I Was Abandoned by the Demon King I Served for 10 Years

Chapter 5

Verdia and Durin sat facing each other with a table between them.

The atmosphere was suffocating. The daughter of the Southern Ruler was utterly broken, crushed under Durin's presence.

......

Before being sent to the Demon King's Castle, she had been one of the greatest warriors. To succeed her father, she had killed all her rivals and beheaded any challengers. In those days, her glory, born from struggle, had shone brilliantly. Now, as if her life were flashing before her eyes, those moments swept past her.

"I-I apologize. I lost my senses for a moment and committed such... such an unthinkable act..."

Verdia repeatedly muttered apologies, her unfocused eyes betraying her desperation. Her lingering attachment to life had turned her into a puppet. While the outcome was already determined, this was her final, futile resistance as a warrior unable to end her life with honor.

"So, please, just one more chance..."

"I’m not interested. That’s not the answer I want to hear from you."

"Y-Your Excellency."

"You have no reason to call me 'Your Excellency.'"

Durin cut off Verdia’s words as if they weren’t worth listening to. At that moment, she realized.

It’s all over.

Verdia’s hand fell limp. Tears rolled down her cheeks and slid along her face.

To leave like this, showing only disgrace. I should have died earlier. To cling pathetically to life and endure such humiliation. The shame and mortification overwhelmed her.

The final flicker of Verdia’s life extinguished in that moment. With hope gone, an odd sense of relief washed over her, allowing her to wear a calmer expression.

"Then, as a warrior of the South, I wish to meet my end. Please grant me the chance to take my own life."

"What nonsense are you spouting now?"

"I will face my end with honor. Grant me that opportunity, please."

"I don’t know what you’re trying to say."

Durin’s crimson eyes glinted sharply. But Verdia, undaunted, stood abruptly. Without hesitation, she prostrated herself on the ground.

"Forgive me. I spoke of honor when I am unworthy. Just execute me here and now. I will not plead further."

"So that’s what you meant."

Pfft. Spranches, who stood beside Durin, couldn’t suppress a laugh. It was an inappropriate reaction, especially in front of a High-ranking Demon, but Durin didn’t stop him.

Verdia’s face turned bright red. She wished she could die right then and there. The amount of shame she felt in an hour seemed to equal what she might have felt in a lifetime, driving her to the brink of madness.

"I have no use for your life."

Durin’s reply was laced with scorn.

"Did you think taking your life would ease my anger? I’m not so idle as to waste time on something so pointless."

"W-What does that mean? What will happen to me, then...?"

"Your place to die is no longer here but on the battlefield. Now that you’ve come to the castle, fulfill your purpose and die. Considering the food you’ve consumed, you’ll likely be serving for quite a while."

Verdia’s body trembled at those words. She had been prepared for death. Yet, this was like a lifeline thrown to her in the form of unexpected rain. It was her final chance to prepare for an honorable end as a warrior, a moment to erase her disgrace. Verdia cautiously opened her mouth.

"...Even if I survive, will that be acceptable?"

"Verdia, as a warrior, you hold no value. But as the daughter of the South, you have some utility. That’s the extent of your worth."

With that, he rose from his seat. He stood before Verdia, who was still prostrated low to the ground.

"I wonder if your father is still reachable. Does he still care for his daughter, I wonder?"

"If he did, I wouldn’t be here. I’d already be dead."

"Indeed. Your head would’ve been severed. Just like those heads in the garden."

"The daughter of the South died in that moment. What remains is a discarded body. I am no warrior, no noble. I’m merely a Southern barbarian."

Having faced death so many times, Verdia was able to sort out all her prior emotions. No longer a hostage, but as a member of the Demon Tribe, she spoke before Durin. Her trembling and fear had vanished without her noticing.

She spoke to Durin with calm resolve.

"Thus, I entrust everything to you. Do with me as you see fit."

