Chapter 37: Extra Three — the Demon King
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Once upon a time, there was the Demon King. He was cold and ruthless, unforgiving of the smallest grudge, obsessed with settling every score, and devoted to striking down his enemies by any means necessary. Truly, he was a merciless and terrifying presence. Everyone had to be cautious around him.
After stating his own evaluation, the Demon King tapped the Hero and said, “Hey, did you hear me?”
Restarted for the third time, the Hero groaned, “Yeah, yeah, I know~” Then, smiling at the crossroads in front of him, he asked, “So, which way are we going next?”
After restarting, due to some strange reasons tied to the cause of the restart, the Hero invited the Demon King to visit Courage Town. On the way, the Demon King repeated three times how he held grudges.
The Hero smiled after the third time, holding his list and asked which direction they should go to buy the next gift. Then he pushed the Demon King forward.
A gentle summer breeze blew, causing the Demon King’s fallen golden hair to scatter a little. After blinking and taking a few steps, the Demon King said, “Wait, we shouldn’t go straight. Turn left.”
The Hero obediently pushed the Demon King in the new direction. The Demon King checked the shortest route on a large map marked with various symbols, then looked around.
—Who would have thought the Demon King would show up in such a remote backwater, a place you had to turn several times to reach?
—Or who could imagine that the Demon King’s appearance would be so close to a human’s that he could wander around unnoticed?
Having once roamed the human territories like a backyard, the Demon King clicked his tongue, probably judging the human imagination. As the Hero nervously mumbled about who to bring what gift for, the Demon King glanced at the map again. The scattered marks on the map weren’t far apart; they could be reached with a casual walk.
“So once we finish buying, we’ll go straight there. What are you mumbling about nonstop?” the Demon King asked.
The Hero replied, “It’s my first time bringing you back, so I’m a bit nervous.” He smiled, thinking to explain, “My mother passed away when I was very young, and my father died unexpectedly when I was sixteen. Since then, I was basically raised by everyone else. So, in a way, they’re all my family. Because there are so many family members, the more people I have to introduce you to, the more nervous I get.”
The Demon King nodded, unable to deny it. Then he said, “Hold out your hand.”
The Hero did so. The Demon King patted it once. “No more nerves.” After the Hero froze for a moment, the Demon King added, “I order you to pass your nervousness to me. There, now you’re not nervous anymore.”
The Hero came back to himself, slowly nodding. The Demon King withdrew his hand, blushing faintly after absorbing the nervous energy.
—The Hero really did have a lot of family. Unlike him — whose father, a former Demon King, was defeated and died, whose mother he barely remembered, and then…
Wait, no. If he counted broadly, maybe his demon plants and demon dragons could be considered family too? Counting it up, that was quite a few. After evening out the family numbers, the Demon King stopped blushing, accompanied the Hero to finish buying the gifts, and then— They arrived at Courage Town. The Hero shouted, “I’m back!”
…
After visiting from afternoon until night, the Demon King lay expressionless at the Hero’s house. There really was something to the idea that being around so many people wasn’t easy. After spending almost a whole day outside, he felt like retreating into himself. The Hero came over to massage him for a bit, then casually hugged him and said, “Francis?”
The Demon King had revealed his identity before, but didn’t like his old name, so after restarting, the Hero started calling him a new name. Though it felt strange at first, it gradually became natural. The Demon King responded with a faint, “Hmm?”
He stayed curled up, unwilling to move. The Hero tried again, “Fr?”
The Demon King said, “Hmm??”
The Hero leaned closer, “Fr…”
After the headache faded, the Demon King glanced at him. “Mm…”
The Hero was still hesitating, so the Demon King turned away. Taking advantage of the moment when the Demon King faced him, the Hero kissed him gently and closed his eyes, leaning in. Suddenly, the Demon King pinned him down and bit him.
The Hero lost 1 HP.
Then…
The Hero lost 1 HP.
The Hero lost 2 HP.
The Hero lost 1 HP.
The Hero lost 1 HP.
The Hero lost 3 HP.
The Hero lost 1 HP.
The Demon King lost 20 HP.
The Hero lost 5 HP.
