The Returner

“…Huh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at Barasga’s intact head and muttered regrettably.

“It didn’t shatter?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“……………..”

The demon king looked up at him with dumbfounded eyes.

“A magician wants to stomp my head and destroy it?! What crazy rubbish are you attempting to do?!” (Barasga)

“Ah, right. You’re really sturdy, aren’t you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched the back of his head.

“Eiii, it’d have been so much cooler for your head to go splat, you know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yup, he had seen too many movies, that’s for sure.

It was here that Barasga, still under Yi Ji-Hyuk’s foot, urgently shouted out.

“W-wait a minute! Let’s make a deal!” (Barasga)

Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at the demon king with unimpressed eyes.

“I won’t say anything about you using your own mouth to say whatever you want, but if you can help it, you should think about the perspective of a human needing to make deals with a turtle, too…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I, I’m a demon king, though?” (Barasga)

“Riiight, a turtle demon king.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

While keeping his foot on Barasga’s head, Yi Ji-Hyuk scanned his vicinity.

“So fast.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

One of the two extra demon kings had been exterminated without a trace, while the other one had ran away with its tail firmly tucked between its legs. You could say that causing such a scene with nothing but one single magic spell was a truly beneficial turn of events, but…

“Tsk.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t fight back against the blood welling up his throat and spat it out, before carrying on.

“I’ve got nothing to gain by making a deal with you, so why should I spare you in that case?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Barasga desperately racked its brain.

The demon king had already felt Yi Ji-Hyuk’s intentions to kill when the latter stomped on its head. Wasting time with unnecessary words would only accelerate the crushing of its head. ƒ𝔯𝗲𝗲𝙬𝒆𝚋𝐧oѵℯl.𝒄𝑜m

Barasga replied with a trembling voice.

“I shall become your underling.” (Barasga)

“H-ng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’m a demon king. Being able to order around a demon king should prove to be an amazing benefit to you, wouldn’t you say?” (Barasga)

With an agonised expression on his face, Yi Ji-Hyuk plopped down on Barasga’s head. It was slightly uncomfortable to sit on since the demon king’s noggin was so big, but he didn’t mind that and deeply contemplated his options, instead.

“M-m-mm…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Erukana walked up and addressed him.

“What are you worried about, darling? Even if this guy is a moron, an opportunity to order around a demon king is still exceptionally rare to come across. No one out there besides demons would’ve had such an honour, you know?” (Erukana)

Yi Ji-Hyuk yelled back as if to say, don’t say anything if you have no clue in the first place.

“Argh, he’s a dang turtle, you know! Having a turtle as your underling is just so uncool!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Sometimes, darling, I’d like to dissect your head to see what’s inside there.” (Erukana)

“…Feels like I’ve heard that a few times before.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk) fr𝚎e𝙬𝚎𝚋𝚗૦ν𝚎𝒍.c૦m

Yi Ji-Hyuk knocked on Barasga’s head and spoke.

“Hey, man. When you think about it, you’ll have to fight against your brethren once you become my underling, so will that be okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“It’ll be better than dying.” (Barasga)

“Oh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Demons are individuals of equal opportunities. Unlike you, we don’t have this sense of solidarity.” (Barasga)

“Well, that’s an excellent mindset of a stooge, then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Mm, but, how should I put this… (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Pow!

Yi Ji-Hyuk suddenly stood up and began mercilessly kicking Barasga’s head.

“But why?! Why are you doing this?!” (Barasga)

“Because, I got p*ssed when thinking about how the pro-Jap b*stards sold off this country with a similar mindset of yours, that’s why!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…I’ve no idea what you’re even on about.” (Barasga)

“You bloomin’ stooge b*stard.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk fell even deeper into a dilemma while looking at Barasga.

Indeed, being able to order around a demon king should be a massive boon for his causes. How much of a help have Oh-Sik alone provided so far? Being able to order around not an Ogre Lord but an actual, full-fledged demon king would prove to be a massive help in the upcoming battles.

However!

“A turtle as my underling?! A bloody turtle?! A turtle that won’t even fit inside a P**é Ball?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk muttered to himself over and over again as if his pride had been damaged.

“Darling, get a hold of yourself.” (Erukana)

“Urgh…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Out of all the countless demon kings in existence, why did it have to be a turtle? Why, of all things?

