Chapter 12. Demons and the Hero

 

Sometimes, one just had to wait.

 

Although the chains binding me did not restrict me at all, I simply stayed still. It was enough if it made him lower his guard.

 

The moment his vigilance loosened, the moment he grew complacent and confident in his plan, disregarding me as a variable—that moment would be his downfall.

 

* * *

 

The Demon King’s right hand, Kelyaxis, raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at the fallen figure before him.

 

‘Is this the one His Majesty the Demon King mentioned?’

 

The sight of the one bound by the enormous chains lying on the ground was unsightly. To think that such a being dared to kill the Demon King’s avatar.

 

‘Well, it wasn’t incomprehensible.’

 

Just by showing a fraction of his power, most humans had tried to take their own lives. If he had shown even a bit more or if a bit more time had passed, they would have all perished.

 

Most importantly, he wasn’t fully sealed even now.

 

The chains were just a pretense.

 

Although the lives and souls of thousands of humans were sacrificed for those chains, they were nothing to someone who could easily crush the Demon King’s avatar with sheer force.

 

Even a slight wriggle of his body would shatter and grind the chains to dust. Yet, he didn’t move—because of that girl.

 

“——Kyah! Let go of me!!”

 

It was merely a pawn to use the Kingdom of Trelinia as a sacrifice. But to think it would be connected this way.

 

‘He can’t kill me.’

 

It was a fact Kelyaxis was confident about.

 

At least as long as that girl was alive, that enormous serpent couldn’t kill him.

 

‘The moment the caster of the curse dies, the curse will unleash its final throes and vanish.’

 

That was the nature of curses.

 

The moment the caster died, the curse would instead grow stronger, leaving behind a terrible curse. If he were to die here, the princess, whose lifespan had already been drained, would dissolve and die without a trace.

 

“Haha!! Bind the princess tightly!”

 

Cal Lediums, who had regained his senses, shouted.

 

With his hearty laugh, the entire army shook off the effects of Jörmungandr revealing part of his power and bound the princess.

 

“Are you the princess?”

 

“What’s with this bald head! Let go of me!”

 

“…”

 

A vein bulged on Cal Lediums’s forehead.

 

Regardless, Elyserede, who was struggling with all her might, finally laid eyes on one being.

 

“…Ah.”

 

One being, unable to fully display its power, bound by horrifying chains that made her feel like retching just by looking at them.

 

“…Jörmungandr.”

 

The princess’s actions halted.

 

She stared at Jörmungandr quietly.

 

Could it be, he lost? Did Jörmungandr lose to such scum?

 

No, Jörmungandr wouldn’t lose to these kinds of beings. He could break those chains with just one struggle. So why was he staying still…?

 

As Elyserede pondered over this, she found the answer by following Jörmungandr’s blue gaze, which was directed at her chest—specifically, the heart inside.

 

He knew about the curse in the princess’s heart.

 

Despite that, he didn’t act rashly and waited for her quietly.

 

That’s when the princess understood why Jörmungandr was staying still.

 

“Because of… me?”

 

[…….]

 

The princess’s eyes wavered. Her pounding heart told her.

 

The caster of this curse was right beside her. That’s why he was staying still to save her. Even if he killed the caster, the curse wouldn’t naturally disappear.

 

“Why…?”

 

Why didn’t he just ignore someone like me?

 

Elyserede thought there was a distance between them.

 

It was only natural. Setting aside the fact that he was a serpent and she was human, Elyserede was offered as a sacrifice, and Jörmungandr was her master.

 

Hence, there was a small wall of ignorance between them. Jörmungandr always stayed by her side, but that didn’t mean he had given her his affection.

 

For some reason, he seemed afraid of giving her affection.

 

Because of that, Elyserede didn’t mention her curse. She didn’t want to burden him, and even if she did, she thought nothing would change.

 

But now, Jörmungandr, just stayed bound, only because of her, the offered sacrifice.

 

“Just, just sweep them away…! I don’t care what happens to someone like me!!”

 

[…….]

 

He didn’t act. He just stared at her with those unfathomable eyes.

 

Elyserede bit her lips. Blood flowed from the tightly clenched fists.

 

She felt powerless.

 

She had never felt her own powerlessness so acutely.

