I’m Not That Kind of Talent

The issue regarding the horse… which I thought was the greatest crisis of my life turned out to be surprisingly easy to solve.

Ed was contacted by someone, put the horse away, and then prepared a carriage. 

He then approached me with a very polite attitude and asked for my understanding in an extremely polite manner… I was honestly curious as to why he was so humble. 

I’m good, that’s for sure.

Anyway, after receiving Ed’s repeated apologies, I got on the carriage and was now heading towards the city after leaving the castle.

Of course, because the road was not paved at all, my butt hurt every time the carriage moved… Well, I have to endure it, at least it’s much better than riding the horse.

And even if I didn’t want to, I have no choice but to endure it, because Ed is in front of me.

He said he had something to explain and sat on my opposite side. He calmly handled the papers and read the fine print while sitting inside the rough carriage. 

He is a truly exceptional talent.

“The reason why the demonic monsters are targeting the city is simple. There is plenty of food there. They used to prey on small villages with no resistance, but now there are only big cities left, it is only natural that they flock to them.”

“If you put it that way, the Demon King’s castle is also the size of a small city…”

“The Demon King’s castle has a Demon King residing inside and, in addition, there are also the Corps Commanders. “

“Oh.”

“The city, on the other hand, only has weak people. The Demon King’s castle, which is full of powerful people which you can’t see the end of, and the city, where you can’t even think of what to do if it gets surrounded by enemies. If one had to pick between the two, they would naturally go with the city.”

Demonic monsters are without reason. They are loyal only to their instincts.

Because they lack reason, but have developed great instincts, it would be impossible for them to not to feel the strong aura emanating from the Demon King’s castle. Even if they couldn’t feel it, at least they should have been able to detect the level of danger.

They lack reason, but not emotions.

Unless they had lost the emotion of fear, it’d be natural to avoid the Demon King’s castle.

“Also, the city is a place where many people from other regions come to trade. So if they just attack them while guarding the roads, they would have enough food.”

“Since it’s not there now, they must be aiming for the city itself.”

“Yes, that’s right…”

Kwaaang!

Kweeaaak!

The carriage shook violently. My body, like a piece of paper, shook as well.

Ed, who had naturally caught me as I was about to fall due to the impact, checked if I was alright, and then sat back down and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“…That’s right, so we should be careful inside the city.”

-Kill them!

“Prepare for the attack…”

-Make sure no one can even breathe near the carriage!

“…I plan to.”

-These demonic monster bastards! Kill them! Leave none alive!

…Really, it’s impressive in many ways.

Along the way here, there were several attacks by the demonic monsters. I wonder if I, who was frightened at first, can sit calmly like this now.

But Ed’s calmness surpassed common sense.

Unable to stand it any longer, I quietly opened the window and looked outside and asked Ed.

The outside was in chaos.

“Ed, aren’t you going to help?”

“The corps members will handle it. Don’t worry, we’re not the Zero Corps for nothing.”

“Uh… huh…”

It certainly appeared that way. The corps members were steadily killing the demonic monsters.

There didn’t seem to be any major injuries, and even if they were struggling, everyone was able to take care of at least one of them…

But… Why is Ben over there?

“Die! Die, die, die, die!!”

Splash!

Blood spattered. I quickly moved back and closed the window.

I thought I moved quickly, but it was already too late. There was a warm liquid on my face.

[TL/N: What kind of warm liquid ;-;]

Well, one thing is for sure. Ben was not in his right mind right now.

I tried to wipe the blood off with my hand, and Ed, who looked pale and shaken, handed me a handkerchief and said in a firm voice.

“I think it would be better to open the window after the battle is over.”

“Oh, yeah. Alright. But Ben…”

I remembered the image of Ben that I just saw a moment before.

The way he was wildly swinging his bag and shattering the heads of the demonic monsters, and the even more wild screams he was emitting.

It was enough to confuse his profession.

Isn’t he a doctor? Why was he going berserk over there?

“Ah, Ben loses control once he gets a taste of blood. He’s a demon, after all.”

Right, a demon. I forgot that for a moment.

He’s a doctor and also a skilled fighter. Wouldn’t it be enough to take just one of them with me?

But when he loses control, I don’t want to be alone with him.

Recalling the past when the two of us were alone for the purpose of treatment, I gently touched my stomach in response to the belated shock.

‘Oh, I feel sick.’

The more competent people around me, the more I feel like my lifespan is getting shorter.

-Hahahahaha! Die, you bastards!!

“Haa…”

As I heard Ben’s frenzied voice coming from outside, I helplessly leaned my head against the wall of the carriage.

Oh, I hope the battle with the monsters ends quickly.

“Take a short break!”

“Rest!”

Ed’s loud voice echoed through the door and into the carriage. And also the voices of the corps members who were shouting in agreement.

I sat for a while and stretched out my tired body, thinking to myself.

‘Looking at him like that, it seems that the Aide was right after all.’

I confused them with the servant because he’s always running errands.

From the Empire’s perspective, that is what an Aide should do, but in the Demon King’s castle, the Aides of the Corps Commanders also have the role of Vice-Corps Commanders, so right now Ed is performing his role very well.

Being in the carriage all day is also a bit tedious, so I got off the carriage to give my sore hips a little rest and get some fresh air.

When I opened the door and got off, I saw a group of black horses blowing dark winds. They were all gathered in one place, gnawing on something.

I was momentarily startled by the seemingly peaceful atmosphere, but I was able to relax a little bit.

‘But still, horses are horses. Seeing them tear something apart that doesn’t match their appearance… hmm?’

