The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 177

After finishing off Torare, she cautiously stepped out of the room.

As a member of the Four Demon Maidens and a witch of the Previous Hero Party—Shude.

In this moment, a dreadful despair and fear, which she hadn’t felt even when facing that Demon King, writhed in her heart.

It was terrifying. To be honest, she wanted to run away just like this.

But where to?

No matter how much she thought about it, no suitable place came to mind.

The enemy nation, the Empire, wasn’t even a choice, and the same went for the Elf Church Country.

The Beastman Kingdom had some possibility, but it was too far away.

And above all, the Hero who had tracked her down from the Demon Kingdom to this place… to what could be considered her stronghold, the Magic Kingdom.

No matter where she ran, she would ultimately be caught by such a person. Even if she managed to escape again, it would only turn into a longer game of hide-and-seek.

Considering this, it would actually be better to receive her punishment right here and now.

However, she honestly predicted that even that punishment would undoubtedly ruin her life beyond recovery.

Looking at the fate of the companions who had betrayed the Hero alongside her, the answer was clear.

In Torare’s case, there was no need to speak further; his state was obvious.

As for Terra, she had fallen into a beast with no sense left.

Amelda, on the other hand, had maintained some self-awareness but had become a Dark Elf, the greatest humiliation for an Elf.

And then there was Eileen, who had become a Lich, a situation that was nothing short of the worst, neither alive nor dead.

Thus, among her companions, who had all turned into mere shadows of life, the idea of her future ending quietly was utterly foolish.

‘At least I tried to hand Torare over to get a more lenient punishment…’

To be honest, she wanted to avoid becoming like Terra or Eileen, with their self lost or bodies twisted into the worst of existences.

Something like being brainwashed, as with Amelda, and changing into a somewhat docile being was her best chance.

But this too depended on the Hero’s heart.

Shude knew very well that she had to somehow appease the Hero.

‘At least handing over Torare should have earned me some leniency… Besides, unlike the others, I had kept some distance from the Hero.’

With a mix of anxiety, expectation, and a hint of resignation,

Shude headed to the reception room where the Hero’s party was waiting.

*

After handling matters with Torare, Shude silently entered the room.

Without much resistance, she entered calmly and slowly stood before me, sitting in the chair.

And…

-Thud!

“…”

Kneeling before me, Shude sat down.

Looking up at me, she spoke in a calm yet serious voice.

“I won’t make any half-hearted excuses. Please… punish me.”

“Hmm…”

I had heard enough apologies earlier, and Shude had neatly handed over Torare’s whereabouts as I requested.

Now, all that remained was to decide on her punishment.

And regarding this, I had already made up my mind.

If I were to argue about fairness in detail, there might be someone who would feel wronged.

However, to be honest, I wasn’t a judge, and I had no reason to scrutinize such details.

And importantly, having dealt with Torare, my desire for revenge had somewhat been satisfied.

‘Moreover, thanks to Shude handing Torare over, the situation was resolved more easily. If he had been hiding in some pleasure district, it would have been hard to find him.’

Unlike other high-ranking figures, Torare was relatively low in public recognition, making Shude’s cooperation a great help.

Additionally, among the Hero Party members who had feigned affection towards me, her position could be considered tsundere.

Whether it was because she wasn’t used to feigning love in this way or simply didn’t like the Hero that much, she kept her distance from me, so the impact of her betrayal wasn’t particularly severe.

Thus, considering the psychological and practical aspects that left room for leniency,

I administered the punishment I had in mind to Shude before me.

“Then, I’ll ask a favor. Samuel.”

“Understood. But remember to keep your promise. The Hero, Hector, has been lacking energy lately and needs to recover.”

“Do as you wish; what I wanted was the process. What happens afterward doesn’t matter to me.”

“Got it.”

With that sort of ‘transaction’ finished, Samuel approached Shude.

As always, with her characteristic ●△● face, she reached out to Shude, who looked at her with a fearful expression.

