Chapter 197: The Relationship Between the Hero and the Demon King
“Mm.”
The place where Rozel Charnte opened her eyes was a forest thick with trees, birds flying about, and spirits running through the undergrowth.
At least, that was what she thought.
“...A wall? A ceiling?”
It was the interior of so building.
Rozel clutched her throbbing head. She retraced the mories right before everything had gone black.
Her magic, the hand that pushed through the raging flas. The fire had failed to harm him.
“...Pale.”
A distant grinding of teeth escaped her.
How was sothing like this even possible?
It had been magic she herself had unleashed, having carved no less than seven Sigils. A conflagration that lted everything.
And yet he had not suffered even the slightest injury.
‘Just what in the world is he?’
At the very least, he was not human.
Yes, thinking about it, that was only natural. There was no way a human could possess such pure mana.
‘Then....’
“What are you doing?”
At that mont, a voice suddenly cut in.
“What am I doing? I was just thinking for a mont. What about you, Princess?”
“Hey, you.”
“You ca looking for ? ...why...?”
Rozel, who had answered without much thought, stiffened. Hadn’t Lavinia Arkan gone missing?
She turned her head. It was no illusion. The real Lavinia Arkan was standing right there.
“Why are you here, Princess?”
“Just because.”
“Weren’t you missing?”
“Probably?”
“What are you doing right now?”
“Persuading.”
“Persuading ? What on earth are you talking about, Princess?”
Lavinia silently extended her finger. There was soone standing there, watching her, as if he had been there all along.
“Ah...ugh!”
She flinched in shock. It was Pale.
“You bastard!”
She hurled flas at him. But with a light gesture of Pale’s hand, they vanished without leaving even a spark behind.
“You should already know. Flas dare not lay a hand on .”
“Bullshit! Who do you think you are? What, are you a dragon or sothing?”
“Speaking broadly, that’s not entirely wrong.”
“...What?”
“No.”
Lavinia shook her head.
“Demon King.”
“...Huh?”
The eyes of Lavinia and Rozel t.
“Demon King?”
“Demon King.”
She nodded.
“Wait a second, Princess, I don’t understand.”
“Demon King.”
“So you’re saying that guy is a Demon King?”
“Yes.”
“...A Demon King?”
Rozel’s gaze cautiously turned toward Pale.
“Allow to introduce myself properly.”
He rose from his seat.
“My na is Berje Deias. A Demon Dragon of the Demon Realm, and the one you call the Demon King of Dark Fla.”
From this mont on.
“I am the one who will beco your liege.”
* * *
“Liege?”
“Liiiiieeeeege?”
A Demon King? A liege?
None of it registered any better than an eighth- or ninth-tier high-level magic formula.
Because it was utter nonsense.
“You’re a Demon King, and I’m supposed to serve you?”
Pale—no, Berje—did not bother to answer. Instead, the aura he had been emitting, which bore the nature of mana, shifted into demonic energy.
As the demonic energy exploded outward, the dinsional power sleeping within Rozel violently resisted.
“Is this still not enough?”
“...Impossible. Ah, earlier...!”
If he truly was a Demon King, there was no way the dinsional interference power would not react. Yet in that basent, she had clearly not sensed even the slightest trace of demonic energy. The interference power had failed to function.
“Does that matter?”
“...No, it doesn’t.”
She abruptly hurled fire. This ti, the interference power reacted. But the result did not change.
“How, exactly?”
“I told you. Flas cannot harm .”
“...What do you intend to do with ?”
“You made a vow.”
If she were given a tail or horn of lust, the essence of frost, and the scales of dark fla—
“That you would serve as your liege.”
“...!”
It had been a vow taken as a hero. A heavy oath that would strip her of her qualifications as a hero, robbing her of the dinsional interference power should she break it.
Rozel bit her lip. But she soon regained her composure.
“Fine. Go on, then.”
That Pale was the Demon King of Dark Fla was shocking enough. But the talk of lust and frost was another matter entirely. How could the Demon King of Dark Fla possibly obtain things belonging to other Demon Kings—
“So that’s why? That’s why you called ?”
From afar, a demon race woman overflowing with sensual allure approached. She radiated an intensely powerful demonic energy.
Rozel instinctively realized it. That demon race woman was also a Demon King.
“Hey, you piece of trash! You already cut off my tail and stuck it onto that Titan bastard! And now you want another one?”
“I am your master.”
“So what!”
“The tail grew back, didn’t it? It will grow again.”
“It only grew back three centiters! You’re aiming for that? Why don’t you just suck the gall out of a flea!”