The demon kings he fought in the past all possessed this undeniable coolness to them, yet this…

“Tsk, who cares if you look so ugly, as long as you can fight like a champ?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…I’m not ugly.” (Barasga)

Barasga simply had to lodge a complaint in the middle of that.

“Well, I should chalk this down to my own sad little fate, then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If he could help it, he’d have loved to lord over a menacing and cool monster, but he might as well be satisfied with what he’s got since this guy wasn’t the kind to get sucked into a P**é Ball, in any case.

Black Mana began gathering around Yi Ji-Hyuk’s right hand.

“N-ng?!” (Barasga)

Barasga saw that and its eyes shot wide open.

“A slave seal?!” (Barasga)

“Why are you so surprised?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“A demon’s contract is absolute. Even if you don’t do that, I will not betray you.” (Barasga)

“Sure, that might be true, but…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked deeply.

“There’s always an exception, right? I’m not much of a fan of such uncertainties, you see.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“W-what are you even talking about?!” (Barasga)

“I mean, if you weren’t planning to betray me, does it matter if you have the seal branded on you or not? Besides, you. You acting this way makes me think that you were planning to stab me in the back later.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Euh, euh…” (Barasga)

Barasga shuddered from indignation.

“Isn’t there anything like courtesy in the human world?! I’m a demon king. Even if I’m now your prisoner, am I not allowed the minimum level of courtesy?” (Barasga)

“Nope.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk resolutely shook his head.

“You ain’t a prisoner, but my new slave. There’s this thing called the Geneva Convention for all the war prisoners, but no such things exist for a slave, unfortunately.” (Barasga)

“What is this Genega convention?!” (Barasga)

“Not Genega, Geneva. Besides, you don’t need to know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk twirled his right hand. The huge slave imprinting seal materialised in the air, before it dug into Barasga’s head.

Hiss, sizzle!

Sounds of flesh being cooked resounded out from the demon king’s head. The creature writhed around in pain.

“Urgk!!!” (Barasga)

The creature whimpered, unable to withstand the pain despite being a demon king.

“Oh? He’s resisting it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

As expected of a demon king. It felt like the restrictions on the mind and body were not working as smoothly as it should. However, that was all. Barasga’s resistance meant that it’d take longer than usual, but in the end, it’d not be able to win against the Seal of Obedience.

“Keu-heuk.” (Barasga)

Barasga used its half-severed arm to rub its head, and after feeling around the new seal now visible on its forehead, it could only sigh grandly.

‘To think that a day like today will come for me…’ (Barasga)

It felt like only a second ago that Barasga stepped up full of energy to hunt down the 99th demon king, so it wanted to wallow in sadness for ending up in such a miserable state.

However, what could anyone do about it now? The milk had been spilled already, anyway.

“Okay, then. Should we go for a test run? Attention!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Say that after looking at my body type! My body!! I’m a turtle, so how do you expect me to stand at attention?!” (Barasga)

“Oh hey, he even admitted to being a turtle himself.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Urgh.” (Barasga)

Barasga powerfully shook its head.

To think that it’d end up serving this dumb*ss as its master from now on…

‘Maybe I should’ve just died?’ (Barasga)

Barasga seriously wondered if it would’ve been better to just die rather than serve Yi Ji-Hyuk as its master. Although, it couldn’t even kill itself anymore after the Seal of Obedience had been implanted on it.

“Okay, then. Let’s hear it. You, what were your orders when coming here?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Barasga replied with a somewhat pouting expression.

“I did not receive any orders.” (Barasga)

“Wasn’t there a master plan or something like that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“No.” (Barasga)

“…………………….”

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his head.

Since the seal was active now, Barasga wouldn’t be lying to him. Which meant that this fool really did cross over from the demon world without any plan whatsoever, even when no one asked it to.

“…Could it be that they didn’t include you in the planning because you’re a dimwit?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Kuwaaaahk!!” (Barasga)

“How dare you yell at me! Wanna die?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Barasga powerlessly lowered its head.

“That’s not it. We really didn’t receive any orders. The only thing we’ve heard was that, since the pathway to Earth would open, those who want to cross over should go ahead and do whatever they want. And also…” (Barasga)

“Also?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“There’s no rush, so we should take our time, that’s what we’ve been told. That’s why I sought you out the first thing.” (Barasga)

“Who’s ‘you’ here?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…My master.” (Barasga)

Wasn’t this guy’s attitude, like, a bit too rebellious?

