“Pathetic brat, moron, immature fool…” Finn tapped his head repeatedly, muttering self-deprecatingly.
Not only had he failed to become a place of rest for Argen, he’d become yet another burden. As if the Electors weren’t already causing enough distress.Not only had his childish jealousy unsettled Argen, but he’d also made her voice an unwanted memory. Finn clutched his hair as if tearing it out and groaned. He bitterly regretted his foolish actions, yet felt a strange, inexplicable relief.
It wasn’t that she wanted to make No Name her lover. She hadn’t fallen in love with someone of a bad temper, who didn’t know how to treat Argen with care, and who belonged to a race with a short lifespan. This alone was enough.
Without realising it, the corners of his mouth had turned up in a wide smile. The moment Finn became aware of it, he smacked his lips with a loud slap.
Get a grip, please.
Just then, the door burst open and Zephyr entered. “Huh? Why are you here?”
“Why? Can’t I come visit someone sick?”
Zephyr scratched his belly and said with puzzlement. “More than visiting someone sick, I think you’re here to secretly murder someone in the middle of the night and then lie that Lord Argen ordered it.”
“Zephyr, you… That whole ‘playing dumb’ act is just an act.”
“Seriously?”
“I have reformed. I won’t do that anymore.”
Though he still didn’t like the guy, the favour he’d done in saving Argen back then deserved a hundredfold thanks.
From that day on, Finn also actively joined the operation to wake the guy up. Despite being swamped with work, he never forgot to open the bedroom door and check on his condition. But No Name No.38 only grew gaunter; there was no sign he would wake anytime soon.
The three Elders and Argen stood in a circle around Valen. Nadol spoke first.
“From what I can see,” he said, “wiping away cold sweat and putting water in his mouth won’t cut it.”
“Then what should we do?”
“……Should we try hitting him? Cast a physical enhancement spell on our palms and smack him—”
“His head would fly off.”
“……Without the physical enhancement spell, we can’t give him a satisfyingly sharp pain. He’s got an extraordinary tolerance for pain, given how he’s lived his life.”
A heavy silence settled once more. Finn found maintaining the same posture particularly difficult. He squirmed as if it were driving him mad, then finally collapsed onto the bed.
“They say this guy can’t wake up because of a mental issue.”
“Right.”
“He’s too embarrassed to get up because he got caught stealing, isn’t he? If we keep hammering into him that we don’t care whether he’s a thief or not, won’t he eventually get up?”
Zephyr’s eyes widened. “Oh!” He clapped his hands. Bolstered by Zephyr’s reaction, Finn immediately put his plan into action. He approached Valen’s bed and leaned close to his face.
“Ah! I struck out today. I told you to keep your pockets full, tsk. Those goats are really stingy, aren’t they?.”
Finn gave Nadol a look. Nadol stammered at the sudden situation, so Finn scowled and gestured sharply with his chin. ‘Come here!’
Reading Finn’s mouth, Nadol rushed over breathlessly and stammered out,“S-sorry… I’ll carry more money starting tomorrow.”
“Yeah. You should think about us demons who steal to survive.” The two demons bounced a pointless conversation back and forth for a while. But Valen’s face didn’t even twitch.
Eventually, Zephyr joined in. “Didn’t you steal anything today?”
“I stole women’s hearts. Bartender Laila, Konen, Share…”
“Not that kind of stealing!”
Zephyr rummaged through his back pocket and pulled something out, holding it out. “Finn, a toothbrush specially designed for your fangs. I tried it, and it’s great.”
“What this bastard actually steals? Do you have kleptomania?”
“No! I just picked up something that was dropped and didn’t return it!”
“That’s exactly the same thing, you idiot!”
The bedroom erupted in noise. The plan to ease Valen’s guilt by pretending shoplifting was routine had failed. Still, it wasn’t a complete loss. Finn’s offhand plan sounded quite plausible, so the three Elders decided to refine it a bit. And so, the new plan was finalised. It involved creating an environment Valen simply couldn’t resist returning to.
