The Heavenly Demon Is Just Stuck In My Head

Chapter 344 : Vacation

Shushuruta suddenly woke up from her sleep.

She had been trying to sleep, curled up in a corner of the room where the darkness had seeped in.

Ever since she had made a contract with the spirit of darkness, the darkness felt more comfortable.

Like a cradle, one might say. It was cozy.

Shushuruta, who had opened her eyes in the corner, rubbed her eyes and naturally looked at the bed.

"...?"

It didn't take long for her drowsy eyes to widen.

"...!"

Thump!

"Ashuban!"

Ashuban, who had been sleeping as if dead, had vanished without a trace.

He was a man of an unpredictable nature.

She had been sleeping lightly with her ears perked up, just in case he woke up while she was briefly asleep and ran off somewhere.

Had he disappeared in that short time?

Without any sound?

Without any presence?

Moonlight was quietly seeping in through the open window.

With a premonition that he had gone out through the window, Shushuruta thrust her body out the window and shouted.

"Ashuban! Answer me!"

But there was no answer.

"Umm..."

"Devil..."

The ones sleeping near the bed just fidgeted and talked in their sleep.

Shushuruta hurriedly shook their shoulders to wake them up.

"Wake up! I said, wake up!"

Shake, shake, shake, shake!

"Ashuban has escaped!"

"Huh...?"

"Big brother has escaped...?"

Siri and Linda, who had belatedly confirmed the empty bed, jumped up.

"Big brother has disappeared!"

"The devil is gone!"

Shushuruta pointed out the window.

"It seems he jumped out the window!"

Panicked, Siri covered her cheeks.

"He still needs to rest!"

"I knew this would happen. We have to chase after him quickly!"

At Shushuruta's words, the three of them hurriedly jumped out the window.

"He must have gone back to the hideout!"

Siri headed west.

"Devil!"

Linda, without a moment's hesitation, ran into the eastern forest.

On the other hand, Shushuruta stood still and took out a compass from her bosom.

A treasure from Ophosis's tomb.

Shushuruta watched as the compass needle shook back and forth...

Tick.

After confirming that the needle had stopped shaking and was pointing in one direction, she ran in that direction.

"Ashuban! If you can hear me, answer!"

How long did she run in the direction the compass was pointing?

Since Shushuruta's lightness technique was also quite excellent, it didn't take long to reach the edge of the cliff.

He was there.

"Ashuban!"

Under the somehow forlorn-looking moonlight.

Ashuban was standing at the edge of the cliff, muttering a gloomy song.

"The grace of a teacher is like the sky..."

"...Ashuban?"

"The more I look up, the higher it gets..."

Sensing a different atmosphere than usual, Shushuruta cautiously approached him.

When she arrived next to him and saw his face, Shushuruta was startled.

Because he was shedding tears she had never seen before.

"Y-you. Are you crying?"

Shushuruta stuttered, so flustered was she.

Ashuban looked up at the moon and retorted.

"What are you talking about? These are not tears."

"If they're not tears, what are they?"

"It is the belated regret of a foolish disciple reflecting on the grace and memories of his sky-like master."

"...Then what was that gloomy dirge you were muttering?"

"A dirge? It's a hymn dedicated to my master."

"...It's too depressing for a hymn."

"Shut up. What do you know about my feelings?"

Ashuban began to mutter that gloomy tune again.

"The grace of a teacher is like the sky..."

It was then.

"Devil!"

Linda, who had suddenly burst out of the forest, threw herself at Ashuban's back.

"The more I look up... ugh."

Ashuban, who was soaked in the sorrow of parting with the Heavenly Demon, was caught off guard by the unexpected attack from behind and fell forward.

Since the front was a sheer cliff.

The result was as clear as day.

"Whoa!"

"Waaah!"

With strange screams, Ashuban and Linda fell off the cliff.

Shushuruta shouted at them.

"You stupid idiots!!!"

And a moment later.

Ashuban lightly kicked off the air and returned to the top of the cliff.

"Heeheehee."

Linda was clinging to his back, smiling brightly.

"Heehee, that was fun! Devil, let's do it again!"

"Fun, my ass."

Thump!

"Ouch."

"Oof, that made the tears go away."

Shushuruta said to Ashuban, who was taking Linda off his back.

"You're not even fully healed, and you can't stand it for a moment and run out as soon as you wake up?"

Ashuban wiped his eyes and said.

"I came out for a moment to see my master off."

"Master? You mean your master in your head, the Heavenly Demon?"

Ashuban looked up at the sky.