Although imprinted with the slave seal, this creature’s ego was incredibly powerful to begin with, so it seemed that its original attitude hadn’t been completely transformed.

“I guess Oh-Sik’s going to suffer a lot from today.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk thought about Oh-Sik obediently protecting his home and could only tut. His heart even ached a little when he imagined how his little Ogre would be frightened silly after he brought home this hulking dude with a foul attitude.

“Hey, you. If you lay your hands on Oh-Sik, Imma beat you up real good. Got that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Who’s Oh-Sik?” (Barasga)

“You’ll see. It’s an Ogre Lord.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…You’re worried about a mere Ogre Lord?” (Barasga)

“Not because he’s one of my combat forces, but because he’s so cute!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“An Ogre is what?” (Barasga)

Barasga tilted its head this way and that, completely failing to understand any of what’s being said.

*

“S-so cute.” (Barasga)

Barasga saw Oh-Sik shivering in fear inside the front yard and began trembling in unchecked emotions.

It had previously heard that Ogre cubs were adorable little things, but who would’ve thought that it was possible for one to be this cute? On top of this, the reddish fur that bordered on deep pink only enhanced the undeniable cute appeal even further.

“A demon king knows about cuteness?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“If we’re talking about appreciating art, then you humans can never stack up to us, the demonic beings. Indeed, our viewpoint on aesthetics alone will make the lives of you humans rather monotone in comparison.” (Barasga)

“In that case, how come all of you look so hideous, dude?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Kuwaaahk! Don’t you know anything about relativity of different species?! To us, you humans look more like detestable monsters! You have no fur, you’re ugly as sin, and all so smooth and squidgy to boot!” (Barasga)

“…You also don’t have fur, you know?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Urgh.” (Barasga)

Barasga groaned loudly.

“Fine. What do you want me to do now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The demon king looked at Yi Ji-Hyuk’s house, then turned its head this way and that to spot a suitable place for it to stay.

“What do you mean, what? You’ll be protecting my house.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…Your house?” (Barasga)

Disbelief quickly filled up Barasga’s eyes.

“You want a demon king to simply protect your house?! Are you currently messing with me?” (Barasga)

Yi Ji-Hyuk stretched his limbs and yawned in disinterest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have something else for you to do later. For now, though, I’m going to rest so watch the house.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I don’t have a place to lay down in this cramped garden.” (Barasga)

“No need to worry about that, either.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk extended his hand and stabbed a black tentacle on Barasga’s body.

“M-mm?!” (Barasga)

Mana suddenly got sucked out so Barasga freaked out and tried to resist. However, the demon king’s body didn’t even budge an inch, which was completely different from what it wanted.

“Keu-heuk!!” (Barasga)

Was this the effect of the Seal of Obedience?

Barasga’s hulking physique gradually shrunk down, and eventually, it became no bigger than a puppy.

“Oh~. Looks like the sync rate has gone up. It’s pretty similar now.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head grandly as if he was feeling satisfied about something, then walked into the house next.

“I’m going to sleep, so watch the house, okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Urgh.” (Barasga)

After Yi Ji-Hyuk opened the front door and disappeared into the house, Barasga spat out a lengthy groan.

‘To think that I’d end up in this state.’ (Barasga)

Although better than dying, the price for living on simply was too much.

Grrrr…

“…Grrrr?” (Barasga)

Barasga slowly turned its head to the side only to see Oh-Sik growling at it with fangs bared.

Fangs bared?

Did this measly little Ogre b*tch dare to bare its fangs at me?! (Barasga’s inner monologue)

“Ah, so this must be that thing.” (Barasga)

Barasga remembered hearing that lower-ranked beasts needed to establish hierarchy first. The Ogre must’ve thought that such a thing was probably doable now that the demon king had been miniaturised as well.

“Alright, come! I shall show you what being a demon king is all about!” (Barasga)

Barasga’s red eyes glared ominously as the demon king dashed forward, its short legs pedalling hard, prompting the poor Oh-Sik’s eyes to open up wide.

Whimper??

“…Shut up!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Until Yi Ji-Hyuk got royally irritated by all the commotion in the front yard, came outside and threw his shoe at the two guardian monsters, Oh-Sik had to physically experience the bitter harshness of a demon king.

No matter how much Mana it lost or miniaturised it was, a demon king was still a demon king, after all.

< 399. See? I told you that the dude’s a turtle brain -4 > Fin.