Chapter 26: The Great Demon King – 4

After clearing up a minor misunderstanding (…), the long-awaited banquet finally began.

Inside the lavish palace hall, the tables were overflowing with fine food and drink.

While musicians played soft melodies in one corner of the grand space.

Since this was an event personally hosted by the Great Demon King.

Everything about it exuded opulence and extravagance.

And there.

Mari sat quietly in a corner, dressed in an elegant gown.

Sipping from her glass in silence.

The hall was filled with high-ranking demons.

Though Kesar had assured her that it was fine for her to be here.

There was no denying that, as a human, she felt deeply out of place.

“…Feeling a bit suffocated?”

“Indeed.”

Poltuga, who also wasn’t fond of large social gatherings.

Voiced her agreement.

Truthfully, Mari wanted nothing more than to return to her quarters with her.

But leaving now, after Kesar had gone out of his way to bring her here.

Would tarnish his reputation.

No matter how uncomfortable she was.

She would never allow herself to do something that might harm her lord.

And so, the two of them sat quietly, simply enduring the moment.

Wishing for time to pass as quickly as possible.

But then.

“Ah, so here you are, Lady Mari.”

“…Hm? You’re that girl from before…”

“Teriya!”

The witch she had met at the Magic Tower

Teriya.

Despite her youthful appearance.

She wore a rather simple dress compared to the dazzling outfits of the banquet attendees.

Making her stand out in a different way.

Much like Mari and Poltuga.

She, too, seemed somewhat out of place in this extravagant setting.

Regardless, seeing a familiar face approach with a bright smile.

Helped ease Mari’s discomfort.

Feeling her tension loosen just a little.

She reached out and took Teriya’s hand.

“It’s good to see you again. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I had to go through some questioning because of the incident, but nothing major happened. More importantly… Lady Mari, it seems you’ve been through quite an ordeal. Are you all right?”

“It was my lord, Kesar, who suffered far more than I did. But since it all ended well, I consider it fortunate.”

“Come on now, instead of standing around here, why don’t we sit over there and talk? With three of us, we won’t have to worry so much about others watching.”

“Hehe, I agree. Let’s move. I know a good spot.”

Guided by Teriya, the three of them walked away from the bustling center of the banquet.

The place she led them to was by the window.

A quieter, more secluded area, untouched by the noisy crowd.

“I’ve been to the royal palace a few times before… but I never knew a spot like this existed.”

“The view is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this place with us.”

“Hehe. Now then, shall we have a drink?”

Teriya playfully shook a bottle of liquor she had taken from the banquet.

Seeing this, Mari and Poltuga, now visibly more relaxed, accepted their glasses.

And just like that, drinks were exchanged, and conversation flowed naturally.

As the tension slowly melted away.

Teriya’s voice became calmer as she asked Mari a question.

“By the way, Lady Mari… how did you end up becoming Lord Kesar’s subordinate? From what I’ve gathered, you were a renowned Great Witch of the Empire.”

“Ah… well, about that…”

Teriya had brought up an unpleasant subject.

But with the alcohol warming her system and her mood surprisingly unbothered.

Mari found herself answering without much hesitation.

“I see… You were betrayed by your disciples…”

“To be precise, I was betrayed by the Empire that manipulated them.”

With that, Mari poured herself a full glass.

Unlike before, when she had only taken small sips.

She downed it in one go.

Then, placing the empty glass down, she spoke in a voice laced with raw emotion.

“Truly… I’ve lived my life foolishly. Struggling so desperately to be acknowledged by them… How pathetic. I will never let things end like this. With my own hands, I will make sure… I will wipe out those filthy humans completely!”

“As expected, humans are nothing but a vile, detestable species. In the name of the Great Demon King, they should be eradicated to the very last one.”

“Mm… I don’t like humans either… Of course, Mari is an exception… But whenever humans are involved, things always go from bad to worse…”

And so, fueled by their unfiltered rage toward humanity, the three continued drinking until every last bottle had been emptied.

There was no pretense—just raw, honest emotions pouring out.

And amidst it all.

Teriya… no, the Great Demon King Kaya.

Even as the alcohol took effect, she maintained her composure, gazing intently at Mari.

Though she was human—no, because she was human—Mari had intrigued her from the very moment they first met.

At first, Kaya had only spoken with her out of curiosity and amusement.