 

When she was first offered to him, she was glad that she could save her kingdom by becoming a sacrifice.

 

Though her death was regrettable, if she could save her kingdom in exchange for her life, which was doomed by the curse anyway, she thought it was fortunate.

 

Because of that, by becoming close to Jörmungandr, a flaw appeared in the perfect Jörmungandr.

 

That was why he was defeated.

 

The princess tightly shut her eyes.

 

[Enough of this tearful farewell, let’s go.]

 

A hateful voice.

 

Elyserede glared at him with bloodshot eyes, but the demon didn’t even flinch. Instead, he smirked as if he found it amusing.

 

[Take her away.]

 

* * *

 

“…Impossible.”

 

Asgard, who had been watching everything from a distance, swallowed his breath at the unbelievable sight.

 

Jörmungandr had been subdued.

 

Leaving that fact aside, the demon standing beside King Cal Lediums of Calibargo itself was unthinkable. It was a grave violation of the treaty.

 

The law established when the greatest empire of the human world went to war with the demon realm. Under no circumstances should there be cooperation with the demon realm.

 

The king himself had broken that clause by colluding with demons and kidnapping the princess of another kingdom.

 

Asgard wondered if he sought death by his own hand.

 

Otherwise, there was no way he would ally with the demon realm when the empire still stood.

 

Moreover, it was unbelievable that Jörmungandr was subdued.

 

The Jörmungandr he faced was incomparable to any dragon.

 

Although the dragon he faced was weakened by a long seal due to human greed, it still possessed enough power to withstand the full might of Asgard, the hero.

 

Yet, even that dragon couldn’t compare to Jörmungandr’s claws.

 

And now, he was subdued by this mere army.

 

“No, there must be a reason.”

 

He assessed the situation. While he didn’t know the details, it seemed they were using Elyserede as a hostage. She was being dragged to a small prison.

 

They soon began to leave Jörmungandr behind.

 

Were they heading somewhere?

 

Asgard narrowed his eyes as he observed their destination.

 

“Trellinia Kingdom…”

 

He felt a foreboding sense of danger.

 

For some reason, he felt they shouldn’t take them to the Trellinia Kingdom.

 

It already seemed suspicious enough to imprison the princess and take her to the kingdom.

 

“I must stop them.”

 

Whether he could or not was uncertain. But he had to.

 

Moreover, he owed them a debt. With that resolve, Asgard threw himself into the midst of the enemy.

 

——Boom!!

 

* * *

 

A meteor fell from the sky.

 

The brilliant silver meteor descended from the sky, sweeping away the entire army with a massive storm.

 

“W-What’s this!!”

 

Chaos erupted among the soldiers.

 

Even Cal Lediums, who stood at the forefront, was not exempt.

 

“Who are you!”

 

Cal Lediums shouted.

 

As the dust settled, the figure of a man emerged.

 

“Hero.”

 

With a short voice, he raised his sword.

 

“H-Hero…?”

 

Doubt clouded everyone’s eyes.

 

A hero? Why is he here now?

 

“Hero! Move aside!! We are taking the princess back to the kingdom!!”

 

Cal Lediums shouted. However, the hero coldly glared at the king.

 

“Taking the princess back… while imprisoning her?”

 

“Haha, the princess is a bit unruly. It seems she doesn’t want to go home. But, it’s the duty of a wise king to bring such people back. So step aside, we will take the runaway princess back to the kingdom.”

 

“…”

 

As the hero remained silent, the king nodded and began to pass by him.

 

No matter how powerful he was, killing a hero was too much.

 

It wasn’t just a matter of whether he could or couldn’t; killing a hero would bring the goddess’s curse.

 

While it didn’t cause physical harm, it made all living beings in the human realm despise him.

 

Even the king couldn’t think of killing a hero.

 

Just as he was passing by—

 

Clang——!!

 

The sound of two swords clashing rang out.

 

[Hero, lower your sword.]

 

“Shut up. I won’t talk to a filthy beast of the demon realm.”

 

Black magic and white aura collided. Just the clash of these two energies overturned the earth and unleashed a massive shockwave, pushing back all humans.

 

And in the midst of it all—

 

“I will kill you.”

 

[If you can.]

 

A battle between the hero and the demon, inevitable foes, had begun.