…
After the mutual HP loss finished, the Demon King collapsed onto the bed, and the Hero flopped down beside him. The Demon King muttered that he had a headache and pulled the covers over himself, just like he had before when he’d covered the Hero from head to toe.
The Hero looked at himself, then slipped under the covers. After a brief chaotic moment, he wrapped the Demon King in his arms and, following the Demon King’s earlier instructions for headaches, began gently pressing his fingers on the Demon King’s head.
His fingers pressed warmly against the head, and behind him, all was warmth as well. The Demon King, lying there pretending to sleep, felt his heartbeat quicken in time with the Hero’s pounding heartbeat behind him — thump-thump, unable to stop.
Then, amid the rapid heartbeat, he started to feel a bit short of breath. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was buried under the covers or because his heart was racing too fast. While holding a still pose for so long, pretending to sleep, he somehow actually began to fall asleep…
A dull, sorrowful feeling came over him, heavy in his chest and hard to breathe through, like his heart was suffocating. Then strands of golden hair brushed before his eyes, and a pair of deep, ocean-like eyes gazed at him with sadness.
Someone said, “Then, we’ll leave it to you. Stay here—under these strange circumstances, someone will come to check on you eventually.”
Who was speaking?
The Demon King thought for a moment amid his shortness of breath but couldn’t recall. The voice was unfamiliar yet somehow familiar. He kept trying to remember, but with his breath still troubled, his mind drew a blank…
Suddenly, the cover over his head was pulled away, and his breathing eased. The sudden brightness jolted him awake from his dream. He opened his eyes to see the Hero, newly dressed, holding out some clothes. For now, they didn’t mention settling the account from yesterday; instead, the Demon King simply asked, “You said your mother died when you were little? Do you remember her?”
The Hero nodded, his face flushing before the redness faded as he smiled softly. As the Demon King was lifted up, he glanced down at himself— Only I don’t remember.
“I remember she was gentle,” the Hero said while putting on the clothes. “She spoke softly, always sat there watching me run around the house, made delicious food, and loved playing games with me. When other adults played with us, they always treated us like children to be pacified, but she was different. She was always serious. She was a good mother, and I really liked her.”
The Demon King simply nodded to himself.
—I don’t remember whether I liked mine or not.
—My father and mother, to me, were one who I defeated and inherited the throne from, and the other vanished into the river of memory leaving nothing behind. Whether I liked them or not, after so many years, it no longer mattered.
—I only remembered being brought to the demon realm, fighting a marquis, then after solving a problem, being discovered by my siblings, going through some trouble, planting something boring in the place I was banished from, finding an egg… and then, I became the Demon King.
No father. No mother. No siblings.
“I like you too.”
Just as he was sinking into gloom, the Hero suddenly kissed him again, interrupting all his thoughts and memories.
The Demon King: … You really know how to kill the mood.
Someone came to visit outside, apparently with a return gift. After the mood was broken, the Demon King nudged the Hero out, then got up to dress. Outside, the noise gradually quieted down after a while, seeming to move farther away.
After tidying himself up, the Demon King opened the door and peeked out. Almost everyone they had visited yesterday was visiting them in return, chatting nearby, their long shadows stretched by the sunlight as they came inside. Some were farther off, handing over gifts or laughing together.
The Hero talked with everyone there, and at some moment, suddenly turned from the crowd. He blinked toward the doorway.
Love you.
The Demon King smiled.
Author’s Note:
The story was finally complete! ≧?≦ throws confetti
And now, after the confetti settles, here are five little facts from the author:
- Each new Demon King comes into power by slaying the previous Demon King, and every Demon King must come from the royal bloodline of the demon race.
- The Demon King wasn’t happy about tricking the princess with his naturally weak appearance, so he sought out demon sparring partners. He didn’t like being underestimated.
- Cultivating demon plants was important because the Demon King always lost his magic in winter, and sometimes the demon dragons couldn’t be awakened.
- Later on, the task of guarding the Demon King during winter was passed on to the Hero.
- Demons live very long lives while humans live short ones, so the Demon King and the Hero signed a symbiotic contract. Sometimes, when talking to the Hero, the Demon King felt it was a bit unfair, but most of the time he thought it was pretty good. It all depended on whether they argued over things like what to eat or when to wake up.
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