# 121. The Hero Party's Regret (8)
The Demon King of Greed, Greed, could only be satisfied when he obtained everything he desired—money, people, honor.
*Fuck.*
And yet here I am.
Me, who made humans tremble just from hearing my voice.
Why am I stuck inside this lizard body causing a ruckus?
At the end of the reptilian slit eyes was a single man.
*If, if it weren't for that bastard. I wouldn't have lost everything I wanted—!!*
The injury inflicted by Lee Jun-woo.
Even for a Demon King, it was a fatal wound that took a long time to heal, so he had switched to a new body.
However, in the meantime, he had been marked by the other Demon Kings.
*You've grown quite weak, Greed. You've become useless.*
*You, you bastards—!!*
*Even if your body is injured. At this rate, you'll be useless even after recovering. So, you...*
Go find the Hero Party and finish them.
Injure them at least.
Die.
Whether you die by our hands or return victorious over the Hero Party.
That's up to you.
*Fuuuck...*
A Demon King who isn't strong isn't needed.
Sacrifice yourself for the survival of the other Demon Kings.
Cast aside so miserably, Greed.
Recalling his miserable memories, Greed roared at the Hero Party.
—All of you—!! It's all your fault—!! You're the ones who ended the Demon King's life—!! I'll never forgive you—!!
Greed freely wielded his tail, swinging it around.
In the cramped cave, it was difficult to avoid such wide-ranging attacks.
Luna and Hare moved their bodies, dripping with sweat.
"If, if we get hit, we'll die...! Be, be careful, Luna...!!"
"Right! Thanks, Hare!"
"No, wait... why am I worrying about..."
Hare shook her head and shouted again.
"No... ju, just get hit by the tail and die...!! Don't get in the way between me and mister...!"
"That's going to be a bit difficult!"
"What?"
She probably didn't hear that, right?
Luna's eyes shone coldly as she evaded Greed's attacks.
*Stay as calm as possible. Absolutely don't get excited.*
Whew—
Inside Luna, countless emotions surged.
The corpses of her family she had seen in the past.
Mister's death.
And the Demon King's smiling face casually stepping on the corpses.
Luna bit her lip hard and met the lizardman's red eyes.
"You there. Lizard."
—That voice is the Hero? You're not hiding behind that guy like last time?
"...So you are the red Demon King from back then. Confirmation complete."
If it's that Demon King.
Then I have no reason to back down.
Luna shouted in her heart.
*Holy Sword. Lend me your power! I'll kill the Demon King with my own hands!*
—...
The Holy Sword gave no answer.
However, it responded through action.
Luna placed her hand on her heart and slowly drew out the Holy Sword.
She pulled the blade out to the end and shouted.
"I still haven't forgotten my family's revenge! You've appeared in my dreams constantly! You, even if I die dozens of times—!! I'll definitely kill you!!"
—I probably didn't kill your family though...
"Shut up! You tried to kill them! That's attempted murder!"
—...
Thud thud thud—
Luna charged forward, wrapping the Holy Sword in blue Sword Ki.
Watching her carefully, Hare moved in sync with Luna's thoughts.
It was a similar rhythm to the childhood friend she'd spent ten years with.
"Lu, Luna...! The part you're aiming for is 'that place,' right...?"
"I don't know! But it's probably the part you're thinking of!"
"O, okay...! Then I'll move too...!"
"Yeah!"
As soon as the answer ended, Hare rushed toward the lizardman's abdomen at rapid speed.
Greed let out a hollow laugh and swung his sharp claws.
The sound of a large gust of wind merely cut through the empty air.
—These quick little shits... If only my original body were here...!! You'd all be dead by my hand...!!
Hare kept attempting attacks toward Greed's abdomen like a gnat.
Because of this, Greed could guess that the Hero Party's target was the abdomen.
However, that was Hare's feint.
*The real attack... hide it in the lie...!*
Just as mister taught.
Hare merely stole the lizardman's attention.
"Now, Luna... attack...!!"
"I was going to even without you saying so!"
The Holy Sword imbued with blue Sword Ki.
Luna plunged the Holy Sword toward her intended target with an upright heart.
"The head."
Because mister said so.
If you don't know the opponent's weakness, attack the head first.
"Mister said roughly all living creatures have the head as their weakness."
As Luna's feet touched the ground.
Along with it, the lizardman's head let out a scream that echoed through the cave.
—Gaaah—!! You vermin-like Heroes—!!
"The, the head was cut off but it's still talking, mister...!! Do, do lizard heads regenerate like tails...?"
"No, heads don't regenerate. Well done."
Rumble—
The lizardman.
No, Greed's body lost its strength as the head fell to the ground and collapsed forward.
The Hero Party had defeated the Demon King far more easily than Lee Jun-woo expected.
"...Probably, being that weak is an issue with the body."
"What are you talking about! We're strong! Mister! Hero Luna and! Thief Hare are strong!"
