"I hate paperwork!"
These were the words I uttered when I first heard the offer to recruit me from the Demon King. Thanks to this, by taking on the unofficial position of commander of the 0th Corps, I became like a scarecrow who just had to sit still.
There were no complaints whatsoever. When I watch other corps commanders groaning under a pile of documents, I feel proud of myself for saying such a thing.
However, if I had to pick one fatal flaw....
"I'm bored!"
It's so boring! There is nothing to do and even if you go out, it is always night in the Demon World and only terrible plants live in the garden.
However, going to the Demon King is crazy, and going to other Corps Commanders is also like going to your own deathbed. The guys under me always avoid me, as if they don't want to deal with humans, and I can't trust them either... so in the end, I have nothing to do. What was possible was bound to be limited.
For example, something very wholesome like a cube or a puzzle....
"Hit it!!"
Chrrrrrr.
Thousands of puzzle pieces flew in the sky. I sighed and looked around the room. Large, neatly assembled puzzles were framed and decorating the walls.
At first, I started guessing 50 or 60 numbers just to kill time, but when I came to my senses, I was guessing 6000 items. I could fucking sell it. I, a bastard, needlessly focused too much.
I burst out laughing out of a sudden sense of desperation and opened the door. The employee waiting in front of the door was seen visibly flinching and hastily lowering his head. I said, pretending not to notice his desperate movements to avoid eye contact, "Bring me a drink."
"Yes?!"
"Alcohol. It doesn't matter what kind it is. As long as it's alcohol, it's fine."
"But..."
Contrary to his desperate attitude, where he seemed to do whatever he was told to do, he kept hesitating with a face that looked like he was about to cry. I think I can roughly understand why this reaction is happening. From what I could see, Ben must have stopped it.
I was born with a weak body. This abnormal white hair, red eyes and pale skin are proof of this. That's why I vomit blood whenever I get the chance.
Here, the cause can be attributed to 'aftereffects of the battle with the hero', so it's a good thing, but it's a bit sad that I can't drink alcohol. To be precise, I really feel sorry for Ben's strong work ethic.
There is something a doctor who examined me when I was young said.
'It seems like all the health that should be distributed evenly throughout the body is concentrated only in the liver!'
In reality, I didn't get drunk easily in most cases, so it wouldn't be a lie. Thanks to this, I was able to get away safely even after taking medicine that was not good for my body... Anyway.
So that means it's okay for me to drink alcohol. I say I won't die.
So, give me the alcohol. Now is the time when you need a drink.
Now that I realize that I am the commander of a corps and have nothing to do but just put together a puzzle in my room, I can't stand it with my sanity intact.
When I looked at him intently, telling him to bring it quickly, the servant shook his shoulders and ran off somewhere.
...Wait, what is the answer?!
"It's not like he won't bring it."
Yes, it's not like he ran away or went somewhere else to do something he wasn't told to do.
Even as I muttered that, for some reason, I trembled from the ominous feeling that came over me.
The ominous feeling was spot on. The attendant, who had disappeared without answering, has returned.
─With the Demon King.
You traitorous bastard.
"You want to drink?"
I glared at the attendant with resentment in my eyes, but quickly closed my eyes when I heard the Demon King's voice.
If you answer yes, nagging will start coming. Now that I couldn't say no, I gave up and hung my head.
However, what came back far exceeded expectations.
"Are you itchy like that?"
"...Yes?"
"I assumed you were bored because there were no battles these days, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I guess I was looking at you too softly. I apologize."
Ah, no, no, wait a minute.
I just wanted to drink, but why did his stream of consciousness go in that direction...?
"If you really want, I can let you participate in a small battle. These days, the commander of the 9th Corps, who is on the front lines, is making a fuss about being bored. I think the situation will change if you go. What do you think? How about going there at least?"
If the 9th Corps commander is out there...
'It's the front line.'
A place where large and small battles frequently occur as it borders the empire. Are you going to send me to a place like that?
Ah, I understand. Are you telling me to die while being used as a meat shield on the battlefield so that my body, which is weak enough to die even if I drink alcohol, has at least some use?
"It's okay."
I'm definitely not doing this because I'm scared.
"Well, that's a good decision. Even if you go, you won't see enough blood to satisfy you."
It doesn't even make sense anymore. Ah, correction. I froze because I was scared.
Anyway, it's too much to threaten someone like this just because they tried to drink some alcohol.
While making eye contact, I secretly looked down to see if my feelings would be revealed. The Demon King's voice continued.
"Anyway, no drinking. Is there anything you can do to overthrow the Demon King's Castle? If you're really bored, take a look around your corps or at least look around the garden. Hien said he was happy that he brought in new flowers this time."
I suddenly raised my head. That crazy guy?
It's obvious that he's a demon, so we'll skip it and say Hien is a gardener. I dare say that even if he is a demon, he is definitely crazy. What is he crazy about?
A gross and dangerous man-eating plant!
At first, I tilted my head because it didn't seem fitting that there was a gardener in the Demon King's Castle, but after looking around the garden with him, I was completely convinced.
'Because he's this kind of guy, he works at the Demon King's Castle!! I thought it was a peaceful job!'
It is a valuable experience that you have experienced with your body and engraved in your bones. Since I couldn't just ignore him, I looked at the Demon King with a serious expression.
"I'll take a look at the corps."
Legion members are dangerous, but they are definitely better than that crazy gardener.
...Though it was only five minutes ago that I was heading to the 0th Corps' training ground.
"Oh, Demon!"
"...Hien."
To hide my pale complexion, I quickly raised my hand and swept my face.
