DKFTI 48

The community was quiet. Even though Shanti and Ruru ran around barefoot gathering information, they could not sort out anything about the demons who had attacked the Demon King’s castle.

Even though the clue of the World Tree tattoo was unusual, the people of the Demon King’s castle struggled because no information they wanted came out.

“Even after searching all through the Demon Realm, there’s nothing about the tattoo. We couldn’t even find anything about that female demon.”

“I was even told maybe I just dreamed it all up.”

Shanti and Ruru were in a very bad mood.

“Maybe your information-gathering skills are a bit lacking?”

“What, how can you say that!?”

At their incompetence, a certain suspicion arose in Sibel. A very reasonable suspicion.

“I can’t help suspecting… you two aren’t being ostracized, right? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you meeting friends….”

“Do you know how hard it was for us to ask around in a roundabout way because it’s embarrassing to go around saying the Demon King’s castle got attacked!”

Ruru flailed in protest. It was a statement that hurt their pride.

“Hm. Then what on earth were those guys back then?”

Several days had already passed, yet no answer came out.

“Since then, no other sign at all, it just leaves a bad feeling.”

“Maybe they just suddenly went crazy and rampaged anywhere.”

“Well, that could be. There are plenty of weird ones in the Demon Realm.”

If it was just some passing incident, that would at least be a relief….

“Since we’ve been through it once, we’ll be better prepared next time.”

“Yeah. Right. Experience matters.”

It was a situation where they could only try to think of the unsolved problem in a good way.

“Please have some snacks, and do the gardening you like.”

Shanti, with an apron on again, came in cheerfully carrying a plate of snacks.

“Should I?”

“Our Demon King is really simple.”

So Sibel was about to enjoy a leisurely moment. But then something happened.

‘Help….’

Huh? He thought he heard something. Sibel felt a ticklish sensation by his ear, like a mosquito buzzing, and dug his finger into his ear.

‘Please… save him… I beg you….’

Something kept scratching at his eardrum.

“Huh, but Demon King…, your body….”

At that moment, Shanti’s eyes went wide. Ruru, turning his head at those words, also had a shocked face.

At their sudden strange reaction, Sibel looked down at his own body. And he felt something strange.

“Huh. Why am I glowing?”

His body was glowing with purple light. The light spread out from his fingertips, sparkling and covering his whole body.

That’s really amazing.

Sibel watched his own change as if it was extremely wondrous.

“De… mon… King. Your body… oh…!”

Suddenly his ears felt muffled. Shanti and Ruru’s voices started cutting off like a radio losing signal. And his vision flickered and went dark.

“Wh-whoa.”

It all happened in an instant.

“Lord Demon King!”

“Waaah! The Demon King disappeared!”

Sibel’s figure vanished in a single moment. Shanti and Ruru waved their hands at the empty space where he had been, then stared at each other with dumbfounded expressions.

“This… could it be?”

“No way. Even if our demon king is incompetent, no way.”

The two had some doubts.

“……”

“……”

However, the content of the suspicion was a conjecture that did not quite fit the existence of a Demon King.

“Is this a summoning?”

What Demon king gets dragged off by a demon summoning these days!?

“E-emergency.”

“Emeergeeency!”

The two of them ran out of the room in a panic.

***

“Ah.”

Sibel rubbed his butt as if it was on fire.

‘It feels like I fell from somewhere.’

A shock went through his body and then his vision slowly cleared.

“What?”

Sibel slowly looked around. A few candles were lit in the dark space, and around him a big scribble like a magic circle was drawn.

“Ugh.”

The hand that touched the floor was damp, so he checked that side, and he suddenly smelled the stench of blood.

Sibel carefully searched the floor in the darkness.

“Argh!”

A woman was lying there stabbed with a sword, bleeding heavily.

“W-what the hell is this?!”

At the gruesome scene like something out of a horror movie, Sibel screamed. He had only been trying to enjoy his snacks, and now this disaster?

“S-succeeded!”

“The god has been summoned!”

Suddenly the door burst open and light poured in. Sibel, blinded, covered his face with his hands. Through the gaps between his fingers he saw people wearing robes.

