-“There’s no need to look any further.”
“I…”
“Y-Your Majesty?”
A soft yet all-encompassing voice filled the grand hall.
In an instant, the hall—previously in chaos—fell silent.
The overwhelming weight carried by that voice.
There was no one here capable of resisting it.
“Kesar is innocent. Does anyone have anything that could overturn this?”
“…”
“Kh…”
Judge Goebill clenched his jaw in frustration, his expression contorted with displeasure.
Meanwhile, Demon Lord Adolf Gearmann’s face went beyond frustration—he looked as though he was drowning in despair.
Seeing the two of them like that gave me a strange sense of satisfaction, almost as if I could taste the sweet joy of schadenfreude.
Of course, I didn’t let it show.
After all, I had tampered with the evidence myself.
Provoking them unnecessarily might cause things to spiral out of control in an unpredictable way.
More than anything, no matter how relaxed I wanted to be, I couldn’t afford to lower my guard in front of the Great Demon King.
‘That aside… I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the real thing this time, but as expected, it’s just another bluff.’
With that thought, my gaze naturally shifted toward the one in question.
The Great Demon King, hidden behind the curtain.
Despite being a long-time veteran who had played the original game for years, there was still something even I didn’t know.
The true appearance of the Great Demon King.
Throughout the entire game, the Great Demon King never once revealed his form, always remaining concealed behind that curtain.
Even during the final boss fight, where players directly confronted him, the curtain never lifted.
True to the weight of his title, the Great Demon King Kaya didn’t need to show himself.
He simply chanted spells from behind the curtain, leaving players utterly helpless.
Direct attacks were impossible.
No matter what players tried, they couldn’t reach him.
According to the lore, the Great Demon King’s barrier was absolute—no one could break through it.
The only way to deal damage to him was to reflect his magic using a pre-prepared special item.
The problem?
The timing for reflection was insanely difficult to pull off.
If all six party members didn’t synchronize perfectly, they would be instantly wiped out, leading to a game over.
A boss battle where players had to repeat this process dozens of times, shaving away his health bit by bit.
In other words, the Great Demon King was a being who could unleash instant-kill spells repeatedly—yet even after suffering dozens of those, he would only take minor damage.
After enduring such a grueling battle and barely emerging victorious, players were finally rewarded with a cutscene, expecting to at last lay eyes on the Great Demon King’s face.
However, at this moment, the Great Demon King delivered one final, massive insult to the players who had been eagerly glued to their screens, anticipating the climax.
At the very last moment, the Great Demon King’s choice was… to escape.
Leaving behind ominous hints that he would return someday, he simply vanished.
The players, who had desperately hoped to catch even a single glimpse of his face, were left feeling like dogs chasing after a chicken—only to watch it fly out of reach.
To make matters worse, it turned out that the developers never even intended to reveal the Great Demon King’s face.
Some players even tried to forcefully extract the game files to see beyond the curtain—only to discover that his face hadn’t been designed in the first place.
And the worst part?
After scattering all these tantalizing hints, the Great Demon King never appeared again.
Rumor had it that some major internal issues within the company led to a complete staff overhaul, and in the process, the Great Demon King’s storyline was scrapped entirely.
After that, the game was filled with unrelated characters causing chaos, and by the time I eventually quit playing, the Great Demon King had completely vanished from the story.
Just like how Professor Mari had been utterly forgotten.
And now.
That very same Great Demon King sat before me.
Just like in the original game, his face remained hidden behind that curtain.
‘I seriously want to take just one peek inside…’
But I knew that was impossible—both in the original game and now.
That curtain itself wasn’t an ordinary object.
Forget seeing through it—it was completely impervious to destruction.
And the Great Demon King, fully aware of that, never moved a single step from behind it while in the grand hall.
If I recklessly tried some half-baked magic to get a look, I could end up making the most powerful demon in existence my enemy.
Curiosity killed the cat.
In this case, I wouldn’t just be a dead cat—I’d be dead, period.
I had no choice but to give up on that curiosity long ago.
In any case, thanks to the Great Demon King wrapping things up without saying much, the trial was settled.
Once Adolf Gearmann and his subordinates left with frustration plastered all over their faces, I figured it was about time for me to gather my own forces and leave as well.
But then.
“You’ve worked hard. I’m glad everything was resolved smoothly.”
“…Thank you, Lord of War.”
Since he had at least helped me a little, it was only right to express my gratitude properly.
However, considering that this monster could end my life on a whim, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
But, contrary to my wishes.
