The interior of the fortress stacked on Rock Mountain isn’t very spacious. It’s enough that it won’t hinder combat, but it’s just too tight for large-scale battles inside.
There are almost no window-like holes, and even those I can open and close remotely. There’s practically no lighting, so it’s quite dim.
Is that why? I feel incredibly claustrophobic. I want to believe that’s the reason.
– Tap, tap, tap…
I wandered around the central area of the fortress. Sitting still in the rocking chair tickled my lungs a bit, so I started to walk for a bit.
I walked one way, but soon reached the wall, so I ended up circling the room.
I cracked my eyes open.
Instead of a dim space, I saw a gloomy fog.
I definitely don’t like that. It’s suffocating. My body feels stiff, like I’m frozen in a glacier, unable to move.
– Hoo…
I feel like I can’t breathe. It seems like I’m the only one here. Information is coming in through observations, but I can’t feel it at all.
I cautiously exhaled and twitched my nose.
“Sniff, sniff…”
I shouldn’t be able to smell anything, but the scent of someone else’s body clinging to me is noticeable.
Only then did it become a bit easier to breathe. I gripped the purification tool tightly in my right hand.
– Woowoo…
The purification tool in my grip trembled. The proof of my protector in my left hand also vibrated. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the slight worry that buzzed through me.
‘It’s okay.’
[Not okay]
[So frustrating]
‘Ugh…’
I furrowed my brows and tapped the confession necklace. With nobody around, I felt I could let my guard down a bit.
It’s scary to think I might end up spilling really dangerous information later.
I put the drone away for now. It felt burdensome to have it constantly fixed on me, and besides, why would I keep filming myself just swaying in the rocking chair?
‘The curse’s influence is just too strong… Or maybe I’m just a mental goldfish?’
The curse of loneliness.
I didn’t get a detailed explanation from Ariel, but I gathered she mentioned that there are many policies and facilities for stress relief in Shio-ram, and that’s probably why.
But truly, I haven’t used any of it, which must be really frustrating…
‘Well, that couldn’t be helped…’
I pouted my lips as I thought about it. Stress relief? It sounds great.
But how am I supposed to enjoy that when I first came here?
Even if my senses are perfectly fine, how can I find something enjoyable in a situation filled with disaster events and unknown lifespan issues weighing me down…?
‘Ah!’
My anxious expression brightened for a moment as I wandered around the room. Thanks to the observation and the good news sent by the spirits.
I petted the spirits that were comforting me by rubbing against me and rushed to the wall.
The wall opened to the left and right, creating a passage wide enough for someone to pass through.
Zzzzt! The lightning spirit, showering in sparks, darted through the opening and entered. Two pairs of wings fluttered, with one pair smoothly slipping towards me.
It was the feather of the sky’s wing, having completed its mission.
“Elya…!”
[Elya!]
Elya, caught in the wing feather, was transported along with it.
My vision, once distant, now focused on Elya, and the faint scent became stronger. I sparkled my eyes and enveloped Elya in a hug.
“Eek.”
“Ugh…”
I buried my face in her ample breasts. All the soft sensations surrounded me, and the rich scent of flesh wafted between the soft mounds.
All the gloominess and suffocation from earlier completely vanished. I wrapped my arms around her slim waist and rubbed my head against her.
“Elya…”
[So cozy…]
[Smells good.]
“Ah, did you just sweat?… Oh, that’s not it.”
“Hmm?”
As Elya stroked my head, she suddenly gasped in surprise, then twisted her body playfully with a mischievous smile.
“Eek, eek… I’ve been kidnapped by the Demon King~”
“???”
[?]
A question mark popped above my head at her slightly staged tone and behavior.
“What does that mean…”
“Heehee, it’s just a playful nickname.”
Elya laughed at my bewildered expression as she explained.
This fortress used as a workshop was deemed the Demon King’s Castle, and the army I command consists of a legion of spirits, golems, and everything else—the Demon King’s Army. I was being called the Demon King.
“What? What is that…?”
My expression grew even more confused. Of course, the title of Demon King exists in this world too.
Creative works using the themes of Demon Kings and Heroes are rampant.
A Demon King is usually seen as the embodiment of evil. The Hero is the one who slays such a Demon King, a ray of hope…
‘Was my title the Hero in the first run?’
I tilted my head at the suddenly floating thought.
The first run.
I started with a vanilla mindset, not selecting any bonuses, and began in a self-imposed hard mode.
Moreover, I had no information, so I was literally bashing my head into the ground in the dark over and over again.
Thanks to that, everything got messy. It took a ridiculously long time to acquire my first unique ability.
‘The performance was really good though…’
Is that why? The unique ability’s performance itself was quite good. It was one of the best abilities by any standard across all runs.
But in truth, the player’s specs were too low to utilize it properly, and conversely, that unique ability allowed me to scrape by with the lower specs.
