The Demon King.
A being created by the World to kill the warrior.
The Demon King is a being created by the World for a purpose.
A completely new race created with the clear purpose of 'killing heroes.' Therefore, the significance of the existence of the 'demon race', including the Demon King, that is born from him, boils down to only one thing.
'At least the demons are born regardless of the World's intentions, so there are few restrictions...'
The Demon King, who is directly related to the will, is different.
Do you know that feeling that feels like your whole body is wrapped in chains? The Demon King's free will is considered subordinate to the purpose of the World. This means that even death cannot be freely chosen.
'I am freer than anyone else when it comes to things that are not related to achieving the meaning of existence, but then what can I do?'
What he desired most could not be reached.
On the other hand, heroes are born based on humans.
Humans are a species whose meaning of existence is to live with free will and create various 'history'. In other words, the free will of the warrior, born by giving power to such a human being, is superior to the purpose that the World gave belatedly.
The Demon King sneered.
'I'm jealous.'
The weight of free will varies greatly depending on the purpose given by the World when it first created the species.
In the first place, the 'Demon King' was created hastily without deep consideration with the intention of being disposable for the World, so there are many errors.
For example, when you can no longer achieve the meaning of existence by killing a hero, you have to wait endlessly until another hero appears when you're not allowed to die.
Or, the purpose of 'disposability' and the basic rule set when the World first created life, 'all life has a duty to preserve its species', clashed, and the latter won, resulting in the birth of 'demons' and 'monsters'.
'Even if other things are the same, death is not allowed even if you kill a hero...'
The current Demon King was the strongest of all Demon Kings. Now that he thought about it, the former Demon King said something in the distant past, right? To the 'Devil King', being strong is a curse. It's as he said.
Being strong has become a curse.
According to the meaning of existence, the Demon King must do his best when dealing with heroes. He couldn't lose on purpose.
As time passed, the Demon King grew tired. He was angry in the beginning before he was just tired. Why does the World put human free will first while completely trampling on his free will?
And as time passed, he met Deon Hardt.
'... I first saw him through a bet with the Duke.'
He quietly looked at the white-haired man who was obediently offering his head.
The Demon King did not regret the bet he made with the Duke over Deon Hardt. Even if he realized this incident, hated him and harbored murderous intentions, his thoughts will not change. No, if that were certain, he would rather praise himself for making an excellent choice at the time.
Thanks to this, he was able to watch the growth of a warrior from a closer perspective than ever before.
'He's always been a refreshing experience from the beginning, and that didn't change even after him becoming a hero.'
This was the first time, even in his long life, that the Demon King had a warrior under his command and who resided in the Demon King's castle. This was also the first time that 90% of his magical power had been consumed to save a human being, and that the saved human had become a hero.
Perhaps that's why the Demon King, who had been generous to Deon Hardt since the time when he was simply regarded as a toy, became even more kind when he became a hero.
The person who gave interest and fun from the beginning ended up having the qualifications to teach him at the end, so no matter what he did, it wouldn't be pretty.
He can try to eat away at his magic power, or he could do other tricks behind his back.
He could be arrogant in front of him like he was now, or he could fight back like he was a while ago. There is only one thing he wanted from him.
"I'm going to teach you so many things. If there is something else you want to learn, you can say it without hesitation. There's no need to think of it as a debt, you just have to teach me that one thing later."
"..."
"I'm willing to wait until then, so please entertain me like you do now."
Do you understand, my hero?
The atmosphere suddenly became lighter. The Demon King ended his sentence with an exaggerated playfulness and withdrew his hand with a grin. His expression and eyes were as bright as usual, to the point where Deon suspected that what he had seen before was an illusion.
'...'
Deon could not easily open his mouth and looked at the Demon King.
He couldn't bear to ask, even though he didn't even mention what the only thing he couldn't teach was the subject he was asking for instruction on. Not only because the atmosphere was not like that, but also because he felt like he knew what he was talking about.
He realized it instinctively.
'This is dangerous.'
There is no way he can make what he wants come true.
Perhaps, if what he wants is revealed to him explicitly, the nature of the game itself may change once again.
The changed game type would be unpalatable to both the Demon King and Deon Hardt, for whom breathing and living itself is pain. It is terrible to even imagine living a life of hide-and-seek with the Demon King for revenge until the long life of a warrior comes to its natural end.
Maybe that's why his voice was a little shaken after a long silence.
"... If you hint at what you want, I might find it and make it happen in reverse."
"You really would be in trouble if you said that out loud, right?"
"..."
... He was so agitated that he made a mistake. Deon closed his mouth and swallowed the saliva that was about to escape.
He unintentionally revealed that he had bad feelings toward him and received confirmation from the other person that he already knew. A situation where he knew but pretended not to know surfaced without preparation.
He didn't know when he clenched his fist and his fingernails dug into his palm. He opened and closed his mouth several times, increasing the silence, and then slowly spoke again.
"... I guess that's what I meant to say."
It was a somewhat unexpected remark, but the Demon King quietly nodded.
"I'm serious when I say you need a hobby. It's like doing double duty."
