Dressed in neat black clothes, I walked towards the corp commander's dining room without hesitation.
Every time I pass through the hallway, the soldiers who spot me startle and bow down as if they are seeing a monster that turns them to stone if our eyes meet.
It was burdensome and scary at first, but now I'm grateful.
You guys look so scary. I once encountered one head-on by chance, and at that time, I thought someone really turned into a stone. Of course, not them, but me.
Ignoring the pouring gaze, I stopped in front of a huge door.
Then, the people guarding the door trembled and took a straight posture.
"Are you here for dinner?"
"Yes, I am."
"Okay then, I'll open the door."
The large door opened smoothly without a single 'squeak' sound.
As I entered, silence fell over the once bustling restaurant.
I screamed inwardly as I felt all eyes on me.
This is why I don't want to come to the restaurant!
The owner of all those gazes is the corps commanders. The corps commanders who can control the atmosphere of the battlefield with just one glance!
"...."
"...."
What should I do?
Stay calm, stay calm. First, let's get the food.
I tried to pretend like nothing was wrong and walked forward. Every time I took a step, persistent gazes followed me, but I pretended not to notice and only focused my eyes on the chefs.
Somehow, it seems like the chefs are moving faster.
'Yes, please hurry if you can.'
Right now, standing there with the attention of the corps commanders like this is in itself no different from torture.
"This dish has been served. P-p-p-please sit, enjoy your meal."
Rattle, rattle.
I looked down at the tray, which was shaking loudly, and then looked up at the cook.
You seem quite nervous too. Well... there are a lot of corps commanders gathered here, so who could not be nervous?
The rattling sound became louder as I smiled with the intention of cheering him up.
I thought it was going to spill at this rate, so I raised my hand to quickly grab it... but oh no.
Slap!
...It was raised too much.
I thought I would be less tense than the chef in front of me, but it seems I was just as nervous.
I raised my hand too high and too quickly, and the tray was lifted up in a spectacular way. The tray, which had been thrown into the sky by my hand, writhed in the air, scattering food, and then flopped loudly on the floor.
"...."
"...."
An even colder silence than before fell.
I let out a short scream inside and wiped my face.
Damn it, it was ruined.
***
'Wicked. He's so wicked.'
This was the thought that came to everyone's mind at the same time in this restaurant at this moment.
Demon Arut.
The one who killed the last hero and the commander of the 0th Corps of the Demon King's army, known to have a force so strong that even the Demon King couldn't touch him.
The corps commanders here right now can assure you that he is a very scary man.
His usual sane self? If you only believe in that and feel safe, you will be in big trouble. He does get angry. It's just that his point of anger is different from others.
Look at him now. In contrast to how he saved the life of the man in charge of a man-eating plant that attacked him because he failed to properly care for the plant, this time he threw away the tray that the cook held out for the sole reason that he 'trembled'.
'Still, this is more extreme than usual...'
1st Corps Commander Jaykar quietly flicked his knife as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes.
...Now that he thought about it, he set the garden on fire. If he started a fire, he must have been very angry.
His mind, which had been making several assumptions, suddenly stopped as if it had found the most suitable one.
'What if he didn't forgive us back then?'
What if he just endured it to the point of complaining in the garden because he felt uncomfortable reducing the Demon King's manpower?
So what if the anger from back then still remains?
'I feel sorry for the cook.'
He was unlucky enough to become the target of his anger.
Demon could be seen wearing all black clothes. That was probably an unspoken warning, 'I'm not in a good mood today, so don't touch me.'
Jaykar kept his eyes focused on them and slowly cut up the meat and put it in his mouth.
He felt sorry for the chef, but apart from feeling sorry for him, he had no intention of protecting him. Risking his life to confront the Commander of the 0th Corps just to save one cook would be a huge loss.
He simply remained silent because he did not want to suffer an honorable death on the battlefield and die at the hands of his own side.
That's probably the same for other Corps Commanders as well. That's probably why everyone was silent.
Demon's face had hardened from the beginning. Blood-red eyes that sunk deep into the face looked at the chef.
That look is clearly angry. If he doesn't kneel down and pray right away...
"I'm sorry, sorry, sorry!!"
After all, he is a chef who has dealt with corps commanders.
He's quick-witted.
He took a quick look at Demon's expression while eating the salad with a fork. The sunken eyes were fluttering.
"You seem to be worried."
3rd Corps Commander Ashild, who was sitting nearby, muttered softly. Jaykar nodded my head in agreement and observed the situation in silence.
What was he going to do?
He won't kill the chef. Usually, he is extremely reluctant to take someone's life.
Are you going to set it on fire again, or are you going to simply make him paralyzed?
Because Demon was an unpredictable being, Jaykar's eyes were persistent as if he would not miss his every move.
***
'My life is doomed.'
Just that short sentence floats around in my head.
My mind went blank and I stared blankly at the chef who was shaking in front of me.
The cook's complexion was paler than mine.
Yes, you must have been upset and angry because the dish you put so much effort into ended up being knocked to the floor. But the other person is a corps commander, so you can't even be angry... It looks like he's trying to relieve his anger somehow, but I still have to apologize.
Otherwise, you never know when and where you might get stabbed in the back.
So, when I was about to apologize, the chef suddenly fell flat on his face.
"I'm sorry, sorry, sorry!!"
"!?"
What kind of situation is this again?
I was momentarily shaken by the sudden attack. My pupils were probably shaking greatly.
I quickly calmed down and looked down at the chef with an uneasy expression.
"...Get up first."
"Sorry! Please have mercy!"
