I Took the Demon King as My Wife

“……”

A heavy silence filled the hall.

The ministers all wore dumbfounded expressions, staring blankly at the two.

“…What do you mean, Hero?”

The Emperor spoke with deep wrinkles on his forehead.

Though it seemed a bit excessive, looking at the ministers’ reactions, they weren’t particularly surprised.

At the Emperor’s words, Hans deliberated briefly before speaking.
“I will marry her, the Demon King.”

“…Haha. You, who have never kept any woman close, what wind has blown your way…?”

The Emperor swallowed his words as if he couldn’t understand, slightly turning his head.
His emerald eyes, hidden behind a thorough veil, touched her flaming hair.

“…A demon, and the Demon King at that, as your wife.”
The Emperor said, caressing around his mouth.

Eilena, who had briefly confirmed his appearance, slightly turned her head to look at Hans.

Her lips, which had maintained a fine straight line, slowly began to curve upward.

“Love at… first sight. Isn’t that what they call it?”

“Oh?”

“As I crossed swords with him, before I knew it, I was drawn to him. Demons are instinctively attracted to strong males….”

Her eyes, holding a bright smile, burned red as they scanned the hero’s face.
Though the lines were childish… their effect was equally powerful.

Hans, feeling her intent gaze, similarly turned his head and smiled warmly.

To those unaware of the inner workings, they appeared as nothing more than a couple truly in love.

However, to those who knew the inside story, it was no different from a vulgar street circus performance with blindfolds.

The Emperor barely held back his laughter by covering his mouth.

Yeomje turned his head away, unable to bear the cringe-worthy aura.

As for Lasia….

“……”

She silently pulled her veil down low. Thanks to her hastily covering her face, no one saw her expression full of anger.
The Emperor rolled his eyes and briefly looked around.

Still, no one came forward.

‘Good.’

The Emperor inwardly rejoiced and asked the two:

“Hmm… but aren’t we currently at war? Taking the leader of the enemy country as your wife… and a demon at that….”

He lowered his eyebrows with a reluctant tone. He still needed to continue acting for now.

To this, Eilena stepped forward and said:

“If I can marry him, the war will stop immediately.”

“…!”
“W-what…?”

The hall immediately stirred.

The Emperor could no longer hold back his laughter.

“Hahaha! To marry the hero, you would stop the war?”

“Not just stopping the war.”

Eilena slightly twisted her foot and turned her body slightly.

The murmuring voices of the ministers echoed in her ears.

Eilena closed her eyes gently, receiving all the gazes and voices focused on her.

“I will open the border.”

“W-what…!”
“No…?”

Each time she opened her mouth, shocking statements flowed out.

Not stopping there, Eilena continued speaking.

“We will share with humanity the property rights to all our magic, technology, resources, everything we possess.”

“You would make an agreement with us?”

The Emperor asked as if intrigued.

“One cannot forever raise a sword against one’s husband’s country. Considering the transgressions we have committed until now, I believe this is an appropriate measure.”

“Is that so…?”

The Emperor coughed slightly and stared at Eilena.

Eilena stared back at his gaze without the slightest tremor.

The Emperor smiled broadly, enough to crease the corners of his mouth.

‘Good.’

This was enough.

The biggest troublemaker was absent, and all the ministers were dumbstruck by the natural acting and eloquence of the two.

If he pretended to yield and accepted now, the matter would be easily concluded.

The Emperor thought this as he slowly parted his lips.

“Very well, then….”

It was then.

“Your Majesty!”

“…?”

Just as the affirmative words were about to escape his lips, a negating voice immediately reverberated throughout the hall.

One of the ministers stepped out from behind a pillar.
The man, with bushy beard covering his lower face, was one of the military officials who had spent a long time on the battlefield.
His name was Cain Melberg.

He was a figure holding the title of the 8th Duke House under Duke Hartuk.

Cain walked toward the center with a deeply furrowed brow.

“Your Majesty! Have you forgotten what we have suffered at the hands of the demons? Even now, young soldiers continue to shed blood on the western front!”

His resonant voice echoed even more loudly within the hall, amplified by his imposing figure.
‘Melberg… Hartuk’s pet dog number one….’

A vein bulged on the Emperor’s temple. He tried to compose his contorting face and said:

“Shouldn’t we then stop that war as soon as possible?”

“The only way to end the war is to behead that vicious woman! How can you bring an enemy into your own house? That cunning woman is full of thoughts of stabbing us in the back!”
Cain pointed at Eilena with his thick finger.