Just like a long-winded principal’s speech, the Great Demon King’s words continued.
“To be honest, I was already aware that all of this was that man’s scheme. Of course, I also knew from the start that you were innocent. However, Adolf’s behavior has become increasingly reckless as of late. I was simply waiting for an opportunity to suppress him.”
“…So you used me to accomplish that.”
“I merely chose not to intervene. I trusted that you would take care of it on your own.”
So basically, everything worked out in the end, so it’s all good.
Like hell it was.
He had clearly planned to use me from the start, meaning we were never really on the same side.
Whether in the game or in reality, this damn person always had a way of making me feel like absolute shit.
“It seems you’re displeased.”
“…Not at all. How could I possibly…”
Damn it, why was she so unnecessarily perceptive?
Even with my head lowered, she could still read my emotions perfectly, making my expression instinctively twist in frustration.
“That’s understandable. Strictly speaking, I did collude with them to corner you.”
You know that damn well, huh? You bastard.
I barely managed to swallow those words that nearly escaped my throat, keeping my head bowed.
But then.
“For that reason, I shall grant you a reward.”
“…What?”
At the unexpected words of the Great Demon King, I instinctively turned my head toward the curtain that concealed his figure.
“A reward… Did I hear that correctly?”
“Indeed. Speak your desire. I shall grant you one thing—whatever it may be.”
Gulp…
As expected of a ruler—his title was not just for show.
The Great Demon King was demonstrating both generosity and responsibility.
There were many things I could ask for in this situation.
An expansion of my territory, a powerful weapon, or any number of things that could maximize my gains.
Various possibilities began swirling in my mind.
‘…Wait a minute. If I really think about this, isn’t this a chance that might never come again?’
Depending on how future events unfolded, there was a chance I could receive another opportunity like this.
But when? That was uncertain.
More importantly, my immediate needs had changed now that I had brought Mari under my command.
My plans had accelerated, and gaining more power at this very moment was no longer my top priority.
If that was the case… then what I should request here was.
“If Your Majesty truly insists… then I have but one request.”
“Speak.”
“Your Majesty’s face. Of all the noble and divine sights in this world, none could be as sacred as the visage of the Great Demon King himself. I humbly ask to see it with my own eyes. Please, grant me this honor.”
“!…”
The Great Demon King fell silent for a moment.
But in that silence, I felt it.
An unmistakable sense of awkwardness emanating from him.
‘As I thought… Is there some important reason behind this? Could it be that I’ll recognize his face? Or maybe… there’s something wrong with his appearance?’
It wasn’t impossible.
The Great Demon King had always spoken from behind that curtain.
Even among the Four Great Demon Lords, he never once revealed his face.
That had to mean there was some kind of risk involved.
And yet, no one had ever mentioned anything about his true appearance.
There were no official decrees stating that his face must not be shown.
In other words, my request wasn’t inherently disrespectful.
If anything, setting aside his title as the Great Demon King, wasn’t he the one being discourteous by constantly hiding his face?
And so, while my request wasn’t officially inappropriate, there was a chance it could touch upon the Great Demon King’s most forbidden subject—his unmasked face.
That was precisely why I had asked.
To be honest, while we technically had a ruler-subject relationship, it wasn’t exactly a good one.
No matter how you looked at it, she had played a role in trying to purge me despite my innocence.
For the sake of maintaining balance in the future, I needed to show that I wasn’t afraid to push boundaries.
To ensure that something like this would never happen again.
‘Well, chances are, she’ll refuse. But that wouldn’t be a bad outcome either. That way, I’d know for sure that there’s something hidden about her face, giving me leverage in the future…’
I was entertaining these rather underhanded thoughts, maintaining my silence, when—
“…Very well.”
‘Of course, I knew it—wait. Huh?’
“I shall show you my face.”
Wait… what?
This actually worked?
Half of my request had been driven by curiosity, the other half by strategic reasoning.
But I hadn’t really expected anything to come of it.
After all, even the original game’s developers had never revealed her face.
There was no way I’d get to see it this easily.
And yet, the moment I heard the Great Demon King’s reply.
Politics and logic were shoved aside, leaving me with nothing but pure, unfiltered curiosity.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the curtain began to part.
The so-called “Iron Curtain”—the one that had withstood dozens of instant-kill spells in the original game, never once revealing what lay beyond.
Was finally opening.
And at last.
The face that millions of players across worlds had speculated about.
The truth that had remained hidden for so long.
The moment I laid eyes on it.
“…Huh?”
Without even realizing it, I let out a dumbfounded sound.