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(Somewhere in the Demon Realm)
Suddenly, the enormous doors opened, and a small demon came running inside in desperation, his face filled with anguish and terror.
His face was covered in sweat.
The demon immediately knelt down and lowered his head.
—Raise your head, Maki.
—I hope to hear some good news…
The small demon began trembling even more after hearing the omnipotent voice of his lord.
He then slowly raised his head while trembling and looked at the man sitting upon the sinister throne.
He was a tall man wearing a red jacket with yellow shoulder pads. He had pointed ears, white hair with a matching beard, and purple eyes.
This old man… Mmm… I mean, this powerful demon was known throughout the Demon Realm as Zolgear.
He was a member of the Demon Council, a high-ranking demon with a tremendous thirst for power and an astonishing lust.
The small demon finally gathered his courage and cleared his throat before speaking.
—My lord Zolgear, a short while ago, a shadow demon arrived to report that the attack on Princess Mio had failed… And, furthermore…!!
Before he could finish, a dark aura suddenly filled the entire hall. The pillars began to tremble, and cracks started spreading across the walls.
It was difficult to breathe.
The air felt heavy.
He knew it.
His lord was angry.
Zolgear was furious at how useless his subordinates were.
He had ordered them to capture Mio, and they had failed.
Was capturing a useless brat like her really that difficult?
Did they take him lightly and decide to treat his order as a joke?
Was he really the one who had to act personally?
The last time he had acted, there had been a massacre, and the victims had been Mio's useless adoptive parents. I wonder what the Demon King had been thinking when he left his daughter with such a useless group.
Mmm… The point was that he wanted to break her and strip away all her hope.
He wanted to plunge her into the deepest depths of despair and, afterward, take possession of both her and her power.
Then he would discard her once she was no longer useful to him.
—Aaaah…
Zolgear took a deep breath and calmed his anger.
He thought there had to be a reason for this failure. He sincerely hoped there was.
—Continue… I hope to hear a good reason for this failure —Zolgear said to his subordinate, who was trembling more than before.
—M-M-My lord… I was also told that, apparently, Princess Mio is living with a member of the Hero Clan —the demon said while trembling.
Upon hearing this, Zolgear's eyes widened in surprise at what he had just heard.
Throughout history, there had never been any record of heroes protecting demons. It was common sense for heroes to kill demons the moment they discovered one.
So surely, they had made a mistake and seen incorrectly.
—Are you absolutely certain about that? —Zolgear asked his subordinate.
He found it difficult to believe that a hero was living under the same roof as a demon.
—Y-Y-Yes, my lord. I am absolutely certain… It was that very same hero who exterminated the group we sent… —the demon replied in a more confident tone.
Even so, Zolgear was angered by this fact.
He did not care that his subordinates had been exterminated. What truly angered him was the fact that Mio was with another man.
She belonged to him.
He was the only one who had the right to approach her.
He was the only one who had the right to claim her and take possession of her power.
He could not accept this. He refused to believe it.
There was someone responsible for these thoughts.
And it was none other than that supposed hero.
If it was true that this man had dared to touch what belonged to him, Zolgear would make sure he suffered a fate worse than death.
At that very moment, he wanted to tear his body apart, cut him into pieces, drink his disgusting blood, and distribute his organs among his pets.
(N/A: Take it easy, buddy. You just showed up, and you're already this furious at my beloved Hinata…)
Zolgear took another deep breath to calm his anger.
It was not yet time to let his emotions take control.
He had to proceed carefully now that he knew the Hero Clan was involved.
—Prepare a group of shadow demons and send them to investigate this supposed hero… I want to know everything about him… Absolutely everything. Failure is not an option this time. And if you fail… —he ordered his subordinate in a commanding voice worthy of a ruler as he released his dark aura.
The small demon immediately understood that if he failed again, he might not live to see the next day.
With that in mind, the small demon bowed several times before running out of the hall.
He needed to carry out that order quickly and return with news that would please his lord.
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