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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“Q… Question… you say?”
I couldn’t help but express confusion at the beautiful demon’s words. Her attitude made it seem like she had seen me before.
But no matter how hard I thought, I could only conclude that this was my first time seeing her, let alone having a conversation with her.
‘No… the only demon I’ve ever talked to, even vaguely, was the Demon King, who asked me something like, “Why are you dying alone?” at the end!’
At that moment, a realization flashed through my mind.
Despite this, I automatically shook my head, feeling a vague sense of suspicion.
‘No way… even so, that’s impossible. The Demon King, who was fully armored in black, couldn’t possibly be this elegant lady…’
I started to deny the thought that briefly crossed my mind, but…
Seeing me like that, she spoke with a voice that carried dignity and danger.
“Don’t make excuses. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice, just because you fell to my sword? I will ask you again. Why did you choose to embrace such a futile defeat?”
Her words carried the authority of a ruler.
However, as I listened, I felt more shocked by the meaning behind her words than by her authority.
‘W… Wait… is this for real? Was that incredibly elegant lady really the Demon King from earlier?’
Her words and actions made me think this could only be the case.
As a result, I couldn’t help but feel a huge gap between the person she appeared to be during the battle and the way she looked now.
It was like the difference between a lion ready to hunt and a proud swan.
However, that shock was short-lived.
Realizing that now wasn’t the time to be dumbfounded, I quickly composed myself and hardened my expression.
‘I need to talk my way out of this as much as possible to survive… I can’t waste this one slim chance.’
With that thought, I began analyzing the Demon King in front of me, reviving the instincts I’d honed from reading between the lines in tricky situations.
In the original story, she was always mentioned as the final boss to defeat, but she was ultimately taken down by the hero and never developed as a character.
Naturally, I couldn’t know exactly what kind of person she was from the original, but…
From what I had seen of her so far, I could at least get a general sense of who she was.
She was the kind of person who came all the way here to confront me simply because she found something strange about her victory.
That meant she placed a great deal of importance on rules and principles and also seemed to carry a sense of pride as a warrior.
‘Judging by this alone, she’s much better than those companions who discarded me like trash… If she’s this kind of person, maybe I can sway her.’
Having quickly finished my analysis of the Demon King,
I then let out a laugh, filled with despair, as I stood in front of the Demon King’s cold gaze.
“Haha… So you noticed after all, huh? Well, I figured someone like you would.”
“Answer my question. Why did you choose defeat? You, a hero, should have known that your party was stronger than me and my commanders.”
“No, that’s not true.”
“…What?”
I firmly denied the Demon King’s words.
Her face filled with deep confusion for a moment, and I spoke bitterly as I watched her.
“Of course, at face value, our strength might have seemed superior. But… from the moment we entered this Demon King’s castle, we had already lost. Not in terms of power or magic, but in something more fundamental—trust in one another.”
“What… do you mean?”
Recognizing that there was something more to my words, the Demon King asked carefully.
Watching her, I replied in a somber voice.
“I was… abandoned. By the comrades I had trusted and loved.”
—
The hero in front of her, showing a face full of despair…
The words that came from his mouth were truly shocking, even to the Demon King.
“How could they… Even if they fell in love with another man, how could they scheme to betray the hero, the one bearing the weight of the continent’s fate?”
The so-called warriors in the hero’s party, who had been enchanted by a man who had been merely a porter, had not only intended to use the hero but had also plotted to steal the honor of saving the continent from him.
Though the demon race was regarded as evil by humans, even they considered trust between comrades to be sacred and something that must always be upheld.
Yet, the hero’s party, said to be the strongest force in the united races, had schemed to deceive not only the hero but also their own people and nation for personal gain.
From the Demon King’s perspective, it was as if these self-proclaimed righteous beings had smeared filth upon themselves.
At that moment, while the Demon King was momentarily taken aback, the hero, filled with regret, spoke in a deep, sorrowful voice.
“Yes… I know. What they did was filthy beyond words. At first, I couldn’t accept it. Even though… I knew their hearts had drifted away from me… I still believed that if I saved the world as a hero in the end, they would all look at me differently again! But… but… in the end, they…!”
“…”
The hero’s emotions became slightly heated as he recounted his story.
Watching him, the Demon King wore a heavy expression and remained silent.
This hero, who had sacrificed everything to save the world.
In his eyes, the “world” was likely reflected in his comrades, who were closest to him.
Just as soldiers fight for their nation to protect their families and friends.
In that sense, the betrayal of his comrades was essentially the same as the world driving a knife into the hero’s back.
The very things he had risked his life to protect had, in turn, betrayed him.
And the despair that followed—this was something the Demon King could easily grasp.
‘To be abandoned by those you trust… it’s truly heartbreaking. Especially if you’ve devoted your entire life to them…’
She could clearly understand the pain, as she too would likely feel the same way if her people, for whom she had lived her life, abandoned her.
This was something she could confidently say, having lived a life as a ruler without shame.
With that in mind, while empathizing with the hero’s pain,
The Demon King began to smile wryly in her heart about the true reason she had come all the way here.
‘…As I thought, this sort of thing isn’t suited to me. I’ve been mulling it over, but…’
Even though the hero had been stronger than her, he had deliberately chosen defeat.
The Demon King had her doubts about that, but apart from that, she was sure of one thing—she had to seize the opportunity presented to her.
Although she had defeated the hero’s party, the demons’ situation was still dire.
The united races continued to ravage their borders, and a large-scale offensive was expected soon.
And in such times, the strongest being on the continent, the hero, was now in her hands.
Even though the Demon King was the most powerful among the demons, she knew without a doubt that the hero’s strength surpassed her own.
She could tell, simply by her senses, that this was an undeniable fact.
If this man were to join her and the demon race, it would instantly turn the tide of the ongoing war with the united races.
With this in mind, the Demon King, although reluctant, felt the need to entice the hero to her side, even if it meant offering sweet temptations and false promises.
Wealth, power, even women—anything that could lure a human like him.
If those failed, she planned to remind him of his treacherous companions and push him further into despair, thus corrupting him to her side.
But at this very moment,
The Demon King was reconsidering her dirty plan to use the hero.
Even though they were different in race and status, the Demon King found herself understanding…
No, feeling deeply moved by the wretched situation the hero found himself in, even more so because she was a Demon King.
Moved by this, the Demon King decided to offer the hero what he truly desired, rather than trying to seduce him with shallow words.
‘Attempting to bribe this pitiful and wretched soul would only insult him… What he truly desires is an honorable and dignified death, befitting a warrior.’
I’m not that sure about it ma’am but it’s much better than his original fate
Hero’s plan back fired