TPDGR 14

Chapter 14….

“Why…?”

A cold flame flared in Griffith’s eyes.

When you cross swords with someone, you come to know what kind of person they are.
Hyunjin was someone who had only ever fought with pure skill, without tricks or malice.

So then why—

“In the end, did you strike the Demon King while he was off guard? I told you he was a benevolent ruler, so why?!”

“I didn’t attack him. He simply coughed up blood on his own.”

“…On his own? The Demon King?”

“Yes. Once he wakes up, would it be alright to have a conversation?”

“With the Demon King? And what right do you have…!”

Griffith looked wary but released his grip on Hyunjin’s collar.

“…There’s a prison in the underground. Since I can’t keep an intruder like you in the audience chamber, wait there.”

“Fine.”

“You’ll have to explain everything—and why you’ve returned.”

Even surrounded by anger and killing intent that weighed on the air, Hyunjin looked at Griffith with a calm face.
He obediently went down to the underground.

How much time passed like that?

The sword at his hip began to hum.

[Well done, you fool. Do you really think that Demon King is human?!]

Leaning against the wall, Hyunjin lifted his head.

The rough, raspy voice of an old man flowed from the sword.

“Why? Do you think he isn’t human?”

[…It is a strange aura, not that of an ordinary boss monster. But we cannot be certain he’s human!]

“I’ve seen countless monsters, but never one so perfectly human-shaped. His skin, his body heat, his features—everything was human-like.”

[What!]

“It won’t be too late to fight once I’m sure.”

[Ha! Is that why there was hesitation at the tip of your sword?]

“…”

Hyunjin gave no reply. Sometimes silence was an answer in itself.

[Fool! The Demon King was off guard. You should have killed him then and closed one more dungeon! Wasn’t that the fate you awakened me from slumber for?!]

“That doesn’t mean I’ll recklessly spill blood.”

Hyunjin’s voice was stubborn.

When he awoke a hundred years after losing his friend, he had no family, no comrades left. Loneliness became his way of life. He could have been blinded by vengeance, cutting down everything without judging right from wrong.

Yet Hyunjin held onto his calm.

Why had he decided to close every gate?
Because he believed it was the right thing to do.

And Griffith’s words kept echoing in his mind.

After the death of his precious friend, Jeyun, Hyunjin wished no one else would ever suffer the same pain. That was why he devoted himself to closing dungeons—to prevent people from losing their lives, or someone as precious as life itself.

But what if, instead, the dungeon boss he was supposed to kill… was the one sheltering people?

If the Demon King was righteous enough to take in refugees, and if even a drop of human blood flowed in his veins, Hyunjin could not kill him.
That was his conviction.

“I’ll confirm it one last time. Whether that Demon King truly took in the refugees and is protecting them. Once I verify everything, it won’t be too late to fight.”

That was why he now waited for the Demon King in a cell.

Even though he had been betrayed many times by those who claimed to be virtuous, Hyunjin strangely could not let go of his hope in goodness.

[…Bah, enough talk! You young fool, so damn obstinate. Tsk, tsk.]

Knowing Hyunjin’s stubbornness well, the ego sword fell silent.

Hyunjin leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

“So Hyun Hyunjin willingly walked into the prison? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Still pale from my sickbed, gulping down a bowl of blood soup, Griffith dropped a bombshell on me.

Not only had Hyunjin carried me to the Demon King’s castle in a princess carry, he had also walked into the prison of his own accord to quietly wait for me.

“But why the hell did that guy come back after only a day?”

And he hadn’t killed me when I fainted, either.

Of course, killing an unconscious villain would be so out-of-character for Hyunjin that it would practically break the setting…

I said I’d go straight to the underground prison, and Griffith and Joanna tried to follow.

But I refused.

Somehow, I felt I needed a frank, private conversation with Hyunjin.

When he first entered the gate, he had raised his hands, showing he had no intention to fight. He had even carried me when I collapsed.

He even wiped the blood from my lips when I coughed it up…

Clearly, his purpose wasn’t battle.