Since lying in the same bedroom every day could get tedious, they took Valen’s bed out for walks and let him breathe in the dawn air. To change his mood, they even put a flower hat on his head.
Four demons pulled Valen’s colourfully decorated bed, touring every corner of the Demon King’s Castle. They went through the immaculately tidy kitchen, the training grounds where sword practice was in full swing, and even behind the wall where the servants secretly smoked tobacco.
“Look, Lord Argen. Doesn’t he seem to have a spark of life returning to his face?”
“It does seem that way.”
“It seems to be working!”
To Finn, Valen’s face looked far more gaunt than before. Yet he couldn’t stop the confident Zephyr.
All the demons in the Demon King’s Castle took turns pushing Valen out for walks three times a day. None complained; they all clamoured to pull the bed.Most earnestly wished for his recovery, but a few eyes gleamed darkly. Many witnessed kitchen demons dragging Valen’s bed to secluded spots to vent pent-up grievances.
“Isn’t it cruel to strike the same spot repeatedly? Sure, it regenerates fast, but that doesn’t mean we feel no pain!”
“Where have you ever heard of someone having their wrist shattered just for licking sauce off their finger? Have you never licked your finger, Mr No Name? Huh?! Say something! You keep quiet because you know you’re guilty, don’t you!”
An atmosphere formed where people vented things they hadn’t been able to say to Valen before. The demons scrambled to be the first to take Valen for a walk, and before long, an endless line stretched outside his bedroom. Argen watched the scene and felt relieved, thinking, ‘No.38 is loved after all.’
And the complaints began to shift, one by one, into confessions of secrets no one else could tell. Valen became the Demon Realm’s bamboo forest* (T/N below). And once again, he ended up helping the demons, albeit unintentionally.
A golden field stretched out before Valen’s eyes.
This was a place where the sun never set. Large ponds dotted the landscape, sunlight shattering on their surfaces and sparkling like stars.
Valen surveyed his surroundings. Everywhere his eyes fell—under every tree, in every crevice of rock—weeds grew thick and dense. This was not artificially created landscaping, but nature in its raw state.
Just then, a commotion arose from behind.
Before he could turn, a swarming crowd engulfed him. The once-quiet surroundings instantly erupted into the clamour of a bustling marketplace.
“Come on! Keep moving, don’t stop, move!!”
“Don’t stop. Just follow the path-!”
Amidst the chaos, one particularly shrill voice stood out. Even at a glance, it was clearly a child’s. They steered the crowd in one direction like skilled guides.
Squeeeeeek! A piercing whistle split the air.
“Hey there! You tall human! I said don’t stop!” A girl clad in a snow-white robe pointed at Valen with a finger stiff with force. Ten years old? No, younger than that. She was a tiny child, barely half Valen’s size. The girl, with brown hair braided to the side, approached Valen, her thick eyebrows arched like caterpillars.
“Move! Move!” She grabbed Valen’s arm and yanked him forward.
‘Whoa-!’
Her strength was so immense it made him, a man packed with muscle, stagger. The girl and Valen’s gazes clashed in midair. An invisible current crackled fiercely as they both warily sized each other up, thinking, ‘What the hell is this kid?’
“I was going to blow you away… Are you a polymorph dragon? No, you couldn’t possibly use magic here.” The girl seriously pondered Valen’s identity. Even so, she kept dragging him forward by his arm. Stopping was absolutely out of the question.
“Here? Where the hell is this?”
The girl sighed briefly the moment Valen asked. Her face already looked weary, as if she’d heard this question countless times before.
“Is there any other place where the dead go? For your information, it’s best not to entertain any foolish notions. We’ve seen more than a few who deny death. Rolling around on your back won’t help. If you don’t want to suffer a nasty fate, keep walking.” The girl spoke without pause, as if reciting pre-programmed lines.