The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 22

The Demon King arrived at the location of the hero to commend his achievements.

For some reason, she rushed here with a noticeably urgent demeanor and attempted to enter the room directly.

Without a moment’s hesitation, her servants opened the door and let their master, the Demon King, inside.

“Hero!”

As soon as she walked in, the Demon King shouted anxiously.

However…

“!?”

“Ah…”

In the next moment, the Demon King stood frozen in place with a blank expression.

Meanwhile, upon witnessing this, the hero in the room also froze with a stiff expression, as if time had stopped.

Before the eyes of the Demon King was a scene that unfolded.

It was the Beastman Warrior of the Hero Party, lying down like a dog, eating food from a dog bowl with her mouth.

At the same time, the hero was petting the head of the Beastman Female Warrior as if she were a real dog.

Seeing this, the Demon King fell into deep confusion, unable to utter a word for a while regarding how to respond.

And a moment later, the words that barely escaped her lips were…

“This… this is… quite a unique hobby you have… Hero.”

“Ah… no… um… this… this isn’t what it looks like…”

The Demon King’s reaction was so awkward, it was obvious she was trying hard to stay composed.

In response, the hero, engulfed in deep embarrassment, began to desperately explain the situation, but seeing him like this, the Demon King forced a stiff smile as she said to him,

“It’s… it’s fine! You don’t need to be embarrassed. Everyone has different tastes, and I’m more than ready to understand that as the ruler of this country…”

“…”

The Demon King was visibly exerting herself, trying to come to terms with the situation.

As for the hero, he felt an inexplicable sadness beyond merely being scorned, leading him to maintain silence for a while.

*

The Demon King’s unexpected visit came at a wildly inappropriate time.

Feeling like she had stepped into a tricky situation akin to an embarrassing moment, I struggled to explain everything that had happened up until now to the Demon King.

Of course, I added a few embellishments, explaining it as a simple release of the chains rather than mentioning the grueling 45 consecutive failures that had broken this fellow’s mind and turned her into a subservient creature.

“Um… I’m sorry, Hero. I mistakenly got the wrong impression.”

“Ah… no, Your Majesty. Rather, I’m sorry for showing such an undignified sight.”

Having finally managed to explain the situation, the Demon King awkwardly apologized to me.

I let out a deep sigh of relief in my heart as I looked at Terra, who was wagging her tail softly in front of me.

“So… is there now no way for her to return to how she was?”

“Perhaps it seems that way. Based on the fact that the chains restraining her have been destroyed, it appears there’s no hope.”

Saying this, I presented a broken chunk of metal before the Demon King.

The Zokse of Domination, which had been reduced to mere scrap metal, lost all magical abilities with the word ‘failure.’

The Demon King picked it up, seemingly understanding, and slowly nodded her head.

“It seems like it contained quite powerful magic. While it no longer holds any meaning beyond mere iron scraps now…”

With those words, she handed the fragments of the chains back to me.

Then I spoke to her with a tone laced with a hint of bitterness.

“However… to be honest, I think this situation is actually better. After all, she already betrayed me. If her mind were still intact, I would certainly be inflicting harsh torture upon her by now.”

In reality, I had already inflicted more than enough pain on Terra through my 45 failures, all while hiding from others’ eyes, but there was no need to bring up such facts here.

As the ruler of this nation, the Demon King was someone I had to present myself well to.

And even if it weren’t so, it was only natural that any man wouldn’t want to leave a bad impression on a beautiful woman who matched his ideal.

After all, the desire to earn the trust of the demon races was not the only reason I had achieved an over-clear on this particular quest; a part of it also stemmed from wanting to impress the Demon King who had given me this mission.

“How unfortunate… that someone like you has to go through such things.”

“Well, if one were to call it fate, then so be it. The fate that I, the Hero… or rather, I, must bear.”

“Hero…”

As she observed me, the Demon King’s voice took on a somewhat somber tone.

Through her reaction, I understood that the potential decline in my favor with her had been reasonably mitigated, which made me exhale in relief internally.

*

With the intention of commending the hero…

No, to be precise, the Demon King had visited to check on the hero’s rather convoluted mental state.

However, at this moment, while conversing with the hero, the Demon King felt her own thoughts and emotions becoming increasingly complicated.

