Chapter 21:
After days and nights of eating and sleeping in the game room, I returned to my own room. It felt like I had just come back from a polar expedition. I threw myself onto the bed. I never thought I’d say this, but my room was truly the best.
“Haaaah…”
I stretched out, trying to shake off the fatigue that had settled deep in my joints.
…
I had somehow managed to survive this time as well. No gains, just a whole lot of suffering.
‘I’m exhausted. Truly exhausted.’
…
The endless games, the punishments, my precarious existence hanging by a thread.
Would this life ever end?
Perhaps due to the constant shadow of death, this place had become comfortable. I was adapting to a place I thought I could never adapt to. Memories of the outside world were fading.
‘… It’s been over a month since I arrived here.’
The day before I came to the Demon King’s castle.
I had said goodbye to a few people in this world. Some of them had treated me horribly, but even they seemed worth bidding farewell to, thinking it might be the last time.
‘… Last time my ass.’
Could the people of this world even imagine me, trapped here, playing Earth games with the Demon King, betting my life every day?
‘… Should I just tell the Demon King?’
If I told the people outside, I’d be beaten to a pulp. But the Demon King, unlike other demons, had a personality.
She laughed when happy, cried when sad, and even used her brain during games. Despite being a competitive freak, she resorted to cheating when things got tough.
‘She’s like a human.’
That ninja guy who visited before said she was good at impersonating a human. But why would she, the apex predator, need to wear a human facade?
No.
‘She’s not pretending to be human, she has some human qualities.’
Of course, she also had demonic traits.
Imprisoning people, wanting to beat them up with fighting game moves, crippling their arms over a simple arm-wrestling match, deleting decades of game data just to hear me say I wanted to play games with her for decades.
… But weren’t those just the characteristics of someone with a terrible personality?
The reason I couldn’t bring myself to talk to her was because of her mix of vicious and human-like qualities. If I approached her with human expectations and she responded with demonic cruelty, it would be a disaster.
“Can you let me go? It’s hard playing with you.”
My quiet mutterings dissipated into the empty air.
‘You coward.’
The self-deprecating whisper strangely relieved my stress. It was foolish, but there was nothing I could do. This was how the weak survived.
“You’re such a crazy woman. It’s even more annoying that you act vaguely human. I really hate playing with you.”
-Clack, clack
Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway. I shut my mouth, knowing that if I continued, this would turn into a slapstick comedy.
-Click. Creak.
“D-Dinner’s ready.”
The Demon King, avoiding my gaze, opened the door and spoke.
It was only natural for the Demon King to be dejected. She, who was known for her integrity in competitions and her aversion to lies, had broken her own principles in the worst way possible.
Who could have predicted that the Demon King, the one obsessed with winning, the one who even accepted a penalty of ten forehead flicks, would resort to cheating by taking away my controller? And when even that failed, she made absurd excuses, trying to weasel her way out of the bet. The wager ended in a whimper, unlike her usual decisive victories.
‘You really didn’t want to let me go, did you?’
My trust in her promises was shattered. Perhaps that’s why the Demon King was being so cautious around me, constantly checking my mood. If I lost faith in her word, future competitions would lose their weight.
“Pass me the salt, please.”
“O-Okay.”
-Tap, tap, tap
The Demon King’s reflection in the salt shaker showed her stealing glances at me. It was a strange feeling to be scrutinized by a being who could kill me with a flick of her finger.
-Turn
-Turn
As I turned to face her, she quickly averted her gaze, pretending she hadn’t been looking. Did she think I wouldn’t notice her peeking? She was truly naive.
“H-Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want some of my meat?”
She opened her kimchi bulgogi sandwich and offered me some of the meat.
“No, I’m goo…”
“No, take it.”
She plucked a piece of meat from her sandwich and placed it on mine. Was this a new form of torture? Knowing what would happen if I refused, I simply chewed. The faint scent of fruit lingered on the meat, a reminder of the Demon King’s breath.
‘It’s a gesture of goodwill, not torment.’
After all, she loved meat.
“Do you want to borrow this for today?”
She pointed at the paper crane I had given her, the one she wore around her neck 24/7, while fidgeting with her meatless sandwich.
“… It’s okay. It’s yours.”
Keep it, by all means… It was nice to see her cherishing the gift, even if it was from me. If only she wasn’t the Demon King. The truth about that paper crane would remain a secret forever.
