The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 3

“Q… Question… What do you mean?”

I couldn’t help but express my confusion at the words of the Beautiful Demon Race Woman.

Her demeanor made it feel as if she had seen me before.

However, no matter how much I racked my brain, I could only think that I was seeing her face for the very first time.

‘No way… Even if I had chatted with a Demon Race before, it would only be the Demon King who asked me something like “Why are you dying alone?” at the very end…!’

In that moment, one fact brushed through my mind…

And despite feeling a glimmer of hope, I found myself shaking my head in denial.

‘No way… There’s no way that the Demon King, in full armored garb, was actually this glamorous lady…’

I automatically began to deny what I had just thought.

Yet, watching me, she spoke in a voice that exuded both arrogance and danger.

“Don’t even think about making excuses. Did you really believe I wouldn’t notice that you fell to my sword? I’ll ask you again. Why did you so hopelessly choose defeat just now?”

Her words carried a weight of majesty as a ruler.

However, more than that air of dignity, the meaning behind those words struck me even harder.

‘N-No… Is that for real? Was this stunning lady really the Demon King from earlier?’

I could think of nothing else but her attitude and actions.

In that respect, I felt a significant gap between what had just happened in battle and her current appearance.

It was as if there was a stark contrast between a lion ready to hunt and a proud swan, so to speak.

But before I could dwell on that shock too long, I realized that now wasn’t the time to be dazed, so I began to harden my expression as earnestly as I could.

‘To survive here, I need to talk my way out… I absolutely cannot waste this precious, hard-earned chance!’

With that thought in mind, I revived my instincts of being on alert and started analyzing the presence that was the Demon King before me.

In the original story, she was frequently mentioned as the final boss to be defeated but appeared only briefly at the end, where she essentially lost to the Hero.

Naturally, I couldn’t know exactly who she was based on the original story…

But with her actions up till now, I could get a rough idea of who she was.

She had come all the way here just to confront me, believing that something strange had been present in my victory.

That meant she likely valued principles and had a sense of pride as a warrior.

‘Just from this much, she seems to be far better than that woman who cast aside people like used shoes… Anyway, if she has this kind of personality, it might actually be easier to persuade her…’

With my analysis of the Demon King concluded, I let out a laugh that seemed laced with despair as I faced her icy expression.

“Ha ha… So you caught on, huh? Well, I thought someone of your caliber would realize it eventually.”

“Answer my question. Why did you choose defeat? As a Hero, you must know that your Hero Party’s strength surpasses that of me and my aides…”

“No, that’s not true.”

“…What?”

I firmly denied the Demon King’s words.

At that moment, a deep sense of confusion appeared on her face…

Seeing her, I spoke with a tinge of bitterness in my voice.

“Of course, on the surface, we might have seemed stronger. But from the moment we entered this Demon King’s Castle, we were already defeated—not in strength or magic, but in the basic trust we had in each other.”

“What does… that mean?”

The Demon King, realizing something was amiss, asked cautiously.

Watching her, I spoke them with a voice tinged with lament.

“I… have been forsaken. By the companions who once placed their trust in me and showed me affection…”

*

Before my eyes, the Hero wore an expression of despair.

The words he spoke were indeed shocking even to the Demon King.

“How could you… Even if you fell in love with another man, how could you plan such a dirty scheme against a Hero who carries the fate of the continent?”

The warriors of his Hero Party had plotted to use him and steal his honor for saving the continent, seduced by a Porter they traveled with.

Even though Demons were labeled evil by human standards, they believed that trust among kin and comrades was a sacred bond that absolutely had to be upheld.

Nevertheless, the members of the Hero Party, the strongest force of the Racial Alliance, were planning to deceive and mock not only the Hero but their own kin and country for their personal gain.

To the Demon King, it was akin to seeing self-proclaimed pure individuals taint themselves with filth.

At that moment… with a look of utter disbelief, the Hero spoke.

“Yes… I too think it’s an incredibly filthy deed… At first, I couldn’t come to terms with it. Though I knew that their hearts were drifting away from me… I believed that if I could save the world as a Hero in the end, they would see me again! Ugh… But… But in the end, they…”

“…”

As he spoke, the Hero’s response became increasingly agitated.

Seeing his reaction, the Demon King maintained a heavy silence, her expression solemn.

The Hero, who had poured everything he had into saving the world, likely saw that world reflected in his closest companions.

Just as warriors fight for their country, it implies they fight to protect family and friends.

In that sense, the betrayal of such comrades felt like the world had stabbed the Hero in the back.

Everything he had risked his life for had betrayed him instead.

And… the enormity of such despair was not lost on the Demon King.

‘Being forsaken by those you trusted… is indeed a heart-wrenching matter. Especially if you’ve devoted your life to them…’

She too would undoubtedly feel similar if she were abandoned by the people she had fought to protect all her life.

This was something she could be certain of, as a ruler who had lived without a shred of shame.

Empathizing with the Hero’s pain before her, the Demon King began to find a bitter smile inside her heart regarding the real reason she had come here.

‘…As expected, this isn’t the kind of thing that suits me. I have struggled with this thought…’

The Hero, who had willingly chosen defeat despite possessing greater power than herself.

While that fact itself raised questions, separate from that, the Demon King felt the need to seize this golden opportunity before her.

Even though she had triumphed against the once-great Hero Party, the situation of the Demon Races remained unfavorable.

The Racial Alliance Army was still ravaging the borders, and a large-scale offensive was to be expected soon.

And at this crucial moment, she had the Hero—the strongest being on the continent—in her grasp.

Although she was the Demon King, possessing the greatest power among Demons, the Hero’s strength was undeniably greater.

That was an undeniable truth that she could sense even without needing to fight until the end.

If someone like him were to join her… the Demon Races’ unfavorable situation against the Racial Alliance would certainly flip overnight.

In that light, the Demon King, albeit reluctantly, felt a certain necessity to lure this Hero to her side, considering sweet temptations to persuade him.

Wealth, power. Or even women.

She planned to present conditions that would tempt any human, and if all else failed, she would plunge him into despair by mentioning his forsaken comrades, calculating how to corrupt him.

However… at this very moment,

The Demon King was in the process of retracting those filthy thoughts of using the Hero.

Though different races and statuses separated them, the Hero had experienced something so miserable that even the Demon King could comprehend…

No, it resonated even stronger within her, as a Demon King who knew pain deeply.

Feeling genuine sympathy for the Hero, the Demon King resolved to abandon her attempts at manipulation and instead grant him what he truly wished for that moment.

‘A half-hearted persuasion would only be an insult to this pitiful and unfortunate individual… Out of final respect, it would only be fitting to grant him a noble and honorable death, as a warrior should wish…’