Chapter 14 : Brave

Tutankhamun Desert.

The red sand desert.

“Hoho, so this is it. The Tutankhamun Desert.”

The Demon Monarch arrived at the Tutankhamun Desert, not for ‘recommendation manipulation’… but for revenge.

It was because ‘AloneisSad,’ the bane of her existence, had mentioned their location as the Tutankhamun Desert several times on the broadcast. They’d said they were trapped in ruins buried beneath this red sand.

She wasn’t sure if it was true, but it was worth checking out.

“That insolent wretch. I will make them pay.”

That’s right.

The Demon Monarch… had teleported to the desert alone for a ‘face-to-face’!

The world’s first face-to-face confrontation.

And if it came to pass, it would be a legendary match: Demon Monarch VS Hero.

“The ancient king’s tomb… Hmm, I don’t see anything special.”

However, there were no visible ruins in the desert.

It was natural, since they were buried in sand.

The Demon Monarch pondered for a moment, then nodded as she recalled something.

“They said they fell in while being swept away by a sand pit. Then I just need to find the sand pit.”

The Demon Monarch dispatched her familiars and soon discovered an area in the center of the red sand desert where giant sand whirlpools swirled.

It looked like it was screaming ‘Something is hidden here!’

Ironically, it was a landscape that seemed to hide nothing.

Of course, most people would die the moment they were caught in the whirlpools, so there was no need to hide anything in the first place.

“Hmm… I should send a familiar first.”

She was the Demon Monarch.

She wouldn’t be crushed by sand just from being swept into a sand whirlpool.

After finding the entrance by throwing a few familiars into the whirlpool, the Demon Monarch protected herself with magic and jumped inside.

And…

“Hoho… Is this the ancient king’s tomb? What a fascinating place.”

She arrived at a tomb that clearly looked like ruins.

And so…

“I sense a presence… over there.”

…The fateful encounter between the Demon Monarch and the Hero finally took place.

The Hero was hungry.

No, he was hungry, thirsty, lonely, hot, desolate, tired, frustrated, and sad.

He just kept digging, wielding his holy sword like a shovel, relying on the mage’s voice that came from somewhere.

If he kept digging, he would eventually get out.

“Hee hee! I feel like I’m almost there! I’ll be able to see the sunlight soon, right?”

The hero, who had been diligently digging, sat down on the ground to rest, talking to himself.

Based on his senses, he felt that if he dug about halfway more, he would reach the surface. One could think, ‘I’ve only dug half,’ but the hero was an optimist who thought, ‘I’ve already dug half the tunnel.’

And…

While he was resting…

“Uh, huh?”

The hero’s holy sword began to glow, reacting to something.

“You sense demonic energy?”

Demonic energy. The life source of demons.

A sinister energy that was highly toxic to humans and corrupted beasts, turning them into monsters.

For some reason, the holy sword was whispering that it sensed demonic energy nearby.

“I don’t feel anything! Ah, are they sealing their demonic energy with magic? Then they must be a good demon!”

The hero spoke to the holy sword.

It might have looked like he was talking to himself like a madman, but the hero could understand what the holy sword was saying.

Because he was the hero.

He had the ability to hear the sword’s voice.

“You say they’re getting closer? Ah, are they coming to rescue me?! Maybe it’s the Mage-nim…! Come to think of it, there’s no guarantee they’re human.”

And a moment later…

He heard someone muttering from beyond the tunnel.

“Oh… I can connect to the Network Magic Tool. First, I’ll recommend my post…”
“Is anyone there?!”

What appeared from beyond the tunnel was a demon with pale skin and curved horns.

The demon, who had been muttering while using the Network Magic Tool, nodded in satisfaction and deactivated it.

Then, the demon approached the hero and looked down at him.

“Are you the insolent human who uses the nickname ‘AloneisSad’?”
“Yes! Are you the Mage-nim?!”

“No, I am not such an insignificant being.”
“Huh?”

“I am the Demon Monarch. Lord of all demons, ruler of the Demon Realm, commander of seventy-two legions—”
“Ah! Evil Demon Monarch!”

“Hmm?”
“The evil Demon Monarch who stole my sandwich!”

“What are you…”

The hero interrupted the Demon Monarch, shouting and raising his holy sword.

White light, the radiance of holy power, emanated from the holy sword.

“That’s… a holy sword? Are you really the Hero?”
“This is all your fault! Me being trapped here, my sandwich disappearing, all of it!”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. More importantly, about those insolent remarks you made to me using the Megaphone—”
“Apologize!”

