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 some building.
Rozel clutched her throbbing head. She retraced the memories right before everything had gone black.
Her magic, the hand that pushed through the raging flames. The fire had failed to harm him.
“...Pale.”
A distant grinding of teeth escaped her.
How was something like this even possible?
It had been magic she herself had unleashed, having carved no less than seven Sigils. A conflagration that melted 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 moment, a voice suddenly cut in.
“What am I doing? I was just thinking for a moment. What about you, Princess?”
“Hey, you.”
“You came looking for me? Me...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 me? What on earth are you talking about, Princess?”
Lavinia silently extended her finger. There was someone 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 flames at him. But with a light gesture of Pale’s hand, they vanished without leaving even a spark behind.
“You should already know. Flames dare not lay a hand on me.”
“Bullshit! Who do you think you are? What, are you a dragon or something?”
“Speaking broadly, that’s not entirely wrong.”
“...What?”
“No.”
Lavinia shook her head.
“Demon King.”
“...Huh?”
The eyes of Lavinia and Rozel met.
“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 me to introduce myself properly.”
He rose from his seat.
“My name is Berje Deias. A Demon Dragon of the Demon Realm, and the one you call the Demon King of Dark Flame.”
From this moment on.
“I am the one who will become 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 dimensional 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 dimensional interference power would not react. Yet in that basement, 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 time, the interference power reacted. But the result did not change.
“How, exactly?”
“I told you. Flames cannot harm me.”
“...What do you intend to do with me?”
“You made a vow.”
If she were given a tail or horn of lust, the essence of frost, and the scales of dark flame—
“That you would serve me 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 dimensional 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 Flame was shocking enough. But the talk of lust and frost was another matter entirely. How could the Demon King of Dark Flame possibly obtain things belonging to other Demon Kings—
“So that’s why? That’s why you called me?”
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 centimeters! 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 screamed.
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 diametrically 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 chimera!”
“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 moment, the Demon King of Dark Flame 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 flame.”
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 centimeters? 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 Flame clapped his hands.
Elves appeared carrying something. 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, overwhelmed 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 me of Vivian.”
Vivian had also fainted when she first came here, hadn’t she?
“That’s because you showed me the chimera running around with my tail dangling from it! You devil!”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“But will this really make her become your subordinate?”
Reina expressed a somewhat negative opinion. It was the lingering Demon King's way of thinking that humans were adversaries.
“She will. A hero’s power doesn’t merely stop at dealing heavy damage to us.”
The greatest strengths of dimensional interference power were twofold: powerful suppression against beings of other dimensions, and a growth factor that aided the hero’s development.
Some 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 me!”
“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 me to take a human hero as a subordinate means having them consume 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 meant 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 same.”
“Me? 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 meet 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 members said to have been abducted by the Demon King of Dark Flame.
“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!”
“Someone far more impressive than me has already become the Demon King’s subordinate, so I see no reason why I could not.”
“Someone more impressive?”
Kaede glanced at Berje. He nodded.
“Why did you come 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 means....”
“So that damn bastard lured me 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 somehow.
‘...Isn’t this Lady Ernan’s way of thinking?’
Once again, Kaede shook her head. At some point, Lavinia had come 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. Me?”
“If I don’t take them, you want them, Princess?”
“Yes.”
Rozel examined the byproducts laid out before her. The scale of dark flame, 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 become my subordinate, all of it will be yours.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“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 moment, 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 me 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 some time since he became 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 time to decide. Will you break your oath and lose the power of the dimension?”
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 become your subordinate.”
Rozel swallowed the orb.
* * *
Watching Rozel float up to the surface, Kaede muttered,
“It seems the Demon King is quite calculating.”
“Me?”
“Didn’t you deliberately summon new demon races and people one after another so Lady Rozel wouldn’t have time to regain her senses?”
That was true. As if brainwashing her into thinking that even if she became 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 become the Demon King’s subordinates, would one more really be such a problem?
“But will it be alright?”
This time, 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 something you can just accept?”
Kaede’s question sank quietly into silence.