The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 51

The Demon King’s declaration to “speak of anything.”

In that moment, various thoughts flickered through my mind, but ultimately, what I was destined to choose had already been determined.

The Demon King, who referred to me as a “Precious Person.”

However, regrettably, I could sense that the meaning contained within that title lacked enough clarity to denote true affection.

As the ruler of a nation, the Demon King stood above countless people.

Among them, she had many close aides and cherished individuals, and perhaps when she spoke of “precious” ones, she simply viewed me as one among many.

While there were no negative emotions, it also indicated that we weren’t close enough to be called lovers.

Of course, this interpretation depended on perspective, but I held a desire to clarify my relationship with the Demon King decisively at this opportunity.

Beyond a mere kiss or physical relationship, I sought a method to establish myself as a special existence within the Demon King’s heart, while simultaneously eliminating any potential ‘rivals’ that may exist.

With that in mind, I resolved to choose the most certain and clear path.

As a result, I conveyed to the Demon King my desire to begin our relationship as lovers.

“…Lovers…?”

In response to my declaration, the Demon King paused for a moment, her expression registering surprise.

She had indeed said to talk about anything, but for her, even the word “lovers” must have struck her significantly.

Had my fondness for her not surpassed a certain level, I could have been outright rejected.

Even if she did hold some measure of fondness, sitting as the ruler of a nation might place a burden on her regarding the fact of dating someone else.

Depending on the circumstances, there could easily arise situations where even a request like this would be somewhat problematic.

However… in the next moment, to minimize the possibility of failure,

I quickly began to speak again, ensuring the Demon King had no chance to ponder deeply.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m asking for a serious relationship right now. To put it more accurately, I hope you could consider it as a way for us to get to know each other lightly… perhaps as a sort of special friendship.”

“A special… friend…? Ah, I see, among humans, is it such a thing for lovers to be?”

The Demon King, somewhat confused by my words, questioned me.

In response, I wore a lighthearted expression suggesting, ‘Being a lover isn’t that serious.’

“Yes, indeed, while some may develop to a more serious relationship later, starting as light friends who could rely on each other is quite common among humans. As we get to know one another, if someone better appears or feelings don’t match, we can easily part ways afterward.”

“Hmmm…”

In this world, unlike among the nobles, free love had become commonplace among commoners.

The very fact that scoundrels could openly engage in NTR stemmed from this underlying background.

Naturally, among so-called high-ranking nobles, many insisted on classical and conventional relationships, but this wasn’t the situation to bring those discussions.

Thus, by carefully diminishing the poisonous intentions hidden within the term ‘lover’…

No, I aimed to make it seem like I had dispelled them.

I started paying close attention to the Demon King’s reactions right in front of me.

“A special friend… But still, the term lover… um…”

It was clear to see the Demon King was feeling a bit of confusion between the existing logic and my words.

I thought to add a few more comments to support her, but for now, I decided to let her think on it.

If I misstepped here, it could have the opposite effect.

In this moment where her judgment could be clouded, pushing too hard could evoke a sense of rejection.

So I remained silent, caught in a thick tension, as I watched the Demon King’s demeanor.

And then…

After what felt like a long moment, as if one second had stretched into hours, the Demon King answered me in a cautious voice.

“Ah… understood. Regardless, if you desire this, it would be right to accept it.”

“Ah…!”

“Well then, from today, you are my lover. Ah… I look forward to the future.”

“Y-Yes! Though I am lacking, I will do my best to meet your expectations, Your Majesty!”

The Demon King, blushing and speaking with a trembling voice.

In that moment, I was overcome with an intense impulse to tightly embrace this beautiful yet adorably flustered woman right in front of me.

However, biting down on these emotions, I forced myself to hold back.

I began to calm myself, suppressing the elation that threatened to overflow.

‘Right now, it’s as if I’ve only washed the rice and put it on to boil; I shouldn’t open the lid of the pot just yet. There’s no need to hurry; I can slowly build this relationship at my own pace with the Demon King.’

Although I had emphasized the term friend a bit, still, being a lover carried significant meaning in many ways.

From this moment, it meant the path to legally approach the Demon King had been opened.

Thinking of smoothing this path as best as I could, a deep smile began to form on my lips.

With a resolve to win her heart by any means necessary.

*

“So… you actually accepted his confession and completely fell for the Hero, huh?”

Beelzebub, facing the Demon King, began to display a rather complicated expression.

In response, the Demon King, resembling a child being scolded by a mother, cautiously glanced at her subordinate and spoke.

“Uh… it was unavoidable. After all, the one who said to speak of anything was me.”

“Haa…”

“But isn’t this all just a special friendship? It’s different from what you’re worried about, Beelzebub; this is merely a title of lovers as friends.”

“…. Still, a lover is a lover, right? With this, the Hero can walk hand-in-hand with you whenever he wants.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

The Demon King’s face flushed from Beelzebub’s words, realizing just what she may have done.

As Beelzebub noted the Demon King’s sudden awareness, she spoke in an exasperated tone.

“Then they’ll hug and kiss, and eventually… um, anyway. Now that you’re officially lovers, they’ll surely want to do that. Are you ready for that, Your Majesty?”

“W-Well… if I just refuse when it comes to that…”

“And what if the Hero gets heartbroken and rampages? Just as you worried, Your Majesty.”

“…Hmm…”

The Demon King appeared to be quite flustered by Beelzebub’s relentless bombardment of facts.

Seeing the current state of the strongest Demon Race, Beelzebub was engulfed in a feeling of helplessness at where to even start educating her friend.

On the other side stood a capable and somewhat elite being, the Demon King.

Yet, even she had virtually no experience in this area of romance.

Confronting a Hero who approached her with such a casual proposal to start ‘lightly’ as friends might have been tougher than initially anticipated.

‘Regardless of that… the Demon King isn’t an idiot, so how did she end up tangled up in such a shallow tactic…?’

Beelzebub contemplated but instinctively brushed off that thought.

What truly mattered now was that the Demon King and Hero had become ‘lovers’ through this incident.

Even if cloaked in the guise of a special friendship, she was well aware that it didn’t signify something trivial.

‘However, trying to separate the two at this point could backfire…’

It would likely be less problematic if they weren’t in any sort of relationship. But now that they were officially lovers, forcing them apart could lead to severe repercussions.

If the relationship between the current strongest force in the Demon Kingdom and the Hero soured, it could lead to disastrous consequences where they might lose the momentum they had just gained.

‘In that case, I’ll have to take advantage of this situation as much as possible. Considering our original stance, this might even be an opportunity…’

In any case, the ultimate goal remained for the Demon King to completely capture the Hero’s heart and firmly control him.

Reflecting on it that way, this event could greatly aid in that goal, and with that thought, Beelzebub quickly began to think ahead.

‘Though surprised to be caught off guard in this way… just you wait; I will definitely put a collar around your neck in the end.’

As she devised her own plan, Beelzebub failed to notice that the Demon King was straining to hold back a small smile creeping up at the corners of her mouth…