Chapter 4 - Allies More Distant Than Enemies

I descended cautiously, surveying the situation to avoid detection by the surrounding demons.

As I landed, I realized such caution was unnecessary.

They had already vaguely sensed the Demon King's defeat and the flight of his confidants.

"The Demon King has fallen!!! Flee, and we won't pursue!!!"

A single amplification spell was enough to drive away the gathered Demon King's army.

Hearing the news from above, the Demon King's forces began to withdraw through the gates positioned in all directions.

The soldiers were weaklings who praised the Demon King, but the mages and knights commanding them were strong like demons.

They had no reason to remain loyal to the Demon King, nor any desire to waste their troops.

As I watched the Demon King's army retreat, I searched for the Hero's power within the Demon King's castle.

The familiar, filthy power and a fragile force that seemed ready to extinguish like a candle in the wind.

Is the Demon King not dead yet?

But the Demon King's life couldn't have much time left.

The disappearance of the power bestowed upon Bella and Tyrant was the strongest evidence of that.

There's no chance it's a ruse.

They wouldn't risk endangering themselves by abandoning all their outside forces just to fool me.

I dispelled the isolation barrier.

Breaking through a window to enter, I pondered how to explain why I was so unscathed.

*I'll just say I glared at them until it was over.*

He has neither justice nor a greater cause.

Unlike the Holy Saint who's obsessed with exterminating demons, he couldn't care less about fighting them.

A strange man who can pretend to be righteous but truly doesn't give a damn.

Come to think of it, I've spent five years with him, but I know nothing about the man called the Hero.

Where did he come from?

The Hero literally appeared out of nowhere one day and became the savior of this world.

No one knows his origin or real name.

We only assume he's from some distant land because of his peculiar knowledge.

I stopped my musings and surveyed the corridor.

I didn't bother hiding my disgust at the horrific scene that would make anyone cringe.

Blood. Blood. Flesh. Blood.

Everywhere I looked, the scene was more fitting for a butcher shop than a castle.

Did they station guards inside the castle too?

After hearing about the lesser demon races, I felt a twinge of sympathy even for these misshapen corpses.

*...How gruesome.*

Carefully stepping over the bodies, I moved deeper inside.

Just as everything becomes invisible under the intense light of the sun, the Hero's aura was so overwhelming that it paradoxically made his location difficult to pinpoint.

However, magic that detects life rather than mana works regardless of how strong the mana is.

*He's above.*

There were only two living beings in this castle, and they were in the same place.

Avoiding the corpses, I arrived at the room where the Hero was. Unusually out of breath, he greeted me.

"You're here. For someone who said they could only hold out for ten minutes, you lasted quite a while, huh?"

"Yes, because I didn't fight."

"What?"

"The enemy was wary of my death releasing the magic. When I told them you'd come out if the isolation barrier was dispelled, they couldn't attack."

"Ha, so where did those bastards go?"

"They fled. With the Demon King defeated and their power gone, they had no reason to follow him."

"Disloyal bastards."

Though it was just bullshit, the Hero believed it all without a hint of suspicion.

"Which way did they run?"

"I don't know."

"Tch, useless."

*Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. Asshole.*

"By the way, Hero, where's your holy sword..."

As I glanced around, avoiding the Hero's sharp gaze, I noticed the holy sword wasn't in his hand.

It's called a holy sword, but it's just a sword blessed by the church. Still, it's the Hero's symbol.

Wondering if it had broken during the battle, I asked about it. He silently pointed to the back of the room.

"......"

There, a middle-aged man lay on the ground in a miserable state, his chest pierced by the holy sword.

He looked like an ordinary human at first glance.

Unlike most demon races that have distinct features like horns or wings, he had none.

Or perhaps he did.

His chest was pierced, his arms and legs were gone, and his abdomen wasn't spared either.

Even if he had wings or horns, they wouldn't have remained intact in such a fierce battle.

"...Impressive. But to my eyes, he still seems to be breathing."

"He'll die soon enough. What does it matter? You finish him off if you want. Shall we get going?"

"Where to?"

"To catch the fleeing demons, of course. From what I glimpsed, one of them looked like a woman."

"......"

It seems I've underestimated the Hero's ability to detect women.

He flew to the castle in the blink of an eye, yet in that brief moment, he managed to spot Bella.

"...Hero, the enemies fled in different directions, and quite some time has passed. How do you know which one is the woman you're going after?"

"...What?"

"There's no need to do this now. Besides, don't we have more important matters at hand? For example, your marriage to the princess."

When we executed this operation, we each had promises from the king.

The Hero was promised marriage to the king's two princesses, while I was to be granted land and the title of count.

The Hero knows the princesses' beauty better than anyone.

Perhaps recalling their beauty after so long, he licked his lips hesitantly.

"Is there any need to obsess over demons we might not even catch? Besides, if this gets out, everyone will point fingers at us."

