20. The veil lifted (3)
‘….’
I gently lowered my eyes at the gloomy future that kept coming to mind.
If there is a world or a god who decides and watches over all of this, it may take some form, but it will probably never take the form of a ‘human’.
Humans are beings with the richest emotions among all other living creatures.
If they had presented themselves as beings who, no matter how hard they tried to make rational judgments, could not help but be swayed by their emotions, they could not have been so cold-hearted and merciless.
‘iced coffee.’
Death is just around the corner. Unable to control his slowly collapsing body, he leaned on Deonhardt.
Now I can’t even keep my head up, so I tilt my head back and a complex expression fills my field of vision against the black night sky with three round moons in the background.
An expression that doesn’t know what to say.
The warrior just smiled helplessly.
You don’t have to say anything. All you have to do is live.
But if I had to choose what I wanted to hear…
‘name.’
My name, not the title of warrior.
But you never know. There is no way for you to know my name, which even I have forgotten.
No matter what kind of life you have lived before becoming a warrior, the value of your existence comes down to ‘killing the devil.’
No one calls me by my name and I am so absorbed in my purpose that I cannot even repeat my name to myself…
‘…I will correct this. I don’t want to see you lose your name.’
I hope the next great hero will be someone other than Deon Hart.
The warrior slowly closed his eyes as he saw death slowly reaching out his hand.
In any case, the result has come out, so I am relieved regardless of whether it was successful or not. On the contrary, he was even happy to die.
Because it means I can rest now.
‘My name will probably be mentioned at least once at the funeral.’
if.
If only I lived to see my funeral.
Will you remember my name?
──My vision turned black.
***
The administrator in charge of the ‘First City’, one of the four main cities with the approval of the Demon King, came to the gates of the castle, rarely shaking.
Originally, a ‘manager’ is a being that can be compared to a ‘lord’ in the human world.
It goes without saying that this was the reason why the manager, who was at least like the king of the city, was so nervous.
The visit of the ‘0th Corps Commander’, whom I had only heard about through rumors.
At a time when even other corps commanders would have to bow down and throw up their hands, a giant among giants whose tendencies are not even known are known.
If you were to ask me how I feel, I would say ‘I’m in trouble.’
Think about it.
Since you don’t know their tendencies, you can’t flatter them easily, and you can’t be too stiff either.
What if I can’t get into the mood for such a topic? You may be parting ways with your loved one who has been with you for a long time.
‘If you make a mistake, you die. If you make a mistake, you die…’
I can’t help but sigh. My back was already wet.
Likewise, rubbing his clammy hands on his trousers, the manager waited for the door of the carriage that had stopped in front of him to open.
In the end, there is only one way.
Behave as little as possible against your will and understand your tendencies as quickly as possible.
So, you need to stay alert. The commander of Corps 0, who is rumored to not be able to treat even the devil king carelessly. It was obvious what would happen if I offended him.
‘I want to live a long time and enjoy this power!’
Soon the carriage door opens and a tall man jumps out from inside.
Neatly combed hair and neat look. A ferocious magical power that does not seem to match his aristocratic appearance.
Is the author the commander of Corps 0? No, there is magic. The Commander of the 0 Corps clearly said he was a ‘human’, so he would not have any magical power.
As expected, the man must have been the right-hand man of Commander 0 Corps, and with an extremely polite gesture, he held the carriage door as if waiting for someone to come out.
Then, a black-robed being slowly stepped down the steps of the carriage.
‘It’s him.’
I felt like I knew it without even having to say it.
Those leisurely gestures, that calm attitude, even the feeling of intimidation that emanates even though he is wearing a robe.
In the first place, he is wearing a robe that is the symbol of the 0 Corps commander, but who else would be the 0 Corps commander if not him?
His size was not as big as expected. On the contrary, he was so insignificant that if he had met me on the street while I was too drunk and couldn’t understand the atmosphere, I would have started a fight.
But right now, he wasn’t drinking, he was sober, and because of that, he could read the mood better than anyone else.
Who is this tall man with great magical power treating so kindly? Who is the man carrying a visitation bag with blood all over his body taking care of so much?
Likewise, who is paying attention to those who have blood all over their bodies, as if they had battled a monster?
And finally….
‘Who is the most relaxed?’
gulp.
I wiped the dry needle again, cleared my throat quietly, and took a step forward.
Then, he bowed politely towards the man in the robe and opened his mouth.
“Welcome to the First City.”
***
Time was delayed a bit due to the successive attacks of monsters, but I didn’t think it was going to stop there forever and I thought it would arrive someday.
Yes, I was just thinking about it.
So, in other words, I am not mentally ready yet.
“….”
I sat down and looked blankly at the open carriage door.
‘I don’t want to get off.’
It’s already late anyway, but if I get off here, won’t I really have to do anything to protect this city from terrible monsters?
The probability of my skills being revealed will increase accordingly. Oh, when I think about it like that, I don’t want to get off even more.
As I hesitated, pulling on the hood of the robe that Ed had put on me before getting off, Ed, who was holding the door from outside the carriage, called to me as if he was puzzled.
“Daemon?”
“…going.”
I reluctantly stood up.
As I slowly stepped down the stairs of the carriage, I made eye contact with a chunky demon who seemed to be the city manager.
