Reincarnation as a Great Demon Lord - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Great Demon King Subdues the Hero

There was only one person in the Great Demon King's Castle who could be the coordinator for the refugees we welcomed.

That person is the 'Hero of the Holy Sword.' As the hero who defeated the previous Demon King and an undeniable Hero, she possesses sufficient qualifications.

Of course, I would deploy her as a captive warrior of my army, concealing her title and background, but even so, the human refugees would feel less resistance toward her than they would toward others like Arcelia or Seren.

Furthermore, this appointment is part of my 'Hero Dark-Side Plan.'

Currently, the Hero of the Holy Sword is imprisoned in my private room, spending her days in lazy eating and sleeping, yet she continues to resist my recruitment attempts. This is because the loyalty to humans and the sense of justice that refuses to yield to an army of evil have not vanished from her heart.

I will exploit that loyalty and sense of justice. If she believes she is accepting the proposal to coordinate the humans to help her fellow humans in distress, the chances of her accepting are high.

Once she accepts my proposal, the rest is a fait accompli. Her loyalty and sense of justice will be diluted by compromise, and her resistance will weaken. Once the first line is crossed, a human heart is easily crushed.

However, whether I can get the Hero of the Holy Sword to accept this task depends entirely on my powers of persuasion. I am confident, but first, I must put it into practice.

"—I am entering."

Although it is my own room, I spoke like a gentleman—as a Final Boss—before opening the door. There was no reply, but I didn't mind. Whether she was sleeping or ignoring me, as long as she wasn't dead, it was fine.

Upon entering, as expected, the 'Hero of the Holy Sword' was sitting in the middle of my bed. She was hugging her knees with her arms and had pulled the sheet over her head. She looked adorable, like a child or a small animal. Perhaps because she had slept for 100 years, she remained physically and mentally a teenage girl, just as she appeared.

She ate her meal properly today. The stew plate was empty. Three days after her capture, she still appeared listless and completely resigned, but she had managed to start eating.

Did my words take effect, or was there some change in her state of mind? In any case, her mental guard was definitely lowering slightly. This refugee incident will be the final push.

"How are you feeling today? I am relieved to see you've eaten properly. Good girl."

I spoke first, then sat down on a chair. It would be crass to dive straight into the main topic. I would check on her condition first, then present the proposal.

"—Why are humans here?"

However, she cut to the chase herself. She poked her head out from under the sheet and looked at me. Seeing her like this, she looked even more like a small animal. The appearance of a meerkat poking its head out of its burrow.

Yet, this room is shielded by a barrier; it's a wonder she noticed. In the original story, the Hero excels not only in the five senses but also in intuition. She must have sensed the change happening in the castle with that intuition.

And even though she claims to have been abandoned, the sense of justice within her is screaming that she cannot ignore this. This is convenient.

"They are displaced people. They came to this castle seeking aid. Unaware that this is the Demon King's residence."

"Why would they do that..."

I explained the details of the situation patiently to the Hero of the Holy Sword, who wanted to know more. I told her that a human town was destroyed by a Hero just like her, and that this Hero, despite being a Hero, led monsters. I also carefully obscured the fact that we didn't have much information, so she wouldn't notice.

"............I see."

After hearing everything, she fell silent after only saying that. She must have many thoughts, of course, but she was sealed and asleep for 100 years. She has no way of knowing what changes have occurred in the human society she protected during that time.

...To be honest, extracting information about those circumstances from the Hero of the Holy Sword would have killed three birds with one stone, but it seems things won't be that easy.

But it's not a problem. If necessary, I can capture the 'Monster Tamer' and extract the information from him. A chain reaction, indeed. In the end, fate is still favoring me.

".........A Hero's mission is to protect humans. But a Hero doesn't decide which humans they protect."

A few minutes later, the Hero of the Holy Sword muttered this. Her voice, mixed with regret and sorrow, alone told the story of her experience.

A Hero is a protector of humanity, but the Hero does not define which humans must be protected. The implication is the obvious fact that the Hero is also human.

As a human, whether they desire it or not, they belong to a society. And as long as they belong, they cannot oppose its demands.

That is, if someone, for example, a person in power, commands them, they have no choice but to obey. There is no need to think about how society would utilize a powerful fighting force like the Hero. A weapon exists solely to kill enemies.