And when I raised my head, I made eye contact with a man with an elegant appearance who had come right in front of me.
What a surprise!
"Are you tired?"
"Well, just a little..."
"In that case, smelling the flowers is the right thing to do. I brought in new flowers this time, would you like to take a look? I'm especially showing it to Demon first."
It's the devil. The devil was smiling with his eyes crinkled.
Normally it would be a sight that would leave me spellbound, but I was just trying to use my brain to find a way to escape. I didn't even notice his appearance.
Why don't you fall for that look? That's right, he's a man.
I don't know if he's a succubus, but if he's an incubus, is there any way to get over it? I may be going crazy here these days, but not so much that my sexual identity is shaken.
'Now that I think about it...'
Isn't this kid secretly a high-ranking person? Perhaps because he is an incubus, he has a talent for reducing options to one.
'Are you tired?'
Route A: I'm tired > The scent of flowers is the best for those times!
Route B: I'm not tired > Then, you should take a look at the flowers I brought in this time...
Normally, I would have given in to his words and had to go around that horrible garden. But now I have a great excuse.
"This is difficult because I was just going to check on my corps members."
"Ah... I guess we can't postpone it, right?"
"...."
Be persistent.
You can postpone it as much as you want. The 0th Corps members didn't even look for me, and when I did, they didn't come close or talk to me, but instead just watched my every move with their eyes lit up.
In fact, all I have to do there is to sit in a corner, fiddle with my sword, and then leave.
Oh, fiddle with the sword here is not a metaphor, it really just means fiddle. It would be troublesome if I just swung my sword in a stupid pose and my skills got worse.
Anyway, it's possible to put it off, but I still don't like it.
Wasn't the reason I was heading to the 0th Corps' exclusive training ground in the first place to avoid this guy?
"...."
"...."
Suddenly, I realized that the silence was longer than I thought. I guess I was thinking so long that I missed the right time to answer.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Hien, wondering if he was offended by the prolonged silence. He must have been looking in this direction at the same time, and our eyes happened to meet.
Before Hien could even think about how to react, his shoulders trembled. Then, his usual gentle smile disappeared and he bowed down.
"Sorry."
"...?"
"I was presumptuous."
At this point, I feel the need to think again about the race called demons. It wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss it properly at this point.
Now, today's topic.
Is it a trait of demons to suddenly apologize?
'Why is he like this again?'
***
Hien was an incubus. The very incubus that was looked down upon as shallow.
It was pure luck that he became a gardener in the Demon King's Castle. His hobby was collecting and growing all kinds of dangerous plants, and while he was crossing the street carrying a rare man-eating plant, he was noticed by the Demon King and recruited as a gardener.
There was no way such a high-ranking person, as high as a corps commander, would treat him properly.
Right now, the servants were spitting and swearing at him when they make eye contact, but they wouldn't dare to catch the eye of a Corps Commander. You'll be lucky if it doesn't bother you. In fact, there were people who bullied him by kicking him.
What can an incubus do against such people? He just had to endure it.
There was also a day when he was fully exposed to verbal abuse and violence.
"Something like an incubus..."
Hien, who had fallen down, crushed the garden he had carefully maintained with his entire body, instead of getting up right away, fixed his gaze on the floor.
It was painful to see the precious plants destroyed, but now there was a more important situation at hand.
The commander of the 10th Corps with an unpleasant look.
The man who had blown Hien away just because he was in front of his path was muttering with a frown on his face.
"I'm so distraught that I'm going crazy, but there's nothing wrong with it..."
Hien just lowered his head.
The 10th Corps commander was someone who wants to show off his power. If you jump up like you did when dealing with the 1st or 3rd corps commanders, he would take it as a provocation.
Because of that, he was shaking my head and pretending that he couldn't get up because I was in pain.
"Ah..."
"Hmm?"
A very small voice that did not fit in with the Demon King's Castle was heard as if it were groaning.
He could understand up to that point. It could be that an attendant who had just arrived here discovered this scene by chance.
The problem was the reaction of the 10th Corps commander.
"Oh...!"
Hien's head went up reflexively.
Did he hear it wrong? His expression was too blatant to say he heard it wrong.
An expression close to shock. At first glance, Hien's expression seemed to show fear and awe, and without realizing it, he turned his head to follow his gaze and was able to see a 'human'.
A skinny body that looks more weak than ordinary. Alien white hair and red eyes. Plus pale skin. If it weren't for the complete lack of magical power, her wouldn't have even dreamed that this was human.
'...Come to think of it.'
At some point, rumors like a storm began to swirl around the Demon King Castle. When exactly was it? It was probably around the time the war with the hero had just ended.
'They say someone other than the Demon King killed the hero.'
'They say the Demon King tried to recruit him right on the spot.'
'They even said it was a human.'
'It's him.'
The protagonist of the rumor, which he believed was a rumor. His intuition was telling him that it was him.
It was the words and actions of the 10th Corps commander that solidified this belief.
"Here... for some reason..."
"I heard there was a gardener, so I came to see him, but... I guess I got the timing wrong."
"Oh, no."
Someone as high as a corps commander treats them with caution. That means that person is stronger or has a higher status than him.
Now that Hien thought about it, it seemed like he vaguely heard a rumor that he had been given the position of commander of Corps 0.
The commander of the 10th Corps, who was waving his hand, said he could have a conversation in peace and quickly retreated, moving his steps from where he had stopped and approached him.
He said you came to see the gardener. He was curious as to what the purpose is, but he didn't have any high expectations.
'That's because I'm an incubus.'
Even the opponent is Commander 0. What are the chances that he will treat me well?
─He definitely thought so.