I don’t know if he always had that kind of expression, but his expression was stiff.
‘…It couldn’t have been that kind of expression. ‘It’s clear I don’t like that.’
I had high hopes that they would send a corps commander to protect the city, but how could I smile comfortably when such an unprecedented small child came.
You’re probably frustrated by now, saying ‘Our city is ruined!’ or ‘You damn devil!’ He may be exploding with anger.
I am not a person who is tactless enough to say hello cheerfully in a situation like this.
Because of this, I kept my mouth shut and remained silent, but perhaps he had just sorted out his emotions, as he took a step forward and bowed politely.
“Welcome to the First City.”
And the words that followed were one after another of praise.
They said that it was an honor that would never happen twice, and that everyone in the city would feel relieved that the commander of the 0 Corps was visiting.
In some ways, praise is praise, but it is a natural praise that does not seem to be flattering.
I could guarantee that.
This kid is a pro! As for quick emotional control, this is not a skill that comes from flattery once or twice.
I didn’t have the courage to hang up, so I was just exclaiming to myself. Ed took a quick look at me and took a step forward with a stern expression.
“Enough about flattery.”
“!”
Aren’t you being too extreme?
I already feel like I’m not in a good mood when a small child comes, but how will I feel if that small child even abuses me?
Usually, in these cases, the superior who stands still behind gets criticized rather than the subordinate who acts in front.
As expected, the manager’s eyes widened as if he was surprised.
But soon, like a professional, he nodded, hiding his expression with a cheeky smile.
“okay. I was so excited about the unprecedented visit of Commander 0 Corps that I committed rudeness. “I apologize.”
“I am Ed, the lieutenant of Commander 0 Corps, Demon Arut. “If the goal was simply sightseeing, I could have listened to you until the end, but unfortunately, our goal is to protect the city, so let’s get to the point.”
“Thank you for your generous treatment.”
When the manager, who had bowed deeply again, looked up again, Ed had become a superior who was receiving thorough reports.
Holding a pen, he began to look through the documents he was holding inside the carriage and ask questions.
“The monsters have been attacking exactly how many days apart, right?”
“Ah… there was no particular regularity. Still, if there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that they will attack again within at least a week.”
“How big was the offensive and what were the numbers? Was it to the point where you could see that almost all the monsters around you had come?”
“Yes that’s right. They also had to eat to survive, so it seemed like all the monsters around them had gathered because their survival was at stake. The offense was just as fearsome. “In fact, the battle is a battle, but it would be more accurate to say that we were greatly pushed back in terms of momentum.”
“It’s momentum… I guess they were that desperate… Well, if momentum was a big problem, it’s almost like it’s been solved now.”
‘It’s almost like it’s been resolved.’ I like it because it seems like a positive thing to say, but… what is it that you are looking at me while saying that?
I thought it might have been an illusion, but when our eyes met, I could sense an ominousness in his natural look away.
There’s definitely something there!
Over there? Wait a minute….
“Anything special?”
Ignored!
“Rather than thinking of the opponent as a monster, it seems better to think of the battle as a water-based battle.”
“I say so, Demon.”
“…yes?”
Until now, he has been talking without me, but only calls me at times like this. What do you want from me?
So I kept my mouth shut, wondering what to do, and Ed, who had been quietly waiting for an answer, spoke again as if urging me on.
“What do you want to do?”
“….”
There is nothing to say.
I don’t plan on going out to look for monsters and getting into trouble, so I’ll just stay here and wait patiently until they come.
But I can’t say this.
“Daemon?”
“…They said they would invade within a week, so we have to wait. “There’s no need to go outside to meet them.”
“Then, in the meantime, the corps members….”
“You are free until the monsters attack. It’s great for drinking and shopping. However, if there is an attack, we must be able to respond immediately.”
The words seemed so good that the faces of the corps members became brighter.
Confirming with my own eyes that my choice was right, I opened my heart with pride for the first time in a while.
They said it might take up to a week, but you can’t just wait and see, so it was a natural choice.
Of course, I would have done so even if I had told him to wait since I was the superior, but it would not have been a very good decision since his level of resentment towards me would have continued to rise.
So, it would be better to show some condescension at this time and build up some goodwill toward me.
That way, my chances of survival will increase even a little.
‘got it? So, if a monster attacks, you have to protect me first?’
While I was smiling happily to myself, the manager who had been watching for a while seemed to think it was time to sneak in.
“We prepared a place to sleep. Would you like to go?”
“oh.”
From words to actions, he is very good at not offending others. As expected, he’s professional.
I nodded and looked back at the corps members whose eyes were shining brightly.
“Then just find out the location of the accommodation and after that you are free. “Do whatever you want.”
“Waaaa!!”
“Long live Demon!!”
As I listened to the cheers of the corps members, I nodded happily.
Yes, yes, have fun.
Because I will do whatever I want.
‘It’s been a while since I had a drink.’
It is a city that has been a long time coming. In fact, another nickname for the first city here is ‘City of Entertainment’.
Things related to pleasure, such as alcohol, gambling, and prostitution, are the representative symbols of this city!
Of course, the thing that caught my eye was alcohol.
I was so excited at the thought of drinking that I couldn’t show it outwardly for the sake of respect, but hummed to myself and followed behind the manager who was leading the way.
