The legion soldiers watched with grim eyes as the intruder was dragged away unconscious, inwardly chanting like mad, I'm dead today, I'm dead today.
They'd thought it was a joke when someone rushed in from outside during their break after lunch, yelling for everyone to assemble immediately.
And why wouldn't they? The commander had shown up. He only dropped by once in a blue moon, if that.
But there wasn't a shred of deceit on the guy's face, which had turned as blue as a blueberry. The moment they realized it was real, they freaked out and bolted to the training grounds like their lives depended on it.
And there they faced their commander.
"I was curious."
His response to their bold question about why he'd come was profoundly cryptic.
Curious about what, exactly?
The mystery didn't last long.
Demon strolled off leisurely, as if out for a casual walk.
Then, in an instant, he bent at the waist with unbelievable speed to dodge a sword aimed at his neck, spun his upper body, and slammed an elbow into the enemy's solar plexus. Every move was swift and flowed as naturally as water.
Only then did they get it. What he meant by "curious."
"I was curious."
—Did he really not know?
Did he truly have no idea that an intruder had made it all the way to the training grounds?
That he'd been lounging around so casually despite that?
Ignoring the shocked, frozen soldiers, Demon raised his wooden sword leisurely, as if intent on knocking the guy out.
And then, a crisp sound echoed across the training grounds.
Crack!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I barely managed to stop the legion soldiers from bowing their heads repeatedly and groveling with endless apologies and self-deprecation before shutting myself back in my room.
All my tasks were done.
I'd taken a stroll in the garden, checked on the legion, and even had the meal at the cafeteria that Ben had insisted on. I wouldn't need to step outside for a while.
Finally reveling in some peaceful downtime, I was rolling around happily on the bed when a knock came at the door.
"Demon, sir. It's Ed."
Ed—my adjutant. He'd gone all the way to the human realm to find some novel puzzle or cube to cure my boredom, and now he was finally back.
I shot up from the bed in eager anticipation.
"Come in."
Ed's expression, after so long apart, was strangely stiff and rigid.
Had something bad happened to him out there? No, the Demon King himself had handpicked him for the adjutant position in the 0th Legion, a spot reserved for talent worthy of being considered for commander. With Ed's skills, he could handle most foes with ease...
"I've brought a new cube. It's called the Mirror Cube—a bit unique."
"Oh."
"And..."
Sweat beading on his forehead, he glanced sideways.
He was still standing in the hallway with the door open, so I had no idea what he was looking at.
Finally, Ed swallowed dryly and spoke slowly.
"...The Demon King is here to see you."
"Oh."
...Oh?
"If you're not busy, do you have a moment?"
Thud. Heavy footsteps accompanied the entrance of a familiar figure.
His sharp gaze swept the room before landing on me on the bed, curving into a crescent moon smile.
After a brief silence, I pieced it together, tossed aside the pillow I'd been hugging, and jumped to my feet.
Wh-what was the Demon King doing here? I hadn't caused any trouble this time...
...Well, there was one thing nagging at me.
"Is this about that intruder?"
"Right."
Just as expected, he flashed a pleased smile and jerked his chin toward the door.
"I have something to say about it. If you're free, come with me to see the prisoner."
That meant heading to the underground dungeon together, right?
What was going on? Had that intruder said something weird about me? Being human, his words might carry some credibility.
Whatever it was, I had no intention of dying pointlessly like this. I shot Ed a glance loaded with a plea for help.
And I clearly saw him avert his eyes.
Damn it.
The underground dungeon let in not a speck of light. It was even damp.
Yeah, in the end, I'd been dragged along.
"Open it."
At the Demon King's command, the sturdy iron bars swung open in an instant.
The soldier who'd opened the door bowed deeply at the order to leave and vanished.
Watching his retreating back, the Demon King turned his gaze to the "human" inside the cell.
The intruder, now covered in blood, glared at him fiercely, but the Demon King ignored it, striding in and kneeling before him.
"Deon."
With everyone else dismissed, he'd used my real name.
The intruder's eyes snapped to me.
His gaze screamed that he'd devour me if he could. Oddly, it burned with more malice toward me than the Demon King. Probably just my imagination.
Whatever. The Demon King grabbed the intruder's hair roughly, yanked his head up, and turned it toward me.
"Take a good look at this guy. Doesn't he seem familiar?"
Apart from being human, I had no idea...
When I stayed silent, the Demon King began explaining patiently, like he was dropping hints.
"Human, yet strong enough to take down most demons single-handedly. A power that grows especially potent against me, the 'Demon King.'"
His battered state made sense now—the Demon King had been toying with him.
But that wasn't the point. Hearing the explanation, my expression hardened involuntarily.
"No way..."
"Yeah."
The Demon King dropped the hair like trash, shook the blood from his hand, and grinned.
