episode_0025

“Wow!!! We won!!!”

The battle between the Imperial Army and the Demon Army, fought with everything they had, came to a safe conclusion.

The core of the Imperial Army, the hero Jax, may have died, but there was nothing more to be done.

The Imperial Army left, and the remaining Demon Army was celebrating their victory.

“It’s the expected outcome, though.”

I wasn’t particularly happy about it.

From the moment I sided with the Demon Army, I thought this outcome was somewhat inevitable.

Well, I didn’t expect Jax to possess the hero’s artifact, but I believed the result wouldn’t deviate too much from this ending.

“As one of the Four Kings, I’ve fulfilled my duty.”

The whole process felt like it flowed exceptionally well.

I rescued Gartos, and Jax probably died.

No matter what anyone says, it was undeniable that I made the greatest contribution in this war.

“Hero, please come to the chamber where the Demon Lord is present. The other Four Kings and the Demon Lord are waiting for you.”

It’s only natural for them to address me this way.

Upon arriving at the Demon Castle, the Demon Lord’s secretary greeted me and escorted me.

Since the war was over, it seemed they were planning to gather the Four Kings once again.

“Alright. I’ll go right away.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Naturally, I had to go.

There was no reason not to, so I immediately made my way to the room where the Demon Lord was.

“The protagonist of this war has arrived.”

And I met the other Four Kings and the Demon Lord.

When the Demon Lord saw me, he smiled warmly and welcomed me.

“…”

The other Four Kings also glanced at me briefly.

They were aware of my significant role in this war.

“Protagonist, huh? What a title.”

As expected, this gathering was meant for praising my achievements.

I sat down, seemingly indifferent.

In reality, it was all so expected that I didn’t pay much attention to it.

“Hehe. Many doubted you. Being an enemy hero, it’s unavoidable.”

However, the perspective from the Demon Army would be quite different.

The Demon Lord seemed genuinely pleased.

“But I trusted you. Your intentions were undoubtedly sincere.”

Although the Demon Lord accepted me as one of the Four Kings, he must have had some concerns.

After all, I was an enemy hero who joined the Demon Army, and it was uncertain when I might turn against them.

“But your judgment was correct.”

The Demon Lord was quite a coward at heart.

Perhaps he harbored anxiety every day.

But given that I had clearly proven myself through my actions in such a crucial war, his reaction was only natural.

“You have undeniably proven yourself.”

In such a critical war where the very balance of the Demon Castle could have been jeopardized if we had lost.

It was hard to understand why the Demon Lord was praising me so much.

Even if he continued to shower me with praise, I could let it slide for a while.

That’s what I thought, but…

“A deserving reward must be given to one who has proven their worth.”

At that moment, when the praise seemed excessive, the Demon Lord stood up and pointed at me.

“From now on, I appoint Ronan as the Supreme Commander of the Demon Army.”

Wait… as the Supreme Commander?

Initially, I was taken aback, but what the Demon Lord said next surprised even me a little.

“Supreme Commander of the Demon Army…”

The Demon Army was divided into legions.

First Legion Commander, Second Legion Commander, and so on. These positions were held by the demons who were the Four Kings.

Being the Supreme Commander of a legion meant being the leader of the Four Kings.

It was a very high-ranking position directly below the Demon Lord.

“Hmm…?”

Is this really happening?

It was when I was taken aback by the sudden words of the Demon King.

No matter how much I achieved, it had only been just over a month since I joined the Demon King’s army.

Feeling like this rapid promotion might not be right, I could only show a bewildered reaction.

“Is it a seat where I can sit…?”

“Hmm. There is no one here opposing it already.”

However, the Demon King seemed to have already made a decision.

He dismissed my concerns briefly.

“…”

Not only the Demon King but also the other Four Heavenly Kings welcomed me taking on the role of Supreme Commander.

Gartos placed his hand on my shoulder and gave a thumbs up gesture.

Though he didn’t say anything, it was a gesture clearly indicating me taking on the role of Supreme Commander.

“I will simply follow the Demon King’s opinion.”

And Patriarch, another of the Four Heavenly Kings, did not object to me becoming the Supreme Commander.

