Demon king.
The One Who brings chaos.
The One Who creates ‘magi.’
The One Who Takes in the Darkness Abandoned by the Gods.
And the final boss of the game ‘Raising a Hero’ that I possessed.
The one I must join forces with— aiming to kill the hero and achieve the destruction ending.
I know it, but
I know it well in my head,
My body won’t move.
I’m suffocating. I can’t even twitch a finger.
It’s not just a degree of being oppressed by energy.
Overwhelmed.
It felt like a huge rock, no, a towering mountain, was pressing down on my body.
How arrogant have I been?
Thinking I could control this Demon King as I wished.
Everything has gone according to my plan so far, giving me a sense of contentment.
“Keugh…”
I tried to breathe by scraping the dirt floor with my fingernails.
‘I can’t lose consciousness here.’
Nothing is more disgraceful than that.
I stared at Merdes, frozen in place. My eyes traced the lingering presence of the Demon King reflected in his pupils.
Right now, my back was turned to the Demon King.
That was the only reason I hadn’t passed out yet—despite being face-to-face with such overwhelming ‘magi’.
I had to adapt to this energy as quickly as possible.
I found the Demon King in Merdes’ eyes and observed him. Since his form appeared somewhat distorted, I could at least grasp a fraction of his presence.
“Cough!”
Of course, it was straining my body.
But I can’t retreat here.
Otherwise, the Demon King will lose interest and leave.
I waited three years to encounter the Demon King.
I can’t let it pass like this.
Crunch. My hand, clenched against the ground, was wounded and bleeding—but I paid it no mind.
That’s when it happened.
[SYSTEM]
Your savior has come!
Suddenly, the system window appeared.
[SYSTEM]
<Function: Defense> Artifact activated! (49/100)
The same light as the system window I’ve seen before enveloped my body. Breathing became easier; it seems this artifact can block the ‘magi.’
“Haah… Phew…”
I wiped the bloodstain from the corner of my lips with the back of my hand, then slowly lifted my gaze.
Then, I turned my head toward the Demon King.
My reflection flickered in his violet eyes. Eyes that had seemed dull and empty just moments ago now shimmered with newfound interest.
“……..”
As our eyes met, breathing became even more difficult. A terrifying sensation washed over me, as if my very existence was being denied. My hands, my feet, my body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Am I going to die?
The scene of my death replayed relentlessly in my mind. Dying by sword, by magic, by sheer force—death after death, over and over again, flashing before my eyes.
I’m going to die.
I couldn’t even think of closing my mouth and kept my eyes tightly shut.
Right at that moment,
“My Lord!”
As soon as I heard the familiar voice, the oppressive force around my throat weakened.
“Cough! Ugh!”
Thanks to that, I could expel the fear in my mind and hunched over, coughing endlessly.
“No, what on earth are you doing! If you release your ‘magi’ like this, humans will… Uh isn’t that you, Shekina? And Merdes?”
The one who rushed over was Lyat.
“What on earth are you two doing here? No, how did you come out of the demon castle?”
I had never been so relieved by his presence. Heh, finally, I can breathe again.
“This is…”
The Demon King ‘s voice echoed, but I couldn’t even raise my head properly.
“Is this the ‘thing’ you were talking about?”
“Ah… Yes, that’s correct.”
“Is that so?”
But I could hear it. The subdued laughter hidden in his words.
“Interesting.”
It’s over now.
At least I won’t die.
As soon as I thought that, I lost consciousness.
Ah… When I wake up, I should thank Lyat.
***
During a time when the moon is halfway covered by thin clouds.
Martin stands silently beside the bed, where the moonlight shines on only half.
Shekina lies on the bed. Judging by her irregular breathing, it seems she is still being oppressed by the Demon King’s ‘magi.’
“… Baby.”
He was truly feeling helpless for the first time in a long while.
What if he hadn’t been sleeping?
What if he had been by Shekina’s side?
What if they had gone to the territory together? If they had, this wouldn’t have happened.
Martin is a demon.
A species under the rule of the Demon King.
That’s why he sincerely serves and believes in the Demon King.
That’s why, for hundreds of years, Martin, who has been by the Demon King’s side, has never once opposed the Demon King’s will. He has never questioned the Demon King’s intentions. Just obeying and doing as commanded.
But why does he feel so stifled now? Why is he angry? Why does he want to go to the Demon King?
“Hoo.”
Martin sighed deeply and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. He cautiously reached out his hand toward Shekina. However, his hand didn’t touch Shekina. She was too small compared to him.
A baby this small…!
Martin unknowingly bit down hard on his trembling lips.
That was when.
“Relax a bit, Commander.”
