but it's still alive and well, so what's that..."
Dan closed his mouth after checking the vase by the window.
"... It's really... I feel like I've been experiencing a lot of really unrealistic things since following Master."
More so than if he were in a village where a shaman existed.
It seemed like it was somehow still alive until this morning, but he wondered when it withered away. There was a flower in sight that has dried out and dropped its petals. He couldn't believe what he was seeing with his own eyes, so he took the towel he had used to dry Deon's hair and went to the window.
As he was touching the rough flower petals that had fallen on the window sill, he heard Deon's soft voice.
"He finally closed his eyes."
Look at its withered appearance, as if it had fulfilled its calling. He probably accepted that there was no need to protect him from nightmares or curses. Deon smiled bitterly, although he was happy that he accepted his wishes, he still felt sad seeing the flower wither.
"The window will feel empty."
"It's withered, so we need to clean it up... but if Master wants it, I'll leave it alone."
"No, there is no need for that."
Because it's just an empty feeling because something that was there is gone.
Tuk-tuk. Deon, who had been tapping his fingers on the table, suddenly stopped moving.
"I guess we can ask Hien for that monster from the human world."
"... Yes?"
"Because it's the same type as that."
Cruel has been put to rest. As if to prove it, the flower withered, and the feelings and warmth that had been felt suddenly disappeared.
A withered flower was only a remnant and has lost its original meaning, so it was not necessary to fill the empty window sill with that one.
That's why Deon thought of it. A strange plant from the human world that Hien had introduced several times as a gift. That the source was the same type of flower as that flower by the window. Even though it has become something similar to a monster, it will not wither easily. The conditions were quite satisfactory and he felt better, so he hummed softly, but he felt a stinging gaze.
"Speaking of strange plants... Master, have your new tastes become strange?"
"Do you want to go to the human world and find the same flower every time it wilts, or do you just want to take care of a weird plant?"
"Now that I think about it again, I think it's a very nice taste. What kind of person would train a monster plant? This is something only Master can do."
"Hm."
This was a desirable change in attitude.
Feeling satisfied that the stinging gaze was gone, he hummed a tune. Before Deon knew it, Dan, who had come over and combed his almost dry hair, opened his mouth again.
"Is that the song? Do not sin?"
"Do you know it?"
"It's a very old folk song. I understand that it is known all over the continent."
"I knew it was old... but I didn't know that."
When he thought back on the lyrics, it's so funny that he ended up humming it more.
There were probably more people in the world who have committed sins than those who have not committed sins, so what if it only contains information telling you not to commit sins? What about people like me?
A quiet silence fell again. But before he could enjoy it, there was a polite knock on the door.
"This is Ed, Deon. I came to pick you up."
"... Ah, the meeting. Come in."
Ed, who came in to lead the way to the conference room, paused. He was so embarrassed by Deon's appearance that he wasn't even fully dressed yet that he shouted for a moment.
"Dan!"
Well, he thought so. He never yelled at him. Deon calmly leaned his face on his arm, looking at him calmly.
Ed's nagging towards Dan continued.
"He has to go to the conference hall soon, but what if you haven't brought him clothes yet? As expected, you..."
"Yes, I'm sorry. Shouldn't we get him some clothes first before that?"
It's arrogant and annoying, but it's not wrong. Ed, who was licking his lips, glared at Dan once, then turned around and took out some clothes.
Meanwhile, Dan, who had finished combing his hair and putting down the comb, touched his chin as if something was bothering him.
"Master's hair has grown a lot."
"Yes?"
"Yes, it's long enough to be tied up."
"Now that I think about it, I feel like the nape of my neck is stuffy..."
It's understandable since he'd only trimmed his bangs so far that they don't sting his eyes.
Dan, who was fiddling with the back of his head, asked.
"Would you like me to cut it for you?"
"I don't have time right now, and it's more annoying than anything. Just tie it up."
Why do something so bothersome when all you have to do is sit down?
Dan, suppressing his bewilderment, gathered Deon's hair downwards and roughly measured it before letting go. Deon looked back at him with a question mark above his head.
"First, you need to put on some clothes."
"Ah."
As if he had been waiting, Ed held out his clothes.
It's a uniform again. Deon obediently stood up and took off his robe.
Thanks to the two people sticking together, he was able to get dressed quickly.
"Master, you must not hold it there. Wrinkles will form, right?"
"Deon, one button was pushed."
"Please just stay still and we will take care of everything."
He heard things like that, but the results were good, so it's okay to say it's done. Now it's time to tie his hair. Deon sat back down on the chair Dan had pushed for him and closed his eyes as the hand carefully pulled his hair together.
But this did not last long.
"..."
"... What are you doing?"
He had to either tie it or let it go. What was he just holding on to it?
Dan rolled his eyes at the brief scolding. Uh... the end of his words suddenly became blurred.
"I don't have any string to tie it with... Do you have anything there?"
"Your tone is arrogant."
Even though he said that, it was clearly visible that he was steadily thinking about what Deon wanted. While Dan was suppressing his laughter, Ed, who had finished thinking, took off the bolo tie that was tied around his neck and held it out.
"Is this enough?"
"I'll give it a try."
In the end, it tied up okay.
Deon, who was playing with the ponytail of his hair that was tied low at the bottom as if it was a little awkward, shook his head and stood up.
"But don't follow me, go to Hien and get the plant. I'm trying to get back a gift I rejected... but he'll probably give it to you obediently."
Wouldn't he rather be happy?
"And wait in front of the conference hall."
"Yes."
Dan nodded and went out. Deon looked back at the remaining Ed.
"Take the lead."
***
It seems that the Demon King has not arrived yet.
As soon as he entered, Deon, who had checked the most senior seat, turned his head when he heard a rattling sound.
His gaze met with eyes that were bright enough to be burdensome.
[1] Clarification on the meaning here: the Demon King has been bored throughout his long life and has seen pretty much everything. The reason Deon can be considered a "teacher" to him is because the Demon King believes Deon can "teach" him the one thing he has never experienced: death.