Ch.74Fate (2)

While the Demon King’s Castle needed to prioritize dealing with the hero, Durin also had to look after the legions.

Many were agitated by the recent hero incident. The perception that it was a surprise attack targeting the heart of their territory had spread widely.

This turned into the worst situation for the apostates whom Durin intended to use as a military force.

“Is it a false surrender?”

“They’re sending information to the heavens!”

“They’re not apostates, they’re just traitors! We should behead them all!”

The Southern Army under Durin’s direct control was fine, but problems erupted in all other legions. Newly appointed officers tried to quell the confusion, but it wasn’t easy.

Their lack of authority, having not yet experienced war, caused unsettling rumors to spread like wildfire.

“Things are moving too quickly. If this leads to bloodshed, it will be irreversible.”

Spranches’ expression was grim. It was exhaustion piled upon exhaustion, without a single peaceful day.

“Your Excellency. You must make a decision quickly. We’ll self-destruct before we even advance to the human realm.”

“Move all apostates outside the Demon King’s Castle. I’ve instructed the Guard Captain to protect them, so they will safely relocate to the settlement I’ve arranged.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Yursael, kneeling before the Regent, breathed a sigh of relief. Having defected for his family’s safety, he had reached peak anxiety as the recent events had actually put them in greater danger.

“Should I join them there as well?”

“Yursael. You stay here and observe the changes. At least one messenger should remain in place, shouldn’t they?”

“As you command, Your Excellency.”

Fortunately, they managed to overcome the first crisis without major disturbances.

With Berdia and the Undead Guards personally protecting the apostates, no one dared speak seditious words. However, this increased discontent as a consequence.

“You protect the hero and angels while neglecting us!”

Some raised their voices, asking if honor was all that warriors received after returning victorious from battle. Of course, the consequences were harsh.

“Execute them for internal sedition under military law.”

Durin mercilessly beheaded the demons. Though he had been focusing on the angels until now, looking back, he had always maintained strict internal discipline.

During the Southern Rebellion, he had executed anyone who showed even slightly antagonistic attitudes toward the castle. A fragment of that time had briefly returned.

Of course, he didn’t just use the whip. He strengthened the legions as planned, bestowing quality weapons and magical equipment, greatly increasing the satisfaction they could feel as warriors.

“Sometimes they seem so simple.”

“Unlike humans who feed on gold, or angels who use faith as fertilizer, demons only care about battle. Support them to reach better battlefields, and they will be satisfied.”

The Regent managed the legions and settled the matter. He bought time for the Prophecy Witch to expound the power of the forgotten god through the hero.

As a result, reports came in that Serphin and the Demon Castle’s leadership had heard part of the plan. If the young Demon King made up his mind now, they could proceed immediately.

It was an opportunity to finally emerge from their history of struggling within the demon realm and reveal themselves to the outside world.

“His Majesty still hasn’t fully made up his mind, it seems.”

However, one final obstacle remained. The Demon King was too young to accept this destiny. He lacked the experience to develop ambition and desire.

Glory can only be felt by those who can measure its magnitude.

“Where is the King?”

“I will guide you. This way, please.”

As soon as Durin prepared to take action, Spranches immediately escorted him out of the office.

#

A moonlit night.

If the burning red sun signaled a battlefield, the cold moon conveyed the silence of the dead.

It felt especially prominent tonight. It seemed as if countless souls were watching Serphin, who was wrapped in deep contemplation.

The fallen are silent. Yet they conveyed the weight they had carried. Serphin felt that heavy duty and responsibility.

As king, as the one responsible for the demon realm, facing trials ahead, he felt somewhat afraid.

“You must overcome this.”

A firm voice penetrated his wavering thoughts. Serphin opened his closed eyes. The Regent had arrived in the lamplight.

“As king, you must bear this burden to secure the future, Your Majesty.”

“I know, but it’s difficult.”

Serphin smiled bitterly. The young demon looked up at the sky and lamented.

“There was a time when I thought sitting on the throne would simply be wonderful. I even considered you a rival.”

Recalling that moment, he burst into giggles as if finding it absurd.

“I thought that way because I knew nothing back then. But now that I look around, I understand.”

Serphin turned his gaze to Durin. A desolate yet empty look was directed at him.

“I’ve realized how much weight one must bear to shoulder an entire world. A fate that cannot be measured by someone’s life presses heavily on this position.”

“I heard you received the full account from the Prophecy Witch.”

“Durin. How did you overcome it? I want to know the strength that allowed you, a mere demon who wasn’t even king, to move forward.”

