"Nice to meet you. I heard you're the gardener. They say you tend to almost all the plants in the Demon King's Castle?"
A voice brimming with goodwill, kind and friendly. Hien forgot his own lowly station and dared to lift his head, staring blankly at the man.
...That absurd probability had actually come to pass.
The 0th Legion Commander was showing a level of kindness that far exceeded expectations,
"The Demon King's Castle is quite vast. That's impressive."
Something inside Hien melted at those words.
This was a being acknowledged by the Demon King himself, elevated to the position of 0th Legion Commander. No one would dare call him arrogant for acting superior.
Yet here he was, using polite language and showing respect to his conversation partner.
'Is this what they mean by the leisure of the strong...?'
The less confidence people have in themselves, the more they puff up their abilities and raise their voices to crush others beneath them.
In that sense, the 0th Legion Commander's words and actions made it clear he had absolute confidence in himself.
Whether he knew it or not, that aura elevated his presence...
"I'm curious about the plants in the Demon King's Castle. Would you mind giving me a tour?"
Not content with merely acknowledging a mere incubus, he even asked for a favor when he could have simply ordered it.
At that, Hien's stunned expression softened, and he smiled.
[What's that guy's name again?]
[What was it? I heard it vaguely a while back, but it's fuzzy...]
"Demon. Demon Arut."
A name more demonic than any demon's.
That day, Hien repeated the name to himself over and over.
Afterward, he made efforts to get closer.
No, he didn't dare hope to become actual friends. He was simply worried about the man's health, cooped up in his room all the time, and struck up conversations in hopes he'd at least take a stroll in the garden.
Sure enough, unlike the other legion commanders, Demon never ignored him. There was no violence or verbal abuse.
The man would respond steadily, if stiffly and expressionless, and often wandered the gardens.
Not only that, but when he could have chased Hien away or insisted on walking alone, he always made a point of letting him accompany him.
And so, Hien had grown overconfident.
A mere incubus, of all things.
'To make such a blunder.'
Today, he'd crossed the line.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I still regret that day.
At first, it was just a coincidence. Before entering the Demon King's Castle, I'd glimpsed the garden from afar and mentioned it in passing to the Demon King, learning of the gardener's existence.
I should have just thought, 'Oh, okay,' and moved on.
But no, the clueless me was thrilled. A gardener! Who knew such a wholesome job existed even here.
An oasis of normalcy amid all these blood-mad demons crawling around. The moment I finished all the necessary procedures, I sought him out.
And sooner than expected, I encountered a man with refined features.
"Nice to meet you. I heard you're the gardener. They say you tend to almost all the plants in the Demon King's Castle?"
This was a den of demons. Even if he looked insignificant, he'd still be stronger than me, so polite speech was a must.
If I accidentally irritated him and took a hit, I'd be done for right then and there. What a lame way to go.
"The Demon King's Castle is quite vast. That's impressive."
Still, ultra-formal honorifics would be overkill. That might make me seem weak, which could cause problems too. A moderate show of respect should suffice. Of course, laced with just enough flattery to avoid offending him.
Ahem. Anyway, I was getting excited, and my words kept speeding up.
I paused, cleared my throat as if nothing was amiss, and continued.
"I'm curious about the plants in the Demon King's Castle. Would you mind giving me a tour?"
A brilliant smile bloomed on his previously dazed face, like a flower in full display.
He gladly agreed,
—And then I beheld hell.
Demons are demons, after all!
A painful truism etched into my life's philosophy.
After that day, Hien invited me on garden strolls every time we crossed paths. I couldn't outright refuse, lest those horrifying plants do something nasty to me, so I went along reluctantly, like swallowing bitter medicine.
Of course, as the one issuing the invitations, Hien was always by my side.
What if those monstrous plants tried to eat me while he was away? I couldn't die alone! If we go down, we go down together! Or something like that.
...For some reason, he seemed to grow friendlier with each passing day.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I looked at Hien, who kept apologizing profusely, with a troubled expression.
Why was he apologizing now? Unable to fathom the reason, I rolled my eyes and mentally reviewed the recent events.
What had happened before he started apologizing?
...Nothing.
'Really, nothing at all.'
I'd been silent, he'd been silent. The silence had just stretched a bit long. That was it.
Then our eyes met, and suddenly, the apologies...
'...No way.'
Was he thinking that since I'd bow and apologize like this, I'd have no choice but to walk the garden with him, even if it took time!
Made it hard to refuse, didn't it?
This guy. I'd thought he was sly in a subtle way, but no, he was outright cunning.
Fine, whatever. I'd survived these walks unscathed so far, so as long as nothing major happened this time, I'd make it back alive.
After steeling myself, I lowered my gaze to Hien, still bowed low.
"No need for that. Lift your head."
He slowly raised it. Seeing his expression still frozen, I shook my head inwardly.
