The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 176

From the darkness, a figure slowly revealed itself.

Hero Ellen.

I never wanted to meet this person, the worst of the worst, and yet here I was, facing him in the worst possible situation.

Torare’s face began to turn pale.

“Y-You… Hero… How are you…”

“Well, there’s no need to delve into the details. The important thing is that I’m still alive after you hit me from behind.”

With that, Ellen slowly drew his great sword.

As he saw the black aura radiating from the cursed sword, Torare felt his heart tighten in the midst of the unbearable pain.

“W-Wait a minute! I… I was wrong! I’m… truly sorry! Ah… No, I really apologize!”

Even with one arm and one leg severed, Torare crawled forward, bowing his head in desperation.

Caught in pain beyond measure, his body and mind crumbling, the mere presence of the hero brought despair greater than anything he had faced.

The hero, an absolute powerhouse even Shude could not overcome.

The fact that he stood before Torare, consumed by rage, shattered any hope Torare had that everything could still be turned around once Shude returned.

‘B-But still, with Shude’s skills, can’t we escape? O-Of course, I don’t really know if she would go that far…’

Yet, despite everything, Torare could only cling to that sliver of hope, even if it was a rotten lifeline.

With that last shred of desperate hope, Torare began to cautiously look around.

And then.

To Torare, the hero calmly spoke.

“Answer me.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I asked if you want to know where that Shude is.”

“!”

The moment he heard those words, Torare sensed an even heavier dread washing over him in this already ominous situation.

“T-That is… so…”

“Well, if you want, I can arrange for you to meet her right now.”

“W-What…”

The hero, speaking with a chilling smile, made Torare’s face harden as he sensed the terrifying implications buried within his words.

And then…

“…!! No way… you can’t mean…”

“…”

What began to unfold before Torare’s eyes was a sight.

It was Shude, glumly looking this way while wearing magic sealing handcuffs on her wrists.

She had clearly been captured by the hero and his crew before this moment.

Simultaneously, Torare finally realized.

From the moment he met Lich Eileen, the situation had already been doomed.

He understood that he had never held any hope for salvation from the very beginning.

And now, in this situation, Torare belatedly realized what he needed to rely on, and he began to approach the hero, who could only stand there as if hoping for mercy.

“I’m s-sorry, Hero! I… I apologize once again! Cough! I… I have truly committed a grave sin! Sniff… I will never do such a thing again, so please just… just once… only once, forgive me! We are comrades who have gone on adventures together after all! For old times’ sake, please, just one time, forgive me!”

With his head slammed to the floor, Torare began to plead.

Having lost all hope and crying like a child, he begged over and over trying to survive.

And as he did so, the hero slowly approached him and spoke with a voice filled with unexpected warmth.

“Don’t worry, Torare. As you said, we are comrades, right? Out of old friendship, I will never kill you.”

“Ohh… Th-Thank you… Thank you, Hero! I truly… truly appreciate it!”

“No need to be that emotional. We are comrades, after all. And by the way, thanks to your hard work, I managed to filter out those worthless women and meet someone good. In a way, you could be called my benefactor.”

“Is that… true? That’s wonderful news. I… really congratulate you, Hero.”

Truthfully, his words were closer to flattery born out of primal survival instincts rather than genuine congratulations.

But the hero seemed to be in a good mood and smiled at him.

“Thank you for the congratulations. Honestly, I’ve been thinking that if I ever meet you, I want to repay you for your help.”

“R-Really…?”

“Of course! Have you ever seen me tell a lie? Honestly, I’ve been thinking of ways to repay you, and I think it’d be nice to give you all the harems you love.”

“H-Hareth? For… me?!”

Even on the brink of despair, the mention of a harem made Torare’s eyes light up.

Seeing his unwavering desire, the hero continued to speak with kindness.

“Well then, it’s really true. Let’s go ahead with that plan.”

“Th-Thank you! Thank you so much, Hero! How could you bestow such a great grace upon me? I will never forget this kindness!”

For some reason, the hero’s kindness seemed excessive.

With Torare’s cunning nature, he would normally have his doubts, but regrettably, he no longer had the energy to question anything.

At this moment, all Torare felt was a glimmer of hope that he might still survive.

Knowing the enormity of what he had done, he couldn’t even discern if the rope lowered before him was rotten or sound; he could only grasp it desperately.

And then.

Watching Torare carelessly exclaim “YES,” the hero Ellen began to wear a cold smile.

“Well then, since you agreed, let’s go ahead with that.”

“Y-Yes…”

With those words, Shude, trembling, began to move unsteadily towards Torare.

At the same time, something massive began to loom behind her, resembling black shadows.

“?! Huh?”

Ogres.

A type of low-level demon used as lab rats and livestock within this Magic Kingdom due to their low intelligence.

There were not just one or two, but five of them here, and Torare felt his instincts, which had been momentarily dulled, begin to scream with alarm.

“U-Um… H-Hero? W-What’s going on…?”

“Well then, from here on out, do as you were asked. We’ll decide your fate afterward, Shude.”

“Y-Yes. O-Of course, Hero.”

With those words, the hero Ellen turned and left without looking back.

Shude bowed her head and spoke with a trembling voice.

Following that, she issued commands to the ogres.

“Grrr…”

The ogres began to surround Torare.

Instinctively seized by a chilling sense of dread, Torare looked up at Shude, who stood menacingly before him, and asked.

“U-Um… Sh-Shude? W-What’s… What’s happening? W-Why are you doing this to me?”

“… I’m sorry.”

“W-What?”

“I need to survive. If you hadn’t betrayed me to this extent, I wouldn’t have gone this far… but it seems there’s no helping it now.”

With a voice filled with bitterness, anger, and resignation, Shude spoke.

Then, she turned her back just like the hero and walked away.

“W-Wait… Just a minute! Sh-Shude! I… I was wrong! Don’t abandon me! Shude! Shude!!!!”

Torare called out to her in a desperate voice as she left the room.

However, despite his cries, Shude did not stop, continuing her escape.

And right after that…

“Uurgh…”

“Human… entering…”

With those words, the ogres began to produce something horrifying as they rolled away the thin cloth that barely concealed them.

With arms as thick as one’s own limbs and a stench that made one gag, the grotesque beasts approached Torare.

“D-Don’t come any closer! Y-You filthy beasts! Stay away! W-What do you…”

Torare struggled to flee in any way he could.

But his efforts meant nothing, his severed limbs were only futile flailings.

Captured wholly by the ogres, Torare, with the last bit of strength he could muster, screamed towards the only one who was not there.

“Y-You Hero! You jerk!!! You’re breaking your promise! What kind of harem is this… Uwww!!!!”

And then…

“Urrrgh… Aaaahhhhhh!!!”