They spotted Sibel and started shouting.

“…What the hell is this?”

The humans in robes began to prostrate themselves flat in front of Sibel. Seeing them, Sibel felt fear.

‘What is all this….’

This wasn’t the demon king’s castle. Shanti and Ruru weren’t around. Everything was unfamiliar structures and styles.

‘Summoning? Did they say summoning?’

A magic circle and blood. And then….

Sibel saw a cup placed next to him in a familiar shape. It was the Holy Grail.

“Why is this….”

Why was the Holy Grail that he had given to a human here?

He heard the noisy clatter of armor, and knights rushed in front of the bewildered Sibel.

“Find the lady!”

“Seize the heretics!”

A loud voice rang out and the knights in armor were dragging out the robed people by force.

“…….”

Shit, what the hell was this again?

Sibel’s head couldn’t keep up with the situation that was turning so abruptly.

At that moment.

“You are….”

Through the gap of the knights, he saw a familiar face.

“Ron?”

Ron, who had come to his Demon King’s castle and taken away the Holy Grail, appeared in armor. His face was much more emaciated than when Sibel had seen him in the demon king’s castle.

Ron saw Sibel and looked confused. But soon his gaze fixed firmly on somewhere else.

“Celiana….”

Ron walked forward. The helmet hanging at his waist fell and rolled across the floor.

His steps grew faster. He passed Sibel and headed toward the bleeding, collapsed woman.

“…?”

Sibel turned to look at Ron. With a shocked face, Ron dropped to his knees on the floor.

‘His knees must be all torn up.’

In the middle of it all, Sibel worried about Ron’s knees. Even while Ron was in shock, the knights were violently subduing the robed people.

“Celiana, get up…. Please, please….”

Ron held the woman in his arms and bowed his head. Even though only his back could be seen, Sibel could tell that he was crying.

‘Celiana?’

Wasn’t that the fiancée Ron had talked about back then?

After that, Ron’s sobbing could be heard faintly.

The knights’ commotion extinguished a few candles. This caused even deeper darkness to fall over the place where Ron and the dead woman were. Suddenly Sibel felt like they might vanish into the darkness.

Sibel quietly watched the situation, then swallowed dryly.

‘It seems like that woman summoned me….’

If that was the case, then the one who caused Ron’s fiancée to die was….

‘Could it be me?’

Fuck.

This really felt like serious trouble. A chill ran down his spine.

“Drop your sword! Step back at once!”

Suddenly new humans rushed in.

“Prince Ron. Step away.”

They came close to where Sibel and Ron were. A man in a black robe pulled down his hood.

The old man’s eyes gleamed. At his glance, the strong men stepped forward and grabbed Ron’s body.

“…Let go.”

Then Ron spoke. His voice sounded like a beast growling. It gave goosebumps.

“Prince, act with reason. If you do not take your knights and leave here at once, you will not be forgiven.”

The old man threatened Ron. Ron was still holding the woman.

“I gave you the Holy Grail. Why did you do this?”

Each word ground out through clenched teeth pierced like a blade into eardrums.

‘Right. He took the Holy Grail to save his fiancée.’

But judging by the Grail still sitting beside him, hadn’t Ron already completed his mission?

“This is God’s will.”

“…….”

“Step aside.”

At the old man’s words, Ron quietly laid the woman’s body on the ground. His hand brushed over her cheek and hair.

Ron stood up. Then he drew the sword from his waist.

Swish–.

But the men beside him were faster. Five blades aimed at Ron’s neck.

‘Hey, you’ll get yourself killed like that….’

Sibel’s lips went dry. He had only been eating snacks, and now he was summoned into a place where he had to watch a chain of deaths.

“Refrain from foolishness.”

Clang.

The sword fell from Ron’s hand. Ron looked up at the sky and closed his eyes.

Sibel could not even begin to imagine what Ron was feeling at that moment.

Then, the old man smiled and went down on one knee in front of Sibel.

“I am Edmund, the first servant of the Demon God, paying my respects.”

Demon God? De-mon Goood?

‘Ah. They’ve got the wrong address.’

Sibel squeezed his eyes shut. He was fucked.