"Verdia the Barbarian. I will make you one of my Legionnaires. In the upcoming expedition, you will assist me. Prepare yourself until then."

Verdia slowly lifted her head. She met Durin’s overwhelming presence, one that seemed capable of burning the world to ashes.

"If it’s an expedition, do you mean the South?"

"I’m going to slay your father. I won’t tolerate rebellion against the Castle."

"As you wish. Though I’m unsure how someone like me, a mere barbarian, could be of help to you."

Instead of answering, Durin drew his sword.

-Clang!

He flung it in front of Verdia as if discarding it.

"I will purge all the traitors in the lands that raised their banners against us. They will never dare lift their heads again."

"Are you seeking to establish the Castle’s authority?"

"You will lead the charge. Rally the survivors. If they swear allegiance to the Castle, I will consider their duty fulfilled."

It wasn’t loyalty, but submission. Unlike other territories that maintained some autonomy, this was a declaration of fully integrating the South under the Castle’s dominion.

"I told you I wanted a different answer. Will you join me, Verdia the Barbarian?"

Everything Durin had said was already decided. It wasn’t just about Verdia’s fate but the South’s as well. It was a decision to purge the separatists, including her father, and lay a new foundation for that land. The sword Durin had discarded lay before Verdia.

Her final purpose. To act as the Castle’s influence in the South, which was about to be overhauled.

"I will follow."

There was no other choice.

Verdia carefully gripped the sword with both hands. She lifted it as if offering it to Durin.

"The South will soon be yours."

.......

After sending Verdia back to the reception room, Durin moved without rest. He was on his way to meet Rudmila in the King’s Hall to discuss the expedition.

"You wrapped it up more quietly than I expected."

Rudmila greeted him with a noble smile. Only hours ago, she had been glaring at him fiercely, but now she was perfectly composed. Even if only for appearances, the satisfaction brought by the Demon King’s Seal was undeniable.

"You’ve grown much softer since sitting on the throne."

"You’re the strange one. Giving up this seat to roam outside. Honestly, I can’t understand you."

Hmph! Rudmila covered her mouth as she chuckled. Her behavior reminded Durin of the Demon King from three generations past. Was that all she’d learned from reading those records instead of completing her tasks? Durin thought so but refrained from commenting, not wanting to waste time.

"You’ve come because you have something to say, haven’t you? What is it?"

"You already know. I need information on the most urgent movements of the rebels."

"It’s still manageable for now. But the South is breaking away faster than expected."

Rudmila clapped her hands. Like Durin’s Spranches, a waiting shaman appeared, carrying a large scroll.

"Let's discuss this while looking at the map. We know the South is urgent to some extent, but we still don’t have detailed information on the others."

"The shamans haven’t delivered any updates yet."

"We’ve just managed to organize things ourselves."

Rudmila spread the scroll wide on the central table. The map of the Demon Realm was drawn on the broad piece of brown leather. Key strongholds and resource production sites of the Demon King's Castle were marked with blue circles and squares, while hostile forces were indicated in red. The entire South glowed red on the map, confirming that it had completely fallen out of their control. The rest appeared as gray zones, a detail that caught Durin's attention.

"The situation is worse than I thought."

"On the surface, it might seem like only the South has seceded. But in reality, the North and West are also showing troubling signs. It seems all of our people there have been imprisoned or exiled."

"What about the East? Is it holding up?"

"The separatist tendencies there are relatively low, so as long as we guarantee their autonomy, there shouldn’t be major issues. Besides, they were the only ones among the warlords who even bothered to ask why the Demon King disappeared."

"That’s a relief, but isn’t there something more pressing to address?"

Durin’s gaze shifted to the northeast of the map. Between the frigid northern lands and the sprawling western plains lay a sticky swamp, a barren wasteland where no one led a tribe except for a few scattered minorities.

"Are the angels making any moves?"

"How could they not? Their detachments are already patrolling near the borders. The warlords might be the immediate problem, but the angels aren’t to be underestimated either."

