Bribed by the Demon Lord Right Before the Ending

■ High-performance Reader □

After the conversation with the Demon King, I returned to the guest room for a while to prepare to go down to the village below the castle.

‘Who would have thought that the first task after defecting to the Demon King’s Army would be to act as a human threshing machine.’

It was the first time I had ever seen a Grand Mage capable of using Hexa Spell being deployed to such a labor-intensive site.

Using magic that once decapitated demons on the battlefield to now cut rice stalks—it’s like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken, isn’t it?

“I’ve brought water for you to wash up.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Since I had gone to the training ground in the morning and worked up a sweat, I was subtly bothered by the smell of sweat. I wiped every corner of my body with a towel soaked in cold water from the basin.

Wetting my body twice a day—such luxury was something I would never have imagined before.

“Phew…”

As I rubbed my body with the cold towel, I felt the muscles that had stiffened from the sudden exercise loosen up a bit, and a pleasant smile formed on my lips.

‘This is why cold water rubdowns are worth it.’

Afterward, I threw the towel I had used to wipe my body into the laundry basket and asked the maid standing nearby.

“Could you get me a change of clothes from the wardrobe?”

The maid silently nodded her head slightly and pulled out a crisp white shirt from the wardrobe.

It was exactly the same design as the one I had worn in the morning.

They must have prepared many identical ones as spares.

After wiping off the sweat and changing into fresh clothes, I checked my attire once more in the mirror.

A neat appearance greatly influences the first impression you make on others, so it’s very important.

“Done.”

After perfectly setting my hair, which had been messed up by the water, I draped the green robe I had temporarily taken off over my upper body and asked the maid who had helped me dress.

“By the way, what’s your name? We can’t keep communicating without a subject, can we?”

The maid, who had been helping me put on the robe and had taken a step back, placed her hand on her chest and answered in a calm voice.

“…My name is Camilla.”

“Can I call you Camilla from now on?”

“Please call me as you see fit.”

Camilla, Camilla—I repeated her name in my mind several times.

It rolls off the tongue easily, so I won’t forget it.

“So, Camilla. When are we going down to the village below the castle?”

“Whenever Caldlasth-nim is ready, it doesn’t matter.”

“Then let’s go right now… Oh, wait a minute.”

Come to think of it, the Demon King asked me to hide my identity.

Belatedly remembering this important fact, I picked up the staff I had brought from the training ground earlier and used one of the most basic forms of magic—alchemy.

The staff, which was on the verge of breaking, wobbled and reconstructed itself into a new shape.

“Hmm, this should do.”

A wooden mask shaped like a dog’s head.

Not bad for something made on the spot.

I put it on my face and pulled the hat attached to the robe deep over my head.

Now, no matter how you look at it, I looked like a suspicious mage.

Satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, I nodded and said to Camilla beside me.

“Let’s go for real this time.”

…Or so I confidently said, thinking we could leave right away.

We ended up waiting for 30 minutes at the moat of the Demon King’s Castle, our necks nearly breaking as we waited for someone who was supposed to meet us.

As I stood with my arms crossed, fidgeting with my fingers and anxiously staring at the castle gate, Camilla, who had confidently said we could leave as soon as I was ready, awkwardly apologized.

“I’m sorry. He’s not usually one to break time promises…”

“…Is he coming?”

“Yes, I just sent someone, so he should arrive soon.”

“Phew.”

It wouldn’t mean anything if I scolded her now.

It would just be taking out my frustration on the wrong person.

Knowing this, I decided to endure it once more and said with my eyes closed inside the mask.

“There might be unavoidable circumstances, so let’s wait a bit longer.”

“Thank you.”

After waiting in front of the castle gate for about 40 minutes, a headless knight carrying a helmet that looked like a tin can finally appeared.

“Sorry! These guys suddenly started causing trouble!”

As she said this, running towards us with a brisk pace, Barnett was accompanied by a large black horse with a bridle.

A mythical beast, commonly known as a Bicorn.

