Chapter 21: Uninvited Guest

“It’s not a misunderstanding… I apologize sincerely. I’m sorry.”

“Arnold, it really is a misunderstanding! It’s not like Nox and I are in that kind of relationship.”

“Oh?”

“Nox, don’t intimidate! And how long do you plan to stay in this position? Let go!”

“To command me, huh?”

“Nox!”

Protesting by pounding his chest, Viola somehow managed to crawl out of the gap. When she managed to glance towards the door, Ignatz, who had turned red to his ears, and Arnold, who wore his glasses upside down in his usual symmetrically smiling manner, were there.

“It really is a misunderstanding. It’s all because of that bust.”

“A bust? How does a bust lead you to infiltrate the Demon King’s room?”

“That statue bust moves! You should have warned it better, not to teleport people randomly.”

“It moves, you say? Moreover, teleportation? There’s no way there’s such a bust. Have you finally lost your mind?”

“What do you mean by ‘finally’? Arnold, you don’t know either?”

Arnold and Ignatz shook their heads in unison.

“I have no idea.”

“Me neither.”

“Well…”

As expected, Viola got up and approached Nox, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Nox knows!”

“ah”

“What is that, really?”

“I do not know.”

However, Nox, who was fixing his disheveled hair with an indifferent expression, confirmed that Viola had grasped that he had no intention of answering.

Arnold and Ignatz, seemingly satisfied after sighing at the disturbance, entered the room.

Approaching Nox, Arnold spoke solemnly.

“Excuse me, Demon King.”

“Report?”

“Yes. The Regil Jungle, the settlement of the Blue Tiger tribe, has fallen. It seems to be the work of the hero and his party.”

“Again? They never get tired of it.”

Brushing aside his bothersome hair with an annoyed expression, Nox stood up.

Nox, who approached the desk placed in the center of the room, peered into it.

Viola also stood up and followed Nox, peering into the desk in the same way.

It was a map. On top of it, starting from the Demon King’s castle, the races and settlements were written in small letters. In some settlements, large crosses in red stood out conspicuously.

When Nox waved his hand, a new cross appeared over one of the settlements in the southeast. Nox furrowed his brows at the scattered traces.

“They are approaching.”

“There are reports that the Five Knights are participating. Clearly, their marching speed has increased.”

“Lies, the Five Knights…?”

Involuntarily, Viola’s voice leaked out, causing the three to turn to her. Shaking her head as if nothing had happened, Viola explained

“The Five Knights have always been dedicated to guarding the capital. The king believed that keeping the strongest force close to him was the best strategy.”

The Five Knights were the most powerful sorcerers in the country. If they were involved, the situation would undoubtedly become more difficult. The other famous archmage, the Grand Archbishop, seemed to still be in the capital, but it might only be a matter of time before he started moving.

“They are confident that we won’t attack the capital and are focusing on our surroundings. Truly, their methods are dirty.”

Arnold, with a sarcastic smirk, received a slight nod from Viola. He then turned to Ignatz for further information.

“Any casualties?”

“According to the Demon King’s instructions, they all fled without much of a fight. They should be arriving at the Demon King’s castle soon.”

“Ignatz, go back and prepare the room. Arnold, stay. We need to discuss our future plans. Truly, causing trouble for me.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

After watching Ignatz swiftly leave the room, Nox, with an annoyed expression, tapped the desk with his fingertips.

“Engaging in combat… sooner than expected. I hope the hero is in good health.”

“Nox! Are you planning to fight directly?”

“The hero is strong. I can defeat him, but anyone else may very well lose. Instead of needlessly increasing casualties, it’s more rational to lure the hero to where I can kill him with certainty. It’s better to eliminate nuisances quickly. The humans on their side are exhausted; if we get rid of the hero, the tide of the war will shift dramatically.”

“Yes, but…”

Whether he misunderstood Viola’s reserved demeanor or not, Nox’s hand rested on Viola’s head.

“Worrying is foolish. I’m here; I won’t let any harm come to you.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m worried about you, Nox.”

“Again? Truly, it’s an excessive concern.”

Nox, with a wry smile, had a gentle expression.

Just as Nox was about to say something, the door opened forcefully once again.

“Demon King!!!”

“Ignatz. What is it this time?”

“We received a message from the castle gate. Um…”

Turning his gaze away from Nox and looking worriedly at Viola, Ignatz hesitated unusually.

“A group claiming to be Viola’s party has arrived at the castle gate.”

“What?”

Nox, who suddenly showed a serious glint in his eyes, closed the distance with Ignatz like a flowing stream.

“Why would such pests…”

“Everyone knows that the Demon King takes care of Viola… uh, well. If someone tells me that she’s an acquaintance of Viola, I won’t be able to touch her, so that’s all.”

“…Using me, huh?”

“Viola.”

“Can I take action against them?”

“…”.

In silence, Nox looked down at Viola, as if probing. Viola couldn’t help but overflow with laughter.

Nox should be aware of the moment Viola was thrown out as bait. Yet he worried if she still held any affection for her former party members.

“Well, it’s fine either way… I do know them well. If you want to extract information from them, I believe I can do it.”

“Rejected. Did you think I would let you meet those people?”

“But if I can get information on the hero, isn’t it good? Can you tell them that I want to meet them? They may not be strong, but I’ll share their weaknesses just in case. Since I don’t want them to enter the castle, I’ll go outside. It’s fine; I’ll just overlook from the top of the castle wall.”

Nox grabbed Viola’s wrist as she tried to talk to Ignaz and leave the room.

“What?”

“Viola. I didn’t say I would allow it.”

“I am willing.”

Vigorously shaking off Nox’s hand, Viola walked towards Ignatz.

“What I fear the most is something happening to Nox. For that reason, I’ll do anything.”

“…”

“Ignatz, can you listen? Although it’s a weakness, those people are completely at the mercy of a healing magician named Lala—”

Swiftly exchanging words with Ignatz, Viola walked towards the outside. Nox silently stood still, watching her. The spell was broken when their voices could no longer be heard.

“Demon King. Aren’t you going after her?”

“I know. No need to remind me every time. …Arnold.”

“Yes.”

“I, who is hailed as the strongest Demon King in history, feel like I can’t match up against Viola alone.”

“Yes… I agree.”

The two men exchanged glances and smiled bitterly, then kicked the ground and started running in pursuit of Viola.