Of course, if it was the Demon King’s command, Patriarch would affirm anything, but still, his affirmation was genuine.

Both of them in the Demon King’s army welcomed me taking on the position of Supreme Commander.

“…”

And finally, Letona, the last of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Surprisingly, she remained silent.

She simply avoided my gaze without saying a word.

‘Why is she acting like that…? Oh, right.’

Initially, I wondered why she reacted that way, but then I remembered that I had made a bet with Letona.

A bet that determined victory or defeat based on whether I could kill the Hero Party.

I had forgotten about it, and probably that was why she was scrutinizing me like that.

“Since there is no one opposing, I will appoint Ronan as the Supreme Commander.”

In the end, there was not a single person opposing me.

With no objections, the opinion was accepted swiftly, and I became the Supreme Commander of the Demon King’s army.

“…”

Should I be happy about this or not?

At that moment when I didn’t know how to react to the unexpected situation.

“You must be tired from the war, so take a good rest for now.”

Deciding to think about it later, it would be better to go back and rest slowly for now.

All the Four Heavenly Kings were summoned by the Demon King immediately after a big battle.

Naturally, they were all exhausted.

“We will discuss future plans later.”

The Demon King considered that.

After deciding to talk about the next war later, the meeting of the Demon King’s army officers came to an end.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I’m the Supreme Commander…’

Returning to my room, I threw myself onto the bed.

And I recalled the events that had just taken place.

Suddenly being appointed as the Supreme Commander…

Even thinking about it again, I find it quite unbelievable.

‘It must have been unimaginable when I was in the Empire.’

When I played Ronan, no matter what achievements he made, the Empire never gave him any position or reward.

In many ways, looking at the Demon King’s army, I was impressed.

‘As long as you have ability and achievements, is that all that matters?’

A hero from a small country who had only been there for a month making such a splash and being appointed as the Supreme Commander was definitely not an ordinary event.

While it is natural to advance if you have the ability, considering that there are worlds where such obviousness is not so obvious, I think the Demon King’s army is truly remarkable.

‘Well, it’s better than not being trusted.’

Regardless, ultimately, I think it’s a good thing.

Becoming the Supreme Commander will surely bring a lot of troublesome tasks, but being recognized is still better.

It’s much better than being ignored.

‘Just one step for now.’

It was the first war as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, full of ups and downs, and I felt tired, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to rest leisurely.

I got up from the bed. And I grabbed the Demon Sword that was beside me.

‘Something was strange back then, wasn’t it?’

Originally, isn’t there more to do in post-processing than in fighting a war?

There were things to do before taking a break.

When fighting Jax, I felt like the Shadow Reaper was clearly rejecting me.

It was as if the sword itself had its own will, rejecting me.

“Come out.”

That is definitely not a mistake. The sense of a hero is not so trivial as to not distinguish that level.

I held the Shadow Reaper and, aiming at it, asked it to show its will once.

“…”

Well, it’s not going to come out willingly.

Ignoring my words and looking at the unmoving sword, I sighed, but if it comes out like this, I have a way too.

“Shall we try until you come out?”

When fighting Jax, there was a rejection response when I excessively infused my magic power into the Shadow Reaper.

So, shouldn’t I try doing the same thing as back then?

“Ugh…!”

I focused my mind and started infusing my magic power into the Shadow Reaper.

As if facing the enemy in front of me any moment, I continued to pour my magic power into the sword without losing focus.

“…”

Has it been about 5 minutes like that?

As expected, my prediction was spot on.

“Huff. As expected.”

The sword itself reacted with rejection towards me again.

It tried to slip away from my hand immediately, but I didn’t let go, continuing to infuse magic power without stopping.

“Is this your true form?”

As if unable to endure anymore, the Shadow Reaper pushed me away and was engulfed in pitch-black darkness.

And soon, that darkness changed its form.

“…”

It felt like the elegant and cruel Shadow Reaper had transformed directly into her.

She was a girl with jet-black hair and eyes as dark as coal.

That girl was glaring at me right now. She seemed very angry.

“So, why did you reject me?”

I don’t know why she’s so angry, but for now, I want to try starting a conversation.