The NTR Hero Knelt Before The Demon King – Chapter 34

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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The vast corridors of the Demon King’s castle.
As I walked slowly through them, I was feeling an unexpectedly intense sense of tension.

‘A meeting with the Demon King’s army… I never thought there would come a day when I’d be attending such a gathering in the body of a hero.’

According to what I’d heard, the current leadership among the demons was planning a large-scale counterattack under the Demon King’s command.

The achievements that Elisia and I had secured in Rob – the aftermath of burning down the logistics of the Allied Races – were already being felt throughout their camp.

Their periodic offensives had suddenly halted, and the atmosphere across the occupied territories had noticeably quieted down.

It was a sight that, in every sense, clearly showed they couldn’t engage in battle at this moment.

Additionally, according to recent news, internal conflicts have suddenly broken out within the Allied Races.

For the demons, who had been preoccupied with defense until now, this was a rare chance for a counterattack.

And for me, who wanted to achieve something in honor the Demon Queen, this was a perfect opportunity.

‘Just like in Rob, I’ll have to show them something decisive with this chance, especially since most of the other commanders and legion leaders will be participating this time…’

It might be obvious, but there were still quite a few high-ranking demons who held doubts about me.
Thinking that I needed to do my best in this operation to dispel those doubts as much as possible, I headed toward the conference hall.

Then…

“Hm?”

“Hero? It’s been a while.”

As I turned the corner down the hallway, a familiar figure came into view.

A demon with a petite height, one I had to look down to see, and silver hair that shone brightly—appearing like a small girl.

Seeing Elisia, with whom I’d carried out an operation in Rob, I felt a mix of awkwardness and slight fondness as I opened my mouth to speak.

“It’s been a while, Elisia. Have you been well?”

Unlike before, when she wore purple armor that completely covered her, she was now dressed in a pristine white uniform.
Just judging by her appearance, she looked like a young girl in a costume, and, honestly, I found her somewhat cute.

Elisia, noticing my thoughts, gave a light smile and responded,

“Well… I’ve been doing alright. You, on the other hand, seem to have been doing very well. You look in even better shape than when we last met.”

“…I can’t deny it. Thanks to Her Majesty the Demon King’s favor, I’ve been living comfortably – beyond comparison to before. It’s completely different from my time in the Hero’s party.”

“Well, isn’t that only natural? In our Demon Kingdom, it’s a fundamental principle that those with abilities receive treatment worthy of their talents. I, too, believe that someone like you deserves that level of respect.”

Elisia spoke with an unexpectedly sincere tone, without a hint of sarcasm.

Seeing her like this, I realized just how much her attitude toward me had softened since our first meeting.

‘Well… after all, we did fight with our backs to each other, and I even saved her life in a close call.’

To be honest, during our first mission together, Elisia felt more like a watcher than an ally.

In fact, it was highly likely she had actually been assigned to that kind of covert role. But regardless, even I, usually insensitive to these things, could tell that she was now showing a hint of friendly sentiment compared to back then.

Though I hadn’t particularly intended it, I realized that Elisia’s favor toward me had increased a bit.
With that in mind, I began walking down the hallway with her toward the conference room.

“Come to think of it, I heard that not only the four kings of the elite guards but also the legion commanders will be attending this meeting?”

“Yes, that’s right. Individually, they’re of comparable or slightly lower combat strength than us, but unlike us, they hold command over troops. While it’s unlikely that all of them will be able to come, most are expected to attend, given Her Majesty’s summons.”

“I see…”

As I listened to Elisia, memories began to surface—specifically, things I knew from the original game’s storyline.

The legion commanders, who served as mid-level bosses in the Demon King’s army…
According to the game’s lore, there were supposed to be about five of them in total, though in my playthrough, I’d only encountered one of them in battle.

Though it was allowed by the game mechanics, this was a character who had been a significant challenge for the low-level Hero’s party in the early stages. With powerful strength, strategy, and cruelty, he had arranged a meeting with YOUDIE for me and the other players.

