Chapter 31 – Domine Quo vadis
As Sheto looked upwards, it cast its shadow across everything on the plain.
It was gigantic.
And even that felt like an inadequate description. The structure was on such an imaginable scale that mere words seemed to shrink before it.
Countless sharp rock formations clustered together, tracing a broad, gently curving underside like the bottom of a colossal cauldron. Its outer rim was so vast that it looked capable of completely covering the plain over which it loomed.
Far above, there would be a magnificent castle. Though, Sheto could not see it from where he stood.
He could not begin to fathom how much it weighed. But the thought of such a mass falling from the sky was enough to terrify him.
Only a moment ago, it had been nowhere to be seen…without even a hint of its existence. But now it floated up high, trampling every law of reason beneath.
“My…lord…”
The Demon General dropped to one knee and addressed his king in a ragged voice.
“Why…have you come here?”
‘Was it not you who told me to come here and retrieve Sheto? So, after dropping the demon beasts into the battlefield, I came with great haste. Do you understand?’
“Y-yes…”
There was no trace of Berganda’s former grandeur. His face had gone deathly pale as he bowed.
‘My beloved monster…Sheto.”
After leaving the unconscious, weakly trembling young dragon in the wolf’s care, Sheto glared up at the castle.
‘What is the matter…? Are you frightened? What happened to that bold spirit who proclaimed he would defeat me?’
Ever since their first encounter in Lindle, the Demon King’s presence had lingered in the corner of Sheto’s mind as the very embodiment of an overwhelming threat. And now, that threat stood before him in the form of a colossal castle suspended in the sky.
Determined to cast aside all of his fear, Sheto shouted towards the heavens.
“No! I, I decided, to defeat you! And so…!”
‘Indeed…that is more like it. Continue to amuse me with your spirit. However, that is not the only reason that I have come here.”
There was a brief silence.
During that strange pause, Sheto felt as if he could see the Demon King.
Seated upon his throne, gazing down at every creature that crawled across the earth.
‘Demon General Berganda, and my elite warriors. Slaughter every last human before you.’
“Ah…”
The Demon General, who had kept his eyes fixed to the ground, flinched violently.
‘What is it? Have you not heard my voice?’
“N-no…but…”
‘Must I repeat myself? I gave you an order. Kill every last human.’
At the merciless command, unease rippled through the ranks of humans gathered in the distance. Poro and the others instinctively drew close together, listening intently to the Demon King’s every word, so that they could respond to what came next.
“If…if I may be so bold!”
‘…Very well. Speak.’
“A-as the Hero met his end, I entered into an agreement with him. The Hero’s army has lost their god’s blessing and are now nothing more than ordinary commoners. Therefore…I pledged to spare their lives. “
‘I see. And?’
“O-our own losses have been far from insignificant as well. From our perspective, the terms were worth accepting. I believed…that allowing them to leave unharmed was a reasonable course of action.”
The Demon King let out an amused laugh at Berganda’s desperate protest.
‘I see. Even though you had the counsel of a god, it was still you who led the army and devised the strategies. You have become capable of offering quite clever answers.’
“Y-yes…”
‘To minimize the losses among your own forces, and to possess the judgment to know when to withdraw. It is commendable indeed. I am proud to have a subordinate such as you.’
“Th-thank you…”
“Therefore, I shall give you an order. Use every ounce of your strength and slaughter every last one of the humans.”
Bergand raised his head with a groan.
“My lord! I…I…”
‘My Demon General, what am I?’
The Demon King’s words came crashing down with the unyielding weight of forged steel.
“Y-You…are the Demon King.”