Arthur’s voice echoed. Instead of replying, Martin withdrew the hand that had reached out to Shekina.
“Lady Shekina will be fine.”
Arthur approached and sat on the opposite edge of the bed, saying,
“Lyat told me. The Demon King seems to find Lady Shekina interesting.”
Martin slightly furrowed his brow.
Interesting?
The kid is in so much pain, and all you can think is that she’s interesting to you?
He felt the chill at his fingertips.
“Shekina is just a baby.”
“Yes, she is still young.”
“Yet the Demon King didn’t withdraw his power from her.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Martin slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and rose slowly.
“It’s the first time.”
He clenched the hand resting on his thigh tightly.
“That I’ve been so angry.”
Then, he stood up.
As if he would leave for somewhere, as if he would never come back once he opened that door.
Arthur quickly grabbed his wrist.
“You shouldn’t go.”
“Let me go.”
“The Demon King is not in a good mood due to the visit from the priests. If you go, you’ll die.”
“I know.”
“If the commander dies, I would become the commander, but if that happens, the 1st Legion would become too weak. I’m at the same level as the other commanders.”
“I told you to let me go.”
“Commander.”
Arthur held onto Martin with an unusually stern expression, and a deep concern marked Martin’s face.
“The baby is in pain. But if I can’t even speak, that makes me helpless.”
This emotion was unprecedented.
What should it be called? Anger, or sadness? No words can truly capture these emotions. This is the first time in his life he’s felt something like this.
Therefore, Martin couldn’t withdraw further.
For Shekina, who had dropped a single drop of water—emotion—into his dry, desert-like demon heart.
“Let me go.”
“Huh…”
Arthur bowed deeply, shaking his head. Frowning with a groan, he knit his brows.
“Then I’ll go too.”
“You…”
“I’m as angry as the commander. What else can I do but die? I might as well die with no regrets.”
At Arthur’s casual response, Martin found himself chuckling involuntarily.
Yes.
They, or rather, he, for the first time considered defying the Demon King.
With their lives as a pledge.
“Woo…”
However, there was something holding them back.
It was the sound of Shekina’s whimpering.
“Lady Shekina?”
“Baby?”
Shekina hadn’t fully regained her senses. She blinked her groggy eyes, staring at Arthur and Martin rushing towards her.
“What nonsense are you two blabbering about… Where do you think you can go…”
Shekina, who had overheard their conversation in a half-asleep state, mumbled.
“Stay there, It’s fine, no need to go anywhere. I’m okay.”
Pulling at their sleeves, Shekina raised her head.
“If you challenge the Demon King, I’ll make sure neither of us ever sees each other again….”
Before they could respond, Shekina fell into a deep sleep like an extinguished candle.
So Martin and Arthur couldn’t say a word.
No, they couldn’t even think of saying anything.
It was the first time.
It was the first time someone cared for them, thought about them.
Another emotion washed over them.
What is this feeling? Warm, precious, something they never wanted to let go of. What should this feeling be called?
“……..”
Without anyone saying it first, they both sat back down on Sekina’s bed.
And for a long time, they quietly stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds slowly cleared.
They stayed like that until Sekina fully woke up.
***
I sighed deeply and savored the sensation of waking up. Although my eyes were still closed, I felt more alert.
“Seems like I slept longer than I thought.”
Given the stiffness in my body, it seemed like I had easily slept for two days.
But that was to be expected.
Facing that ‘Demon King’ directly was indeed a stroke of luck.
Just being alive was something to be grateful for.
‘After boasting so much in front of Nord, and now I’ve fallen like this.’
But failures are the stepping stones to success.
Having faced such an incident due to underestimating the Demon King, I should be cautious from now on.
‘I can do this!’
Thinking that way, I opened my eyes in a flash.
Immediately, I saw Arthur and Martin.
“Huh?”
“Lady Shekina?”
“Baby?”
Wondering why they were on the same bed, I suddenly recalled what I overheard in my half-asleep state.
– The baby is in pain. But if I can’t even speak, that makes me helpless.
– I’m just as angry as the commander.
They were the ones who said they would go to the Demon King and express their anger about my fainting.
‘Are they crazy?’
I remember barely holding back the urge to swear and stopping them.
Thankfully, seeing them alive meant they hadn’t gone to the Demon King.
‘Neither of them is in their right mind.’
Why did they choose to go to the Demon King when they knew they would die if they raised their opposition?
I clicked my tongue and raised my gaze to say something to them.
However…
“Uh, uh?”
Unintentionally, I was taken aback and made a strange sound.
There was no other choice.
And at that time I see Arthur,
“Why… are you crying?”
He was crying.
No, why was a demon crying?
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