CH 36

Once again, the Demon King’s rage echoed throughout his castle.

The outburst of energy even interfered with the outside of the castle, shaking the earth and sending countless crows flying into the sky.

[RAAAAHH!! We’re still being humbled!? I’ve already dispatched Sebek to the front lines, so what the hell is the meaning of these shameful war results!? Even when we win a battle, we just lose another on a different battlefield, and achieve nothing in the end! And how is it that to make matters worse, you still don’t know the whereabouts of General Orc King!?] (Demon King)

The Demon King was directing his anger at the monsters kneeling and trembling before him.

All of the measures taken by Satis’ successors had backfired and been rendered useless.

Although they managed to score some victories by introducing Sebek to the battlefield, they kept losing a series of battles, and in the end, they failed to expand their territory.

The number of soldiers in the Demon King’s army had finally been reduced to half of what it used to be.

The fact that this status quo had remained unchanged for a while now made the Demon King grow even more impatient.

And that impatience evolved into taking out his anger on his subordinates and endlessly distrusting them.

[Enough! I sentence you all to execution! Useless fools like you have no place in my army!] (Demon King)

[B-But, My Lord…!] (Monster strategist A)

[Take them away!] (Demon King)

On the Demon King’s order, the subordinates who had done everything in their power to fill the void left by Satis were taken to the execution site.

The other monsters shuddered at that spectacle.

Failure to perform their duties incurred the wrath of the Demon King, and earned them a death sentence.

Worst of all, this kind of purge had been ordered many times already.

The monsters felt uneasy about it too.

[…Sebek! Is Sebek here!?] (Demon King)

[What do you want, Mr. Demon King…? Don’t shout like that. I’m giving you the results you wanted.] (Sebek)

There was a man who held not even a shred of fear in his heart for the wrathful Demon King.

Always looking for a fight, Sebek’s sole purpose in life was to slay his enemies with his magic sword.

He slowly walked up to the Demon King, who was trembling with fury on his throne.

Goburoku, who was following behind him while his stomach was churning from the man’s disrespect, held his breath as he waited for the Demon King’s words.

[You certainly are. But that’s far from enough!! I want more… More human blood on the battlefield! You’ve got much more work to do.] (Demon King)

[Yeah, yeah.] (Sebek)

[S-Sebek! I told you to show respect to the Demon King…] (Goburoku)

While the throne room was frozen still with tension, the exchange between Sebek, who behaved sloppily, and the Demon Kong, who was furiously glaring daggers at him, unfolded.

[Listen well, Sebek. You must never betray me. Only think of how you can be useful to me.] (Demon King)

[I refuse.] (Sebek)

[WHAT!?] (Demon King)

[I fight for myself, and to face strong foes.] (Sebek)

There was some momentary turmoil around him, and a terror that felt even icier than permafrost filled the air.

Because no one had ever dared to speak their true feelings to the Demon King, not even his longest serving subordinates.

[Y-You bastard… Are you planning to betray me!?] (Demon King)

[That sounds like it could be fun. If I said yes, would you kill me? …Sure, then. It’d be much more fun for me to take on both your army and the human army.] (Sebek)

A glint of killing intent and madness flashed across his wide-open eyes.

Sebek was being serious.

With only one response from the Demon King, he would slaughter everyone in the throne room.

He felt a sudden chill run from his head to his spine, and came to understand the sort of man that Sebek was.

This man had no master.

If he had to have one, it would be the battlefield.

The act of battling itself was the biological urge that drove every action of the magic swordsman known as Sebek.

[…In that case, I’ll select the next battlefield for you.] (Demon King)

[Now we’re talking.] (Sebek)

[M-My Lord! Do you still intend to rely on this man!?] (Monster A)

[I agree! Why discard us even though we are more powerful than Satis or the Orc Ki-] (Monster B)

[Silence!! Save that for when you actually get results, you worthless bunch!] (Demon King)

A great rift had formed between the Demon King and his men.

Their repeated defeats and humiliations had greatly distorted their sovereign’s mind.

