I Am the Weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings but the Demons Are Obsessed With Me

31 – We Have to Rescue the Hero.

The invasion of the Demon world was, in fact, akin to terraforming.

The Demons could survive without food as long as they had magical energy. Conversely, under conditions where there wasn’t enough magical energy, they could hardly exert their strength.

Leaving the Demon world didn’t weaken them immediately. However, the moment they began to fight in earnest, they would excessively consume the magical energy necessary to maintain life. The stronger the Demon, the more magical energy they would consume in the Human world.

That’s why they expanded their territory in the Human world by setting up various dungeons. Sending over weaker Demons gradually, it was the Demon King’s grand strategy to gradually expand the area where they could move about.

While the Hero was growing stronger to face the Demon King, this was also where they could buy time.

But was he giving up the home ground advantage and heading to the Demon world at a point when he’s not fully grown yet?

‘He must be out of his mind.’

If the Hero dies, humanity would be defeated by the Demons.

Or, like the one historical precedent, they could send tens of thousands of heroes into the Demon world and set up a suicide charge.

Either way, humanity would suffer devastating damage. The fate of this world clearly depended on one hero.

Damn this unfair world.

My retirement was riding on the Hero’s victory too!

‘Ugh, should I go and help?’

This way, it’s obvious the Hero was going to die on the way.

But I couldn’t just barge into the Demon world and assist the Hero either.

The Demons could know that the ‘Four Heavenly King’, Rain, is still alive.

The half-Demon has been pretending to be dead and living secretly in the Human world? That it’s not considered a spy is absurd.

Because half-Demons are such a race to begin with. It was impossible for the Demons not to suspect a bat-like race who lives in both Human and Demon worlds.

If they traced back to the days when he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, they would soon realize that he was the cause of the rapid growth of the Hero.

Although he had made his data difficult to understand by diversifying them under the name of ‘modernization of administration’…

“It should be easy for Scarlett to figure out.”

But it was a setback.

Should I ask the organization to dispatch a rescue team to save the hero instead?

However, that would mean my mission was a failure. That irritable old codger wouldn’t show any flexibility, even in urgent situations.

To enter the demon world directly, one would need at least the power of a ‘hero’ class.

No solution came to mind.

Is there a way to send a hero-class rescue team to the demon world without asking for organizational help…?

“…Now that I think about it, aren’t there many of hero-class here?”

The professors at the Academy are composed of scholars and ‘heroes.’

I might be able to make good use of my undercover identity.

The regional chief who handed me this undercover identity would suffer with the cleanup, but… what can I do? It’s not my mission to worry about.

[Information Disclosure Request Form]

[Information on the Current Location of the Hero]

[Approval Complete]

That night.

News that the hero had entered the demon world spread to all the countries of the continent.

*

Geographically speaking, the Academy isn’t too far from ‘the end of the world.’

It was built at the edge of the continent and not the center because of the threat of terrorism.

Having it in an accessible location had made it a target for terrorism due to various political reasons. The existence of an Academy that nurtures ‘heroes’ was naturally a matter directly linked to the political balance among various nations.

So, while the heroes establishing the Academy were racking their brains,

the suggestion came up to build the Academy right next to the end of the world. By stepping out of political interests and forming a pact with heroes who protect ‘humanity’ itself, they decided to seek their protection.

Of course, it was a dangerous affair. It was essentially building a school not far from a battlefield. But it was a danger nonetheless—

From the perspective of regular students, terrorism was more dangerous than demons anyway.

Demons didn’t show much interest in other heroes besides the hero. Moreover, even if it were dangerous, it would only be for a brief period when the ‘Demon King’ resurrected, which only happened once every few centuries.

If the front lines had pushed this far, then it meant the hero had already been defeated by then. In such a case, it would become necessary to gather everyone from boy soldiers to retired heroes for a suicide mission. Therefore, there was no need to worry about getting caught up in the war with the demon world.

It was an extreme solution.

But it turned out to be more effective than anticipated.

Few dared to commit terrorism while turning their back on the ‘heroes of humanity.’ At that point, it wasn’t a political issue; it became about making the entire world an enemy.