But as their conversations continued, she came to a realization.

This human woman… was surprisingly compatible with her.

From her exceptional magical prowess to her deep knowledge and relentless thirst for arcane understanding.

Everything about her was to Kaya’s liking.

But what captivated her the most.

Was her deep-seated hatred for those repulsive humans.

‘What a shame… If only this woman were one of us, I would have gladly kept her closer and made full use of her talents…’

Of course, Kesar was free to do as he pleased—his status as a Demon Lord of the Lower Faction allowed him more flexibility in such matters.

But for her, the Great Demon King, bringing a human into her inner circle was out of the question.

Still, for the first time in a long while, she felt the desire to claim an individual for herself.

And the frustration of knowing that she could not.

With that thought lingering, Kaya discreetly used magic to summon one of her hidden attendants and gave a quiet command.

“Bring another bottle. A Devir, aged eighty years.”

But instead of complying immediately, the attendant hesitated.

“Um… Your Majesty. Before that… there seems to be an issue inside the banquet hall.”

“What? An issue? What exactly has happened?”

“That is…”

The unexpected report made Kaya rise from her seat at once.

“Hm? What’s… wrong?”

“…It seems we need to go. Follow me.”

“!?”

At those words, Teriya quickly strode forward.

Mari and Poltuga, though puzzled, followed behind her without hesitation.

And then.

There’s an old saying—A cornered rat will bite the cat.

I understood the meaning behind those words well.

Which was why I had always been cautious when dealing with enemies pushed to their limits.

But even I…

Even I didn’t expect something like this to happen.

The garden behind the banquet hall.

I had just finished dealing with an exhausting wave of social interactions and was taking a brief moment to rest.

And then.

“Guh…!”

“!! Lord… Lord Kesar!”

A sharp pain—sudden and excruciating.

A sensation as if my insides were burning alive.

The glass in my hand slipped and fell to the ground.

And around me, figures began to emerge.

Weapons drawn, eyes brimming with murderous intent.

They looked ready to strike me down at any moment.

And leading them.

Was exactly the man I had expected.

“Adolf… Gearmann… You bastard… so you really…”

“It ends here. You rat.”

Adolf’s voice was cold, his grip firm around a cursed blade radiating dark energy.

I tried to gather my mana for a counterattack.

But my efforts were immediately crushed.

“Don’t bother. I laced your drink with a mana-suppressant. You won’t be able to use magic for at least an hour.”

A smirk formed on his face as he raised his sword.

“Which means… you will die here.”

“You… bastard…!”

“Shut up! Do you think I’ll let that happen?!”

Despite the overwhelming odds, she drew her weapon and stepped between us.

Flantsu.

But no matter how strong she was.

The situation was hopeless.

We were vastly outnumbered.

And, more importantly, Adolf himself was here.

Even Flantsu wouldn’t stand a chance.

The only real option was to buy time—to draw as much attention as possible.

But here, in this secluded area…

Even that wasn’t an easy feat.

Our only real hope.

Was to escape and make it back inside the banquet hall.

Forcing my drugged, sluggish body to move, I struggled desperately to escape this situation.

If I died here.

At the hands of that bastard.

It would be the most meaningless, pathetic ending imaginable.

“Die!”

Adolf lunged at me.

Fortunately, his movements were slower than they had been in his prime.

But the real problem wasn’t him.

It was the sword he wielded.

The immense mana radiating from it made one thing clear.

If I took a direct hit, my body would be torn apart.

“Haaah!”

Slash!

His blade narrowly missed, slicing through my cloak instead.

Even though it only grazed me.

A searing heat flared up, sending chills down my spine.

‘This isn’t good. My body’s in terrible shape—I won’t be able to dodge for long.’

If this dragged on any further, I really would die here.

I had to stall for time—anything to break the rhythm.

Desperately, I shouted,

“Why… Why the hell are you doing this?! What did I do wro—Damn it, would you at least listen when I’m talking?!”

Adolf had no interest in conversation.
He simply swung his sword again, without hesitation.

And then.

“Gaaahh!!”

“! F-Flantsu?!”

Blood splattered across the ground.

Flantsu—wounded, struggling to fend off the assassins attacking from all sides.

I didn’t even have time to react.

Because the next moment, Adolf’s sword was flying straight toward my heart.

“Die!”