I’m Not That Kind of Talent

The corps members watched the unconscious intruder being dragged away with gloomy expressions, as they were frantically yelling, ‘I almost died today,’ inside their heads.

While we were taking a break after eating, one of the men who had come in from outside shouted to gather quickly, but we thought it was a joke.

But the Corps Commander was really here. The Corps Commander only stops by occasionally, very occasionally.

However, there was not a single trace of a lie on the face of the man who had turned blue like blueberries, and as soon as we found out that it was true, we freaked out and rushed to the training grounds like crazy.

And there we were able to face our Corps Commander.

“I’m curious.”

When asked what brought him here, a question that required a lot of courage, the answer was quite surprising.

What could he be curious about?

The question was not left unanswered for long.

As if leisurely taking a stroll, Sir Demon was walking towards somewhere. 

And then, in an instant, with an unbelievable speed, Sir Demon bent his waist and avoided the sword that aimed for his neck, and with the same movement, turned his upper body and struck the enemy’s stomach with his elbow. All of his movements were quick and fluid.

Only then did we understand the meaning of ‘I’m curious.’

‘I’m curious.’

-I really did not know.

Did he really know that an intruder had infiltrated the training grounds, and was still care free about it?

Without even looking at us who were frozen in shock, Sir Demon lifted his sword and aimed to knock out the opponent in a leisurely manner.

And then, a loud sound rang out in the training grounds.

Bang!

***

After I barely managed to stop the corps members, who kept bowing their heads and apologizing, I went back and locked myself in my room.

I completed all of my tasks.

I had taken a walk in the garden, inspected the corps members, and had a meal at the dining hall, just as Ben had requested. So I shouldn’t have to go outside for a while.

I was laying on my bed and enjoying the peaceful daily life that had come after a long time, when I heard a knock on the door.

“Sir Demon, it’s Ed.”

Ed is my aide, isn’t he? He went to the Human Realm in search of a new puzzle or cube for me, who was about to die of boredom, but he’s finally returned.

I stood up in excitement, my heart beating with anticipation.

“Come in.”

Ed’s expression, which I hadn’t seen in a while, was somehow stiff.

Did something bad happen outside? No, the Demon King had mentioned that the position of Zero Corps Commanders Aide should be filled by a talented individual, and he had chosen Ed from among the candidates. So, with Ed’s abilities, he should be able to defeat any ordinary demon…

“I brought you a new cube. It’s called a Mirror Cube, it’s quite unique.”

“Oh.”

“And…”

Breaking out in a cold sweet, Ed nervously shifted his eyes.

I had no idea what he was looking at because he was still standing in the hallway with only the door open.

Eventually, Ed swallowed his dry saliva and slowly opened his mouth.

“The Demon King has come to see you..”

“Oh.”

…Oh?

“You aren’t busy, would it be okay if I took some of your time?”

Suddenly, someone familiar entered the room with heavy footsteps.

The person quickly scanned the room and sat on the bed and looked at me, then he grinned, his eyes crescent shaped.

After a moment of silence, I understood the situation, I let go of the pillow I was holding and got up abruptly.

Why is the Demon King here? I didn’t cause any accidents this time…

…Then, there’s one thing that was bothering me.

“Is this about that intruder?”

“That’s right.”

As expected, he did not disappoint my expectations, he gave a vague smile as he gestured towards the door.

“I have something to say regarding that. If it’s okay, let’s go take a look at the prisoner together.”

Wait, is he suggesting that we go see the prisoner in the underground prison together?

What’s going on? Could the intruder have said something strange about me? It must have had some credibility since we’re both human beings.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I won’t die like this without a fight. I subtly glanced at Ed, signaling that I wanted to live.

And I could clearly see him avoiding my eyes.

Damn, you b*****d.

The underground prison was completely dark, even damp.

In the end, I was dragged here.

“Open it.”

At the Demon King’s words, the sturdy-looking iron gate opened in an instant.

At the Demon King’s gesture, the guard who opened the gate quickly bowed and retreated.

Demon King, who was looking behind him, turned his gaze to the ‘human’ inside the prison.

The intruder, now covered in blood, glared at him fiercely, but the Demon King did not care and walked in, sitting down on one knee in front of him.

“Deon.”

As I surveyed my surroundings, my real name came to my ears.

At the same time, the intruder’s gaze focused on me.

If looks could kill, I could tell he wanted to devour me from the look in his eyes. Is it just a feeling, but his eyes seemed more filled with malice when he looked at me than when he looked at the Demon King?

Regardless, the Demon King roughly grabbed the intruder’s hair, lifted his head, and turned it to face me.

“Take a look at this B*****d. Doesn’t he seem familiar to you?”

I don’t really know anything about him, except that he is human…

After I responded with silence, the Demon King began to explain step by step, as if hinting at something.

“The power to defeat a significant number of demons on his own, despite being a human, and a power especially strong against me, the ‘Demon King’.”

As I saw the intruder’s body in a state of disarray, it appeared that the Demon King had played around with him.

But that’s not the point right now. After hearing the Demon King’s explanation, my expression stiffened unintentionally.

“No way…”

“That’s right.”

The Demon King let go of his hair as if tossing it, then laughed as he brushed off the blood on his hands.

