Bribed by the Demon Lord Right Before the Ending

■ Eastern Front □

As soon as we returned to the Demon King’s Castle, we headed straight for the office.

It was to report the completion of the mission, as I had heard from Camilla.

“Welcome back.”

Beyond the office door opened by Seneca, the butler with a goat’s head, sat the Demon King on the upper seat of the sofa, looking just as he did four days ago, already waiting for us.

It must have been quite late, so his official duties were likely over, and he seemed to be enjoying some personal time.

The moment our eyes met, I bowed deeply and reported.

“My Lord Demon King, I have returned after successfully completing the first task you entrusted to me.”

At this, the Demon King greeted me with a kind smile.

“Good job. Caldlasth, were you injured during the mission?”

“No, my lord. Thanks to the maid you assigned, who took excellent care of me, there was no such issue.”

Upon hearing my words, the Demon King’s gaze naturally shifted to Camilla standing behind me.

“Camilla, good work from you too.”

“…I apologize.”

Judging by her reaction, she seemed very pleased to receive praise from the Demon King.

She even clenched her fists tightly.

‘Hmm, this should suffice.’

Anyway, reporting the mission results seemed like a mere formality, so I decided to move on to another topic.

I subtly checked Camilla’s expression behind me and then asked the Demon King while sitting across from him.

“My Lord Demon King, may I inquire about the next mission you plan to assign me?”

Surely, it won’t be something like rural civilian support again, will it?

At this, the Demon King, who was leisurely sipping tea, blinked his eyes in apparent surprise.

“You’re awfully eager. You’ve just returned; why not rest today?”

“Leaving such capable forces idle would also be a loss for the Demon King’s Army. I wish to work hard and earn your trust as soon as possible.”

Whether my sincerity came through or not, the Demon King put down his teacup with a thoughtful expression and stroked his beard.

“In fact, there is a place where your strength might be needed.”

“If that’s the case…”

“But there’s an issue because someone there knows your face.”

“Someone who knows my face?”

Before I defected to the Demon King’s Army, when I was the main dealer of the Hero Party, there weren’t many demons who met me and survived.

When I looked at the Demon King with an expression asking for more information, he sighed softly and answered.

“One of our officers in the Demon King’s Army has clashed with you the most. How many such people could there be?”

Only then did I realize who the Demon King was talking about.

“Dorothy Gale, you mean.”

The Witch of the West, Dorothy Gale.

One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army.

Another name for her was ‘the calamity in the shape of a girl.’

Wearing red ruby shoes, wherever she went, she turned everything into ashes. She often stood against me, the sole mage of the Hero Party.

Since she originally belonged to one of the four great magic towers of the continent, the Ruby Tower, and I was from the Emerald Tower, we formed a perfect rival dynamic.

I thought she might have been hit by a blind arrow and perished, but it seems she’s still alive.

“Currently, she is preparing to retreat the troops stationed on the Eastern Front under her command to the rear.”

The moment I heard the Demon King’s words, I understood the reason for withdrawing the soldiers.

“It’s because winter is coming, right?”

“Exactly.”

To maintain the land seized from humans, some garrison troops need to stay, but unnecessarily large numbers of troops are better redirected to the rear.

Especially since the Vulcan Mountain range, where the Eastern Front is located, is a land of severe cold.

In such a cold place, once winter comes, supply issues will only make life harder. If they linger aimlessly, there will be unnecessary casualties due to lack of food and oil.

The Demon King tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa and said,

“If we openly withdraw our troops, the Kingdom side might launch a full-scale offensive to reclaim the land lost last summer. To prevent that, we need to demonstrate our continued strength. However, Dorothy, as you know, isn’t suited for that role.”

He was right; Dorothy, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, wasn’t suited for that role.

Her specialty, the mastery of flame magic, focuses on annihilation warfare.

But in the harsh land of the Eastern Front, completely annihilating the enemy or burning their supplies is not allowed.

The only viable option is to plunder what the enemy leaves behind, which is the only way to sustain the army for a longer period.

Considering this, Dorothy is always metaphorically shackled when facing the Kingdom’s army.

However, my situation differs from hers.