For the current conversation, he taught various things and encouraged questions for the sake of creating a hobby.
To let him know in advance that he will find out someday anyway.
He knew that it was easier to lead a situation in the direction you want by not telling it than by telling it. In fact, the Demon King tried to keep his mouth shut until the day Deon found out for himself. But yeah. He had the urge to express this level of gratitude and respect to the human being whose fate was so strange that it caught the eye of the Demon King, and yet who worked hard to see the end.
'... Selfish bastard.'
Deon's expression hardened.
The Demon King was cunning. He was certain that Deon Hardt would not do this just because of the 'hint' of the true method of revenge thrown in front of him. That's probably why he revealed everything they wanted to say, but didn't mention anything directly.
Thanks to this, he was so agitated that he ended up dragging useless things to the surface. Deon raised his downcast eyes in dissatisfaction.
"... I think it would be better for both of us if we just left off the conversation we just had."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. ... And if you had to teach me something, it would have been better to use some kind of weapon technique rather than something like this."
He cast his gaze at the vivid portrait painted on canvas.
The Demon King, reading his attitude of trying to get out of an uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible, smiled and asked.
"I'm serious? In order to teach and properly learn weapon skills, you would have to know the foundations."
"..."
"And even if I teach you, we won't be able to spar, so you won't have a chance to understand my origins. Only you will be robbed of everything. Is that okay?"
"... When did I ever wonder about the Demon King's origins?"
There's just no direct mention, but now he's talking about the situation openly.
Red eyes shone as if it was unpleasant. He raised his head straight as if there was nothing to worry about and made eye contact with the Demon King.
"You said if there is something I want to learn, just say it without hesitation."
"..."
"I want to learn martial arts. I can take care of my own findings."
You just teach. I will take care of whether it's hiding the original source or creating a new one, or at the very least, figuring out your skills.
Deon was saying that.
A hint of arrogance appeared in his eyes, as if the words he spoke with his own thoughts had touched his pride.
He didn't think he really had any intention of learning, but he just encouraged it. The Demon King laughed lightly.
"If you say so, that's fine."
Only then did Deon, who nodded and calmed his eyes, frown as if something had occurred to him.
"But why are you saying we can't spar?"
"The Demon King has to do his best when dealing with a hero. To be precise, I may not have control to not kill. If we force it, it won't be a sparring match but a fight to the death."
"..."
"I don't think that's more important right now. Is it okay to be peaceful like this?"
The Demon King grinned. Deon suddenly raised his head as an ominous feeling ran down his spine.
The Demon King doesn't go out of his way to tell people things they don't ask about first. What he just said must have been a hint. His head, awakened by tension, began to turn quickly.
"... Is it related to the war?"
"Huh."
"It looks like we have some new news."
"Well."
"Then it's not new news, but it looks like I've belatedly received information I'd been missing... What is it?"
The Demon King gave an answer filled with laughter.
"Shanguk and the Empire have renegotiated their alliance. "It seems like it's been a while."
"..."
"Well, there seems to be some other minor news, but... you can find out about it yourself."
Are you going to?
The portrait was presented with a question that was not a question filled with certainty. Deon, who suddenly accepted it, made eye contact with himself in the picture and stiffened in shock.
"Why is this..."
"It's a gift, so take it."
"..."
He felt bad because it looks like a mirror.
Still, he couldn't refuse what the Demon King gave him. With a shaky expression, he held the picture in one hand and placed the flower pot on the table on the other side... then lowered his gaze when he felt his waist tightening.
Green stems wrapped around his waist.
"?"
"Hiek."
"Oh, I'll hang on to it on my own, so you can take your hands off me?"
"Hiek."
After hesitating for a moment, he quietly placed the flower pot. Fortunately, the flower pot didn't fall. Deon chuckled at the weight bouncing off his side, took the picture with his free hand, and looked back at the Demon King.
"I heard a lot this time, but I won't ask anything. I will not ask you what you want from me."
"..."
"Let me just tell you one thing."
There was a dark light in his eyes.
"Whatever it is, don't let me find out."
That's for both of us.
***
A loud voice was heard from the hallway.
Ed, who was lingering in front of the door to greet Deon Hardt, raised his head when he detected a familiar voice.
Sure enough, the superior he was supposed to serve was walking from afar.
... For some reason, he had a flower pot attached to his side and a large portrait of himself in his hand.
"It's admirable that you want to help... but I you don't need to."
"Hiek."
"Just hanging it is enough for you."
"Hiek..."
"Besides, the paint hasn't dried all the way, so if you do something wrong, the painting will be ruined. It's a painting the Demon King drew, and I don't want to hear that I ruined it, so I'll just do it myself..."
Well, you've changed a lot in a way that I haven't seen before.
Even though the green stems were almost wrapped around his upper body, Ed, who accepted it as a personality with an open mind, suddenly tilted his head as he approached to meet him.
'But whether it's the plant or Deon that holds it, isn't the weight that Deon must ultimately bear the same?'
Well...that's not important right now.
He bowed politely towards Deon, who was now getting closer.