The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 23

The Demon King commanded, “Speak of anything you desire, Hero.”

In response, the Hero displayed intense hesitation and began to speak with a trembling voice.

“Um… well… if it is not too rude, Your Majesty, I humbly request… s…”

The Hero’s words carried a heavy sense of tension. The Demon King started to feel a slight worry about just how grand the Hero’s request would be, pondering,

“The one who said they would grant anything is me, but… I hope it won’t cause a significant blow to the national treasury.”

With such thoughts swirling in her mind, the Demon King felt somewhat anxious as she awaited the Hero’s words.

And, a moment later…

Gathering his resolve, the Hero spoke, his voice slightly shaky yet earnest.

“Would you… grant me the honor of having dinner… just the two of us with Your Majesty?”

“…Huh?”

The Hero’s unexpected request caught the Demon King off guard.

She began to feel more embarrassed than she initially anticipated, realizing that he may ask for something financially burdensome.

“W… you mean dinner with me?”

“Yes! That… that is indeed what I wish for, Your Majesty.”

“…”

The Hero’s face visibly flushed as he spoke. In that instant, the emptiness she had seen before was replaced by a mix of shyness and newfound vitality.

It felt as though a wilting flower had been revived by the rain…

The Demon King maintained silence for a moment, not responding.

“I… Is that not possible?”

Peering at the Demon King, the Hero cautiously asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

Seeing him like this…

The Demon King began to feel a strange sensation she had never experienced in her life.

“Dinner… with me, just the two of us?”

Having lived her life up to now, such a request had never crossed her path.

Although it felt awkward, it also didn’t strike her as entirely terrible.

“Well… if you think about it simply, you’re just asking to share a meal. This… this much… could be seen as hosting a banquet for a victorious warrior…”

It wouldn’t put a strain on the state finances, nor was it legally problematic.

It wasn’t a burden on herself either.

However, despite this fact, the Demon King went through a subtle rationalization process in her heart, convincing herself and then replied to the Hero, albeit slightly awkwardly.

“W… well, it’s not exactly an issue, but… are you really okay with such a trivial thing?”

“Y-yes! That is enough for me!”

The Hero responded with a gleaming expression at the Demon King’s words.

Seeing his bright demeanor—the shadow from moments ago seemed like a lie—made her feel something stirring within.

“…Alright, if you wish for that, I shall grant your request.”

“Th-thank you! Your Majesty!”

*

As the Demon King asked what the Hero desired as a reward for his achievements, I, despite expressing some humility, began seriously contemplating what to request from her in that brief moment.

There were countless possibilities to respond to the Demon King’s promise of granting anything.

Vast riches or fiefs, of course.

Perhaps a subordinate I could command…

Or perhaps having human women as “slaves” wouldn’t be bad either.

Contrary to modern standards, this world was a medieval fantasy realm where moral standards strayed far from my common sense.

There were strict class distinctions, and for those with wealth, acquiring slaves was as natural as buying material goods.

With that in mind, I could legally create a harem, a dream for many men, should the desire strike me.

I could ask the Demon King for beautiful Female Demons as my subordinates or demand human female warriors as slaves.

However.

Shaking off such primal desires briefly, I soon found myself shaking my head slowly.

“…A harem… well, while it sounds tempting in a lustful context, it doesn’t align with my views on relationships.”

Certainly, a harem could be considered a man’s fantasy, and one could instinctively crave it.

But I wasn’t the type that preferred to dabble carelessly in many wells, nor did I enjoy stories filled with irresponsible pleasures.

Whether it was due to the strong influence of modern ethical views or simply because of my overly principled perspectives on relationships,

I was the kind of person who yearned for a sound, step-by-step development of love, ultimately culminating in a healthy romantic relationship.

And above all…

At this very moment, before me sat a woman more beautiful than any I had ever seen; her personality struck precisely my fancy.

From the first moment I saw her face, she captured my heart…

She was the kind of person who spared my life from a miserable, bad ending in this world.

And right now, she was sitting in front of me, speaking to me.