“Yes, apologize… Hmm?”

At that moment…

The Demon Monarch realized.

‘Oh, he’s insane.’

That this Hero was crazy.

A crazy hero. How pathetic for someone wielding a holy sword.

She couldn’t hold a lunatic accountable for their insane remarks.

She couldn’t kill someone just because they were spouting nonsense. At least, the Demon Monarch wasn’t that brutal of a tyrant.

“…Very well, I shall forgive your rudeness. Just don’t insult me again—”
“Evil Demon Monarch! Ugly! Old hag!”

“I’ll kill you.”

The Demon Monarch changed her mind.

She would kill the hero right here and now and steal their Network Magic Tool. That way, she could recommend her posts twice, which would be a profit.

There was no reason to keep the hero alive after such an insult to the Demon Monarch.

So, the Demon Monarch activated her magic.

The hero also channeled mana into their holy sword.

The small cave trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

[Warning!]

Suddenly, a translucent message window appeared before them both.

[Hostile actions between Network Magic Tool users have been detected.]
[Acts such as looting, robbing, or stealing the said magic tool are strictly prohibited by the terms of service.]

[Therefore, in accordance with Article 121 of the terms of service, the functions of the said magic tool will be suspended.]

“Hmm? There was such a function. They did implement some safety measures.”
“Huh? W-Wait! I just drew my sword! I wasn’t going to fight! That evil Demon Monarch used magic first! N-Network Magic Tool access! Forum! Music Sharing!”

The magic tool’s functions were suspended.

The hero trembled and started shouting the magic tool’s commands. Their frantic appearance even startled the Demon Monarch.

And…

“N-No! It’s not working! Ah, aahh, sob, sob…”

The hero collapsed to the ground and started bawling.

Tossing even his holy sword aside.

Crying his heart out.

The Demon Monarch was taken aback by the hero’s sudden emotional shift.

“Uh, hmm? H-Hero? A-Are you alright?”
“Waaah… Why are you doing this to me… I’m always being chased by monsters, I’m alone, I’m trapped in strange places… Evil Demon Monarch… Hiccup… This… this was all I had…”

The Demon Monarch, staring blankly at the hero, felt like a villain who had stolen a child’s toy.

Well, she was a villain who had done just that.

Chosen as a hero from a young age, the hero roamed battlefields with only a sword. Because of his destiny, he was constantly caught in various crises, and while other children his age slept soundly under a roof, the hero sliced open monsters’ bellies with his holy sword.

Most of the hero’s knowledge came from reading books in the libraries of ruined cities and villages.

Naturally, one couldn’t expect such a hero to be mentally mature.

There were no adults around to teach the hero how to be an ‘adult’.

So…

“This… this was all I had… Sob…”

…The mage’s voice was all the hero had to learn about people. Even though it was a mostly one-sided exchange, such ‘continuous interaction’ was a first for the hero.

But…

The Demon Monarch had broken the gift the mage had given them.

“Ugh…”
“Um, well, I didn’t mean any harm. It was just because you insulted me, no, um…”

And so…

The Demon Monarch, flustered by the hero crying their heart out…

Finally…

“I’m sorry…”

…Bowed her head to the hero.

The ‘Demon Monarch’ bowed her head to a human.

“I’ll bring you one of my subordinates’ magic tools… so, um, calm down…”
“No… Waaah…”

The Demon Monarch offered the best compromise she could, but…

The hero shook their head and continued to cry.

“What do you mean ‘no’?”
“Magic tool… the magic tool I received… no…”

“Well, that magic tool’s functions are suspended, so that’s only natural. You can still access the Network Magic with a different one—”
“Waaah…!”

The hero’s ‘Not mine!’ attack made the Demon Monarch dizzy.

It was difficult for the Demon Monarch, who had lived in the Demon Realm for hundreds of years, to understand a child’s sensitivity.

So…

“This is driving me crazy.”

The Demon Monarch decided to just run away.

“T-Then I’ll send you out of this tunnel, so forgive me.”

The Demon Monarch teleported the hero to the desert surface with spatial magic.

And immediately fled back to the Demon Realm.

[System Log]
[The Tutankhamun Desert (333.123) magic tool has been locked.]

“Hmm? What’s this?”

Checking the system logs, it seemed there had been hostile actions between magic tool users.

“I should unlock it.”

[Reactivating the magic tool.]

“Ahh! My magic tool is working again!”

The hero was happy.