The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 93

“How about you stop accepting things? You know very well that there’s no hope for escape, so just how long do you plan to waste your life there?”

“Shut up. Just shut your mouth!”

Hector and his companions were spending their days trapped in a prison by the demon race.

As they watched them, the demon folk, including Beelzebub, were trying their best to persuade them, but their efforts always ended up in vain, just like before.

Hector, the hero, and his comrades maintained that they’d rather die than do any work for the demons.

In this regard, there were suggestions among the Demon General and the Four Kings about giving up on them and simply executing them, but the Demon King, who held the ultimate decision-making power, was still firmly against it.

“We have plenty of time, after all. On the other hand, finding someone with skills like theirs isn’t easy. If they can fight on par with Samuel and cause that much commotion, they’ll surely be of great use.”

Despite being people who had once tried to kill him, the Demon King’s declaration that he would generously show mercy was somehow perplexing.

The demons had been trying various methods to sway them, but their efforts had yielded little success even after several weeks.

Despite promises of great wealth and high status, the hero party remained unmoved.

In this complicated situation where the Demon King’s orders to persuade them weren’t going smoothly, Beelzebub’s worries deepened.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? Hero?”

At that moment, the Black Hero appeared right before Beelzebub as she was about to exit the prison.

He began to talk to Beelzebub, and Hector and his comrades started to scowl at the sight.

“Hector… That guy is definitely…”

“It seems like it’s him. The one who took us down in an instant.”

“Ugh… I didn’t expect that fake hero to come this far…”

“Maybe he’s here to try and persuade us?”

The appearance of the Black Hero, the very person responsible for their current predicament, made their already sour mood even worse.

Immediately after, the Black Hero turned his back to Beelzebub and walked over to where they were.

“Long time no see. Have you all been well?”

“Get lost, you filthy demon!”

“I have no words to share with someone who dares to claim the name of a hero.”

The hero party members resolutely refused to engage in conversation with the Black Hero, well aware of his blatant intent to sway them.

They had no desire to converse with a being they saw as sacrilege, someone who openly tarnished the name of a hero.

The very thought of exchanging words with such a vile presence was enough to fill them with disgust, so they resolved to ignore any further words from him.

However…

“That’s a bit much. Even so, I’m your senior; is it really necessary to be so cold?”

*Crack!*

“Se-senior?”

The Black Hero’s words triggered them to clench their teeth in anger.

They had intended to ignore his words, but their rage spilled over uncontrollably.

At that moment…

“We’re here, Hero.”

“!”

“Huh?”

A woman’s voice reached their ears.

And right after, the hero party’s expressions of anger froze in shock.

“Y-You are… No way?”

“No… this can’t be… How are you here…?”

They were genuinely stunned by the sight unfolding before them.

Standing right before them, a Dark Elf in the tortured form of a familiar figure was none other than Elf Paladin Amelda.

“A-Amelda! How could this happen…?”

“You filthy demon scum! Did you really corrupt Amelda?!”

Their idol, whom they had always admired, now presenting such a twisted form, filled them with intense rage.

However, the next moment, Hector and his comrades fell deeper into a state of shock.

“Woof! Woof! Heh heh heh heh!”

“What… what is this…?”

“…Bl-Bless? No way, is that…?”

“This can’t be… how could this happen…?”

Another member of the hero party came into view.

Terra.

The beastkin was crawling on all fours like a dog, and Bless, who shared the same beastkin heritage and had always admired her, was overcome with despair.

Terra was showing not a trace of reasoning, embodying a true beast.

But…

As they witnessed the two former members of the hero party, their shock only compounded with the next unexpected and horrifying image that came into view.

Standing centrally between them all, like a leader, the Black Hero slowly began to remove his helmet.

And as the true face of the Black Hero became visible, the four standing there felt as if they’d been struck on the back of the head with a hammer, leaving them momentarily blank.

Then…

It was not just any being who stood before them, but the former hero known to be chosen by the gods to save the world: Hero Ellen.

Looking down upon his juniors, he spoke in a calm voice.

“Personally, I have some advice I’d like to share with you all as your senior. I hope you’ll at least listen to me with an open mind.”

“…”

The current hero party members could only gaze blankly at Ellen, their expressions in shock.

And as they looked at him, Hero Ellen began to calmly share the stories from the past with a quiet but simmering anger.

Stories of the betrayal from the hero party who handed him over to the porter and the difficult choices he had to make…

And how he came to better understand the existence of demons through that process.

*

“I wonder how he’s doing. He was so adamant about not aligning with us.”

“Don’t worry, it will turn out well.”

The Demon King…

To be more precise, it was the Demon King disguised as Esther, who walked with me. She asked me a question, and I confidently smiled as I replied.

Currently, Hector was infiltrating the Falcon Empire with General Samuel to orchestrate a conspiracy.

Though he was holding his comrades hostage as a precaution, I had faith he would see it through.

I could still vividly recall the expression on Hector’s face during that pivotal moment.

The hero party’s betrayal stirred great shock within him, especially as it also affected those who were close to him.

Of course, the actual situation was far more complex, but the end result was clear: the hero party and the Racial Alliance supporting them had ultimately cast us aside.

On the other hand, the demon race, who had been kind enough to accept us, had continued to uphold their trust in me, and I genuinely appreciated that, leading me to become their ally.

“Though I’ve adapted the story quite a bit, given how things turned out, they wouldn’t be able to avoid believing it.”

For him, the fact that I, a former hero, had changed so dramatically must have been a decisive factor.

You could tell just by seeing how he had openly expressed his fury during the interrogations and upon recognizing me as a hero.

And so, upon receiving his request, I asked him to give me a mission akin to a trial, resulting in the current situation.

“There’s a chance it won’t happen, but likely, it won’t. Typically, people with strong convictions will firmly break when that conviction is challenged.”

It was like a nice person suddenly turning dark; it was truly frightening.

Especially if that person had a typically unyielding nature.

Thus, as we wrapped up our conversation about Hector, we began to end our very somewhat dull date as we headed toward the castle.

“Well then, let’s call it a day here.”

“Yes, my Lord. I’ll see you next time.”

With those words, the Demon King began to head inside.

At that moment, I mustered some courage and cautiously spoke up.

“Um… Demon King?”

“…Huh? What is it, Hero?”

“Well, um… If you wouldn’t mind. How about we go to a different place next time?”

“A different… place?”

The Demon King raised an eyebrow at my statement.

In response, I started to share an idea that had been brewing in my mind for a while now.

Since we had already established a disguise…

What if we went outside the castle this time?