Ch.143143. Repayment

# The Demon Lord is Dead, Can I Be Happy Now?

It was a thought that crossed my mind as I drove a hammer into the already lifeless Demon Lord’s frontal bone.

Crack!

The schedule awaiting a Hero party after vanquishing the Demon Lord used to be typical. Originally, that is.

Gathering their exhausted bodies to escape the Demonic Land, reporting their successful subjugation to the Papal State, and returning in triumph while receiving grand welcomes from the borderlands onward.

It was customary for the entire continent to be immersed in a festive atmosphere, celebrating the fact that they could enjoy peace for a considerable period. This was also said to be the time when the Hero party, depleted from their long expedition, would recover their strength while receiving lavish treatment.

‘That would be normal, if things were as they should be.’

Past Hero parties didn’t always walk an easy path either.

There were cases where party members had severe conflicts over whether the Hero should return home, ultimately leading to the party’s dissolution before the victory celebrations ended.

And rarely, Heroes who remained in this world reportedly struggled due to nobles’ interference and social maladjustment, essentially going into seclusion with their lovers.

Dealing with love triangles among party members or facing opposition from nobles couldn’t have been easy. That’s probably not unrelated to why many Heroes returned to their original worlds.

But it probably couldn’t compare to the difficulties I was facing.

Unlike past Heroes who only needed to ‘behave properly,’ I had too many responsibilities. To be honest, it’s like having another Demon Lord waiting for me.

‘No, even that’s too modest a comparison.’

If it were an enemy like the Demon Lord that could be subjugated, I could just grab my holy sword and charge in. But the enemy awaiting me was one that couldn’t be contained or subjugated in any conventional sense.

And more importantly, I couldn’t run away.

I had nowhere to flee unless I stayed in this Demon Lord’s castle littered with corpses. Unlike past Heroes, I’m a native of this world.

Of course, I could go into hiding if I wanted, but unless I planned to hide for the rest of my life, it would only invite more trouble. The calamity would only grow while I was in hiding.

“Hero.”

“Hero.”

…Even my party members were calling for me.

Though they weren’t trying to rush me, but rather seemed to want to tell me I could stop hammering the Demon Lord’s corpse. I had been unconsciously continuing to hammer away.

The Demon Lord’s body was already pulverized. Even I thought it was a bit excessive.

I swung the hammer widely to shake off the debris stuck to it.

Now I had to face problems that couldn’t be solved with violence. I might need to use force depending on the situation, but that wasn’t the core issue. To be honest, I didn’t even know how bad the situation was yet.

First, I needed to finish my business in the Demon Lord’s castle.

***

The Hero was indeed peculiar.

This thought wouldn’t leave the Beast King’s mind as he guided the Hero party to the Demon Lord’s treasury.

“Leoneo. If you don’t mind, guide us to the treasury. The place where you used to take gold from.”

When the Hero made this request immediately after healing the wounds sustained in battle with the Demon Lord, the Beast King felt momentarily dejected.

He wondered if gold was all the Hero could think about after slaying the Demon Lord, his destined adversary who had ruled over the vast Demonic Land.

Though he knew the Hero had a special interest in gold, he hadn’t expected the desire to be so blatant.

Still, having no reason to refuse, he gladly agreed to guide them.

The Beast King—now truly the leader of the beast people rather than one of the Tetrad—desperately needed the Hero’s assistance going forward.

Though it hadn’t been long, he had fought devotedly for the Hero party, and now it was time to receive his due.

Compensation.

This had been the single thought dominating the Beast King’s mind since immediately after killing the Demon Lord—no, even before that.

Considering the Hero’s words and actions thus far, the possibility of betrayal seemed slim, but as the one responsible for the beast people, he couldn’t trust anyone 100 percent.

Even if he wanted to trust, he couldn’t afford to. The lives of countless beast people depended on the Hero keeping his promise.

‘I must receive compensation.’

Migrating to the distant countries that reportedly took weeks by sea was no small matter. Even after taking over the country called Islas in the distant lands, there would be countless problems to solve. Though they wouldn’t be living face-to-face with humans, they would need to maintain steady interactions.

Perhaps it would be several times harder than betraying and killing the Demon Lord. And the only one they could turn to for help was the Hero.

But for some reason…

As he listened to the Hero’s words, the Beast King’s thoughts began to change.

“Um, Hero. I’m not sure if I should add my opinion.”

When the Saintess spoke with a worried expression, the Hero replied in a hoarse voice that it was fine. His voice was so raspy from exhaustion that it was rougher than most lizardmen’s.