“If I go to assist Dorothy, it would ease your concerns. But given how much she dislikes you, I’m worried about what might happen if I send you. Even if I wanted to mediate between you two, I can’t leave this castle.”

I understood what the Demon King implied.

“That is, you’re worried I might end up fighting her.”

“Exactly. Dorothy has quite a fiery temper.”

I paused to think.

As I mentioned earlier, the Demon King didn’t want my true identity revealed to outsiders.

But if I were to fight Dorothy in any capacity, the fact that I am part of the Demon King’s Army would inevitably become known to the human side as well.

If that happens, the Demon King would find himself in an awkward position.

Still, there was a way around it.

“Anyway, I intend to go on assignment wearing this mask and use the pseudonym Partarth. So, we could just tell Dorothy that I’m a new recruit to the Demon King’s Army, couldn’t we?”

“…Do you really think you can deceive her that easily? Dorothy’s sharp eyes would instantly recognize your magic.”

“My Lord Demon King, I am not limited to just one type of magic.”

In the world of magic, as long as one has the ability, it’s entirely possible to master multiple specialties.

It’s just that few dare to spread themselves too thin, given how difficult it is to achieve mastery in even one attribute.

This answer seemed to reassure the Demon King, whose wavering mind was finally settled.

“Then I’ll send you to the Eastern Front in two days.”

“In two days, you say?”

I could have left immediately if ordered.

After all, I wasn’t coming from some battlefield, just from helping harvest crops in a nearby village.

But since he offered me some spare time, I asked out of curiosity, and the Demon King responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Our Demon King’s Army ensures that working hours do not exceed 60 hours per week. Surely, you don’t believe that continuously working without holidays improves efficiency? That would be a grave miscalculation. Loyalty to the workplace requires both adequate rest and salary.”

“?????”

Did I hear that correctly?

A 60-hour workweek in a fantasy world?

“Uh… While I’m at it, does the Demon King’s Army offer overtime pay?”

At this, the Demon King tilted his head and asked,

“Of course! Are you saying the Kingdom doesn’t even take care of such basic matters?”

Ah… Ahhh…

I couldn’t bring myself to admit it, fearing the inevitable remark about how uncivilized the humans are.

Thus, the matter of my deployment to the Eastern Front was settled, and with the mission report concluded, it was time to return to my quarters for rest.

After instructing Camilla to wait outside, I cautiously asked the Demon King,

“How is the hero imprisoned in the dungeon faring?”

The Demon King slightly raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question but soon gave me the answer I sought.

“He’s doing fine for now. I specifically instructed the warden to take special care of him, as per your suggestion, to keep him alive.”

“That’s fortunate.”

If the hero were to commit suicide, it would significantly hinder our grand plans.

Thorough management to prevent such incidents was crucial.

“Has the hero in the dungeon caused any trouble?”

The Demon King shrugged.

“I heard he gave the guards quite a bit of trouble on the day he arrived. But with magical shackles blocking his power on all four limbs, and given the vast difference in physical abilities between humans and demons, how much resistance could he possibly muster?”

That reassured me.

If the hero escapes, the first target wouldn’t be the Demon King but me, the traitor.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“You must be tired from rushing here. Go home and rest well tonight.”

I thanked the Demon King for his consideration and exited the office.

As I stepped out, Camilla approached me briskly.

“Are you heading back down to the town below the castle?”

That would be fine, but there was something I needed to do first.

“Camilla, where is the dungeon?”

“Why do you suddenly…?”

“I have a little business with the hero.”

If my memory serves, the Male Lord of Hamburg was responsible for the Eastern Front on the Kingdom’s side.

And one member of the Hero Party, a warrior, was the eldest daughter of the Male Lord of Hamburg.

Since meeting Dorothy on the Eastern Front was practically a foregone conclusion, I thought I’d bring a gift along the way.

“Are you planning to betray us again now?”

“If I had such intentions, I wouldn’t have told Camilla, would I?”

Even considering the work environment, the Demon King’s Army was overwhelmingly better.

The king forced the hero to work for free, so what about the nobles under him?

Camilla wore an uneasy expression upon hearing my response but eventually started guiding me, seemingly unable to refuse my request.