I Got a Job as the Demon King's Plaything - Chapter 95
The doors to the hall opened, and as the Demon King entered, the Emperor let out a sigh. The Demon King cast a brief glance at the Emperor before striding forward without hesitation and seating himself directly on the throne.
He wore nothing but a pair of trousers, his bare upper body exposed for all to see. His body, tightly packed with muscle like that of a descending god of destruction, exuded an overwhelming sense of menace. In truth, he had simply torn all his clothes to shreds, leaving him unable to wear anything else, but the Emperor was unaware of this. The moment their eyes met, the Emperor’s knees trembled, and all he could think was how barbaric the Demon King looked.
Seated on the throne, Teshiel surveyed the hall. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the Crown Prince standing beside the Emperor.
“Still alive, I see. I believe I requested an exchange for the one who kidnapped Bonita. Where is he?”
Before even discussing how to handle the Empire, Teshiel asked for Lucas first, leaving the Emperor frowning in confusion. On the other hand, Rento wasn’t surprised at all. He had already anticipated that, to Teshiel, Bonita would come before anything related to the Empire or the Emperor.
“Bring him in.”
At Rento’s gesture, several demon soldiers left the hall. While the soldiers went to fetch Lucas and his companions, Rento gave a brief report to Teshiel.
“The Emperor claims they were imprisoned in the underground dungeons, but when we arrived, the cells were empty.”
“The cells were empty?”
“It—it’s true! They were imprisoned there!”
As Teshiel’s eyebrows arched in response, the Emperor shouted desperately, fearing the fallout. Ignoring the Emperor’s outburst, Rento continued calmly.
“There was someone among the group with a talent for unlocking doors and hiding in the shadows. It seems they managed to escape under that person’s leadership.”
At that moment, the soldiers who had left earlier returned, dragging Lucas and Mikhail behind them. The two, tightly bound, were forced to kneel on the ground. Rento gestured toward them with a glance.
“As you can see, we recaptured them while you were resting. Though three escaped, one unfortunately died during the pursuit.”
Upon learning that the Demon King had invaded the Empire, the Emperor had immediately imprisoned Lucas and his companions. Lucas, Mikhail, and Raul were held in the same cell, while Sophitia, being of a different gender, was placed in a separate cell.
Although they had been shackled, it meant little to Mikhail, who had a knack for picking locks. He freed himself from the cuffs, unlocked the cell door, and the three men killed the guard and fled. They hadn’t had time to free Sophitia, leaving her behind.
It was only right before Teshiel arrived at the imperial palace that the Emperor discovered their escape. Fortunately for him, Teshiel prioritized finding Bonita over Lucas. While Teshiel spent time with Bonita, the Emperor hastily sent out a pursuit party. During the chase, Raul was killed on the spot by an arrow fired by the Emperor’s soldiers, who feared he might use magic. The pursuit team managed to capture only Lucas and Mikhail.
“Oh, and the Crown Prince greatly contributed to recapturing these two by leading the pursuit party,” Rento added.
Teshiel listened to the report, his cold gaze moving over Lucas, Mikhail, and finally the Crown Prince. Slowly, a smirk tugged at his lips.
“You’re lucky.”
The Crown Prince, understanding the meaning behind Teshiel’s words, unconsciously touched his neck with trembling hands. His life had been meant to be exchanged for Lucas’s. If Teshiel hadn’t been preoccupied with Bonita, the Crown Prince’s head would already have been separated from his body.
“…Mercy.”
“Fine. I’ll let it slide this time. I’m in a very good mood right now,” Teshiel said, his golden eyes turning towards Lucas and Mikhail. Both men knelt on the floor, already battered and covered in wounds.
“But no matter how good my mood is, I can’t let you off.”
Teshiel’s icy gaze bore down on the ones who had dared to steal Bonita from him.
“You thought I kidnapped some foreign princess, didn’t you? It’s in human nature to be swept up in baseless rumors, so I’ll let that part slide. But eventually, you learned that Bonita was my personal maid. Why didn’t you let her go then? Isn’t she exactly what you humans would call ‘an innocent person’?”
Lucas lifted his head defiantly and shouted,
“That’s because you invaded the human realm as you pleased!”
“Oh?”
The blood drained from the faces of every human present except for Lucas. Even Mikhail, who stood by his side, glared at him with a pale expression, muttering for him to shut up. A nearby demon soldier moved to kick Lucas, but Teshiel waved him off with a gesture.
“Go on.”
