My Subordinates Are So Competent, It's Driving Me Crazy (3):
As expected, the 12th Legion Commander is the kind who causes trouble the moment he opens his mouth.
Some might think it wasn't a big deal, but depending on the position, this could be a serious issue.
Take, for instance, if he had spoken like that while in an audience with the Emperor of the Empire.
'…Just imagining it is horrifying.'
Especially since the current emperor is a tyrant. If Myers had been there, I'm sure he wouldn't have lasted a week before getting his head chopped off.
And the absurd part is, the demons of this Demon King's Castle seem to view me as someone with a personality similar to that tyrant emperor.
How do I know that for sure? Because the way they look at me is exactly the way subjects look at their emperor.
That's probably why the aide is so shocked right now.
"Um… well."
Myers looked so pitiful that I couldn't bring myself to confirm it. He was already being scolded so badly… Should I deny it at this point?
As I hesitated, unable to confirm or deny, Dahar's eyes narrowed.
He shot a glare at Myers before bowing deeply to me.
"My apologies, Lord Daemon. I will be taking Lord Myers aside for a moment."
Dahar briskly walked out of the room.
Myers stood there awkwardly for a second, then jolted and rushed after him at the sound of Dahar's falsely sweet yet furious voice: "Lord Myers, aren't you coming out?"
From beyond the now-closed door, I could hear a long sigh—"I can't take this anymore…"—followed by Dahar's scolding.
"I told you to keep your mouth shut whenever possible! Lord Myers, you're the type to get smacked the moment you speak! All you had to do was apologize—why did you say anything in front of Lord Daemon?! Were you trying to get yourself killed? Might as well just ask the Demon King to kill you! He'd at least send you off more gracefully than Lord Daemon would."
So the "taciturn" image was something the aide came up with. Honestly, I think it was a brilliant move.
Looks like that aide is just as capable as mine.
Still, if I had to compare him to Ed, I'd say Ed's much better. At least Ed doesn't verbally destroy me like that.
'…Wait? Hold on. Isn't this room soundproofed? And with the Demon King's soundproofing magic, no less…'
My suspicion about the soundproofing didn't last long. Rather than dwell on that, I found the conversation outside much more entertaining.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so—suddenly, the whole room had gone silent.
Dahar didn't stop talking, as if someone had cast a spell on his mouth, and Myers was just silently enduring it. Even though I couldn't see him, I could somehow feel how pitiful he looked.
Ah, well, occasionally Myers did try to resist…
"B-But Lord Daemon asked me a question…"
"You should've at least stopped to consider whether your answer was normal or not. Ah, I see. That was my mistake. You can't even tell the difference. That's why you keep causing problems. Just keep your mouth shut. Use gestures if you must. You think I coached you for nothing?"
The more I heard, the more amazing that aide seemed.
To think that all those firm, composed movements were something he had trained Myers into.
Then Myers fell silent again, probably shrinking back. Tsk tsk, poor guy.
At that moment, the Demon King, who had also been eavesdropping like me, shifted positions as if he'd lost interest and waved a hand in the air. The sound from outside was cut off.
"Ah. I forgot I disabled the soundproofing for a moment."
"…?"
"You wouldn't open the door, so I lifted the soundproof spell briefly."
"…Sorry, what?"
Normally, the Demon King's chambers and legion commanders' rooms all have soundproofing spells.
The only sounds that pass through are knocking and a few seconds of dialogue—just enough to state one's business and receive permission.
"You removed it on your own…?"
"Hmm?"
"…Never mind."
But he's the Demon King. It's not like I can complain.
I slowly turned my stiff neck and looked at the Demon King. Beside me, Hien was giving me a sorrowful look, but the mysterious plant seeds in his hand looked too ominous, so I averted my eyes.
"What brings you here?"
"What do you mean, what brings me? You're going out—shouldn't I at least see you off?"
"Ah… that's not really necessary…"
"Exactly. It wasn't necessary. And yet, I was shut out at the door."
Has the Demon King always been this petty?
I didn't dare respond, since anything I said would just dig my own grave. I rolled my eyes awkwardly instead.
What could I do to get out of this situation?
…Nothing.
At best, I could just leave it to luck.
Once again, I desperately wished for blood. Surely he wouldn't hold a grudge against someone who's sick.
How did I make myself bleed again? Just raising my blood pressure a bit would usually do the trick. That boiling feeling, like now…
"Lord Daemon…"
"Uh, yes?"
Ah—damn. I had spaced out and answered without thinking.
Needless to say, my face went pale the moment I realized whose voice it was.
I froze for a second, gripped by the thought that I was doomed, then slowly turned my eyes toward the source of the voice.
Sure enough, there stood Hien, beaming brightly now that his voice had finally reached me.
With that cheerful smile on his face, he held out something in his hand—something that looked anything but pleasant.
"Since Lord Daemon is heading outside, I brought a plant seed that can be used for self-defense."
"…Is this, by any chance, a man-eating plant?"
"Yes, and not just that—it's powerful enough to devour demons as well…"
Oh wow. My blood pressure's rising.
I could sense that familiar metallic scent rising from deep inside me. From experience, I knew this meant I was about to cough up blood. I quietly covered my mouth.
And sure enough, something hot started crawling up my throat. My lips parted, just about to spit it out when—
"Ugh…"
Bang!
"Lord Daemon!"
"…Blegh?!"
Ben burst in, carrying his medical bag.
