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EP.49 Hero x Demon King
When the Lumis Kingdom announced the existence of the Demon King to the world, the entire continent was thrown into chaos.
Acts suspected of being attempts to usurp thrones surfaced everywhere, and humanity's sense of vigilance soared sky-high.
"That's all fine, but..."
I look at my reflection in the mirror.
A dazzling outfit that doesn't suit me at all.
I've seen men's noble attire a few times, but never anything this extravagant.
"Bear with it. Yujin, you're not just a hero of our country now, but of the whole continent. Some people even call you a hero."
Sylvia giggled beside me as she looked at my awkward clothes.
This was the real Sylvia, not Lilith in disguise.
Her pure white dress suited her perfectly, accentuating her beauty.
"It's payback for making me worry without any word from you."
"Well, it just ended up that way."
She spun around beside me, her blue eyes sparkling.
"I didn't think you'd actually pull it off."
"Didn't I promise?"
"That's true."
Sylvia hadn't stopped smiling since we reunited.
The first time I saw her, she looked as pale as if a vampire had drained her, but after confirming I was alive, she's been beaming ever since.
"Aren't you worried about the Demon King appearing, Sylvia?"
"I'll think about that in time, but I'm not too worried."
"That's some confidence. I'm worried it'll get troublesome."
"Heh... That's because we have a reliable knight like you."
It's a hassle to have so many expectations placed on me.
Still, being relied on by someone I like isn't such a bad feeling.
"Do I really have to go dressed like this?"
"If you go as you usually do, the nobles and ministers will faint."
"That bad, huh..."
I've always worn comfortable, commoner-like clothes, but I thought I dressed neatly enough.
Nobles are just needlessly extravagant.
These uncomfortable clothes-what's so great about them?
"Ugh... what a pain."
I tried to get through this quietly, but the reality was far from it.
No matter how much I refused, they insisted on making me a noble for saving the country.
"You're probably the only person on the continent who would call this a hassle."
"But it's true."
As soon as this noble appointment or oath ceremony or whatever ends, I'm tossing these clothes off.
"I can read your mind."
"You've always had a knack for reading my face."
"I'm joking. I just said it."
She's completely different from before.
Sylvia is still charismatic in front of others, but when we're alone, she's a totally different person-sly, cute, and lovable.
"It's almost time to finish getting ready, so do well. And don't you dare take off your clothes just because you're annoyed."
"I'll try my best."
I really hope things stay this peaceful.
As she left the room, Sylvia peeked in with a cute smile.
"I'll be counting on you, hero."
She said playfully and disappeared.
A hero... things won't be smooth from here on out.
"Huu..."
I let out a deep sigh.
Information about me has long since reached the Demon King's army.
And with the kingdom advertising me so grandly, there's no way they don't know.
Even if I just walk into a tavern, I can easily hear my name.
The fight between the Demon King and humanity-nothing draws more attention than this.
Naturally, my name is the one most often mentioned on the human side.
"At this point, saying 'I'm just an ordinary person...' won't work."
I can't back out even if I want to.
I'm human, after all.
If it comes to it, I'd much rather the humans win.
"If it's come to this, I'll thoroughly crush the Demon King's army or whatever it is."
A massive castle shrouded in black.
Inside, filled with a sense of foreboding, countless monsters had gathered.
"Demon King... it seems Lilith has failed."
The monster, whose voice echoed like a giant floating eyeball, was filled with shame.
It was embarrassing even to say out loud.
As the strategist of the Demon King's army, all the ambitious plans he'd prepared had been exposed, and even his existence was revealed-he wanted to crawl into a hole.
"On top of that, there have been reports of failures from all over..."
The strategist glanced cautiously at the throne.
On the throne, exuding a chilling aura, sat a figure clad in black armor.
The one everyone here feared and respected: the Demon King.
When the long report finally ended, a cold silence fell around the throne.
The strategist and the other monsters trembled in fear.
Even without the Demon King saying a word, the atmosphere alone made it clear how displeased she was.
"So, what's the next move?"
The voice from inside the black helmet was, surprisingly, that of a woman.
Her charismatic tone made the strategist's mind race faster than ever before.
'If I answer wrong here, I'll die.'
He'd made enough mistakes to deserve it.
If the humans united and launched a full-scale assault, it would be a huge crisis for the Demon King's army.
But as they say, there's always a way out.
A brilliant plan flashed in the strategist's mind.
"I... I have an idea."
"Let's hear it."
A black flame burned in the Demon King's armored hand.
If it was just an excuse to save his life, she'd kill him without hesitation.
Feeling his life flash before his eyes, the strategist barely managed to hold on to his sanity.
"First, we support monsters across the continent. That way, humans-who always put their own interests first-will have a hard time uniting. We can also use monsters who are hard to recruit into the Demon King's army, so we won't lose any strength."
He spoke as confidently as possible, but the Demon King didn't extinguish the flame, as if it wasn't enough.
He wracked his brain harder than ever.
"And if we spread rumors that everyone's looking for an opportunity to invade each other and prepare some fake evidence, there won't be any threats to the Demon King's army."
Only after blurting this out, feeling his mind going blank, did the burning flame finally vanish without a trace.
"Good. Proceed with that plan."
The strategist's tentacles trembled with relief at having survived.
Having narrowly escaped death, the giant eyeball was on the verge of tears.
But then, the Demon King's chilling words rang in his ears.
"But that alone isn't enough. That's just cleaning up your mess-you know that, right? So... tell me your next plan."
Damn it.
The strategist cursed inwardly.
All his ambitious plans had just fallen apart-what could he possibly do now?
But as the strategist of the Demon King's army, it was his job to come up with a plan, even if he died trying.
After desperately thinking, a certain being came to mind.
'Whatever. If I'm going to die, I might as well say it.'
When people talk about the continent's most powerful beings, there's one that's always mentioned.
Even the arrogant humans, who call everyone else monsters, revere this being.
"We should use the dragons."
His words shocked not only the Demon King but also the other monsters watching.
Dragons-the race said to be the most powerful on the continent.
Each one is unique, but everyone agrees on their strength.
"Nonsense, Demon King!"
"We should kill the strategist for such ridiculous talk!"
"If we get involved with dragons, the Demon King's army could suffer huge losses!"
Other monsters began to protest at the unexpected suggestion.
That's how formidable dragons are-even the Demon King's army can't handle them.
They're not on anyone's side, and their actions are unpredictable.
There are even records of dragons destroying entire nations on a whim.
"Silence."
The Demon King's voice rang out.
With a tone that felt like it could scorch your skin, the noisy hall instantly fell silent.
"If you're suggesting this, you must have a plan. Strategist?"
"Yes! I do."
To make up for his mistakes, he'd have to accomplish something even greater.
With that in mind, the strategist shared his plan.
"It's to use humans."
"Humans?"
"There are those among humans who'll do anything for money. We hire them to provoke the dragons."
"To sow discord, then."
It was a plausible scheme.
Even if it failed, only humans would die.
As long as all traces were erased, there'd be no blowback.
"If we're lucky, we might even see a nation destroyed."
"I'll accept that plan as well. But... do you think your mistakes end there?"
The Demon King rose from the throne.
As she raised her hand, a sinister, red-glowing sword appeared in the air.
"No matter how much you try to clean up, the damage you caused is immense."
"Th-that's..."
Seeing the Demon King grip her sword, the strategist realized his death was imminent.
There was no point resisting any further.
All he could do was pray for his despair to end quickly.
"Pay for the rest of your sins with your life."
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