251. Emotions have always killed someone (6), so
the demon king, who has blocked any possible escape, leans his upper body against the backrest as if taking a breather. I crossed my legs and looked at O.L.
“There is no need to bring the body to me.”
There will be a bloody smell, but I have no intention of bringing something like that into the office.
However, I have no intention of moving directly to check such a trivial thing.
“But I’ll have to check…”
I’ll have to get someone else to do it.
Who should I order it from? The eyes of the station were drowsily lowered as if lost in thought.
If he is a person with a lower rank than OL, he may give in to pressure, so it’s not okay. At least to those who will not be appeased of the same status.
My eyes slowly moved and I saw Trover standing on one side.
“I guess Trover, the informant, can identify the body.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Trover grins. In contrast, Oel’s face was horribly distorted.
‘…I’ll at least make sure to check.’
If the emotional gap that exists between the two is deeper than expected, there is a possibility that Trover may be framed beyond thorough verification. Of course, it looks like OL will start working before then.
‘Maybe what Deon wants will happen.’
I’m sure it will be fun no matter what the outcome is, but… The Demon King looked straight at Trover. He was startled by the gaze that seemed to be entrancing him and adjusted his posture.
“When reporting the confirmation, please bring a magic stone that shows various angles of the body.”
“…All right.”
Still, I ‘ordered’ them to ‘confirm’, but it’s not as good as reporting the truth by disguising it as a lie. Because that means looking down on the devil.
However, if interpreted differently, it means that ‘the report regarding the order to identify the body does not have to be false.’ I don’t know if Trover or Orl will notice this and use it… If you know what you know, if you don’t know what you don’t know, I think there will be interesting results, so it probably doesn’t matter.
The Demon King said as he threw the handkerchief he had used to wipe his fingers into the fireplace.
“Then everyone get out now.”
“….”
“Oh, before that, leave the window open.”
I was not pleased with the warm and delicate smell unique to human babies, which did not fit in at all with the demon world.
***
Dernivan, who was waiting for his superior in front of the Demon King’s office, quickly turned his head at the sound of the door opening… but then stopped. The body that seemed to move closer at any moment has long since stopped.
“…Oel?”
A being who should not be here was held in her arms.
I wondered for a moment whether it was a hallucination, but a unique, unfamiliar yet familiar smell passed my nose.
Furthermore, thinking objectively, Dernivan quickly accepted reality because he did not care about the baby enough to create such an elaborate hallucination.
After that, I understood the situation.
Oel was suddenly summoned by the Demon King and came out holding a baby in her arms. Dernivan, who was looking at his lover with a blank expression as if he was somehow shocked, walked up to her and stretched out his hand to receive the baby.
O.L., who had obediently held out the baby, was startled and quickly pulled the baby back.
“What… what are you doing!”
Before I knew it, Dernivan’s hand had turned into that of a wolf.
Sharp fingernails sparkle in the moonlight coming through the window. Dernivan answered without expression.
“If you kill him, Oel won’t be harmed.”
“….”
“You know.”
The fact that she came out alive means that the Demon Lord gave her a chance.
If she had been allowed to raise the baby, there would have been an order to kill her, as the despair she couldn’t even recognize would have been visible on her face. Considering that the baby came out alive, a grace period was probably given.
Dernivan knows. This is the greatest consideration and mercy that the Demon King can give, and at the same time, it is his last chance. If you kick even this, Orel will die.
“I can’t let the commander die for just one human baby.”
So, based on rational calculations, he chose to abandon the baby.
“….”
Oel looked down at the baby in silence.
The baby raised his head as if sensing my gaze and smiled brightly when our eyes met. The hand holding the baby trembled reflexively at the flawless smile.
Trover, who was watching the situation, suddenly intervened and laughed.
“You’ve got such a great lieutenant that you’ll have blood on your hands instead.”
“…you shut up.”
“From now on, I have to watch to see if you do anything foolish.”
“No. The Demon King’s order was not to monitor a foolish operation, but to ‘identify the body.’ So why don’t you quietly stay in your room and kill some time, then come check on the week after? If there is a body, if there isn’t, if there isn’t, you just shut up and look. All you have to do is do it.”
Why are you trying to spy on me?
The harsh words flew like arrows. He usually speaks in a childlike manner, but only at times like this does he become sharp and fluent. Trover’s expression hardened for a moment, then he shook his shoulders once and turned around.
“I hope you make interesting choices.”
Throwing a curse that was packed until the end.
O.L., who seemed to be getting angry, belatedly stopped as if he was aware of the baby in his arms. Taking advantage of that opportunity, Trover disappeared and Dernivan came to his side.
“Please hand over the baby.”
“…no.”
“Please hand it over.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
Oel shook his head vigorously and backed away, holding the baby tightly. Despite his behavior, Dernivan didn’t even nod.
“You must kill him.”
“I was given a week’s time from the Demon King.”
“That’s giving you time to let off steam.”
This is not the time given to exchange affection to the fullest.
In that case, it would be better to kill him right here and take the given week to get his mind together.
“Anyway, you have a week.”
“but.”
“Are you going to do this too?”
“….”
He paused as he met eyes full of sorrow.
The outstretched hand slowly goes down. Seeing his superior for the first time, Dernivan was silent as if he was contemplating how to respond.
Oel patted the back of the baby who was whining in frustration and said,
“Let’s go back to the room, Dernivan. I want to get some rest first.”
