The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 92

Eileen and her subordinates were moving towards the Imperial Capital.

However, at this moment, their steps were unbearably heavy compared to when they had just left Thebe.

They had left the city with a burning desire for revenge against the demons.

Yet, those in their target area were not demons, and the very demons they had sought had become completely elusive.

In such a situation where their initial momentum had been completely crushed, it was only natural that they lacked enthusiasm.

Among those caught in the heavy atmosphere was Eileen, who was supposed to lead the group.

Though her fundamental reasons differed, she too was feeling unmotivated just like the others.

Up until the point they reached the Imperial Capital, she felt a duty to engage earnestly in her work.

But now, after some time had passed and her mind was finally cleared, she was experiencing a profound sense of loss that was dragging her spirits down rapidly.

‘Torale has left… That damn Shude took Torale…’

Eileen had actively participated in the mission to save Torale from the demons.

However, now that Torale had fallen into the hands of Shude, who technically had a reasonable claim to him and was not a demon at all, it felt like a crushing defeat.

Of course, it was much better than her beloved man being in danger, but the fact that she wouldn’t be able to see him for a while or share a bed with him was enough to depress her.

Just then…

“Uh… Eileen?”

“Hmm?”

A group of subordinates cautiously approached her.

Seeing that they seemed to have something to say, she asked in a calm voice, “What is it? Is there something important?”

“Well… um, that’s…”

“Hmm…”

The soldiers appeared to hesitate momentarily at Eileen’s question.

In response, Eileen forced a compassionate smile and said, “It’s okay. If there’s something you want to say, feel free to speak. Though I’m the Vice Minister, I too have the duty to listen as a servant of the gods.”

Wondering if they were about to make some confession, Eileen spoke to the soldiers.

With a sigh of relief, they began to speak in a calmer voice.

“Actually, Vice Minister, while we were coming this way, we thought about something… It seems a bit strange.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

“Those witches we met before. Although it was dark at the time and we didn’t see them clearly, somehow, I feel one of them resembled a demon I saw in Thebe.”

“What? What are you…”

“Y-Yes, I feel the same. They didn’t have horns like a demon, but I clearly remember the face of the witch who killed my friend. It looked just like hers.”

“!…You mean…?”

Hearing her subordinates’ testimony, something began to dawn on Eileen.

It was about a race disguise magic she was already familiar with.

Using a variation of illusion magic, it allowed one to disguise as a demon or elf by adding horns to their head or elongating their ears.

While changing one’s facial features required quite advanced magic, altering minor characteristics to disguise one’s race wasn’t too difficult.

Especially for the highly trained witches of the Magic Kingdom, this level of race disguise magic was almost a fundamental requirement.

“And also, I remember that during the demon attack, those witches were wearing brooches similar to this one.”

A priestess cautiously retrieved a brooch from her pocket, her voice tense.

As Eileen accepted it, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place for her.

“I see… I thought something felt off. No matter how late I arrived, the demons shouldn’t have been able to slip past my detection that quickly…”

Eileen’s tone carried a hint of barely restrained anger.

Ultimately, realizing that all of this was the result of being played by Shude from the very beginning sparked genuine rage within her.

‘That guy… I thought he simply concocted a scheme to take Torale, but that wasn’t it at all. That witch’s real objective was to create chaos… to use the demon attack as a facade to sow confusion within our Empire.’

With a failed expedition already in the past and now embroiled in war with the Elf Church Country, the Falcon Empire was in a precarious position.

If the demons were to provoke them now, it would certainly create a troublesome situation for the Empire.

No matter how strong the Falcon Empire was, re-mobilizing an expedition across the sea at this point was out of the question.

Having enemies in a place that couldn’t be touched mounting an attack would only exacerbate the Empire’s turmoil, undoubtedly serving as a catalyst for worsening the already unstable political climate.

“Those Magic Kingdom bastards… I can’t believe they would pull such dirty tricks from behind.”

“Ugh…”

“To think they would do this against not even demons, but fellow humans…”

As Eileen confirmed the situation, she and the soldiers expressed their deep anger towards the Magic Kingdom.

Eileen then turned to her soldiers, her voice thick with anger, and said, “We need to hurry along our path. We must quickly inform His Majesty of the dirty deeds we’ve uncovered in the Magic Kingdom.”

“I agree. We should expose their atrocities across the Empire and take appropriate action.”

“Those filthy Magic Kingdom scoundrels… How dare they pull such stunts to deceive our Empire.”

In that moment, the anger they had just felt towards the demons began to shift towards the Magic Kingdom.

However, at this very moment, unlike the soldiers who were purely consumed with rage, a dual feeling of both anger and joy began to blossom in Eileen’s heart.

‘This might… be a good thing after all. If Shude has pulled such dirty tricks, I might finally get an opportunity to formally eliminate her.’

The last remaining rival left to her after the other two had vanished.

With the chance to finally wipe her out, which she hadn’t been able to touch before due to a lack of justification, a deep smile began to spread across Eileen’s face.

*

Hero Hector.

At this moment, leading the demons towards the Imperial Capital, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Just weeks prior, he had thought the Demon Kingdom and the demons must be destroyed.

But now, Hector was wholeheartedly dedicated to helping them.

“Is this path truly the right one?”

“Of course. Just over that hill lies the Imperial Capital.”

“Hmm…”

The Demon Race General, Samuel, continued to regard him with suspicious eyes.

However, regardless of how much trust she had in him, Hector remained steadfast in guiding her without faltering.

Samuel, too, was cautious and held doubts for contingencies, but still, she had relaxed her guard slightly toward Hector’s actions.

Looking at his past actions, he had deeply cared for his comrades, to the extent of risking his life for them.

Those comrades were currently held hostage in the Demon Kingdom, and he was set to be executed should he pull any nonsense, making it a fact that he wouldn’t act recklessly.

Yet, beyond Samuel’s cold calculations, there was another reason for Hector to give his all in this mission.

‘Never did I think a day would come when I would sincerely help demons…’

Had the Hector of a few weeks ago seen himself now, he would have surely questioned his sanity and been at a loss for words.

Although the lives of his dear comrades mattered greatly, Hector’s pride as a hero was equally strong.

If the demons had issued such orders by taking his friends hostage, he would have attempted to escape or even commit suicide to protect his honor.

But now, Hector felt that the notion of a hero’s honor had long since faded.

The memories of that moment that continued to linger in his mind, right before he received the request for this task.

The shocking scene that appeared before him and his comrades, captured in the Demon Kingdom’s prison, had made it abundantly clear that the ideals of the Racial Alliance were merely illusions, and that it was far more trustworthy to align with demons than with humans.

‘In a way, that guy might actually be quite lucky.’