Bribed by the Demon Lord Right Before the Ending

■ Castle Wall Restoration □

They say a thief who learns late doesn’t notice the night passing.

Dorothea, who had awakened to the joy of love, squeezed every ounce of energy out of me using every method imaginable, and only after receiving internal ejaculation three more times did she finally stop her frenzy.

The following day, after we had embraced each other and fallen asleep.

When Dorothea woke up in the morning, upon remembering the events of last night, her face turned as pale as her hair, and she shouted at me.

“Mi-mi-mi, you crazy bastard! Did you take advantage of me because you had nothing better to do after drinking?”

“You were the one who suggested it first.”

“Yeah, but still!”

I yawned and casually deflected her tantrum as I picked up the water pitcher placed beside the bed.

Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle-

Too lazy to find a cup, I drank directly from the spout.

“Hmm….”

Drinking water right after waking up always tasted like honey.

“Do you want some?”

“Ah, thanks.”

Though angry, Dorothea honestly expressed her gratitude for the gesture and drank the water in the same manner as me.

I watched her do so while resting my chin on my hand and teased her.

“Isn’t that considered indirect kissing?”

At this, Dorothea looked at me with an exasperated expression.

“Pfft! After all the wild things we did last night, are you seriously worrying about something like that now?”

“Well, yeah. That’s what I mean.”

My unexpectedly dry response made me feel awkward, so I tried to mumble past it. While combing her disheveled red hair with a brush, Dorothea said,

“Anyway, what happened last night is our secret. You know that, right?”

“Of course. I’m not the type to blabber. Besides, it’s not something worth boasting about anyway.”

“What? What the hell?”

“Not that it’s something to boast about, but—well, it’s not something I should tell others.”

As I hurriedly corrected myself, Dorothea turned her back to me with a huff.

“Fine, whatever. Just tie my hair for me. Anyway, Eva will redo it later, so you don’t need to make it too perfect.”

It seems her long hair reaching down to her waist makes it difficult for her to tie it properly by herself.

While thinking how much effort it takes, I took the brush she handed me.

Swoosh—swoosh—

Even though we’re on a battlefield where proper grooming isn’t easy, her hair was surprisingly smooth.

It must be due to the abundant mana it holds.

As explained before, mages can store excess magical power in their hair, which is an extension of their bodies, so most prefer to grow their hair or beards long.

I might be the exception since I found hair management bothersome and opted for a buzz cut during my travels.

After brushing her hair for quite a while and untangling most of the knots, I gathered her red hair into a suitable-sized ponytail.

Having experience with tying long hair before, doing so for Dorothea wasn’t particularly difficult.

Once everything was tidied up, Dorothea looked in the mirror and raised her voice.

“No way! This looks too childish!”

I chuckled at her blunt comment.

“You told me not to tie it too elaborately.”

By simply dividing her bright red hair into two strands and tying them, Dorothea ended up looking like a little girl with braids.

She hesitated, perhaps recalling her own words, and then turned away with another huff.

“Fine. Anyway, go back to your room before anyone else sees you.”

“Yes sir, as you command.”

My playful reply seemed to irritate her further, and she scolded me with a flushed face.

“Hey! I may be your superior officer!”

I wagged my finger and corrected her statement.

“To be precise, we have a mutual cooperation relationship. The only person above me is Demon King-sama.”

This is what being part of a direct subordinate unit means.

Demon King-sama probably implemented these measures to prevent unnecessary conflicts with others, but depending on how one interprets it, there’s room for considerable over-interpretation.

Finally reaching her breaking point, Dorothea muttered under her breath with a defeated look.

“Damn.”

That single word perfectly encapsulated all the emotions she felt at that moment.

[Note: Most soldiers were drunk last night, so the morning passed quietly without incident.]

Around lunchtime, the soldiers left behind at the main camp arrived at Hamburg Fortress carrying all the equipment used to build tents.

Among them was Camilla, my personal maid.

“Welcome back, Camilla.”

“Did you rest well last night?”

“As long as I have a place to lay my head, I sleep well.”

Despite being separated for merely a day, it felt like we hadn’t seen each other in ages.

After exchanging brief greetings with Camilla, I observed the long line of Demon King Army soldiers entering the fortress gate.