What the—how'd he get here so fast?!
Ah, right. My personal physician. He did say he had some kind of magical device… Was it a mana stone?
How is he so ridiculously competent?
Why'd he have to show up before I could use this to get out of the situation…
He's so competent it actually made me want to cry.
*
Thanks to my overly competent physician, the situation was handled before it even had a chance to spiral.
Still, I managed to use my poor health as an excuse to kick Hien out and send away the 12th Legion Commander Myers and his aide, who were still causing a scene outside the door. So I don't think it was a total loss.
If there was one regret, it's that I'd hoped to use this incident to cancel the mission…
"Um, about the mission…"
"Hm? Ah… Even in this state, you're clinging to your duties…"
Clinging?! What kind of nonsense…?
I frowned without realizing it.
My expression very clearly said, "What the hell are you talking about?"—and yet, the Demon King interpreted it however he pleased, letting out a sigh and shaking his head like I was hopeless.
"Don't worry. The mission's not getting canceled. But wherever you go, make sure to keep Ben close."
"…"
"I know you're not the type to die from something this minor. Still, you never know, right? With your body weakened from the aftereffects, if someone were to catch you off guard, it could be dangerous."
It's dangerous even if I'm not caught off guard, thank you very much. I'm not one of those sturdy demons, after all.
Ugh, my temples are throbbing.
"Huh?! Lord Daemon! What's your blood pressure—?!"
"…It's nothing. Let's just go."
I ignored Ben's worried gaze, took a deep breath, and headed for the door.
Though, to be honest, I wasn't walking out of my own free will. My overly capable and loyal aide was standing in the hall, silently waiting with the most intense gaze.
"This way."
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Ed opened the door and took the lead toward the area where the other legion members were on standby.
It felt like too much time had passed thanks to all the unexpected distractions. Hopefully, they wouldn't get upset over having waited so long and try to pull something like a mutiny…
Ah. Why did I think that?
Now I really don't want to go.
I tried to slow my pace, but by the time I followed behind Ed, who was striding confidently ahead, we had already arrived at the front entrance on the first floor.
So, the legionnaires are waiting behind that door. They're probably pissed off from being kept waiting. They're scary even when they're calm—how terrifying must they look when they're angry?
If I opened that door unprepared, I genuinely might die from a heart attack, so I hurriedly stopped Ed before he could open it.
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"…I'll open it."
Ed tilted his head curiously, but stepped aside without protest.
I slowly approached the door, stood in front of it, and took a deep, deliberate breath.
"Lord Daemon, your heartbeat is unusually fast. Are you all right?"
"…You can measure that too?"
"Yes. Isn't that obvious? Your health is at stake."
"…"
I shot a long glare at the strange jewel hanging around Ben's neck.
I want to snatch that thing and smash it right now. Is there really no way to do that?
But alas, I lacked the guts—and more importantly, the physical strength to break a magic stone—so I did what I always do: accept my helplessness and place my hand on the door.
"Are you truly all right? The speed of your heart rate—"
"…"
"Ben, aren't you underestimating Lord Daemon a bit too much? There's no way someone like him would be affected by something so minor."
Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to say. I might be weak, but not so weak that something like this would be dangerous.
As expected of Ed—he always speaks my heart.
Just as I was cheering for him silently, thinking Ben would back down by now, he exploded instead, yelling that a so-called aide shouldn't be so indifferent.
His energy was truly terrifying.
"What nonsense! This could actually be dangerous! Do you even understand Lord Daemon's current physical condition?!"
"Uh, what is his condition?"
He got overwhelmed by the momentum!
"He's like a cracked glass that could shatter at any moment! The aftereffects are practically eating away at his body—it's in terrible shape!"
"No way!"
Uh… wait. My condition is that bad…?
Strangely, I felt relieved that the so-called 'aftereffects' gave me such a perfect excuse.
Let me say again: I have zero aftereffects. In other words, this frailty is entirely natural—something I was born with.
I absolutely must take that secret to the grave. It's not just dangerous—it's humiliating.
While I was firmly resolving this in my heart, Ed came over with a pale face and started scrutinizing my complexion.
"Are you truly all right? You seem very pale."
"I've always looked like this…"
"Your lips look redder than usual too. Did you perhaps bite them while enduring pain?"
"They've always looked like this too."
So embarrassing. Please stop.
I turned away, signaling that I didn't want to hear another word. And before either of them could say more, I opened the door.
A chill wind brushed against my cheek, and the three partially overlapping moons lit up the ground as if urging me to step out.
And beyond that…
Legionnaires stood in perfect formation, unmoving.
…What a sight.
If only their eyes weren't all fixed on me.
When the door opened, not a single body moved—they only rolled their eyes to look straight at me. For an ordinary human, this would've been more than enough to send them running in fear.
I stood still, trying to hide my trembling legs.
Behind me, I heard Ben quietly muttering, "Ah! His heartbeat again!" Or did I? Honestly, I couldn't tell. My mind was going completely blank.
"..."
Cold sweat ran down my back. Sweat was also trickling down their foreheads.
But theirs likely had a very different meaning from mine.
Yes, if they've been holding that pose the whole time while waiting for me, it's perfectly understandable they'd be sweating.
Still… there's also the possibility that it's rage sweat.
If I'm not careful, I might be killed the moment we leave the castle.
And so, I desperately began searching for the right words to say—whatever it would take to survive.