༺ Unprecedented ༻
A chilly atmosphere lingered in the conference room.
“... Let’s start the meeting then.”
In that atmosphere, I declared the start of the Demon King’s Army meeting in a stern tone.
“Of course, since I just joined the Demon King’s Army, I don’t know the agenda of our meeting. So, I’ll have to ask Dmir Khan to direct today’s meeting.”
When I finished speaking, Dmir Khan, who had been watching me for a while, quietly opened his mouth.
“Yes, please leave everything to me.”
Unlike before, his attitude had become quite polite.
“”........””
Not only that, but most of the executives were hesitating and staring at me. Thanks to their gazes, I struggled to maintain a calm expression.
‘For now, everything is going well.’
Earlier, when Dmir Khan asked me if I was the Demon King, I avoided his questioning and refused to give a concrete answer.
Because of this, the executives couldn’t ascertain my true identity, and couldn’t determine whether I was the Demon King, or just another strong individual.
If they served me as the Demon King when I was not, that would be disrespectful to the real Demon King. However, it would also be problematic if they treated me disrespectfully in the event that I actually turned out to be the Demon King.
Of course, that’s exactly what I wanted.
Since Dmir Khan mistook me for the Demon King, I wanted to adopt that role and use it to weaken the Demon King’s Army, but he had a way to contact the Demon King.
So, if I openly pretended to be the Demon King, I would soon be exposed.
However, if I dropped slight hints while not really confirming anything, they would come up with that scenario on their own.
Of course, because they couldn’t confirm anything, they would go crazy trying to verify it, but that was not my concern.
“Then, for the first topic on our agenda...”
While I was engrossed in such thoughts, Dmir Khan cleared his throat and announced the first topic of the meeting.
“The whereabouts of the Hero, who has recently appeared in the world again, is still unknown. Have any of you executives found anything in regards to this?”
The executives started looking at each other.
“It seems that no one knows. Then... I will ask those who have currently infiltrated the Church and the Imperial Family. How is the investigation going?”
Dmir Khan asked while frowning slightly. Then a woman with the name tag of ‘Intelligence Executive’ stood up and began reporting her findings.
“The Church of the Sun God is as incompetent as always. The paladins and priests go around the Capital and provinces every day to ask around, but instead of trying to find the Hero, they only take money.”
“Well, in the first place, the Pope is on our side, so they have no choice but to be incompetent.”
The Pope seemed to already be a member of the Demon King’s Army at that point in time, based on what Dmir Khan muttered.
The future of the Empire seemed quite bright, seeing that the leader of the largest denomination, which exerted influence not only in the Sunrise Empire but also on several other continents, supported the Demon King.
“However, there is a variable, the Saintess. What does she think of the Hero?”
Dmir Khan, who was grinning earlier, asked a question in a serious tone. The same question that I was pondering over as well.
As expected, the existence of the ‘Saintess’ remained a great trauma to the Demon King’s Army, thanks to the legend of the First Saintess from a millennium back.
“The Saintess said that she would go on a journey to find the Hero herself. Of course, it’s quite doubtful whether the ‘Pure-White Saintess’ will make a difference in the search alone, but she’s definitely trying.”
“It seems like she’s in quite a bit of a rush.”
With those last few words, the woman concluded her report and sat down. The man seated next to her then got up.
“The Imperial Family is struggling quite a bit. They spent a third of the Imperial Knight’s funds on the search quest for the Hero, and they promised a huge bounty to those who would manage to find him. They are also in contact with several guilds from the Underworld.”
Upon hearing that, Dmir Khan asked with a mocking expression on his face.
“Well, aren’t they in a hurry?”
“Well, if the Demon King appears, and the Empire collapses, the absolute power they’ve enjoyed till now will become meaningless. The Imperial Family does their best... when it comes to matters that threaten their authority.”
I truly agreed with the man’s word that I was nodding my head involuntarily. Then Dmir Khan asked one more question sternly,
“Then what are the chances of them finding the Hero first?”
“It’s not that high. The Imperial Family is more active than the Church, but they are mostly incompetent. However, we have to be vigilant against the ‘Imperial Knights’ and the ‘Third Imperial Princess’.”
After the report was finished, the man sat down as Dmir Khan turned his gaze towards me. He then cautiously asked.
“Uh... Do you have any advice for us, Lord Frey?”
“... Advice?”
Dmir Khan, who had suddenly asked me for advice, shook his head and began to explain further.