“If necessary.”
“Aaaaaaaaah! How did I end up becoming a subordinate of such a lunatic!”
Vivian scread.
As Rozel struggled to adjust to the scene, which looked like a stage play, yet another demon race appeared.
One that spread a chilling cold, a demon race diatrically opposed to her. Her power was likewise on par with a Demon King. She, too, was a Demon King.
“You desire my essence. If necessary, I can give it. Still, your resourcefulness is impressive. To make a hero called Star swear such an oath.”
“There’s nothing easier to deceive than a human who believes themselves to be righteous.”
“Is that so.”
Three Demon Kings. Faced with them, Rozel could not keep her wits about her.
Just what in the world was happening right now?
Should she run? No—her legs would not move. Her body creaked as if it were broken.
‘Th-the Princess...?’
She hurriedly searched for Lavinia. But Lavinia was already standing among the Demon Kings.
“Tail.”
“Don’t touch it!”
“It grew?”
“Even if it grows, I’m not giving it to you! You already stuck it onto your damn chira!”
“No?”
“Of course not, you crazy bitch!”
Was that really the princess she knew, bantering with the Demon King of Lust?
Well, if it was Lavinia, she supposed it was possible...
At that mont, the Demon King of Dark Fla stepped forward. Scales rose across his skin. A single dark crimson scale clinked as it fell in front of her.
“The promised scale of dark fla.”
The Demon King of Frost tore off a chunk of condensed ice from within her body.
“It’s small, but it’s the essence.”
“I can’t! I won’t!”
Slice—
Vivian’s tail, flailing in resistance, dropped in front of Rozel. It wasn’t all of it. About 0.5 centiters? But it was unmistakably a tail of lust.
“Aaaaaaah! My tail!”
That was not the end of it.
“These Demon King byproducts should suffice.”
The Demon King of Dark Fla clapped his hands.
Elves appeared carrying sothing. Yes, elves. They were listening to the Demon King’s orders in the Demon King’s Tower.
“Where should we place them, Demon King?”
“Present them before her.”
The elves set the items down one by one.
“Dragon scales.”
“Dragon tendons.”
“Dragon bones.”
“Dragon blood.”
“Dragon eyes.”
There was no need to explain each one. The ferocious mana inherent within them was unmistakably that of a dragon. Having already once ingested dragon blood, she could deny it even less.
“Ah....”
Her brain, overwheld by too much information, went into overload.
Unable to accept reality, her consciousness shut down.
Thud—
Like a puppet with its strings cut, her body collapsed backward.
* * *
“It reminds of Vivian.”
Vivian had also fainted when she first ca here, hadn’t she?
“That’s because you showed the chira running around with my tail dangling from it! You devil!”
“Thank you for the complint.”
“But will this really make her beco your subordinate?”
Reina expressed a sowhat negative opinion. It was the lingering Demon King's way of thinking that humans were adversaries.
“She will. A hero’s power doesn’t rely stop at dealing heavy damage to us.”
The greatest strengths of dinsional interference power were twofold: powerful suppression against beings of other dinsions, and a growth factor that aided the hero’s developnt.
So thought suppression was the most important, but most heroes knew that the growth factor itself was the greater advantage.
Having potential unlike others, and growing faster. Nothing was more important than that.
“And above all.”
Berje looked down at the unconscious Rozel.
“No mage would refuse Demon King and dragon byproducts laid out before them.”
Especially not the Rozel Charnte he knew.
“Before that.”
“Tail.”
“Stop it, you crazy bitch!”
“Wings?”
“Don’t touch them! I’ll rip your arms off before you do! Berje! Save !”
“We should separate those two.”
He thought it fortunate that Lavinia did not cling to him with such persistence.
* * *
Rozel thought everything was a dream.
Yes, it must be that the Demon King of Lust had shown her a sweet dream. Those byproducts were certainly sweet enough.
But it was not so.
When she opened her eyes again, the byproducts, Lavinia Arkan, and the Demon King were still before her.
“Now, I’ve fulfilled my promise, Rozel Charnte. It’s your turn.”
He held out an orb.
“What is this?”
“It’s called Armani’s Orb. For to take a human hero as a subordinate ans having them consu this.”
“Eat it.”
Lavinia nodded beside her.
“Princess, do you even understand what you’re saying—!”
“Do. Ate it.”
“What?”
“Subordinate.”
Her small finger alternated between pointing at herself and the Demon King. It ant she was already his subordinate.
“Impossible!”
“Possible.”
“Tsk tsk, look at her denying reality. A so-called great mage, how pathetic.”
