The Terminally Ill Hero’s Husband is the Demon King

“I heard he uses brainwashing magic to show people what they fear most. They say there was even a knight who tried to kill himself out of terror. Haven’t you heard stories like that?”

“Whether they’re knights or mercenaries, if they all stupidly charge in waving weapons and harassing him, what choice does the Demon King have? He has to chase them away. It’s the same as putting up a scarecrow to drive off birds pecking at beans. Waaah! It’s supposed to scare them. A scarecrow doesn’t kill birds. If a bird gets startled and dies, then you have to say that’s because it was fainthearted.”

Among the people, the Demon King’s dignity had fallen so far that he was being compared to a scarecrow. In Gillian’s mind, instead of a huge, sinister figure wielding darkness, the Demon King became a trivial and ridiculous figure like a scarecrow barely moving its arms in the wind.

The scarecrow had been walking around Gray Mountain, taking strolls, getting some air, and caring for flowers and young animals, only for the punitive forces to interfere.

All the angry scarecrow Demon King had done was make them have frightening waking dreams, and perhaps the Demon King did not enjoy destruction and bloodshed. Still, Gillian did not let go of his suspicions.

“The brainwashing magic the Demon King uses is extremely powerful. Yet isn’t it strange that he doesn’t try to use it to dominate people? Isn’t the Demon King supposed to be a being that feeds on people’s fear and pain?”

The short mercenary looked at Gillian as if he didn’t know anything and said,

“If that were the Demon King’s goal, then it would make sense for him to have taken the people crossing the mountain. He wouldn’t even have to torture or kill them. People go mad just from being locked up somewhere, crying and screaming because they’re scared.”

“That makes sense. Exactly! If he can send punitive forces running with their tails between their legs, would he really be afraid of swordsmen or hunters like us?” the tall mercenary chimed in, to which Gillian silently nodded.

“If the Demon King wanted to do evil, he would have kidnapped a few people from the Hundred-Year Fortress. If he did that, he could have gotten everything he wanted, right?”

“He could have snuck into the Hundred-Year Fortress in the middle of the night and cast magic, too. There were plenty of ways to give people pain and fear. Humans are weak beasts who go mad just from being kept awake. But he didn’t do that. What that fellow wants isn’t something like that.”

It was a reasonable point. Gillian asked,

“Then what do you think the Demon King wants?”

“I don’t know. How would I know? But I’ve thought about it whenever I was bored. I think the Demon King needs our attention.”

“Attention, you say. Explain that in more detail.”

“The Demon King, I mean. If he’s that good at brainwashing magic, it makes no sense that he couldn’t deceive us. If he wanted to hide, he could’ve lived in hiding without a rat or bird knowing. But the Demon King wanted to let people know he was there on Gray Mountain. But he didn’t want to fight the punitive forces, and he didn’t want to kill or hurt anyone, either. He doesn’t want to come down from the mountain and wander around, either. What could it be? It makes me curious too. Though it’s none of my business.”

Gillian gave a brief clap as a sign of surprise and respect. What the mercenary was saying now was more important and accurate than the things he had heard in the capital and Iris had investigated. This was why one had to come to the site and listen to what the people had to say.

It was then. A person who had been eavesdropping on Gillian and the mercenaries from over in the corner came toward them with a beer mug in hand. He was fairly tall and broad-shouldered, and looked like someone who was quite strong.

He wore a hat that covered both his hair and ears, and below his nose, cloth was wrapped around his face, covering more than half of it. His attire was suspicious enough to warrant caution, but his eyes, smiling gently, were affable and did not make him seem like a bad person.

“Interesting. Both of you have pretty sharp minds. It’s such a shame you’ve already taken work.”

“If we didn’t have work, what, would you have a decent job for us, mister?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m looking for people to catch everything with fur before winter comes and make a good profit. I’m Iber. Iber the hunter. Haven’t you heard of me?”