“Isn’t your family the ‘Descendants of the Hero’?”
After saying that, Dmir Khan and the other executives all turned to look at me with a slightly expectant expression on their faces.
“Well... I don’t really know...”ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels
However, I couldn’t reveal the truth here, so I tried to change the subject, but suddenly, a good idea crossed my mind.
Of course, I wasn’t sure whether this would work, nonetheless, I decided to give it a try. And after a pause, I started speaking with a serious expression on my face.
“... Oh, come to think of it, there’s a phrase that’s been passed down from generation to generation to each Head of the Starlight Family.”
“A phrase passed down from generation to generation?”
When Dmir Khan heard that, his eyes gleamed as I began adding some details to the story, thinking that if I made it realistic, I could easily deceive them.
“Yes, I just found out about it a few months ago, as soon as I became the Provisional Lord of the Family.”
“So, what the hell is that phrase?”
Just as Dmir Khan began to urge me, I gave an order to the man sitting at the edge of the table with a stern expression on my face.
“You there. Go bring me a pen and paper.”
Instantly, an icy breeze began to blow in the conference room.
“Co-Commander. Don’t get angry.”
“Yes, if you get mad here, you’re going to die.”
Eventually, when the executives sitting beside him implored him to stop, I started to feel strange and asked Dmir Khan a question.
“...Who is he?”
“He’s the Commander of the Combat Executives. Not only is he one of the top executives in the Demon King’s Army, but he also used to be our Third-in-Command.”
Thanks to this, I thought about apologizing for a moment, but if the Second-in-Command of the Demon King’s Army decided to apologize to the now Fourth-in-Command, it might appear as a sign of weakness. Thus, I decided to double down instead.
“Can’t you hear me? Didn’t I tell you to bring a pen and paper?”
With my status now only being below the Demon King, I commanded him in an arrogant tone. Upon hearing that, the man riddled with scars clenched his fists.
“Understood.”
After a while, the man answered in a trembling voice, then slowly got up from his seat. After grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, he approached me.
“It’s a cheap quill. Prepare something better next time.”
I took the quill and paper from him, and without even sparing him a glance, I beckoned him to return to his seat and ordered Dmir Khan.
“...Huff.”
The Commander of the Combat Executives, who had been grinding his teeth for a while, returned to his seat, as he exhaled a hideous breath.
“Have you ever seen this text?”
“Hey, isn’t this...!”
Ignoring the Fourth-in-Command’s antics, I wrote a few letters on the paper and showed it to Dmir Khan. The moment he saw that letter, his eyes widened in astonishment as he muttered.
“Aren’t those the letters used by the Hero from 1000 years ago...?”
“Yes, this text has been passed down through our family from generation to generation.”
“Then do you know the meaning of this sentence?”
As I spoke seriously, Dmir Khan asked me a question with an extremely anticipated look on his face.
“Of course, I know. Only a little of it, though.”
After I finished my preparations to deceive him, I coughed and started talking.
“What do you mean?”
After hearing my words, Lemerno frowned slightly and asked.
Perhaps she already instinctively sensed that her plan to instill suspicion in the executives was going awry.
Of course, even if they felt it, nothing would change.
“Dmir Khan, tell everyone what the evidence is.”
With that in mind, I gave an order to Dmir Khan, who quietly bowed his head next to me.
He was a cunning and opportunistic person, but at the same time, he showed blind loyalty to the ‘Demon King’, so he should have already understood what I meant by ‘evidence’.
“... The fact that we are still alive is proof enough.”
When Dmir Khan spoke, everyone present in the conference room froze at the same time.
Then I gave them a beaming smile and questioned the man who handed me a pen and paper earlier.
“There, you, what’s your rank?”
“... I’m one of the top executives and the Combat Executives’ Commander of the Demon King’s Army.”
“Alright, so if you fight me... how long do you think you’ll last?”
Hearing those words, the man pondered for a moment and then responded in a low voice.
“At first, I was expecting to last 3 to 5 minutes... but after witnessing your duel, I doubt that I can withstand a single strike.”
As I watched the executives’ faces turn pale in shock, I blurted out a statement nonchalantly, acting as if it were nothing special.
“I can decapitate all of you with one swing of my sword now.”
Of course, it was a lie.
Before I could swing my sword and kill them all, my life force would run out.
“Do you want that to happen?”
The executives, who obviously didn’t want that to happen, began to look frightened.
Of course, they must have noticed that I was already fiddling with my sword as I swathed it with stellar mana.
