The Heroes Who Executed Me Are Obsessed With Me

The dressing room.

A slime bounced around, bringing Clay various items.

“…Thank you.”

What it brought was none other than a thick coat, scarf, and other winter gear. The slime had prepared them after hearing that Clay was headed to the North.

“This should be enough.”

Clay stopped the slime as it tried to bring him even more clothes. The little creature drooped, looking disappointed as it bounced away.

“If you put on any more, you won’t even be able to walk.”

Lin, who was nearby, comforted the slime on his behalf.

“It’s not because he didn’t like the design, so don’t worry.”

Only then did the slime stretch out its body, bounce once more, and disappear with the clothes.

“He’s not bringing back more, is he?”

At Clay’s comment, Lin giggled.

“You seem unusually lenient with the slime.”

“It’s just trying to help me with a pure heart.” Clay sat down on a nearby chair. “Lin, you can speak more casually when it’s just the two of us.”

“I’d rather not risk it. Especially with that big oaf around—it feels like he’ll latch onto anything I say. Ugh.”

“Well, I suppose… cough!”

Just then, Clay coughed hard. A bit of blood spilled from his lips.

Lin immediately crouched beside him, alarmed.

“Demon King!”

She looked him over and gasped.

“This is…!”

It was a bruise. Clay quickly adjusted his collar to cover it.

“I took a bit of damage.”

“Damage? You mean…”

Lin recalled how Geshkafor had flailed and struck at Clay.

But at the time, Clay hadn’t flinched. He’d stood like a massive, unmoving boulder, utterly unaffected.

“You weren’t fine, after all?”

“It’s not easy to be.”

Geshkafor had been named a successor by one of the previous Four Generals. Dense-headed or not, he wasn’t some lowly runt.

“He was strong. That’s exactly why I had to pretend it didn’t bother me.”

Clay spoke quietly.

“I’m human. To demons, who value power above all else, I must look incredibly weak.”

“But you were the Hero. The one who even defeated the previous Demon King—”

“Not anymore.” He couldn’t fight like he did in those days. “The me who once wielded holy power freely is gone. Now, I have to forcibly convert it into Magia just to fight. Do you know what that means?”

“Um… that there’s a power loss during the process?”

“Correct.”

Unlike directly channeling power, he now had to go through an additional step to use it. Naturally, that meant unavoidable losses.

“If I increased the total amount of energy I could handle, the losses wouldn’t matter as much. But my broken body can’t handle that right now.”

He had to either slowly build up resistance over time or find another solution.

“And anyone who comes to challenge me will quickly notice I’m in this state.”

Clay could only draw upon his power when necessary. In contrast, demons circulated Magia constantly, like breathing, and their strength remained relatively stable as long as they weren’t overexerting themselves.

Using sudden bursts of power meant that, outside of those moments, he appeared vulnerable.

And demons had highly developed senses—especially those with strong bodies.

“You’re relatively rational, so it might not be the same for you… but most demons rely on their instincts to judge me. Isn’t that right?”

Lin swallowed dryly.

He wasn’t wrong.

As much as she hated to admit it, demons were more beastlike in nature. They judged the world by instinct—wild and impulsive.

If Clay wasn’t constantly leaking power, there was a real risk he’d be misjudged as weak.

Even Geshkafor had thought he had a chance, which was why he charged in.

“I’ll find a solution.”

Looking determined, Lin clenched her fists.

“Just like the Demon Sword Syltanaro stores Magia and channels it, maybe we can set up an external reservoir for you too.”

“Thank you.”

Clay smiled at her.

The sight startled Lin.

It was far too pure a smile for someone called the Demon King.

Of course, the smile vanished almost instantly from Clay’s face.

“But even if you create a Magia reservoir for me, I’m not going to waste power just to show off my presence.”

“Hmm… if you want to avoid battle altogether, maybe putting on a little pressure wouldn’t hurt though.”

“No.”

“R-right. But if a fight does break out, I could support you so you don’t overexert yourself…”

“That would be sufficient.” Clay let out a sigh. “Lin.”

“Yes?”

“I’d like you to keep what you just saw a secret.”

What she had just seen—

Was not something the newly crowned Demon King should show to just anyone.

“O-of course! Absolutely.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“Then… should I keep it secret even from Beatrice or Cardin?”

Clay looked at her in silence. Lin gave a sheepish smile.

“I-I was just wondering. I’ll handle it appropriately…”

Beads of nervous sweat formed on her face as she realized her slip.

Seeing her flustered, Clay coughed again.

When he began to cough up more clotted blood, Lin quickly held out her hand.

Her palm gently touched his back.

In that instant, the Magia that had been running wild due to his injury quieted.

Clay inhaled deeply.

“Ah—was that too forward of me?”

Lin quickly backed away, startled.

Clay turned to her and asked, “What did you just do?”