Eilena looked at him with a cold expression.
“In-indeed….”
“Weren’t three cities captured just last month?”
“To believe everything demons say in the first place….”
In an instant, public opinion, which had been maintaining neutrality, began to tilt toward Cain.

The voice of the strong man who had spent over 40 years on the battlefield was enough to pierce the fluttering ears of other less competent nobles.

“Y-Your Majesty, I also think….”

The minister who had earlier reported Duke Hartuk’s absence belatedly stepped out from behind the pillar, hesitating.
With this, the hall became even more tumultuous.

‘Those fellows….’

The Emperor glared at the two who had completely turned to the opposite side.

Both Melberg and the minister who came out later were under Hartuk’s command.
Whether he had given them a prior hint or they had interpreted their master’s intention on their own.
Probably the latter. Loyal dogs were miserable creatures who only ate the food given by their masters.
The end of the war meant a reduction in their food bowls. For these rubbish dogs, it was an entirely instinctive, natural behavior.

They mentioned all sorts of reasons—the sacrifice of young people, not being able to trust demons—but in reality, it was nothing more than actions to protect their own interests.
Had they ever even thought about these reasons they mentioned? Probably not.
‘Disgusting.’

The Emperor barely suppressed his rising anger.
“Your Majesty! Order the knights right now to cut off that demon woman’s head! You must not be deceived by that snake-like tongue!”

Cain, with public opinion increasingly leaning in his favor, raised his voice even more.

“But, Duke Melberg….”

Just as the Emperor opened his mouth to say something, Hans stepped forward toward Cain.

A large shadow fell heavily over Cain.
Though the military official who had roamed the battlefield for years also had a sturdy physique that had never been defeated anywhere, in front of the savior of humanity, he was like a sparrow before a heron.

He involuntarily trembled at the pressure emanating from the hero’s large build.
At this, cold obsidian eyes slowly rolled down, shooting pure darkness.
Eventually, his firmly closed lips opened, and a cold voice flowed out.
“And after that.”

“W-what…?”

“What will you do after that, Duke Melberg?”
Though he was clearly the one shadowed by the hero, the hero’s face looking down at him from above seemed to be covered in a thick fog.
A chilling fog in the middle of the night. From his expression, unreadable of any emotion, only a cold chill remained.
Similar to when he first faced her in the Demon King’s castle… a heavy and chilling sensation.
Cain, confirming the hero’s cold expression, spoke with trembling lips as if shivering from cold.

“W-what are you saying, Hero?”

“If you kill her, what comes after?”

“A-after that! Naturally, with our victory, the continent will regain peace!”

“Peace for whom?”

“What…?”

The confused Cain’s lips quivered.

Eventually, the fog shrouding the hero’s face began to clear slightly, gradually revealing the cold anger hidden within.

“After killing the Demon King, the resistance of the demons who have lost their leader will intensify—you should know this, Duke.”

“Th-that is…!”

“Are you going to say it’s natural?”

Cain, struck at the core, couldn’t continue.

Hans glared at him and continued.

“How long must we continue this ‘natural’ act? You know all too well that our side is suffering significant losses.”

“How can there be no casualties in war! We advance to defeat the enemy, accepting the losses!”
“And after that?”

“Hero!”

Cain momentarily exploded in anger.

He argued that such talk would be endless, but Hans immediately countered.

“As you just said, it is endless. Even if you continue to eliminate enemies like that, can you completely eradicate demons from the continent?”

“No…!”

“You can’t. Far from exterminating demons, we’ve never even completely conquered their capital.”

“B-but!”

“But what?”

Cain couldn’t speak. There was nothing wrong with Hans’s words.

Until now, they had only exchanged territories around the border, and it was practically impossible to eradicate the demons.
The capital? They only “knew of” each other’s capitals, not once had a large-scale army ever reached the capital.
The subjugation of the Demon King was literally just ‘subjugation.’ The duel between the strongest could change the tide of war, but it could not completely eradicate them.

This was something he knew better than anyone, having spent decades on the frontlines of the battlefield, and the “savior of humanity” in front of him knew it incomparably better than he did.

“Even if we behead her here, it wouldn’t end the war…. Peace? Yes, it will come. If you can call peace the act of a few people comforting themselves with the relief of having captured the Demon King, eating and drinking among themselves, while young people continue to die on the frontlines against intensified resistance.”
“…Urgh.”

