The Heroes Who Executed Me Are Obsessed With Me

Rumors spread.

That a new Demon King had emerged and was brazenly regrouping the demon race.

Crown Prince Neville had indeed been abducted and disappeared without a trace. Yuru had gone into hiding after taking down one of the Guardian Knights.

For reasons unknown, Yaphenon had struck Ezer in secret—without alerting the other member nations of the alliance—and failed.

The Emperor of Krata was livid. There were even whispers that the Third Seat and other Guardian Knights had received private orders from him and were moving in secret.

“The demons are preparing to go wild again.”

“All this chaos—it must be the demons working their tricks behind the scenes.”

“Is hell about to start all over again...?”

Tension gripped the air. People trembled, recalling the days when the demon race had once plunged the continent into fear.

Some began to hope for the appearance of a new Hero. But that was a laughable fantasy.

Not long ago, the humans themselves had mercilessly dragged down their Hero.

Even if he had been branded a traitor, he had once been a peerless champion.

To now wish for someone like him to return and save them from this chaos—it was nothing more than clinging to a miracle born of hopelessness.

“Maybe they should’ve been more careful about executing him…”

“Shh! You want to get dragged off too?”

A few whispered that they should have at least used him, given his powers were the real deal. But those were nothing more than idle mutterings—fit only for taverns and shadows.

To speak deeply about the Hero, executed as a great criminal of history, was a forbidden act.

“Your Majesty, we’ve found it.”

In this climate, a court official stood before the throne of Krata.

“Second Seat Cadis has located the site where Athanasia the Immortal is sealed.”

Guardian Knight Cadis. Though blind, he possessed the uncanny ability to find his path—guided entirely by his other senses.

“To break the seal, he says we’ll need the power of the Royal Engraver, which Your Majesty entrusted him with.”

The power of the Engraver.

A legacy passed down through Krata’s royal lineage—it was one of the key forces maintaining the seal.

That meant it could also be used to break the seal. With one pillar removed, the balance would collapse. And if the ancient god inside chose to cooperate, the seal would crumble with ease.

“Your Majesty…”

The official hesitated, then asked.

“Are you truly going to awaken an ancient god?”

The ancient gods were enemies of Elhaen, the chief deity of the Holy Alliance.

“I understand Your Majesty intends to use one enemy to destroy another, but if we misstep, it may incur Elhaen’s wrath.”

“Elhaen’s wrath?”

Emperor Lutan, seated upon his throne, slowly turned his head.

“Are you a priest now?”

“S-Sire?”

“I asked if you can communicate directly with the chief deity.”

The court official faltered under the weight of that question.

“O-of course not. I merely—”

“Insolent.”

Lutan spoke coldly.

“The will of the chief deity is passed down through the priests and me. You, of all people, have no right to interpret it.”

“F-Forgive me, Your Majesty!”

“Tell Cadis he has my permission to use the Engraver’s power. That’s what it was entrusted for in the first place.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

“And one more thing…”

A chill emanated from Lutan’s gaze.

“If you wag your foolish tongue again, I’ll have your eyes removed and offer them to the deity for repentance.”

“!”

The terrified official dropped flat to the floor.

“P-please forgive me! It won’t happen again!”

“You are already forgiven. There simply won’t be a next time.”

Lutan waved his hand.

“Now get out of my sight.”

Still shaken and unable to rise, the official was eventually helped up and led out by the soldiers standing nearby.

With the room now quiet, Lutan rested his chin on the back of his hand and fell into silence. The soldiers nearby swallowed hard.

‘Is this really okay…?’

‘Even if he needs a replacement force, this...’

‘Is this truly the best course of action, just because he can’t leave the capital?’

Doubt gnawed at their minds, but no one dared to voice it.

For Lutan was the absolute ruler of the continent.

The very one who, perhaps, could’ve even prevented the Hero’s execution.

‘And now, another wretched war is about to begin…’

Only the soldiers’ heavy sighs lingered near the throne of the Krata Emperor.

♧

“Have your injuries fully healed?”

In Ezer’s audience chamber, Tia de Mezelef, the Empress, questioned the man kneeling before her.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve recovered completely.”

The one receiving her gaze was none other than the Royal Guard Captain, Rexton.

“Even now, the thought makes me shudder. I almost didn’t live to see Your Majesty again.”

“You went through a lot, Rexton.”

“No, Your Majesty. If not for you dispatching the Royal Guard, I would not be here today. I thank you once more.”

Still on one knee, Rexton bowed his head deeply. Tia stepped forward and gently helped him up.

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Had Rexton died, it would have been a devastating loss of strength for her.

“With your safe return, there’s much we can do now. For one, we’ve learned more about Yaphenon’s ambitions.”

“Yaphenon…”

Rexton clenched his teeth.

“What they did is beyond outrageous. To ambush Ezer, their supposed ally in the Alliance…”

“I didn’t anticipate it either.”

“May I ask… how has Krata responded?”