The moment I saw the Bicorn in person, my anger melted away.

‘Ah, if he was late because of that, I can forgive him.’

After generously forgiving Barnett for being 40 minutes late, I turned my gaze to another Bicorn being led by demon soldiers.

Its white mane, rippling like a lion’s, bulging muscles, red eyes that sent shivers down your spine, and smooth black skin.

It was a horse that seemed to embody the very essence of a man’s dream.

“Prrrrr!”

As I cautiously approached it, wanting to touch it, the Bicorn, whose reins were tightly held by a soldier, suddenly reared up.

Thinking it might be wary of me, I stopped for a moment, but surprisingly, the Bicorn didn’t struggle further and just stared at me with its red eyes.

‘What? Does it like me?’

I had heard that man-eating beasts like this lure humans to catch and eat them, so I was a bit skeptical, but I mustered the courage to take another step forward.

Then,

“Pffft!”

Suddenly, the Bicorn made a happy sound and stuck out its long tongue, licking my mask.

Only then did I realize it was playing around and relaxed.

“Good. Good. You’re a good boy.”

I wrapped my arms around its large head and gently stroked its white mane.

The Bicorn, seemingly comforted, closed its eyes and rested its head in my arms.

If it’s a Bicorn raised in the Demon King’s Castle, it must be a warhorse for high-ranking officers, but it’s surprisingly docile.

Did the trainer do a good job?

As I vaguely thought this, Barnett, who had been watching from the side, made a gesture of covering her mouth as if she had seen something incredible.

Since her face was hidden by the helmet, her expressions were unnecessarily exaggerated.

“No way. How much bad stuff have you been doing for that ferocious Bicorn to become as docile as an angel?”

“What? Me?”

Hearing her words, which I couldn’t ignore, I reflexively retorted in a confrontational tone.

But Barnett, unfazed, explained the Bicorn’s habits to me.

“Originally, Bicorns like humans with a strong smell of blood and those who are sexually promiscuous. Especially those with a particular inclination in that regard, they like and follow them sincerely.”

“Smell of blood… promiscuous…”

Hearing this, too many things made sense.

As I fell silent with a微妙 expression, Barnett shrugged as if she knew everything and said to me and Camilla.

“Let’s go before it gets any later. If we’re not careful, we’ll arrive in the village after sunset.”

Then Camilla, the only one standing on the ground, nodded and reached out to take the reins of the Bicorn from another demon soldier…

“Heeheeheeheehee!”

At that moment, the Bicorn suddenly reared up as if it had seen something dirty and hastily backed away from Camilla.

As if something even more incomprehensible than my situation had happened, Barnett, who had quickly dismounted, tried to calm the excited Bicorn.

“Sorry! I don’t know why it’s acting like this! It’s as if it’s met some pure virgin!”

Then, for a moment, Camilla’s expression wavered as she clutched her skirt and tightly closed her mouth.

Huh? Could it be?

As I watched the situation from the side, I couldn’t help but look at her in surprise. Camilla, with a face as red as a beet, trembled with her fists clenched.

“…I’m not a virgin.”

But as they say, a strong denial is an affirmation.

Belatedly realizing why the Bicorn was going crazy, Barnett turned around with a clueless, startled expression.

“What, a Succubus? At that age? You’re lying, right?”

“…….”

Seemingly deeply hurt, Camilla bit her red lips and, with a determined expression, tried to force herself onto the fleeing Bicorn.

“Heehee! Heeheeheehee!”

But the more she tried, the more the Bicorn thrashed its body back and forth, becoming even more violent.

In the end, since Camilla couldn’t be mounted on the Bicorn that was wildly resisting, one of the soldiers quickly ran to the stable and brought a regular warhorse.

Finally able to mount the saddle, Camilla, with a thoroughly annoyed expression, didn’t exchange a single word with Barnett as we descended to the village below the castle.

‘Serves her right.’

I thought this as I glanced at the slumped Dullahan.