PROLOGUE: A MEETING IN THE DESERT

Silence prevailed in the desert valley as the opposing hosts met. Thousands of colorful banners fluttered in the air. The light reflected from the armors of the knights, gunners, and pikemen standing on the other side of my position blinded me. Adjusting my sight to the brightness, I watched the wide expanse in front of us, as the leaders of the two of the greatest worlds of this land met each other at the center: the spiritual head of the human armies, the Great Saint of Chersea, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth, and the king of the demon clans, Hurion Devras IV.

Filled with dread and anxiety, the two armies faced each other with deafening stillness. Yet, there was a sincere hope that things would remain as it was.

“…”

As the armies stood by, the Saint and the Demon King stepped ahead of their respective parties. Followed by their greatest generals and servants, they gave each other an honorary salute before going down the details of what they wanted to talk about.

It was King Hurion who broke the ice, “I believe this isn’t your territory anymore, Human Saint. What brings you to our lands?”

“My apologies, Demon Lord,” the Saint, Madelaine, countered, “but I think you already know what I came here for.”

“Is that so…” King Hurion was silent for a moment, “Well if we can still settle this peacefully, I can offer you the best of our lands, the brightest of our people, and the bravest of our—”

“I thought I’ve made it clear, King Hurion,” Saint Madelaine’s gentle smile fell in contrast to the seeping pressure she’s exerting towards her rival, “I need nothing else from you. I only want ‘that’.”

“‘That’?”

“Yes, ‘that’.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t seem to understand.”

Oh, good lord! There goes King Hurion on his antics once again, with the ‘playing innocent’ face. He’s deliberately annoying Maddie—I mean, Saint Madelaine.

“‘T-That!’” Saint Madelaine’s face was as red as a beet, and her speech stammered.

“Can you say it right?” King Hurion had a sardonic smirk; he kept on throwing arrogant stares at the Saint as he maintained his dignified posture before her.

I think this is getting out of hand. Maybe I should intervene now—

I was about to enter the conversation when I felt someone grab my arm. It was no other than the Demon King’s servant and part-time general, Shevaun Ilkes. Though silent, she was telling me, ‘No, don’t interfere’. A twisted smile appeared on her face.

These two idiots are enjoying this, huh?

“Muu!” Saint Madelaine was already pouting; she was impatiently tapping her foot on the sand, “I told you, ‘that’!” Pointing towards my direction, I could picture the veins popping out from her head. “I think you’re not that stupid for me to spell it out for you.”

“Well, I can’t grant your demands if you don’t tell me exactly what you want.”

The unease was slowly growing within my heart the more I listened to their talk. My legs were quivering; and deep inside, I wanted to turn back and run. If only I could shout my thoughts right now, I’d tell King Hurion, ‘Don’t play around, Demon King…you don’t know the girl you’re dealing with.’

“…”

Another round of deafening silence echoed throughout the valley once again.

I could see the triumphant smiles of King Hurion and Shevaun; it’s as if they were congratulating each other for pissing off the Saint. Well, it’s their plan. They enjoy bullying people, aren’t they?

“…ro…” the Saint was muttering something incomprehensible. She was trembling, while her face was redder than ever before.

“Ha?” King Hurion kept on playing dumb, “‘Ro’? Who’s ‘Ro’?”

You’re going to get us all killed, Your Highness.

“I said I want my Kuro back, you stupid demon king!” Saint Madelaine began flailing her arms as her servants moved in to restrain her from pulling her sword.

Yep, totally unsaintly.

“Whoa, calm down, Human Saint!” King Hurion was quick to raise his hands halfway in the air and hide his sarcastic grin. Though he had a nasty side to him, the Demon King still wanted to just get along with everyone.

Sometimes I wonder if he’s truly a Demon King.

So anyway, turning back to me, King Hurion asked, “So what do you think, Kuro? The Human Saint wants you back.”

With Maddie—I mean, Saint Madelaine—glaring at me, the pressure from her saying, ‘Come here!’ was enough to make my heart weaken, and my legs eventually gave way.

But well…

“…”

Turning my gaze to the demon army that stood behind us, I could see their worries. The thought and fear of fighting and dying in a preventable battle was clear on their faces. After all, they only came with us because the demon king ordered them to.

They have nothing to do with this conflict.

“…”

Looking at the multitudes of human forces before us, I could tell our side was at the losing end.

I don’t want to escalate this stupid confrontation any longer. My decision can end this at once!

Without further delay—as well as swallowing my fear, I took a step towards the Saint’s side.

However—

“Where are you going, Kuro?”

It was King Hurion. His eyes were deadly serious, as if he’s about to go on a rampage.

“Well, I-uh…I don’t want to continue this conflict, Your Highness,” I was trembling. It was one of the rare times I saw him having that scary expression.

“I only asked for your opinion,” he rebuked me, “I don’t remember giving you the permission to go to the human side.”

