◇

“……He’s fast. Right, he did say something about being a hero, didn’t he? He seems to have a high status, too. His potential is high… Hmph…”

So, after that guy lost the battle, suddenly disappearing with a slightly flushed face and droopy eyebrows…

I opened the front door, thinking that he must’ve gone to the inn like I told him to, but no one was there anymore. 

I am Ulysse. A great whale demon with dog-like features, and part of the Ketos¹Ketos – or Cetus, from the Greek Mythology clan – Ulysse Ketomago.

The term ‘Ketos’ officially referred to all monsters living in the sea.

In the course of time, we, the unknown monsters, had come to be referred to as the Ketos, or the so-called mythical sea creatures.

My father, a Ketos demon, was the Commander of the Demon Realm Navy. As such, he was titled as the Nameless, Raging Commander. A raging commander without a name. It literally just meant that. The naming crystal didn’t really have a good taste for names. 

—Shut.

I parted with Shal, and he walked away with Ulysse. Even though I was reluctant to do so, I managed to step inside the room that I use whenever I do inspections around here and went inside.

The spacious room was neatly lined with high-quality furnishings, tables and wooden chairs. Beyond the curtains that were flowing from the ceiling, there was a soft bed large enough for three grown men to sleep in.

I flopped onto it.

“……”

“Oh Hero, I have a job for you. Take down the people on this list. Burn it as soon as you learn of the contents.”

“Your highness, aren’t these… names of the nobles of this castle…? I can’t do this to your own people, it’s an assassination… !”

“Watch your mouth. They are a bunch of unfaithful people who worship the first prince and plan to usurp the throne. They must’ve been possessed by demons. Take them down immediately. You haven’t forgotten your indebtedness, have you? You should know that it’s this kingdom that has been giving everything to a novice who’s still not strong enough to take on the demon lord as a hero.”

“……”

The chief grinned at me when he saw me confused, unsure of what they were planning to do, and traced my skin.

“Kuku… Ye don’t have to look so scared. Yer value will go down if I break ye. So, I’m just gonna hurt ye a wee bit.”

“Ua…! G-Ghh…!”

Then, the chief’s sharp claws dug into my bare upper body, causing severe pain that broke through my flesh.

—After that were ten minutes of walking.

We finally arrived at a brick building that had no signs nor decorations and had turned gray over the years.

The windows were hammered with wooden boards, so that the inside couldn’t be seen from the outside.

It didn’t look very much like an inn, probably to prevent intrusion. The demon’s inns were quite wild.

I arrived in the city of Svenmarina not long after that.

The city crowded with demons when I first viewed it from a distance during the day, or when I caught glimpse of it from the sky, had the number of people on its streets now decreasing, probably since it was already nighttime.

Nevertheless, taverns and amusement halls were thriving as I could hear noises here and there, and there were also several rough-looking demons in addition to that.

A number of small, warm orange illuminations, similar to that of light bulbs, hung in the storefronts, giving the beautiful white buildings a soft hue.

I staggered towards the direction of the city lights. My legs gradually sped up and moved away from the base, trying to quickly escape from it.

The forest at night in the demon realm was terrifying and boisterous.

My mind felt so fickle and unsettled that I couldn’t even care about the surroundings.

—Was I… in love with Azel?

The pain I felt grew rapidly when I thought of Azel telling me he doesn’t need me.

“Will he… eventually get tired of me? I wonder what will happen if I were thrown away.”

“Hah? What are you talking about? Isn’t that obvious? Humans are nothing but ghetto food or lifeblood workers! Well, my lord is very kind, so he might let you go without killing you. Hmph!”

“……”

◇

“You may proceed to your usual private room, my lord! All preparations are done, so let’s have dinner together with my father when he comes back!”

“Okay.”

It was about time Azel and I finish our delicious sandwiches while chatting leisurely as usual.

It was around the time Azel and I were about to finish eating the delicious sandwiches while chatting leisurely as usual.