Even in the final moments, just before meeting his end at the Hero’s sword, he narrowly escaped, radiating intense hatred and vowing revenge.
He was the demon general who showed just how strong a demon legion commander could be.

Second Demon Legion Commander
Elias

There had been hints about him, and personally, I had hoped he would return later. But recalling how he disappeared without even revealing his face, I couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of anticipation.

‘This upcoming meeting… Maybe I’ll finally get to see Elias’s true form? He was a character I personally wanted to check out, even if just as dummy data.’

Though the difficulty was high for a mid-boss, his appearance left a lasting impression in many ways.

Just as I was filled with curiosity about what Elias’s true form might look like, and with a sense of anticipation that it might soon be revealed, there was a sudden voice from behind us.

“Oh my… Elisia…”
Elisia and I turned around at the sound.
The person who came into view was a female demon wearing a uniform that resembled black mourning attire.

She was quite tall, with red hair and brown eyes, and like Elisia, she had a single horn on her forehead.

Her overall figure was relatively slim, and her face exuded a sense of maturity and deep kindness.

She gave off an impression of someone who could embrace everything, with a warm yet serene aura.

If I had to compare her to something…

“Mom!”
“Huh?”

The next moment, Elisia brightly called out and immediately ran into the woman’s arms.
The “seriousness” she had shown me just a moment ago was quickly discarded, and I couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback by Elisia’s behavior.

“Well, well… Have you been doing well, my dear?”

The demon woman spoke gently as she embraced Elisia.
Elisia, burying her face in the woman’s chest, looked up with sparkling eyes and replied,
“Yes! I’ve been doing well, but… I missed you, Mom. I’ve worked hard while being away from you, but honestly, it was tough.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy, haven’t I? I should have sent you letters more often, but I couldn’t. I’ll try to pay more attention from now on.”

“Is… is that a promise?”

“…Yes, a promise.”

Honestly, if you disregard the external factors and focus only on the image, there was nothing particularly jarring about the scene.

However, the fact that the person having this conversation with her high-pitched voice had just been a member of the Demon King’s elite guard and acted with such gravitas in front of me made me feel quite strange.

‘Well… it’s not like a person’s image outside is always the same as when they’re in private, but still, this gap is a bit too much… By the way, ‘Mom’? It doesn’t seem like just a title. Could she really be Elisia’s mother?’

Her hair color was slightly different, but she had a striking resemblance to Elisia.

Looking at her, I began to think that she might actually be Elisia’s mother, not just in title. With that thought, I cautiously started to approach the two of them.

Then…

“…Oh my, who is this?”

“!”

The next moment, she slowly released Elisia from her embrace and turned to face me.

As soon as she saw me, the warmth she had shown while holding Elisia disappeared in an instant, replaced by a sharp, almost lethal aura.

It was clear at a glance that she viewed me as an enemy.

This sudden shift in atmosphere made me instinctively feel on edge.
As she noticed my reaction, she glared at me and spoke in a cold voice.

“Well, well… Isn’t this the Hero? The filthy blade of the disgusting Allied Races. What exactly are you doing here?”

Her smile, so warm just moments ago, had turned into a chilling, menacing grin.

While I could sense that her pure combat strength was weaker than mine, the raw animosity emanating from her made me furrow my brow.

However…

“Please don’t, Mom. Even though he looks like this, he’s an ally recognized by the Demon King, right? Also, fighting is prohibited here,”

“…Sigh…”

“Well then, Hero, though we’ve met before, let me introduce you.”

At Elisia’s words, the ominous aura around ‘Mom’ began to subside.
Elisia was about to formally introduce her, and I felt a slight sense of relief as the atmosphere calmed.

But then…

“This is my mother, and she serves as the Second Legion Commander, Lady Elias.”

“Ah… I see. This person is… What?”

At Elisia’s following words, I felt a blow, as if I had been struck with a hammer, even stronger than the ominous aura I had sensed earlier.