DKFTI 14

‘It’s so fucking noisy.’

His mood soured. This was clearly the fault of those mages disturbing his sweet rest.

“By the power of necromancy, light the path!”

And necromancy, the art Aizen hated most of all. They were scratching his nerves with the full set.

After enduring for a long time, Aizen finally turned his body. He stretched his hand out into the air, and at his fingertips a holy sword appeared with golden aura.

Srrrng

Apostle’s rule.

When drawing the holy sword, one must always maintain a pure heart.

It must be aimed only for justice.

Surely, what the Holy Kingdom meant by justice would never include aiding a Demon King.

“Fuck that.”

Since when had he ever followed doctrine properly.

Aizen’s body flew over the spire railing and shot toward the maze.

.

.

.

“Aaaagh!”

“It’s a servant of the Demon King! Everyone, r-run!”

“Are demons that strong?!”

“That magic, I’ve seen it somewhere before…?”

“Run, all of you! You’ll die!”

In the end, the mages and necromancers failed to cross the walls of the maze. Here and there they were blown apart or torn to pieces, retreating in a wretched state. Like bugs fleeing from light, they scrambled out of Aizen’s sight.

Aizen did not like seeing blood. He loathed attacking humans.

But when he came back to his senses, his hand was already dripping with red blood. It was not Aizen’s blood.

“…Ha.”

Unbelievable.

“What am I doing?”

Aizen realized too late what he had done. When the echoes of the bloodbath subsided, reality struck him. As the mages vanished, the holy sword he had been gripping dispersed into the air.

The commotion from moments ago disappeared as if it had been an illusion. Aizen brushed his hair back, shaking the blood from his hand. As the sticky blood dried, it fixed his hair backward.

A look of confusion appeared in his eyes.

But soon he felt relieved. It was the moment the last barricade of reason crumbled.

“……”
What is this?

Following the noisy commotion, Sibel and Ruru came outside and stood gaping at the devastation in the labyrinth. It was truly a massacre.

The humans who had been beaten to a pulp by Aizen fled the Demon King’s castle, trembling in fear and cursing as they went. Most of their curses were directed at the Demon King. Those words rang all the clearer in Sibel’s ears.

“The one who caused this is him, so why am I the one getting cursed at?”

Sibel stared at their retreating backs with a baffled expression. They had gotten hurt inside the Demon King’s castle, so it was the Demon King’s fault? This was the kind of debate he wanted to throw at a modern insurance company.

“That’s true.”

Ruru blinked, just as confused.

The two of them had not come here just because of the ruckus. Sibel had decided it was time to finally drive out the hero who treated the Demon King’s castle like a hotel for long stays, so he had personally taken an all-purpose antidote from the treasure vault and was looking for him.

But he didn’t think he would find him fighting here. And against humans who had come to loot the Demon King’s castle at that.

Sibel did not understand. Wasn’t Aizen supposed to be an Apostle who protected and defended humans? Why was he acting like a thug?

For a moment Sibel even wondered if Aizen was hiding his true identity, but there was no denying the holy power that had flared so vividly when he fought.

He use such sacred power on humans. He really didn’t seem normal.

“……”

“……”

Aizen and Sibel’s gazes met. In the heavy silence, their eyes carried tangled, complicated emotions.

Yeah, you look screwed…

Sibel felt a pang of pity. Why was an Apostle being treated like a Demon King’s underling?

“Ha.”

That familiar sinister laugh carried on the wind.

Sibel guessed those humans must have done something to provoke Aizen. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to step in on behalf of the Demon King’s castle.

Sibel carefully spoke up.

“What… are you doing?”

He had tried to ease the atmosphere a little, but Aizen, with a frightening face, strode toward him. Sibel stepped back, and Ruru, clinging to Sibel’s waist, also shuffled back.

At last Aizen came right up to Sibel’s nose.

“Uwah!”

Startled even by the motion, Sibel raised his arms to cover his face. Aizen brushed his arm aside with a tap.

“Now you finally show your face. I didn’t see even a glimpse of you for days.”

He sounded angry. Sibel had no idea why Aizen fought humans only to turn and lash out at him. He was bewildered.