Rudmila let out a long sigh as she spoke. Just as she feared, the greatest threat within the Demon Realm wasn’t the internal warlords, but the angels. Forces dispatched from the heavens to monitor them were stationed in that wasteland. The swamp, already difficult to approach, had been transformed into something akin to a sanctuary, filled not with magic energy but divine power.

With the Demon King's Castle constantly plagued by internal strife and unable to concentrate its forces, expelling the angels required wringing every bit of strength from their military. While they occasionally managed to assemble decent troops to launch attacks on the angels’ outposts, most of these efforts ended in failure. The heavens even retaliated immediately in some cases.

A prime example was the recent Hero’s invasion. The Human Realm had opened a dimensional gate to send a Hero over, staging a show of force. Such cases typically involved small-scale skirmishes, which could either be repelled with detachments or handled directly by the Demon King. However, the most recent Hero’s invasion had led to the worst disaster in Demon Realm history, due to similarly inadequate countermeasures.

"It seems the northern and western warlords feel threatened. For now, they’re restraining the angels, so those guys won’t descend anytime soon."

"Isn’t it lacking, though?"

"The quality of the active forces doesn’t seem particularly high. They appear manageable for now. But if the angels suddenly send their main forces, we’ll have to be cautious."

"If an archangel moves, it’ll certainly be a disaster. Thankfully, they haven’t shown any signs of action yet."

"The Demon King followed the Hero, so there’s a high chance she crossed into the Human Realm. For the angels, it’s as if the Demon King suddenly dropped into their backyard. It’s an unprecedented emergency for them, too. They’re likely as unsettled as we are."

"But they’ll recover quickly."

"I’m estimating about a month. That’s enough time for them to not just recover but potentially complete their war preparations."

Thirty days. A period that could be considered either long or short, depending on perspective.

Nevertheless, it was a precious window of time, given the urgent state of the Demon Realm’s fate. Durin was determined not to waste it.

"The only available forces are the Royal Guard and the Demon Beast Legion. After reserving the minimum troops necessary for castle defense and law enforcement, we can muster around 800 soldiers."

"800? Isn’t that far too few? Even if we conscripted soldiers from the Defense Force, we could easily deploy 3,000."

Rudmila tilted her head as she asked. Durin shook his head and replied.

"The quality is far too low. The Southern warriors possess an army strong enough to be considered the best in the Demon Realm. Sending a poorly trained orc unit would only result in total annihilation."

"Wait. Wait. Are you saying…?"

Ordinary troops wouldn’t suffice.

"I’ll personally lead my soldiers. We’ll also draft a substantial number from the elite regiment of the Defense Force to bolster our numbers. That should be sufficient to completely wipe out the rebels within a week."

"Can you handle it? As you said, the South is a land of warriors. It could take much longer than expected."

"It has to be done, no matter what."

The number of elite troops would determine the outcome. Just as a well-trained goblin soldier could never defeat a celestial knight, the importance of elite soldiers was paramount in a place like the South, where they were abundant.

"We still haven’t properly tracked the Demon King’s whereabouts. We need to achieve results quickly before the current state of unrest escalates."

"So, you’re saying we need to find a distraction?"

"Starting tomorrow, I’ll begin laying the groundwork in earnest. You’d better prepare yourself as well."

Durin clenched his fist atop the table.

It was a forewarning of the bloodstorm to come.

"How many are you planning to kill this time?"

"All of them. First, we’ll purge the rebellious Southern demons from the castle."

"Isn’t that excessive? There’s still value in keeping some of them alive."

"You’re too soft, Rudmila."

Durin’s aura grew even more ferocious than before. Rudmila instinctively took a step back. Even as a High Demon herself, she couldn’t withstand the oppressive energy emanating from him.

"This is how demons are meant to be handled."

His face, obscured behind his helmet.

It seemed as though a chilling smile was etched there.