“Lady Louise was the sa.”
“? That can’t be!”
“You were.”
New figures appeared once more. A knight in armor, a dwarf holding an axe, and a woman in robes.
“Nice to et you, Lady Rozel Charnte. I am Kaede Zespine, a knight who serves the Demon King.”
“I am Louise Berfht. I don’t know why I have to do this, though.”
“I’m Ellena Hilderan.”
“...The 9th Imperial Princess of Zespine?”
And the Princess of Berfht, and the 13th Princess of Hilderan?
All of them were royalty and imperial family mbers said to have been abducted by the Demon King of Dark Fla.
“We are now the Demon King’s subordinates.”
“A princess becoming a Demon King’s subordinate! And you’re a hero, no less!”
“Is that strange?”
“It is strange. Far too strange!”
“Soone far more impressive than has already beco the Demon King’s subordinate, so I see no reason why I could not.”
“Soone more impressive?”
Kaede glanced at Berje. He nodded.
“Why did you co here?”
“Well, to get Pale’s blood—”
“From whom did you hear that?”
“...Hillan Cargill?”
“He is also the Demon King’s subordinate.”
“...!”
“So that ans....”
“So that damn bastard lured into a trap?”
Amid the explosive killing intent, Kaede silently nodded.
It didn’t quite feel right, but since Berje had said it was fine to sell Hillan out as much as needed, it would work out sohow.
‘...Isn’t this Lady Ernan’s way of thinking?’
Once again, Kaede shook her head. At so point, Lavinia had co closer and poked Rozel’s cheek.
“Calm down.”
“Princess! Are you really that Demon King bastard’s subordinate too?”
“Yes. Do your best.”
“Is that really the issue right now?”
“Yes.”
“...Hah.”
“Byproducts. ?”
“If I don’t take them, you want them, Princess?”
“Yes.”
Rozel examined the byproducts laid out before her. The scale of dark fla, the tail of lust, the essence of frost, and the dragon byproducts.
Each one was invaluable. None were unappealing. If she could have all of them—
“If you beco my subordinate, all of it will be yours.”
“Don’t tempt .”
“I promise one thing: I will not launch a preemptive attack on Arkan. I already promised Lavinia though.”
“How can I trust a Demon King’s promise?”
“I swear it upon the great First Demon Emperor and The Demon King’s Standard.”
At that mont, Kaede and Ellena’s eyes narrowed sharply.
But Rozel did not see their expressions.
“The First Demon Emperor and The Demon King’s Standard....”
Rozel raised her head.
“You really will give all of this?”
“And if you wish, I can give you more.”
“In exchange, what do I have to do?”
“There will be nothing like what you’re thinking. Think of Hillan Cargill. It’s been quite so ti since he beca my subordinate, yet hasn’t he behaved more like a proper hero than anyone else?”
“...Ha, yeah, that’s true. If I hadn’t heard it directly, I’d never have known until I died.”
“Now is the ti to decide. Will you break your oath and lose the power of the dinsion?”
Or—
“Will you keep that power and have all of this?”
“I’ll lose my freedom in return.”
“I guarantee a certain degree of freedom.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I won’t kill you. But instead—”
“Instead?”
“You’ll live in a cold prison, cut off from magic.”
“...I’ll beco your subordinate.”
Rozel swallowed the orb.
* * *
Watching Rozel float up to the surface, Kaede muttered,
“It seems the Demon King is quite calculating.”
“?”
“Didn’t you deliberately summon new demon races and people one after another so Lady Rozel wouldn’t have ti to regain her senses?”
That was true. As if brainwashing her into thinking that even if she beca his subordinate, it wouldn’t matter since so many already were.
To be fair, it wasn’t wrong.
Other Demon Kings.
Elves.
Dwarves.
Princesses.
Imperial princesses.
Even heroes.
With all of them having beco the Demon King’s subordinates, would one more really be such a problem?
“But will it be alright?”
This ti, Ellena asked.
“What about?”
“Sir Hillan.”
After becoming Berje’s subordinate, Rozel Charnte was told about the true hero’s march, gathered the byproducts, and then left again. Whether her destination would be Arkan or Hilderan, only she herself knew.
“I told her not to touch him until the hero’s march is over, so it will be fine.”
“I’m worried about after that.”
“It’s not like she’ll kill him.”
She had been told not to, after all.
“If we inform him in advance, Hillan will prepare himself.”
“I suppose so.”
Ellena nodded.
“...Is that really sothing you can just accept?”
Kaede’s question sank quietly into silence.
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