Hernán had no choice but to fully concede.
The warrior party was now trapped inside a mysterious house with no exits—alongside the Demon King herself.
It feels like I've only been here for four hours… but my head is pounding. I feel helpless.
The ache in his skull might have been from the suppression magic cast on him—but the biggest source of stress was the Demon King kneeling submissively in front of him.
"Are you really not going to kill me?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Don't push your luck."
Hernán tapped the base of her horn with the tip of his dagger, the sensation both foreign and unpleasant. And with that touch, his mind drifted back to the moments before they arrived in this strange place.
After dinner in the royal capital, he had slipped away, using the confusion of shifting guards to infiltrate the enemy's stronghold. He had studied the castle's structure for weeks and used a hidden passage to sneak into the Demon King's private chambers.
When he found her resting alone, he was certain this mission would end in triumph.
She had resisted, of course—though not as fiercely as he'd expected. She was, after all, a succubus. Her entire army was made up of women. Hernán, the lone man among the warrior party, was under the effect of powerful magic suppressing his sexual desire.
When none of her seductive tactics, magical charms, or brute force worked on them, the Demon King had panicked. From her chest, she produced a small, ornate box.
"I thought she was just trying to escape…"
Then came darkness. Total, suffocating. And when he awoke… they were here.
Now, Hernán stood in a spacious, unfamiliar house—far too big to be real, with pristine floors and soft furniture, an eerie normalcy that made the absence of doors all the more unnerving.
The others—his party—were scattered across the house, inspecting it with increasingly hopeless expressions.
Still clutching his dagger, Hernán knelt before the bound demon and questioned her again.
"You're seriously saying you opened that box without knowing what it was?"
"I didn't! It was a gift from the Demon God—I was only told to open it in case of danger."
"Even if you don't know exactly what it is, surely you can sense something. Magic, origin, danger?"
"I swear I don't know anything. The aura surrounding this place is completely alien. If I had known, I would've tricked you all and escaped alone."
Her long black hair shimmered as she flicked her tail upward between the strands—an almost cute, wordless plea for mercy.
"Stay still."
"I-I'll behave! Just get that knife away from my throat!"
She shivered slightly, genuinely afraid—but not so afraid that she didn't subtly cross her arms to push up her voluptuous chest.
Of course, Hernán, in his magically neutered state, was immune to her tactics. Cool-headed and logical. His thoughts didn't even stray.
"Ugh! F-Fine. I'll stay still."
The Demon King—still kneeling—pouted like a child denied candy. Before Hernán could reprimand her again, a familiar voice called out:
"L. Did you get anything out of her?"
Karine's voice. The warrior—his lover—strode in, her silver hair catching the light. Despite everything, just hearing her voice eased his tension.
"No. She claims she doesn't know anything. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if she's even the real Demon King. Isn't that title supposed to go to the strongest of the demons?"
The demon looked up and muttered bitterly, "I was the first Demon King chosen by a democratic vote… I don't have that much power…"
"Democratic... what?"
Hernán blinked. Whatever nonsense that was, he wasn't interested.
"So, you didn't find out anything useful?" Karine asked.
"Nothing. No extra rooms, no weapons, no magical items. And that so-called 'guidebook' only says that food will appear three times a day and not to damage the facility."
As they spoke, the rest of the party gradually gathered in the living room.
Silnia, the elven warrior, was the first to break the tension.
"I say we slice her throat open and get her mana stone right now!"
The demon king visibly paled.
"There's no mana in this place," Silnia snapped. "No divine power, no spirits. Nothing answers our calls. But if we kill her, at least we'll get a magic stone—and we might be able to break through the walls with it."
"Calm down," said Marina, the saintess, gently intervening. "We don't know if destroying this place will release us. And who knows? The Demon King might still help."
"I'm weak," the demon chimed in quickly, seizing the opportunity. "My mana stone's smaller than a baby's pinky! It wouldn't be enough to scratch these walls!"
"Who told you to speak?" Silnia snarled, raising her fist.
"Silnia, that's enough," Hernán said sharply, stepping between them. Silnia shot him a glare but obeyed—barely.
"I-It might be true…" came a hesitant voice. It was Potty, the party's wizard, peeking out from under her oversized hood.
"She doesn't feel like a real demon lord. There's no pressure. No aura. It's like she's just… a weird succubus."
"Useless," Karine muttered and sat down at the large dining table.
"Well, since this is how things turned out, let's talk about escape."
Marina nodded and gestured for everyone to sit.
Hernán dragged the demon king to his side, warning her in a low voice, "Act up again, and I'll snap a horn off."
He turned to Karine.
"Everyone read the guidebook. It said the exit will reveal itself when there are twenty-five people gathered."
"But we're alone here," Potty mumbled, hiding her face.