For example, the elimination of opposing forces. The justification can be anything. People can deceive themselves and others with a plausible story—a lie—like 'they defected to the demon race.' The Hero of the Holy Sword's experience must be similar. The mental residue she tried to discard was visible on her face.

In that regard, it's good to be a villain, a Final Boss, like me. After all, what to obey, what to protect, and what to kill—I can decide everything myself. The sin and the punishment are a matter of choice.

And it is precisely from this unburdened position that I can say certain things.

"My Hero."

"...I am not your Hero."

"You will be, eventually. Anyway, the sins you committed and the blame you took to get here are irrelevant to me. I value you. Your strength, your character, and your way of being."

That is my true feeling. Even when I played the game, I thought the Hero of the Holy Sword was pitifully sincere about the mission she was given.

She carries out what needs to be done, even if she receives no reward, no praise, and no gratitude. Such an ascetic practice is easy for a Final Boss like me, but impossible for a normal human. In that sense, the person known as the Hero of the Holy Sword is a hard-to-find talent.

"............Being told that by the Great Demon King is no comfort at all."

The Hero of the Holy Sword said this and turned away. Yet, her red ears and the momentary relaxation of her expression clearly showed she was not entirely displeased.

It seems her mental state has recovered quite a bit thanks to three days of eating and sleeping. While it would be a problem if she fully recovered mentally, she couldn't move when she was in a state of depression, so this is better. The possibility of her accepting my proposal is also higher now.

"Nevertheless, if you wish to atone, I shall give you that opportunity."

"............An opportunity."

"Indeed. I will give you a chance to prove your worth once more. Well, will you take it?"

She didn't answer, but the fact that she was listening quietly clearly indicated her interest.

She doesn't know that the role of 'coordinator for the displaced people' is part of the trap to capture her heart and secure her loyalty! Hahahaha! Prepare yourself, Hero of the Holy Sword, the day you become the Dark Hero is near!

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The result was that the Hero of the Holy Sword accepted the 'coordinator' role.

As predicted, her attitude was reluctant and resigned, but I could tell from her gestures and eyes that she was enthusiastic on the inside.

Humans, fundamentally, long for an opportunity to prove their worth. That doesn't change even for someone who has been broken like her. In fact, precisely because she is broken, she cannot refuse a hand offered to her. A drowning person grasps at a straw—to exploit a weakened heart is precisely the kind of villainous act a Final Boss would commit!

Of course, entrusting her with the coordinator role doesn't mean completely unleashing the Hero of the Holy Sword, who showed such combat capabilities. She agreed to have the majority of her abilities restricted by the Sealing Bracelet Arcelia had created. This is partly due to her low self-esteem. Since her power is worthless, the result is the same even if it is restricted.

However, as expected of the proud Mad Scientist, or 'Al-emon' (Arcelia), of my Great Demon King's Army. She promptly produces exactly what I need when I need it.

And so, the Hero of the Holy Sword took on the role. The displaced people also accepted her after she was introduced as a captive of our army who was formerly a Human Alliance warrior. It went exactly as planned. If I had introduced her honestly as the Hero, confusion would have been unavoidable. A Final Boss's lie is a convenience.

A month passed without the feared attack occurring. While it was somewhat anticlimactic, my life has been one event after another since my transmigration to this world. A little peace is probably due to me and my vassals.

With the Hero of the Holy Sword as the coordinator, the resettlement of the refugees proceeded smoothly. In exchange for permission to reside and food supply, they agreed to the obligation of service and military duty. While the situation forced their agreement, the minimal resistance was thanks to the coordinator's effectiveness.

Seren is also doing an excellent job. Her meticulousness and precision in allocating residences and distributing food are remarkable.

The conscription, organization, and training of the defeated soldiers are also going well. This is thanks to Egret. The soldiers, initially wary, naturally began to call her 'Captain' as they encountered her integrity and fairness.

The integration of the Rock Orcs and humans has also not presented any problems so far. I can't predict what will happen a year, three years, or ten years from now, but things are stable for the time being.

With this, we have secured labor and a certain amount of military strength. The unexpected lull was a blessing, allowing us to build up strength for the future. It is about time to decide on our next objective.

The incident occurred just as I was starting to think about that. The incident was an attack by the 'Monster Tamer.' A massive army of over 10,000 monsters launched an assault. It was the second crisis threatening the fall of my Great Demon King's Castle.

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