I survived so well that I had the longest survival time among all runs. Thanks to that, I even accomplished the remarkable feat of having all three top entities descend in a single run.
“Why? Isn’t it cute?”
“What’s cute about a Demon King…?”
As I muttered unhappily, Elya giggled and pinched my cheek.
“The surroundings are dreary, but the Demon King is pure and lovely. What should I say, it’s a surprising charm?”
“Don’t tease me…”
“Hehehe. Oh right, but why did you bring me here?”
While sitting in the rocking chair, Elya tilted her head at me.
Feeling the weight of her gaze on the top of my head, I looked around and stammered.
“Um… suddenly, I missed you.”
[Missed you.]
It felt embarrassing to confess I rushed in like a kidnapper because my heart was tight and my breathing was heavy, like a pet feeling anxious.
“Hehe, that’s such a sweet thing to say. Are you trying to seduce me on purpose?”
“Mmm…”
Elya blinked for a moment, then smiled warmly, stroking my cheek.
“But there are other people too. Yeon-hwa, Arin… and Senior Ji-yeon.”
“They’re all important personnel in the party, if I just take you away, it’d be problematic.”
“I was also a part of the personnel! I played quite a role.”
“That… this round has a revival time, so if I have the time…”
“Hey! I was a precious resource that should be saved from that resurrection time and also spared for combat deployment. My supportive magic was extremely helpful.”
Elya glared at me with a pout. I glanced at her warily and buried my face in the embrace.
“And besides… it’s easy to subdue you.”
“Hmm?”
“Still, since it’s an evaluation trial, it’d be awkward to just hold hands and bring you along, so I took you under the pretext of subduing you.”
Elya’s sulking face suddenly widened her eyes.
“Aren’t you not using magic well right now?”
At my words, Elya gently raised one hand. Magic gathered in her slowly wriggling fingers.
“Uh? Something feels really off…?”
As her magical spell struggled to form, Elya’s eyes widened in surprise.
“It’s like magic suppression. Since this is the depths of my workshop, it’s more easily achievable than I thought. I can’t completely seal it, but I can create a significant gap.”
A wizard’s workshop is one’s assertion over space… as I learned from Lady Ariel.
Occupying a space with their own color, magical power, and spells, molding it to their convenience.
In that sense, entering the depths of my workshop means Elya is subjected to several levels of magical suppression.
“Hmmm…”
Elya inspected her body subtly. The wing feather of the sky that had returned to me was softly entwined around her whole body.
Her bright yellow eyes blinked.
“Huh, I really have been kidnapped, haven’t I?”
“Yep. I had to subdue you to prevent any resurrection, so it’s not like I’m breaking the rules with collaboration or anything.”
Since Shio-ram had separate affiliations, and without forming a separate alliance, it felt a bit wrong to stick together.
“…I see.”
Eyla murmured as she gently stroked the feather of the sky with a peculiar expression.
“So it seems I’m in a position where I can’t resist whatever tricks Hayeol plays on me…?”
“?”
[?]
Her strange expression was tinged with mischief. Elya flashed me a playful smile.
“Ha, being captured by Hayeol the Demon King… what are you planning to do to me?”
“I’m not planning to do anything…”
“Are you really saying that while burying your face in my chest and smelling me?”
“……”
With her words, I really had nothing else to say.
As I pouted my lips, Elya giggled and puffed out her chest.
The fleshy mass swayed enticingly, brushing against my nose.
It was a rather flirtatious movement. The sizable flesh quivered, and the rich scent drifted around.
– Squawk…
“Ugh…”
My hand moved instinctively, clutching the soft mass. The pleasing sensation overwhelmed my palm. The plumpness overflowing between my fingers was too much to contain.
“Ugh…”
Elya let out a peculiar sound and leaned in even closer. With her unspoken permission, I started to knead her chest.
“Ahaha, look at you going straight for it…”
Gasping, Elya beamed at me as she patted my back. Her breath brushed over my head. Sneaking a peek up, I saw Elya smile brightly and place a soft kiss on my forehead.
– Thud!
At that moment.
Completely lost in the distraction of her softness, I trembled at the info received through observation.
“Uh?”
In the distance, I sensed a massive army approaching Rock Mountain. It’s nothing strange. There have been quite a few forces targeting this place so far.
But this time, it was much larger. Moreover, the quality of the forces was significantly higher.
The number of cadets was impressively large. Not in dozens or hundreds, but in the thousands…
“?”
Leading that force, atop a slimy, three-legged horse monster, Hong Yeon-hwa raised her sword high.
The blade, glistening with Gop-hwa’s slimy essence, pointed down from the sky towards Rock Mountain… towards us.
Hong Yeon-hwa whispered something.
– The 1st conquered territory, initiating the assault on the so-called Demon King’s Castle.
– Phew. Guarding the conquest and now a rescue drill too… they really go all out with the practice.
– No, it’s okay to kill the hostages too.
– Huh?
“Is that so?”
A large-scale invasion has begun.
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