Cain let out a groan and lowered his head. Hans didn’t stop there and asked him:

“You have a daughter. I believe she’s commanding the 5th Knight Order.”

“…That’s right.”

“Do you want to pass on this devastating war to your daughter? Or would you rather have her live enjoying a sense of security in the capital, ignoring the young people dying?”

“……”
The man who had been raising his voice loud enough to break windows just moments ago had now become mute.

And he wasn’t the only one who had lost words.
The ministers watching this also lost their words, clearing their throats awkwardly and lowering their gazes.

Hans briefly looked around the silent hall and returned to Eilena’s side.

Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, placing his other hand on her shoulder.

“W-what…?”

Eilena looked up at him in surprise, but Hans paid no attention and interlaced his fingers with hers.

“And she said she fell for me….”

He slowly lowered his gaze to look at her.

“I fell for her first. So, I would appreciate it if you refrain from using insulting language towards the woman I cherish.”
In his calm and solemn voice, there was a faint anger buried somewhere.

Eilena blinked her wide eyes, looking up at his face. It felt as if the man who had made her kneel on the first day had returned.

“Ah….”
“……”

The voices of Cain, who had shouted, and the minister who had followed, faded away.
With the hero’s words and actions driving home the final nail, there was nothing more to say.

Soon, the Emperor, confident in victory, opened his mouth with a sardonic smile.

“Do you still oppose this marriage, Duke Melberg?”

“……”

Cain could not answer. But his expression clearly revealed his undisguised displeasure.

To this, Hans raised his voice again.

“Well, if all ministers oppose… I have no intention of bringing her along despite everything.”

“T-then….”

Cain slightly raised his head.
From his wide-eyed expression, just before the words “perhaps…” could escape,
Hans opened his eyes sharply and glared at him.

“Instead, I would follow her into the demon realm.”
“W-what…!”

A heavy killing intent rose from Hans’s body.
His clearly shining eyes were ready to return to the demon realm at any time.
At this, all the ministers panicked and raised their voices together.

“H-Hero…!”
“N-no, that can’t happen!”
“I-I strongly support this marriage!”
“Peace! We must establish peaceful relations immediately!”

“Ugh…!”

At public opinion swaying like a roly-poly, curses flowed from Cain’s mouth.
He frantically scanned the ministers shouting in panic, then turned his gaze to the hero standing in front.

‘Damn it…! That punk…!’

His teeth clenched strongly behind his bushy beard.
His hand, clenched in anger, was on the verge of bleeding.
However, no matter how much he trembled or frowned, nothing changed.

“I’ll ask once more, Duke Melberg. Do you oppose this marriage?”

The Emperor said.

Cain gnawed at his lips in humiliation.
He couldn’t open his mouth for a while and trembled his fist at his waist, seemingly indignant.
“…Tsk!”

Then, clicking his tongue lightly enough for only himself to hear, he bowed his head to Hans, as if giving up.

“I will… follow the Hero’s opinion.”

Defeat.

It was a clean defeat, completely reversed.

The Emperor grinned and asked all the ministers in a voice full of confidence in victory:

“Is there anyone else who opposes this marriage?”

“……”
“……”

Only the Emperor’s loudly resonating voice echoed through the hall, with no objections heard.

The Emperor smiled broadly and slightly turned his head to the left.

“7th Duke. Do you also agree?”

“…What? Ah, yes… yes! Of course, Your Majesty!”

The one who had slightly come forward had already completely hidden his body behind the pillar.

Done. Now everything was perfect.

The Emperor smiled brightly, enough to make the corners of his eyes wrinkle. His crescent-shaped eyes turned toward the hero standing in front.

‘Amazing… I didn’t expect this at all.’

He had been expecting the Sovereign of the Green-Fingered’s eloquence instead.

‘You must have… practiced very hard.’

The Emperor smiled broadly, showing his teeth fully for the first time in a long while.

Amidst the pouring gazes, Eilena silently looked up at Hans’s face.
He was still staring straight ahead with a resolute expression.

“……”

Her gaze, which had been slightly scanning the side profile permitted to her, slowly descended to touch the large hand entwined with hers.

‘Why… so…’

Surely, it was just acting.

Yet why was he holding on so tightly…?
His fingers, digging between her small ones, seemed to have no intention of ever letting her go.
A man’s hand, held for the first time in her life, was truly rough and rugged.