“I think taking gold and jewels might actually cause problems, Hero.”

“You think I don’t know that? By now, the news that we’ve gone to subjugate the Demon Lord has likely spread throughout noble society, and half of those nobles are interested in the gold nuggets, jewels, magic stones, and antiques I’ll bring back.”

“Won’t commoners be interested too?”

“Of course, but I have no intention of distributing gold to them. That kind of greed is never satisfied. It would only cause side effects. …However, I need to have quantifiable treasures in my possession to prepare for the distant future.”

“Ah.”

“It’s awkward to share my detailed plans right now. First, I need to assess the Empire’s situation and choose appropriate measures…”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t think the people of the Empire will give up easily.”

“I don’t plan to ask for their understanding anyway.”

“Will the Imperial family continue to cooperate as before?”

…What were they talking about? Right after defeating the Demon Lord.

The Beast King had read his fair share of books, but he couldn’t grasp what they were thinking.

He understood that gold could cause discord and conflict, but he couldn’t understand why they would insist on taking something that could become troublesome.

And he couldn’t believe that anyone would dare covet the spoils acquired by the Hero.

The Hero’s combat prowess, which the Beast King had witnessed while fighting alongside him, was so strong it would be unfair to compare it to that cripple he had fought last year.

He had no idea why the Hero had pulverized the already dead Demon Lord’s corpse after the battle (though he had no complaints), but even that hammering was magnificent. Plus, he held the title of Marquis and commanded useful subordinates.

‘The Empire truly is a strange place.’

Despite countless battles with Imperial soldiers since before reaching maturity, Leoneo still couldn’t understand the Empire as a nation. Coveting what belongs to the strong was incomprehensible in the beast people’s world.

Still, he needed to get what was due.

Leoneo thought he should bring up the specific details of “migration” before the aftermath of the Demon Lord’s subjugation faded. He felt he needed to secure a commitment now to have any peace of mind.

“Hero…”

But before the Beast King could speak, the Hero opened his mouth, as if he had already read the Beast King’s thoughts.

“Leoneo. The migration of the beast people must begin as soon as we leave the Demonic Land. Even if we start now, it will easily take a year or two.”

“Ah, I see.”

The Hero seemed to already have a plan.

“…There’s a place called Enekia Port. There’s a fleet that has been living off trade with the distant countries, and they will be in charge of transporting the beast people. I think we can make the distant countries bear the cost. Gold isn’t an issue for them anyway.”

“Don’t they use gold in the distant countries?”

“They do. But gold only has meaning when safety is guaranteed. The current situation in the distant countries is no better than the Demonic Land. I heard that dragon subspecies have been settling for weeks at a time, even completely devastating an island.”

“…”

“Though we call them the distant countries, their systems have already collapsed. They’ll gladly pay those transportation costs. …The problem is whether the beast people can endure the long voyage, so I’ve thought of a method.”

“You have a method?”

“It might be better to induce deep sleep using magic or medicine. If you agree, I’ll have someone prepare the rest.”

“So we just eat and sleep to pass the time. …I understand.”

Just repeating the routine of eating and sleeping—this might actually be better for the beast people.

Of course, having to board ships would be an enormous ordeal, but those who couldn’t overcome even that couldn’t be taken along.

In fact, the Beast King was already considering sending individuals who absolutely refused to sail to remote mountain regions on the continent.

‘But to think the Hero would be concerned about the treatment of beast people.’

Leoneo hadn’t imagined that the Hero would prioritize the beast people in this chaotic situation right after vanquishing the Demon Lord.

Wouldn’t it be normal to be sharing reflections with party members or discussing the rewards to be received upon returning triumphantly to the Empire? It felt a bit strange to simply say thank you—he had never experienced such kindness before.

The Beast King finally said:

“Hero. I didn’t expect you to prioritize the beast people.”

That was all.

The Hero didn’t show any particular reaction.

He didn’t spout embarrassing talk about being comrades who fought together, nor did he show false modesty by saying it was nothing. He only remarked, “Fortunately, your situation can be resolved with just money and time.”

Only after hearing this did the Beast King consider that the Hero might be fighting a battle with no answer.

And he also began to suspect that the Hero’s obsession with gold might not be due to personal greed. In fact, he had harbored this suspicion for some time.

‘Perhaps he has it harder than I do.’

For a moment, he felt pity for the Hero. It was strange to feel compassion for a human who had slaughtered over a thousand beast people.