Struggling to accept the current scenario with a demeanor bordering on resignation.

And…

As she watched this hero and exchanged words with him, she felt confusion arising within her due to the contradictory emotions blossoming in her heart.

‘What an odd situation… Why do I feel so uncomfortable at this moment?’

When she spoke coldly, the former self would have had no reason to feel discomfort in this situation.

Port Town Rob, which plays a crucial role in supplying the Racial Alliance Army.

The supplies departing from there have been the lifeblood feeding the endless offensives of the enemy, like blood to a monstrous creature.

If we could inflict even some level of damage on that supply line, we could immediately improve the situation at several critical fronts, and thus the Demon King had ordered the hero to attack there.

However… the outcome brought back by the hero was not merely cutting off the monstrous creature’s blood vessels; it was akin to stabbing a knife into its heart.

No matter how powerful a monster, it could not endure long with a blade embedded in its heart.

This held true for the Racial Alliance Army that was battering the Demon Kingdom like one massive organism.

Although their total forces still amounted to three times that of the Demon King’s army, no matter how strong they were, they could not withstand for long without food and weapons.

It would take several months at least for supplies to arrive from their homeland.

If we seized this opportunity, not only could we reverse the unfavorable war situation, but potentially we could completely rid ourselves of those detestable enemies deeply entrenched within the Demon Kingdom.

The hero had not simply delayed the enemy’s advance; he had provided a perfect opportunity for a massive counterattack… without even incurring losses for our side.

However…

Despite such a remarkable victory report,

At this moment, the Demon King found herself unable to accept the situation positively.

As a ruler sitting on the throne, tasked with governing all demon races, the Demon King’s perspective made the hero’s actions, which had brought great gain to the country, undeniably worthy of joy.

However, at this moment,

Within the heart of the Demon King, emotions arising not from such a public perspective…

But rather an intense sense of sorrow stemming from the gaze of ‘she,’ a woman.

The hero had mercilessly slaughtered countless humans, his own kind, and had betrayed them, yet he captured a former comrade and turned her into a slave.

This stark and complete change of heart from one who once wielded his sword at the risk of his life to protect that same kin was evoking a powerful sense of sorrow in the Demon King, who was now walking a path with a noble mission akin to the one he once bore.

‘I was in agreement regarding the hero’s plight. Yet, why am I feeling such discomfort at this moment of victory…?’

From her perspective, it was incomprehensible, yet at the same time, there existed an instinctual thought that pursuing this further would unveil something crucial.

However…

The Demon King decided to put off thinking about this any deeper for now.

Though her heart remained uneasy, she could not afford to be swayed by these incomprehensible emotions.

What mattered most now was, as always, to deal with the ‘work’ of the Demon King.

After temporarily setting aside the feelings blossoming within her heart, the Demon King spoke calmly to the hero in front of her.

“Regardless of anything… Hero, I want to once again express my gratitude for splendidly carrying out my orders.”

With the might of her role as a ruler returning to her voice, the Demon King spoke.

The hero, having lifted the shadows from his face, replied respectfully.

“I merely followed Your Majesty, the Demon King’s commands. I am grateful for this opportunity to prove my loyalty instead.”

“Thank you for saying that, Hero. However, your accomplishments have certainly surpassed my expectations and will greatly benefit our Demon Kingdom. A fitting reward must be given to one who has achieved such merit. Speak of what you desire.”

“A… no, Your Majesty! I need only your grace for saving my life and bestowing faith upon me…”

The hero showed his surprise at the Demon King’s words.

However, in response to his reaction, the Demon King spoke in a calm yet firm voice.

“Such words should not be spoken. The basics of the world dictate rewards for service. If a person of such great merit is denied proper compensation, it will adversely affect the morale of my generals. Speak of what you desire, anything at all.”

“Um…”

The Demon King’s words left no room for escape.

Thus, the hero began to ponder deeply for a moment…

Then cautiously, he looked straight at the Demon King and began to speak.

“…In truth, I have one wish… if it’s not too much to ask…”

“What is it? Speak up.”

The Demon King listened intently to the hero’s words.

The hero, appearing to ponder seriously, cautiously started to speak again.

“Your Majesty, if it’s acceptable…”