Chapter 64: The road not taken by anyone Part 3 

“That girl is the Demon King?”

“That makes no sense…!”

“The Demon King.”

“To humans, it was the ultimate symbol of fear and terror.”

“History books recorded the battles against the demons during the times the Demon King descended.”

“How much blood had been shed by countless humans to bring the Demon King down?”

“And yet…”

“That adorable little girl is the Demon King?”

The history books even said, “Just locking eyes with the Demon King is suffocating due to their monstrous visage.”

The audience buzzed with disbelief at such a preposterous notion, but the murmuring was short-lived.

Standing next to the podium, Erin raised her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I, Saint Erin, stake my name on this. The person standing on this podium is without a doubt the Demon King.”

It wasn’t just anyone; it was the Saint herself claiming this.

Who was the Saint? The holiest woman, chosen by the one and only god, Igogodon.

To the devout, she was practically a walking incarnation of divinity.

To ordinary people, she was a benevolent figure who freely distributed precious chicken dishes, beloved by all.

So, it wasn’t surprising that the noisy crowd instantly fell silent at her words.

The Demon King bowed to Erin in gratitude and then turned to face the people.

After a moment of hesitation, she began to speak.

“You must have many questions. Why hasn’t the demon race launched an all-out war despite my appearance as the Demon King? Why don’t you feel overwhelmed by demonic energy despite my presence? Why do I, the Demon King, appear in the form of a fragile, human child?”

Her tone sharpened.

“And above all—how dare I show my face here?”

The Demon King’s piercing words silenced the crowd.

Unfazed, she slowly nodded and continued.

“I imagine there are many more questions you are holding in your hearts—”

Suddenly, a furious voice rang out, loud enough for even the Demon King to hear.

“And you dare show your face here, knowing that?! If you’re truly the Demon King, what gives you the right to set foot in this sacred human capital?”

The outburst caused the priests and royal knights to stir, ready to act.

“Stay your hands. Let us wait,” Erin interjected, calming them.

This was something the Demon King had requested in advance.

The man who had spoken stepped forward and continued, his anger unabated.

“Our Ransphil family stood at the forefront of the battle to defend the capital against your demons 200 years ago! Countless members of our family died, and our fallen house has yet to recover! Just imagining the leader of those wretched demons returning boils my blood! Finally, the time for revenge—revenge for my ancestors—has come!”

He glared at the Demon King with unbridled rage.

“And now you want to… talk? Shut up! I won’t utter a single word to demons like you!”

Even after his tirade, the man was still seething.

The Demon King waited patiently for him to finish.

Then, with caution, she finally spoke.

“Before I respond to your words, there is something I must do first.”

With that, the Demon King placed both hands on the podium and prepared herself.

“1… 2…!”

She jumped.

“Up… up…!”

The small Demon King tried to leap onto the podium but struggled.

The crowd murmured again, bewildered.

“What is she doing?”

At that moment, someone in the crowd blurted out a realization.

“Could it be… she can’t climb the podium because it’s too tall?”

That comment, unfortunately, reached the Demon King’s ears, causing her face to flush bright red.

Her eyes began to quiver, but Erin quickly stepped forward.

“Demon King, do you need help getting up?”

“Y-yes. From here, I can’t see very well…”

“You could’ve said so earlier.”

“But that would ruin the dramatic impact of my entrance…”

“Alright, alright. Stand beside me.”

Following Erin’s instructions, the Demon King stretched her arms upward.

Erin grabbed her under the arms, lifted her effortlessly, and placed her on the podium.

The sound of her being set down echoed comically, amplified by magic.

“Ahem.”

Finally, standing on the podium, the Demon King gazed at the fragile humans before her—creatures so weak that with a mere gesture, she could turn them into nothingness.

Then, lowering her head, she spoke with the dignity of one carrying the pride of the demon race.

“I, the Demon King, sincerely apologize for all the harm done to humanity, including the deeds of my predecessors. It is true that the Demon Kings of old threatened and tormented you in cruel ways.”

“And, in return, countless of our own—those dear to us—have been slain by your hands. To you, they may have been hideous and terrifying monsters. But to us, they were precious comrades and family.”

The man, still fuming moments ago, now stood silent.

“I know these words may mean little. After all, an apology from me, the Demon King of this generation, cannot undo the past. But I speak from the heart.”

Just as the man was about to respond, another voice interrupted.

“Calm yourself. She has apologized so earnestly. And did your ancestors not also slay countless demons?”

The man froze.

“His family’s history recorded his ancestor as a hero who had slaughtered a hundred demons.”

“But if the demons he killed had families, wasn’t it the same as what they had suffered?”

The man, subdued, found himself unable to respond.

***

Seeing that the situation had calmed, the Demon King stepped down from the podium with Erin’s assistance.

As her feet touched the ground with a faint “thud,” she organized her thoughts once more.

Last night, she had spent hours perfecting her speech, sacrificing her sleep.

Though unnecessary for her as a Demon King, sleep had become essential for her now-human body.

She had prepared with all her might, hoping to bring even a sliver of hope for change.

Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for the next part of her mission.

“What we desire is sunlight. Sunlight is an essential element for our survival, and it is for that reason we fought against you.”

“If demons come to live on the surface, they will inevitably emit miasma. While miasma doesn’t directly harm humans physically, it’s undeniable that the unsettling feeling it brings is hard to accept.”