"A fragment of the Hero. The ones the Empire calls 'Hero fragments' and praises to the skies—"
"...A Hero."
"Not funny, is it?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When a Hero dies, they have two choices.
One of them—to focus on just this for now—involves scattering the 'Hero's power,' which crumbles and vanishes upon death, across the continent to create those who can at least put up a fight against the Demon King.
It'd be ideal if the full power could be passed intact to one person, but it can't be transferred in life, and it starts disintegrating at death. So all they can do is sacrifice their dying breath to spread those fragments, birthing individuals who inherit a portion of the Hero's strength.
The Empire sought out those with such fragments, calling them 'Heroes.'
Of course, they didn't hand out the title lightly. Informally, anyone with a 'Hero fragment' was called a Hero, but officially, only those with exceptional abilities and notable achievements received the title, along with honors beyond compare.
The bloodied human before me was unfortunately one of the former.
'An unofficial Hero fragment. Failed to become an official Hero.'
Still, he'd been called a 'Hero candidate.' A card too valuable to discard carelessly.
And such a person had infiltrated the Demon King's castle.
'Why on earth?'
His scarlet eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
The emotions flickering within weren't mere simple curiosity, like why or how did he get here? It was bewilderment at something incomprehensible.
There was no reason for a Hero candidate to come here. He carried no message, showed no special purpose beyond eliminating demons including the Demon King, and crucially, he'd attacked Deon himself.
'Why did he attack me? Is there some deeper reason?'
—What on earth was he thinking?
"...So, there's a legion commanders' meeting this afternoon. I'll come pick you up myself, so we'll see each other then."
"..."
With no reply forthcoming, the Demon King stood and turned to Deon.
Not even a blink.
Deep in thought, it seemed. His already stern face had frozen even more rigidly.
'Looks like he has no intention of coming up with me.'
Shaking his head inwardly, he tried broaching the subject casually to confirm.
"Planning to stay a bit longer?"
"Yes."
"Alright, then. I'll wait outside."
The Demon King exited the cell and slowly departed.
...The deliberations were over.
Gauging the distance by the fading footsteps, Deon lowered his gaze to the intruder.
Dry, inscrutable eyes. Crimson orbs, gleaming like they were steeped in blood, fixed on the intruder.
But the intruder didn't look away. Instead, he stiffly lifted his head and glared at Deon.
His eyes brimmed with unmistakable hatred and rage, rooted in a sense of betrayal.
Finally, his cracked, bloodied lips parted slowly.
"Deon Hart."
My full name, after so long.
A glint sparked in Deon's eyes.
Gnashing his teeth, the intruder spat out his words laced with boiling fury, hatred, and icy resentment.
"You traitor bastard."
"..."
Ah.
Now it all made sense.
His narrowed, tense eyes relaxed as if the steam had cleared. His voice, similarly eased of tension, flowed out casually.
"You're a discarded pawn."
"What?"
Not worth the mental energy. What a waste of time.
Dismissing the dumbstruck retort as unworthy of response, Deon fixed him with undisguised pity and asked:
"What crime did you commit?"
"What the hell are you babbling about? Discarded pawn? Crime?!"
"What did you do to fall out of the Emperor's favor?"
"Nonsense! His Majesty entrusted me with a critical mission! If I was out of favor, he wouldn't have given me the assignment!"
Even as he protested, a flicker of guilt made his eyes tremble faintly.
In the dim space lit only by a candle on the verge of extinguishing, Deon keenly caught the quiver and stepped into the cell past the bars.
Unlike the Demon King, he knelt before the intruder and did nothing.
He simply stared at him.
And spoke.
"No, the fact that you called me a 'traitor' proves it. You've fallen out of the Emperor's good graces and been abandoned here."
"No way..."
Speaking calmly, like a teacher laying out reality, Deon judged there was no point wasting more time here and rose.
The conclusion was clear.
There was no need to keep this one alive. Better to kill him for sure.
But knowing he lacked the authority to decide that, Deon looked down at him and curled his lip.
Then, in a voice laced with intent to carry to any listeners, firm and resonant, he declared into the underground chamber:
"His Majesty knows everything."
"!"
With the intruder's eyes widening in shock, Deon turned away without another glance.
Behind him erupted a venomous outburst.
"That damn Emperor!!"
What shallow loyalty.
A sneer on his lips, Deon paused at the dungeon entrance upon spotting the Demon King waiting.
Studying his now-expressionless face—as if the smile had never been—the Demon King slowly spoke.
"I heard."
Letting out a hollow chuckle, he continued.
"That's too much. Saying that means I have no choice but to kill him now. He might've been useful somewhere if handled right. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"..."
"Fine, fine. I said it inside too, but you seemed not to hear, so once more: legion commanders' meeting this afternoon. I'll come get you myself, so wait in your room."
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