The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 52

“Hmm?”

“Gah!…”

Rebecca stepped outside during the banquet to look for the Hero.

But just after that, she encountered someone she personally didn’t want to meet at all.

“Uh… Eliza-sama…”

Eliza, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army and the daughter of the Demon General Elias, who had once been her superior.

As soon as Rebecca faced her, she immediately bowed her head and showed her respect.

“U-um, your name is definitely… Rebecca, right? The aide of the Hero.”

“Y-Yes! That’s correct!”

Eliza unexpectedly recognized her at once.

However, at that moment, a single line started to automatically display in Rebecca’s mind.

‘Damn… This is bad. Of all the people, it had to be her…’

Eliza was the one figure from the Four Heavenly Kings that Rebecca feared the most.

Although they had never directly interacted, Rebecca knew that based on various experiences.

The pretty girl in front of her—this Elite Guard lady—was someone she absolutely should not be close to if she wanted to survive.

‘Even though she’s an enemy, she’s someone who tortures humans to death while laughing like it’s a game. There’s no way a person like that is sane. And then… thinking about that time… Ugh…’

Just recalling those moments made her shudder at the coldness creeping in…

Rebecca, with her head bowed deeply, desperately hoped that this monster in front of her would go elsewhere.

But then…

“By the way, where are you rushing off to? The banquet has just begun.”

“Ah… I, um, the Commander went somewhere, and I’m looking for him.”

“The Commander… You mean the Hero?”

“Yes, that’s right. Eliza-sama. But he hasn’t been seen at all since earlier…”

“Hmmm… I see.”

Without the leisure to make something up in response to Eliza’s question, Rebecca spoke the truth.

Then, upon hearing Rebecca’s words, Eliza smiled slightly with a peculiar feeling and said to her,

“Alright, then, I, Eliza, will assist you in finding him.”

“Uh… No! You really don’t have to…”

Rebecca felt like she had been struck on the back of the head with a hammer by Eliza’s unexpected statement.

However, Eliza, who had no way of knowing her true feelings, kept her pure smile and spoke to her ‘young’ junior.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to feel burdened. I’m quite confident in finding people, you know.”

“Y-You mean that?”

Eliza’s words, perceived simply as her boasting about superior skills.

But…

‘If I refuse now, does it mean she’ll hunt me down and chop off my arms wherever I am?… Ah… no, she probably wouldn’t go that far…’

For some reason, it didn’t sound ordinary in Rebecca’s ears.

In the end, unable to refuse this ‘kindness’, Rebecca set out with Eliza to search for the Hero.

The two wandered around Antioch for a while, looking for where the Hero might be, but unexpectedly, neither of them spotted him.

‘Ugh… Where did the Commander go? He needs to show up quickly so I can get a little distance from this scary woman…’

Unlike Eliza, who was searching for the Hero with a normal demeanor,

Rebecca felt as if each second could lead to her doom, experiencing a sensation as if her lifespan was being cut off every moment because of fear.

As Rebecca’s anxiety grew deeper in her heart at that moment…

“Speaking of which, I heard you made quite a name for yourself in this war? You actively participated with the Hero as his aide in the vanguard.”

“Ah… Y-Yes! Well… to be honest, it’s a bit embarrassing to call it an achievement…”

Rebecca felt intense tension as Eliza unexpectedly initiated a conversation.

Meanwhile, observing her, Eliza interpreted Rebecca’s nervousness as merely a consequence of her own status and continued in a light tone.

“There’s no need to be so humble. I already know how much you and the Hero have contributed.”

“N-No… What we actually did was just follow the Commander and assist him a little. Most of the credit belongs entirely to him.”

In a sense of mere humility, or perhaps out of survival instinct driven by fear, Rebecca’s words were not mere empty modesty.

As she said, her and her 100 allies’ contributions in this war were barely at the level of the Hero’s sidekick.

The Hero had effortlessly returned the flood of enemy arrows and spells to nothing, and then he obliterated everything that came into view among thousands of enemies.

With every swing of his sword, dozens to hundreds of enemies turned to ash and vanished, and even after displaying such power, the Hero continued to wield his sword and mercilessly cut down swarming enemies like a swarm of bees.

Moreover, at first, she hadn’t clearly understood it, but perhaps influenced by the immense magic power the Hero wielded, her and her comrades’ combat power had even improved compared to usual.

In essence, he was acting as the dealer, the tank, and buff, all at once.

Rebecca and her allies had merely safely ridden the Hero’s coattails in that situation.

“Truly… we did almost nothing. Of course, the Commander said that alone was enough of a help, but I don’t think I have the right to claim any achievements from that.”

Rebecca’s candid statement came straight from her heart.

In relation to this,

At that moment, Rebecca’s mind once again portrayed the image she would never forget for the rest of her life…

The majestic figure of the Hero, who had cleared the way to the castle after shielding them from enemy attacks.

Just then…

“Hmm… So you were in that position too.”

“!”

Eliza, showing an expression of considerable interest as she listened to Rebecca’s words,

Then she began to speak to her in a tone that somehow contained a different…

From Rebecca’s perspective, it was as if something might happen at any moment, with a voice tinged with intense excitement.

“Yes, the Hero is indeed amazing. I too received significant help from him when we were attacking Rob.”

“Y-You went through such an experience?…”

Eliza began to recall the Hero, who had appeared to save her from her precarious situation.

That scene was still vividly etched in Eliza’s memory.

Cornered by formidable foes on all sides and wounded.

In that life-or-death moment, the man had literally come down from the sky to protect her.

Though fleeting, he had provided a sense of security and relief akin to a sturdy, thick wall.

Recalling that moment, Eliza smiled warmly and said,

“To be honest, when I first saw him, I thought I couldn’t trust him due to my mother’s situation and various things… However, as time passed and we fought together, I learned that he is a trustworthy person.”

“Ah…”

Eliza shared a similar story to how she had come to trust the Hero.

Eliza’s face was slightly flushed while telling the story, and…

Through this moment, Rebecca began to feel a slight sense of kinship with Eliza.

But…

‘N-No… Hold on… If I look at this coldly, there’s no way Eliza would trust someone in a normal manner! This… this must mean that she’s planning to get the Hero in a position of trust just to stab him in the back one day…’

Regrettably,

Such tiny feelings swiftly began to be engulfed by the overwhelming fear she always possessed.

Her original impression was already beyond bad, bordering on the worst, making it difficult to change easily.

Indeed, Rebecca was aware that she might be misinterpreting the situation in a far too negative light.

But…

‘That’s Eliza! Even if she talks warmly, she’s probably preparing to stab the Hero in the back! It’s normal to think that way!’

Somehow, Rebecca’s thought process regarding Eliza had already solidified heavily from what she had seen firsthand.

Thus, while Eliza felt a sense of intimacy when hearing the story of a junior who had had similar experiences, Rebecca’s anxiety only intensified strangely at that moment.

“Hmm? Ah, there he is.”

“N-Yes? Ah…”

In the next moment, the figure of the Hero finally came into view for the two.

Noticing the Hero with someone whose face they couldn’t see from their direction, Eliza and Rebecca began to approach that place.

However…

“Could you… start with being my lover first?”

“!?”

“!!!!”