EP.2 Negotiation?
The final battle.
Normally, a hero who's made it this far would be at the peak of tension and focus. But I was just annoyed.
'Those bastards... I tried to let things slide as much as possible, and now they're trying to betray me again?'
I was glad I secretly eavesdropped, just in case.
If I hadn't known, I might have been caught off guard.
'Even now, thinking about it makes me angry.'
I was the only one in the Demon King's castle.
There was no trace of the usual saint or female knight who would normally accompany me. Their intentions were blatantly obvious.
They probably thought it didn't matter if I failed.
They definitely wanted me to deal some damage to the Demon King and then die. If we both died, that would be the best scenario for them.
They made excuses about not being able to increase the infiltration team, but really, they just didn't want to waste valuable forces as sacrificial pawns.
"At least I don't have to worry about annoying surveillance, so that's a relief."
Even if I took care of the Demon King, it would still be a problem.
I'd become a powerless ordinary person and just get killed by assassins sent by the king. But simply returning like that would be no different from declaring rebellion.
I needed a justification to go back.
Not just a justification-something that would give me strength when I returned.
But even thinking about it in the middle of the Demon King's castle, my options were extremely limited.
'For now, I'll hide and think things through...'
I still didn't know the layout of the Demon King's castle well.
If I didn't want to get caught and killed, I had to be thorough about hiding.
'The best option... is to ally with the Demon King?'
If I joined hands with the Demon King, the problem would be solved at once.
But the issue was, I didn't know what kind of person the Demon King was. His loyal subordinates didn't seem likely to betray him.
The Demon King's castle was the most important place for the Demon King's army.
Naturally, the subordinates working here would be extremely loyal.
"Phew... For now, I should check places where people with status might be."
I had no choice but to explore the most dangerous places.
If possible, I needed a place where I could have a one-on-one conversation with the Demon King. I moved stealthily, avoiding the guards, going deeper inside.
"Hey, aren't those guys on duty this week?"
"The captain lost a bet, so there's no choice."
Just as I was sneaking forward, I heard the voices of guards ahead.
Looking around, there was nowhere to hide.
I had to retreat for a bit and come back-at least until I heard voices behind me as well.
"What's the point of guarding when the demons are here anyway?"
"Haha! You're not wrong! Especially here, it doesn't really matter if we're not around, right?"
Footsteps approached from both the front and the back.
The only place to hide was a room that might have someone inside.
If I just stayed put, I'd be caught, so I instinctively dashed into the room.
"Huh... Luckily... is this room empty?"
There was no sign of enemies in the room.
But it wasn't completely quiet either.
"The light is on over there..."
Light leaked from what appeared to be a bathroom.
If it weren't nighttime, I might not have noticed. Since I couldn't leave because of the guards, I had to deal with whoever was inside.
I slowly approached the door and quickly opened it.
Creeeak-!
"Eh...?!"
Inside the bathroom was a woman.
She was so beautiful that I unconsciously held my breath. She had black hair and a bold, striking charm.
I momentarily forgot about attacking.
If she had counterattacked, I would have snapped out of it.
But the woman sitting before me was just as startled as I was.
"Wh-who are you...! How dare you enter my room without permission!"
She flailed her arms, covering her lower body.
Her tone suggested she was someone of status, and I snapped back to my senses.
'Should I take her hostage?'
My thoughts and actions happened almost simultaneously.
Before she realized my identity, I held my sword to her neck. If she'd known I was the hero, she wouldn't have reacted so slowly.
She continued speaking, still covering her lower body.
It seemed she realized a bit late that I was an enemy.
"Hm... I'm the so-called 'hero' you and the kingdom talk about."
"H-hero...! So you snuck in here to take my head...!"
Unexpectedly, I'd caught a big fish.
There was only one person in the Demon King's castle who would say something like that.
It seemed I'd caught a big fish, and I was in a very advantageous situation.
"I didn't expect the Demon King to be a woman..."
"Ugh...! You didn't know I was the Demon King...? Ugh... What a mistake..."
"It doesn't really matter. If you weren't the Demon King, I might have killed you."
It was a sudden confrontation.
It wasn't a good setup for negotiation, since I'd just barged in and attacked in the bathroom.
"Ugh...! W-wait...! You're a hero too, so you wouldn't want to fight here, right?"
"I don't really care. I could just swing my sword right now."
"Tsk...! Don't you even know what shame is...!"
I'd long since thrown away such notions of shame.
I was skilled enough to sneak into the Demon King's castle. Surviving by exploiting weaknesses was basic.
Of course, I couldn't kill the Demon King.
If I killed her and went back, I'd be next. It was just a threat.
"I'm a hero who doesn't know shame... so I'm not too worried."
"Ugh... K-kill me...! But... at least leave my body in the room...!"
She looked completely resigned.
She seemed to want to avoid having her body found in the bathroom.
"Actually, I didn't come here to kill you."
"Eh...?"
"I came to negotiate with you."
"You negotiate with a sword in your hand?"
"Sometimes, negotiations happen like that."
It wasn't a situation where she could stubbornly refuse.
Negotiation was definitely more beneficial, so the Demon King had no choice but to accept.
The plan had changed, but I had to go with it.
"What kind of negotiation are you talking about...?"
"You catch on quick. Actually, I want to be on your side."
"The more I hear, the more nonsense it sounds. You're the first lunatic I've met who wants to be on the same side while holding a sword."
"Actually, the king stabbed me in the back, so even if I kill you and go back, I'm doomed to be caught and killed."
I briefly explained my situation.
The Demon King seemed to believe I wasn't lying.
"Your king is foolish."
"If I just surrendered, do you think they would have accepted it?"
"They'd at least want the king's head before believing you."
She could only believe me now because I'd spared her when I had the chance.
"I'm glad. It seems like you believe me now. We don't want to destroy each other, so let's join forces."
"Fine. I'll accept you as a subordinate. So... uh... hurry up and get out...!"
"Who said you could accept me as a subordinate? While you're sitting in the bathroom."
"Eh...?"
The Demon King made a dumbfounded face again, as if to say, "What are you talking about?"
"How can I trust what you just said?"
"Don't think I'm like your petty underlings...!"
"I need something definite. For example... um... a master-servant contract?"
"Are you out of your mind...!"
It was natural for the Demon King to be surprised.
A master-servant contract is a contract on the soul.
You can't betray it, and you can't break it yourself.
Especially, a master-servant relationship means one side becomes the servant.
In other words, I'd become the superior.
"If it's not at that level, I can't trust you."
"Ugh...! I'm the leader of the Demon King's army. There's no way I can make such a contract...!"
"Don't worry. I'll guarantee you as much freedom as possible. Honestly, I'd rather the Demon King's army be in the lead. I'll do my best for the Demon King's army."
"Ugh... but... haah...!"
The Demon King shuddered once, as if she'd received some kind of signal.
'Ah... I forgot while talking.'
This place was a bathroom, after all.
Of course, it's a place to do your business.
"It's better to make the contract quickly, isn't it?"
"Ugh... uh... alright...! I'll do it... so put the sword away first...!"
"You really need to pee, don't you?"
The Demon King crossed her legs and tapped her feet, trying her best to hide her embarrassment.
"Ugh... I'll make the contract...! So hurry up...!"
"Alright. In the name of the hero Theus, I demand a master-servant contract!"
"Ugh... In the name of Satiana... I accept..."
The moment the contract was completed,
our mana connected and a strange sensation ran through our bodies.
"Ahh...♥"
Unfortunately, it seemed she reached her limit before I could even leave.