…Something is a bit strange.

That… isn’t that a monster’s corpse?

Right, it really is the corpse of a demonic monster. So, those guys are now peacefully gathered and eating the demonic monsters’ corpse…

The realization was so terrifying that I recoiled reflexively.

I must have regained my senses when I felt the cold door of the carriage on my back.

“Sir Demon.”

“……”

“Sir Demon?”

“……”

Damn, those horrible things! There are even so many.

There were naturally as many of them as the corps members… But it’s still scary. They’re not going to go crazy all of a sudden, are they?

Perhaps it’s because of the terrifying appearance that can’t be seen in the Human Realm, but contrary to my will my gaze remains fixed on them.

It’s never because I’m interested. No, interest is simply interest. Putting it in context for vigilance is also of interest.

As I stared at the horse herd in such a daze, a water bottle suddenly held right in front of my nose.

“Sir Demon, would you like some water?”

For something so out of the blue, it was quite polite.

The one behind the action was none other than the loyal Aide, Ed.

Actually, I had expected it. 

‘How many people would be so devoted to me?’ 

Even though the other person is just a mere human, he is still doing his duty very diligently.

“Thank you.” 

I said, expressing gratitude for the water and also for his dedication to fulfilling his duty without hesitation even though I am a human. 

Ed, who didn’t understand the dual meaning of my words, simply smiled and said it’s only natural. 

Then, he looked at the group of horses I had been staring at earlier and cautiously approached them, and then he spoke as if he was preparing for something.

“I saw you a little while ago… you were looking at the horses…” 

“Oh, yes.”

Damn, I had completely forgotten about it.

That’s right, I was watching them. In case they suddenly went crazy or something. 

Unlike the strong demons, me, who is especially weak even among humans, would be torn apart if I were to run into something like that. So I have to be cautious. 

By the way, he noticed that, so he must have been watching me. Did the Demon King give an order? 

‘Maybe, because of my resignation letter?’

Maybe he thinks I might run away? 

It’s certainly a possibility. 

I was thinking about the strict Demon King’s attitude, but Ed slowly opened his mouth, his words were completely different from what I expected.

“Um, excuse me… do you want to ride the horse?”

“What?”

“As expected, you still have some regrets…”

What the hell is he talking about all of a sudden? That I want to ride that awful thing?

My mouth opened in surprise, then waved my hand in a hurry. 

But that seemed to be interpreted differently by him.

“No, absolutely not. That’s not what I meant…”

“I apologize. It may be troublesome, but could you at least use a horse-drawn carriage until your body recovers? The horse will follow behind so you don’t have to ride it.”

“…..”

I stopped myself from denying again. 

Wait a minute, does that mean I can never ride it for my whole life? 

My physical condition is congenital, not some aftereffects, so it will never get any better than this in my lifetime.

If so, is there any need for me to deny it?

“…I understand.”

There’s no need to show weakness to the demons and this would be better than embarrassing each other.

I felt a tightness in my throat, maybe because of the sense of crisis that I almost had to ride a horse.

I had a water bottle in my hand, I looked around and took a sip….

“Newbie, you know how hot to ride a horse now, right?”

“No, I’m not ready yet!”

“Why so modest? It’s enough, if that’s all it is. Then I guess the last step is all that’s left, right?”

“Yeah, the most important thing is that only thing left. Our corps’s special tradition, you might say. In truth, it isn’t even that old.”

Special tradition? Did the Zero Corps have something like that?

Even though I knew it would be inappropriate to ask about something I’d never heard of before, I couldn’t help but listen intently.

The last step, what could it be?

Before that, it’s questionable that the Zero Corps had a tradition in the first place.

The Zero Corps was created by me. In other words, it’s only been around for about 2 years, it’s a new corps… and it has a tradition?

In case the sound of swallowing water would interfere with their words, I focused on their conversation while holding it in my mouth.

And I regretted not swallowing the water.

“If you are a member of the Zero Corps, there is a story you must know. A story about our Corps Commander, Sir Demon.”

“Oh, no way…”

“Yes, since Sir Demon is the one who created the Zero Corps. You should definitely know about the situation when Sir Demon killed the Hero, so you don’t get caught in the middle somewhere.”

Puahh-!!

“Cough, cough! Cough, cough.”

“Sir Demon?!”

Thankfully, I quickly lowered my head, which prevented the water from splashing on Ed. I quickly wiped my mouth and coughed to clear the water that had entered my lungs.

Thanks to that, it was Ed who was taken aback.

He fumbled for a new handkerchief and gently wiped my mouth, examining the inside of the handkerchief. He looked at me with a horrified expression.

“B-blood…?”

What? Did blood come out again?

Looking at his pale complexion, it seems like blood really came out again.

Well, it’s not like this is the first time this has happened. Isn’t he too flustered…

“Blood didn’t come out! Doctor, doctor!!”

“……?”

“Ben! Where are you! Beeeeen!!”

Excuse me? Don’t you think something strange is going on here?

Why is he more flustered by the fact that there is no blood. Isn’t it supposed to be the opposite?

His handkerchief was clean.

At least there was no red stain.

It’s obvious, I just choked on water.

“What’s going on!”

Oh my god, now even Ben has come.

My conscience ached for no reason when I saw him come running in haste.

I was intending to rectify the situation even now, but my Aide, who was so loyal that I wanted to get away from him, took a step ahead of me and grabbed him by the shoulders and shouted.

“Sir Demon suddenly coughed heavily, but there was no blood!”

“Oh my god!”

At this point, I gave up trying to think.

I was wrong. These guys have absolutely no common sense.