No, no matter who sees this situation, it was my fault. Why on earth are you doing that?
"There is nothing to show mercy for. Get up."
"Hiek!"
I tried to gently tell him it wasn't his fault, but I didn't get the reaction I expected.
In fact, he's falling flat on my face even more... How do I fix this?
"As expected of Commander Demon..."
"He's truly worthy of the name..."
Everyone is even whispering to each other.
Do you think I am arrogant when it comes to human subjects? As I suppressed my trembling heart and turn around, everyone closed their mouths and avoided eye contact. It was clear that they were talking about me.
My image must be at a complete low right now.
Yes, it's a ruined image anyway. Even if I mess up further and recover, I'll still be viewed as the lowest.
When I think about it like that, I feel more at ease.
I sighed lightly with a relieved expression and looked at the chef who was still face down.
"At a time like this, I think it would be best to start cooking again."
I'm fine with it, but I wonder if other corps commanders will be angry. I heard that all the corps commanders have a twisted corner somewhere.
In particular, there is no mercy for those below you....
"Yes, yes! I'll do it again right away!"
The chef suddenly stood up as if he had just fallen down and ra towards the kitchen.
I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and waited for my meal to come again.
Why did I close my eyes? Otherwise, I felt like tears would come out.
Ah, life....
The food came out faster than expected. Even handing it out was quick.
The chef, who quickly delivered the dish, bowed deeply at a right angle and quickly disappeared back into the kitchen.
It was so fast that if it weren't for the food in my hand, I would have thought it was the wind coming and going.
Anyway, after many twists and turns, I finally got the food and started walking.
The restaurant was so spacious and had so many seats that it was hard to believe that it was serving meals for only thirteen corps commanders.
There are as many as thirteen rectangular tables that can seat twenty people!
However, if you think about the situation a little, it is not completely incomprehensible.
Each corps commander has a strong personality. There were frequent cases where they clashed with each other.
I heard this from the Demon King, but when there was only one table for 20 people in the restaurant, the two corps commanders who were fighting with each other destroyed the restaurant, saying they did not want to sit at the same table with that guy.
From then on, he prepared a table for 20 people according to the number of corps commanders so that no problems would arise even if all the corps commanders fought...
'So no one will come near me.'
There are plenty of seats, so why would you come near me?
I came this far because I was able to make that assurance.
Otherwise, no matter how much I pushed back, I would have just lied down on the floor and said I would die.
Anyway, I quietly sat down at the table at the far end. A place where I wouldn't necessarily look or step unless I had something to do.
Then, the moment I raised my fork to eat comfortably...
"Can I sit here?"
"...?!"
A demon approached.
Dark skin color and long, pointed ears as if to prove that he is not human. From situations where everyone uses honorifics to me, to the ability to speak informally to me skillfully.
The moment I confirmed all of this, I closed my mouth and swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out.
The true power of all corps commanders. Unlike me, who is nothing more than a scarecrow, he is a person of real power who can officially act as the Demon King's agent.
Jaykar, the 1st Corps commander, was holding a tray full of dishes and asking permission to sit next to me. Even while I was eating, I glanced and saw there was only half of the food left in the bowl.
Why bother when you can just eat it all in one sitting.
I wanted to refuse, but since I had no real reason to do so, I lifted the corners of my mouth and nodded with difficulty.
"It is a place without an owner. There is no need to ask for permission."
Well, an answer like this is probably okay.
He chuckled, put down the tray, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
I never thought he would actually sit down. What on earth do I do?
My appetite, which had been faint from the beginning, completely disappeared. I was just playing with the salad, suppressing the sigh that kept coming out, when suddenly a voice that was somewhat unfamiliar but one I had heard before fell over my head.
"Can I sit down too?"
I almost lost my fork. Talking behind someone's back, where have you sold your manners?
I could feel my startled heart slowly subsiding and turning into anger. I then looked at the other person and froze.
Because a demon with horns on its temples and an unreasonable level of muscles that a human could never have had was looking at me with an indecipherable expression.
3rd Corps Commander Ashild. Like Jaykar, he looked like he moved while eating, holding a tray with half of the food left on it, and made eye contact with me as if urging me to answer.
The answer to be given in this situation was predetermined.
"...Do as you please."
It is impossible to tell the 1st Corps Commander that he is free to sit and then refuse the 3rd Corps Commander.
Since the front seat was already occupied by Jaykar, Ashild naturally sat next to me.
Suddenly, my front and sides were blocked, so I couldn't find a place to focus, so I lowered my head to hide my trembling eyes and focused only on the food. Of course, I was no longer hungry, so all I did was stir it around with a fork.
'Ashild, commander of the 3rd Corps, the Demon King's personal guard.'
I pulled out from the back of my mind the information I had memorized after coming here to survive.
The 3rd Corps is a corps where all corps members, including the corps commander, use great swords and annihilate enemies with overwhelming power. When a powerful army is needed, the 3rd Corps is the corps that the Demon King mainly uses.
It may be possible to move the 1st Corps, but in reality, the movement of the 1st Corps itself was given great meaning, so it was rare for the 1st Corps to move.
It's not for nothing that Jaykar acts as the Demon King's agent.
"...."
"...."
Oh no. I've been thinking about other things for too long.
Suddenly, I was aware of the awkward silence that had arisen, so I slightly raised my head.
My intention was to check their expressions to see if they were displeased or angry, but unfortunately, I made eye contact with Jaykar, who was looking in this direction.
I couldn't avoid eye contact and was wondering how to react, but he also looked at the plate for a moment, probably feeling awkward, and then lifted his head straight up and slowly opened his mouth.