At his question, Tia let out a quiet sigh.

“I haven’t sent anything to Krata.”

“What?”

“By now, there’s no way Yaphenon’s actions haven’t been reported to them. And the fact that there’s still no response…”

Krata had tacitly approved the incident.

“Outrageous! Your Majesty, we must confront them at once! Yaphenon must be made to pay!”

“Stand down, Rexton.”

Tia’s voice was firm.

“We no longer have any allies.”

“What…?”

“Don’t strain your recently healed wounds. Stay calm.”

Rexton looked utterly stunned by her unexpected response.

“But, Your Majesty… you know what it means to sever ties with the alliance.”

“I know. Without the backing of a great power, a nation like ours could easily be reduced to rubble. But that doesn’t mean we’re unprepared.”

Tia turned to the side.

“Lilien.”

Royal Guard Captain Lilien bowed and brought two people into the audience chamber.

“Those are…”

Nael and Yelena.

Nael was wrapped in bandages as if still recovering from a fierce battle, and Yelena kept muttering apologies under her breath, her eyes clouded with unease.

Neither of them seemed mentally sound.

“Rexton, from now on, they’ll be part of our military force.”

“…What?”

Rexton looked back and forth between the two. Their eyes were lifeless. Nael’s expression was one of someone who had seen something that should never be seen. Yelena looked like she was punishing herself under the weight of unbearable guilt.

“Yes, their sanity is precarious right now.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t know how you convinced them to help us, but in their current state, they can’t possibly—”

“Rexton, I’m not asking.”

Tia’s tone hardened.

“This is an order.”

It was a harsh command to give to someone who had only just returned from the brink of death.

“I have a duty to do whatever it takes to protect this nation.”

The holy war targeting Yuru had been halted before it began. It was the worst-case scenario, yet even within the misfortune, some fortune remained.

“Now that we have no reason to march for Krata’s crusade, we need to reassign all our troops to bolster our defensive lines.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Don’t worry too much.”

Tia lightly touched the cross-shaped pendant hanging around her neck.

“Krata wasn’t the only one entrusted with divine power.”

In order to maintain the seals on the ancient gods—or more precisely, to preserve the balance of the Pillars—a portion of that authority had also been given to Ezer.

“I suppose it’s time I prepare to go mad as well.”

That was the power she referred to—the one that, when used, would ignite a flood of guilt within her and drive her into madness.

♧

“The Demon King’s coronation, of all things…”

Neville, Crown Prince of Holy Krata, now residing in Barungenia after being abducted by Clay, slumped in his chair with a hollow look.

“Even having seen it with my own eyes, I still can’t believe it.”

He had been present at the coronation itself. Standing among the others of Barungenia, he found everything about the place utterly alien.

And how could it not be?

He had lived his whole life as the Crown Prince of the Holy Alliance. To find himself in a land of demons, witnessing the coronation of a Demon King—it was beyond surreal.

Yet, regardless of how unreal it felt, the events had transpired. A new Demon King had risen.

And that Demon King… was the very Hero he had once idolized above all.

“Lord Clay… have you really become the Demon King?”

Though he had already seen it happen, and though time had passed since, Neville found himself asking the question again, as if seeking confirmation.

Clay, seated across from him, let out a dry chuckle.

“Neville, is it still so hard to believe?”

“I… well…”

Neville let out a deep sigh.

“Thinking of what was done to you, maybe it was inevitable.”

“So you’ve come to terms with it?”

“Even so, it’s not easy to accept.”

“I see.”

Clay responded calmly, lifting the teacup before him—not filled with tea, but with white milk.

“You still drink milk, huh?”

“Is there a law that says the Demon King can’t drink milk?”

Clay quipped back at Neville’s remark. There was no such law, of course, but seeing him like this only made the whole situation feel even more surreal to Neville.

‘His habits haven’t changed.’

Clay had always enjoyed milk, usually with cookies.

That image—of a man who disliked tea and preferred milk—had always seemed childishly pure to Neville. Now, watching the Demon King drink milk, Neville felt his mind reeling all over again.

“Neville.”

Clay spoke again, addressing Neville’s tangled thoughts.

“Do you remember what I asked you to help me with?”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

He remembered. Though, truth be told, he hadn’t really done anything. His role was more symbolic—just being here, an unwanted presence that agitated Lutan.

Unless Lutan took direct action, Neville had no reason to be paraded as a hostage or interfere openly.

“Is there something more I’m supposed to do?”

Neville asked, unease tinging his voice. He was already struggling to grasp the reality of their current situation, and the thought of being given actual responsibilities unsettled him.

“There is.”

Clay’s answer came without hesitation.

“Neville, you mentioned you often used the royal library, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then have you ever come across anything about the ancient gods?”

“Ancient… gods?”

Neville’s expression froze.

“Why are you asking about them?”

“So I was right.”

Clay smiled faintly.

“Because I suspect Lutan will be the first to break the seal on ‘Athanasia.’”

(End of Chapter)