The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 83

Suddenly, the Demon King appeared and blocked my way.

I was puzzled by her actions, but I decided it was right to follow her judgment as her retainer and stepped back for the moment.

“These are the ones who attacked the arena. Capture them all.”

“Understood.”

“Seize them. Throw them into prison until a decision is made.”

“Yes, understood.”

The Demon King, not in her title but as a Demon Race Warrior participating in the tournament, reported and brought soldiers with her.

As a result, the Demon Race Soldiers captured the Hero Party members and simultaneously, Samuel started to follow behind them.

“Since I was the one who first spotted them, it’s only fair that I accompany them. I’ll return before my match starts, so please convey that.”

“Understood then.”

Thus, they neatly took all the Hero Party members and vanished.

Consequently, only I and the Demon King, cloaked in Red Armor, remained in this place.

“Ha…”

As soon as she confirmed that there were no onlookers, the Demon King let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing her, I held a slight questioning feeling and asked.

“Why did you do that? It was something I could handle right away; why go that far?”

If they were from the Demon Race, it might be understandable. However, executing the Hero Party members classified as warriors from the enemy nation who had committed a crime wouldn’t pose any legal issues.

Even so, the Demon King insisted on gathering soldiers for additional interrogation and trial.

I questioned her about this, and the Demon King responded in her characteristic calm voice.

“Is it not obvious what would have happened if I had left them be? Surely, they would not have survived against the Hero. My words are not mistaken, are they?”

“… How did you know?”

“Were they not emitting such a murderous intent? It’s odd not to know. Samuel probably had his suspicions too.”

“Indeed… it seems that hiding my intentions was futile.”

Honestly, while conversing with them, I attempted to create a light atmosphere as if I would spare them, but I was thinking of sweeping them away in one go.

Nevertheless, it seemed to others that my intent to kill them was quite clear.

‘Honestly, I’m not very skilled at such delicate tasks as killing intent suppression.’

Being a Hero known for outright confrontations, I seemed to lack both the hardware and software for stealthy approaches.

Regardless of those facts, I began to express my honest feelings to the Demon King.

“Yes, I intended to kill them. Every last one of those bastards. After all, they tried to assassinate Your Majesty, the Demon King. You are the ruler of this land and my benefactor… and also my love… I have no reason to show mercy to those who aimed to harm you, Your Majesty.”

“… That…”

At my words, the Demon King stammered slightly, unable to continue.

Then, a moment later, she seemed to have calmed down a bit and looked at me, saying,

“Well… I am glad to know you care about me. But still, they have completely failed, haven’t they? Not only did I come away without a scratch, but my representative was unharmed as well. While they deserve punishment, don’t you think execution is a bit too harsh?”

The Demon King’s voice carried a hint of awkwardness.

Seeing her like that, I clearly voiced my thoughts again without any filters.

“It doesn’t matter whether they succeeded or failed. What matters is that they almost endangered my most precious person. For that alone, I cannot forgive them.”

If someone I loved was in danger, it was only natural to be infuriated.

Especially if it was an intentional act.

“Um…”

The Demon King seemed somewhat taken aback by my words.

Observing her, I wondered if I had been too direct and harsh, but…

Even so, I had no intention of regretting or altering my opinion on this matter.

Protecting what is precious to me is akin to my belief, and I stood firm on this point.

“Anyway… with them captured, we’ll wait for the decision. For now, we should head back quickly; since we were the next in line for the match, we need to hurry.”

“… Understood…”

The Demon King replied with a slightly trembling voice.

Seeing her, I gently smiled and began to leave the area with her, heading back to the arena.

At that moment…

“Um, Hero, if it’s alright…”

“Yes?”

*

A Hero trying to cleave down what are practically their juniors in the Hero Party.

The Demon King, meanwhile, thought that tasks should be resolved in order, and for various reasons, she intervened to stop it.

However, at this moment, she was not solely harboring negative thoughts about the Hero’s actions.

The Hero expressed a determination not to forgive those who attempted to harm his loved ones.

Upon hearing this firm declaration from him, the Demon King felt a little flutter in her heart.

The Hero’s pronouncement to protect her, no matter what happened, was akin to a vow of loyalty.

While the Demon King had heard many similar pledges countless times before, this particular declaration felt entirely different to her.

Not as the ruler, but as the Hero’s loved one, she was being promised protection.

That statement struck her deeply, unlike any typical loyalties she had encountered before.

‘What is this? This feeling… it’s unfamiliar, but… somehow… it makes me a bit happy…’

A momentary warmth blooming deep in her chest.

As she recognized this feeling, the Demon King began to sense a small desire rising in her heart.

She didn’t know why this feeling had emerged or what it specifically was.

However, despite that fact, at this moment, she decided to act upon the voice of her heart.

It was precisely…

“Hero… if it’s alright…”

A sudden wave of intense shyness.

Even though she was fully clad in Red Armor, she couldn’t lift her head in embarrassment.

Yet, amidst this trembling, the Demon King overcame her emotions and acted.

Her strength, typically guided by intent rather than feelings, shone brightly once again in this situation.

“Could you… hold my hand?”

“Yes?”

The Hero showed slight surprise at her words.

As soon as he heard her, the Demon King felt a rush of emotions, sensing the gravity of her plea and began to explain defensively.

“This… this is… just because. There’s still quite a distance to the arena, so wouldn’t it be nice to go together? But… there will be many people along the way, so I meant we shouldn’t separate…”

“…”

“Ah… is that… not okay?”

The Hero maintained a moment of silence at her somewhat rambling words.

Then, the Demon King, with a face as red as her armor and a trembling voice, asked him.

And then…

The Hero slowly extended his hand toward her.

“!…”

“Ah… understood. I will… obey. Your Majesty.”

Although he was covered in Black Armor, the embarrassment flowed from his voice.

The Demon King realized that the Hero was just as nervous as she was, and without even knowing why, she slightly smiled.

And then…

“…”

“Um…”

The Demon King slowly began to move, firmly holding the Hero’s hand.

Though her own hand was encased in a stiff metal glove, she vividly felt the warmth of his hand.

Thus, without being able to see each other’s flushed faces hidden beneath their armor, the two began the slow journey back to the arena, a stark contrast to their earlier haste.

*

“…Huh!”

After losing herself for a while, Eliza abruptly came back to her senses.

She had no idea how much time had passed or what had happened in the meantime; still feeling thoroughly bewildered, she began to notice events unfolding in front of her again.

“What… what is happening right now?”

In her still-clouded state, Eliza asked a question.

In response, Samuel, who had returned sometime unnoticed and was keeping guard, replied in a dry tone.

“Have you regained your senses? As you can see, the Hero and that Red Armor are locked in a power struggle. They haven’t budged an inch for the past ten minutes.”

“What? Ten minutes? How did it come to this…?”

The two were locked in a steady battle, exchanging powerful grunts while clashing swords.

Seeing this, Eliza couldn’t help but feel astonished that there was someone in this world who could compete in strength against the Hero other than the Demon King.

Even from a rather considerable distance, she could sense the Hero’s tension and tremors.

At the same time, she felt a similar sensation from the Red Armor, and thus Eliza automatically started wondering about the identity of the figure.

In that moment, oblivious to how the two actual participants were experiencing the battle…