The dark blue night sky was full of stars.

"Yes, he left my head and went to a faraway place."

"A faraway place? Where?"

At Linda's innocent question, Ashuban silently pointed to the night sky with his hand.

"He ascended to heaven. I thought he would become an immortal, but he became a god."

"An immortal? A god?"

Linda tilted her head.

"Not just any god. A demon god. He became the master of the terrifying red throne."

"A demon god? The red throne?"

"...Come to think of it, he's someone who would have gone around beating everyone up even if he had become an immortal. Is it a good thing that he became a god who has to guard his throne sedately?"

Shushuruta asked.

"What is an immortal?"

Ashuban looked at Shushuruta with a solemn gaze.

"I don't know that either."

"..."

Shushuruta let out a deep sigh.

"I thought..."

"Thought what?"

"I thought you ran away because you didn't want to grant our wishes."

Ashuban tilted his head.

"Wishes? What wishes?"

"You know, the one. That you would grant our wishes when everything was over."

"???"

At Ashuban's expression of complete bewilderment, Shushuruta's eyes narrowed.

"Have you forgotten? Or are you pretending to have forgotten?"

Next to them, Linda jumped up and down and said.

"You promised! That you would grant a wish to the person who smashed the most black guys. Devil, don't you remember?"

Only then did Ashuban slowly nod his head.

"Ah... that's right."

After looking at Shushuruta and Linda with a convinced face for a moment.

Pabat!

He ran away.

"Ah! He's running away!"

"Ashuban! Stop right there!"

"Devil! Where are you going! You have to grant our wishes!"

A midnight chase ensued.

The unusually bright moon just watched them quietly.

***

The long war was over.

Everyone was busy with the aftermath.

Fortunately, the people had all been evacuated in advance, and the war had taken place in a highland area with almost no houses.

As a result of the war, the forest was destroyed and the surrounding terrain had changed a bit.

But there was no major damage. As if the war had been intentionally fought at that location.

Not only that, but the Dark Heaven Society members had been completely wiped out when I unleashed the moonlight waves.

And the magical beasts had evaporated into a handful of ash along with the Evil God when he was completely annihilated.

So there was no need to deal with any remnants.

Thus, the aftermath was sufficient with just recovering the bodies of the fallen and treating the wounded.

There wasn't much I could do to help, and even that was almost finished, so I didn't bother to go.

Instead, I recuperated in Guston's restaurant under the devoted care of Siri and Linda and heard about what had happened after I collapsed.

From what I heard, a longer time had passed than I thought before I woke up.

"A month?"

"That's right."

Thanks to that, the reinforcements who had fought with us had already returned after sorting out their own forces while I was lying down.

The Knight of Frost, who was the first to confirm my safety, had left without looking back.

And Ashley and Rutie had no choice but to follow him.

After that, Duke Elsbears, who could not leave the wall for long, returned to Tundra with Adrian.

And then, the Hero of Light, Lasol of the Holy Hilka Empire, and the Demon King Aktir and Demon Prince Bjoern of the Kingdom of Sorrow had stayed until the very end before returning.

They had waited until two weeks before I woke up, and then, reluctantly, had no choice but to leave.

"Hmm."

"Among them, Lasol was particularly disappointed. I don't know how many times she looked back as she left. You should go visit her sometime."

"Yes. I should."

I could easily imagine Lasol greeting me with a bright smile, saying, 'My friend!'

They were grateful reinforcements who had all returned as if they didn't need any thanks, even before I could offer my gratitude.

It was true that I was disappointed, but it didn't matter much.

Because I could visit them anytime.

And.

I could also understand why the Heavenly Demon had left me as soon as I woke up.

I imagined the Heavenly Demon fishing boredly in my mindscape for a month without a single conversation partner.

It seemed he had waited for a whole month, a boring time, just to see his disciple's face before leaving.

'...Thank you, Master.'

I was glad that I could see the Heavenly Demon's final departure.

"So, how are you feeling?"

I looked at Scarlet sitting opposite me.

She was smiling, gently stroking Miho.

I smiled back and answered.

"Not bad."

Guston, who had been sitting silently next to me, patted my shoulder.

"You've worked hard."

Finally, that all of this was over.

"Haha..."

It finally sank in.

***

As soon as I returned to the hideout, I checked the condition of the mercenary corps members.

Fortunately, it seemed no one was seriously injured.

I had heard that a few had been seriously injured, but they had mostly recovered thanks to Siri and Linda while I was sleeping.

"You've all worked hard."