"Are you threatening to snitch?"

"Of course not. I don't have multiple lives to risk such a thing. But what about the Holy Saint?"

"......"

"You know better than anyone how extremely she loathes demons. Remember Jessie the succubus?"

Jessie was a succubus who flirted with the Hero and ended up with her head crushed by the Holy Saint's hand.

Recalling that incident, the Hero frowned and let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah, that crazy bitch might. If only she wasn't so black and white..."

"Anyway, our priority now is to return triumphantly with the Demon King's head. Instead of this, why don't we summon all your lovers to this castle?"

"Summon them?"

"Symbolism is important in these matters. Isn't it more symbolic to behead the Demon King in front of everyone rather than just me?"

"...You're right. You do say the right thing occasionally."

Was he imagining the moment of grandly beheading the Demon King in front of everyone?

His mouth seemed about to curl up to his ears.

Though it was unpleasant to pander to the Hero more than necessary, if it was for those two...

Who would have thought that people I met less than a day ago would become more precious than those I've been with for three years?

I cleaned the room with magic and summoned the Hero's lovers with a summoning spell.

At first, they were surprised, but upon hearing the news of the Demon King's defeat, they smiled.

"Excellent, Hero."

"What a great achievement! Finally, we can bring good news to His Holiness, who hasn't been able to sleep well every night!!"

"Now we can go home! Yes!!"

Their congratulatory words reflected their individual personalities.

As the warm atmosphere continued, excluding me, Princess Meria suddenly spoke up.

"I sense multiple mana sources outside. Are there still remnants of the enemy nearby?"

"Huh?"

"There are still enemy soldiers remaining outside. The Demon King has fallen, and his confidants have fled. The soldiers are also fleeing, but it seems some remain due to their large numbers."

"What?!"

The three were startled, but honestly, I didn't think it was that surprising.

With Bella and Tyrant gone, no matter how many common soldiers remain, they're no match for us.

No, even before that, they wouldn't dare to attack.

With the confidants fled and their lord defeated, what courage would mere foot soldiers have to face the Hero?

"There's no need to worry. Even if they all rush in at once, it would be meaningless."

I had already isolated the room.

Unless a Demon King-level powerhouse or a magician of my caliber came, no one could invade this place.

I explained this briefly so that even the three magic novices could understand.

"I see. If that's the case, then it must be so."

"Despite everything, Elang has never been wrong before. Though leaving demons behind is a bit concerning..."

As Meria nodded in agreement, and the Holy Saint, perhaps because the Hero was nearby, suppressed her complaints, Karin suddenly spoke up.

"Common soldiers are left? What was Elang doing while the Hero was fighting?"

Karin's expression was too calm to be out of fear; it was filled with pure irritation.

"I was confronting the Demon King's confidants, so I didn't have the luxury to deal with common soldiers. Besides, if the Demon King fell, there was a possibility that the Hero might be injured..."

"Are you seriously trying to pass that off as an excuse?!"

What on earth was the problem?

Even when I tried to elaborate, Karin accused me of changing the subject and wouldn't let up her anger.

Even the Holy Saint, who despises demons, seemed to accept the explanation to some extent, but not Karin.

"Pfft."

I could understand the reason when I saw the Hero's smirking face beside her.

Karin was trying to please the Hero.

Specifically, the Hero who was secretly miffed that the princess and the Holy Saint had praised me.

"...I apologize."

Realizing this wasn't an issue to be resolved with logic, I immediately adopted a submissive posture.

As always, I repeated apologies until the Hero's petty ego was satisfied.

"Karin, that's enough. Even Elang can make a mistake once in a while."

"If the Hero says so..."

After about five minutes, perhaps growing bored of this, the Hero stepped in to mediate.

"Hah..."

A headache, a headache is coming on.

Whenever Karin and the Hero trampled on my self-esteem, an intense headache would torment me.

"Elang, be more careful in the future."

"Yes. No matter how urgent, we shouldn't leave demons behind."

"That's enough, everyone. More importantly, we need to wrap this up now."

As the two belatedly tried to appease me while criticizing me, the Hero approached the Demon King.

Usually, one might feel respect for an opponent after a fierce battle, but the Hero looked as indifferent as if he had just knocked out some street punk.

He pulled out the sword embedded in the Demon King's chest.

The Demon King coughed up a large amount of blood and groaned; it was surprising he was still alive.

The holy sword, raised high, came down diagonally across the Demon King's neck.

Without any magical intervention blocking the sword or a comrade rushing in for a miraculous save, the Demon King's head fell.

That was it.

Without any twist, in a way that felt almost anticlimactic, the Demon King's life ended.

"Wooooah!!"

A cheer erupted.

I didn't see who let it out, but it was probably either the Holy Saint or Karin.

*He's dead...*

Just as I confirmed the Demon King's complete death by activating a life detection spell.

"Well done, my Hero. Your efforts are appreciated."

It appeared.