“But—”

King Hurion shot my objections down with his glare; his face was telling me, ‘Don’t go over there; you’re mine’. Even the demon soldiers felt the ominous aura of their king; they retreated from him for a few paces.

And the nose of his servant Shevaun was already bleeding while lost in her perverted thoughts…

“…”

Ahem, forget about Shevaun.

Anyway, with a threatening demon king like that, I don’t think I could continue defying him any longer. So, without further objections, I backed down.

“Human Saint, you know that as demon folk, we value our words,” King Hurion explained, “As I am the Demon King, I have to set an example for my kin. This poor human soul here, Kuro, came to my court seeking protection, and as someone who promised him refuge, I can’t betray his trust.”

“So, you are telling me…”

“We the Demon folk won’t hand him over to you.”

“…”

Still another moment of silence. The Demon King and the Human Saint stood face-to-face, glaring at each other. Both sides were unwilling to yield to his/her counterpart. With every minute passing, the ominous atmosphere between them grew stronger, and everyone in that valley felt the suffocating tension permeating the arid air.

“…”

King Hurion’s commanding presence and intimidating looks could easily cause an ordinary human to faint; that was in normal conditions. However, at this moment, his terrifying aura doubled—no, make that tripled.

You can say that King Hurion indeed looks like the evil demon lord of the legends.

“…”

However, the Human Saint Madelaine Ann Rubinforth wasn’t one meant to be a pushover. Her delicate features belied the fact that she could exert tremendous pressure on everyone around her when she had to. With that polished, intricate armor encasing her beautiful curves, one could mistake her for a holy warrior—something like a paladin.

“…”

The staring contest continued for some time.

On a side note, some human soldiers were already sitting down and fanning themselves to ease the heat. Oh, and I also heard some guys throwing bets on who would win between the Demon King and the Human Saint.

I guess Maddie’s—I mean, Saint Madelaine’s holy aura is negating the effects of King Hurion’s intimidating powers.

On our side, Shevaun pulled her drawing pad and began sketching something while ominously laughing. The other demon soldiers began cooking their lunch, with some even sang away their boredom.

“!!!”

And then, after a moment that seemed to last forever, the Human Saint took a step back. The human side didn’t hide their surprise.

“Seems like I won’t be able to convince you,” Saint Madelaine was all-smiles, “alright, Demon King Hurion, you win this time.”

No one dared to shout. We were all dumbfounded. It’s because the Human Saint, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth, was renowned for her stubbornness. She would not stop until she got what she wanted…

And for the Demon King Hurion Devras IV to defeat her is just unprecedented.

Turning back to me, King Hurion smiled. He had this ‘you’re safe now’ expression as he walked back to our side.

And I could imagine Shevaun, who’s behind me, drowning in her perverted thoughts. That stupid chamberlain’s really into men-to-men stuff.

Anyway, congratulations King Hurion! For defeating the Human Saint, my respect for you goes up a little.

“However!” Everyone froze when a shrill voice rang out; it wasn’t over for the Human Saint just yet.

“We’re only starting Demon King!” There were flames on the Saint’s eyes even as she showed her usual ‘saintly,’ smile, “I’ll ground your cities to the dust with my armies, and utterly desolate your fields because of my wrath. And I’ll leave no trace of your kind for refusing my demands! However, as I am a kind and generous Saint, I’ll make your deaths quick and painless—you’ll never even know what hit you!”

Then she ended that with an ‘evil’ laugh.

“…”

But the Demon King Hurion remained unmoved by her words. He stood before her, unflinching.

Ha! Take that, Saint! That’s a real demon lord for you!

“…”

Wait. He is not moving.

“Ah darn it, Kuro!” Shevaun exclaimed, “I think His Highness fainted while standing!”

“What?”

Indeed, when we checked on him, King Hurion’s eyes were all white. His mouth was foaming as well.

“…”

Wow…now I’m confused who between them is the real Demon King.

“Kuro…” Once again, the Saint’s gentle, and alluring, voice called out to me, sending me the chills, “I told you, didn’t I? You won’t escape from me, no matter where you go. Now please, give it up and return to my side.”

Leaderless, and to avoid further bloodshed, I swallowed my pride and fears. Turning to Shevaun, I told her, “Hey, looks like this is the end for me. Thanks for everything you and your kin did for me.”

The chamberlain began shedding tears. “It’s okay, Kuro. We understand and thank you for considering our lives. If you got time, please visit us, okay?” she hugged me tightly.

“Please take care of His Highness for me!”

“Yes, I will,” Shevaun waved her hand to say farewell, and there was regret in her eyes.

Ahh…this maid is close to me when I’m in the demon land, after all…

“Ah fuck! Now the Kuro-Hurion ship can’t sail anymore! This fucking suck!” Shevaun screamed at the top of her lungs, and it echoed throughout the valley.

“…”

I wanted to go back and smack her on the head. But then I continued on my way, pretending not to hear that. Please pretend nothing happened as well, dear readers…

Why am I surrounded by people with brain damage? Can’t I even have a normal friend?

“Haa…”

How did it even come to this?