Schmitt, with a bandage on one arm, spoke to me with only one hand.

—You too. Hard work.

"...You've become a man of few words."

—Unavoidable. One hand. Crippled. Useless.

Mary said with teary eyes.

"I'm so glad everyone is safe...! You don't know how worried I was."

Hudmilla, who was sprawled out on the sofa, muttered.

"It's finally over... I'm not working for a while. I was so stressed because of those Dark Heaven Society bastards."

"A strike?"

"A strike, a strike!"

I looked at the various spirits playing on top of Hudmilla and asked.

"What are you going to do on your strike?"

"Well... maybe I'll visit my family. I don't think I've seen my father's face in a while."

I looked at Dofang, who was sitting on one side of the sofa, twirling a butterfly knife.

"What about you, Brother Dofang?"

"Well. I'm thinking of enjoying my hobby for a while."

"Thievery?"

"Hey! Thievery! Call it a discreet ownership transfer operation!"

"...It's the same thing."

I looked at Hartz, who was quietly sipping his drink.

"Hey, beast."

"It's Sorrow."

"Hey, cold-blooded."

"...What."

"What are you going to do?"

Sorrow answered, savoring his drink with his eyes closed.

"I'm going to drink to my heart's content."

"Go ahead. It's healthier than thievery."

"It's not thievery, it's a necessary reallocation of assets..."

I ignored him and looked around.

Because it seemed one person was missing.

"Where did that pervert go? The captain is here, and he doesn't even show his face."

Hartz snorted.

"Where do you think he went? He went to pick up women."

"Didn't you say he hurt his leg?"

"He was walking around just fine, limping."

"...The persistence of a pervert is truly frightening."

I let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, everyone, rest to your heart's content! If you want to drink, drink to your heart's content. If you want to steal, do it to your heart's content without getting caught. If you want to travel, just leave!"

If you've worked hard, it's only natural to rest.

"It's a full vacation! The Sherwood Mercenary Corps is closing its doors for a while!"

"Ooh!"

"Really?"

The guys cheered.

"Yeah. We've been busy, and we've even fought a big war, so we should rest when we can."

"Oh yeah!"

"That's our captain!"

I smirked.

"Only our captain at times like this."

"That's hot. Until when?"

"Until I get back."

Hudmilla, who was sprawled out on the sofa, lifted only her head slightly and looked at me.

"Until you get back? Where are you going?"

I nodded my head.

"I have some business in the east."

Then, a hand gently pulled on my arm.

"Why don't you ask me...?"

Viola, who was sitting right next to me, was looking at me with teary eyes.

"Ah, that's..."

"And you're going to the east...? Further east from here is beyond the cliff...?"

"Uh... right?"

"The answer you were supposed to give me...?"

Squeeze...

"The answer you were supposed to give me...?"

"Th-that's..."

Viola lowered her head.

"I've waited for a really long time... You told me to wait, so I held it in and waited..."

Her voice was laced with moisture.

She was literally on the verge of tears.

"Viola. H-hey, let's talk after you let go."

"Are you telling me to wait even longer...?"

I tried to release Viola's hand that was holding my arm, but it wouldn't budge with just a moderate amount of force.

'What strength...!'

She was already strong, but she seems to have gotten even stronger than before.

Squeeze...!

'H-help!'

I sent out a distress signal with my eyes, but.

These damn bastards, whether their captain was in trouble or not, were just grinning and watching with great interest, as if they had found an interesting spectacle.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

I couldn't even activate the Blood Moon here.

"Viola. It's an urgent matter. I'll be right back, okay? If you just wait a little longer until I get back..."

"I can't wait any longer..."

Viola lifted her head abruptly.

"Answer me and go...!"

As expected, tears were streaming down her face.

And her indigo eyes flashed with a frightening light.

Shudder!

A chill ran down my spine.

It was then.

Thump!

Boris opened the hideout door without knocking and shouted.

"Hey, Ashuban!"

I looked at the welcome intruder with the eyes of someone who had met their savior.

"His Majesty the King wants to see you! Right now!"

At the words 'His Majesty the King,' the strength in Viola's hand that was holding my arm slowly drained away.

'Nice, Boris!'

I naturally escaped from Viola's firm grasp and cheered inwardly.

But I didn't show it and stood up from my seat, answering in a solemn tone.

"Ahem. If it is the call of His Majesty the King, I must certainly go."

I deliberately ignored Viola's gaze that was fixed on the back of my head.

I hurriedly took Boris and ran out of the hideout.

(End of Chapter)