Stepping alone into the prison, I looked at Hyunjin with disbelief.

“Hey, why are you so damn uptight?”

I couldn’t help blurting it out.

Not only had he walked into prison on his own, he had even locked the bars shut behind him!

“Demon King.”

“Anastasios. Call me Kim Ana!”

I extended my shadow tendrils and slipped them into the keyhole.

Clack.

The bars swung open, but Hyunjin didn’t come out.

When I stepped inside, I got a good look at his face.

“Why did you come to me?”

“To ask about you.”

The torchlight on the wall illuminated Hyunjin’s features. For some reason, his face was far gentler than the first time we met.

His eyes held a strange look of concern, which felt unfamiliar. What the hell was wrong with him?

“By the way, why did you cough blood? Are you ill?”

“…That’s none of your business!”

I’d never heard of a hunter worrying about a dungeon boss before.

I hardened my gaze to avoid looking soft.

“How dare you invade my dungeon again? Do you really want to die this time?!”

Of course, I was grateful that he had carried me back.

But that was that, and this was this.

Gratitude was gratitude, but as the ruler of this dungeon and its people, it was my duty to treat intruders with caution.

Hyunjin lowered his gaze, troubled by my shouting.

“As I said, I came only to ask you something. I had no intent to attack.”

“What are you curious about?”

“First… could you take off your mask?”

“What?”

I always wore the monster bone mask over my face. Since I had been reborn as the Demon King, I thought I should at least stick to such details for consistency.

After all, a character who doesn’t stick to their concept is the worst.

I gave him a baffled look, and suddenly he stepped forward.

What the—

Before I could react, he removed his gloves and reached for my mask with his bare hand.

Startled, I backed away, but he stepped closer again.

He dropped his hand but looked oddly disappointed.

“I’m the Demon King, Hyun Hyunjin.”

“Yes. But I’ve closed countless gates, and I’ve never seen a Demon King with such a human form as you.”

“…Really?”

“That’s right.”

Demons, succubi, or half-monsters with object-shaped heads—he had seen those. But never a Demon King that looked so human.

I proudly extended my shadow toward his face.

“See? This is a Demon King’s power.”

From the moment I became the Demon King, I could command shadows at will.

They could grow to the size of a house or sharpen into spears to stab through anything.

“I could crush your head with this right now.”

Hyunjin, ever the seasoned hunter who had seen every kind of battle, didn’t even blink.

“I have another question.”

“Ugh, stop asking already!”

“Is it true you brought refugees into this dungeon?”

His tone was becoming gentler and gentler.

If he had cursed and challenged me to a fight, I would have understood.

But refugees? Why?

Was he worried I had dragged them in to enslave them?
Or that he wanted to take them away?

I snapped sharply as I stepped closer.

“They’re mine.”

“…”

“You can’t take them anywhere. They’ll stay here. If you so much as touch a single hair on my people, I won’t let it pass.”

I ground my teeth, glaring at him.

He might have looked calm, but I was sure he felt the killing intent radiating from me.

Because I meant it.

If he misunderstood and tried to return those people to the world outside…

No way. I didn’t want to send them back to a continent ravaged by war and rage.

Above all, once they had been accepted into my… no, into my dungeon, leaving it without permission was absolutely unforgivable!

At my deadly threat, Hyunjin’s expression subtly changed.

He looked at me with an unreadable expression, then slowly nodded.

“…I see. I understand.”

“Good. Then you won’t come back, right?”

Hyunjin didn’t answer. Instead, he brushed past me.

“Hyun Hyunjin!”

He stopped, showing me his back.

“This dungeon is unregistered, and even its rank cannot be measured with modern technology. Too many unpredictable risks. I think it’s because of you.”

“…What?”

“On Earth, there’s an organization called the Hunter Association. They’re always looking for a chance to close dungeons like this. I’ll make sure they don’t come near for a while. If I intimidate them and tip off the media, the Association won’t move easily… So don’t worry.”

At the word Association, my body froze.