I'll go, okay? I'll go, so relax your face.
"So, where are the new flowers you got this time?"
"...Pardon?"
Was my response too curt?
I demonstratively stepped toward the garden. To him, who followed in a daze, I stated firmly, enunciating each word.
"You said we were going to see the flowers. Aren't you going to guide me?"
"Ah, right! I will!"
Hien hurriedly fetched a torch.
Unlike demons accustomed to the dark, I, a human, needed one to properly observe the plants.
Honestly, I had no desire to examine them closely, but this devil always insisted I do.
Did he say it outright? Of course not! But 'silent pressure' exists for a reason.
After excitedly explaining the plants, he'd stare at me with those sparkling eyes. How could I not look?
"Then follow me!"
Having apparently recovered his spirits, Hien grinned brightly as if nothing had happened, torch in hand.
His recovery was quick. Why had he apologized earlier? As such trivial thoughts crossed my mind, I absentmindedly started to follow him, then paused and glanced at my empty hands.
I took the torch from Hien, gripped it tightly, and followed his lead into the western garden.
Still as abnormal, creepy, and terrifying as ever.
The eye-covered plant I'd seen from the corridor earlier... the chills when it stared at me...
I quickened my pace to escape its view, only for the eyeballs to smoothly roll and track me. It was so frightening I nearly dropped the torch.
"Um, Demon."
"Yes?"
"The torch..."
"I'm fine."
Hey, trying to take my weapon? I subtly tightened my grip on the torch.
Man-eating plants or whatever, they were still 'plants' in the end. Whether they ate people or not, fire would render them useless.
In this place, this was my weapon and lifeline. I couldn't just hand it over.
"How much farther is it?"
My sanity was reaching its limit.
Even pretending to be calm drained my mental energy. I half-feared I'd faint standing up when, mercifully, Hien pointed ahead, meeting my expectations.
"Almost there. Right over there."
My gaze followed his finger.
"...Oh..."
My mouth fell open, an exclamation escaping.
Actually, it wasn't admiration. It was a stifled scream, the maximum cry my brain could muster amid the massive shock, turning it bone-white.
'What the fuck is that?! That's a plant?!'
Insane! How is that a plant anywhere you look?
I was wrong. This place isn't normal. I need to get out now...
"Demon?"
"...Yeah."
I barely halted my instinctive step back.
Lucky my face was already pale; paling further didn't show. If I had normal color, it'd have been glaringly obvious.
My reaction was perfectly natural. Anyone else human would react the same.
That wasn't a plant! It was an animal!
It writhed so vigorously, like a person rooted to the ground desperately struggling to escape.
"Kieeeek!"
...Correction. It was screeching.
"What plant screams?!"
Oh no, I'd slipped into informal speech!
Thankfully, my worry about offending him was unfounded; Hien focused on the content, not the tone.
"It's a man-eating plant. You probably didn't notice because it's so weak, Demon, but that shriek carries a feeble intimidation factor. Lowly ones freeze up instantly and can't even flee."
"..."
"At least it's 'man-eating.' It doesn't go after demons, so the attendants in the Demon King's Castle don't have to worry about being devoured."
No, probably the opposite. It wasn't weak; I was too pathetic to sense the intimidation.
And he'd forgotten...
'I'm human, you lunatic...'
Could you remember I'm not a demon? More importantly, that thing's dripping liquid from its flower. That's saliva, right? Right?!
Whatever had enraged it, the boneless monster—er, plant—thrashed its stem wildly. It bent so flexibly, it might reach us...
Boom!
'Eek!'
I barely dodged!
"What range!"
"Haha, even you were startled, Demon. It does have impressive range. Probably covers a 10-meter radius. We're breeding them diligently, so soon they'll cover the entire Demon King's Castle perfectly. Look forward to it."
How am I supposed to get around then? You trying to kill me?
I should've submitted my resignation that day, blood be damned. No, I need to do it now. Get out of this madhouse ASAP. Humans can't survive here.
Not sensing the monster's intimidation had backfired unexpectedly.
A decision I'd normally hesitate over endlessly, I now charged toward without a second thought. In other words, I wasn't in my right mind.
'Let's go. Where's the Demon King right now?'
If my body were sturdy, I might've toughed it out. Unfortunately, mine was below average. For survival, I needed to be extra cautious, making the Demon King's Castle the worst possible environment.
Thus, I moved to submit my resignation immediately, but one foot felt rooted, refusing to budge.
"Demon!"
"...Huh?"
Whoosh!
Wind whistled past my ears. My vision spun wildly, then stopped with the world upside down.
Ah, I'm hanging inverted. But why?
"...Crazy!"
A flower bud the size of a person split open before my eyes, revealing grotesque teeth. The stem gripped my ankle tightly, ensuring no escape.
So this situation... yeah. An opportunity to explore the belly of a man-eating plant.
...Compulsorily.