“Th-Then… Then how about…”
She rolled her eyes, trying to think of something… I decided to ignore her.
‘Just finish eating and go back to my room to rest. She probably won’t bother me today.’
I stuffed the kimchi sandwich into my mouth, too tired to even taste it. But…
‘… Why is she acting like that?’
The Demon King seemed restless as I sped up my eating. She fidgeted with her fingers, as if wanting to say something.
‘… Should I ask her what’s wrong?’
No way… Why would I ask? My instincts, honed after a month of surviving in the Demon King’s castle, told me that eating and sleeping were the best course of action.
“I’m done.”
“Oh…? Okay.”
I stood up and turned to leave, but the Demon King grabbed my hand. A chilling coldness spread through my fingers.
“… What?”
I wasn’t particularly scared. She was still a menacing and terrifying being, but after experiencing so many near-death situations, I seemed to have developed a tolerance for something as simple as a hand grab.
“I… You see…”
The Demon King hesitated, which was unusual for her. Surely she wasn’t going to suggest another game after putting me through hell for days? Surely not?
“… It’s… It’s just…”
“… What is it?”
“Are you angry?”
“What??”
Her question was so unexpected that my mind went blank. It seemed the Little Farm incident had messed with her head.
“Are you angry? Because of… That bet… earlier.”
She fumbled for words, her lips moving soundlessly as she trailed off. Despite the garbled sentence, the gist of her question was clear.
Was I angry because she broke her promise?
…Angry?
I didn’t know where to even begin. Angry. What happened earlier was absurd, but if she was asking if I was angry about that, I had a lot more to say.
She, the Demon King, was considering my feelings.
She was worried and trying to analyze how my emotions might have changed because of her actions.
Then, then why… Why didn’t she consider my feelings before? When she imprisoned me?
‘… No, that’s not right. Back then…’
Before the Demon King crushed my skull, I had explicitly stated that I would do anything to survive. And she had sealed that deal, upholding it ever since.
‘But the difference now is…’
This was a promise she had initiated.
It might have been a half-joking offer, assuming I wouldn’t be able to clear the game, but she had undeniably broken her word.
Just as I kept my end of the bargain by staying here and complying with her demands, she was obligated to keep her promises to me. If she was concerned about that, then her current behavior made perfect sense.
‘… In that case.’
If that was truly the case.
If she was solely focused on how her mistake might have affected my feelings, then perhaps I could be a little honest.
“A little.”
“Huh? Huh? What…?”
“I felt a little bad. I trusted you. You always kept your promises. But this time, you didn’t…”
“Oh…? Oh…”
Her face, the one that had effortlessly deflected Nain’s Absolute Piercing, dodged Yuria’s arrows with a blank expression, and reflected Dorothy’s highest-level magic, was now painted with a myriad of emotions. The Demon King, holding my hand and looking up at me, cycled through expressions like a slot machine.
‘What the… Is she going to explode?’
Her features were contorting, her hand trembling. She looked like a bomb about to detonate. If I lit the end of her long braid, it might act as a fuse.
Damn it, I shouldn’t have said anything.
“… No, it’s not…”
“W-Wait here. Don’t go anywhere.”
She released my hand and dashed off somewhere. She went towards the end of the hallway…
There was only the armory and the storage room down there.
‘W-Why is she going there?’
Had I become too comfortable? Had my discipline slipped so much that I dared to defy the Great Demon King? I remembered a conversation with that asshole senior soldier, Go.
-Hey, Baek Dongha.
-Private Baek Dongha.
-Is this shit annoying? Huh? Is it annoying? Be honest, it’s okay.
-Private Baek Dongha! No, sir!
-No, seriously, tell me. I’m asking because I see you as a younger brother. We have to know what you like and dislike if we’re going to live together.
-No, sir. It’s really okay.
… Damn it, that was it. I shouldn’t have actually said I was angry when he asked.
‘… Where did she go?’
Was she fetching a morningstar or a battleaxe? There was no need for that, though. She could kill me with a spoon…
Lost in my thoughts, the Demon King returned, panting and flustered.
But what was she holding in her hand?
“Ha… L-Let’s drink this together. Okay? It’s supposed to be a mood-lifting potion.”
She held out a bottle of alcohol, her breath still ragged.