For these reasons, the Academy functioned both as a cradle for future heroes and as humanity’s last line of defense.

And now.

A colossal problem has arisen that may necessitate the defense line performing its duty.

“The Hero has charged into the demon realm? What in the world is the Hero thinking?”

“The Hero of our age has grown too rapidly in such a short amount of time. While it’s a good thing that the Hero possesses exceptional talent, it wouldn’t be surprising if that led to arrogance. Hasn’t she been traveling alone, rejecting the support of the Holy Kingdom and her companions?

Former heroes serving as professors at the Academy, representatives from various nations, and those representing ‘humanity’s heroes’ in alliance with the Academy gathered together.

They murmured and shared their opinions on the Hero’s reckless actions. The scene was far from orderly. No doubt, they were deeply unsettled themselves.

The High Elf, Palegreen Herb, serving as the chancellor of the Academy, had a headache.

Why did this vexing issue have to occur during his tenure as chancellor? Granted, given his High Elf lineage, he had indeed been the chancellor for about a century, but that wasn’t the point.

The important matter was the impulsive action taken by the human Hero. This was why those with short lifespans could not be trusted. Haven’t they always rushed due to their brevity of life, only to ruin everything?

“‘Humanity’s Hero’ delegate, your name is…”

“Crom.”

“Crom, what are your thoughts?”

“We never should have depended on a Hero in the first place. Even if the Demon King were to invade us directly, our lines would hold firm. It’s enough to let those filthy demons trample over the lands of ‘Primrose.'”

Despite his confident demeanor,

It wasn’t a particularly convincing claim.

After all, wasn’t it their own arrogance that had led to the lands of ‘Primrose’ being overrun?

“The Hero is the archenemy of the Demon King, handpicked by the Goddess herself. Such a statement seems somewhat inappropriate…”

“It is we who have protected the world’s edge for centuries, not that goddamn brat of a Hero!”

“…We are grateful for your dedication. But now, given the near certainty of the Hero’s defeat, we must discuss subsequent measures…”

The discussion was getting nowhere.

Few among them could truly fathom the threat of an ‘invasion from the demon realm.’ The defeat of a Hero at the hands of a Demon King was something that barely made an appearance in the history books.

At that time, tens of thousands of heroes had literally risked their lives to protect the continent.

But the caliber of these heroes could not compare to those of that era. Maybe the danger was not as severe as they thought. Everyone seemed overly optimistic about the situation at hand.

Delegates from various nations were expounding political logics to ‘consume’ fewer heroes.

Therefore, there was no chance of reaching a consensus.

Just when the representatives’ voices were about to grow louder,

Someone entered the conference room.

“We must rescue the Hero.”

As absurd as the statement was.

The moment that person walked in, the faces of the heroes turned stern. Some even drew their swords or aimed their weapons.

The presence that entered the meeting room was felt to carry a magical aura.

With a polite demeanor, he introduced himself.

“I am Plum R. Orchid, half-human, half-demon.”

“Professor Plum, why are you here at this gathering…?”

“Let me repeat myself. The Hero must be rescued. I implore everyone here to organize a rescue mission to save the Hero.”

“Nonsense. How dare a cursed breed like you come here with such audacity…”

Towards Crom, a so-called ‘hero’ who growled as he aimed his weapon.

Plum simply bowed his head in courtesy and drew something from his pocket and presented it. Seeing the item, the ‘hero’s’ pupils shook as if hit by an earthquake.

“This is… the Earl of Primrose’s…”

“The former Earl. Now Miss Rosa Primrose has inherited the name of Primrose.”

“…”

Crom sheathed his weapon.

While those around, unable to comprehend the situation, looked on bewildered,

Plum, still with utmost decorum, handed an item to the imperial envoy.

Upon verifying the ‘item’, the envoy’s face turned deathly pale.

“The Empire will honor my request, won’t you?”

“O-of course! But this, what about it…”

“Shh. The rule is not to ask, but to simply comply, isn’t it?”

“Understood!”

Professor Plum, who in a single moment silenced representatives of the ‘hero of humanity’ and the ‘Empire,’

Once again,

Uttered the same phrase.

“We must rescue the Hero.”

This time, no one objected.