Chapter 538: I Would Never Do Such a Thing!
An overwhelming aura swept through like a storm, shattering the windows.
An immense pressure descended upon everyone, plunging the entire hall into silence.
A figure radiating sheer intimidation appeared in the room, capturing the attention of all present.
Clad in gleaming silver armor from head to toe, his face concealed behind a pitch-black mask, he resembled a demon from the depths of hell. Dark miasma coiled around him, chilling the blood of anyone who dared to look.
"Wh-who is that?"
Darkness's voice trembled.
No one answered her question.
Everyone was paralyzed by the sudden arrival of the man's oppressive presence, rendered speechless.
Even Wiz was momentarily stunned into silence.
"Witch, go heal Beldia."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A cold, clear voice rang out.
From behind him emerged a mage entirely shrouded in black robes. Though her figure was unremarkable, the voice was unmistakably female.
On the ground, Beldia's prone form twitched slightly.
"It's you! That person who looked like a man is actually a woman?!"
Darkness blurted out in shock, her thoughtless words causing the witch's forehead to twitch with visible veins.
"Weren't you stopped by Mr. Nanjo...? What happened to him?"
"Crushed."
The witch replied icily, her tone sharp.
"I'll make sure to teach her a lesson when we get back."
Eiji thought silently to himself.
With phrasing like that, doesn't it make the adventurer I disguised myself as seem weak?
"No way!"
Darkness paled, her expression twisting with disbelief.
"Someone as strong as Mr. Nanjo lost to you...?"
Wiz's expression was complicated. She had a good idea of who these two might be, but given the 2 billion eris at stake, she couldn't bring herself to name them.
"Hey, did that woman just call him 'Your Majesty'?"
"And he called that Headless Knight his subordinate?"
"There's only one person who could be addressed like that... Could he be—?"
"The Demon King!!"
You've got to be kidding me!
Why would the Demon King personally come to a place like this?!
Kazuma Satou froze at the entrance, his entire body trembling.
That terrifying aura wasn't directed at anyone in particular, yet it was enough to make a rookie adventurer below level 10 forget how to breathe. Overwhelming fear sapped all strength from his limbs, leaving him weak, as if his soul might depart for the underworld any second.
That was the real deal—the Demon King!
He had just stepped out for a bit, just tagging along with the subjugation squad to slack off!
Why did he have the misfortune of running into the Demon King?!
What now?
Were they all going to die here?
Kazuma's mind raced frantically in terror.
Beside him, Megumin lifted the brim of her hat, revealing a pair of crimson eyes burning with excitement, shimmering with a dazzling red glow.
"Your Majesty."
Airi approached Beldia and cast a recovery spell specifically for demons.
But soon, she frowned and turned to call out to Eiji.
"What is it?"
"Beldia isn't injured."
The moment those words left her mouth—
Beldia, still lying on the ground, twitched violently again.
Eiji: "..."
He hadn't even noticed.
What the—?
"Are you all slacking off now?"
"The Headless Knight isn't hurt?"
"What's going on? Did the shopkeeper go easy on him?"
"I get it! He must be pretending to be dead to slack off!"
While others were puzzled, a blond man dressed like a delinquent suddenly had an epiphany.
"He must have thought retreating too disgracefully would be bad, but didn't want to get beaten up by the busty shopkeeper either, so he took a few hits on purpose before playing dead!"
"That can't be..."
"He's a Demon King Army officer, after all?"
"..."
Wiz desperately tried to suppress the twitching at the corners of her mouth.
So that's why Mr. Beldia collapsed so strangely! It all makes sense now!
Come to think of it, isn't this the signature move of Mamon, captain of the Demon King's royal guard? When she stormed the Demon King's Castle back then, Mamon charged at her and then dramatically fell down pretending to be dead without her even doing anything.
Who would have thought Mr. Beldia learned this trick too? You really can't judge a book by its cover!
The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly awkward.
Great. After we return, I'll just chop Beldia's head off.
Eiji made up his mind.
"Hmph. Beldia isn't that kind of person. The opponent must have used some underhanded trick to make it look like he wasn't hurt."
Eiji snorted coldly.
Wiz hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
Alright, fine. It was me. Sorry for using underhanded methods.
"That's not underhanded at all!"
"Maybe the shopkeeper's magic was just too advanced?"
"No! I insist he was playing dead!"
Although there seemed to be one clever idiot courting death, most adventurers thought this possibility was more likely. After all, Demon King Army officers were seen as imposing figures—how could they possibly do something as lowly as pretending to be dead?
"Demon King! What is your purpose in coming here at this time?"
While others were chattering, only Darkness clenched her teeth and boldly stepped forward.
Summoning all her courage, she loudly challenged the Demon King above.
Though it was unclear where her conviction came from, Eiji nodded in admiration of her bravery.
Moreover, as the conversation with Darkness unfolded, the awkward atmosphere finally dissipated, and things were back on track!
Excellent. Now the proper sequence can begin!
"You dare raise your head to face me directly? You've got guts. Aren't you afraid of the punishment the Demon King might inflict?"
Eiji deliberately lifted his chin high, adopting a haughty, condescending posture.
Would adding a few "keh keh keh" laughs make him seem more villainous?
"P-punishment from the Demon King?!"
Darkness trembled all over at these words.
Her breathing suddenly grew heavy, and her face flushed crimson.
"That's right! You're the Demon King, and I'm a female knight! Since ancient times, female knights have always been captured by the Demon King, bound in special ways, and brought before him. Then the Demon King would smirk and say, 'Submit to me—'"
"I would never say anything like that."
"Eventually, bound by my knightly honor, I could only say, 'Guh, kill me...' But the Demon King would just laugh and torment me in every possible way, humiliating me while threatening me to submit—"
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
"Tragically, my body would be completely under the Demon King's control, my spirit worn down to its limits, until I finally became a slave obeying the Demon King's every whim...!"
Darkness seemed to have flipped a switch as she began panting heavily.
The people around her listened to her story, their expressions gradually turning strange, with some even casting looks at Eiji as if he were some kind of pervert.
"I would never do something like that!!"
Eiji finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted out loud.
And don't you all go imagining weird scenarios either!
Wouldn't that just make the Demon King character seem strange?!
Needless to say, of course I know the Demon King is me!
"Mmm~!"
But Darkness suddenly let out a soft moan, her face filled with a satisfied expression.