“…yes.”
***
The way back was filled with silence.
Originally, Dernivan was silent, so the conversation was usually one-sided by Orel, but she was busy worrying and thinking about something now.
Dernivan kept looking at her as if he was suspicious of the quiet woman, but Oel thought whether he was looking at me or not.
‘What do we do.’
It seems like that feeling really stuck.
I don’t know why, but seeing as how my heart tightens every time I think about my baby’s body, it must have something to do with it. Will I be able to get rid of my feelings within a week?
“Umm—.”
“…?”
“mom.”
“….”
Mom.
I listened to the baby’s voice without thinking, and then I received an unexpected attack. Oel’s body stiffened.
It felt like I had been completely doused in cold water. I really didn’t think anything this time, but my heart tightened for no reason.
His feet reached the door before he knew it, but Orel was frozen in place without even thinking about opening the door.
“…Oel.”
“Ugh… let’s go in.”
The moment I heard the baby’s words, I realized.
I can’t abandon this baby. So, you can’t pretend not to know and keep your mouth shut and ignore death.
I have to survive. I still don’t know why, but I know for sure that if this baby dies, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
I opened the door. As if he sensed something, Dernivan’s gaze was warm, but he pretended not to notice and went inside and put the baby down first.
The baby, who had been quiet the entire time, finally started waddling and moving around the large room. As I was looking at that precarious gait, I suddenly realized something.
“…The baby has just started walking.”
“….”
The words came out reflexively.
You’re too young. Dernivan was silent, even though he must have heard something added.
Since he didn’t say anything expecting an answer, OL sat down without saying anything and thought about it. Since I have decided to save my life, I have to think about it.
─How can I steal the baby?
‘The easiest thing is to get a helper, but there is no place to ask for help…’
…there is none.
All the humans of the Demon King’s Castle, the last group of warriors, followed Deon into battle. Even if I had been able to get help by not going on a campaign, Deon would not have left me alone.
Because he is very sensitive to the danger to the people under his command. It would be fortunate if you did not try to calm the situation or get angry and try to harm the baby.
‘Then I guess I’ll have to solve it on my own…’
…No. Now that I think about it, I realize that I am not alone at all.
I raised my eyes. Our eyes met with Dernivan, who was standing silently and looking this way.
“Dernivan.”
“Yes, Oel.”
“….”
He is faithful to me. She is my lieutenant and my lover. Others say that he strictly follows me because I am his superior, but I know that is not the case as a corps commander.
I dare to be sure. If he were to choose between me and the Demon King, he would choose me.
‘But that’s why I won’t support my current choice.’
Even though there is a safer way, it’s like taking a dangerous path.
Your intuition speaks. You shouldn’t ask for help directly. Then that man will kill the baby without mercy even if he feels resentment towards me.
So we have to turn around a bit.
I laid the groundwork in advance so he couldn’t refuse. As if the siege was gradually narrowing.
“The baby. It looks like Trover found it, confirmed that it was related to me, and took it to the Demon Lord.”
“….”
“How on earth did you know?”
I say it again.
Oel was curious, not stupid.
***
The adjutant says. I think it’s my fault. My tail is long and I feel like I got stepped on. When I came out to see the baby, I felt eyes on me.
He even confessed and apologized for passing it up due to his mood. He said he had nothing to say even if he died.
I speak as someone who was his lover. It’s okay. I have no intention of killing you. I have no intention of getting angry at you, let alone punishing you, so raise your head quickly.
instead.
“I have a favor to ask.”
He cupped his lover’s cheek with both hands, raised his head, made eye contact, and smiled.
“Are you going to listen?”
It will be difficult to refuse because you have committed sins.
Dernivan, realizing that the place I was in was a muddy swamp, closed his mouth. The eyes, which always seemed to be firm, seemed to waver a little.
***
“No.”
“please.”
“But that doesn’t work.”
There is a sin committed, but this is not it.
Not for yourself. This was the worst choice for my superior, O.L., so an unusually long conversation continued.
“Are you aware of what you are saying? Asking me to hide the baby is a direct violation of the Demon King’s orders.”
“I’m not asking you to hide it. I’m asking you to abandon it to the human world.”
“It’s the same thing, isn’t it?”
As the atmosphere seemed unusual, the baby came to me, whimpering. Oel patted the baby’s back and said.
“I will take responsibility.”
“Do you think I’m worried about my safety right now?”
“So you’re worried about me?”
“….”
If it includes worrying about the inefficient situation of losing a corps commander because of a baby, then it can be said to be a worry.
Dernivan, who had been quietly looking at her with an unwavering attitude, opened his mouth again. He naturally skipped the previous statement as if he had not heard it and went back to the initial topic.
“No way.”
“but.”
“It’s not possible.”
“….”
Oel lowered his head at his iron-clad attitude.
A look of confusion flashes through Dernivan’s eyes at the completely different reaction from what he expected to be stubborn. There was a brief moment of silence, and then as she was about to leave again, she raised her head.
There were tears welling up in both eyes.
“Are you sure you can’t?”
“….”
“Even though this is the price you pay for your carelessness?”
If this was the price I had to pay for not getting angry and not punishing him, I was going to ask him to punish me instead. Normally, I would have said that without hesitation.
However, Dernivan froze at the tears of Oel, whom he had seen for the first time in his life.