“The Hero’s remnants. The Empire calls it the fragments of a Hero and praises it, but in reality, it’s–”

“…Hero.”

“It’s not even funny.”

***

When a Hero is about to die, they have two options.

If I had to pick one to speak of, it would be to use their life as the cost and spread the ‘Hero’s power’ across the entire continent, creating someone who can, albeit barely, stand up to the Demon God.

It would be nice if the power could be fully transferred to one person, but that is impossible during one’s lifetime, and the Hero’s power begins to disappear upon death. In the end, all they can do is spread the Hero’s power in exchange for their own life, creating those with fragments of the Hero.

The Empire collects those who possess these fragments, calling them ‘Heroes’.

Of course, the title of ‘Hero’ was not given to just anyone. Unofficially, all those who possess the ‘Hero’s fragment’ are called Heroes, but officially, only those with outstanding abilities and great accomplishments were given the title of ‘Hero’ and given a higher level of honor.

Unfortunately, the bloodied human in front of me was one of those ‘fragments’.

“A Hero’s fragment that failed to become an official Hero.”

Even so, he should still be called a ‘Hero candidate’ and it would be a waste to just throw him away.

That was the kind of person that had infiltrated the Demon King’s castle.

‘Why the hell?’

The bright red eyes shone with a chillingly eerie light.

The emotions that could be seen in them were nothing but confusion and doubt.

It was not just simple curiosity about why or how. It was a question about something that could not be understood.

There is no reason for a Hero candidate to be here. He carried no message, and seemed to have no special purpose other than eliminating the demons, including the Demon King, and ultimately attacking Deon himself.

‘Why did he attack me? What is the reason behind this?’

–What on earth is ‘He’ thinking?

“…There will be a meeting of the Corps Commanders in the afternoon. I’ll come pick you up myself, so wait in your room.”

“…..”

When an answer didn’t come back, the Demon King stood up and turned to face Deon.

He didn’t even blink.

He seemed lost in thought. His usually stiff expression was even more rigid, frozen in place.

‘It seems that he has no intention of going up together.’

The Demon King lowered his head and released a sigh, but he still decided to confirm by asking.

“Are you going to stay a little longer?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then I’ll wait outside.”

The Demon King, who went out of the iron gate, slowly disappeared.

…The worry was over.

Deon, who was trying to gauge the distance by the sound of footsteps getting farther away, lowered his gaze and looked at the intruder.

Blood-red eyes that did not reveal what he was thinking, looked at the intruder.

However, the intruder did not avert his gaze. Instead, he stiffly raised his head and glared at Deon.

His eyes were filled with clear hatred and anger, and a sense of betrayal.

Then, the lips that were covered in blood slowly opened.

“Deon Hart.”

The full name he hadn’t heard in a long time.

Deon’s eyes grew cold.

The intruder sneered, spitting out his words filled with boiling anger, hatred, and cold malice.

“You f*****g traitor.”

“…..”

Ah.

The answer has now been revealed.

His eyes, which had narrowed tightly, now relaxed. Similarly, his voice, which had been tense, now flowed as he spoke.

“You’re a discarded pawn.”

“What?”

He wasn’t worth paying attention to. A waste of time.

Deon didn’t try to hide his contemptuous look as he asked a question without answering the sneering remark.

“What sins have you committed?”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Discarded pawn? Sins?

“What sins have you committed to be cast aside by the Emperor?”

“Bullshit! His Majesty sent me on an important mission! If he wanted to cast me aside, he wouldn’t have given me this mission!”

Despite his words, his eyes trembled slightly, as if something had stabbed him somewhere.

In a space where the only light was a flickering candle, Deon caught the trembling with precision, and he leaped over the iron gate and went into the prison.

He didn’t do anything like the Demon King, but instead he just sat down in front of the intruder, staring at him.

“No, the evidence is that you called me a traitor. You were in the Emperor’s good graces, but now you’ve been discarded like this.”

“That’s not true…”

Deon, who had been lecturing in a low voice, stood up, deciding that there was no longer any need to waste time here.

The conclusion had been reached.

There was no need to keep this person alive. In fact, it would be better to kill him for sure.

However, since he knew that he did not have the authority to make this decision, Deon looked down at him and curled up his lip.

Then, with the intention of making someone hear it, a powerful voice echoed in the underground prison.

“His Majesty is aware of everything.”

“!”

Finally, as his eyes widened in shock, Deon turned around without looking back any further.

A violent scream came from behind him.

“The Empe- Ahhhh!!”

What shallow loyalty.

Deon, who was walking with a sneer on his lips, stopped when he saw the Demon King waiting for him at the entrance to the underground prison.

As if wondering when he had laughed, the Demon King, who was looking at his expressionless face, slowly opened his mouth.

“I heard you.”

He soon said with a self-deprecating smile

“That was too far. If you say that, I’ll have no choice but to kill him. But if I do a good enough job, I might’ve been able to use him somewhere. Did you do it on purpose?”

“……”

“Alright, alright. I said it inside, but it seems you didn’t hear me, so I’ll say it again. There is going to be a Corps Commanders meeting this afternoon. I’m going to pick you up myself, so please wait in your room.”