“Th-that’s…”

But it was true that Sibel had been avoiding him, so he had no excuse. As he faltered and hesitated, Aizen fiddled with the restraints hanging from his neck in a crooked posture and said,

“If you’re going to imprison someone, you should at least @$#, or @^#, or *&@#, something like that!”

Eh…? Me…? Doing something that filthy…?

The words spilling from the hero’s mouth were a parade of obscene terms. The kind of things ordinary people would never even dare to speak aloud. Suddenly Sibel remembered the first time they had met in the dungeon.

Beside him Ruru clicked his tongue, muttering that this perverted bastard was starting up again.

“Fuck, don’t you ever think about the position of someone who got kidnapped and spends all day waiting for his captor? Ha, why are you so lacking in professional spirit?”

Eh…? My profession is Demon King though…

The words of the captive to the captor were utterly absurd. Since when had he been waiting? No, why would he even wait?

Everything coming out of Aizen’s mouth was nonsense. Somehow, after that battle, it was as if he had lost his grip on reason.

“Have some responsibility, responsibility! Again why aren’t you answering again?”

“Hic, y-yes, yes sir!”

That bastard… personality’s rotten to the core…

Tears welled up in Sibel’s eyes. He had no idea why Aizen was so angry, or what exactly he himself had done wrong.

He had come with good intentions, bringing the antidote, and what he got in return was fury.

“…Me, fuck…, ha.”

“Pl-please stop swearing.”

What kind of Apostle was this! What kind of hero had such character! Why was he threatening the Demon King!

“I’m telling you clearly, from now on you come see me every day.”

Had some shift happened in Aizen’s state of mind?

“Wh-why?”

“Because I don’t even know myself, so I need to see you every day to figure it out.”

“……”

Sibel stared at Aizen like he was crazy, and Aizen roughly messed up his own hair. The neatly slicked-back hair came undone, and his aura grew even more menacing.

Being this close, Sibel thought he could even smell blood, and he grew afraid.

“Instead of wagging your tail around, spend that time looking after me. Got it?”

“……”

He wanted to say that he didn’t even have a tail, but he at least knew this wasn’t the time to talk back. Sibel quietly lowered his gaze.

“This shitty Demon King’s castle doesn’t have a single thing I like.”

Why was a human so twisted? There was a saying, if you hate the temple then the monk leaves.

“Then… maybe you could take this chance to leave…”

“Me, …because of…, useless and dumb as hell… Forget it. Fuck, my blood pressure’s going up.”

“Should I give you a tranquilizer…? Oh no, I only have antidote. Then maybe this will…”

Sibel was fumbling in his pocket, taking out the antidote.

At that moment, Aizen suddenly grabbed his arm.

“Don’t play games. From now on, we’re meeting every day.”

“……”

“Don’t be so scared. At least if I’m around, you won’t end up dead.”

“Huh?”

Aizen released Sibel’s hand.

“I’ve got no plans to kill a pathetic thing like you who struggles just to survive. I’ll just deal with those fly bastards instead.”

“Why…”

“I don’t know. I don’t know, but what’s certain is, right now, I need you.”

“Mom.” Sibel slowly turned his head and whispered to Ruru.

“What does that mean?”

“I think he’s probably after something bigger. Like when your heart fills with mana, maybe he’s planning to take it then…”

“Ugh.”

So that’s why it felt strange. For a second he had thought it was some kind of love confession!

Just like the Demon King’s horns, when the Demon King’s heart filled with mana it would gradually harden, becoming a mana crystal. Once that happened, the heart would beat endlessly, granting eternal life along with immense power.

That was, if one managed to live long enough. But the humans who knew of this coveted the Demon King’s heart. A crystal of power. Even though a human body could never hold all that power, they still lusted after it.

Thinking that far, Sibel came to a conclusion.

This bastard was more ambitious than he looked.

No wonder an antidote wasn’t enough for him. He was dead set on claiming some greater treasure that could satisfy him. He was embodiment of desire, unrestrained ambition!

Sibel couldn’t help but be impressed, and at the same time he grew wary. He edged away from Aizen.

“Wow.”

And watching the way the two of them talked, Aizen was the one impressed by the pair of idiots.

He was about ready to clap. It was unbelievable.