Each carried heavy loads, indicating they intended to relocate their entire base inside the fortress.

Considering this location’s geographical advantages, moving the encampment here does make sense.

The sturdy castle walls will help shield us from the wind, making winter more bearable.

As I idly watched the soldiers move about like ants, Eva, Dorothea’s adjutant, approached me waving her hand.

Unlike last evening when she wore heavy plate armor, today she was dressed in light chainmail and fur clothing, smiling as she spoke.

“I’ve been looking for you, Partarth.”

“Me?”

“Yes. There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

Eva pointed toward the southern section of the fortress—or rather, what used to be the southern section.

Thanks to the antics of three Hexa Spell-capable Grand Mages last night, all buildings and walls that once stood there were reduced to dust.

“We can replace the missing structures with tents brought from the encampment, but there’s nothing we can do about the walls. We’d like your assistance in rebuilding the castle wall, Partarth.”

“Ah…”

That indeed is a problem with no easy solution.

Constructing a wall here is no simple task; it requires immense labor, money, and time.

We might have plenty of manpower in the form of soldiers nearby, but the latter two factors remain problematic.

However, things change when you have two Grand Mage-level mages working together.

Even if it’s outside their specialty, Grand Mages can wield magic far more efficiently than ordinary mages in other fields.

I was about to accept her request when a thought struck me, prompting a question.

“So, is the commander-in-chief also helping with the wall construction? After all, her side was partly responsible for the southern section’s destruction.”

Seemingly catching my implication, Eva nodded with an amused smile.

“Indeed, such a task wouldn’t exclude Dorothea-sama. If she refuses, I’ll drag her here even if I have to use force.”

Thus, we naturally plotted to tease Dorothea.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll head to the construction site first and wait.”

“Yes. Please wait patiently.”

“Hahahahaha…”

“Uhuuuuhuhu…”

Same goes for everyone else.

This is true camaraderie.

“Why should I do such a thing?! I hate it!”

“Dorothea-sama, please maintain your dignity as the commander-in-chief. The soldiers are watching.”

“Hmph!”

True to Eva’s prediction, Dorothea, who would have otherwise been lounging in her warm quarters, was forcibly dragged to the construction site.

Initially pouting childishly as she followed Eva’s lead, Dorothea quickly regained her composure upon realizing the soldiers were observing and turned her head away haughtily.

Watching these two from the ruins of the wall, I rubbed my hands together and approached.

“Oh, welcome, Commander.”

This caused Dorothea, who had been acting composed, to flare up.

“Partarth! It’s because of you that I’m here!”

“Not fair to let someone else clean up the mess they helped create, don’t you think? So please lend a hand.”

As I glanced around, Dorothea, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt, shivered slightly before letting out a deep sigh.

“So, what exactly do you need me to help with?”

“To create the earth needed for bricks and bake them.”

The soil around here has been covered in snow for a long time and isn’t suitable for brick-making.

Therefore, we planned to use magic to produce artificial soil, then bake the bricks from it to gradually repair the wall.

Although she was half-forced to come, Dorothea seemed intrigued by the relatively normal task.

“Are you saying you plan to construct the entire wall using only magic?”

“Yes. Won’t it be easier to inscribe protective spells afterward since the mana resonance will be higher?”

“…Alright. If that’s the case, sure.”

Fortunately, she seemed willing to help, so I sighed in relief and stood beside her.

Then I added an unnecessary suggestion.

“Since it’ll be boring just doing it normally, why don’t we make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“Let’s see who can make the most bricks.”

At this, Dorothea confidently declared,

“Tch, obviously I’ll win. What does the loser have to do for the winner?”

I looked down at her, already celebrating victory prematurely.

“How about the loser calls the winner ‘older brother’ or ‘older sister’?”

“Fine!”

Seeing her agree so readily, I couldn’t help but smirk.

‘What a foolish girl. She doesn’t even realize she’s been tricked.’

Driven by competitiveness, she’ll likely work much harder than usual.

Which means I can afford to slack off a bit without drawing attention.

“Shall we start now?”

“Yes.”

And thus began the bet between one who didn’t intend to win and one who was determined to triumph.

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