And…

*

In the aftermath at the witches’ capital, where seven-tenths of the residents had been slaughtered due to divine punishment and the leadership had crumbled, leaving it practically abandoned,

I once again conversed with God Amun in the heavens.

“Thank you for your hard work, Hero. I almost got caught up in that filthy magic myself, but thanks to you, it was resolved without any issues.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, God Amun.”

We exchanged words of gratitude, but honestly, from my perspective, the ‘deal’ with God Amun was definitely a profitable arrangement.

Had it not been for him, the Magic King’s ceremony would likely have been completely successful, and I couldn’t know what would have happened after that.

Moreover, it was also appreciated that he left Torare alive as per the agreement.

Thus, feeling that our interests aligned with such an entity,

I couldn’t help but feel that ‘God exists’ as I bid farewell to God Amun.

“Then, if you need anything else, I’ll see you again then.”

“Understood. Take care. Be well, being from another dimension.”

With those words, the red dragon ascended into the heavens and vanished.

Immediately after concluding my conversation with an absolute being, I returned to the ground where my companions were waiting.

Now that everything, including revenge, was over, I truly felt joy at being able to go home at last.

*

“Ha…”

With a deep sigh, Shude organized her belongings.

Wearing the black shackles, the symbol of a slave, she moved on while simultaneously experiencing a mix of relief and emptiness that wouldn’t go away.

‘Still… is this perhaps somewhat better? Compared to the others…’

Just a few days ago, if she had met this fate, she would have chosen to bite her tongue and die.

However, considering the horrific outcomes of the others, she couldn’t shake the thought that perhaps her situation was relatively fortunate.

“Um… uh… so, Shude? No, Shude. Now that it’s all over, let’s go.”

“Yes, understood. My Lord.”

The voice belonged to Dagon, a person who had once been her junior and treasured little brother but was now designated as her master.

Hearing this, Shude reassured herself that she had received a considerably lenient punishment compared to the others and packed her things to leave.

*

“Come on, eat up.”

“Yes? But this….”

Before him lay something that resembled a black jewel.

The man, Hector, who still held the now insignificant title of Hero, showed deep confusion at Samuel’s insistence to consume it, but Samuel spoke firmly.

“It’s fine. This is the Magic Heart extracted from a powerful witch not long ago. Apparently, it restores one’s vitality with just one dose, especially since the Hero has been lacking strength lately.”

“The… Magic Heart… where on earth did you get this?”

“You don’t need to know the details. Just eat it.”

Facing Samuel’s insistent pressure, Hector realized he had no right to refuse and looked at the object in front of him with an uneasy expression.

The Magic Heart.

A source of power that forms within powerful witches, especially high-ranking ones.

It’s said that only those with skills above that of the Hero Party’s Dagon can possess one.

‘They say acquiring it requires a special magic to extract it without killing the subject… How on earth did they obtain this? Did they raid a warehouse in the capital of the Magic Kingdom or something?’

Indeed, there were rumors that this was particularly good for men, but obtaining it was as hard as plucking stars from the sky.

The fact that there were only a few high-ranking witches capable of becoming the target for this.

Moreover, since it must be extracted with special magic alive, it was a precious item counted as among the rarest even within the Magic Kingdom.

When considering the fate of the high-ranking witches who had been war prisoners, it was even more understandable.

Essentially, it was akin to discarding a high-ranking witch.

If the Magic Heart is extracted, the witch would lose all magic, effectively turning into someone utterly powerless, a normal human.

This was practically a death sentence for a witch, with accounts of some unable to bear the severe emptiness thereafter and taking their own lives.

In fact, the circulation of the Magic Heart stemmed from the process of high-ranking witches executed by demons during the war.

Thus, knowing that he had to consume this discomforting item didn’t sit well with Hector until the very end, but he had no choice but to place it in his mouth.

And as a result…

That night, joyful moans, incomparable to before, flowed from Samuel’s mouth.