The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 135

Eileen, the Vice Minister and a member of the Previous Hero Party, renowned for her Divine Power within the Falcon Empire, found herself engulfed in deep despair.

‘Why… why does everything keep going wrong? Why do things keep getting worse?’

The war between the Empire and the Magic Kingdom had intensified recently. In this dire situation, she attempted various ways to bring Torare back, but ultimately her efforts bore no fruit.

Due to the escalating war, all exchanges between the two nations had ceased, and the Empire found itself at a severe disadvantage, surrounded by attacks from all sides.

If the Empire were gaining the upper hand in the war, she could use her authority to pressure Shude into sending Torare back somehow, but given the current state of affairs, that was absolutely impossible.

In this increasingly hopeless reality, she wrestled with her anguish. Alone, trapped in misery without ever finding the man she had given her heart to.

It was in that moment of loneliness that Eileen’s thoughts began to sharply crystallize around someone she dearly missed.

‘If only… if only I had chosen Ellen instead of Torare at that time. If I had stayed true to my promise and followed Ellen to the end on our journey, things wouldn’t have turned out this miserable.’

Looking back, everything had gone wrong from that point onward. She had promised Hero Ellen Savior that they would marry after defeating the Demon King. Since childhood, he had loved her sincerely and never left her side. At one time, Eileen had cherished him genuinely and envisioned marrying him after their travels.

However, during that lengthy journey, Eileen began to feel that her thoughts were misguided. Although kind, Ellen was just that—kind. He was overly naive and straightforward, to the point of seeming dull and tedious.

Realizing that Ellen lacked the charm she desired in a man, Eileen found him to be, quite simply, a boring guy.

As time went on, and with the prospect of a future with such a man looming over her, Eileen began to doubt if her choice had truly been the right one.

At that moment, while pondering these issues, that man appeared before her.

A shock that felt refreshingly new, like a ray of light.

Porter Torare.

By a twist of fate, he’d joined the Hero Party. Unlike Ellen, he wasn’t naive or merely kind-hearted. With his dazzling eloquence, he attentively listened to her, supporting her feelings and thoughts, thereby quickly capturing her heart.

As time passed, Torare’s contrasting qualities made Eileen realize how different he was from her fiancé, the Hero, and eventually swayed her heart completely.

His charm ensnared not only Eileen but also other women from the Hero Party, leading them to devise a plan to change the outcome of their journey… to transfer everything that the Hero had achieved to Torare.

As a result, Eileen found herself utterly stripped of everything, left with nothing at all.

No epic tales, no man who loved her.

Everything had slipped through her fingers and flown far away, leaving her with nothing but the excruciating feeling of loneliness and an empty seat beside her.

And, she had no choice but to acknowledge that this desperate situation stemmed entirely from her poor decisions.

‘The idea of a wonderful man was merely an illusion… What truly mattered was whether that man looked only at me. I only needed my man, who loved me alone. Just one person!’

Eileen, who had planned to ease the Hero’s anxiety by displaying friendliness and forming a harem, could still feel the Hero’s gaze dedicated solely to her.

In essence, it had always been Hero Ellen, who had solely loved her from start to finish.

Yet, she turned her back on his gazes and emotions, ultimately leading to his demise.

The one person who had looked only at her… the one who would never leave her side, no matter what.

‘I… I was foolish… If only I hadn’t acted like such an idiot. If I hadn’t betrayed Ellen and chosen Torare, I wouldn’t have ended up this miserable…’

So, now, Eileen, caught in a wave of useless regrets, shed tears.

At that moment…

*Knock, knock, knock!*

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a loud banging on the door broke through her thoughts. Automatically curious, Eileen hastily wiped her tears and welcomed the uninvited guest.

“What is it?”

“V-Vice Minister Eileen! This is bad! You need to come quickly!”

The soldier’s desperate words made Eileen feel puzzled, prompting her to request an explanation, and the soldier trembled as he responded.

It was none other than…

“…!? What… what did you say?”

*

“I’m asking just in case, but is the author right there…?”

“Yes, if my memory serves me right… that Black Armor and Great Sword… and this presence is definitely…”

“Indeed… Looks like I’ll finally get to meet the big shot. Much faster than I expected.”

Before her stood the ‘Demon King,’ along with four Demon Race Warriors accompanying him.

Seeing them radiate formidable power, Cassandra and Helene felt a mix of astonishment and excitement far exceeding their expectations from the support of the Demon Kingdom.

In the city of Sparta, located near the Imperial Capital, the two welcomed the ‘Demon King’ and his Elite Guard with smiles, preparing to greet them.

“W-Welcome, Your Majesty, the Demon King. It’s truly a pleasure to see you again.”

“Hmm…”

The Demon King slowly nodded at Helene’s words.

Then, a relatively smaller Demon beside him spoke in a cold voice: “It’s been a while, Paladin of the Empire. Do you remember who I am?”

“…I see. You’re… the one I saw back in Rob…”

“That’s right, you remember well. I never imagined we would cross paths again like this. But still, I must say it’s nice to see you.”

The assassin demon’s voice, altered beyond recognition, filled the air.

To which Cassandra, smiling, said to the former enemy now turned ally, “As mentioned in my letter, if this operation succeeds, I will never be hostile towards the Demon Kingdom again. So let’s get along moving forward.”

“Sure, let’s… get along.”

While they spoke with smiles, a subtle tension remained between them.

At that moment, the Demon King, observing their demeanor, calmly interjected, “Both of you, let’s hold off on that. First, let’s hear a detailed explanation of the situation.”

“Um… understood.”

“Agreed.”

As the atmosphere settled due to the Demon King’s mediation, they prepared to move into a meeting.

However…

“!!?!!”

“What… what is that?”

In the next moment, everyone present felt an abrupt sense of something.

Everyone’s eyes, including the Demon King’s, turned towards the Imperial Capital, visible from where they stood.

Then, suddenly appearing before their eyes was a scene.

It was none other than…

*

To be honest, I’m not exactly a lucky guy.

Whenever I try something, something bizarre seems to happen, you know?

It seemed like my luck had slightly improved since coming to this filthy world, but I still couldn’t say that I was particularly fortunate.

And now, at this moment.

I had no choice but to acknowledge that my misfortune had decided to strike precisely today.

The initial plan had been flowing quite smoothly until just a moment ago.

We aimed to infiltrate the Empire, which had fallen into turmoil, and through cooperation with Cassandra, attack the Imperial Capital to split the Empire in two.

For this, I had teamed up with Amelda and Terra, who were now fully on this side and had combat power to match.

Along with Eliza and Nyadan, who are best suited for this kind of job.

However,

At this moment, having gathered the best party and arrived in Sparta, I was witnessing something I couldn’t believe with my own eyes.

“W-What in the world is that…”

The sky near the Imperial Capital was turning crimson.

Like the horrifying vision of red paint splashed across a river, I could feel the chills coursing through me as my gaze shifted towards something floating slowly above the Imperial Capital.

There was a huge figure resembling a serpent—a single red dragon.