His next order was the invasion of a certain country.

However, part of it was also the land where the Wendigos had lived since ancient times.

[M-My Lord! That land is where the Wendigos live in harmony with humans and nature. Rampaging through their territory would be…] (Monster A)

[Shut up! If I’m going to take over the world, I’ll need to gain supremacy over that land, anyway! So what if they’re the will of nature, or a special kind of spirit? There’s a limit to how annoying they can be! Sebek, you’re going to force that country to surrender. You’ll start by destroying that “city” as an example!] (Demon King)

[Hmm… Why not. I know that place. They call it… “The adventurers’ kitchen”, right?] (Sebek)

[So it would seem. Normally, I would’ve entrusted you with the command of my troops, but I think your status as a human-demon hybrid will make that impossible. Which is why you are to join the army again as a grunt] (Demon King)

[Same as usual, then.] (Sebek)

[Exactly. There’s one more thing. I heard that there’s one magic swordsman who lives there… But I’m sure you’ll have no problem defeating him. …As soon as the troops are ready, you’ll head out!] (Demon King)

Sebek grinned as the next battlefield was all set.

Then, he decided to leave the throne room with Goburoku, and wait to depart for the front.

[…I dunno why, but I feel like I’m gonna have a wonderful encounter over there!] (Sebek)

[Your usual intuition again?] (Goburoku)

[You know it. …Goburoku, why don’t you get ready for battle too?] (Sebek)

[A true warrior is always ready for war. …My fellow goblins may regard me as strange for it, but being a warrior is the only way of life I know.] (Goburoku)

[Hmm…] (Sebek)

After walking for a while, Goburoku suddenly stood in front of Sebek.

Naturally, the latter stopped.

[…Say, I’d like to hear your opinion on something.] (Goburoku)

[What is it?] (Sebek)

[Do you think the Demon King’s army has a future…?] (Goburoku)

Goburoku asked anxiously while casting his eyes downward.

Sebek tilted his head, looking practically emotionless.

[Ever since Lady Satis was evicted from the army… Both our discipline and morale have plummeted. On top of that, we’ve suffered repeated losses, and a continuous series of purges within our ranks. At this rate, we’re just going to self-destruct! …I miss the days when Lady Satis was still part of the army. If only His Majesty reexamined his winning methods, we would already have…] (Goburoku)

[But it all happened on Mr. Demon King’s orders, right? Then who cares?] (Sebek)

[That doesn’t make it okay… Humiliating warriors to such an extent before executing them… That’s not what a king should do! The incident with Lady Satis is proof enough of that! And yet…!] (Goburoku)

[Then go tell him to his face, “You screwed up bit time, you fucking useless ruler.”] (Sebek)

[T-That’s…] (Goburoku)

Goburoku was at a loss for words.

He could never possibly have the courage to do that.

Though Sebek might have said it under his breath.

But realistically speaking, there was no way a being as tiny as a goblin would ever dare to rebel against the one who ruled over all the monsters.

Sebek snorted at that, passed by him, and whistled.

[…Neither the veterans nor the higher-ups, including His Majesty, even notice it. How close we are to being defeated, that is…] (Goburoku)

As he muttered in secret, Goburoku turned around and looked at Sebek’s back.

For him, the latter’s presence was of extreme importance.

He did not flinch in the face of overwhelming power and authority.

He may appear disinterested in everything, but on the inside, he had a desire for power that was almost limitless.

[Sebek… You’re now the only one… who can save the Demon King’s army. I doubt we’ll ever come across anyone who can outmatch you, but… Don’t die, no matter what.] (Goburoku)

That wish, however, would never come true.

No matter how powerful Sebek was, the Demon King’s army had already been driven to the point of no return.

Of course, Sebek himself realized this.

That the Demon King and his army would unceremoniously vanish from this world.

[I don’t give a rat’s ass what happens to the Demon King’s army. …I’ll just slice, dice, and slice again. That’s who I am.] (Sebek)