“I’m well aware that you are suspicious of me. In one day, a human became the Second-in-Command of the Demon King’s Army... not to mention, he is the descendant of the First Hero.”
Seeing them murmuring, I started talking in an even deeper voice.
“Perhaps you may even suspect that I am the Hero.”
Of course, they must have suspected me as a spy rather than a hero. However, for those who lost their ability to judge the situation due to their fear, what I say now will be engraved as the truth.
“But if I were the real hero, I would have already killed you by swinging my sword once... Why would I bother becoming the Second-in-Command of the Demon King’s Army?”
Having said that, I looked at everyone as the executives began avoiding my gaze.
“So curb your unnecessary doubts. If you continue to argue even after this, then I’ll consider it as a challenge to my rank.”
When I concluded my declaration in a cold tone, all the executives bowed their heads in front of me.
“.......Ugh.”
Now, among the executives, Lemerno alone held a cold expression on her face.
Most of the executives were suppressed by fear, but Lemerno seemed to be unhappy with me yet again.
‘Well, she’s still useful, so I’ll use her until she becomes too big a hindrance... If she keeps getting in the way, I’ll kill her.’
After making up my mind, I smiled proudly and muttered the thoughts that suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘...For some reason, working in the Demon King’s Army is quite suitable for me, isn’t it?’
While I was engrossed in such absurd thoughts, Dmir Khan, who was next to me, faked a cough and continued with the meeting.
“Then, the next topic.”
Seeing the image that Dmir Khan showed to everyone, I started smiling quietly.
“In the slave market that will be opened soon, we will secure slaves for the Demon King’s Army.”
‘... Like I would let that happen.’
I still didn’t know what the Demon King’s intentions were to make the Chief Executive, but I had no intention of ever being swayed by the system, variables, or the Demon King.
So, from now on, I would disrupt the Demon King Army’s plans as much as possible.
It was a good thing to do, and it also relieved some of my stress.
.
.
.
.
.
Shortly after the meeting, most of the executives left the hall.
“... Sir Dmir Khan. Can you spare me a moment of your time?”
Lemerno, who remained in the conference room until the end, spoke to Dmir Khan, who had also stayed behind.
“I know what you want to say.”
Dmir Khan, who was looking down at the desk with a piercing gaze, answered in an icy voice.
“I can’t trust Frey. He’s hiding so much—”
“What if he’s our Demon King? Then what will you do?”
Lemerno tried to persuade him urgently, but Dmir Khan interrupted her and began speaking.
“The Demon King I have met so far has always been hiding their identity. Their appearance, status, and even their own voice.”
Lemerno couldn’t say anything because no one except Dmir Khan had ever met the Demon King in person. So, she stopped speaking for a moment and began listening to his words.
“All I know is that person has the same height and build as Frey... and uses the same arrogant tone as him.”
Lemerno, who frowned at those words, said with an absurd expression on her face.
“Are you trying to convince yourself with such weak circumstantial evidence? From the beginning, such things could easily be—”
“Frey is the first ‘Magic Swordsman’ to appear in history.”
But upon hearing his following words, Lemerno quietly shut her mouth.
“Both his sword skill and magical prowess are simultaneously at the pinnacle.”
“But, last time, you said the Demon King erased your attack with just a flick of a finger.”
After hearing Dmir Khan’s statement, Lemerno shook her head and tried to refute him.
“While Frey’s battle today was literally mythical, it took more than lifting a finger to erase your attack. So—”
“I have something to tell you about that.”
However, after cutting her words off once again, Dmir Khan started speaking with a serious expression on his face.
“The Demon King has a ‘restriction’.”
“A restriction?”
“I don’t know what kind of restriction it is... Seeing how the Demon King continues to hide their identity, the fact that they don’t share the Hero’s identity, and various other actions, it is clear that an unknown force is putting some kind of ‘restriction’ on the Demon King’s actions. “
Having said that, Dmir Khan finished his speech with a confident tone.
“And... It’s the same with Lord Frey.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you feel it too? When Frey talked about the Hero’s identity earlier, he intentionally avoided the topic.”
“... Ummm.”
Hearing those words, Lemerno looked back on her memories and fell into deep thought.
“Well, it’s too early to be certain... But if my guess is correct...”
Looking at Lemerno, Dmir Khan smiled and whispered gently.
“...Finally, the Demon King has reappeared in the world.”
Truly, it was the moment when an unprecedented misunderstanding was born.