She told me to state my desires.

That she would grant anything.

In response to her words,

I decided, in my own way, to state what I wanted in order to obtain it from her.

Not too excessive, nor overly meek…

As a result, my request was…

A date proposal to the Demon King, framed in a way permissible within this world.

And…

Though the Demon King showed slight bewilderment regarding my request, she eventually agreed to it.

Tomorrow evening, she said she would make time for me…

*

After finishing the discussion about the Hero’s “reward,” the Demon King returned to her office.

As always, one of the people she trusted most was there, serving tea.

A beautiful Female Demon with an intellectual appearance, wearing glasses and small, young deer antlers on the sides of her head.

With her blue maid outfit and neatly tied blue ponytail, her violet eyes sparkled.

She was one of the four top aides, serving as the Demon King’s secretary and Chancellor of the Demon Kingdom.

Beelzebub Yermia.

She greeted the Demon King with a calm yet respectful tone as she entered the room.

“You have returned, Your Majesty.”

“Yes… I have come back…”

With that, the Demon King, showing a troubled expression, took a seat.

Before her, Beelzebub poured the tea she had prepared, and without a moment’s hesitation, the Demon King drank it straight down.

And…

Watching the Demon King attempt to calm her complex emotions for some unknown reason,

Beelzebub, with a voice laced with deep concern, posed a question to her ruler.

“So… how did things go, Your Majesty? What did the Hero request as a reward for his actions?”

The Demon King’s unusual demeanor was evident.

Seeing this, Beelzebub, already grasping the situation, realized immediately that the Hero had made an unusual request of the Demon King.

This realization…

At that moment,

Led Beelzebub, who managed the internal affairs of the Demon King’s Army, to feel a deep sense of tension, separate from her calm expression.

“Could it be… that the Hero made an unreasonable demand of Your Majesty? Perhaps he asked for an enormous sum of wealth or a vast territory… Or maybe he requested dozens of our Demon Races or captured human women as sex slaves. After all, the Hero is still a male!”

Though she hadn’t heard the specifics yet, the Hero’s request had clearly disturbed their normally composed ruler.

Just that alone indicated it must have been something significant.

Beelzebub sensed her head beginning to feel muddled with confusion and a deep sense of anger.

“Damn it… That Hero, though claiming to be betrayed and whatnot, is actually nothing more than a knife-wielding thug. He must have come here with thorough calculations to strip our Demon Kingdom clean. In the long run, he stands to gain far more from us than from the rather tenuous alliance he would eventually win against. Besides, in our crowded situation, we won’t be able to refuse his demands. If we end up exhausting our resources, he will plunge the knife right into our backs…”

Originally a meticulous strategist and analyst, Beelzebub was one of the few who accurately gauged both the Hero’s combat strength and the Demon King’s.

To her, despite the loyalty vowed, the Hero—capable of fighting on equal ground with the Demon King—was a target for vigilance, someone to eliminate at the slightest sign of danger.

Moreover, as her master was lax in these matters, Beelzebub felt it was up to her to observe the Hero closely.

In fact, it had been Beelzebub’s work to include Eliza in the strategy against Rob after consulting with the Demon King.

From the outset, Beelzebub possessed a negative view of the Hero…

And now the sight of her ruler displaying unease regarding the Hero’s ‘request’ spurred a torrent of complex and lengthy thoughts in her mind within half a second.

And…

In that brief moment, while framing a poker face, Beelzebub consumed the Hero with thoughts at an incredible speed.

The Demon King finally spoke, her voice slightly trembling as she relayed the Hero’s ‘request’

“He asked… for dinner…”

“…Huh?”

“He requested that we share… a meal. The Hero… wanted to have dinner with me, just the two of us… That was… the reward he requested.”

“?!?”

The Demon King’s truly unexpected revelation left Beelzebub stunned.

For a moment, she wore a blank expression, feeling as if her brain had temporarily halted.

And a moment later, the conclusion she reached in her mind was…

‘That Hero… is even more frightening than I initially thought…’