The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 4

The Demon King looked at me with a face full of pity.

Seeing her like this, I let out a deep sigh of relief inside.

‘Thank goodness, it seems I’ve managed to get through to her somewhat. It was definitely a good idea to pour my emotions into a long story.’

Tales of my backstabs by the heroines as a hero.

Although I wasn’t the actual victim, the feelings accompanying it were certainly no lie.

As an inevitable casualty in an NTR game, I had no choice but to harbor the anger and frustration deeply lodged in my heart.

Moreover, since this circumstance was brought about by the ‘betrayal’ of a friend rather than by my own will, I poured all this discomfort festering within me into heartfelt lamentations directed at the Demon King before me.

And whether or not my ‘true heart’ was getting through, the Demon King began to look at me with compassionate eyes, unlike before, making me feel a spark of hope that I might just save my life.

“Listening to your words, I feel a bit of pity too. Just like you, as the Demon King, I carry the duty to protect the Demon Races. If that effort comes back to me as betrayal, then I too cannot help but despair…”

“…Thank you for saying that.”

The Demon King muttered words of sympathy laced with bitterness.

Then she locked eyes with me and spoke.

“In that regard, I would like to offer you mercy as a warrior, but what do you think?”

“!…”

Her voice had a tone of generosity as she spoke to me.

Hearing this, I felt a rush of joy threatening to spill onto my face, but… I had to maintain a bitter expression as best I could.

I couldn’t carelessly show my happiness now and ruin all my efforts up until this point.

So, I summoned all the patience I had, maintaining my expression while looking at the Demon King in front of me. I smiled weakly with a voice still filled with the feelings of despair.

“..Haha.. Mercy, huh. Demon King, you’re far more generous than I’ve heard. Yet, mercy from someone who once went for my head with a sword…”

“Though we possess different backgrounds as Demon and Human, before you are a hero and I a Demon King, we are both warriors wielding swords. It’s only right to preserve honor on the last path that we take.”

‘…Huh?’

In the next moment, the Demon King’s words took a weird turn.

My face momentarily filled with deep confusion as… the Demon King continued in a voice tinged with bitterness.

“I shall grant you a peaceful and honorable death as you wish. Your body will be respectfully buried and then returned to your homeland.”

The Demon King began speaking about something entirely different from what I had anticipated.

Caught in this unexpected situation, I was overwhelmed with confusion, my mind racing to keep up.

‘Oh no, this is bad.. If I’m not careful, I might really find my neck on the chopping block—literally getting an honorable death!’

She probably thought she could just torture me or attempt something else, but it seemed like she decided to send me off quietly to the afterlife after listening to my heart-wrenching story.

On one hand, things had improved, but my goal was certainly not a noble death with such a pretty facade.

‘Even rolling around in dung, living this life is better! I can’t die like this!’

But since I couldn’t suddenly beg for my life now either, risking my evaluation to plummet once again and lead to a worst-case scenario of torture followed by execution was very real.

To survive this situation meant I had to maintain the facade of a gallant warrior while simultaneously persuading her… an incredibly difficult condition to meet.

‘But I can’t give up just yet. How many hours I’ve put into mastering this game, and I have to use my head to overcome this crisis somehow…’

Since this truly was a life-and-death situation, I had to persuade the Demon King directly risking my life.

Thus, after reeling back my thoughts until they felt like they might overheat, I quickly spoke to the Demon King in a tone that maintained the heavy atmosphere yet sounded sincere.

“Thank you for such consideration. Truly, for a warrior, an honorable death is indeed priceless.”

“Then I shall inform my subordinates to prepare a medicine for a painless death…”

“But… despite your consideration, my name will likely not be remembered as honorably as one might think.”

“W-Why is that?”

My words, drenched in deep despair, began to create a look of astonishment on the Demon King’s face…

Seeing her like that, I replied with a voice filled with sadness and desperation.

“The companions of the Hero Party who left me behind… I fear they will shamelessly tear me apart in front of the rulers of the Racial Alliance who supported us. They will do it to hide their foul schemes concocted with the Porter…”

“No matter what, they would go that far? They have no respect for a warrior who died protecting them?”

“They sought to use me even while I was alive. After I’m dead, it goes without saying.”

“…”

The Demon King appeared speechless from my undeniable words.

Looking at her, I wore a face filled with emptiness and began to speak.

“From the moment they abandoned me, everything was over. If I were to share in their glory, they would do whatever it took to claim it back, and if I failed, they would surely discard me to remedy that failure. For me, there was never any chance of salvation in any form.”

“…”

As I spoke, the Demon King started to show an even deeper pity than before.

Seeing her like this, I cautiously began to drop hints.

“If I were to leave this world just like that, I would be remembered only as a foolish man who recklessly challenged the Demon King and put my companions in danger. I have strived to be a hero, but… as a human, my honor is shattered to pieces.”

“…”

With my words, the Demon King let out a heavy sigh as she began to reflect deeply.

Seeing her like this, my insides felt as if they were burning in anticipation, hoping she would fall for my bait.

Honor as a warrior was far more important than life itself.

It would be utterly unacceptable to die a dirty death without that.

For a true warrior, enduring a moment of disgrace to preserve honor is the principle; hence, I was subtly indicating to her that I couldn’t die this way.

And…

As if grasping my intent, the Demon King looked at me with a serious and earnest expression.

“What a pity, Hero… How tragic it is that someone as strong as you has ended up in such a miserable state…”

Her words were laden with deep regret.

As I heard that, I recognized that she had taken the bait, replying in a voice dripping with despair.

“…What will become of me? Perhaps this is just my destined fate… If only there were an opportunity to change this, but I highly doubt such good fortune will ever come my way…”

Of course, there could be a chance.


No, there absolutely had to be.


That was exactly why I was pulling this act.

“…An opportunity, you say… Does that imply you would grasp onto another chance if presented before you?”

‘Yes!’

In that moment, the Demon King’s words sounded as beautiful as an angel’s voice.

As I felt a rush of excitement yet fought to maintain a poker face, I replied with the most bittersweet tone I could muster.

“..Haha.. Well, if there’s anything more I could do… Yes, I would indeed like to try. Until now, I’ve lived such a foolish and meaningless life, after all…”

It felt like I was reciting a line I had heard somewhere before.

But hidden within that seemingly resigned line was the meaning: ‘I’ll do anything for honor—just please spare my life!’

And for this…

The Demon King began to nod slowly as if she had made a firm decision.

Then came her next words…

“How unfortunate…”

‘Wait, what?!’