“Excuse me?”

“It calmed me down the moment your hand touched me.”

“Oh, that…”

Looking a little shy, Lin explained,

“I have high Magia sensitivity. When I’m in physical contact, I can stabilize the Magia in someone else’s body. Of course, I can’t keep it up forever, so it’s not something I can help with for too long…”

“I’ll ask for your help from time to time.”

“Eh?!”

“Quietly, of course.”

“Secretly?!”

Lin raised her voice in alarm.

“Um… Demon King…”

She trembled slightly.

“I think… Beatrice wouldn’t be too happy about that.”

“Hm? Why?”

“W-who knows…”

Flustered, Lin backed away.

“Talk to Beatrice when she gets here. I—I’ll be going for now!”

Tap tap tap!

Lin spun on her heel and bolted out of the dressing room.

Clay simply tilted his head, puzzled, as he watched her go.

♧

Possessiveness.

Those deemed alien in this world often desired something to call their own.

Because they were rarely understood by others, the moment they became captivated by something, they poured the entirety of their loneliness into that one existence.

But finding such a person or thing—no one could predict when or how that would succeed.

It was a strange, inexplicable encounter… and in that process, a new emotion could suddenly ignite that long-held yearning.

“What the hell? Why is it so cold?”

Northern Demon Territory.

Though it had always been a land of biting wind and barren wastelands, even the demons who lived here found this freezing cold unfamiliar.

“Has the northern wind gotten stronger?”

“Wait… the ground…”

“It’s freezing over?!”

The earth beneath their feet was turning into permafrost.

As they stared in disbelief, they saw a woman walking toward them.

“…What the hell is that?”

Cold spread from around her, radiating outward.

One demon, startled by the sight, opened his mouth to shout—but another quickly rushed over and clamped it shut.

“Didn’t you hear?! That’s the Witch of the Snowfields!”

The Witch of the Snowfields.

A legendary being said to blanket all things in ice.

“W-why would something like that show up here…”

The demons who heard the truth trembled in fear.

News of her arrival spread across the North like wildfire, and before long, demons everywhere were hiding away, trying to figure out what to do.

“That cursed witch is freezing over the entire North.”

“We need a plan.”

“Okay, but what the hell do we do?”

Naturally, no one had an answer.

“…Should we contact the Demon King?”

Someone hesitantly made the suggestion.

For a moment, silence fell. Then, laughter erupted from the crowd of demons.

“You mean the Demon King who hasn’t made a peep since Geshkafor went to see him?”

“Not a Demon King—just some guy pretending to be one.”

“For fuck’s sake, someone come up with a real plan!”

Shouts and curses flew in every direction, but no one offered an alternative.

“…Maybe this is actually a good thing.”

A demon with a vicious look and a single horn stepped forward and spoke from the center of the gathering.

“Why not take this chance to rally our own strength?”

Ever since the previous Demon King died, demonkind had failed to truly unite.

“The more that cursed witch turns the Demon Territory upside down, the more demons will feel the crisis.”

Compared to the Holy Alliance, which had grown quiet lately, this was a visible, tangible threat.

“Let’s do it.”

“Do what?”

Someone asked, and the horned demon grinned.

“Play Demon King.”

The room stirred.

“Play Demon King?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Just what it sounds like. That poser out there isn’t a real Demon King, is he?”

Then, if they acted fast, they might be able to snatch the Demon King’s throne for themselves.

“Let’s use the witch as an excuse to gather power.”

The justification was already in place.

With that pretext of resisting the invader, the horned demon smiled at the thought of seizing the Demon Territory.

“Sounds… not half bad?”

“We could become top brass if we pull this off.”

“Fuck it, let’s go for it!”

Wahahaha!

As the demons fired up with excitement—

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door of the chamber.

“Hm?”

The horned demon turned toward the sound, laughter fading from his lips.

“What the—”

BOOM!

The door exploded inward.

The horned demon barely managed to dodge.

The demon behind him wasn’t so lucky—he got flattened by the flying door.

“Who’s there?!”

As the horned demon shouted, someone stepped into the room.

“…?”

It was a demon wearing a sword at his side.

Uncertain of who he was, the horned demon squinted.

The newcomer silently stepped aside and bowed his head.

“Demon King, this way.”

“You’ve done well, Cardin.”

In that moment, everyone’s attention shifted.

There, walking into the room dressed in black, was a man with a deathly pale expression—so much so that he could’ve been mistaken for a reaper.

“…Demon King?”

Muttering in disbelief, the horned demon looked at the man as Clay, the Demon King, opened his mouth.

“That’s right.”

He continued walking forward.

“I’m the Demon King—the one you’ve been mocking.”

Only a palm’s width away.

Clay locked eyes with the horned demon and spoke evenly.

“I do hope you’re not weaker than the Demon King you made light of.”

(End of Chapter)