"...It's Thief, not Thief."
"Same difference!"
Hare shouted that they were distinctly different.
She requested a correction, but Luna absolutely refused to correct it.
"Thief or Thief, they're the same!"
Because she genuinely couldn't feel the difference.
The Demon King's subjugation ended more anticlimactically than expected.
Lee Jun-woo silently approached the lizardman's corpse on the floor and knelt down.
"..."
"Mister! What are you doing there! And why is your expression so serious!"
"We, we won...! You can smile, mister...!"
Lee Jun-woo stared at the lizardman's corpse with a hardened expression.
Silence flowed, and just as the small sounds of the cave began to become noticeable.
Lee Jun-woo stood up and patted Luna and Hare's heads.
"You did well defeating the Demon King so easily. Especially you, Hare."
"Yes...!"
"You made Luna shine. Very well done."
"Heh, hehe... thank youuu..."
Hare smiled quietly, savoring the touch.
Luna couldn't just watch, and shouted with a flushed face.
"Wha, what about me! I have lots to be praised for too! I did really well! Hurry up and praise me!"
"...Luna, I'll give you plenty later."
"Tha, that's not fair!"
"No."
I can't do it right now.
"Don't hesitate, Luna."
"Yes...?"
With those words.
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly sank to the floor.
Some change was beginning.
Luna and Hare didn't want to acknowledge that change.
"Mi, mister...?"
"..."
"Mister's eyes are turning red..."
Ah.
Luna and Hare let out sighs.
Lee Jun-woo put his trembling hand into subspace.
Then, he indifferently dropped a rope on the floor.
The meaning of that action was singular.
"You two... must... subdue me... and then... return home..."
So that Estia can eliminate the Demon King.
Subdue him with the rope.
Luna and Hare always listened well to mister, but.
"Mi, mister's body has the Demon King... I, I can't... how can I attack mister..."
"...Why did mister make this choice...?"
This command alone they couldn't easily follow.
Even knowing that what was before their eyes was the Demon King and not mister.
The two couldn't easily move.
It won't be easy.
It will be difficult.
Even though I've drained all the mana from my body.
My physical abilities are still considerable.
"It will take a long time."
It's a dark space.
What I see appears before me like a TV screen.
The one using my body now is the Demon King of Greed, Greed.
He was freely using my body to engage in battle.
"I wish they wouldn't all hesitate, but hoping for that would be unconscionable."
Greed, unable to properly use my body.
While adapting, many weaknesses in the body were revealed, but.
Luna and Hare weren't readily attacking.
"They could have stabbed me plenty... What a shame."
Did he hear my muttering in the darkness?
A door opened in the dark space, and Minerva appeared.
"...What's a shame. Jun, that's your body that will properly scar."
"It's been a while, Minerva."
"...Yeah, it's been a while."
Minerva sat down next to me as if nothing had happened.
She must have eavesdropped on my conversation with Luna through her book.
She seemed to have noticed that my emotions had been resolved.
"Minerva."
"...What."
"The future you showed me. That's certain, right?"
"...Right, ultimately the two of them subdue you and eliminate the Demon King."
After Luna and Hare defeated the lizardman.
Minerva's choices appeared before my eyes.
[Will you eliminate the Demon King now? There's one method.]
[1. Eliminate it now.]
[2. Eliminate it later.]
The reason I'm here is because I chose option 1.
I chose to eliminate it now and gave my body to Greed.
*Everything you want! I, I'll make it all come true for you! What do you want? Wo, women? Mo, money? I can definitely make that happen. With my power, anything is possible. How about it? Not bad, right? I promise!*
Greed's anxious voice could be heard.
I checked the future and accepted his proposal.
Not because I wanted what he promised.
But for Luna and Hare's growth.
I looked at Minerva and asked about something curious.
"More than that, it's surprising you gave me this choice. I'd never thought about giving control of my body to a Demon King."
"...Because this is the most helpful method. There's no other meaning."
Minerva smiled with a suspicious smile.
*Certainly... even if we killed the lizardman, Greed's soul would still be alive... so this is the best method.*
Trap Greed's soul in my body.
Tie up that body as is and take it home.
The rope I dropped on the floor isn't an ordinary rope.
If they just tie up the body, Luna and Hare will be victorious.
In the meantime, I'll just watch Luna and Hare grow.
"...Jun-woo."
"Yeah, Minerva."
"Hurry and defeat all the Demon Kings. That way I... will be comfortable."
Minerva smiled sadly.
I couldn't tell if she said "I" or "you."
However, one thing I could know was.
*...She's changed.*
Since that day.
Unlike before, rather than prioritizing my safety.
Minerva was putting defeating the Demon Kings first.
"To be happy, quickly defeat the Demon Kings. I'll help you, got it?"
"...Got it."
And so, I answered Minerva who looked sad, and fixed my gaze on the screen.
I could see them struggling before my eyes, but.
No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like they had no chance of winning.