The Demon King stepped closer. He was close enough to feel Durin’s breath. She was desperately asking.

“Please tell me. Help me overcome this obstacle.”

“Your Majesty.”

“I don’t want to hear that it’s just duty.”

“……”

Durin fell into brief contemplation. He seemed to be organizing his thoughts. The Demon King had to wait a little longer, but fortunately not for long.

“I have witnessed Demon Kings from before the Istria era.”

He spoke of the past. He had observed the time before the Green-Horned Demon King usurped the throne.

“They strived to surpass the achievements of the primordial Demon King. Rather than following the first verse of the scripture about opposing heaven and ruling humans, they chased after passing shadows.”

The first downfall.

He explained the decisive reason why the throne’s owner changed.

“When they accepted it as fate rather than duty, they collapsed, and eventually power was transferred to Your Majesty’s clan, the Istria.”

“…Caldrago the Great.”

“He was truly a powerful being. He declared that he could accomplish what previous eras could not bear. And indeed, he came very close.”

The peak period of the demon realm.

The golden age of demons was depicted, when they drove out angels and installed gates at the current angel garrison location, attempting to advance toward heaven.

“But even he ultimately failed to reach it. Chasing the reward of destiny that came within his grasp, he fell into the abyss.”

Endless war.

A bloody era when heaven, sensing danger, sent down warriors in waves of offensives. A battlefield where not just fallen angels like now, but archangels directly descended to confront the Demon King.

“The Black Army, united legions, the wisdom of sorcerers. In just a hundred years, everything collapsed. The hero who overestimated himself ultimately destroyed all his achievements by his own hand.”

The second downfall.

The mistake of the Istria dynasty. In the final battlefield, the royal family and those with superior blood all perished, and greedy individuals who had been lying low seized power.

They hastily brought someone with faint bloodlines and red horns to make them king, naturally causing rebellions throughout the demon realm, ushering in an era of decline. The dark age of the demon realm that couldn’t have been endured without loyal servants like the Black Army.

The warrior who had endured that period with his bare body recalled the pain.

“That is what destiny is, Your Majesty. Don’t try to shoulder it; observe it. Walk with the flow, but clearly see the destination you will eventually reach.”

“How is that different from abandoning duty and doing nothing?”

“You will make the warriors who are your hands and feet see the same place.”

“……”

“Your Majesty. Demons find meaning in life and carve out value in the struggle for survival.”

Durin knelt down to meet the Demon King at eye level.

Red eyes and jade-colored eyes faced each other.

“Don’t resist. You must see the brilliant future.”

“Do you know the pain of one who must watch? Others call it glory, but it wasn’t. I’ve only just realized it.”

Serphin shouted. The king unleashed intense emotions that had been hidden until now.

“Those I care for willingly go into danger, bearing the weight before the flow of destiny! Then what is the throne for? Isn’t fulfilling the task that Caldrago the Great couldn’t accomplish my true duty?”

“Your Majesty!”

Durin raised his voice as well. His eyes blazed.

It wasn’t anger. It was the will of a loyal subject earnestly addressing his master.

“A king must accept the pain of those he rules. Shouldn’t you turn their sacrifice and devotion into brilliant glory?”

“……”

“Do not avoid it. Face the wide-open eyes of corpses. You must turn their pain into ecstasy.”

“Durin….”

“Even if it drives someone’s life to ruin, it doesn’t matter. If the end is decorated with glory, they won’t hesitate. Demons are beings who tear their bodies apart for peace from their lowly fate.”

Durin grabbed Serphin’s shoulders. Raw emotion flowed directly into the delicate body.

“I swore before all past Demon Kings. To make death not in vain. To give hope to a race that had to take struggle alone as life’s nourishment because they had no god!”

The final words came like a torrent. He pounded his heart strongly with his gauntlet. His chest, blazing with will, created a heartbeat.

“That is my duty of protection. The reason I live for the demon realm, and the oath of a subject who has chosen to confront the destiny that you must willingly shoulder.”

Durin removed his hands from the royal body. Instead, he raised both hands in worship.

He prayed to the king who must illuminate the future of the demon realm with glory.

“So I tell you again, Your Majesty. I will shoulder all the pain. Do not collapse.”

“Durin.”

“I dedicate my life and soul to you.”

Resolve beyond sincerity.

“Please achieve the great work. Make my death glorious.”

The will that came across so desperately made his heart ache.

Serphin could not answer and shed tears.