“Even so, I must apologize sincerely—please, grant us land where we can live. Due to the location of the dungeon, it’s possible that some of your existing villages may need to be displaced. Additionally, there’s no guarantee that the long-term spread of miasma won’t cause unknown effects on humans. Even knowing these things, to end this terrible history, I implore you—please grant us this land.”

Despite her best efforts to revise the request, even she felt it was full of unfavorable conditions for the humans.

From their perspective, they would lose land, and the miasma—unpleasant at best—would be a constant presence. The simplest solution for humans would be to eliminate the demons entirely, just as they always had.

Killing the Demon King, sealing her deep within the dungeon—it was the most efficient method.

That’s why this speech was so critical.

Whether it was a twist of divine whim or genuine mercy from the gods, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If she failed to gain human cooperation, her kin would once again suffer in agony, born and dying within the dungeon.

‘The key is to invoke sympathy. And, if long-term harm does arise, to assure them we demons will take responsibility,’ she thought.

The earlier apology, made publicly with a deep bow, was part of her effort to garner that sympathy.

She hadn’t anticipated struggling to jump onto the podium, which momentarily threw her off, but surely a Demon King apologizing would move their hearts.

Even though she could extend her wings, doing so would release miasma, which she wanted to avoid.

She wasn’t relying solely on human compassion.

With adequate sunlight and miasma, demons could live far longer than humans on average.

She intended to emphasize that demons could take full responsibility if issues arose.

Additionally, she had outlined areas where demons could contribute, particularly in tasks beyond human physical limitations.

After all, humans would need to see mutual benefits to be persuaded.

All of this was to secure rightful land for the demon race.

‘This is only the beginning.’

The Demon King opened her mouth to continue the speech.

But before she could speak—

“What is it that the Demon King wants?”

“Huh?”

“I heard you wanted to make a proposal to us humans, so I assume there’s something you want.”

The man who had been silently observing from the front row spoke, and voices arose from around him.

“Yes, tell us, Demon King!”

Caught off guard, the Demon King glanced at Erin.

Erin simply smiled, making no move to intervene.

‘If there were a problem, she said she’d handle it… so is this not a problem?’ the Demon King wondered.

“Ah… well, um… what we need is sunlight.”

“Sunlight?”

“Yes. Demons cannot survive without it.”

The man responded nonchalantly, as if stating the obvious.

“Then why don’t you just live outside?”

“What?”

“From what you’ve said, it doesn’t seem like all demons are instinctively driven to attack humans on sight. If that’s the case, can’t you just come out and live in the sunlight?”

“But—”

Before she could explain, the humans casually dismissed her concerns.

“Would it really be a big problem? According to the Saint, this is all part of the god’s will.”

“If Igogodon said it’s fine, then it’s fine.”

“Anyone have objections?”

“I’m fine with it. The Demon King isn’t scary at all—she’s adorable!”

“What?”

“I do have some concerns, but…”

“Hey, she’s just a kid. You’re a grown adult—don’t act so childish. Let her do her thing.”

“Well, I’m not a kid! This body may be small, but—”

“If sunlight is all you need, just come live outside, Demon King!”

“As long as you don’t swing weapons at us, giving you some land shouldn’t be a problem. There’s plenty of unused land near the dungeon anyway. It’s barren, so it’s not good for farming.”

“Saint! Please inform His Majesty that we citizens of the capital have no issue with demons living outside.”

***

The Demon King was stunned.

They were just going to give her land and let the demons live as they wished?

Even though it would clearly inconvenience them? Could it really be resolved so easily?

Her feelings were a mixture of disbelief and overwhelming gratitude.

“Huh…?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you hate demons? And the miasma we emit—it’ll make it difficult for you to even approach the land we occupy.”

“That was 200 years ago. All those people are long gone.”

“We killed plenty of demons too.”

“True, but… how can you make such a major decision without even hearing my full speech?”

“Igogodon said, ‘Offer even unbelievers a simple plate of facts.”

So, because it was divine will… they were simply following it?

“Since demons probably count as unbelievers, we’re just serving you a plate of facts.”

“Besides, isn’t blindly rejecting demons just an old rule? Let’s make new ones!”

The Demon King stood speechless at their unexpectedly cooperative reactions.

And then, for reasons she didn’t fully understand—

‘Ugh…’

She felt her body trembling involuntarily.

‘Was it exhaustion from such an anticlimactic resolution?’

‘Or had her fragile human form also absorbed human emotions?’

‘Or… was this too part of the god’s “simple facts”?’

Tears welled up in her eyes as she choked out, “Thank you… truly… thank you…”

With her short arms, she wiped her tears with her sleeves.

“How should we handle this? The Demon King is crying!”

“Don’t cry, Demon King. I told the priests we should’ve hidden the scarier ones further back.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Demon King, you’re so kind. I’ll go buy you some snacks, so don’t cry.”

The Demon King couldn’t even respond to their words.

She simply cried at the podium before Erin carried her back to the cathedral on her back.

***

The Demon King realized two truths that day:

First, as the god had said—problems often have surprisingly simple solutions.

Second, humans are extraordinarily weak to “cuteness,” making them rather simple creatures.

And now, she embodied the very definition of “cute” as the Demon King.