"I checked five rooms down the hallway, but they were all locked," Hernán said. "Any luck elsewhere?"
"No," Silnia replied curtly. "I checked them all. Same story."
"The bedrooms, the bath, the laundry room—it's all too clean. No people, just empty rooms," Karine added.
Marina folded her hands. "Could this be a demonic labyrinth?"
"Doesn't feel like it," Hernán said. "Why go through the trouble of placing us in a comfy prison? Beds, hot food, soft chairs… this is more like a perverse resort."
No one disagreed.
"Then maybe the 'gather 25 people' rule isn't literal."
Karine seemed thoughtful—but her expression quickly grew cold again as she glanced at Hernán.
"Anyway, let's deal with the bedroom arrangements."
"There are only five bedrooms," Hernán noted. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"
"Your name's not on any of them," Karine said. "But one is labeled for Shafikara Pagan."
The demon king's full name. She twitched.
Hernán exhaled.
"Fine. I'll sleep in the living room."
"But then there won't be food tomorrow," Marina said with concern.
"I'm not that worried."
Karine gave him a glance—one he'd seen before during planning sessions. It meant she agreed but didn't want to say it aloud.
"Why not sleep in one of the girls' rooms?" Sharpie suggested.
No one answered.
Instead, Potty raised a hand with a trembling finger, pointing at the demon.
"She's dangerous. There are no locks in the bedrooms…"
"We'll use torn blankets to tie her up," Silnia offered.
"T-Tie me?" Sharpie yelped.
Hernán pressed her down before she could bolt.
"Relax. Just don't make it worse."
"She can't use any dream magic here," Karine added. "But that makes her no different from a human with a knife. She could still slit throats in our sleep."
As Silnia returned with makeshift bindings, Sharpie looked at Hernán with pleading, heart-shaped eyes.
"What? You think I can help you now?" he muttered.
Just then, Karine leaned close and whispered:
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
"Karine…"
His voice caught in his throat. Despite their bond, despite all their late-night talks and glances during the journey, they'd never touched. The chastity spell made it impossible.
"You still have the suppression magic, don't you?"
"Yes."
"I trust you, Hernán. Even without it, you wouldn't do something to hurt me."
She was right. Karine was a princess—the daughter of a weak noble and an illegitimate child in a vicious game of succession. A single scandal could end her chance at the throne.
And sleeping with a man—especially a powerless one—could be fatal to her future.
"But there are others here now," she said, her voice low.
The spell was his shield, his insurance. Everyone knew he was "impregnable."
So, with a light nod, he answered, "Fine. I'll stay with you."
A soft blush rose to his cheeks—embarrassing, considering the spell. Even still, looking at her, he felt his chest warm.
"We can gag her, right?" Silnia said, looking at the demon.
"No. She could suffocate."
"I'm harmless! I swear!"
Sharpie's voice was sharp and high-pitched as she was tied tightly to the table.
"I'll put her away," Hernán said.
He hoisted the demon over his shoulder and ignored her squeals.
Once inside the room labeled "Shafikara Pagan," he tossed her unceremoniously onto the extravagant bed.
"Hey! Is that how you treat a beautiful woman, even if she's the Demon King?"
"Don't start. I'm magically immune to you, remember?"
Still… the room was impressive. Even Karine's quarters in the palace paled in comparison.
"You're Hernán, right?"
"…Yes?"
"Sleep with me."
He blinked. Then scoffed.
"Why in the hells would I do that?"
"That suppression magic on your head—it's dangerous."
"For you, maybe. But I'm fine."
"No, you're the one in danger."
She twisted to face him, her bare skin brushing against luxurious sheets.
"Magic that alters the mind draws mana from the world around it. But here, there's almost no ambient magic."
"So it'll just fade away?"
"No! Complex brain magic doesn't just fade. Without mana, it starts to feed on the user."
Hernán frowned. His headache pulsed again.
"Don't you have a headache? You've never had one before, right?"
"…No," he lied.
Sharpie smiled knowingly.
"That magic overstimulates the brain. In normal places, the pain is numbed by mana. But here, with nothing to draw from, it'll slowly drive you insane."
"Liar."
"Ask your wizard," she challenged. "Oh wait—you can't. No one has magic here. No one can help you but me."
She pulled at her restraints.
"Let me help you."
"How?"
"Have sex with me. My body generates magic naturally. It'll ease the pressure on your mind."
"…Are you serious?"
"Deadly."
"More like deadly desperate. Shut up, or I'll gag you after all."
Sharpie's smile vanished. Hernán turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Karine stood outside.
"You took a while."
"She talks too much. Let's sleep."
As they entered the room together, Karine gave the Demon King's door a cold, lingering look—then turned her eyes back to the man she trusted more than anyone else in the world.